Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox
Consumer Reports would disagree with you. Toyota and Honda are neck and neck ranked for most reliable vehicles (Honda is probably above them now haha). Domestics are a fair amount lower on the totem pole as well as most European brands. They have improved in recent year though.
|
Ah Consumer Reports must know everything. Like that my electric car spontaneously lights on fire and is uncontrollable or like their MPG comparisons or their crappy suggestions on home electronics that seems to break, while their lowest scoring unit lasted longer than the best
Generally I always see initial quality, that doesn't mean much. Also my experiences with foreign cars including toyota is rather mixed. I can't say they had any more or less problems but the problems usually
1. I couldn't fix
2. cost significantly more to fix
3. no used or junkyard replacements.
My 82 diesel suburban that I drove until the body fell on the ground some 25 years later (it still runs and drives but looks like crap) has only ever needed the following
1. Batteries, filters, belts, brakes, radiator flush, transmission flush
2. 3 starters
3. 2 alternators
4. bodywork (which was never done)
And I'm told the 6.2's weren't reliable.
The starters and alternators typically cost between $50-$100 to repair
Making that vehicle the most economical to run over its life including the purchase price (for me anyway) Most every other vehicle I've dealt with has needed at least 2 $500-$800 repairs during the time we had them. The worst oddly was a plymoth voyager which got hit then was useless even after repairs, then the buick with a blown motor, then the TDI volkswagon with its belts, the honda with its blasted belts, my dad had a toyota transmission fell out at 130k, also had strange electronic ghosts, my crappy dodge with its bad electronics, the suburbans we've owned never had much in the way of issues. The only crappy one is the 89 diesel I want to get road ready with its crap 700r4, but I bought it that way, should have known better.
So my experience is, all vehicles I have owned or dealt with have had some sort of issues the cheapest to run have been suburbans in terms of repair costs and initial purchase price. The 89 is still behind the honda & toyota on repair costs despite the transmission.
So its a mixed bag, likely if I had owned these things NEW I might have a different oppinion of them but as it stands I don't like electronic ghosts and I don't like foreign car timing belts and transmissions.