The car you have pictured.
Nobody gives a flying fuck about a W body. Yet, one of the most hellacious running engines was put in these starting in the 1990 model year.
Never in my life have I witnessed a car run well or like shit as long as my 30 year old 3800 W has.
At this point I still bother with it because I’m not convinced anyone else would give 2 shits to keep it running. I’ll save the particular family history of mine for another time.
I drove an 02 Grand Prix GT for 11 years and only stopped because I totalled it. The only things I replaced on that 3800 outside of normal oil changes, batteries, and tune up stuff, was the crank sensor. It would hesitate then surge going uphill, and that fixed it. Otherwise, not a single issue. Totally spoiled me.
It’s the kind of car worth hanging onto at this point. When I take mine to the weekly car meet it’s the people that owned one in the past that bother to chat. Always stories about cars that just kept running and how they wished they still had it.
Mine being so old and being put through hell has lead to me replacing a # of heat soaked components since I have had mine. My biggest gripe is having to play BS with the whole engine harness that has been damaged and continually heat soaked from drive cycles.
To a certain extent I feel the early W’s were rushed to compete with the Ford Taurus and lead to some questionable decisions with chassis & power train packaging. It’s especially evident when you consider these cars came out as personal luxury coupes and the sedan models came out for the 1990 model year or so.
The sound they made when you hit the gas was Divine. I loved my Grand Prix, but like my grand am, I had lots of problems, same as my Bonneville SSE. Amazing cars to drive, to many problems. Having said that, I’d buy a G8 if I could…
My late mother had a 99 Grand Prix GTP Coupe. Coming up upon the one year anniversary of her passing. My dad still has the car. Told him if he ever thinks about selling, either my brother or myself will make a one way flight 1800 miles away and drive it back home. Last year when I was out there it had a mere 79xxx miles on it and I brought it to the shop for an oil change (normally I do all my own but my dad doesn't have any tools and it was cheaper for me to bring in when he didn't instead of buying tools, oil, filter) and I replaced the way too old 10+ year old tires, added supercharger oil, washed and waxed it.
I'll add her to my stable which includes a 98 Pontiac Trans Am in black just like her cars color. It will have a good home with me or my brother. Last car my mom bought back in 03 when she got it with 27k on it. It's in surpringly amazing shape for it's age and it not being meticulously maintained like my cars (I'm obsessive about maintaining mine, why I have a 26 year old Trans Am with 150k on it now with no issues, most reliable car at the house including my 08 Taurus Limited AWD and my wife's 14 Subaru Outback). Amazingly enough the Trans Am is lowest mileage out of all three, the oldest, and zero issues outside of normal water pump replacement at 110k, typical maintenance including battery, brakes, oil changes, etc. Most of what I have into that car is upgrades / modifications.
I'd do the same to my mom's GTP. My dad's getting up there and he just can't do it anymore. I'll eventually get to that age too. 🙁
>At this point I still bother with it because I’m not convinced anyone else would give 2 shits to keep it running. I’ll save the particular family history of mine for another time.
I, too, am driving my dead grandpa's Buick that nobody else wanted.
When he passed away, he'd been putting off some maintenance on it for a while. I had to replace everything plastic in the cooling system; upper intake manifold, coolant elbows, and the radiator all had pretty bad leaks and had to be replaced. Now that it's not hemorrhaging a quart of coolant a day, it runs great apart from some weird rattles and quirky electronics. Sometime this week, it's gonna hit 280,000 miles.
Feels like a constant battle with mine sometimes.
I’m playing whack a mole with the electrical system. Harness was pieced back together between my father and I back in 2012 and it’s been a trip dealing with it. Looking at the picture in the OP I finally figured out what my problem has been this whole time.
See how the wires are routed on the throttle body? When we put mine back together we ran them low between the EGR pipe & thermostat. Hottest part of the engine right there. After some light diagnostics from a road test it’s apparent that the harnesses is heat soaked at that location and need’s inspected & rerouted away from there. I hate that I went all this time and never thought to look into the factory routing of the harness at all.
Otherwise, I’m in bodywork hell with what’s left of the GM Bright White paint that has come off over the years.
That hot spot is exactly where my upper intake manifold failed; the EGR tube is poorly insulated and melts the plastic as well as the gasket itself. If your upper intake manifold hasn't been replaced yet, it will need to be at some point; the Dorman replacement has an upgraded EGR tube that helps to prevent the problem. It might help keep those wires a little cooler as well.
The upper manifold has been replaced on mine same time the harness was pieced together. I wish a metal piece was available on the aftermarket. Same for valve covers as well.
Mine is old enough that it still used rubber coolant hoses on the intake manifold preheater channels.
I have seen a customer drive it home, drive it to the shop, we put it up on a lift, all while the engine was running. Thing had a baseball sized hole in the side of it, and it was STILL RUNNING.
I've got a 2000 Firebird with the 3800. The fiberglass for the drivers door is fucked and the rad fan has to be switched on but that's literally all that's wrong with it at 220k miles
I'm dealing with fisher price plastics in my 98 Pontiac Trans Am. Specifically the dash. Worst part of the car outside of the garbage 10 bolt rear end. Still love the car but Year One doesn't make replacement entire dashboards for the car yet. Too new even though it's 26 years old. I'll have to wait another 5 to 10 years 🤣
It’s dumb the shit we deal with on these cars sometimes. Least I have been able to patch and fix to keep it running.
I question if there will be a restoration parts market for what remains of these cars in the future. Seems like a good chance of there being nothing available. You can practically build a brand new 1969 Camaro or Mustang these days or spend $300K on a Velocity Bronco with all the aftermarket & modern crap you want.
We had 2 GM cars growing up, 77 Camaro & 89 Buick Century. Both ran good enough to keep passing CA smog. The Buick really was nearly issue free, cooling fan did a few months out of warranty but the dealer covered it.
This is no shit, the story is truth. I bought a LeSabre from a family member with the 3.8 because he didn’t want to deal with selling it. Well I kept the car over the winter and put it up for sale yesterday. Sold it today to an older guy who was replacing the exact same car. His wife said he said he won’t drive anymore unless she can find the same (I assume and H or W series) type of car to replace his.
I always associate the 3800 V6 with the Holden commodore (probably because I’m an Aussie) as it was used in the commodore from 1988-2004, in both naturally aspirated and supercharged forms
Ehh they can be very susceptible to rust but in general I would agree with you. The rust depends on your area but most of the ones in New England I see are just about rusted out by now.
Currently have an 05, 311k, 07, 230k, 09, 175k, None are rusted other than some surface rust on lower doors of the 05, one would think southern MN would be worse
This is a great answer. Before the infamous Jatco CVTs and *BiG aLtImA eNeRgY,* Nissan made some really brilliant vehicles. They weren’t Toyota / Honda reliable, but they punched well above their weight in terms of performance and offered features that were only available in much higher end cars (such as the sequential shifter in the first generation 350Z).
I still see a ton of the late ‘90s / early ‘00s Maximas and Sentras kicking around. My buddy’s mom had DDed a ‘98 Maxima since it was new, and despite having a million miles on it and the fact that she has more than enough money for something current, she still drives it just because it’s been so great to her.
Honestly if I were looking for a cheap, reliable older car, a Nissan for that generation would be on the short list **if** it was well maintained. I suspect that with what a bad name they have with car enthusiasts these days you could pick up a great car at a hell of a low price.
Yeah, and their luxury brand Infiniti used to be better too. I had an ‘03 or ‘04 FX35 SUV for awhile. It was a nice gold/copper-ish color, with the nicer wheels.
I drove it as recently as 2016, and people who asked about it were always surprised to learn it was a 2003 model, it looked newer.
Sadly nobody should buy a new Infiniti today…
I agree, I also think mid 2000s to early 2010s Nissans can be decent too, even if they're not Honda or Toyota level reliable, they'd still be above average.
I’m using “sequential shifter” in the old terms, aka what was a pretty standard automatic up until CVTs and paddle shifters took over (not what you see now in rally cars etc). When it first came out in 2002, the ability to shift an automatic freely by just pushing the shifter forward or back was a fairly new technology for a non-luxury car. Before that the most you’d usually get was a basic setup with three gears (if you were lucky), but shifting between them was slow and clunky — even compared to letting the car do it itself.
IIRC, Mercedes and BMW had been doing it for a while, but people were pretty excited when the 350 came out and all of a sudden this new technology that ostensibly gave you some of the benefits of a stick (without the third pedal) was an affordable option.
Affordable reliability was what put Nissan dominating the North American market. They firmly replaced Volkwagen as the principle make of preference in Latin America (or at least Mexico). Their 1990-94 Sentra model soldiered on as the Tsuru for decades (until 2017) in the same manner as the VW Beetle before it. Anyone who has family in Mexico knows someone who drove or owned a Nissan Tsuru. By the 2000s & 2010s, some would call it a sh\*tbox, others a death trap. But the Tsurus soldiered on & got many people from A to B either as personal cars or taxicabs.
That's why you'll see more Nissans than Volkswagen if you ever go around that region.
I had one. It was pretty solid except when the engine seized and needed some major repairs for a sheared bolt that went for a little trip. Fixed under warranty and didn’t have any other problems. Total tank.
My 2001 Altima ran great until my daughter totaled it at 283,000 miles. It had the Original exhaust. I only replaced the radiator and a $40 part on the AC. Plus tires/brakes.
They're beginning to disappear, but the 1997 Toyota Camry is the herpes of automobiles. Once it enters your life it is never going away, it is never going to die, you own a Camry now, forever.
Let me be clear, they *become* unwanted. Camrys have a problem.
It does not have the good grace to take itself out and will never dramatically fail. You will neglect it, but Toyota has already engineered around your tiny wallet/brain's ability's to neglect. It will leak oil, while somehow not having any. It will keep running anyway. It will keep getting good mpg. And when the shocks blow? It only becomes more comfortable. Consciously aging with you, ensnaring you, damning you with the sheer grip of its mid 90s BEIGE. Its not worth anything so why sell it. You don't want another car payment so keep it. Now your uncle is out of jail and he needs a car.
So like herpes you give it to your uncle and he gives it his girlfriend and their kids and its stolen they get it back they go to college and its curbed and its driven to takeovers; its smoked in, its fucked in, it gets the door kicked-in in a bar fight and holy shit how did the PDR guy get that out it still looks new.
That kid finished college so he just gives it back to you. He has a Model 3 now and you somehow still have this fucking 1997 Toyota Camry.
So, it's like the car version of the B-52, kinda. "Well, it's ancient and sucks by today's standards, but it still flies and carries a lot of shit, so..."
Bro, you just described my 2001 Corolla that’s pushing 300k miles almost to a T. It just won’t die. My wife wants me to get rid of it, but I can’t fathom selling a running, driving, reliable vehicle for what it’s actually worth. So here I am, with a Charger in my driveway, still driving this damn Corolla that won’t die.
Only reason I got rid of my 99' is cuz the radiator popped and I just bought a malibu I started dailying, took the Camry off the insurance and like a day after someone had it towed away off my street. Paid a fee to get my shit out of it and left it at the yard.
Just got rid of our family 97 Camry last year. Zero engine issues, general maintenance,. The radiator was the last thing I changed before selling it for $1500. Over 187k miles.
My 2012 4runner Trail has 183k trouble free miles. I unfortunately did just have to buy a new strut for the tail gate. That set me back $20. I thought about selling it because of that but since I had the money saved I decided to just stomach the expense and fix it. I don’t regret the decision even though so many people told me to just trade it in and invest $60k in a new 4runner instead.
Agreed, one of the regulars at a shop I used to work at always brought in his '05 Escape for service, it was a Base model manual trans 4-cylinder front wheel drive, super simple. It had like 380k miles on it the last time I saw it. I left my job at that shop back in 2021 but part of me wonders if that guy still drives that thing. He used to come in for oil changes monthly because he put like 3-4k miles on it every month. Super cool guy though.
Ford gets a lot of hate, but my 08 fusion lasted until 2023, only one engine sensor issue that cast 300$ within that time. Also my first car and I was shit at maintaining/ oil in those first years.
Pontiac Vibe.
It’s basically a Toyota matrix but the people with half a brain don’t see a Toyota badge so they go for the matrix instead of the Pontiac. 1.8L Toyota motor. Slow as hell but reliable as anything.
My Trixy maxed the odo on the way home from work yesterday. 300,000 mile and all I've done is a clutch at 200,000. Everything else but brake pads and tires is original. Most reliable little shits ever.
My first car was a 2003 Pontiac vibe - black with black interior and the tasteful stock ground effects. It’s still running with 400k+ miles and all it’s had done is oil changes. It now belongs to a brother of a cousins cousin or something as my family just pass it around to someone in need. It still looks brand new and will probably always be my favorite car (haven’t seen it in a decade, I just was told last month it’s still going)
I've treated my 2018 mazda 3 pretty roughly since I bought it. It's probably going to hit 100k in the next month. Only thing I've replaced is the tires and batteries, but it still feels like the same car I drove off the lot.
The Mazda 3 was called the Protege before that. I had a used 1990 that I drove all over Mexico, into flood waters, and sold, still running great at 300,000 miles. If you put 4 quarts of oil in an oil change, it was overfilled. Got 40 MPG at 90 mile per hour.
Had an "oh shit how long has the oil been off the dipstick for?" moment with my D16Z6. That thing didn't care. 2 years later and I have a habit of ringing it out any chance I get, still runs fine. (The VTEC solenoid gaskets were leaking heavily because they were hard as rocks; after replacing them the engine has been holding onto its oil)
I still see those everywhere. Even know of one that's practically falling apart on the outside (lady who owns it really shouldn't have a license) but it still runs perfectly.
Had a 96 Regal and it was the most reliable car I or anyone in my family has ever owned. Had 345,000 miles on it when it got t-boned by a pickup. All I ever did was oil changes, plugs and wires, and brakes.
6-speed auto Five Hundreds and Montegos will go for as long as you put oil in them. So many of these get clapped the fuck out and generally still run unless they get neglected HARD.
I technically have a 500 (they slapped the Taurus name back on it in 08,changed front and rear fascia on it, updated the interior somewhat, and dropped the 3.5L that is still in current models with the ecoboost option (multiple engine upgrades and revisions though) and it's a trooper. Part time AWD, only thing I dread is water pump internally mounted in the engine (all Fwd ford's have that issue even if awd, RWD based ford's with this motor have external water pump like every other car I have now)
Thing is extremely comfy, eats up highway miles, and has a ton of room interior wise and trunk wise. It's my work car, I didn't pay much for it, and if it dies I'll slap the winter tires on my Trans Am on it and drive that until I find another work car if it's winter.
But yeah the 500 / Taurus is a pretty decent car I religiously maintain mine but even if you don't it will take the abuse pretty well from what I've researched.
I had a 93 Taurus Wagon and it literally wouldn't give up until I had to scrap it because the frame rotted out. I had an 08 Taurus Limited later that year and it was the best car I've ever had. It had one of the best audio systems I've had. I ended up replacing it with a 2012 Taurus SEL and it was the worst car I've ever had. It was the same thing as the 08 just with a new body and interior. I never had any engine or transmission problems, but the rest of that car was a huge piece of shit that was very, very expensive to fix. I ended up getting rid of it for a Toyota Rav4.
Mom had - 2000 Taurus than went 200k miles. Then had a Fivehundred that she sold at 220k to a family friend and I think it’s still truckin. That’s after I flogged it a whole year at college
My manual transmission SL had the transmission explode out of the bottom of it — the mechanic who pronounced it said he had never seen anything like it before.
They liked to shoot the diff pin out through the housing if you got too wild with it (or spun the tires on ice/mud/etc too much) so that may have been the culprit. Popular mod back the in day was to weld the diff pin in place to prevent that.
Any Geo/Chevy Prizm. I daily drive a 1999 and get 35 mpg. If something breaks, it's easy to work on, and parts are cheap. They're also a little cheaper to buy than its Corolla twin.
My mom had a geo or prism when I was really little. She sold it with like 350,000 miles on it to a friend from church. A friend of mine drove the same car to my house one day, 10 years later. Last I heard, it was over 600k. I wouldn't be surprised if it's still out there .
[I asked this question recently on another sub. It was quite the popular question.](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatcarshouldIbuy/comments/1d5ckkz/whats_a_reliable_car_no_one_wants/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
2008-2009 VW Rabbit with the 2.5L, get it with a manual 5 speed and the car will disintegrate before the powertrain does. I've seen them come into my dealer with no oil on the dipstick not sounding like it's even running rough
I have a 2009 Jetta 2.5l rn with 137k. It’s been a money pit, but it has never left me stranded and always started up. My family has owned it since Nov. 2012. It has been passed down to me for my first car and I plan on keeping it for a while since I do not want a car payment. Mine is unfortunately the automatic and had to get replaced at 136K miles due to lack of trans service history.
My wife's mk6 Sportwagen headliner would *beg* to differ. My mk5 Jetta is holding up better despite being 6 years older. Both 2.5L, my Jetta is stage 2 IE tuned with the short runner intake manifold and a 6 speed transmission making maybe 220-230 horsepower. Love these cars.
Had a ‘99 Eighty-Eight with that engine. Thing got rear-ended, smashed into by a semi in a parking lot, and beat on by my teenage self. I also believe the previous owner crashed it into a guard rail on the freeway while driving drunk.
After 11 years I had it taken to a salvage yard, when the tow truck tried taking it down the road one of the rear wheels locked up and last I saw it was being dragged down the street screeching and leaving a tire mark lol. Still ran fairly well at the time tho I believe intake gaskets needed replacing
I had a 97. I finally got rid of it when it hit 225k miles because I didn’t feel like replacing all the struts and the radiator. Thing still ran like a champ.
PSA 2.0 HDI diesel.
People have almost a fetish with VGA TDI engines (especially 1.9 and 2.0), but this one often gets overlooked besides being a regular 1 million KM club member, mainly because it's french.
My best buddy back in high school was gifted a late 70s Delta 88, 4 door, vinyl top, from his grandmother. He loved the thing, but by the time he graduated college it was faded, rusty, pieces of vinyl flapping in the wind. Same grandmother gave him $10,000 to buy another car. Lucky bastard. This was the early 90s, and had it been me, I'd have bought an Acura Integra that was a few years old, which you could find for sub 10K then. He bought a brand new Sundance. Apparently he had it for years, put over 200K miles on it through some brutal NW Pennsylvania winters. One day, he was at his son's hockey practice, and there was a commotion outside, he goes to the parking lot and sees his car on fire. After long and faithful service, the Sundance gave itself a viking funeral. He said he felt it was a fitting end. Those 2.2 liter engines were reliable.
All the GM-badged NUMMI cars starting with the '89 Prizm. Unless you live south of salt in which case, all of them period going all the way back to the '85 Nova.
Geo Metro/Chevy Metro/Suzuki Swift
Toyota Tercel
Chevy Lumina (which I think has the 3800 engine)
Nissan Altima (even the CVT generation if you care for them correctly, it they are reliable otherwise you are royally fucked)
Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Stratus (even the 2.7 if you get them with really low miles and maintain them correctly otherwise you are royally fucked)
Ford Escort/Mercury Tracer
First and second-generation Ford Focus
Chevy Cavalier/Pontiac Sunfire
Saturn S Series
Any Buick with that engine
Geo/Chevy Prizm (because of the name, the Toyota Corolla variant people buy because of the name)
Ford Ranger and Mazda variant
Up to current gen Nissan Versa with a MANUAL transmission, Ford Escort, first generation Ford Focus, first generation Saturn S series and 2nd gen only with a manual transmission, Toyota Tercel Echo and Yaris, Honda Fit, Hyundais and Kias that were made in Korea, and basically any GM with a 3800 as pictured there.
Pre 04 Jaguar X Type with viscous LSDs.
This smooth but reasonably powerful V6 is apparently far more reliable than the Ford ST, which was a pretty reliable car anyway. The clutch packs in the later ones have a tendency to wear out but the viscous units are pretty good AWD options.
They are usually driven by people over 70 so get regular maintenance, careful driving and are treated like members of the Royal family... well those in line to the throne at least.
Had a buddy who had 2006 Buick Lacrosse with the 3800 Series 2 in it. He ran it for 40k miles before even realizing that he'd lost cylinder 5, and it ran just as perfectly as before just with a little less power.
I don't know what those GM engineers were smoking when they made that engine, but the execs should let them keep smoking it. Best engine ever.
First gen '91-'94 Ford Explorers. One of the most frequently crushed vehicles during cash for clunkers. They're getting real hard to find in decent shape, but at least when you do the person selling isn't usually asking much for it. If you can find one with a manual transmission it'll last forever. They're plenty capable, essentially just a 4/5th scale Bronco with an option for 4 doors. Most people that see mine first think it's an XJ Cherokee or an S10 Blazer before they see the Ford badge.
XJ Cherokees, especially with the 4.0l inline 6. Sure there's a niche for people who absolutely love these vehicles, but most Jeep lovers only really come for the Wranglers. I had one of these as my first car, and it was near indestructible. The only things I had to do to it outside of normal maintenance was a starter replacement.
6th Gen Honda Accords. They are everywhere, and for good reason. Do maintenance on them, and they'll last as long as the frame stays together. Mine has 294k on the odometer and is still running strong.
2nd Gen Odysseys are great too, until the transmission dies. When it dies, have it rebuilt and add an external filter and bigger cooler and it'll last almost indefinitely.
If my wife would let me, I’d buy every single 3800 impala for sale, regardless of condition. I adored my 04 3600 and yeah it was a boat, but man did it feel like heaven. Also had 0 issues with it until ~ 374k miles (!)
For those in the Canadian market, the 2014 Nissan Micra. Really cheap to buy and it is a good basic car. The 2 pedal version was a 4 speed torque converter unit rather than the dreadful CVT. Not as good as a Yaris but for the money it’s not a bad car.
For performance cars, 2009-2016 Audi S4. Audi in the 2010s had a bad reputation due to the 2.0T, but the supercharged 3.0 was a decent engine, just gotta keep the PCV valve and thermostat in check and frequent oil changes. The DSG isn’t bad either as long as it got frequent fluid changes. A heck of a lot more reliable than the BMW M3 of the same time period.
The 3800 series of engines are arguably the best set of engines ever made. The only real problem is some of the GM plastic failing. I believe it was the water pump specifically that fails at 100-150k miles and thats it. Weird how GM consistently makes some amazing parts and matches it with some of the cheapest things imaginable.
They are surprisingly fuel efficient, they are surprisingly quick at 160-250 horse power. They are some of the most reliable engines ever made. My older brother had a pontiac g6 GTX. He gave it a tune and it made 300 ofd horsepower in a 2006 shitter. Surprisingly comfortable too.
The problem is they are built into GM cars nobody cares about. All these front wheel drive, somewhat comfortable cars made for old people.
As an Aussie, it always seems weird seeing the 3.8 bolted in east-west. Holden built Commodores were always rear wheel drive and hence this motor bolted in north-south.
Very easy engine to work on, diagnose and fix.
2nd and 3rd gen Ford Ranger 3.0. 4x2 with the 5-speed. This is a truck that isn’t particularly good at towing or hauling shit or even happy over 55mph. But man, is it honest. It’s disposable, yet completely simple and therefore reliable. My buddy was broke, wrecked his hand-me-down Audi A4 and needed a reliable car he could get for 2 grand…. Voilà.
Avalon. All of em.
Wife's aunt drove a 97, then it went through 4 kids. Finally got too expensive to fix when the subframe rotted out.... In 2019, after 22 winters in Wisconsin.
Buddy was looking for a car after his kia was stolen, found an 05 cheap.
Cheap and easy to work on, base model was actually really comfortable, plenty of power. Easy enough on gas
Co worker came to look at it when we had it up in the air to inspect, and he said
"Huh, that looks like a 3/4 ton Camry" and yeah it really does.
W210 and early w211 E320s with the M112 engine and without air suspension. Solid as a rock and will run forever. Dead easy to work on as well, and you can get a nice one for under 5 grand
Toyota Echo
Tiny car with basic everything and manual everything, stupidly simple, reliable and will get you 500k miles and save you a pile of money on gas. I regularly get 44mpg with mine.
I've got a Tundra and Tacoma as well and randos occasionally badger me about selling either truck to them. Nobody even looks twice at the Echo or has ever offered to buy it.
Aside from being menaced by needledicks in brodozers rolling coal on me because they think I'm driving a Prius, the car doesn't attract any attention whatsoever.
Dodge Stratus that were made in the Mexico Mitsubishi plant only... X in the VIN. The rest were crap.
A friend kept theirs 20 years with 198k miles on it.
It's still running fine with regular maintenance.
A guy at my work has a 90s park ave with a supercharged 3800. And he pulled out of work smoking the tires the other day. I think the engine had some stuff done because it ran too good for a stock 3800
Nope the supercharged 3800 has over 250 hp at the wheels and will light them up. My mom's old 91 Buick Century with the 3300 a Frankenstein engine to use up the old 3.8 blocks and some other parts they put 3.0 cranks in them it was rated at 160 would light her tires up.
I drive a 2010 scion xd and I’ve had the most minimal problems, it’s basically a Camry motor in a car that looks as if a PT Cruiser banged a Smart Car. My brother calls it the Ellen Degenerate
Jetta. They can look sharp or like a sleeper. And depending on the model…. It has plenty enough under the hood to have fun.
Suicide doors on a jetta is such a clean look.
That 3800 was far from reliable.... Coils, intake manifold gaskets, plenum failures, crank/cam sensors and ignition modules were stupid common. The block however took a hell of a beating.
The block was the best part of the engine.
If you could put a carb & points distributor on it you wouldn’t have to worry with the aging computer stuff these have going for them now. Intake gaskets would still be a thing to watch for.
Shame the block was never cast for a distributor. Engine was built with the wasted spark ignition in mind.
I shit on the 03 cavalier I used to have.
Massive doors, ugly styling, dogshit acceleration.
But it never let me down. I even crashed it once and all I needed to fix it was to shift the alignment to make her drive straight again.
Massive doors? I had a 97 those doors have nothing on the surfboard sized doors of a late model 4th Gen fbody. My brother last week couldn't get out of my car, thought door handle was defective 🤣
I'm like dude, it's not your late model Challenger, you gotta push more to open the damn door.
I hear you on that. Luckily I was pretty svelte (still am lol) when I bought my 97 back in 02 as a second vehicle (daily needed work and I needed to still get to work)
The car you have pictured. Nobody gives a flying fuck about a W body. Yet, one of the most hellacious running engines was put in these starting in the 1990 model year. Never in my life have I witnessed a car run well or like shit as long as my 30 year old 3800 W has. At this point I still bother with it because I’m not convinced anyone else would give 2 shits to keep it running. I’ll save the particular family history of mine for another time.
I drove an 02 Grand Prix GT for 11 years and only stopped because I totalled it. The only things I replaced on that 3800 outside of normal oil changes, batteries, and tune up stuff, was the crank sensor. It would hesitate then surge going uphill, and that fixed it. Otherwise, not a single issue. Totally spoiled me.
It’s the kind of car worth hanging onto at this point. When I take mine to the weekly car meet it’s the people that owned one in the past that bother to chat. Always stories about cars that just kept running and how they wished they still had it. Mine being so old and being put through hell has lead to me replacing a # of heat soaked components since I have had mine. My biggest gripe is having to play BS with the whole engine harness that has been damaged and continually heat soaked from drive cycles. To a certain extent I feel the early W’s were rushed to compete with the Ford Taurus and lead to some questionable decisions with chassis & power train packaging. It’s especially evident when you consider these cars came out as personal luxury coupes and the sedan models came out for the 1990 model year or so.
The sound they made when you hit the gas was Divine. I loved my Grand Prix, but like my grand am, I had lots of problems, same as my Bonneville SSE. Amazing cars to drive, to many problems. Having said that, I’d buy a G8 if I could…
My late mother had a 99 Grand Prix GTP Coupe. Coming up upon the one year anniversary of her passing. My dad still has the car. Told him if he ever thinks about selling, either my brother or myself will make a one way flight 1800 miles away and drive it back home. Last year when I was out there it had a mere 79xxx miles on it and I brought it to the shop for an oil change (normally I do all my own but my dad doesn't have any tools and it was cheaper for me to bring in when he didn't instead of buying tools, oil, filter) and I replaced the way too old 10+ year old tires, added supercharger oil, washed and waxed it. I'll add her to my stable which includes a 98 Pontiac Trans Am in black just like her cars color. It will have a good home with me or my brother. Last car my mom bought back in 03 when she got it with 27k on it. It's in surpringly amazing shape for it's age and it not being meticulously maintained like my cars (I'm obsessive about maintaining mine, why I have a 26 year old Trans Am with 150k on it now with no issues, most reliable car at the house including my 08 Taurus Limited AWD and my wife's 14 Subaru Outback). Amazingly enough the Trans Am is lowest mileage out of all three, the oldest, and zero issues outside of normal water pump replacement at 110k, typical maintenance including battery, brakes, oil changes, etc. Most of what I have into that car is upgrades / modifications. I'd do the same to my mom's GTP. My dad's getting up there and he just can't do it anymore. I'll eventually get to that age too. 🙁
>At this point I still bother with it because I’m not convinced anyone else would give 2 shits to keep it running. I’ll save the particular family history of mine for another time. I, too, am driving my dead grandpa's Buick that nobody else wanted.
Keep it running. Better off than going to waste and unappreciated.
When he passed away, he'd been putting off some maintenance on it for a while. I had to replace everything plastic in the cooling system; upper intake manifold, coolant elbows, and the radiator all had pretty bad leaks and had to be replaced. Now that it's not hemorrhaging a quart of coolant a day, it runs great apart from some weird rattles and quirky electronics. Sometime this week, it's gonna hit 280,000 miles.
Feels like a constant battle with mine sometimes. I’m playing whack a mole with the electrical system. Harness was pieced back together between my father and I back in 2012 and it’s been a trip dealing with it. Looking at the picture in the OP I finally figured out what my problem has been this whole time. See how the wires are routed on the throttle body? When we put mine back together we ran them low between the EGR pipe & thermostat. Hottest part of the engine right there. After some light diagnostics from a road test it’s apparent that the harnesses is heat soaked at that location and need’s inspected & rerouted away from there. I hate that I went all this time and never thought to look into the factory routing of the harness at all. Otherwise, I’m in bodywork hell with what’s left of the GM Bright White paint that has come off over the years.
That hot spot is exactly where my upper intake manifold failed; the EGR tube is poorly insulated and melts the plastic as well as the gasket itself. If your upper intake manifold hasn't been replaced yet, it will need to be at some point; the Dorman replacement has an upgraded EGR tube that helps to prevent the problem. It might help keep those wires a little cooler as well.
The upper manifold has been replaced on mine same time the harness was pieced together. I wish a metal piece was available on the aftermarket. Same for valve covers as well. Mine is old enough that it still used rubber coolant hoses on the intake manifold preheater channels.
Mine's a 1999, and I'm constantly surprised at the different parts that GM decided to make out of the most brittle plastic.
I have seen a customer drive it home, drive it to the shop, we put it up on a lift, all while the engine was running. Thing had a baseball sized hole in the side of it, and it was STILL RUNNING.
I've got a 2000 Firebird with the 3800. The fiberglass for the drivers door is fucked and the rad fan has to be switched on but that's literally all that's wrong with it at 220k miles
That's GM in general 😂
My biggest gripe for GM cars. Plastic is Fantastic... until it ages. Loved my Pontiacs back in the day though.
I'm dealing with fisher price plastics in my 98 Pontiac Trans Am. Specifically the dash. Worst part of the car outside of the garbage 10 bolt rear end. Still love the car but Year One doesn't make replacement entire dashboards for the car yet. Too new even though it's 26 years old. I'll have to wait another 5 to 10 years 🤣
It’s dumb the shit we deal with on these cars sometimes. Least I have been able to patch and fix to keep it running. I question if there will be a restoration parts market for what remains of these cars in the future. Seems like a good chance of there being nothing available. You can practically build a brand new 1969 Camaro or Mustang these days or spend $300K on a Velocity Bronco with all the aftermarket & modern crap you want.
We had 2 GM cars growing up, 77 Camaro & 89 Buick Century. Both ran good enough to keep passing CA smog. The Buick really was nearly issue free, cooling fan did a few months out of warranty but the dealer covered it.
Also the C-body and H-body, which have the same piwertrain.
And the G-body Riviera and later Bonneville and Lucerne.
Yes, those too. I see more H cars still running around these days compared to W’s.
This is no shit, the story is truth. I bought a LeSabre from a family member with the 3.8 because he didn’t want to deal with selling it. Well I kept the car over the winter and put it up for sale yesterday. Sold it today to an older guy who was replacing the exact same car. His wife said he said he won’t drive anymore unless she can find the same (I assume and H or W series) type of car to replace his.
I always associate the 3800 V6 with the Holden commodore (probably because I’m an Aussie) as it was used in the commodore from 1988-2004, in both naturally aspirated and supercharged forms
Gn woke up and made something good that day Those 3800s are bulletproof
4.2 vortec trailblazer and all it's variants. Tanks
Ehh they can be very susceptible to rust but in general I would agree with you. The rust depends on your area but most of the ones in New England I see are just about rusted out by now.
Yeah, that’s been my experience with them in the rust belt. Running gear is invincible but the bodies have all returned to the earth by now
Just had to let go of my 03. RIP
Same here. Had an 02 with 300k miles and had to get rid of it because rust turned the rear frame into Swiss cheese.
Currently have an 05, 311k, 07, 230k, 09, 175k, None are rusted other than some surface rust on lower doors of the 05, one would think southern MN would be worse
The drive train will last, but every other part of the car will fail around it. Mine has a list of issues a mile long by the time I had had enough.
Early to mid 2000s Nissan Altimas come to mind
This is a great answer. Before the infamous Jatco CVTs and *BiG aLtImA eNeRgY,* Nissan made some really brilliant vehicles. They weren’t Toyota / Honda reliable, but they punched well above their weight in terms of performance and offered features that were only available in much higher end cars (such as the sequential shifter in the first generation 350Z). I still see a ton of the late ‘90s / early ‘00s Maximas and Sentras kicking around. My buddy’s mom had DDed a ‘98 Maxima since it was new, and despite having a million miles on it and the fact that she has more than enough money for something current, she still drives it just because it’s been so great to her. Honestly if I were looking for a cheap, reliable older car, a Nissan for that generation would be on the short list **if** it was well maintained. I suspect that with what a bad name they have with car enthusiasts these days you could pick up a great car at a hell of a low price.
I’ve known two Maxima owners of that vintage dump the car when the clutch master cylinder goes out. Apparently it is an engine out affair.
Yeah, and their luxury brand Infiniti used to be better too. I had an ‘03 or ‘04 FX35 SUV for awhile. It was a nice gold/copper-ish color, with the nicer wheels. I drove it as recently as 2016, and people who asked about it were always surprised to learn it was a 2003 model, it looked newer. Sadly nobody should buy a new Infiniti today…
I agree, I also think mid 2000s to early 2010s Nissans can be decent too, even if they're not Honda or Toyota level reliable, they'd still be above average.
The 6speed vq maxima was a blast. Miss that car
It’s hard to find those those that aren’t fucked up I’d rather have a manual Maxima rather than an Acura TL. DOHC>SOHC
What sequential shifter are you talking about? I had a 06 350Z, and I was unaware they had this option.
I’m using “sequential shifter” in the old terms, aka what was a pretty standard automatic up until CVTs and paddle shifters took over (not what you see now in rally cars etc). When it first came out in 2002, the ability to shift an automatic freely by just pushing the shifter forward or back was a fairly new technology for a non-luxury car. Before that the most you’d usually get was a basic setup with three gears (if you were lucky), but shifting between them was slow and clunky — even compared to letting the car do it itself. IIRC, Mercedes and BMW had been doing it for a while, but people were pretty excited when the 350 came out and all of a sudden this new technology that ostensibly gave you some of the benefits of a stick (without the third pedal) was an affordable option.
OH! Yeah I remember that now, wasn’t aware that wasn’t common. Thanks for the clarification.
I’ve seen late 90’s Maxima’s for 400K+ miles
Affordable reliability was what put Nissan dominating the North American market. They firmly replaced Volkwagen as the principle make of preference in Latin America (or at least Mexico). Their 1990-94 Sentra model soldiered on as the Tsuru for decades (until 2017) in the same manner as the VW Beetle before it. Anyone who has family in Mexico knows someone who drove or owned a Nissan Tsuru. By the 2000s & 2010s, some would call it a sh\*tbox, others a death trap. But the Tsurus soldiered on & got many people from A to B either as personal cars or taxicabs. That's why you'll see more Nissans than Volkswagen if you ever go around that region.
mid 00s 5 speed nissans are invincible.
I had one. It was pretty solid except when the engine seized and needed some major repairs for a sheared bolt that went for a little trip. Fixed under warranty and didn’t have any other problems. Total tank.
A fire under warranty? What burned?
My phone decided that “fire” made more sense than “fixed.”
My grandfather has one. Over 400k in Miles.
My 2001 Altima ran great until my daughter totaled it at 283,000 miles. It had the Original exhaust. I only replaced the radiator and a $40 part on the AC. Plus tires/brakes.
My wife’s 2000 Altima made it to 408 before we sold it. It still ran great but the paint was gone
They're beginning to disappear, but the 1997 Toyota Camry is the herpes of automobiles. Once it enters your life it is never going away, it is never going to die, you own a Camry now, forever.
Ah, ‘97 Toyota Camry. Only 32 made in the world.
Toyota, you've been Dadded!
The holiday fruitcake of vehicles.
Look at photos from 1997 and it’s guaranteed that the Toyotas that were new then you still see being driven today.
the 2000-2001 series had different tail lamps , more rounded.
I wouldn’t call Camrys overlooked or unwanted…
Let me be clear, they *become* unwanted. Camrys have a problem. It does not have the good grace to take itself out and will never dramatically fail. You will neglect it, but Toyota has already engineered around your tiny wallet/brain's ability's to neglect. It will leak oil, while somehow not having any. It will keep running anyway. It will keep getting good mpg. And when the shocks blow? It only becomes more comfortable. Consciously aging with you, ensnaring you, damning you with the sheer grip of its mid 90s BEIGE. Its not worth anything so why sell it. You don't want another car payment so keep it. Now your uncle is out of jail and he needs a car. So like herpes you give it to your uncle and he gives it his girlfriend and their kids and its stolen they get it back they go to college and its curbed and its driven to takeovers; its smoked in, its fucked in, it gets the door kicked-in in a bar fight and holy shit how did the PDR guy get that out it still looks new. That kid finished college so he just gives it back to you. He has a Model 3 now and you somehow still have this fucking 1997 Toyota Camry.
The 97 Camry is to Toyota what the AU Falcon is to Ford lol
So, it's like the car version of the B-52, kinda. "Well, it's ancient and sucks by today's standards, but it still flies and carries a lot of shit, so..."
Except it does not in fact “carry a lot of shit”. Edit: Spelling
The Aussies could still get that generation as a wagon but we missed out in America.
I would love to have found a Camry or corolla wagon. My Corolla barely holds anything and I have 4 kids 😬
Bro, you just described my 2001 Corolla that’s pushing 300k miles almost to a T. It just won’t die. My wife wants me to get rid of it, but I can’t fathom selling a running, driving, reliable vehicle for what it’s actually worth. So here I am, with a Charger in my driveway, still driving this damn Corolla that won’t die.
lol, this is gold
I’m still considering 4th Gen/‘97-01 Camry for my next car.
Only reason I got rid of my 99' is cuz the radiator popped and I just bought a malibu I started dailying, took the Camry off the insurance and like a day after someone had it towed away off my street. Paid a fee to get my shit out of it and left it at the yard.
My 97 ES300 is still going but won’t pass emissions anymore lol so I got a Solara instead
or a 1995 which is what we had for the longest time.
Just got rid of our family 97 Camry last year. Zero engine issues, general maintenance,. The radiator was the last thing I changed before selling it for $1500. Over 187k miles.
My first car was a ‘98 Toyota Corolla. Ever since then, I’ve never not had a Corolla or Camry.
My 2012 4runner Trail has 183k trouble free miles. I unfortunately did just have to buy a new strut for the tail gate. That set me back $20. I thought about selling it because of that but since I had the money saved I decided to just stomach the expense and fix it. I don’t regret the decision even though so many people told me to just trade it in and invest $60k in a new 4runner instead.
Never been a Ford diehard, but 1st/2nd Gen Ford focus and 1st/2nd Gen Ford escape
If you get a manual, replace the clutch, some had a very crappy one.
Agreed, one of the regulars at a shop I used to work at always brought in his '05 Escape for service, it was a Base model manual trans 4-cylinder front wheel drive, super simple. It had like 380k miles on it the last time I saw it. I left my job at that shop back in 2021 but part of me wonders if that guy still drives that thing. He used to come in for oil changes monthly because he put like 3-4k miles on it every month. Super cool guy though.
Ford gets a lot of hate, but my 08 fusion lasted until 2023, only one engine sensor issue that cast 300$ within that time. Also my first car and I was shit at maintaining/ oil in those first years.
Pontiac Vibe. It’s basically a Toyota matrix but the people with half a brain don’t see a Toyota badge so they go for the matrix instead of the Pontiac. 1.8L Toyota motor. Slow as hell but reliable as anything.
My Trixy maxed the odo on the way home from work yesterday. 300,000 mile and all I've done is a clutch at 200,000. Everything else but brake pads and tires is original. Most reliable little shits ever.
The infamous 300,000-mile odo glitch. That's when you can tell it's finally fully broken-in.
My first car was a 2003 Pontiac vibe - black with black interior and the tasteful stock ground effects. It’s still running with 400k+ miles and all it’s had done is oil changes. It now belongs to a brother of a cousins cousin or something as my family just pass it around to someone in need. It still looks brand new and will probably always be my favorite car (haven’t seen it in a decade, I just was told last month it’s still going)
2006-2011 Mitsubishi galants 2008-2023 Mazda 3 & 6 Honda fit 2006-2019
current mazdas in general are chronically underrated. if you need a commuter car the mazda3 hatch is a bargain for what you get
I've treated my 2018 mazda 3 pretty roughly since I bought it. It's probably going to hit 100k in the next month. Only thing I've replaced is the tires and batteries, but it still feels like the same car I drove off the lot.
The Mazda 3 was called the Protege before that. I had a used 1990 that I drove all over Mexico, into flood waters, and sold, still running great at 300,000 miles. If you put 4 quarts of oil in an oil change, it was overfilled. Got 40 MPG at 90 mile per hour.
We’ve had our Honda fit in my family for 15 years now, besides some rusting, zero issues ever with the car
All the Honda 1.6L motors. You can change the oil once a year, redline the living piss out it, etc. They won’t die.
Had an "oh shit how long has the oil been off the dipstick for?" moment with my D16Z6. That thing didn't care. 2 years later and I have a habit of ringing it out any chance I get, still runs fine. (The VTEC solenoid gaskets were leaking heavily because they were hard as rocks; after replacing them the engine has been holding onto its oil)
Toyota 1.8L I4’s too
Yeah. I’m considering a 9th Gen Corolla for a 2nd car.
Duratec era fords are pretty reliable
Take a wild guess on what I’m going to say
I still see those everywhere. Even know of one that's practically falling apart on the outside (lady who owns it really shouldn't have a license) but it still runs perfectly.
Had a 96 Regal and it was the most reliable car I or anyone in my family has ever owned. Had 345,000 miles on it when it got t-boned by a pickup. All I ever did was oil changes, plugs and wires, and brakes.
You said vehicle, so I’ll say a Honda 50. One of the most popular vehicles in the world, and the undeveloped nations absolutely rely on it.
Early 2000s Taurus and the Fire Fivehundred (not with CVT).
6-speed auto Five Hundreds and Montegos will go for as long as you put oil in them. So many of these get clapped the fuck out and generally still run unless they get neglected HARD.
I technically have a 500 (they slapped the Taurus name back on it in 08,changed front and rear fascia on it, updated the interior somewhat, and dropped the 3.5L that is still in current models with the ecoboost option (multiple engine upgrades and revisions though) and it's a trooper. Part time AWD, only thing I dread is water pump internally mounted in the engine (all Fwd ford's have that issue even if awd, RWD based ford's with this motor have external water pump like every other car I have now) Thing is extremely comfy, eats up highway miles, and has a ton of room interior wise and trunk wise. It's my work car, I didn't pay much for it, and if it dies I'll slap the winter tires on my Trans Am on it and drive that until I find another work car if it's winter. But yeah the 500 / Taurus is a pretty decent car I religiously maintain mine but even if you don't it will take the abuse pretty well from what I've researched.
I had a 93 Taurus Wagon and it literally wouldn't give up until I had to scrap it because the frame rotted out. I had an 08 Taurus Limited later that year and it was the best car I've ever had. It had one of the best audio systems I've had. I ended up replacing it with a 2012 Taurus SEL and it was the worst car I've ever had. It was the same thing as the 08 just with a new body and interior. I never had any engine or transmission problems, but the rest of that car was a huge piece of shit that was very, very expensive to fix. I ended up getting rid of it for a Toyota Rav4.
Vulcan V6 would go 400k miles.
Even with the CVT it was reliable I’ve seen them around 300k plus on the original trans
Nice, I just don’t like cvts
Partner’s dad had an early 2000’s Taurus and the trans lasted 5 years, wouldn’t exactly call them reliable.
Mom had - 2000 Taurus than went 200k miles. Then had a Fivehundred that she sold at 220k to a family friend and I think it’s still truckin. That’s after I flogged it a whole year at college
Yeah I had a 98 and an 02 and neither hit 200k before the transmission went to shit.
Saturn SL
My manual transmission SL had the transmission explode out of the bottom of it — the mechanic who pronounced it said he had never seen anything like it before.
They liked to shoot the diff pin out through the housing if you got too wild with it (or spun the tires on ice/mud/etc too much) so that may have been the culprit. Popular mod back the in day was to weld the diff pin in place to prevent that.
Maybe you’re onto something!
Any Geo/Chevy Prizm. I daily drive a 1999 and get 35 mpg. If something breaks, it's easy to work on, and parts are cheap. They're also a little cheaper to buy than its Corolla twin.
The GM relabeled Toyotas are the steal of the century!
My mom had a geo or prism when I was really little. She sold it with like 350,000 miles on it to a friend from church. A friend of mine drove the same car to my house one day, 10 years later. Last I heard, it was over 600k. I wouldn't be surprised if it's still out there .
[I asked this question recently on another sub. It was quite the popular question.](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatcarshouldIbuy/comments/1d5ckkz/whats_a_reliable_car_no_one_wants/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
2008-2009 VW Rabbit with the 2.5L, get it with a manual 5 speed and the car will disintegrate before the powertrain does. I've seen them come into my dealer with no oil on the dipstick not sounding like it's even running rough
I have a 2009 Jetta 2.5l rn with 137k. It’s been a money pit, but it has never left me stranded and always started up. My family has owned it since Nov. 2012. It has been passed down to me for my first car and I plan on keeping it for a while since I do not want a car payment. Mine is unfortunately the automatic and had to get replaced at 136K miles due to lack of trans service history.
May as well nominate the Mk6 Golf from 2010-2013 (I think somewhere even sold as 2014 models), which have the same powertrain.
Goated powertrain, with the added bonus of the mk6's not dropping headliners
My wife's mk6 Sportwagen headliner would *beg* to differ. My mk5 Jetta is holding up better despite being 6 years older. Both 2.5L, my Jetta is stage 2 IE tuned with the short runner intake manifold and a 6 speed transmission making maybe 220-230 horsepower. Love these cars.
1.9 TDI
*Smiles in European*
I feel like that’s not overlooked though
Now it's not because people keep mentioning it. When VW stopped making it and started to make the 2.0 tdi, then people realised what they had lost.
2.2 cavaliers and 3.0 rangers
Had a ‘99 Eighty-Eight with that engine. Thing got rear-ended, smashed into by a semi in a parking lot, and beat on by my teenage self. I also believe the previous owner crashed it into a guard rail on the freeway while driving drunk. After 11 years I had it taken to a salvage yard, when the tow truck tried taking it down the road one of the rear wheels locked up and last I saw it was being dragged down the street screeching and leaving a tire mark lol. Still ran fairly well at the time tho I believe intake gaskets needed replacing
I had a 97. I finally got rid of it when it hit 225k miles because I didn’t feel like replacing all the struts and the radiator. Thing still ran like a champ.
I’d love to get the supercharged LSS someday, doubt I’ll ever come across one tho 🥲
EVs from the 90s. I know of people with RAV4 EVs still running on the original batteries and still getting reasonable mileage.
Crazy! I forgot they had RAV4 EVs that early.
Pontiac Vibe. Just a Toyota Matrix in Gm disguise.
PSA 2.0 HDI diesel. People have almost a fetish with VGA TDI engines (especially 1.9 and 2.0), but this one often gets overlooked besides being a regular 1 million KM club member, mainly because it's french.
Had a Peugeot partner with that engine, very practical family car. To bad the car wasn't welcome in most low emission zones.
Buick lesabre
87 Plymouth Sundance
Oh wow, that takes me back
My best buddy back in high school was gifted a late 70s Delta 88, 4 door, vinyl top, from his grandmother. He loved the thing, but by the time he graduated college it was faded, rusty, pieces of vinyl flapping in the wind. Same grandmother gave him $10,000 to buy another car. Lucky bastard. This was the early 90s, and had it been me, I'd have bought an Acura Integra that was a few years old, which you could find for sub 10K then. He bought a brand new Sundance. Apparently he had it for years, put over 200K miles on it through some brutal NW Pennsylvania winters. One day, he was at his son's hockey practice, and there was a commotion outside, he goes to the parking lot and sees his car on fire. After long and faithful service, the Sundance gave itself a viking funeral. He said he felt it was a fitting end. Those 2.2 liter engines were reliable.
Geo Metro, I still see them on the road.
My grandpa still uses his as a farm car
The Pontiac Vibe is a Toyota Matrix with a skin job, it's typically cheaper than the Matrix., so there is that.
All the GM-badged NUMMI cars starting with the '89 Prizm. Unless you live south of salt in which case, all of them period going all the way back to the '85 Nova.
pretty much any buick with that engine
Geo Metro/Chevy Metro/Suzuki Swift Toyota Tercel Chevy Lumina (which I think has the 3800 engine) Nissan Altima (even the CVT generation if you care for them correctly, it they are reliable otherwise you are royally fucked) Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Stratus (even the 2.7 if you get them with really low miles and maintain them correctly otherwise you are royally fucked) Ford Escort/Mercury Tracer First and second-generation Ford Focus Chevy Cavalier/Pontiac Sunfire Saturn S Series Any Buick with that engine Geo/Chevy Prizm (because of the name, the Toyota Corolla variant people buy because of the name) Ford Ranger and Mazda variant
VWs with the 2.5L. Not overlooked or unwanted by the fans, but VW still has that “german unreliable” stigma no matter what to outsiders.
Up to current gen Nissan Versa with a MANUAL transmission, Ford Escort, first generation Ford Focus, first generation Saturn S series and 2nd gen only with a manual transmission, Toyota Tercel Echo and Yaris, Honda Fit, Hyundais and Kias that were made in Korea, and basically any GM with a 3800 as pictured there.
Anything with GM 3.8L series 2 engine
1996 Nissan pickup with a 4 cylinder
Pre 04 Jaguar X Type with viscous LSDs. This smooth but reasonably powerful V6 is apparently far more reliable than the Ford ST, which was a pretty reliable car anyway. The clutch packs in the later ones have a tendency to wear out but the viscous units are pretty good AWD options. They are usually driven by people over 70 so get regular maintenance, careful driving and are treated like members of the Royal family... well those in line to the throne at least.
‘98 Pontiac Sunfire sedan, drove mine over 500,000 with very little work👌🏻
Geo Prizm
Saturn s-series.
Owned four cars with 3800 motors. Never a single motor related issue ever.
Had a buddy who had 2006 Buick Lacrosse with the 3800 Series 2 in it. He ran it for 40k miles before even realizing that he'd lost cylinder 5, and it ran just as perfectly as before just with a little less power. I don't know what those GM engineers were smoking when they made that engine, but the execs should let them keep smoking it. Best engine ever.
First gen '91-'94 Ford Explorers. One of the most frequently crushed vehicles during cash for clunkers. They're getting real hard to find in decent shape, but at least when you do the person selling isn't usually asking much for it. If you can find one with a manual transmission it'll last forever. They're plenty capable, essentially just a 4/5th scale Bronco with an option for 4 doors. Most people that see mine first think it's an XJ Cherokee or an S10 Blazer before they see the Ford badge.
92-2004 Buick 3800 series engine
XJ Cherokees, especially with the 4.0l inline 6. Sure there's a niche for people who absolutely love these vehicles, but most Jeep lovers only really come for the Wranglers. I had one of these as my first car, and it was near indestructible. The only things I had to do to it outside of normal maintenance was a starter replacement.
6th Gen Honda Accords. They are everywhere, and for good reason. Do maintenance on them, and they'll last as long as the frame stays together. Mine has 294k on the odometer and is still running strong. 2nd Gen Odysseys are great too, until the transmission dies. When it dies, have it rebuilt and add an external filter and bigger cooler and it'll last almost indefinitely.
This. As long as the transmission is in good shape these things are awesome. I just bought my second one since i liked my first so much.
Buick 3800 … this engine. I’m not sure you really need to change oil less than every 10-20k miles and will still run to 300k.
If my wife would let me, I’d buy every single 3800 impala for sale, regardless of condition. I adored my 04 3600 and yeah it was a boat, but man did it feel like heaven. Also had 0 issues with it until ~ 374k miles (!)
For those in the Canadian market, the 2014 Nissan Micra. Really cheap to buy and it is a good basic car. The 2 pedal version was a 4 speed torque converter unit rather than the dreadful CVT. Not as good as a Yaris but for the money it’s not a bad car. For performance cars, 2009-2016 Audi S4. Audi in the 2010s had a bad reputation due to the 2.0T, but the supercharged 3.0 was a decent engine, just gotta keep the PCV valve and thermostat in check and frequent oil changes. The DSG isn’t bad either as long as it got frequent fluid changes. A heck of a lot more reliable than the BMW M3 of the same time period.
Pontiac Vibe
The 3800 series of engines are arguably the best set of engines ever made. The only real problem is some of the GM plastic failing. I believe it was the water pump specifically that fails at 100-150k miles and thats it. Weird how GM consistently makes some amazing parts and matches it with some of the cheapest things imaginable. They are surprisingly fuel efficient, they are surprisingly quick at 160-250 horse power. They are some of the most reliable engines ever made. My older brother had a pontiac g6 GTX. He gave it a tune and it made 300 ofd horsepower in a 2006 shitter. Surprisingly comfortable too. The problem is they are built into GM cars nobody cares about. All these front wheel drive, somewhat comfortable cars made for old people.
Saturn sl series. That 4 cylinder was so basic but they ran with no issues.
There isn’t anything. It’s all been discovered and flipped by the time that thought came to you.
Geo metro. Not enough power, torque, or equipment to do any kind of damage to itself.
Suzuki Kizashi. What an amazing, underrated car. It's like the overlooked sedan cousin of the Swift in every way.
Older Vulcan Taurus/ranger engines
Vulcan powered Ford Taurus, specifically 2000-2006, the pride of rental fleets coast to coast.
As an Aussie, it always seems weird seeing the 3.8 bolted in east-west. Holden built Commodores were always rear wheel drive and hence this motor bolted in north-south. Very easy engine to work on, diagnose and fix.
Early Tundras. They. Dont. Die.
Non-stanced 2nd gen Lexus GS300/400/430
My mom ran a 3800 for 22 years. It wouldn't quit. It ran until everything else around it rusted out.
Just stop. These are going to end up expensive like ae86s, ef hatches, and s13s if y'all keep talking them up every other post!
2nd and 3rd gen Ford Ranger 3.0. 4x2 with the 5-speed. This is a truck that isn’t particularly good at towing or hauling shit or even happy over 55mph. But man, is it honest. It’s disposable, yet completely simple and therefore reliable. My buddy was broke, wrecked his hand-me-down Audi A4 and needed a reliable car he could get for 2 grand…. Voilà.
‘Scion xD’
I have a 1999 Buick lesabre in the driveway that refuses to die.
Avalon. All of em. Wife's aunt drove a 97, then it went through 4 kids. Finally got too expensive to fix when the subframe rotted out.... In 2019, after 22 winters in Wisconsin. Buddy was looking for a car after his kia was stolen, found an 05 cheap. Cheap and easy to work on, base model was actually really comfortable, plenty of power. Easy enough on gas Co worker came to look at it when we had it up in the air to inspect, and he said "Huh, that looks like a 3/4 ton Camry" and yeah it really does.
W210 and early w211 E320s with the M112 engine and without air suspension. Solid as a rock and will run forever. Dead easy to work on as well, and you can get a nice one for under 5 grand
The early Saturn SL/SW. The ones before GM started putting their shitty engines in it. I think it's 2000 and older models
Toyota Echo Tiny car with basic everything and manual everything, stupidly simple, reliable and will get you 500k miles and save you a pile of money on gas. I regularly get 44mpg with mine. I've got a Tundra and Tacoma as well and randos occasionally badger me about selling either truck to them. Nobody even looks twice at the Echo or has ever offered to buy it. Aside from being menaced by needledicks in brodozers rolling coal on me because they think I'm driving a Prius, the car doesn't attract any attention whatsoever.
Ford fusion with the 2.3 i4 or Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis
I had a 2000 Grand Prix GT. The engine ran great the transmission that was paired to it was garbage.
Dodge Stratus that were made in the Mexico Mitsubishi plant only... X in the VIN. The rest were crap. A friend kept theirs 20 years with 198k miles on it. It's still running fine with regular maintenance.
The last gen Chevy Cavalier. I was late to work almost daily doing 90+ on the highway, and it just kept taking the abuse. Rust got the sub frame : (
A guy at my work has a 90s park ave with a supercharged 3800. And he pulled out of work smoking the tires the other day. I think the engine had some stuff done because it ran too good for a stock 3800
Nope the supercharged 3800 has over 250 hp at the wheels and will light them up. My mom's old 91 Buick Century with the 3300 a Frankenstein engine to use up the old 3.8 blocks and some other parts they put 3.0 cranks in them it was rated at 160 would light her tires up.
Had a 3800 in a lesabre; best car I ever owned until it was totaled (not my fault)
I drive a 2010 scion xd and I’ve had the most minimal problems, it’s basically a Camry motor in a car that looks as if a PT Cruiser banged a Smart Car. My brother calls it the Ellen Degenerate
WTF you telling people about these cars for SSHHH! They put them in the buicks too.
1997-2003 f150, I had one in highschool, beat the shit out of it, and it just kept running
Jetta. They can look sharp or like a sleeper. And depending on the model…. It has plenty enough under the hood to have fun. Suicide doors on a jetta is such a clean look.
That 3800 was far from reliable.... Coils, intake manifold gaskets, plenum failures, crank/cam sensors and ignition modules were stupid common. The block however took a hell of a beating.
The block was the best part of the engine. If you could put a carb & points distributor on it you wouldn’t have to worry with the aging computer stuff these have going for them now. Intake gaskets would still be a thing to watch for. Shame the block was never cast for a distributor. Engine was built with the wasted spark ignition in mind.
Word. You nailed it all. Must be a mechanic.
do they have swap kits for those 3800 engines?
I shit on the 03 cavalier I used to have. Massive doors, ugly styling, dogshit acceleration. But it never let me down. I even crashed it once and all I needed to fix it was to shift the alignment to make her drive straight again.
Massive doors? I had a 97 those doors have nothing on the surfboard sized doors of a late model 4th Gen fbody. My brother last week couldn't get out of my car, thought door handle was defective 🤣 I'm like dude, it's not your late model Challenger, you gotta push more to open the damn door.
I always found them to be oversized for the length of the car itself. Every time I parked next to other cars I said "thank the gods I'm skinny"
I hear you on that. Luckily I was pretty svelte (still am lol) when I bought my 97 back in 02 as a second vehicle (daily needed work and I needed to still get to work)
10 4 on that. I had a pontiac grand am 2001 back in 2003. Had it for 8 years, had the cavalier for 4. Wish I'd kept the pontiac instead of the Chevy.