Cars you've owned which you never had any problems

_Conrad_ · 04-04-2011 03:37PM

My standard for never had any problems is:

-didn't break down/otherwise let me down
-didn't have to replace anything that wasn't due or expected due to wear/mileage/me breaking it through hard use/abuse
-didn't annoy me in any way

So here are a few
(i have a bit of a problem with/addiction to motor vehicles of all descriptions there have been a lot, of both bad and good)

1990 isuzu trooper 2.8 td SWB (jdm yo!)
1989 Isuzu trooper 2.8 td LWB with over 300,000 miles (Irish market version)
1995 isuzu trooper 3.1td LWB

1992 mitsubishi pajero swb
1998 mitsubishi pajero lwb

1994 ford granada 2.0, nothing ever went wrong with that which i didn't break due to excesive abuse
1991 ford sierra 1.8 td
1992 ford sierra 2.0 gls
2002 ford mondeo diesel
2003 ford focus diesel
1990 ford P100 ("sierra pickup")
1997 ford mondeo 1.8td
1995 mondeo 1.6
1989 sierra 1.8
1993 transit

1990 toyota carina II
1994 toyota carina E
1988 landcruiser
1988 hilux
1990 hilux

1991 nissan micra K10 1.0
2004 nissan terrano 2.7 td
1990 nissan patrol 2.8 td

1990 volkswagen jetta 1.6d
1991 volkswagen golf 1.6d
1994 volkswagen vento 1.9d
2001 volkswagen passat

1996 bmw 318 tds (200k)
1994 bmw 525tds
1995 bmw 520i and 525i

volvo 740
volvo 940
volvo V40

And quite a few others in fairness to them, but it's at least partly due to believing in maintaing car, not just the typical irish thing of buy it, drive it, never even service it and expect nothing to go wrong or never to even need to replace shocks, bushings, bearings etc (how could anyone expect those to last on irish roads?)

the only things i've seen to put up with that long term are 90s toyotas, diesel ventos/golfs/jettas, older 4x4s mainly troopers hiluxes and landcruisers, but even those will wear out eventually, but rust due to neglect and lack of being washed after getting caked in mud and cow ****e, combined with people being too stingy to pay for a small bit of welding to pass a DOE has killed off (or at least consigned to rotting in fields/farmyards) many of the old 4x4s long before they'd ever show any unreliability

_Conrad_ · 04-04-2011 03:42PM

I Was VB wrote: »

1994 Toyota Corona, liberated it from the auctions in Aug 09 with 346K Klms for pocket money, today she has 407K and is still running 100% no problems, bar a starter motor but i think thats down to taxi work.

Just spotted that there above mine, took a while writing it lol

to be fair to your corona, it started A LOT of times over the 407k!
Similar to the utterly faultless (reliabilty wise) ex taxi carina E 2.0TD i had. "only" 270,000 miles on that when it was sold on though, if i hadn't wanted the money to put towards another old 4x4 then i'd probably still have it.

DanWall · 04-04-2011 03:43PM

1990 Mitsubishi Galant, Got rid of it at 190,000, never changed the clutch, inside was still imaculate.
I am surprised at some of the favourites above, some that I would not go near, eg Renault for electrical problems, Opel, Fiat. Mazda for timing chains etc.

I am sure if you did a forum the other way around and listed troublesome cars, the same names would crop up + a few that have a good reliability record

zinzan · 04-04-2011 03:56PM

Wow huge variations in cars!

for me:

1986 Subaru L series 1.8l running on LPG/Petrol (kind of precursor to Impreza)
(252000 miles.. still mechanically sound, chassis rusted through though, still have it by house as a 'someday' restoration!)

1990 Volvo 740SE 232000 miles on it when sold on..

1997 Suzuki Swift 1L - so far 155000 miles on it and still going...

bladespin · 04-04-2011 04:57PM

padma wrote: »

I'd say that was a big change, coming from a punto, to a landcruiser?

I'd imagine it is but I didn't, the Punto was bought as a second 'private' car as I had commercial jeeps since I started driving, I actually changed from a Trooper to the Landcrusier.

bijapos · 04-04-2011 04:57PM

knipex wrote: »

A 1973 Mustang who's front left caliper seized open on the M50 so when you braked hard the car pulled (really really really) hard to the left. Of course this happened just before a twat in a micra pulled straight out from the Tallaght on ramp doing 35 long before it merged with the M50.

So it was a bit like this other 73 Mustang?

Miscreant · 04-04-2011 05:46PM

1999 Daewoo Lanos - No Trouble, only consumables needed doing at service times.
1997 Pug 106 Gti - Little rocket and no trouble at all, although I only owned it for 4 months before selling it on.
2004 Punto 8v Auto - Broke my heart with this one and I actually shed tears. €2000+ on a new gearbox a few weeks after the garage "engine and gearbox" warranty ran out only for it to go again about 6 months later. Got that fixed and it was finally reliable when it was written off by a goon in a Transit!
2007 Suzuki Swift - Loved this car, not a moment's trouble and serviced on the button. Sold it at the weekend.
2004 Volvo S60 - Had to replace a rear shock (did both of course) after hitting a HUGE pothole in Galway, surprised the alloy didn't buckle. Been a perfectly reliable car and fast too

-Corkie- · 04-04-2011 06:43PM

88 Corolla

94 Carina

96 Corolla.

I started buying Vag after that and my heart and pocket are broke since.:rolleyes:

colatube · 04-04-2011 07:25PM

88 Ford Fiesta - My first car! Not a lot went wrong mechanically, just developed a few small leaks which is to be expected with age.

97 Fiesta - Every couple of weeks something small, radiator, thermostat, MAF, exhaust fell off on the motorway :eek: And bulbs seemed to go after a month of use! But I was young and loved the car, so all was forgiven.

98 Pug 106 GTI - Head went after 6 months of ownership. Great car and I miss it dearly.

00 Ford Fiesta Zetec S - Again, MAF went, and niggly problems with electrics that were cheap and easy to repair. Absolutely fantastic car to drive, and quite reliable.

99 BMW 318is - Everything under the sun went wrong with this car, must have blown 2.5k in one year of ownership. :mad:

96 Toyota Corrolla - The most reliable car in the universe. It's owned by Dad, but I drive it a lot more than him. Previous owner was a priest, so he must have blessed it. In three years of ownership not so much as a bulb has been changed! Like driving a matress.. so it's a comprimise!

00 Honda Integra Type R - My current car! No problems whatsoever after 1 week of ownership and 1000 miles.

Best car I've ever driven!

Big Nasty · 04-04-2011 07:34PM

Nearly every daily I've had has been a BMW - never had any major issues with any of them. Usual ware and tear stuff but never left on the side of the road.

Had two Audi's one of which was fine ('94 2.8 Quattro Coupe) and a company car, '99 2.5TD A4 Avant S-Line. The A4 was bought for €8k, spent €4k in repairs in two years and sold for €4k - so cost us €8k over 2 years!

David09 · 04-04-2011 07:57PM

I've had lots of cars but by far the most reliable was a 95 Ford Escort 1.3 with old type pushrod engine.
I put up massive mileage. I commute from Sth Carlow to Dublin and back daily. The escort had approaching 300k on the clock and was on its original engine and gearbox. I drove it for two years and it never once let me down.
It was serviced on the dot and care was taken to tyres, bushes and wear and tear items.
The only thing that was ever fitted to it outside service parts was a driver door latch when the door jammed and wouldn't open.
I still have the car and it still has almost a years test on it but it was left up when I bought a cheap focus.
Sadly the focus hasn't been a patch on the escort's reliability which is a pity as it's a really nice car to drive.

red sean · 04-04-2011 09:11PM

Have owned lots of different makes over the years which were mostly trouble-free. But the surprise package was a 99 Hyundai Lantra 1.6Gls Exec. Bought it new because I liked the shape and the spec. Traded in 2008 after 210,000mls and changed nothing except the oil, filters, spark plugs and tyres.Still had the original battery. Great to go but loved petrol!!

peasant · 04-04-2011 09:34PM

What a totally subjective thread

In the four years I've had my van I have replaced (other than oil and filters):
- clutch
- 1 CV joint
- viscous coupling
- all four injectors and pipes
- tank straps
- exhaust

and brakes all round shall be next.

Now ..to me ...that equals not an ounce of trouble*. Another person, mechanically minded but a non Syncro enthusiast might call it iffy.
Your average ignorant motorist would call that a desaster.

* mostly because all of it was advertised / expected and fixed before it left me stranded in an awkward situation

pcardin · 04-04-2011 09:49PM

Car that never gave me any trouble in 5 years while I was having her was Lancia Kappa.

Most problematic were all the BMW's I had. One was stolen and other 3 were sold as non runners.

TrailerBob · 04-04-2011 10:08PM

Had a 98 polo for 3 years in college back in the day, changed the tyres on it once:D
Have a 03 (old model) landcruiser since '08, think it would take an anti-tank missile to stop it

dodgydes · 04-04-2011 10:23PM

The Bad ones
1986 Rover Metro - broke my heart, my pocket, and left me on the side of the road many times.
1993 Xantia - bought it cheap, there was a reason for that...

The good ones
96 Almera 1.6 petrol- sold it a few years ago with 230k miles on the clock, its still going.
04 307 1.4 Hdi - got new, now has 120k. Never a hiccup, but its a pain to drive (lo power but great economy)

bbability · 04-04-2011 10:36PM

Good ones..

1992 Mazda 323 interplay. What a car. It was my first sports car and fond memories of it.

2002 VW Bora TDI my first Diesel car. Sadly missed for the faultless driving I did. Glad to say my brother in law looks after it now and had toruble free driving also. Still original clutch at 170000 miles. ]

Wetbench4 · 04-04-2011 10:55PM

My 1990 1 litre starlet. Bulletproof

mickob16 · 04-04-2011 10:56PM

1997 Peugeot 206-First car and never gave a days trouble.Only sold it as family grew.

2000 Lancer 1.3-Lost power on motorway at 70mph and never trusted it after that.Had a few problems with the dealer that sold it which soured my view of the car.

2003 Focus 1.4-Great car but after 18 months started to hate it cos of how bloody slow it was.Also used to cringe when i put foot down and heard that horrible sound engine used to make.

2004 A4 TDI-Good car and any problems were covered under warranty.Really good on juice.

2000 Golf TDI-Still have this and just gone over 100,000 miles.Its the baseline version so no fancy stuff like elec windows etc.Therefore very little to go wrong.Best car ive ever had.Stuck a towbar on and ive pulled half a house in a trailer no bother even though she only 90bhp.Beast of a car!!!

2005 BMW 525D M-Sport-Only have it 7 months and apart from low enough MPG and a couple of oil leaks so far so good.

physioman · 04-04-2011 11:14PM

93 Nissan Sunny- Hated the car. Put 20k on clock. Had to replace shocks, gearbox, clutch, fuel pump. My bro wrote it off thank god

04 Audi TDI (130bhp) Tiptronic- Worst car I ever had. CPU and gearbox went on it. Got both replaced for nothing even though it out of warranty

Managed to get rid of it luckily

94 Toyota Carina 2.0d- Best car I've ever had. 60k put up on clock. Only replaced track rod end and cv joint. Ran pure vegetable oil on it for 30k. No problems. car died cuz I didn't replace timing belt and it broke

01 VW Golf- Only had it 2 weeks and wrote it off

96 Toyota Coralla 1.3- Put 20k on clock. Shocks only thing changed on it. Excellent car

shamwari · 04-04-2011 11:48PM

The best:

Vauxhall Corsa 1.5TD. Did 80k miles in 4 years and only needed a battery. Quick, quiet (for a diesel) and impressive economy from the little Isuzu fired gem. Being a 3-door, I had to replace it when our first chisler was on the way.

Vauxhall Cavalier 1.7TD: like its little brother above but on a bigger scale. Comfortable, quiet and economical, but let down only by its battleship looks and 80's styling.

Fiat Punto 1.2: Bought as a tie me over runaround three years ago and still have it today. Quick (in relative terms!), economical and VERY VERY RELIABLE! Couldn't bear the thought of being without it

Worth a mention:

Suzuki Swift 1.0

A bean can TBH, but worthy of praise for its cheap running cost, lively handling, and excellent reliability. Two years of ownership and 40kmiles, and nothing broke or failed. Did need tracking every so often for some reason.

Renault Scenic 1.9DTi

Large, comfortable, economical, reliable and with a very very pokey engine, this car again dispelled the stereotype normally associated with Renault and turned out to be a fine car indeed. Only reliability issue was a shock absorber failure and battery in three years and 50k miles. The downsides were the noise and rowdiness of the engine, which was unfortunate given its performance and economy, and the body roll, which there was a lot of...

The worst:

Astra-G 1.7td (fitted with lowblow GM rather than Isuzu lump). It's relative good looks and practicality belied the fact that it was a truly dreadful car. Very slow, not particularly economical, and horribly unreliable. In just over two years of ownership, I replaced head gasket, injection pump, water pump, 4 shocks, brake vacuum pump, MAF, and alternator. I have never been so happy and relieved to see the back of a car as I was with this one. The night I sold it was the most drunk I've ever been in my life

Escort Mk4 1.6: A nice looking car that was not nice to drive and with very poor reliability. The bonnet on the car was up every weekend fixing something or other. Utter crap.

Autosport · 05-04-2011 12:26AM

99 Renault Clio, brilliant first car and never gave me a days trouble

00 Ford Fiesta, just had to replace battery, brakes, clutch and she's going for her NCT tomorrow, this is my second car, dont want to be driving the Astra in the snow/ice

05 Opel Tigra, Never any bother with this one, shed a tear trading her in but she was getting on in the years.

11 Opel Astra, Only have it a few weeks now and its all going good

Voodoomelon · 05-04-2011 01:03AM

I dont have much of a history with cars, I was a late bloomer.

97 Polo - I only had to learn to drive for 4-5 months, hole in the exhaust had to be fixed for NCT is all.

00 BMW 728i - Driving for 3 years now and genuinely near faultless. Have had an ABS sensor and two PDC sensors replaced over the years and two rear control arms to pass the NCT when I bought it. Mechanically/electrically/body work/suspension all perfect, can't believe how reliable it has been. But, you get back what you put in, i've half a folder of service work i've done.

knipex · 05-04-2011 09:04AM

bijapos wrote: »

So it was a bit like this other 73 Mustang?

It very very nearly came to that.

05-04-2011 09:25AM

red sean wrote: »

But the surprise package was a 99 Hyundai Lantra 1.6Gls Exec.

Hyundai cars from the late 90s early 00s are well up there with legendary Toyota and Honda stuff for reliability. Don't tell the "enthusiasts" though

DanWall · 09-04-2011 04:05PM

Worst car Peugeot 406, most troublesome car Skoda Octavia,
Best car Mitsubishi Galant and Carisma, have a Toyota Avensis a year now and it could turn out to be one of the best.
Toyota have gone back with reliability because of oil burning problems on petrol and head gaskets on diesels of some Avensis

eoin27 · 15-04-2011 11:13AM

Relaible Cars:

1993 Nissan Micra
2000 SEAT Ibiza 1.0
2000 Peugeot 406 HDi Lx
2000 Peugeot 406 HDi SR (You'd have to shoot it to stop it)
2001 Peugeot 307 1.4 SR

Crappy cars I've owned:

2001 Citroen Xsara 1.4
1992 Ford Escort RS replica 1.4 (complete bag of bolts)
1999 Peugeot 206 1.4 (not a bad car but in poor nick when i picked it up)
2000 Peugeot 406 Coupé 2.0 SE (Beautiful to look at and high spec but the engine was cooked)

I think the car is down to its owner. My mate never had any major car issues over the 40 odd years he has been driving. Gets the car serviced and checked out every 6k miles and if there is any issues, he gets them sorted right away to prevent problems festering and growing! Someone else I know doesnt take care of the car one bit (Peugeot 307 HDi). He drove around with all the FAP (Diesel particle filter) warning flashing for over 10k and then gave out about the car being unreliable when his engine was in bits after

GavRedKing · 15-04-2011 11:19AM

99 Toyota Corolla - First car, apart from tyres ran perfectly for about 2 years.

01 Toyota Celica - Has ran perfectly in nearly 3 years this summer.

Want to change at the end of the year to maybe an S2000 around 01, 02, it will depend on the finances.

15-04-2011 11:22AM

8 months into the ownership of my ZT now, she was 15,000 miles overdue a service when I bought her according to both the service history and the indicator on the dash. After buying her I had to replace the tyres and service it, I installed an oil catch tank and replaced a little motor and valve in the variable air intake system. Battery needed replacing over Christmas (Stephen's morning) and I had to replace the backbox due to corrosion. No actual trouble as yet though.

joolsveer · 15-04-2011 11:26AM

I have had cars since 1975 and I never had one that did not let me down. The marques were FIAT, VW, Datsun, Opel, Peugeot, Renault, Citroen. I currently have a Subaru which is too new to comment on but I am hoping that it will be the exception to the rule.

Maybe I'm unlucky but I always pick the slowest queue in a supermarket too.

Cars you've owned which you never had any problems

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