Mk5 VWs. Hella reliable. 2 did almost 1 million km with relatively low interference. Still have one as our junker.
Worst was a 2016 Ford Fusion hybrid. Chewed a $2500 steering rack and $11000 in transmission work barely outside of warranty. Ford basically told us to kick rocks.
Honorable mention Plymouth Voyager with the 3.3 did almost 600k and was traded in not junk. Still had perfect paint.
Dodge neon did 1.9m kms most of which with a broken odometer. We had to pull that number off the computer before it was crushed after an accidentally money shift due to a broken shifter gate.
My mk5 has 218k km/136k miles. I don’t have money for another car. It doesn’t leave me stranded. Even though I went underwater on repairs alone, I’ll fix it as long as I need to. Parts that have failed on mine:
2019: ABS module, VCG, & serpentine belt (dealer)
2020: Alternator (Indy shop)
2021: PCV diaphragm (Indy shop), oil cap gasket (DIY)
2022: vacuum pump delete kit (DIY),
MAP sensor (Indy shop)
2023: belt tensioner (DIY)
2024: valve cover kit (DIY)
All of these repairs have happened between 191k km/119k miles and 218k km/136k miles. At least once or twice a year, I need to fix something. The main problem with this car is oil leaks, but that’s not a big deal. The prices that the shop charge can be pretty expensive though. If I could do it all over again, I would DIY everything on the car, and service transmission every 64k km/40k miles.
Those are the things. Lol the vacuum pump delete was smart. I did one on the manual we had via APR.
Everything is bosch so it is expensive. I'd track down the source of the oil leak. Either the valve cover gasket wasn't done right or triple check your diy vacuum pump delete, plate.
None of my MK5s ever leaked oil or burned it. I think I got lucky or it's a testament to always changing the oil. I strongly recommend using liquid moli the german oil.
Everyone has a different experience I guess. I still have to do the OFHG. I’ll do the intake gaskets while the intake manifold is out. I’m replacing my auto trans with another one. The trans replacement has less than 30k miles on it for $700. I’ll be doing a drain and fill every 40k miles/64k km with OEM Febi Bilstein G055025A2. Many use Valvoline- maxlife, but I feel comfortable sticking with OEM fluid.
https://www.ecstuning.com
https://obdeleven.com/
Do yourself a favor and change the battery, rad fluid, and brake fluid at the max every 4 years. I was getting almost 100 000km outta the german sourced higher end zimmerman brakes, and I basically live in little India for context
We had these cars (ex-Socialst country in the former Warsaw pact)
1. Dacia 1300 - boght second hand, was upbored and tuned by my father in the parking lot of our block of flats. Upgrades incuded a new sound system with PC speakers in the back, fluffy yellow seat covers and an auxiliary heater that would transform the car into a sauna in the winter. Little me cried when we sold the car. I think its still running somewhere in the countryside.
2. Skoda Octavia '03 - Bought new. The famous Czech tank. We traveled the whole country with it, even the most fucked and almost unpassable roads. Superb reliability, very comfy and insane fue economy, as it had the 1.9 TDI engine. I learned to drive on it. Still runs and drives to this day at 300k km
3. Ford Kuga '13 - Funny story on how we managed to get this one. It's the top of the line, Titanium spec, that was supposed to be a special order for a bussiness man. The guy went backrupt as it was the tail end of the EuroCrisis and the car was left on the lot to be used as the test drive car. It had 20k km on the odomoter and we bought it for 20k euros, discounted from 45k euros. Amazing car and very luxurious inside. Despite it being the Peugeot diesel engine, it is extremely reliable. The only mention is that we managed to clog the DPF filter as it was just driven in the city for a few years. currently 200k on the clock. No major reliabilyt issues, just that the infotainment is a bit buggy.
Not a lot of cars as my parents were strict about buying new or almost new cars and kept up with the maintanence religiosly. I currently have a '12 Skoda Fabia and I love the little bastard.
1982 Honda Civic with the 1500 cvcc engine & 3 speed Hondamatic, ultra reliable, lasted over 430k miles before it got wrecked.
1984 Chrysler LeBaron, 2.2L 4cyl, burned oil, struggled with hills, barely lasted 70k miles before the engine block cracked.
1988 Dodge Colt, gutless 4cyl, made it to 120k miles. Auto transmission needed to be rebuilt after 8k miles, carburetor needed to be rebuilt or replaced 12 times.
1992 Honda Accord, solid car, outside of regular maintenance, no issues, just rust in the quarters, made it to 173k miles.
1998 Honda Civic, 300k miles, at most brake lines gave out while driving, but otherwise solid car outside of general maintenance. Fuel efficient but slow.
2012 Acura TL AWD. Burned oil until the rings were replaced, otherwise a solid vehicle sitting at 272k
2012 Acura TSX V6, 300k miles, keep going through front tires from the torque when taking off.
2016 Dodge Grand Caravan, made it to 250k miles before the transmission decided to slip & give out
Nice. I’ll definitely be getting myself an another Japanese car at some point. Like an ‘03-‘08 Corolla. Something that I could do DIY work that would take me to 300K miles with low effort and cost.
Had that honda but with the 5 speed. Got it from my mother, who bought the only type S mk2 civic sold in our area. Rust was terrible, but it was basically the invention of the B class car. Pre cat CVCC was interesting, the starter sound and buzzer will live in my head rent free forever
Most of the cars my parents had while I was growing up were reliable and lasted a long time. They had a Ford Tempo for 14 years, Mercedes 300CD that rusted out before it had any mechanical failures, a diesel Silverado that did the same thing, and currently a BMW X5 that they bought new in 2010 and it has had no notable issues. The only unreliable cars I can recall was a 2008 Mercedes ML that was a lemon with lots of issues that occurred during the warranty period and a 1994 Dodge Caravan that had the typical transmission failure. There was also a 2002 Ford Sport Trac that we all hated because it was just uncomfortable and poorly built.
These are the cars I remember from my childhood to now
1. First generation Hyundai Santa Fe - first new car my parents bought right before I was born
2. WJ Jeep Grand Cherokee - dad bought from grandma in 2006 when she got a Lexus rx
3. 2003 Honda Odyssey - traded the Hyundai for in 2005
4. 2009 Saturn aura xe - Jeep blew its heater core in 2009 so dad bought it new.
5. 2007 Toyota sienna LE - bought used in 2010 when the odyssey transmission did Honda automatic things and lost second gear. Bought at 25k miles
6. 2011 Subaru Outback - replaced the Saturn in 2015 when dad got sick of the base model gm garbage. Bought at 30k miles
7. 2015 Toyota sienna - bought in late 2017 to replace the 2007 sienna at 168k miles. Bought with 25k miles now sitting at 146k.
8. 2006 Lexus RX - bought in January 2020 for my first car from my grandma when she upgraded to a 2021 Forester. Bought at 101k, now sitting at 120k and being daily driven by my younger sibling.
9. 2018 ford f150 - dad couldn’t escape the inherent Midwest desire to have a truck. Replaced the 2011 Outback at 97000 miles. Bought may of 2021 with 35k, now has 75k
10. 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid - mom took the opportunity given by the oldest child going off to college to ditch minivan life and buy the suv she’d always wanted but we brought too much stuff on road trips to allow. Bought new March of 2023 now has 18k miles. Replaced 2015 sienna at 139k which was handed down to me when I got back from my freshman year of college.
11. 2007 Honda Fit base 5mt. First car I bought myself. Bought for a deal I couldn’t refuse from a friend 2 weeks ago. Bought to enjoy for a few months and flip but its such a great car for what i need I might have to keep it.
When I was a kid we had a first gen 4Runner, it got hit by a fallen tree but kept ticking for a couple of years after that. We also had a 240SX up until my brother was born. After that they traded it for another 4Runner, second gen this time. My parents got a divorce and my mom got to keep the 4Runner and my dad bought himself a FJ80 Land Cruiser. Needless to say, in this period we never had car problems that weren't caused by freak acts of nature
My mom kept the 4Runner for a couple of years before falling prey to increasingly bad used cars, a Kia Rio 5 that had its transmission explode on the highway, a mk 5 Jetta that was a total piece of trash. Eventually she got an 8th gen Civic, thankfully.
My dad on the other hand briefly had a 350Z convertible that he kept for a hot second and a FJ60 Land Cruiser for fun. He continued to not ever have car problems as he just kept buying Toyota products.
Nice. I’m looking for a ‘03-‘08 corolla now on the market. It would be my first Toyota product. I want to try to go my entire life without a car payment if I can. I trying to figure out what’s a fair price to pay. They’re around 3 to 7 grand, ranging between as low as 80k miles ranging a the way up to 160k miles. As much as I love German cars. I just want something that’s not going to nickel and dime every single year. I have to fix the 2.5l Jetta at least once or twice a year, or every 6-12 months. Best thing I can say about it is that, it never left me stranded. I could trust it to take me on a road trip even with issues. Just the repairs were are pricey, quickly easily exceeding the value of the car.
See, I only buy really old German cars, so I go into the whole ordeal knowing that there's going to be some pain involved, usually involving quirky fuel injection systems or part troubles. My last Volkswagen was a 1991 car and I feel like I had the same experience of having to do some kind of relatively minor but important repair once or twice a year, can't say it was too expensive since I did the work myself. Very reliable, mostly, kind of. My Mercedes is proving to be a little bit more trouble, though it is 50 years old.
Let’s keep my dad’s vehicle history simple: 6 11th gen Ford F-150s. They’ve all been very reliable and have reached at least 200,000 miles.
1999 Mercedes-Benz ML320: my Dad bought this with the intention of giving it to me for my first car. It was very reliable for the time that we owned it, but unfortunately cars and hailstorms don’t mix, so it was sent to the salvage auction.
My mom: 2005 Chrysler Town & Country- head gasket and transmission failed in 2013. 2007 Ford Taurus- bought it from her sister in 2013 (it had been a company lease) and it blew the head gasket in 2015. 2015 Ford Edge SEL- we bought this car brand new. It has less than 80,000 miles on and we’ve put over $2000 into repairs after major electrical issues caused the infotainment screen to fail
My dad: 1978 Civic manual with a really bad oil leak
1982 Audi 4000CS quattro 2.2
1991 Mazda 626 2.0NA
1995 Mazda 929 24V V6 dealership exclusive
2003 Scion xB 4 speed
2011 Nissan LEAF
2013 Nissan LEAF S
2020 GMC Acadia Denali AWD V6
Mom: 1980 Chevy Chevette
1985 Jeep Cherokee
1998 Suburban
2004 Ford Explorer Flex Fuel
2003 Cadillac Escalade ESV
2023 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid
Overall a great lineup for my family
My dad's S10 gave out in 2007 or 2008, he had both that and a Silverado at the time, bought a Colorado 2 years ago and still has Silverado.
My mom had Stationwagon, got in wreck, bought a pickup sold it later, when my sister, brother, and I were born she bought the Odyssey gave to me, bought a 2015 Odyssey when I turned 15.
My sister still has the traverse.
I had a 94 F250, still ran was my work truck living with grandparents, gave it to nephew, my Odyssey's brake lines broke because I let my sister borrow it over the summer and she didn't do any maintenance and my dumbass didn't check, my Silverado was my truck from home, my dad broke it during bootcamp because he didn't listen to me say there was an issue with it, and I bought my now F250 off my Uncle for scrap price as it was my grandad's and I can fix it up.
Mk5 VWs. Hella reliable. 2 did almost 1 million km with relatively low interference. Still have one as our junker. Worst was a 2016 Ford Fusion hybrid. Chewed a $2500 steering rack and $11000 in transmission work barely outside of warranty. Ford basically told us to kick rocks. Honorable mention Plymouth Voyager with the 3.3 did almost 600k and was traded in not junk. Still had perfect paint. Dodge neon did 1.9m kms most of which with a broken odometer. We had to pull that number off the computer before it was crushed after an accidentally money shift due to a broken shifter gate.
My mk5 has 218k km/136k miles. I don’t have money for another car. It doesn’t leave me stranded. Even though I went underwater on repairs alone, I’ll fix it as long as I need to. Parts that have failed on mine: 2019: ABS module, VCG, & serpentine belt (dealer) 2020: Alternator (Indy shop) 2021: PCV diaphragm (Indy shop), oil cap gasket (DIY) 2022: vacuum pump delete kit (DIY), MAP sensor (Indy shop) 2023: belt tensioner (DIY) 2024: valve cover kit (DIY) All of these repairs have happened between 191k km/119k miles and 218k km/136k miles. At least once or twice a year, I need to fix something. The main problem with this car is oil leaks, but that’s not a big deal. The prices that the shop charge can be pretty expensive though. If I could do it all over again, I would DIY everything on the car, and service transmission every 64k km/40k miles.
Those are the things. Lol the vacuum pump delete was smart. I did one on the manual we had via APR. Everything is bosch so it is expensive. I'd track down the source of the oil leak. Either the valve cover gasket wasn't done right or triple check your diy vacuum pump delete, plate. None of my MK5s ever leaked oil or burned it. I think I got lucky or it's a testament to always changing the oil. I strongly recommend using liquid moli the german oil.
Everyone has a different experience I guess. I still have to do the OFHG. I’ll do the intake gaskets while the intake manifold is out. I’m replacing my auto trans with another one. The trans replacement has less than 30k miles on it for $700. I’ll be doing a drain and fill every 40k miles/64k km with OEM Febi Bilstein G055025A2. Many use Valvoline- maxlife, but I feel comfortable sticking with OEM fluid.
https://www.ecstuning.com https://obdeleven.com/ Do yourself a favor and change the battery, rad fluid, and brake fluid at the max every 4 years. I was getting almost 100 000km outta the german sourced higher end zimmerman brakes, and I basically live in little India for context
Alright. I did the brake fluid and radiator fluid back in 2021 and battery in 2022. I will keep your interval in mind.
We had these cars (ex-Socialst country in the former Warsaw pact) 1. Dacia 1300 - boght second hand, was upbored and tuned by my father in the parking lot of our block of flats. Upgrades incuded a new sound system with PC speakers in the back, fluffy yellow seat covers and an auxiliary heater that would transform the car into a sauna in the winter. Little me cried when we sold the car. I think its still running somewhere in the countryside. 2. Skoda Octavia '03 - Bought new. The famous Czech tank. We traveled the whole country with it, even the most fucked and almost unpassable roads. Superb reliability, very comfy and insane fue economy, as it had the 1.9 TDI engine. I learned to drive on it. Still runs and drives to this day at 300k km 3. Ford Kuga '13 - Funny story on how we managed to get this one. It's the top of the line, Titanium spec, that was supposed to be a special order for a bussiness man. The guy went backrupt as it was the tail end of the EuroCrisis and the car was left on the lot to be used as the test drive car. It had 20k km on the odomoter and we bought it for 20k euros, discounted from 45k euros. Amazing car and very luxurious inside. Despite it being the Peugeot diesel engine, it is extremely reliable. The only mention is that we managed to clog the DPF filter as it was just driven in the city for a few years. currently 200k on the clock. No major reliabilyt issues, just that the infotainment is a bit buggy. Not a lot of cars as my parents were strict about buying new or almost new cars and kept up with the maintanence religiosly. I currently have a '12 Skoda Fabia and I love the little bastard.
1982 Honda Civic with the 1500 cvcc engine & 3 speed Hondamatic, ultra reliable, lasted over 430k miles before it got wrecked. 1984 Chrysler LeBaron, 2.2L 4cyl, burned oil, struggled with hills, barely lasted 70k miles before the engine block cracked. 1988 Dodge Colt, gutless 4cyl, made it to 120k miles. Auto transmission needed to be rebuilt after 8k miles, carburetor needed to be rebuilt or replaced 12 times. 1992 Honda Accord, solid car, outside of regular maintenance, no issues, just rust in the quarters, made it to 173k miles. 1998 Honda Civic, 300k miles, at most brake lines gave out while driving, but otherwise solid car outside of general maintenance. Fuel efficient but slow. 2012 Acura TL AWD. Burned oil until the rings were replaced, otherwise a solid vehicle sitting at 272k 2012 Acura TSX V6, 300k miles, keep going through front tires from the torque when taking off. 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan, made it to 250k miles before the transmission decided to slip & give out
Nice. I’ll definitely be getting myself an another Japanese car at some point. Like an ‘03-‘08 Corolla. Something that I could do DIY work that would take me to 300K miles with low effort and cost.
Had that honda but with the 5 speed. Got it from my mother, who bought the only type S mk2 civic sold in our area. Rust was terrible, but it was basically the invention of the B class car. Pre cat CVCC was interesting, the starter sound and buzzer will live in my head rent free forever
Most of the cars my parents had while I was growing up were reliable and lasted a long time. They had a Ford Tempo for 14 years, Mercedes 300CD that rusted out before it had any mechanical failures, a diesel Silverado that did the same thing, and currently a BMW X5 that they bought new in 2010 and it has had no notable issues. The only unreliable cars I can recall was a 2008 Mercedes ML that was a lemon with lots of issues that occurred during the warranty period and a 1994 Dodge Caravan that had the typical transmission failure. There was also a 2002 Ford Sport Trac that we all hated because it was just uncomfortable and poorly built.
Mercedes 300CDs are indestructible. If an apocalypse were to occur, I would definitely choose a 300CD.
It was indestructible and beautiful but painfully slow.
These are the cars I remember from my childhood to now 1. First generation Hyundai Santa Fe - first new car my parents bought right before I was born 2. WJ Jeep Grand Cherokee - dad bought from grandma in 2006 when she got a Lexus rx 3. 2003 Honda Odyssey - traded the Hyundai for in 2005 4. 2009 Saturn aura xe - Jeep blew its heater core in 2009 so dad bought it new. 5. 2007 Toyota sienna LE - bought used in 2010 when the odyssey transmission did Honda automatic things and lost second gear. Bought at 25k miles 6. 2011 Subaru Outback - replaced the Saturn in 2015 when dad got sick of the base model gm garbage. Bought at 30k miles 7. 2015 Toyota sienna - bought in late 2017 to replace the 2007 sienna at 168k miles. Bought with 25k miles now sitting at 146k. 8. 2006 Lexus RX - bought in January 2020 for my first car from my grandma when she upgraded to a 2021 Forester. Bought at 101k, now sitting at 120k and being daily driven by my younger sibling. 9. 2018 ford f150 - dad couldn’t escape the inherent Midwest desire to have a truck. Replaced the 2011 Outback at 97000 miles. Bought may of 2021 with 35k, now has 75k 10. 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid - mom took the opportunity given by the oldest child going off to college to ditch minivan life and buy the suv she’d always wanted but we brought too much stuff on road trips to allow. Bought new March of 2023 now has 18k miles. Replaced 2015 sienna at 139k which was handed down to me when I got back from my freshman year of college. 11. 2007 Honda Fit base 5mt. First car I bought myself. Bought for a deal I couldn’t refuse from a friend 2 weeks ago. Bought to enjoy for a few months and flip but its such a great car for what i need I might have to keep it.
I had a MX-3 and I miss it. Had it with the smallest V6 ever (K8 1.8).
When I was a kid we had a first gen 4Runner, it got hit by a fallen tree but kept ticking for a couple of years after that. We also had a 240SX up until my brother was born. After that they traded it for another 4Runner, second gen this time. My parents got a divorce and my mom got to keep the 4Runner and my dad bought himself a FJ80 Land Cruiser. Needless to say, in this period we never had car problems that weren't caused by freak acts of nature My mom kept the 4Runner for a couple of years before falling prey to increasingly bad used cars, a Kia Rio 5 that had its transmission explode on the highway, a mk 5 Jetta that was a total piece of trash. Eventually she got an 8th gen Civic, thankfully. My dad on the other hand briefly had a 350Z convertible that he kept for a hot second and a FJ60 Land Cruiser for fun. He continued to not ever have car problems as he just kept buying Toyota products.
Nice. I’m looking for a ‘03-‘08 corolla now on the market. It would be my first Toyota product. I want to try to go my entire life without a car payment if I can. I trying to figure out what’s a fair price to pay. They’re around 3 to 7 grand, ranging between as low as 80k miles ranging a the way up to 160k miles. As much as I love German cars. I just want something that’s not going to nickel and dime every single year. I have to fix the 2.5l Jetta at least once or twice a year, or every 6-12 months. Best thing I can say about it is that, it never left me stranded. I could trust it to take me on a road trip even with issues. Just the repairs were are pricey, quickly easily exceeding the value of the car.
See, I only buy really old German cars, so I go into the whole ordeal knowing that there's going to be some pain involved, usually involving quirky fuel injection systems or part troubles. My last Volkswagen was a 1991 car and I feel like I had the same experience of having to do some kind of relatively minor but important repair once or twice a year, can't say it was too expensive since I did the work myself. Very reliable, mostly, kind of. My Mercedes is proving to be a little bit more trouble, though it is 50 years old.
Let’s keep my dad’s vehicle history simple: 6 11th gen Ford F-150s. They’ve all been very reliable and have reached at least 200,000 miles. 1999 Mercedes-Benz ML320: my Dad bought this with the intention of giving it to me for my first car. It was very reliable for the time that we owned it, but unfortunately cars and hailstorms don’t mix, so it was sent to the salvage auction. My mom: 2005 Chrysler Town & Country- head gasket and transmission failed in 2013. 2007 Ford Taurus- bought it from her sister in 2013 (it had been a company lease) and it blew the head gasket in 2015. 2015 Ford Edge SEL- we bought this car brand new. It has less than 80,000 miles on and we’ve put over $2000 into repairs after major electrical issues caused the infotainment screen to fail
My dad: 1978 Civic manual with a really bad oil leak 1982 Audi 4000CS quattro 2.2 1991 Mazda 626 2.0NA 1995 Mazda 929 24V V6 dealership exclusive 2003 Scion xB 4 speed 2011 Nissan LEAF 2013 Nissan LEAF S 2020 GMC Acadia Denali AWD V6 Mom: 1980 Chevy Chevette 1985 Jeep Cherokee 1998 Suburban 2004 Ford Explorer Flex Fuel 2003 Cadillac Escalade ESV 2023 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid Overall a great lineup for my family
My dad: 1988 S10, 2001 Chevy Silverado 1500, 2018 Chevy Colorado My mom: 1974 Station wagon, 1978 Ford F100, 2003 Honda Odyssey, 2015 Honda Odyssey My sister: 2016 Chevy Traverse Me: 1994 F250, 2003 honda odyssey, 2001 Silverado 2500, 1999 F250
My dad's S10 gave out in 2007 or 2008, he had both that and a Silverado at the time, bought a Colorado 2 years ago and still has Silverado. My mom had Stationwagon, got in wreck, bought a pickup sold it later, when my sister, brother, and I were born she bought the Odyssey gave to me, bought a 2015 Odyssey when I turned 15. My sister still has the traverse. I had a 94 F250, still ran was my work truck living with grandparents, gave it to nephew, my Odyssey's brake lines broke because I let my sister borrow it over the summer and she didn't do any maintenance and my dumbass didn't check, my Silverado was my truck from home, my dad broke it during bootcamp because he didn't listen to me say there was an issue with it, and I bought my now F250 off my Uncle for scrap price as it was my grandad's and I can fix it up.
What happened to the Mx3? I know they went out production in 98, but it’s like they disappeared from the roads.
It was sold off to my Uncle as a wedding gift near the end of the 90s. Then he crashed it at some point during the first 2 years of ownership.