Most Reliable Cars Ever
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Most Reliable Cars - In The First Person
Most reliable cars - in the first person: this
is the first hub that I write in the first person. Reason being, I don’t like
writing articles in the first person, because they are not always well received
by the larger part of the writing community; however, the narratives that I’m
going to be telling here are somewhat personal in nature, so they do sit well
being written in the first person. Furthermore, I didn’t use any statistics to
back anything up, only tales and stories that have been handed down to me by my
family, friends and acquaintances. There is also a certain amount of freedom
writing in the first, that you cannot not get when you write in the third
person as most articles and essays are usually written in....
I’ll say this for
myself: I’ve owned many vehicles - when I say many I mean a lot - Mercury,
Chevrolet, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Infiniti, Lexus and Jaguar. The worse motor
products I’ve ever owned (personally speaking) have been Fords (Mercury
included, since they are a Division of Ford....). I owned a Thunderbird once. I
loved the way my T-Bird looked. It was a 1991 year model. I was so dismayed,
that I finally got rid of it with only 28k miles on the odometer. My first car
was a Mercury Marquis - loved the car, as I’ve always liked big cars, even when
I was in my early twenties. So you can use me as an example the next time
someone tells you that young people do not like big cars. Anyway, it was a used
1979 Mercury Marquis. The car had a great deal of electrical problems, but I’ve
always shown mercy towards this car ,because, after all, this is the only car
I’ve ever owned that I didn’t purchased brand new. Surprisingly enough, the
Chevy products that I’ve owned have all been inexpensive and above par, so
there goes the wrong stigma that Americans don’t make reliable cars. - As for
Nissan, Toyota, Infiniti and Lexus, I’d recommend them to anyone, as they are
all outstanding vehicles. I love - love European cars (especially English
cars), so I recently bought a Jag, this is the first Euro product that I’ve
purchase, but it’s too early to tell just how this car is going to hold up?....
1. Honda
Don’t know what it
is about Honda’s, but everyone and their grandmother that has ever owned one
has nothing but great things to say about the product. Civics and Accords seem
to get the highest praise of any vehicle ever - “I have 350K miles on my
Civic/Accord, and all I’ve ever had to do is change oil, tires and a few minor
things, but I love my Honda!” - these are the usual narratives that you hear
from Honda owners.
2. Toyota
Toyota products do
not fall far behind. Even after all the recent problems they were reported as
having, people still purchase Toyota, and most have good things to say about
the product. Corolla’s are one of their top sellers, and there are people that
have over 300k miles on their Corolla and the cars are still going strong.
3. Nissan
People that have
owned Altimas and Maximas have usually nothing but very positive things to
say about them.
4. Subaru
The great thing
about Subaru is their all-wheel drive systems. It’s not unusual for people
who’ve owned Subaru to go back for seconds, even thirds - Subaru owners love
their vehicles.
5. Ford
Ford makes
exceptional trucks, and many Ford truck owners have nothing but high praises to
say about their vehicles.
6. Chevy
Chevrolet has been
around for a long time, and therefore has many followers.
7. Dodge
- Again trucks....
8. Volvo
People love their
Volvo’s, especially baseball mom types....
9. Hyundai
Another car that
people seem to like very much - Hyundai has come a long way since its inception
back in the 80’s.
10. Kia
Last, but not least
on the list.
CommentsLoading...
Thank you elfishflea! You hit the nail on the head. I recently wrote an article of the most beautiful cars ever, then followed it by article of the ugliest cars ever.... I might just do the same with this article.
Take care of yourself
John
I once had a Honda Civic, and it was great in the snow and ice. My son is still driving his 1st car, it's a Honda Accord, and he wants another when the time comes. I drive an ancient 1998 Toyota Corolla that is still fine, and my husband loves his Subaru Legacy. As a person with back problems, I must say you can't beat the comfort of Subaru seats. I think I'll go with another Toyota though!
Hi Jean,
All the cars that you've mentioned are exceptional in the reliability department, so you should be okay....
Thank you and take care of yourself,
John
Thanks for your perspective on your cars. I'm always afraid of buying a lemon, so appreciate hearing personal views about brands that perform well.
Hi Betty - you know, and I did this with that sole purpose in mind. I'm in Florida at this moment, and just had dinner at a relative's house last night. Withouth uttering a word or nothing, and my cousing starts talking to me about this Toyota Corolla with 214k miles - he says it's the best car ever. - So, yes, I think this is probably the only time that Kierkegaard was mistaken when he said that truth was not on the crowd's side....
Thank you very much and take care of yourself
John
Hi, John, nice Hub, you must a fan of Japanese Cars.
Thank you Aris. Like most aficionados, I love European cars - British automobiles being my all time personal favorites. Nevertheless, I have a very high regard for Japanese cars, because they are very well made and have great track records.
Thanks again and take care of yourself
John
good hub.. thanks for share
Thank you Rismayanti
I must say that OLD REAR WHEEL DRIVE VOLVOs are the most reliable and long lasting cars ever built.
Hi pera,
Volvo's are up there, but even the least expensive Volvo are not cheap...thanks!
Well, this is a pretty controversial list. I think it's hard to generalize what's best because reliability varies from model to model and year to year.
Hello Missouri,
Yes, you're correct, hence the reason I wrote this article in "first person" format. Nevertheless, assumptions and sterotypes are oftentimes true...how many people do you know that dump on Hondas...case and point.
Thank you for stopping by! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours!
John
Hi, John, I must say that I like first person articles when people are writing from their own experience, and, contrary to what HP says, I like to see articles written from people's experiences. It is tiring to see the constant barage of amateurishly written "term papers". Having said that, my experience with GM vehicles, including Chevrolets, has not been that good. I have never gotten more than 85,000 miles on an engine no matter how well I followed the rules on servicing. I am now driving a Prius and getting great service from it. In fact, the savings on gasoline from my former General Motors SUV are nearly making the payments. HA! BTW, I got rid of the Aztek with less than 100,000 miles because everything seemed to go wrong with it: first the AC, then the engline and wheel computers. The main computer was bad when I bought it and the dealer wouldn't stand behind it under warranty. I think the only good working part left when I traded it in was the transmission.
Hi MizBejabbers,
Thank you for visiting and commenting...
Yes, I think some articles (people) on HP do try to be politically correct sometimes..., that said, there are some really fine articles written on HP which oftentimes don't get the attention/merit they deserve....
You do hear people saying that they've gotten 300k miles out of their Lexus or Acura, but what they fail to mention is at what cost? (e.g., repairs:--- tires, brakes, trans work, timing belt, etc.......) So, yes, 85k miles sounds about right if you don't want to bother with the cost of repairs too much...
Thanks again and Prosperous New Year
John
"if you don't want to bother with the cost of repairs too much..." That's the key. When the estimated repair bill equals or exceeds the book value of the car, it's time to get rid of it, in my opinion. My son bought a 1993 Nissan PU new, and his only true repair bill, other than routine brake jobs, was $547 last year. I don't know what his mileage is, but but it's at least 150,000. Hey, why put up with repair bills on sloppily built cars when there are good ones out there? I think word-of-mouth like your hub is a valuable tool.
Thanks again MizBejabbers...take care!
You are right about the "first person" unless we are celebrities or considered to be someone. If you are one of those, then you can write nonsense and a lot of people will hang on every word
Hi whoisbid,
You're so right. It's sad, but if Madonna, Michael Jordan or Brad Pitt say something, it's accepted as the absolute truth and never questioned. Yet, you can be an erudite with many degrees, and be ignored because you can't sing, dribble, or perhaps you're not goodlooking, etc...
Take care and thanks for commenting
John
VW Beetle those things ran forever with little maintence
Thanks Rahsaan for commenting...
Yes, VW are sturdy and the company has plenty of money to spend on technology...
Take care
John
A glass half-full point of view: Your worse motor products you've ever owned were probably safer (Fords) than the reliable Japanese cars. Enjoyed reading!
Thanks Mr. Mim. And, welcome to HP
John
i must say i bought a 1996 mercedes E290 auto box. brand new from the dealer i still have it today at 673.000 km on the clock also never broke down just change tires and oil some minor things it drives like new
old man, European automobiles are great and you got lucky. Nonetheless, they're not the cars one usually thinks of in terms of reliability.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my article
John
John, I picked this up from a related question re most reliable, and you are so right about the unreliability factor of most European cars: I fully agree with you on the Fords. Had a friend who swore by his Mercury, but I liked small cars before anybody had one. I, too, had a T-Bird: but I'm older, so I was lucky or unlucky enough to have one of the early ones: '56 w/porthole windows, rolled leather seating, etc. Lousy car, however, and finally got rid of it. Wish I'd kept it, now! Had solid Saab 900 and a Fiat 500 w/double overhead cam that was awesome, and a 260 Z hat put everything to shame and never had to be worked on. The Fiat is a bad memory: I stupidly got mad at somebody one night and red-lined it in anger. Dumb,stupid, etc. Subarus have always been very reliable--the one I owned was stolen, but unlike you, I'm drawn to the small ones--Alfas, etc. I hope you like your Jag. Lots of experience w/others who owned jags and I think a lot depends on how you care for it and how you drive it. They really aren't meant to be show cars, but driving cars, so you should be happy! And, yes, there's nothing like a European car (not oriental or german) that's just a real turn-on. I really fell in love with the Isuzu Impulse and had two, but I learned the only one worth having had a Lotus suspension package. I would never recommend the other!
Hi Teyline, glad you enjoyed my hub.
I love European cars, they're my personal favorites. English first, then German...don't care much for Italians, except the Maserati Quatroporte.
Japanese automobiles may not look as good as Europeans (although they're quickly catching up...), but they're reliable automobiles.
American automobiles are probably in the middle - some are great - some are not so great!...
Take care of yourself and thanks again for stopping by
John
Well, of course, if you're going the Maserati route, I have to drop out. They're awesome, but never had the $. Italian--yeah, I'll trade you their valves, for the Jag's overall need for constant care (the ones I've known and driven) and tlc they seem to need. If we're just going anywhere, I'd still love to have a DeLorean or Allbogorghini ???? sp -- oh, well, it's early for me and I'm dreaming again. I will say one of most reliable cars I ever had was a European car, and the idiots in the US didn't know it had a clutch plate and wound up costing me an arm and a leg unnecessarily--of course, that was back when no women drove such cars! (when I remember which one it was I'll tell you) -- know this has turned into such a silly discussion, but I will tell you I'm definitely old enough to be your mother (grandmother?) and my son's favorite joke (?? not sure it will be according to any of us! //) is that he'll make sure I get 'buried' or sent to sea Viking style to blow up with purpose hair and a red sports car or red hair and purple car! Don't think I'll ever, ever lose my love of them. My cousin (2 yrs older) got a TR-3 for his 16th ?) birthday or Xmas, whatever, and as he pulled out the drive of my grandparents with everybody yelling, "you be careful, now" -- I've been in absolute total love of all imported, exotic-looking, exotic-sounding sports cars--close to the ground, fast, and feeling faster. Best of all is the handling! I've bored you to death, but I loved the hub and couldn't stay out of it!
Hi Teylina, and thanks for commenting on my hub again. Additionally, you can comment as much as you like - the more the merrier for me - I'm grateful to you!...
I like Jags very much - I especially love mine. Speaking of mine Jag, I just took it in for the first 15,000 miles service and it was free. - Yes, free, because, Jag give you free maintenance up and until 50,000 miles. Nevertheless, I hear Jag maintenance is really expensive, so who knows what it'll be once I pass the 50,000 mile mark?...
Take care and thanks again - enjoy the rest of your day
John
No telling, but they are fun to drive! Had a friend who let me take his quite a bit--first time, he asked me if I drove like that all the time, and I said something like "no, unless the road and car deserve it," I was going to write a book while married to 2d husband (died before finished), and he made me promise to buy him a yellow Jag if I made it! They are, I think, a love 'em or 'leave 'em car! Glad you've got yours while new 'cause another friend always had an old one in his garage to use to keep his good one in good shape!! Ha Ha - Maybe you won't have to go that far. I always loved the XJ6 --was that it? back in '70's I think. Lines were awesome! They're still beautiful.
Thank you so much Teylina for stopping by and commenting.
Have a great weekend
John
I think it will be very interesting to see where reliability goes over the next 5 to 10 years. As a whole right now the consensus among people seems to be Japanese - American - Korean - German as far as reliability goes. However, the Koreans have been moving up quickly over the past five years, as have the Americans. Toyota and Honda need an injection of life or we could end up seeing American - Korean - Japanese - German or some similar ranking.
Hi Thieff66,
There's this narrative that I tell everyone. When I was in my early twenties and attending college, I had a part time job as a driver. I used to drive this really small American car (Japanese techno though), Gio I think it was. One day, the car was being serviced---speaking about Japanese Technology, this little car was awesome for its size, had close to 100k miles---cost around $6000.00 or so new.... Anyway, not to stray from the story...one day we rented a Hyundai, 1987 I think it was with only 4000 miles---new car! I still couldn't believe this brand new vehicle was falling apart---awful to say the least. Nowadays, Huyndai's are increadible and leading in technology---they came a long way.
Thanks for stopping by and take care
John
elfishflea 11 months ago
This is very much an opinion article which means that first person is totally appropriate. It's actually becoming more accepted in the academic world too, which I find interesting.
Nice article. Perhaps next time a list of unreliable cars?