Just found out that my current car will die any day now due to a known defect. It’s out of warranty and I have no money to replace it right now.

I’ve been cursed with car problems my whole life, no matter how well I take care of them, I keep getting screwed.

All of the cars have been Fords because I always heard they were generally dependable and cheap to repair/upkeep, but so far they have all failed me.

What cars do y’all recommend? What cars do you have that just won’t give up the ghost no matter how old/beat up they get? If your life depended on your car lasting as long as possible, what car would you drive?

I want whatever car I get next to last me 10-20 years. I want to be that person posting a picture of the odometer hitting 300k miles. I also don’t care much about features, reliability is key.

  • callouscomic@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Honda, Toyota, Subaru. Specific models with high sales and as such high parts availability. I’d avoid new models or low sales. It’ll be harder to pick-n-pull parts. The prius claims to be low maintenance and I believe it based on experience. Most issues I’ve had with those brands have been fixable and not too soul crushing. Even the worst prius issue i ever had with a stuck coolant valve I was able to fix myself wigh youtube vids.

    Of course this comes with the caveat that you take care of your vehicle. Don’t drive like a moron being harsh on it, perform regular maintenance at proper intervals, do your fluid and filter checks and changes, don’t swing for only cheap products, use full synthetic oil when you can. Use higher quality oil, air, cabin, etc filters within reason. Follow the manual. Set maintenance reminders for yourself. Don’t add unnecessary performance mods. Don’t go to jiffy lube. Be skeptical of mechanics that will screw up your car. Check their work when you can, or do it all yourself. If your car allows it, use better fuels.

    Reliable doesn’t equal zero maintenance or zero cost.

    On that note. Michelin tires are worth it. Cheap tires are cheap and get replaced more. Tire performance under braking is perhaps the most important safety feature. I’ve never been disappointed by Michelin for performance, safety, or life. Worth every penny every time.

    By the way, if you want some fun, go to the car dealer area of your town on random days and check out their service departments. I laugh every time I see places like Hyundai packed in the waiting room.

    • Hazzia@discuss.tchncs.de
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      1 year ago

      I second Subaru. On top of them generally lasting really long if you maintain them well, their ads about safety aren’t lying.

      An anecdotal story: One of my coworkers has a Subaru family, and at one point his son was driving and got T-boned by a semi on the drivers side. He walked away with just a few scrapes and bruises. The only person who wasn’t shocked by the story was the Subaru dealer when they went to find a replacement car. Apparently that surviving that kind of incident is pretty normal for people in Subarus.

      ETA: If long-term reliability is the only concern, Toyota is def the one you should go with. If you’re at all concerned about a catastrophic accident though, Subaru is still the king of safety, from what I’ve seen on the interwebs. Looks like Toyota’s doing its best to catch up though, so maybe they’ll be the best choice for that, too, in a couple of years.

      • MaungaHikoi@lemmy.nz
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        1 year ago

        My mum swears by Subaru cars as well for the same reason - she walked away from what should have been a fatal accident without hospitalisation.

    • twistedcarbon@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Subaru is great. I live in the land of eternal winter, and it’s unstoppable. Bought my Impreza diesel two years ago and put 50k kilometers on it with zero mechanical problems. Plenty of used parts out there for a 2011 as well.