What Car Company Makes The Best Car Or Truck ?

[ArrestMeRedZ]

Originally Posted By: Zoridog
I have a 96 Toyota RAV4 with 200K miles but I don't remember my 1980 Corolla needing head gaskets and my RAV has needed them twice. I've also needed O2 sensors three times which may reflect the reduced quality of parts in this era of cost savings.


Wow. My wife also has a '96 RAV4. She beats on it like a red-headed step child. I've caught her with the oil light on twice. It takes about 3 out of 4 quarts before the light comes on. It's got 150K miles on it, needing only a timing belt and normal tune up stuff like plugs. Still sounds and runs great. Oh, the EGR valve needs to be replaced soon.

I keep waiting for it to wear out so I can get something nicer, but it won't. I consider most Toyotas long-lasting but boring. They don't wear out, you just wish they would.

 

[HTSS_TR]

First: Honda dealer in Toronto dumped used oil in the woods.

Few weeks/months later people remember: Honda dealer dumped used oil in the woods.

Some months or a year later: Honda dumped used oil in the woods.

Honda got screwed by the action of some bad dealer managers/owners.

 

[Pete591]

Originally Posted By: Silver_civic
#4 No car company is honest PERIOD!


Buyers are liars and sellers are too.

I have had a bunch of HOndas and all were perfect except for my 2010 Honda Accord with a V-6 VCM engine which is plagued with issues where it breaks off plug insulators and debris falls into cylinders requiring head changes and engine replacement too. Honda is ignoring for now as lots of cases at trial.

Fords are Fords...pay now or pay later. Ford is a "pay later car.

German cars are expensive to service but I like the pre-pay extended service contracts with MB and BMW. The MB S-550 is a workhorse. BMW's very solid.

The car right now that is amazing is the Lexus. Unmatched quality and Infinity with the G-37 as well. Well ahead of most all others.

 

[LargeCarManX2]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
FoMoCo


Plus 1!

 

[dparm]

Watch the Top Gear Toyota Hilux episode. Why do you think so many rebel and terrorist groups use them?

 

[Barkleymut]

In my experience Ford has been without a doubt the best carmaker of the past decade.

Nissan the worst (no flames just personal experience, and yes it was a long time ago)

I have never had a major repair performed on any vehicle I have ever owned (I'm almost 40 and drive on average 20,000 miles per year). I attribute this to excellent maintenance by their awesome owner.

And I especially hope my new to me 04 Saturn Ion with a 5spd 2.2ecotech is as reliable as what I have read because I have put 4,000 miles on her in the last 5 weeks and cannot afford a breakdown.

 

[123Saab]

I can only talk based on what my family has.

Our Cherokee has been a gem, ONLY complaint we have about it is MPG. Same goes for the Ford Ranger.

I cant really comment much on our Saabs, They get babied a lot, Probably not used as most commuters would.

Just from my own perspective, I really like what FOMOCO is doing right now.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Watch the Top Gear Toyota Hilux episode. Why do you think so many rebel and terrorist groups use them?


Because they are accessible over there?

The Top Gear episode is a bit of a pant-load. An '80's carb'd Chev, Ford or Dodge would have survived the same as that mechanical diesel did.

While entertaining, it really doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot.

 

[crazyoildude]

Ford modulars dont count they run forever!

 

[sciphi]

I see a metric ton of other LeSabres and Grand Prixes around me. There are 3 other LeSabres within a block of mine, and about 5 others I see regularly around town. Next door neighbor has a GP and Grand Cherokee, and there are lots of other GP's about. Many other Detroit 3 vehicles. Although there are about 5 Fits in this jerkwater town...

3800 V6's run forever too as long as the intake manifold gaskets are taken care of.

 

[Spazdog]

I'm loathe to admit it, but in trucks? Toyota.

I see 300,000+ GM trucks all the time but the switchgear is trashed, power window switches are hanging by the wires, (which is fine, the power windows won't work or fall off the tracks anyway) if the HVAC works at all the A/C compressor has long been locked up and the blend door is broken or thumps like a rhesus monkey is trapped under the dash and trying to kick his way out, the wiper motor has tape and things jammed into the plug so it will make contact and work,and the steering column can do a complete 360° pivot. Everything is screwed up on it, but it will still run and kinda' drive.

I honestly don't see too many modular powered Ford trucks at 300,000 miles. I just don't. They're out there, but not in the numbers that 300,000 mile Chevies and GMCs are. The older F-150s can easily go that distance with a 4.9 L6 or V8 (300 or 302). But those that do usually have bad radius arm bushings, bad steering, etc...They'll go but you gotta' fight to keep them pointed in the right direction.

Dodges. I do see 300,000+ mile Rams as often as I see similar F-150s. Especially the 3.9/5.2/5.9. I'm a Mopar fan, but I always wonder how many transmissions it has had. They often have big holes in the dash. Don't know if that just happened or if the driver did that.

I see a 300,000+ T-100/Tundra and I'm not suprised at the mileage. I'm suprised that everything is still intact. The switchgear, the seats.... they all have wear but still work. It goes, stops, steers...and when you turn on the wipers the switch doesn't break off and the wipers actually come on.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
I'm loathe to admit it, but in trucks? Toyota.

I see 300,000+ GM trucks all the time but the switchgear is trashed, power window switches are hanging by the wires, (which is fine, the power windows won't work or fall off the tracks anyway) if the HVAC works at all the A/C compressor has long been locked up and the blend door is broken or thumps like a rhesus monkey is trapped under the dash and trying to kick his way out, the wiper motor has tape and things jammed into the plug so it will make contact and work,and the steering column can do a complete 360° pivot. Everything is screwed up on it, but it will still run and kinda' drive.

I honestly don't see too many modular powered Ford trucks at 300,000 miles. I just don't. They're out there, but not in the numbers that 300,000 mile Chevies and GMCs are. The older F-150s can easily go that distance with a 4.9 L6 or V8 (300 or 302). But those that do usually have bad radius arm bushings, bad steering, etc...They'll go but you gotta' fight to keep them pointed in the right direction.

Dodges. I do see 300,000+ mile Rams as often as I see similar F-150s. Especially the 3.9/5.2/5.9. I'm a Mopar fan, but I always wonder how many transmissions it has had. They often have big holes in the dash. Don't know if that just happened or if the driver did that.

I see a 300,000+ T-100/Tundra and I'm not suprised at the mileage. I'm suprised that everything is still intact. The switchgear, the seats.... they all have wear but still work. It goes, stops, steers...and when you turn on the wipers the switch doesn't break off and the wipers actually come on.


We don't see any (many?) of those up here. The rust goblin has long ate them up by that point. The last T-100 I saw (which was years ago) had rust holes in the rear fenders large enough to park a shopping cart in. The entire vehicle looked incredibly unsafe.

 

[Spazdog]

Yeah, I forgot about rust. No rust in North Central Texas.

I remember what one year in college in a rust belt state did to my shiny red N-TX Firebird. I can imagine 15+ years on a T-100.

Rotted away like so many slugs (or Chevy Vegas) in the salt.

The heat might have something to do with the longevity of the Ford Modular. I see all sorts of reports for high mileage F-150s from places like Grande Prairie, AB but seldom see that kind of mileage in places like Grand Prairie, TX.

 

[The Critic]

The older Toyotas and Hondas, when maintained, are very common on the roads around here.

IMO, Toyota is still the best for having fairly consistent quality, good design, innovation and a strong dealership network.

As a side note, do any of you notice that only the 4-cyl versions of popular import sedans stay on the road? The loaded V6 models are never seen around here when they get older.

 

[defektes]

As far as trucks you cant beat american. Ford or Chevy, cars ford is on top of the game right now IMO.

 

[jtfmdyk]

Originally Posted By: pbm
I think that Ford and Hyundai are at the top of their game RIGHT NOW.


I have to go with this. I have had great luck with Honda (92 accord was at 375k and running perfect when I let it go) but I do not know if I would buy anything from them now. I think they have gotten too comfortable and are no longer out to prove anything. Ford and Kia/Hyundai both seem to be very focused with their hearts and heads in the right place. Could they still build a turkey, sure, but I do not feel like it will be due to a lack of trying. GM, it seems like every moment of brilliance is balanced by sheer stupidity. Chrysler, upgraded interiors aside, is just not capable of an A-game. Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, resting on laurels with products that are a shadow of what made them great. Luxury brands like MB, BMW, Jaguar, supported by people that put image and initial JD power surveys over quality.
A lot of broad stroke opinions with few facts to support, I know. If I were making a hard cut to the chase and buying or advising I would tell someone to get an old Honda or a new Ford, best bet.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Everyone has an awesome story about one or the other.

We have a lot of GM products and almost all of them are dead reliable even with very high miles. One old 04 that has OVER 400k miles and is working daily!

But every major manufacturer makes duds. If you haven't had one count your blessings. Most people bragging about one brand or the other simply haven't owned very many cars or trucks!

 

[eljefino]

When Honda (corporate) and the Honda importer sell a franchise to a Honda dealership for big $$$ they're happy. When a Honda owner seeks out repairs from "Honda", the whole chain remains happy. Only when a piece of the network breaks does the customer get to watch the blame game unfold for dumping oil in the woods.

I haven't met a pickup truck I haven't liked. Sure my ranger/b4000 was a bit irritating when I had to drop the front driveshaft to run brake line to a rear ABS module that could have gone anywhere, but they put it inside the frame rail *there*. But the R&D that's gone into trucks, vans, and SUVs since 1990 shows.

Cars, there are some duds: the contour, sebring. 99 Accent has a somewhat strange underhood layout with a non-serpentine jack-screw tensioned belt for the alternator and you have to remove the radiator to get the alt out. But they put the oil drain plug facing forwards inches from the filter!

I still think as hobby mechanics we get used to "the GM layout" under the hood, or how we do GM brakes or wheel bearings or struts, and then run into a Ford or Dodge that does it differently, not better, not worse, and curse the various new trip-wires we've already conquered on our favorite makes. Then we curse the unfamiliar and wonder why anyone would buy brand X.

 

[fdcg27]

At one time, I would have said Honda on all points.
As I've grown older and wiser, I've come to realize that every maker has built some real tanks, and every maker has built some real duds.
Point by point:
Our Hondas have has long lives over the years, but so did the two 123 diesels we had, and so did our Aerostar.
Warranty only matters if you have a troublesome car bought new, and we have never had to have warranty work done on any car. Nothing much breaks, or should, in the first 100K.
Our Hondas have typically cost almost nothing to maintain, but that was also true of our Aerostar, as well as a host of other makes over the years, including the four Mercedes we have had (two of which were 123 diesels) as well as our lone VW, an air cooled Vanagon.
Finally, honesty in any respect is more a matter of the dealer you're dealing with than it is any car company.
Some makes may generally be better in their dealership experience than others, but there are both really good and really bad examples for every make.
Personally, if I were buying a new car today, it would be either a Subaru Legacy or a Honda Accord.
Both would likely be good bets for long and inexpensive life, and both have their charms as daily drivers.
OTOH, a Fit or a turbo Impreza would be fun, and probably durable and reliable.
That is not to say that there aren't a whole lot of others cars available that wouldn't also be very good, maybe even better than my picks.

 

[tangojetta]

I would say Fords.