Car make and model reputations

The Woodcock

Hi, new to boards.ie and looking for some advice on cars.

I am in the market for a good second hand car and have already read with interest the guide which is stickied here - very useful.

My question is about the reputations that are associated with car makes and models. For example, I was looking at a Peugeot on donedeal but a friend of mine said 'the gearboxes on the Peugeots are not great, they often have to be replaced'. The last car I had was a Seat and I had problems with the electrics and fuses. I was told by another amateur car enthusiast that this was a common problem with Seats. Fiats also have a bad reputation (Fix it again Tony) and all that.

Should I pay any heed to this kind of talk or ignore it? Most of it comes from lads who like to make out they know a lot about cars but are not and never have been in the motor business.

whomitconcerns

Best idea is to pick the best car that you want for the best price you can afford and ignore the rest. All cars have problems, you can be lucky or unlucky. As many people will say great as say crap...

I mean thats as long as you obviously remember that French cars always have their electrics fail due to the Irish weather. :P

The Woodcock wrote: »

Hi, new to boards.ie and looking for some advice on cars.

I am in the market for a good second hand car and have already read with interest the guide which is stickied here - very useful.

My question is about the reputations that are associated with car makes and models. For example, I was looking at a Peugeot on donedeal but a friend of mine said 'the gearboxes on the Peugeots are not great, they often have to be replaced'. The last car I had was a Seat and I had problems with the electrics and fuses. I was told by another amateur car enthusiast that this was a common problem with Seats. Fiats also have a bad reputation (Fix it again Tony) and all that.

Should I pay any heed to this kind of talk or ignore it? Most of it comes from lads who like to make out they know a lot about cars but are not and never have been in the motor business.

Francie Barrett

Generally, there is no such thing as a poor manufacturer and very often there can even be a massive variation between a specific model when it moves from one generation to the next. I am a VW enthusiast, but even I will acknowledge that early B6 Passats were lemons compared to the rock solid B5's.

MrDerp

This isn't very scientific, I know, but I generally immediately discount the cheapest 1/3 of the cars on the market. So if, say, a peugeot is 2k less than the market average, I know it's probably got all the problems I've heard about, or been riddled in the past. I discount the fact that the chap may actually be moving to Australia, and I just aim for the middle of the market. Then, I narrow it down to reputable garages I'm sure I can get to honour a warranty.

After that, the brand doesn't really matter, it's down to what you want to drive

miller50841

Hi there it's up to you what car you like on style and that.
Here is a few ideas...
Ford fiesta, mondeo, focus.
Skoda fabia or octavia
VW golf, passat
Toyota prob the best for reliability carolla, auris or avensis
Not a fan of renault or nissan anymore they have gone so cheap and have lots of trouble.

Chuck Stone

Japanese cars are 'most reliable' used car brands in UK

Used Hondas are the most reliable of all, according to the survey

Suzuki and Subaru, also Japanese, were ranked fourth and fifth respectively in the survey of cars between three and 10 years old.

South Korean carmaker Hyundai shared sixth place with Japan's Mazda and Mitsubishi.

"Japanese carmakers really do deliver on reliability and Honda is exceptionally good at this," said Mr Hallett, pointing out that this was the seventh year in a row when Honda topped the ranking.

Source

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The most reliable used car brands according to What Car? and Warranty Direct

1 Honda
2 Toyota
3 Lexus
4 Suzuki
5 Subaru
6= Hyundai
6= Mazda
6= Mitsubishi
9 Chevrolet
10 Nissan
11 Kia
12= Ford
12= Skoda
14 Citroën
15= Peugeot
15= Daewoo
15= Smart
18 Mini
19 Fiat
20= Seat
20= Volkswagen
20= Volvo
20= Porsche
24 Vauxhall
25 BMW
26 Audi
27= Rover
27= Jaguar
29 Mercedes-Benz
30 MG
31= Saab
31= Chrysler
33= Renault
33= Jeep
35 Alfa Romeo
36 Land Rover

Francie Barrett

miller50841 wrote: »

Toyota prob the best for reliability carolla, auris or avensis
Not a fan of renault or nissan anymore they have gone so cheap and have lots of trouble.

:pac:

ThisRegard

The Woodcock wrote: »

Hi, new to boards.ie and looking for some advice on cars.

Best advice I can give you is to ignore most of the stuff you'll read on this thread, or forum in general.

Tea 1000

As said above, most makes are actually fine. Some have their particular faults in particular models, but a far more important factor is the condition and history of the car you're buying. No matter how reliable it might be, if it were abused or neglected it'll give problems.
Having said that, I've seen some seriously abused Honda's in the past and never gave any problems.

miller50841

ThisRegard wrote: »

Best advice I can give you is to ignore most of the stuff you'll read on this thread, or forum in general.

So does this mean you have info on car's or just trying to put down the ones that actually answered the op and gave some good advice:cool:

FrontDoor

There is great value once you step outside the big 4-5 makers such as VW, Toyota, etc.

If you are the sort who is mechanically sympathetic to a car, then a well minded Peugeot or Citroen will last years.

Nissans and Mazdas wouldn't be my cup of tea as a new car, but for 3-4 k, you can pick up an awful lot of car and they aren't that bad. Bland, but generally reliable. Anybody driving a new Golf/Focus is losing nearly that much a year in depreciation. A new Mondeo, much more I'd imagine.

Outside of the actual known manufacturer faults common to a particular model, the biggest factor affecting the longevity of a car is the driver.

I know too many people with supposed scrap heaps, Lagunas, 307s, etc tootling along with 200k miles on them without a days bother.

mags1962

As previous posters stated all cars can give trouble, straight from the factory or 10 years old but obviously new cars have warranties that can protect you a bit. I tend to prefer cars that I like the inside of and that I am happy to spend time in as any car can have electrical and mechanical problems and believe that the day you buy is the day you sell, so how easy will it be to move on when you are done with it and can go again with a newer/better model/make.

kirving

Generally, if people are making sweeping generalisations about cars, don't give it much weight. If Fiat were as bad as most people in the pub say they are, how are they still around, and why have they won car/engine of the year in the very recent past?

The reality is that all car's, from a Ford Ka to an S-Class Merc are made in similar factories, and even the cheapest cars on the road are very reliable these days. Pick a few cars you like, test drive them, and ask on here (not me!) about common problems with a specific model. You might be told that a certain car could need it's waterpump changed at a certain mileage or whatever, but that's far more useful advice than just saying X brand are crap.

Pottler

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Generally, if people are making sweeping generalisations about cars, don't give it much weight. If Fiat were as bad as most people in the pub say they are, how are they still around, and why have they won car/engine of the year in the very recent past?

The reality is that all car's, from a Ford Ka to an S-Class Merc are made in similar factories, and even the cheapest cars on the road are very reliable these days. Pick a few cars you like, test drive them, and ask on here (not me!) about common problems with a specific model. You might be told that a certain car could need it's waterpump changed at a certain mileage or whatever, but that's far more useful advice than just saying X brand are crap.

Ignore that anyway, most of these awards are for "innovation" or appearance, neither of which means a thing when it comes to actually being good over a period of years.

Stallingrad

Pottler wrote: »

Ignore that anyway, most of these awards are for "innovation" or appearance, neither of which means a thing when it comes to actually being good over a period of years.

Exhibit A: BMW

Pottler

French for comfort and style, German for image and style, Korean because you can't afford a German or Japanese new but want a new decent car, Japanese for reliability but blandness. Oh yeah, and Italian because you actually like driving and appreciate vroom and style.
There are, obviously, as with everything, exceptions. But that's basically it.:)

kmb

Pottler wrote: »

Ignore that anyway, most of these awards are for "innovation" or appearance, neither of which means a thing when it comes to actually being good over a period of years.

Have you ever driven a modern Fiat from the last few years or is this going back to the Punto heating problems which caused head gasket failure from around 2000 onwards?
Look how many injectors,dmfs,dpf,swirls etc problems on here from different models,how many are from Fiat?

The modern Fiat bravo from 2007 design has been copied by other brands,just look at the astra etc
I have had Fiats for years but did not buy this Punto due to research and opted for the 1.2 16v Bravo at the time.

To the op:Just do your research on the cars which interest you and when you have a list just pop them in here and look for the common faults.I will say that for example the Bravo 90 bhp is slow due to the body weight but the 1.4 150bhp petrol or 1.6 150bhp Diesel sport is a diiferent animal.
The 150 Sport was available in Non dpf 1.9 engine previously.

George Dalton

kmb wrote: »

Look how many injectors,dmfs,dpf,swirls etc problems on here from different models,how many are from Fiat?

That is simply because there are very few Fiats on the roads.

The Fiat 1.9JTD engine is fitted to plenty of Saabs and Opels and suffers all of the above faults in those applications plus the other common diesel engine faults of EGR valve and electric shutoff valve failure. Are you suggesting that Fiats or Alfas fitted with the same engine are immune to these issues?

boz13

Chuck Stone wrote: »

.

The most reliable used car brands according to What Car? and Warranty Direct

1 Honda
2 Toyota
3 Lexus
4 Suzuki
5 Subaru
6= Hyundai
6= Mazda
6= Mitsubishi
9 Chevrolet
10 Nissan
11 Kia
12= Ford
12= Skoda
14 Citroën
15= Peugeot
15= Daewoo
15= Smart
18 Mini
19 Fiat
20= Seat
20= Volkswagen
20= Volvo
20= Porsche
24 Vauxhall
25 BMW
26 Audi
27= Rover
27= Jaguar
29 Mercedes-Benz
30 MG
31= Saab
31= Chrysler
33= Renault
33= Jeep
35 Alfa Romeo
36 Land Rover

Chevrolet & Daewoo are more reliable than BMW Merc Audi & Jag??

Screw reliability i know what i'd prefer to be driving!

Pottler

kmb wrote: »

Have you ever driven a modern Fiat from the last few years or is this going back to the Punto heating problems which caused head gasket failure from around 2000 onwards?
Look how many injectors,dmfs,dpf,swirls etc problems on here from different models,how many are from Fiat?

The modern Fiat bravo from 2007 design has been copied by other brands,just look at the astra etc
I have had Fiats for years but did not buy this Punto due to research and opted for the 1.2 16v Bravo at the time.

To the op:Just do your research on the cars which interest you and when you have a list just pop them in here and look for the common faults.I will say that for example the Bravo 90 bhp is slow due to the body weight but the 1.4 150bhp petrol or 1.6 150bhp Diesel sport is a diiferent animal.
The 150 Sport was available in Non dpf 1.9 engine previously.

Indeed. I drive a Fiat by the way. And my work van? That's a Fiat. And an Iveco, which is almost a Fiat:) I also have several Fords, a few Toyotas, a Ssangyong, a Peugeot, two Citroens and a Suzuki. All taxed, insured and tested. I've never actually owned much German, sorry, had a Merc once. And a few VW's. Never had a modern German. Can't really comment beyond a mate telling me(he's a car salesman, quite a successful one too) that if you could, drive a German car. If you couldn't afford that, drive somthing else, but save up for a German car!.

kirving

Pottler wrote: »

Ignore that anyway, most of these awards are for "innovation" or appearance, neither of which means a thing when it comes to actually being good over a period of years.

Fair enough, but it does indicate that they're as innovative as any other car manufacturer, and that they're engineered rather than cobbled together.