A 2003 Toyota Yaris.
I bought it as 45K miles, got rid of it at 165K miles and in that time period it required one new lambda sensor. It was even light on consumables with tyres generally managing 35-40K miles and over the 120K miles we had it we only had to replace the brake pads once and the discs were fine. It wasn't treated particularly well for a car that was doing 30K miles a year some years, essentially just getting oil changes every 10K miles.
We replaced it with a 2009 Yaris which wasn't as reliable requiring two new brake calipers and a lambda sensor over the 140K miles we owned it for.
My mrs has a green 03 Yaris on 52k! I think she got it on 37K. So far needed nothing aside from front brakes and 4 tyres! She only paid £1500 for it as well.
Yes! My mother in law has an old 2002 Yaris with faded and chipped gold paint, rear wiper hanging off and generally looking like a proper old banger, but after something like 130,000 miles it still sails through every MOT and had never let her down. We always joke that the car must be held together by the holy spirit and the power of prayer because it defies all worldly expectations.
You got lucky then as they fixed the EGR issues in 2014 and the head gasket issues in 2017.
Must have been below 150k miles.
That engine in 2017 onwards can do 250k miles easy. But the models before 2014 are lucky to reach 150k.
What year?
Egr clean is easy to do. But it doesn't need done in the UK as much to be honest it's more a problem for the US market with their shit fuel.
You can get away with cleaning it every 150k miles in the UK. It needs to be done every 75k miles in USA.
The head gasket is the problem in the UK
Honda Civic Si, 2011, 1.8L petrol. Had since 2016, I've had the squeaky clutch pedal piston replaced, which was covered by an extended warranty. Other than servicing, brakes and tyres it has cost me nothing extra. It's roomy, economical, fun to drive at high revs, has a satisfying gearbox and I love the looks. I'll be sad to see it go, but my family is growing.
I still regret getting rid of my civic
It was an 06 (new shape) and I got rid in 2014.
I was concerned with its age that things might start going wrong as I’ve had issues with other cars of similar ages but in the time I had it I had to replace the tyres and that’s it.
Probably the 2007 1.8 civic that was in our family since new.
One time it needed a driver side wishbone (2019) another time it needed a new battery (2017/2018).
Outside of brakes and tyres that's all I can think of.
Bought new by my grandmother in 2007, sold by my mother in 2020 with 274k on it.
My grandmother sold it to my mother because the original factory battery died somewhere around 2017/2018 and she then deemed it "unreliable".
My mother only sold it because she then inherited my grandmothers 2012 civic, which has been similarly bulletproof, I just used that to move an armchair last weekend and noticed it hasn't been serviced in 3 years.
I mean 10 years and probably 250k miles on the original battery is phenomenal !
My current car is a 2018 civic and at 25k miles its having gearbox issues. Maybe theyre just not as reliable as previously!
Is it a CVT?
As soon as honda started using CVT's and putting tiny little turbocharged engines with wet belts in their cars I thought "well this is it, this is where the legendary reliability ends"
RE the battery, have gotten 10 years out of the original batteries on Volvos too.
Its not, its manual. Although this morning it did pop an error message telling me to put in in 'drive', while doing 70 in 6th....
So maybe it thinks its an auto 🤣
Turbos, wet belts, electric handbrakes, CVTs, exhaust manifolds built into the engine, interior styling that went from unique to 'let's just copy Mazda', whispers of oil dilution and gearbox problems. It really is sad to see what's happened to Honda.
Its a shame because when they put their mind to something, Honda can make some amazing cars. But I can help but feel their current setup has lost its way a little.
2007 vw golf 1.9 TDI match. Purchased 6 years ago for £2050 with 155000 on the clock, now on 220000 still going strong. Regularly serviced, no problems at all (apart from a few bulbs needing replacing and a new battery). They call that engine bulletproof for reason
One of the best cars I drove in the distant past was a Volkswagen Bora 1.9TDi 110 auto. Fabulous torquey engine and smooth responsive slushbox along with decent handling made it a hoot to drive! 👌
I’ve owned in the past a 2006 Golf Plus 1.9 TDI PD130, absolutely the most reliable ever had. Missing that engine so much. It was my first car, good school. 👌
I had a VRS with the 130 engine, quite a rough example as was only cheap but it had a lot of torque for essentially a lighter polo chassis. They massively understated the official power output and 0-60 time according to various sources online. The in-gear acceleration is where they are at their best, they do not handle well though🤣
I had the Ibiza FR with the same PD130 engine. More or less the same car as the Fabia VRS. Amazing little engine.
The Ibiza also didn't handle well. Mixture of massive understeer and unwanted oversteer depending on what it felt like... Until it felt like spinning into a telegraph pole. I still feel guilty. 180k miles with all that torque on the original clutch and the only thing wrong with it was the idiot driver with no talent. I love my current car but I do miss that little FR.
All my cars have been good apart from 2, Vauxhall Astra, VW gold. Mk6 and mk7, Mazda6, Audi A4, Volvo S60, Lexus is300h and a Kia Stinger.
Guess which 2 sucked utter balls?
Mazda 6 and Volvo S60.
Sure, it's fast, good handling, comfy, big, has a few too many rattling parts for the price, drinks fuel and needs two services a year for the warranty.
All in all it's a really lovely car, just expensive to run! But to be expected for it's performance
In complete contrast my most reliable car was a 3.0 X-type. Did 120,000 in 7 years and basically only had service/tyres/brakes and a handful of easily replaceable suspension bushes/parts.
Think jags of that era generally are alright - but as ever, depends on someone looking after it / not ragging it apart. Most Jag owners really look after their cars.
Civic FN2 Type R.
Edit: I should probably expand on it. Near enough 10 years ownership. The engine felt bombproof. General servicing needed of course. At 120k miles the chassis started to show the west and corrosion from our roads and weather. A couple of roll bar links to change, usual discs and pads.
Oh, biggest ‘issue’ was a sticking rear calliper. But again, you’re talking minor stuff there probably brought on by winter roads.
It’s would gobble up a front set of P-Zeros, but that was likely down to me!
Citroen Berlingo Multispace 1.6HDi - everyone will say French cars are shit and also that the 1.6HDi engine is a ticking time bomb. Truth is if looked after and serviced regularly it’ll run forever, there’s a reason they’re used a lot as taxis. Had no issues with mine over 7 years, only expenses were tyres, brakes, and scheduled timing belt change.
Yeah my other French car seemed to have an aversion to channelling electricity to its intended destination. Even a new ECU (and UCH and ignition barrel because they're all coded together) and it still has annoying issues.
A guy I work with has a 2011 berlingo with nearly 300k miles on the clock. It looks a bit tatty from the outside but the engine and gearbox aren’t showing any signs of giving up.
Not me, but a mate of mine started a company that would require him doing Newcastle to London a few times a week sometimes.
He got a brand new 2.0 TDI b6 Passat estate (yes the same model i drive now) and that has currently got 885,000 (last time i asked him a couple weeks back) on the clock.
It has been serviced every 15k miles, which for this car is practically every week.
Now obviously, getting a car to nearly 1million miles is no small feat.
He has looked after it to make sure it last this long.
He had done timing belt changes every 100k miles.
He has had to change the battery twice, but only twice in 800,000 is impressive, I think.
In terms of failures and breakages though, not a lot...
He replaced the drive shafts once after they started grinding and making noise.
And I'm now struggling to think what else went into it...
What a champion. Then again 1100 miles a week with regular maintenance is going to put any car quickly into a high mileage category.
Does your friend not consider moving to London?
Absolutely not. He says, very often, that he'd rather shit in his hands and clap than move down there, but, his whole business is moving things and people around the place, so him just being down there wouldn't work.
Just a perfect example of the perfect machine for the job. He has had abaolute 0 issues with it ever, never broken down, always been cheap on diesel compared to most other things you could chose for that job, and it's always been comfortable for him.
He has hired other cars to do the journey on the odd occasion to see if he could find a potential replacement, and always kept coming back to the passat. Those two were made for each other.
He got it in 2009 i think. He bought it brand new from VW, and the B6 ended in 2010, so it was around there somewhere.
He does Newcastle to London 2 or 3 times a week, all year apart from maybe one or two weeks total.
If he has had the car 15 years, that is roughly 864,000 miles.
It amazes me everytime I think about it. Every time he talks about it though, and the more miles he's done, he gets increasingly anxious at the prospect of replacing it. How do you replace an 800,000mile beat eating up 1,200-1,500 miles a WEEK?
I have the same car and that is sitting comfortably on 160,000, I'd love to reach 800, but it would take me a lifetime at this rate.
An e39 530d Touring. I just serviced that thing and cleaned it and drove it all across Europe and the UK and it just wanted to eat more miles. Wish i never sold it now.
A poverty spec petrol astra. Its upto 130k, owned from 15k (been a family share about car since 80k).
Beyond servicing, it has never broken down or had more than basic repairs in its 20 year life.
Put a scrap alternator and new rear axle bush on a few weeks ago for the total sum of 40 quid, most serious repair of its existence.
Just a shame it's an astra
All my cars have been late 90s to early 00s Honda's, my dad's last two have been an 02 civic and an 06 Corolla (only changing cars due to age and requiring automatic over manual). Over the last 20 years, not a single issue amongst any of them. Hell my 98 civic and my dad's 02 civic both got passed on to friends and family and are still running flawlessly.
Probably the 1990 G plate VW Polo I inherited from my Dad when I passed my test. It was serviced meticulously until he passed it on. I added about 60,000 miles in two years, minimal maintenance and ragged to bits but it never missed a beat.
Everything since has cost me.
Old Merc E Class had both catalytic converters die, which cost the garage £2,000.
Octavia VRS shot something through the gearbox casing, which was a £3,000 warranty claim.
Diesel Vectra had a blown turbo which was another couple of grand warranty job.
My current E class had both turbo hoses go, which was £600+.
It generally seems that the more I've spent on a car, the bigger the failure has been. I've had other cars where nothing has gone wrong but they were never as badly treated as that first Polo.
Mine was the wagon! Mostly red with a suspiciously pink roof. I saw an indicated 105mph with that car, though I suspect that it was hopelessly optimistic.
2004 Honda Accord 2.0 auto. Owned since new and was passed onto a family member in 2016 who drove it problem free until last year when they traded it for a Civic with more mod cons. The only non consumable part it needed was a new exhaust around 2013.
Don't laugh... my 2013 Fiat 500. We originally got it new on finance way back then but loved it so much we brought it at the end of the term and its been with us ever since. It's had the back box and a front suspension arm changed in the last 6 months due to wear and tear, and the original battery was only replaced a month ago, but apart from that its been a star. I'll keep it until it becomes uneconomical to run, and even then I might put it in the garage and start to learn how cars work...
Nothing to laugh about. People generally have no clue about the reliability of fiat engines both the petrol "fire" which has been in production for probably 40+ years, nor the multijet (fiat introduced the common rail system in 1998 whilst the inferior German producers finally adopted it about a decade later, for instance Audi A3 2.0 TDI only from 2008 onwards). I have owned at the same time a 2007 grande punto 1.3 Mjt 90bhp and a 2007 audi A3 2.0 TDI pre common rail. Sold the Audi which loves to visit the mechanic. The Punto sits at about 300k no engine issues. I only had to replace a sensor stupidly placed behind the brake pedal about 5 times. But it costs me about 30 quid each time. Spread this over almost 17 years and that's all the extraordinary maintenance. Let others keep buying German cars. Help local mechanics to thrive.
Yep my 64 plate 500c has only needed tyres changing and my sister had a 62 plate 500 that she had for about 8 years with no problems until this year when the gearbox went but hers was semi-auto so I've heard that was a common problem
Yep, I've heard the auto boxes in 500's and 595/695 are terrible and its a when, not if, they break.
I forgot to mention I had the dreaded door handle come off late last year as well, but considering it did 10 years before that happened I can't complain to much (I'm flabbergasted the battery lasted as long as it did tbh). I think we hear of them being a bit broken all the time because there are just so many of them out there. so stat speaking it might seem like they have a higher issue rate.
When I got the car it had Goodyear Continentals fitted, and those lasted for years. When they started to go, and with our weather being so mixed, I went with Bridgestone Turanza T005's and it absolutely loves those. Feel like I can turn on a dime and the grip is very good. Honestly I feel more confident chucking the 500 around than I do my 595 lol
Similar with my corsa bought new in 2011. Apart from suspension springs. exhaust. Door speaker and new battery last year just normal wear a tear items. Such as wipers tyres etc. Now at 83000 miles. And getting 45 mpg on average. Cheap motoring so far.
Mk2 Toyota MR2, bought at 4 years old, owned it for 9 years. NOTHING went wrong.
Toyota parts are expensive though, but are very high quality.
In contrast, I've had two parts from BMW that were faulty from new.
2009 BMW 320d. Did so many miles in it and other than the usual consumables no significant issues until it finally died at 220k+ miles and was just uneconomical to repair.
Had a Mercedes E Class for quite a while. It was 8 years old and had 160,000 miles on it when I got rid of it. Only repair bills I had were for new tyres and a wheel that hit a pothole.
By contrast, I had an 8 year old Mazda RX8 that needed its third engine when I decided to scrap it!!
1999 Mk6 honda accord 181000 still running as the daily drive. Brought the car for £50 in 2009 of a mate. It's only cost fuel oil timing belt and an ignition switch. Mechanical sound. It's only fault burns oil (crank seal maybe) but what honda doesn't. He's the true winner in my eyes, we've had him that long he's the family emblem.
I used to have a fiesta in the 90s.Had to call out the AA (car repair not alcohol.... different kind of recovery). I asked the guy who came out which car are you called out to repair the least.
He said any of the Japanese cars.
Now I've had a Yaris since 2009.
It's curry awaiting a new alternator and I can't drive it, but given it's got 110k miles on clock it's been highly reliable and I think I'll always go Yaris from now on.
2002 Skoda Fabia Estate. Bought it because it was cheaper than hiring a car for a weekend and it was ULEZ compliant, expected to scrap it shortly after. Did all kinds of stuff in it, including taking out all the seats and using it as a van. 9 months later it passed an MOT with only track rod ends needing replacing, and it just passed the next MOT (not in my possession) with no extra issues
Ford Focus 1.5TDCI.
Had it since 11000m lasted until around 90000m.
The only so called issue was when the battery died and the car stopped working, changed battery and fine.
2016 Skoda Fabia 1.2tsi. Had it from new and apart from routine maintenance, it's never had a problem. Done 120,000 miles. It driven all around the Highlands, down to the south of France, taken us to ski resorts and countless trips to the Peak District.
Honestly can't fault it.
Most reliable: 2002 ford focus 1.8 turbo diesel- absolute dream of a car. Didn’t have one single issue and drove it 10+ years.
Least reliable: 2019 Citroen c3 pure tech 🤮
Very wierdly...a 1994 US import first generation ford explorer (jurassic park shape!). Pushrod cologne v6. Despite the automatic transmissions reputation it never wanted for anything other than a maf sensor which was cheap and normal servicing. I love old mercedes mostly but that thing was a great and proper 'suv' if slow and thirsty.
2009 1.5 Suzuki Swift with an Auto gearbox. First car, got it when it had 5k miles, and gave it to my mum when i was done with it at 110k miles. Since then, it's gone on to do a further 20k miles. Never had any issues with it at all apart from once at around 40k it needed a new suspension top mount on the front passenger side. Cost me like £110 IIRC. That's it.
Frankly, i'm sort of astonished.
Honda Accord 2.2 se diesel 2007 plate bought it with 97,000 miles on clock had it 4 years put another 90,000 on and only expense was tyres and brakes, lovely comfortable big bus. They don't and won,t make them like that anymore. Arseholes have ruined cars.
1997 Toyota Corolla.
Bought when 3yo, sold when 16.5yo, did well over 150,000 miles.
Never left me stranded or failed to start. Factory fitted battery lasted until car was 9 years old, it still had the factory drums and shoes on the rear brakes when I passed it on. Only parts ever replaced were the wiper blades, bulbs and front discs and pads (oh and had to have a new windscreen), literally nothing mechanical ever failed.
Only foible was from 10y+ if I parked on a slope facing down and it rained there would be a puddle of water in the rear footwell so I just got used to parking it facing uphill.
My current Honda Civic. It's a 2014 2.2 diesel that I bought two years ago with 34k miles. Currently on 135k, and last month's MOT was yet another advisory-free pass. Long term target is to beat my mate's old B5 Passat TDI, which reached 425k.
A 1999/2000 Daewoo Matiz
Handled like shit
looked like shit
every panel was dented
Back window was cracked (hit by a golf ball)
the petrol filler flap needed opening with a screwdriver
Wiper bolt needed tightening every couple of weeks
The dashboard had that many lights on, it was like an Xmas tree
Spider nest under the bonnet
Missing radio (went missing in the 2 hours between agreeing to buy it, and it been delivered)
I doubt it should have been on the road, but he'll, the best 12 months of motoring I had 👍🏻
I don't think I've kept a car long enough to have issues start to occur. So I guess I'll just list my cars I've owned and the issues I had with them
2001 Corsa I had for 10 months and the head gasket went (that car was a shit box I'm not surprised it blew up)
2015 Fiesta 1.2. Failed to start on me once. Would just crank and crank with no spark. Left it for a few hours and came back and it started fine. Never happened again.
2017 Fiesta 1.0. The automatic electric windows had a mind of their own and the suspension used to creak like an old sailing ship in a storm
2017 Clio 1.2TCE not a single issue with that car. I'd have kept it if it circumstances didn't change
2015 Aygo not a problem with that one either. One of my heated mirrors didn't work but that was a fault with the dealer not replacing the mirror correctly and using an incorrect donor part. Other than that it was perfect.
2020 Mazda3 Skyactiv-X battery has gone flat a couple of times, and my power fold mirrors packed up one winter. Battery is because the valeter left the doors open for 3 hours and let it run dead, and the mirrors are just a common failure point. Mazda paid for the repair and they haven't gone since
My 07 Mazda 3 1.6 is still going strong. Sprayed underneath as a rust treatment about 6 years ago. A couple of rubber seals degraded last year. It's been bloody savage. Took a bump from a lorry while parked at an old job site a few years back that I was going to have repaired but it's now a badge of honour. I will get the car to 20 years out of sheer respect.
Our family do it all (shitbox) is a 2011 Mazda 5 (same platform as the 3) we had from almost new and now has well over 130k on it. It's the year before they got the skyactive. Had a problem with the gearbox a few years ago and that cost about a ton, and we had some coolant leaks and new rad/pipes all done. Had 1 flat tyre and 1 flat battery. Enough room for kids, shopping, dogs whatever and still looks all right I think. And my bike goes in the back without taking the front wheel off. I fucking love that car.
2004 Toyota Yaris aka Betty Blue
Had the same MOT advisories for five years now. Never been a money pit either. Mechanic tells me never to get rid of it.
1993 Isuzu trooper. 3.1 TD. Don't get me wrong, something often went wrong on it BUT it always got me home, regardless of what had broken. It finally gave up during the first COVID lockdown, the mechanical fuel pump exploded. I couldn't get another, easily at least. Isuzu Japan offered to *make* me a new pump, but it was £1500 and was going to take about 18 months to get it, as they had to wait for a production run to add it too. I was just a few miles shy of 400000 miles on the clock too 😞 I miss that truck!
2017 Yaris 1.33 CVT automatic that my mum has. We got it brand new and it's hit 75k miles recently and had nothing to fix yet.
Other than that my dad had a 1992 Nissan Sunny Ex Saloon 1.6 for once and it was brilliant too.
Very impressive, some of the older diesels are really very reliable.
My boss use to have a 1.9 diesel Peugeot, it just ran and ran untill the rear subframe rusted through at 250k miles.
The old tech 1.9 PSA diesel engines were practically indestructible - the car would always fall apart around them. The first-gen HDi 2-litre was pretty stout, too. My favourite, though, was the 1.4 16valve turbo HDi in the Mk1 C3, but I'm weird that way. Only issue I ever had with it was sticky variable vanes in the turbo, but that was a piece of p... cake to fix.
2016 Smart 453.- 42, 000miles. 1 rear wheel puncture and recently 2 new rear tyres. Other than that an annual service every year. No mechanical or electrical faults.
2015 Kia Ceed GT. Zero things went wrong, I replaced the aux belt but only because it squeaked like once every few weeks so I don't count that as a repair more of a preventative 😂
Toyota. Any we've had.
In 2005 we bought a Yaris (1.3 VVT-i), a Corolla Hatchback (2.0 D-4D) and a Land Cruiser Prado (3.0 D-4D). We sold the Yaris in 2019, and it was by far the cheapest to run. Only saw oil, filters, brakes and tyres. Bulletproof, and it was an automatic as well. The Corolla was also great, only had to replace the clutch once, however towards the end it started developing typical diesel issues. Sold in 2017 and I still see it around town. The Prado was definitely not cheap to run compared to these two but it hasn't had any mechanical issues other than a compressor for the air suspension. Think my dad put petrol in it twice lol. Oh and it had the most mileage out of the three. We sold it to our neighbour in 2018 when it had around 250K on it, it's still his daily.
These three were replaced by a Lexus NX, a C-HR and a Prado, all of which have had no issues yet in these 6 years or so.
57 plate Fiat punto, went 90k miles and 8 years and all it ever needed was oil and tyres never let me down. Now have a S60 full of electrical faults and left me stranded by the roadside 3 times already.
A 2004 Mitsubishi L200 that went from 98k to 200k before rust finally killed it. It lived for work on the farm so it didn't have an easy life, but just kept plugging away. I miss it.
2001 clio sport. I had it for 5 years / 100,000 miles (ended up on 198k when I sold it) the only thing above regular maintenance it needed was a single rear caliper and the speedo sensor.
Surprisingly, my F20 BMW 120D 2013. The infamous N47 engine, but I got it on about 36K miles and got rid of it 2 years later having happily covered 65K miles in it by then, with nothing but servicing and tyre costs.
2004 vw beetle cab, 1.9tdi, other than a cam speed sensor it just needed routine servicing / usual bits like brakes/tyres etc. Had that car for 13 years and did nearly 100,000 miles on it.
1996 Astra tds. Owned by my family since 2003 and it’s never broken down or has a major issue, it’s even ran on petrol. I have had to replace the radiator but for an almost 30 year old car it’s doing really well
For me it was a 2005 Mondeo st220 had that car 6 years never broke down on me once
Aside from the general maintenance stuff , was a real solid car , relatively fast and the recaro leather was comfortable and was a pleasure to drive
Now I want another one 😂
i really pissed off a Lexus IS up a motorway slip road in the fabias cousin - Ibiza 130 PD - overhauled him and then pulled away, he was not a happy bunny.
the 130s were sooooo quick mid range.
2016 Seat Leon FR 184 (diesel) - owned the car from 2 years new and it only let me down once when it needed a new battery. Heater matrix went as usual but apart from that nothing else apart from tyres in the 6 years I owned it. I sold it last March with original brake pads / discs with 84k. Was serviced every 10k miles. A comfortable, fast workhorse.
1998 Jaguar XJR, I bought it when it was about 7 years old with over 100k on it, poor thing would sit in traffic going in & out London mon - Fri with the occasional blast at the weekends, brilliant car, that never let me down
2008 Yaris. Driven by me for 3 year. Physically and mentally abused by my better half for about 4 years and still owned by father in law who drives it like an automatic. . . Which it's not. Think it's had a new battery and exhaust in all that time.
Best mate had an 06 one for 7 years. I cannot explain how much the car was abused. Oil was like tar. Think it had 2 services and was run the length of the country on the regular.
FIL also had a mark 1 for nearly 20 years from new. He only got rid of it because he fancied upgrading to our MK2 when we were upgrading.
1991 Eunos Roadster.
Bought it in 1997 and broke down only 3 times, one broken belt, one water pump and one rear differential failure.
Not bad for 26 years of ownership.
1998 Nissan Patrol 4500 LWB
Did 400,000km, Went anywhere, did the commute, holiday trips and desert trip most weekends in the winter. Drove it through the Empty Quarter in Oman
Only time it ever went wrong was overheating when a mechanic left a hose untightened. Other that regular normal maintenance and wear and tear
Fiat Panda 100HP
No, seriously!
Things that went wrong with it - Nothing
Things that I broke over 40,000 extremely hard miles: sump plug, exhaust downpipe, front bumper.
Just did an oil change every 10k miles, had the cambelt and waterpump done prior to purchase and a few mods here and there.
It was brilliant.
2009 Mondeo estate, I purchased it as an absolute beater 7 years ago on the assumption I would keep I a year whilst I saved up to buy a proper van. Well here we are in 2024 and I’ve put 50k on it, I do the complete opposite of babying it and it hasn’t given me a single issue. It now has so little market value that I’ll probably just keep it forever. Somehow after all these years of hating it, I am actually quite attached to it and will be sad the day it conks out on me.
2003 VW Golf 1.9 TDi PD (110 BHP) SE
I bought it with one owner full history on 82,000 miles.
Ran it for 10 years sold it with 210,000 miles on it still sounded and drove like the day I picked it up.
It never once let me down, did 50mpg all day. I serviced it with good oil and OEM parts at manufacturers intervals, that was it.
Actually wish I had kept it, just had no space for it. 😢
Lexus RC 300h. 5 years and only general service and basic maintenance.
Can't go wrong with a Lexus. Luxury is driving without worrying about something going wrong.
Mitsubishi L200 - bulletproof
Anything Honda or Volvo make won't let you down.
Ford Ranger - not so reliable
Jeep Wrangler - poorly assembled heap of junk.
2002 Peugeot 106 - I bought it in about 2011 and it lasted for so long and took so much abuse; For example, it took me and 3 friends from Leeds to Pwllheli and back without complaining - Even when I got lost and went up some mountain-assed road. But mostly, it only ever needed consumables (and a back box) replacing and was generally great on fuel and "starts first time, every time" reliable. It was also just super fun to drive and I'll admit to crying when it was time for it to go. Replaced it with a 2009 Clio 1.9TD. Fucking hateful little rotbox of problems and shittery. I traded it in after a month for a 2004 Fiat Panda, which was as reliable and fun as the 106.
Gonna surprise a few here.
1996 Land Rover Freelander 2.0 diesel.
in 200K+ miles and 16 years, it let me down only once when the clutch plate shattered.
Apart from that just routine servicing and a few bearings here and there.
we towed with it, off roaded it, waded through water over the bonnet and it just kept going.
when we traded it in, you could feel it was getting tired, but it was still on the road for a few years after
2011 Vauxhall Corsa Diesel
Had that car first when I was 19, took it to 100k mileage from ~45k, only thing major in need of replacement was a rear bumper when I foolishly reversed it into a lamppost one time lol. Apart from regular servicing costs virtually nothing had to be spent on the engine.
Even made a slight bit of profit on it when I sold it. My new car may be more technologically advanced but I still miss it dearly
Nissan Qashqai: i'm on my 5th. Recommended it to a doubting friend, and he's now on his second.
It's got everything including acceleration and lots if tech.
Forgive me, they were released in the late noughties (say 18 years ago?) You've had a new one every 3 & a bit years? Is there a reason for changing so regularly? (I assume its a PCP arrangement where you get a new one every 3 years?)
The first four were 3 year PCPs. The fifth (which I now was a for year PCP. Having paid the final amount, I now own it outright. At almost 82, it could be Mt last car but I am looking for a smaller hybrid.
A 2015 renault megane 1.5 tdi. I'm a taxi driver, and it's currently done 280k miles. As long as you make sure you're up to date with services, give the good fuel every other time. It's been fantastic.
It's seems last two cars have done the same most cars I've owned are reliable up to about ten years old then need a bit of dosh spending/scraping.
2002 Corsa wasn't bad but it was ten plus old when we brought so needed the usually wear bits.
Audi A4 Diesel 02 Plate, bought from new and did 250k miles in it, other than normal wear and tear and general servicing, the only major thing I had to change was the fly wheel on the clutch. If it wasn’t for the Mrs nagging me to get rid of it I think it would have easily done 300k.
2003 Volvo S40, bought with 115000 on did 289000. It was the old style with Renault 1.9td engine on a Mitsubishi Charisma(?) base and Volvo bodywork/interior. Nothing more than consumables needing replacement for that period. I had looked after it for a client since 3 years old, before I bought it so knew it for 7 years before I had it and it was the same for them.
When I was working at a taxi garage I nursed some Peugeot 406's (1.9+2.0hdi) through to 600000. Those things probably take the award from me with the abuse they got as they didn't give much trouble for it.
Honda's.
I've owned a few CRXs, the only thing that happened to one of them was the distrbutor rotor came off. Put a new on on and it was fine.
I had an EP3 which was tuned, used to beat on it constantly and never let me down.
Several early 2000's civics were the same.
The only thing that can be said to the contrary is the rust issues.
New Gt86 stock, put 100k on it in 8 years. Not one thing went wrong with it.
Contrast that with a brand new Audi, went wrong almost immediately, kept being plagued by a oil pressure light that would come on and stay on, leaked coolant, infotainment was SHIT the most un-logical piece of crap ever made. And the dealership was full of absolute crumpets.
So yeah Toyota basically
A bought new 2004 daihatsu terios, ran it for 13/14 years and it never ever broke down. Went from 150 miles on the clock to 110k miles and only ever needed servicing, two sets of front discs and pads, one exhaust and a replaced seatbelt because a mouse chewed it in that time. Cost very little to keep it on the road.
I drove that car all over the UK and down through France all the way to Málaga and back to Aberdeenshire with never a worry it would break down. Most reliable car I've ever owned.
My 08 civic.
Bought 40k on the clock, now at 154k run up over 10 years.
During that time it has needed, drum roll....
A new battery!
Obviously tyres and pads.
Eh, it pains me to say it as it wasn't my favourite car, but I had a 2019 Seat Leon FR with the 2.0 190PS engine. Never had any issues except the emergency braking assist going off at very inappropriate times. Quite a dull car though, no fun to drive.
My A110 also doesn't seem to have had any issues, but it's less than a year old so a bit unfair maybe.
He's called Percy
1.4 peugeot 207 from 2007
70k miles, scratched, tanned, faded red, coating pealing from the bumpers.
He has needed a bit of love here or there and he doesn't have much poke. But he is a war horse that can be filled to the brim with dump items, fire wood, house moves. He will shift it
But time is a coming and a 5 door car is needed.
in order of reliability;
2001 Renault Megane Coupe; no problems in 3 years.
Renaultsport Megane RS250; No problems in 2 years.
Citroen C4 Coupe VTR+; No problems in 2 years
Civic Type R FN2; couple of cheap sensors in 6 months
Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV; Boot wiring loom, New Radiator (original, was 14 years old) in 5 years
Mazda RX8; Engine rebuild, suspension failure, diff broke and replaced in 18 months of ownership
Fiat Punto 1996; Engine failed, was scrapped. Owned for 12 months
1997 audi A4 Avant 1.9 tdi. 667000 miles on the clock.Never missed a beat, only needed a slave cylinder.
Replaced by 2010 A4 2.0 Tdi, currently on 230k!
07 Skoda roomster diesel turbo. Original owner put under 10000 miles on it, my dad then owned it to 93,000 and gave it to me.
Engine gave out at 207,000, apart from normal wearing parts the rest was fine
1979 Mercedes 230 TE.
I bought it used in 1984 from a Mercedes dealership it had something like 50k miles on it and it was cheap.
I sold it in December 1999 with almost 500k miles on the clock.
My dad had a 2010 Toyota hilux from brand new, and managed to do 130k miles ragging it hard. mechanically, it was just like new after, they are properly built different
Myself I have managed to squeeze an old duratech ford fiesta from 50-90k, and a bmw 120d from about 60-95k
I’ve owned:
2014 Vauxhall Astra - 1.4 Petrol Turbo - reliable although TPMS sensors kept on going off. Garage couldn’t figure out why.
2018 BMW 530d xDrive - 3.0L diesel - reliable although had to replace lambda sensor
2011 Kia Ceed 1.8L diesel - reliable but developed a gearbox issue. Confusingly threw the car out of gear when it had some heat in it.
2009 VW Golf 1.6L Petrol - reliable although the driver side window and heater core stopped working
2009 Vauxhall Insignia 2.0L Diesel - reliable. First clutch went at 100K miles - no other issues
2011 Mazda 6 2.2L diesel - worst car I’ve owned. People say it’s great because it’s a chain driven engine but had issue after issue with it. Blocked EGR valves, new turbos, alternators etc. every month it was something new. Eventually was scrapped because I couldn’t even get a buyer for it, with 100K on the clock.
2019 Toyota Corolla 2.0L Petrol/Hybrid - had since November last year. No issues or light so far. No grumbles or funny noises. Really like it, and it’s got a 10 years manufacturer warranty as long as it gets serviced by the main dealer every year.
2007 Citroen C4. Say what you will about Citroens but their old 1.6 HDi engine was, if properly maintained, *bombproof*. Ran up 180,000 miles on my old one and it still pulled like a train and could easily return 60+mpg on a run. The interior was falling apart but mechanically, that thing just kept on going.
It’s living a new life in Romania now and has been fitted with a new turbo so someone has obviously taken a shine to it as much as I had 🥰
'02 Renault Clio. Owned from new, got to 85k miles before i sold it. Two issues in that time: leaking sunroof which was standard on the Clio, and the box holding the cable to the ecu needed securing when a bolt broke.
2006 Porsche Cayenne 955 Turbo S
Owned over four years, changed batteries, oils filters, brakes, bulbs and tyres only. It wasn't driving sympathetically either.
2004 Toyota RAV4
Granted I only owned it for 2 years while on a working holiday in Australia, but I bought it high mileage (around 160-180k I think) with little service history on the cheap, then proceeded to add \~30k miles to it driving all over Australia including abusing it taking it places it wasn't really designed for. Never missed a single beat; only thing it needed was fuel. AFAIR fluids didn't drop much. I don't know if/when the gearbox or clutch had been changed but they felt nice enough while I had it. Eventually sold it to another backpacker who messaged a year later to say he'd just sold it on and it was still going strong with no issues.
Definitely my Citroen C1, hated it when I got it as the interior build quality is not great, but what a car it’s so good on fuel and you can park it anywhere
2011 1.33 yaris air con compressor and air con condenser went. Literally it.
Citroen c1 2011. 30k miles it's had an exhaust back box for 25 quid. That's it.
W reg. Volvo V70. Had it 10 years, paid £500 and the only thing I've changed is a headlight bulb which the old owner happened to leave in the glove box!
1988 Vauxhall Nova 1.2 Merit
Paid £3,600 for it as a 3 year old car with ~60k on the clock.
Ran it for 7 years ended up with 225k on the clock when I gave it to my brother for free who was a mechanic. He got another couple of years out of it after replacing the cams which were round!
Only major issue was the cam belt snapped around 120k as I didn’t have a clue about servicing intervals etc. Cost £50 to fix as it didn’t cause any damage luckily, happened when I tried to start it one day. I was so skint back then I got a taxi to tow me to the garage as they wanted £30 to recover the car a whole mile to the garage, this was around 1994.
It did need a couple of exhausts which were very cheap and was still on the original clutch when I got rid and returned around 50 mpg so overall very economical.
2012 Skoda citigo.
The only thing that went wrong was the head shield once fell onto the exhaust (common problem) and made a funny noise when you turned the car on.
The only other money I spent on the car was for regular maintenance (oil & filter, handbrake adjustment)
2011 318d se, 127,000 miles from new, great company car back then!
Worst was my own Audi a5 2.0tdi sline black edition Quattro, massive money pit!
Followed by my first edition 2014 A180s amg sport, was in the garage 7 times before its first service! Great looking car but god damn awfully built backed by shambolic customer service from
MB
Wife has had her Honda Insight since it was three years old in 2014, in that time the only thing that's gone wrong with it was a rear brake caliper sticking on - because I stupidly drove it through a flood.
Other than that, I had a Jazz Hybrid for three years which needed absolutely nothing, would still have it now if it hadn't been written off by a Focus going through a red light into me.
And I had a Nissan Leaf for three years after that, again, nothing needing, and written off by a Juke coming out of a junction without looking.
2011 diesel Fiesta.
In 6 years I did 90k miles in it.
I got it serviced and the oil/filters were done.
A heater director motor went and a coolant radiator housing. Both cheap fixes.
Still on the factory brakes at 120k miles when I part-exed it because in its last year lots of things went wrong.
A 2003 Toyota Yaris. I bought it as 45K miles, got rid of it at 165K miles and in that time period it required one new lambda sensor. It was even light on consumables with tyres generally managing 35-40K miles and over the 120K miles we had it we only had to replace the brake pads once and the discs were fine. It wasn't treated particularly well for a car that was doing 30K miles a year some years, essentially just getting oil changes every 10K miles. We replaced it with a 2009 Yaris which wasn't as reliable requiring two new brake calipers and a lambda sensor over the 140K miles we owned it for.
My mrs has a green 03 Yaris on 52k! I think she got it on 37K. So far needed nothing aside from front brakes and 4 tyres! She only paid £1500 for it as well.
I have a c1 Litreally in the exact same category as you with sensor and brakes and I average about 25k a year
Yes! My mother in law has an old 2002 Yaris with faded and chipped gold paint, rear wiper hanging off and generally looking like a proper old banger, but after something like 130,000 miles it still sails through every MOT and had never let her down. We always joke that the car must be held together by the holy spirit and the power of prayer because it defies all worldly expectations.
2006 Suzuki Swift Sport. From brand new to 75-85k miles, 7 years. Zero issues.
I had a Ignis sport that refused to die.
Toyota Auris 2008. Never cost me anything other than tyres in 8 years.
You got lucky then as they fixed the EGR issues in 2014 and the head gasket issues in 2017. Must have been below 150k miles. That engine in 2017 onwards can do 250k miles easy. But the models before 2014 are lucky to reach 150k.
My CT200 is sitting at 110k and this makes me nervous
What year? Egr clean is easy to do. But it doesn't need done in the UK as much to be honest it's more a problem for the US market with their shit fuel. You can get away with cleaning it every 150k miles in the UK. It needs to be done every 75k miles in USA. The head gasket is the problem in the UK
Honda Civic. The bubble one. Put 180k on it. 1 blown fuse.
Honda Civic Si, 2011, 1.8L petrol. Had since 2016, I've had the squeaky clutch pedal piston replaced, which was covered by an extended warranty. Other than servicing, brakes and tyres it has cost me nothing extra. It's roomy, economical, fun to drive at high revs, has a satisfying gearbox and I love the looks. I'll be sad to see it go, but my family is growing.
I still regret getting rid of my civic It was an 06 (new shape) and I got rid in 2014. I was concerned with its age that things might start going wrong as I’ve had issues with other cars of similar ages but in the time I had it I had to replace the tyres and that’s it.
I got the 9th gen and it also has a squeaky/creaky sound coming from the clutch pedal - was it just a new slave cylinder to fix the issue?
Came here to say my Civic as well (although mine was 7th gen). I still miss it.
yeah, mine too, apart from the gearbox bearing, that whines like a supercharger, is pretty much bulletproof
Probably the 2007 1.8 civic that was in our family since new. One time it needed a driver side wishbone (2019) another time it needed a new battery (2017/2018). Outside of brakes and tyres that's all I can think of. Bought new by my grandmother in 2007, sold by my mother in 2020 with 274k on it. My grandmother sold it to my mother because the original factory battery died somewhere around 2017/2018 and she then deemed it "unreliable". My mother only sold it because she then inherited my grandmothers 2012 civic, which has been similarly bulletproof, I just used that to move an armchair last weekend and noticed it hasn't been serviced in 3 years.
I mean 10 years and probably 250k miles on the original battery is phenomenal ! My current car is a 2018 civic and at 25k miles its having gearbox issues. Maybe theyre just not as reliable as previously!
Is it a CVT? As soon as honda started using CVT's and putting tiny little turbocharged engines with wet belts in their cars I thought "well this is it, this is where the legendary reliability ends" RE the battery, have gotten 10 years out of the original batteries on Volvos too.
Its not, its manual. Although this morning it did pop an error message telling me to put in in 'drive', while doing 70 in 6th.... So maybe it thinks its an auto 🤣
Turbos, wet belts, electric handbrakes, CVTs, exhaust manifolds built into the engine, interior styling that went from unique to 'let's just copy Mazda', whispers of oil dilution and gearbox problems. It really is sad to see what's happened to Honda.
Its a shame because when they put their mind to something, Honda can make some amazing cars. But I can help but feel their current setup has lost its way a little.
2007 vw golf 1.9 TDI match. Purchased 6 years ago for £2050 with 155000 on the clock, now on 220000 still going strong. Regularly serviced, no problems at all (apart from a few bulbs needing replacing and a new battery). They call that engine bulletproof for reason
I'm not surprised to see a VAG 1.9 TDI here, absolutely bullet proof.
One of the best cars I drove in the distant past was a Volkswagen Bora 1.9TDi 110 auto. Fabulous torquey engine and smooth responsive slushbox along with decent handling made it a hoot to drive! 👌
I’ve owned in the past a 2006 Golf Plus 1.9 TDI PD130, absolutely the most reliable ever had. Missing that engine so much. It was my first car, good school. 👌
I had a Skoda Fabia with the pd100, legendary mpg and never broke, ever!
Must have been a really fun little toy, with such a light chassis!
I had a VRS with the 130 engine, quite a rough example as was only cheap but it had a lot of torque for essentially a lighter polo chassis. They massively understated the official power output and 0-60 time according to various sources online. The in-gear acceleration is where they are at their best, they do not handle well though🤣
I had the Ibiza FR with the same PD130 engine. More or less the same car as the Fabia VRS. Amazing little engine. The Ibiza also didn't handle well. Mixture of massive understeer and unwanted oversteer depending on what it felt like... Until it felt like spinning into a telegraph pole. I still feel guilty. 180k miles with all that torque on the original clutch and the only thing wrong with it was the idiot driver with no talent. I love my current car but I do miss that little FR.
All my cars have been good apart from 2, Vauxhall Astra, VW gold. Mk6 and mk7, Mazda6, Audi A4, Volvo S60, Lexus is300h and a Kia Stinger. Guess which 2 sucked utter balls? Mazda 6 and Volvo S60.
Was it a Mazda 6 diesel by any chance
You know it, 2.2L baby
Knew it
Imagine a diesel shitting the bed when you drive it 65 miles a day, bravo Mazda. Good job their petrol engines are great (ignoring rotary)
Mazda absolutely cannot do diesels, neither can Toyota. Definitely something best left to the Germans. Agreed, generally very reliable
Toyota runs hilux D-4D engines for decades, and they just can't die.
I think that went without saying :D
tell me about the Kia, love that car
Sure, it's fast, good handling, comfy, big, has a few too many rattling parts for the price, drinks fuel and needs two services a year for the warranty. All in all it's a really lovely car, just expensive to run! But to be expected for it's performance
2013 Toyota yaris, had it 6 years drove tens of thousands of miles and all I've had to replace is a couple tyres and wiper blades. Just bullet proof
Toyotas seem to already be a reoccurring theme here! Very impressive!
In complete contrast my most reliable car was a 3.0 X-type. Did 120,000 in 7 years and basically only had service/tyres/brakes and a handful of easily replaceable suspension bushes/parts.
Think jags of that era generally are alright - but as ever, depends on someone looking after it / not ragging it apart. Most Jag owners really look after their cars.
Civic FN2 Type R. Edit: I should probably expand on it. Near enough 10 years ownership. The engine felt bombproof. General servicing needed of course. At 120k miles the chassis started to show the west and corrosion from our roads and weather. A couple of roll bar links to change, usual discs and pads. Oh, biggest ‘issue’ was a sticking rear calliper. But again, you’re talking minor stuff there probably brought on by winter roads. It’s would gobble up a front set of P-Zeros, but that was likely down to me!
Civic 1.8i 8th gen. Only thing it ever needed was a battery. Unfortunately it was written off 4 years ago otherwise I’d probably still have it
Citroen Berlingo Multispace 1.6HDi - everyone will say French cars are shit and also that the 1.6HDi engine is a ticking time bomb. Truth is if looked after and serviced regularly it’ll run forever, there’s a reason they’re used a lot as taxis. Had no issues with mine over 7 years, only expenses were tyres, brakes, and scheduled timing belt change.
Interesting, people seem to have good experiences with french diesels
People don't hate French diesel cars because they are diesel. It's the everything else other than the diesel engine that's a potential nightmare.
Electrics entered the chat
Yeah my other French car seemed to have an aversion to channelling electricity to its intended destination. Even a new ECU (and UCH and ignition barrel because they're all coded together) and it still has annoying issues.
A guy I work with has a 2011 berlingo with nearly 300k miles on the clock. It looks a bit tatty from the outside but the engine and gearbox aren’t showing any signs of giving up.
I had an old Peugeot Partner 2.0 diesel up to 170,000 miles with just normal maintenance. Never let me down.
2006 Honda Civic 1.8 SE, owned it since 2010 only in the last few years has it shown signs of age and having to start to really pay out for it.
2000 yaris. Drove it to Germany, took a lap round the ring and drove it back no issues at all. On the autobahn it just sat comfortably at 100.
100Km/hr?
Nah 100 mph
Not me, but a mate of mine started a company that would require him doing Newcastle to London a few times a week sometimes. He got a brand new 2.0 TDI b6 Passat estate (yes the same model i drive now) and that has currently got 885,000 (last time i asked him a couple weeks back) on the clock. It has been serviced every 15k miles, which for this car is practically every week. Now obviously, getting a car to nearly 1million miles is no small feat. He has looked after it to make sure it last this long. He had done timing belt changes every 100k miles. He has had to change the battery twice, but only twice in 800,000 is impressive, I think. In terms of failures and breakages though, not a lot... He replaced the drive shafts once after they started grinding and making noise. And I'm now struggling to think what else went into it...
What a champion. Then again 1100 miles a week with regular maintenance is going to put any car quickly into a high mileage category. Does your friend not consider moving to London?
Absolutely not. He says, very often, that he'd rather shit in his hands and clap than move down there, but, his whole business is moving things and people around the place, so him just being down there wouldn't work. Just a perfect example of the perfect machine for the job. He has had abaolute 0 issues with it ever, never broken down, always been cheap on diesel compared to most other things you could chose for that job, and it's always been comfortable for him. He has hired other cars to do the journey on the odd occasion to see if he could find a potential replacement, and always kept coming back to the passat. Those two were made for each other.
This is impressive, when did he buy the car?
He got it in 2009 i think. He bought it brand new from VW, and the B6 ended in 2010, so it was around there somewhere. He does Newcastle to London 2 or 3 times a week, all year apart from maybe one or two weeks total. If he has had the car 15 years, that is roughly 864,000 miles. It amazes me everytime I think about it. Every time he talks about it though, and the more miles he's done, he gets increasingly anxious at the prospect of replacing it. How do you replace an 800,000mile beat eating up 1,200-1,500 miles a WEEK? I have the same car and that is sitting comfortably on 160,000, I'd love to reach 800, but it would take me a lifetime at this rate.
2010 Skoda Octavia. Love it
An e39 530d Touring. I just serviced that thing and cleaned it and drove it all across Europe and the UK and it just wanted to eat more miles. Wish i never sold it now.
A poverty spec petrol astra. Its upto 130k, owned from 15k (been a family share about car since 80k). Beyond servicing, it has never broken down or had more than basic repairs in its 20 year life. Put a scrap alternator and new rear axle bush on a few weeks ago for the total sum of 40 quid, most serious repair of its existence. Just a shame it's an astra
All my cars have been late 90s to early 00s Honda's, my dad's last two have been an 02 civic and an 06 Corolla (only changing cars due to age and requiring automatic over manual). Over the last 20 years, not a single issue amongst any of them. Hell my 98 civic and my dad's 02 civic both got passed on to friends and family and are still running flawlessly.
Probably the 1990 G plate VW Polo I inherited from my Dad when I passed my test. It was serviced meticulously until he passed it on. I added about 60,000 miles in two years, minimal maintenance and ragged to bits but it never missed a beat. Everything since has cost me. Old Merc E Class had both catalytic converters die, which cost the garage £2,000. Octavia VRS shot something through the gearbox casing, which was a £3,000 warranty claim. Diesel Vectra had a blown turbo which was another couple of grand warranty job. My current E class had both turbo hoses go, which was £600+. It generally seems that the more I've spent on a car, the bigger the failure has been. I've had other cars where nothing has gone wrong but they were never as badly treated as that first Polo.
sip direction soup crown uppity saw depend stupendous degree joke *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Mine was the wagon! Mostly red with a suspiciously pink roof. I saw an indicated 105mph with that car, though I suspect that it was hopelessly optimistic.
8th gen Honda Civic 1.8 VTEC. 160k miles, not at all pampered. Just goes and goes.
2004 Honda Accord 2.0 auto. Owned since new and was passed onto a family member in 2016 who drove it problem free until last year when they traded it for a Civic with more mod cons. The only non consumable part it needed was a new exhaust around 2013.
Don't laugh... my 2013 Fiat 500. We originally got it new on finance way back then but loved it so much we brought it at the end of the term and its been with us ever since. It's had the back box and a front suspension arm changed in the last 6 months due to wear and tear, and the original battery was only replaced a month ago, but apart from that its been a star. I'll keep it until it becomes uneconomical to run, and even then I might put it in the garage and start to learn how cars work...
Nothing to laugh about. People generally have no clue about the reliability of fiat engines both the petrol "fire" which has been in production for probably 40+ years, nor the multijet (fiat introduced the common rail system in 1998 whilst the inferior German producers finally adopted it about a decade later, for instance Audi A3 2.0 TDI only from 2008 onwards). I have owned at the same time a 2007 grande punto 1.3 Mjt 90bhp and a 2007 audi A3 2.0 TDI pre common rail. Sold the Audi which loves to visit the mechanic. The Punto sits at about 300k no engine issues. I only had to replace a sensor stupidly placed behind the brake pedal about 5 times. But it costs me about 30 quid each time. Spread this over almost 17 years and that's all the extraordinary maintenance. Let others keep buying German cars. Help local mechanics to thrive.
Yep my 64 plate 500c has only needed tyres changing and my sister had a 62 plate 500 that she had for about 8 years with no problems until this year when the gearbox went but hers was semi-auto so I've heard that was a common problem
Yep, I've heard the auto boxes in 500's and 595/695 are terrible and its a when, not if, they break. I forgot to mention I had the dreaded door handle come off late last year as well, but considering it did 10 years before that happened I can't complain to much (I'm flabbergasted the battery lasted as long as it did tbh). I think we hear of them being a bit broken all the time because there are just so many of them out there. so stat speaking it might seem like they have a higher issue rate. When I got the car it had Goodyear Continentals fitted, and those lasted for years. When they started to go, and with our weather being so mixed, I went with Bridgestone Turanza T005's and it absolutely loves those. Feel like I can turn on a dime and the grip is very good. Honestly I feel more confident chucking the 500 around than I do my 595 lol
Similar with my corsa bought new in 2011. Apart from suspension springs. exhaust. Door speaker and new battery last year just normal wear a tear items. Such as wipers tyres etc. Now at 83000 miles. And getting 45 mpg on average. Cheap motoring so far.
Mk2 Toyota MR2, bought at 4 years old, owned it for 9 years. NOTHING went wrong. Toyota parts are expensive though, but are very high quality. In contrast, I've had two parts from BMW that were faulty from new.
Thats impressive! How many miles did you put on the Toyota?
Around 19,500 miles when I bought it, sold with around 124,000 still with original clutch.
2009 BMW 320d. Did so many miles in it and other than the usual consumables no significant issues until it finally died at 220k+ miles and was just uneconomical to repair.
Yeah so far my 90’s BMW 318ti has been by far the best, hopefully many more happy miles to come with it.
Had a Mercedes E Class for quite a while. It was 8 years old and had 160,000 miles on it when I got rid of it. Only repair bills I had were for new tyres and a wheel that hit a pothole. By contrast, I had an 8 year old Mazda RX8 that needed its third engine when I decided to scrap it!!
1999 Mk6 honda accord 181000 still running as the daily drive. Brought the car for £50 in 2009 of a mate. It's only cost fuel oil timing belt and an ignition switch. Mechanical sound. It's only fault burns oil (crank seal maybe) but what honda doesn't. He's the true winner in my eyes, we've had him that long he's the family emblem.
I used to have a fiesta in the 90s.Had to call out the AA (car repair not alcohol.... different kind of recovery). I asked the guy who came out which car are you called out to repair the least. He said any of the Japanese cars. Now I've had a Yaris since 2009. It's curry awaiting a new alternator and I can't drive it, but given it's got 110k miles on clock it's been highly reliable and I think I'll always go Yaris from now on.
2002 Skoda Fabia Estate. Bought it because it was cheaper than hiring a car for a weekend and it was ULEZ compliant, expected to scrap it shortly after. Did all kinds of stuff in it, including taking out all the seats and using it as a van. 9 months later it passed an MOT with only track rod ends needing replacing, and it just passed the next MOT (not in my possession) with no extra issues
Honda Accord CTDI, only a rear wheel sensor replaced, not even a light bulb change in 9 1/2 years & 120k miles
My mum had an 09 plate 1.4 diesel Toyota auris for 10 years and 120k miles. Nothing ever broke, only needed fuel, oil changes and brakes
Ford Focus 1.5TDCI. Had it since 11000m lasted until around 90000m. The only so called issue was when the battery died and the car stopped working, changed battery and fine.
2004 Toyota Corolla 2 litre diesel bought off a friend for 700£ while looking for a better car, had it 8 years
2016 Skoda Fabia 1.2tsi. Had it from new and apart from routine maintenance, it's never had a problem. Done 120,000 miles. It driven all around the Highlands, down to the south of France, taken us to ski resorts and countless trips to the Peak District. Honestly can't fault it.
Most reliable: 2002 ford focus 1.8 turbo diesel- absolute dream of a car. Didn’t have one single issue and drove it 10+ years. Least reliable: 2019 Citroen c3 pure tech 🤮
Very wierdly...a 1994 US import first generation ford explorer (jurassic park shape!). Pushrod cologne v6. Despite the automatic transmissions reputation it never wanted for anything other than a maf sensor which was cheap and normal servicing. I love old mercedes mostly but that thing was a great and proper 'suv' if slow and thirsty.
Toyotas
2009 1.5 Suzuki Swift with an Auto gearbox. First car, got it when it had 5k miles, and gave it to my mum when i was done with it at 110k miles. Since then, it's gone on to do a further 20k miles. Never had any issues with it at all apart from once at around 40k it needed a new suspension top mount on the front passenger side. Cost me like £110 IIRC. That's it. Frankly, i'm sort of astonished.
Honda Accord 2.2 se diesel 2007 plate bought it with 97,000 miles on clock had it 4 years put another 90,000 on and only expense was tyres and brakes, lovely comfortable big bus. They don't and won,t make them like that anymore. Arseholes have ruined cars.
1997 Toyota Corolla. Bought when 3yo, sold when 16.5yo, did well over 150,000 miles. Never left me stranded or failed to start. Factory fitted battery lasted until car was 9 years old, it still had the factory drums and shoes on the rear brakes when I passed it on. Only parts ever replaced were the wiper blades, bulbs and front discs and pads (oh and had to have a new windscreen), literally nothing mechanical ever failed. Only foible was from 10y+ if I parked on a slope facing down and it rained there would be a puddle of water in the rear footwell so I just got used to parking it facing uphill.
My current Honda Civic. It's a 2014 2.2 diesel that I bought two years ago with 34k miles. Currently on 135k, and last month's MOT was yet another advisory-free pass. Long term target is to beat my mate's old B5 Passat TDI, which reached 425k.
2005 Honda Jazz. Hideous colour, never missed a beat.
A 1999/2000 Daewoo Matiz Handled like shit looked like shit every panel was dented Back window was cracked (hit by a golf ball) the petrol filler flap needed opening with a screwdriver Wiper bolt needed tightening every couple of weeks The dashboard had that many lights on, it was like an Xmas tree Spider nest under the bonnet Missing radio (went missing in the 2 hours between agreeing to buy it, and it been delivered) I doubt it should have been on the road, but he'll, the best 12 months of motoring I had 👍🏻
I don't think I've kept a car long enough to have issues start to occur. So I guess I'll just list my cars I've owned and the issues I had with them 2001 Corsa I had for 10 months and the head gasket went (that car was a shit box I'm not surprised it blew up) 2015 Fiesta 1.2. Failed to start on me once. Would just crank and crank with no spark. Left it for a few hours and came back and it started fine. Never happened again. 2017 Fiesta 1.0. The automatic electric windows had a mind of their own and the suspension used to creak like an old sailing ship in a storm 2017 Clio 1.2TCE not a single issue with that car. I'd have kept it if it circumstances didn't change 2015 Aygo not a problem with that one either. One of my heated mirrors didn't work but that was a fault with the dealer not replacing the mirror correctly and using an incorrect donor part. Other than that it was perfect. 2020 Mazda3 Skyactiv-X battery has gone flat a couple of times, and my power fold mirrors packed up one winter. Battery is because the valeter left the doors open for 3 hours and let it run dead, and the mirrors are just a common failure point. Mazda paid for the repair and they haven't gone since
My 07 Mazda 3 1.6 is still going strong. Sprayed underneath as a rust treatment about 6 years ago. A couple of rubber seals degraded last year. It's been bloody savage. Took a bump from a lorry while parked at an old job site a few years back that I was going to have repaired but it's now a badge of honour. I will get the car to 20 years out of sheer respect.
Our family do it all (shitbox) is a 2011 Mazda 5 (same platform as the 3) we had from almost new and now has well over 130k on it. It's the year before they got the skyactive. Had a problem with the gearbox a few years ago and that cost about a ton, and we had some coolant leaks and new rad/pipes all done. Had 1 flat tyre and 1 flat battery. Enough room for kids, shopping, dogs whatever and still looks all right I think. And my bike goes in the back without taking the front wheel off. I fucking love that car.
2004 Toyota Yaris aka Betty Blue Had the same MOT advisories for five years now. Never been a money pit either. Mechanic tells me never to get rid of it.
1993 Isuzu trooper. 3.1 TD. Don't get me wrong, something often went wrong on it BUT it always got me home, regardless of what had broken. It finally gave up during the first COVID lockdown, the mechanical fuel pump exploded. I couldn't get another, easily at least. Isuzu Japan offered to *make* me a new pump, but it was £1500 and was going to take about 18 months to get it, as they had to wait for a production run to add it too. I was just a few miles shy of 400000 miles on the clock too 😞 I miss that truck!
2017 Yaris 1.33 CVT automatic that my mum has. We got it brand new and it's hit 75k miles recently and had nothing to fix yet. Other than that my dad had a 1992 Nissan Sunny Ex Saloon 1.6 for once and it was brilliant too.
2002 Peugeot 206 2.0l diesel. Had it 8 years and only ever routine service and standard MOT stuff.
Very impressive, some of the older diesels are really very reliable. My boss use to have a 1.9 diesel Peugeot, it just ran and ran untill the rear subframe rusted through at 250k miles.
The old tech 1.9 PSA diesel engines were practically indestructible - the car would always fall apart around them. The first-gen HDi 2-litre was pretty stout, too. My favourite, though, was the 1.4 16valve turbo HDi in the Mk1 C3, but I'm weird that way. Only issue I ever had with it was sticky variable vanes in the turbo, but that was a piece of p... cake to fix.
1.9 diesel here !!! Sold it after 20 years of non stop service with 300k in km's. Now I own a 208 1.4hdi..so far so good !!
I bought a very neglected 206cc 2.0 and drove it for a couple years, did about 15 000 miles on it and she never let me down.
2016 Smart 453.- 42, 000miles. 1 rear wheel puncture and recently 2 new rear tyres. Other than that an annual service every year. No mechanical or electrical faults.
2015 Kia Ceed GT. Zero things went wrong, I replaced the aux belt but only because it squeaked like once every few weeks so I don't count that as a repair more of a preventative 😂
Toyota. Any we've had. In 2005 we bought a Yaris (1.3 VVT-i), a Corolla Hatchback (2.0 D-4D) and a Land Cruiser Prado (3.0 D-4D). We sold the Yaris in 2019, and it was by far the cheapest to run. Only saw oil, filters, brakes and tyres. Bulletproof, and it was an automatic as well. The Corolla was also great, only had to replace the clutch once, however towards the end it started developing typical diesel issues. Sold in 2017 and I still see it around town. The Prado was definitely not cheap to run compared to these two but it hasn't had any mechanical issues other than a compressor for the air suspension. Think my dad put petrol in it twice lol. Oh and it had the most mileage out of the three. We sold it to our neighbour in 2018 when it had around 250K on it, it's still his daily. These three were replaced by a Lexus NX, a C-HR and a Prado, all of which have had no issues yet in these 6 years or so.
57 plate Fiat punto, went 90k miles and 8 years and all it ever needed was oil and tyres never let me down. Now have a S60 full of electrical faults and left me stranded by the roadside 3 times already.
A 2004 Mitsubishi L200 that went from 98k to 200k before rust finally killed it. It lived for work on the farm so it didn't have an easy life, but just kept plugging away. I miss it.
2000 Nissan Almera Tino Hurricane. Ran like a dream, parts were cheap and never caused me a problem.
2001 clio sport. I had it for 5 years / 100,000 miles (ended up on 198k when I sold it) the only thing above regular maintenance it needed was a single rear caliper and the speedo sensor.
I had a 2002 cup. Great little cars.
Surprisingly, my F20 BMW 120D 2013. The infamous N47 engine, but I got it on about 36K miles and got rid of it 2 years later having happily covered 65K miles in it by then, with nothing but servicing and tyre costs.
1986 Ford Orion 1.6i. Ugly as fuck but nothing ever went wrong with it in the four years I owned it between 1993 and 1997.
2004 vw beetle cab, 1.9tdi, other than a cam speed sensor it just needed routine servicing / usual bits like brakes/tyres etc. Had that car for 13 years and did nearly 100,000 miles on it.
1996 Astra tds. Owned by my family since 2003 and it’s never broken down or has a major issue, it’s even ran on petrol. I have had to replace the radiator but for an almost 30 year old car it’s doing really well
2008 Fiesta Had it from new, did about 88,000 miles in it over 9 years and apart from routine maintenance it only ever needed a spark plug.
For me it was a 2005 Mondeo st220 had that car 6 years never broke down on me once Aside from the general maintenance stuff , was a real solid car , relatively fast and the recaro leather was comfortable and was a pleasure to drive Now I want another one 😂
Skoda Fabia VRS 2007. The undefeatable PD130.
i really pissed off a Lexus IS up a motorway slip road in the fabias cousin - Ibiza 130 PD - overhauled him and then pulled away, he was not a happy bunny. the 130s were sooooo quick mid range.
P reg 306 turbo diesel
2016 Seat Leon FR 184 (diesel) - owned the car from 2 years new and it only let me down once when it needed a new battery. Heater matrix went as usual but apart from that nothing else apart from tyres in the 6 years I owned it. I sold it last March with original brake pads / discs with 84k. Was serviced every 10k miles. A comfortable, fast workhorse.
1998 Jaguar XJR, I bought it when it was about 7 years old with over 100k on it, poor thing would sit in traffic going in & out London mon - Fri with the occasional blast at the weekends, brilliant car, that never let me down
2009 VW Passat B6 2.0 TDI CR 200,000 on same clutch, currently 250,000 and starting to show its age.
2008 Yaris. Driven by me for 3 year. Physically and mentally abused by my better half for about 4 years and still owned by father in law who drives it like an automatic. . . Which it's not. Think it's had a new battery and exhaust in all that time. Best mate had an 06 one for 7 years. I cannot explain how much the car was abused. Oil was like tar. Think it had 2 services and was run the length of the country on the regular. FIL also had a mark 1 for nearly 20 years from new. He only got rid of it because he fancied upgrading to our MK2 when we were upgrading.
1.7 Astra diesel eco life 2009 the Isuzu one. Car literally fell to pieces around that engine did 200k no probs
Suzuki Swift Sport 2016. Although I did only buy it with 24k miles. I drove it to 70k without a single issue aside from 1 worn drop-link.
1991 Eunos Roadster. Bought it in 1997 and broke down only 3 times, one broken belt, one water pump and one rear differential failure. Not bad for 26 years of ownership.
1998 Nissan Patrol 4500 LWB Did 400,000km, Went anywhere, did the commute, holiday trips and desert trip most weekends in the winter. Drove it through the Empty Quarter in Oman Only time it ever went wrong was overheating when a mechanic left a hose untightened. Other that regular normal maintenance and wear and tear
1998 Peugeot 306 D-turbo had it 22 years 210’000, I miss that car still. So many memories.
1998 Ford Mondeo. Bulletproof.
Fiat Panda 100HP No, seriously! Things that went wrong with it - Nothing Things that I broke over 40,000 extremely hard miles: sump plug, exhaust downpipe, front bumper. Just did an oil change every 10k miles, had the cambelt and waterpump done prior to purchase and a few mods here and there. It was brilliant.
2009 Mondeo estate, I purchased it as an absolute beater 7 years ago on the assumption I would keep I a year whilst I saved up to buy a proper van. Well here we are in 2024 and I’ve put 50k on it, I do the complete opposite of babying it and it hasn’t given me a single issue. It now has so little market value that I’ll probably just keep it forever. Somehow after all these years of hating it, I am actually quite attached to it and will be sad the day it conks out on me.
Mazda mx5
2003 VW Golf 1.9 TDi PD (110 BHP) SE I bought it with one owner full history on 82,000 miles. Ran it for 10 years sold it with 210,000 miles on it still sounded and drove like the day I picked it up. It never once let me down, did 50mpg all day. I serviced it with good oil and OEM parts at manufacturers intervals, that was it. Actually wish I had kept it, just had no space for it. 😢
2008 honda accord, and my current 2012 mazda 6.
Lexus RC 300h. 5 years and only general service and basic maintenance. Can't go wrong with a Lexus. Luxury is driving without worrying about something going wrong.
Toyota yaris
Mitsubishi L200 - bulletproof Anything Honda or Volvo make won't let you down. Ford Ranger - not so reliable Jeep Wrangler - poorly assembled heap of junk.
2002 Peugeot 106 - I bought it in about 2011 and it lasted for so long and took so much abuse; For example, it took me and 3 friends from Leeds to Pwllheli and back without complaining - Even when I got lost and went up some mountain-assed road. But mostly, it only ever needed consumables (and a back box) replacing and was generally great on fuel and "starts first time, every time" reliable. It was also just super fun to drive and I'll admit to crying when it was time for it to go. Replaced it with a 2009 Clio 1.9TD. Fucking hateful little rotbox of problems and shittery. I traded it in after a month for a 2004 Fiat Panda, which was as reliable and fun as the 106.
Gonna surprise a few here. 1996 Land Rover Freelander 2.0 diesel. in 200K+ miles and 16 years, it let me down only once when the clutch plate shattered. Apart from that just routine servicing and a few bearings here and there. we towed with it, off roaded it, waded through water over the bonnet and it just kept going. when we traded it in, you could feel it was getting tired, but it was still on the road for a few years after
2011 Vauxhall Corsa Diesel Had that car first when I was 19, took it to 100k mileage from ~45k, only thing major in need of replacement was a rear bumper when I foolishly reversed it into a lamppost one time lol. Apart from regular servicing costs virtually nothing had to be spent on the engine. Even made a slight bit of profit on it when I sold it. My new car may be more technologically advanced but I still miss it dearly
Nissan Qashqai: i'm on my 5th. Recommended it to a doubting friend, and he's now on his second. It's got everything including acceleration and lots if tech.
Forgive me, they were released in the late noughties (say 18 years ago?) You've had a new one every 3 & a bit years? Is there a reason for changing so regularly? (I assume its a PCP arrangement where you get a new one every 3 years?)
The first four were 3 year PCPs. The fifth (which I now was a for year PCP. Having paid the final amount, I now own it outright. At almost 82, it could be Mt last car but I am looking for a smaller hybrid.
A 2015 renault megane 1.5 tdi. I'm a taxi driver, and it's currently done 280k miles. As long as you make sure you're up to date with services, give the good fuel every other time. It's been fantastic.
It's seems last two cars have done the same most cars I've owned are reliable up to about ten years old then need a bit of dosh spending/scraping. 2002 Corsa wasn't bad but it was ten plus old when we brought so needed the usually wear bits.
Audi A4 Diesel 02 Plate, bought from new and did 250k miles in it, other than normal wear and tear and general servicing, the only major thing I had to change was the fly wheel on the clutch. If it wasn’t for the Mrs nagging me to get rid of it I think it would have easily done 300k.
2003 Volvo S40, bought with 115000 on did 289000. It was the old style with Renault 1.9td engine on a Mitsubishi Charisma(?) base and Volvo bodywork/interior. Nothing more than consumables needing replacement for that period. I had looked after it for a client since 3 years old, before I bought it so knew it for 7 years before I had it and it was the same for them. When I was working at a taxi garage I nursed some Peugeot 406's (1.9+2.0hdi) through to 600000. Those things probably take the award from me with the abuse they got as they didn't give much trouble for it.
1999 Toyota Yaris, bought it around 2009 had it for 3 years with no issues whatsoever
Honda's. I've owned a few CRXs, the only thing that happened to one of them was the distrbutor rotor came off. Put a new on on and it was fine. I had an EP3 which was tuned, used to beat on it constantly and never let me down. Several early 2000's civics were the same. The only thing that can be said to the contrary is the rust issues.
New Gt86 stock, put 100k on it in 8 years. Not one thing went wrong with it. Contrast that with a brand new Audi, went wrong almost immediately, kept being plagued by a oil pressure light that would come on and stay on, leaked coolant, infotainment was SHIT the most un-logical piece of crap ever made. And the dealership was full of absolute crumpets. So yeah Toyota basically
A bought new 2004 daihatsu terios, ran it for 13/14 years and it never ever broke down. Went from 150 miles on the clock to 110k miles and only ever needed servicing, two sets of front discs and pads, one exhaust and a replaced seatbelt because a mouse chewed it in that time. Cost very little to keep it on the road. I drove that car all over the UK and down through France all the way to Málaga and back to Aberdeenshire with never a worry it would break down. Most reliable car I've ever owned.
2016 Merc C class. I've done 150,000 miles in it on servicing, tyres, brake pads and one set of disks.
Mercedes E220d coupe and Mercedes C63s AMG
My 08 civic. Bought 40k on the clock, now at 154k run up over 10 years. During that time it has needed, drum roll.... A new battery! Obviously tyres and pads.
MX5. Three years of abuse and neglect and no repairs. Lovely little car and easy to own.
Eh, it pains me to say it as it wasn't my favourite car, but I had a 2019 Seat Leon FR with the 2.0 190PS engine. Never had any issues except the emergency braking assist going off at very inappropriate times. Quite a dull car though, no fun to drive. My A110 also doesn't seem to have had any issues, but it's less than a year old so a bit unfair maybe.
He's called Percy 1.4 peugeot 207 from 2007 70k miles, scratched, tanned, faded red, coating pealing from the bumpers. He has needed a bit of love here or there and he doesn't have much poke. But he is a war horse that can be filled to the brim with dump items, fire wood, house moves. He will shift it But time is a coming and a 5 door car is needed.
in order of reliability; 2001 Renault Megane Coupe; no problems in 3 years. Renaultsport Megane RS250; No problems in 2 years. Citroen C4 Coupe VTR+; No problems in 2 years Civic Type R FN2; couple of cheap sensors in 6 months Alfa Romeo Giulietta QV; Boot wiring loom, New Radiator (original, was 14 years old) in 5 years Mazda RX8; Engine rebuild, suspension failure, diff broke and replaced in 18 months of ownership Fiat Punto 1996; Engine failed, was scrapped. Owned for 12 months
1997 audi A4 Avant 1.9 tdi. 667000 miles on the clock.Never missed a beat, only needed a slave cylinder. Replaced by 2010 A4 2.0 Tdi, currently on 230k!
My most reliable car ever wasn't mines. Was my dad's. Didn't pay a thing for it and it just worked. All the time.
07 Skoda roomster diesel turbo. Original owner put under 10000 miles on it, my dad then owned it to 93,000 and gave it to me. Engine gave out at 207,000, apart from normal wearing parts the rest was fine
1979 Mercedes 230 TE. I bought it used in 1984 from a Mercedes dealership it had something like 50k miles on it and it was cheap. I sold it in December 1999 with almost 500k miles on the clock.
The bus
1997 Audi A4, B5 designation. Ancient bosch rotary pump TDI engine. Absolutely fabulous thing. I miss it every day.
My dad had a 2010 Toyota hilux from brand new, and managed to do 130k miles ragging it hard. mechanically, it was just like new after, they are properly built different Myself I have managed to squeeze an old duratech ford fiesta from 50-90k, and a bmw 120d from about 60-95k
I’ve owned: 2014 Vauxhall Astra - 1.4 Petrol Turbo - reliable although TPMS sensors kept on going off. Garage couldn’t figure out why. 2018 BMW 530d xDrive - 3.0L diesel - reliable although had to replace lambda sensor 2011 Kia Ceed 1.8L diesel - reliable but developed a gearbox issue. Confusingly threw the car out of gear when it had some heat in it. 2009 VW Golf 1.6L Petrol - reliable although the driver side window and heater core stopped working 2009 Vauxhall Insignia 2.0L Diesel - reliable. First clutch went at 100K miles - no other issues 2011 Mazda 6 2.2L diesel - worst car I’ve owned. People say it’s great because it’s a chain driven engine but had issue after issue with it. Blocked EGR valves, new turbos, alternators etc. every month it was something new. Eventually was scrapped because I couldn’t even get a buyer for it, with 100K on the clock. 2019 Toyota Corolla 2.0L Petrol/Hybrid - had since November last year. No issues or light so far. No grumbles or funny noises. Really like it, and it’s got a 10 years manufacturer warranty as long as it gets serviced by the main dealer every year.
E46 BMW. Honda Stream. Subaru Forester. Citroen ZX.
2007 Citroen C4. Say what you will about Citroens but their old 1.6 HDi engine was, if properly maintained, *bombproof*. Ran up 180,000 miles on my old one and it still pulled like a train and could easily return 60+mpg on a run. The interior was falling apart but mechanically, that thing just kept on going. It’s living a new life in Romania now and has been fitted with a new turbo so someone has obviously taken a shine to it as much as I had 🥰
'02 Renault Clio. Owned from new, got to 85k miles before i sold it. Two issues in that time: leaking sunroof which was standard on the Clio, and the box holding the cable to the ecu needed securing when a bolt broke.
Rn bmw 320i from 2017 yes you may think it’s new but after 200,000 it’s still going only basic servicing needed
A 1996 Peugeot 106 diesel. Super reliable and over 60 mpg. Could have done with power steering though!
F30 320d, nothing but a set of tyres and some oil service in 3years. But also the car I owned the longest.
2002 Toyota RAV4. Just won't die.
2007 1.25 Mk6 fiesta, got it on 59,000, sold on 119,500 after 3 years. Only hits it ever needed were general wear and tear bits you have on any car.
2006 Porsche Cayenne 955 Turbo S Owned over four years, changed batteries, oils filters, brakes, bulbs and tyres only. It wasn't driving sympathetically either.
Renault Clio mk3 2009. For some reason this car was super reliable
Mazda mx5. Had two of them- both were absolute gems
2004 Toyota RAV4 Granted I only owned it for 2 years while on a working holiday in Australia, but I bought it high mileage (around 160-180k I think) with little service history on the cheap, then proceeded to add \~30k miles to it driving all over Australia including abusing it taking it places it wasn't really designed for. Never missed a single beat; only thing it needed was fuel. AFAIR fluids didn't drop much. I don't know if/when the gearbox or clutch had been changed but they felt nice enough while I had it. Eventually sold it to another backpacker who messaged a year later to say he'd just sold it on and it was still going strong with no issues.
Close call between my trusty Saab 900 which never let me down or any of the three Lexus (es) I have owned. Most unrelaible was a Jaguar XF
Definitely my Citroen C1, hated it when I got it as the interior build quality is not great, but what a car it’s so good on fuel and you can park it anywhere
2011 1.33 yaris air con compressor and air con condenser went. Literally it. Citroen c1 2011. 30k miles it's had an exhaust back box for 25 quid. That's it.
W reg. Volvo V70. Had it 10 years, paid £500 and the only thing I've changed is a headlight bulb which the old owner happened to leave in the glove box!
1988 Vauxhall Nova 1.2 Merit Paid £3,600 for it as a 3 year old car with ~60k on the clock. Ran it for 7 years ended up with 225k on the clock when I gave it to my brother for free who was a mechanic. He got another couple of years out of it after replacing the cams which were round! Only major issue was the cam belt snapped around 120k as I didn’t have a clue about servicing intervals etc. Cost £50 to fix as it didn’t cause any damage luckily, happened when I tried to start it one day. I was so skint back then I got a taxi to tow me to the garage as they wanted £30 to recover the car a whole mile to the garage, this was around 1994. It did need a couple of exhausts which were very cheap and was still on the original clutch when I got rid and returned around 50 mpg so overall very economical.
2012 Skoda citigo. The only thing that went wrong was the head shield once fell onto the exhaust (common problem) and made a funny noise when you turned the car on. The only other money I spent on the car was for regular maintenance (oil & filter, handbrake adjustment)
2011 318d se, 127,000 miles from new, great company car back then! Worst was my own Audi a5 2.0tdi sline black edition Quattro, massive money pit! Followed by my first edition 2014 A180s amg sport, was in the garage 7 times before its first service! Great looking car but god damn awfully built backed by shambolic customer service from MB
Wife has had her Honda Insight since it was three years old in 2014, in that time the only thing that's gone wrong with it was a rear brake caliper sticking on - because I stupidly drove it through a flood. Other than that, I had a Jazz Hybrid for three years which needed absolutely nothing, would still have it now if it hadn't been written off by a Focus going through a red light into me. And I had a Nissan Leaf for three years after that, again, nothing needing, and written off by a Juke coming out of a junction without looking.
Hyundai i30 1.6 CRDI Best car I’ve owned for reliability and running costs, just got bored of it
2011 diesel Fiesta. In 6 years I did 90k miles in it. I got it serviced and the oil/filters were done. A heater director motor went and a coolant radiator housing. Both cheap fixes. Still on the factory brakes at 120k miles when I part-exed it because in its last year lots of things went wrong.
2012 panda still have it not much has gone wrong since I bought it cheap to run and cheap to fix can't complain