We love tools on the GH, but for most of us our tool journey started when we were very young and we had an interest in auto mechanics. My own journey started as a kid helping dad work on the family cars, and then later on as a young teen working on my own cars. It was a necessity to keep from going broke. Over time that interest morphed into a full time job as an auto mechanic working from the mid 1970s into the early 1980s.
The service industry has changed significantly in the last 50 years. Mechanics/Technicians are leaving the industry in droves and the car manufacturers are designing cars to last for only a few years (until the warranty expires). Planned obsolescence and technician shortages are critical issues that we will face going forward.
Consider these videos --
Today's cars are junk -- plain and simple, and getting them repaired at a fair price is becoming increasingly difficult. Hence I started this thread.
We have a lot of knowledge on this site and I want you to look back and post the best used cars to purchase that have a proven track record of reliability and value and are still available at reasonable prices for the average person to own and maintain without breaking the bank.
I'll start -- some of my own car ownership experiences that were absolute winners.
1) 1990s Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique with the I4 or V6 engines -- bullet proof
2) Any Ford "Panther" platform cars from the 1990s to 2000s with the modular 4.6L V8 -- bullet proof
3) Any GM vehicle with the 3800 V6 engine -- bullet proof
4) Any late 1990s to mid 2000s Toyota with inline 2.4L or 3.0L and 3.3L V6 engines -- bullet proof
5) Any Chrysler vehicle with the 1990's through early 2000s 3.9L V6 -- bullet proof
These vehicles are still around and would make excellent drivers and even excellent refurbishing projects. They are miles ahead of what is being put on the market these days.
Post 'em up and help folks find a vintage "daily driver" that is engineered and designed much better than what is being offered these days.
Any slant 6 mopar.
I have a 2004 Honda CRV right now that feels bulletproof. I got it at 111K miles in 2015 and I'm currently at 173K. Haven't done anything to it other than basic maintenance. Apparently these were made in Japan and England from what a member on GJ who works for Honda told me. The ones made in Japan are better made and more reliable and luckily this one was.
My 2003 Nissan Frontier i bought in 2012 is also very reliable. I got it at 106K and I'm currently at 196K.
My wife has a 2012 Ford Focus she bought new. It's been pretty decent. It's still her DD and she has 122K on it now. Luckily the climate in north Georgia is very good for auto longevity.
2018 Nissan Frontier, over 120K with no issues.
2015 Subaru Outback, 70K with no issues, but if feels really tinny. And has way too much electronics in the dash and controls for my tastes.
Im a Ford man and so far I have had great luck.
1997 F250 with the 7.3 diesel-396,000 miles and I still have it.
2004 F350 with the 6.0 diesel-264,000 miles. I must have had a good one because it never let me down and still drives great.
Wife has a 2013 F150 with the 3.5 ecoboost and 170,ooo miles. Only thing I have done do it is o2 censors, coils packs, and plugs. Runs and drives like it did when we bought it.
I bought a new F350 last fall with the 7.3 gas engine. It only has 16,000 miles so far, it has great power and I really like the 10 speed transmission. I sought out an xlt to get less electronics and gizmos that nobody really needs. One thing I dont like is the radio head unit. Pretty sure its constantly sending my telematics back to ford when it updates monthly.
I have to agree about the Fords. I started with an 86 Ranger with the 2.9/5 speed which never needed anything beyond normal service parts, an 89 Bronco II which I drove the wheels off. It went up and down the California coast, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and was almost as trouble free as the Ranger. Then came the J.A.F.E. a 2000 explorer with a 5 liter I drove it daily over 20 years. I have to say it was one of my favorite cars.
Actually, I really started Fords with a 79 Mustang that started out as my company car and I later bought it. The only thing besides a clutch it ever needed was a power steering pump.
I'd say anything modern-ish that doesn't have VVT. That seems to be a common failure point on modern engines, both foreign and domestic. Whether the failures are due to negligence in changing the oil or poor engineering, the fact remains that VVT is a "feature" that engines don't need.
Reliable vehicles I have owned that just kept going while I was broke include a 1972 Ford Pinto with the 2.0 German engine, a 1974 IH Scout with the AMC 258 inline 6 and anything with the good old SBC. Had a '89 Olds with the 3.8, an amazingly reliable engine. Also a '73 Toyota Land Cruiser with the stovebolt-copy I6. You could feed that thing sand and cornflakes it would just keep running.
I have had best experiences with a 91 Lincoln Town Car a 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis a 1996 4 cylinder manual shift Ford Ranger, a 1994 Ford Escort, a 1996 Toyota Corolla, and a 1998 Buick Lesabre.
The Mercury, Ranger and Lesabre are all most of 200K miles and currently in use.
I am a huge panther platform fan and would love to get my mitts on a well preserved Police Interceptor unit.
One of the most incredible vehicles I personally ever drove. We used to have a few retired KS Hiway Patrol units in use years ago. These were not detuned and were incredibly fun to drive.
Interceptors looked like a Crown Vic, but that was where the similarity ended. Incredible throttle response and braking. Handling was exception due to oversize sway bars. That was just for starters, there were many additional differences.
Get this, as delivered, Police Interceptor packages of the era specified they only be shod with Goodyear Eagle GT speed rated tires to match the 140MPH certified speedometers they were equipped with..
BTW: Those old tubs would get you to the 140 MPH in a hurry too. I never topped one out, stopping at 125MPH but she was climbing fast and showed no signs of stopping soon when I shut her down. I never did top end it, but have jonesed for one ever since!