What new vehicle / engine is worth owning ?

[Speedbird001]

Simple answer: The one that leaves you with sufficient money to take care of maintenance, quality wear and tear items (Tires) AND a cushion for when things break or go sideways (i.e. $800 leaking shock on a BMW not covered by warranty because it is a wear and tear item).

Would also think twice about top of the line / loaded models with lots of tech that may be more inclined to fail, more expensive to repair, and unlikely to get your money out of it.

 

[Patman]

Another thing that I would add with any modern car is that YOU HAVE TO DO THE SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE!

I see too many cars nowadays that have problems that could have been prevented with reasonable care and maintenance.

Change the oil at half the recommended mileage intervals, change the coolant every 3 years or sooner, clean the car appropriately including flushing road debris off the underbody, and wipe down the interior door sills, and door frames each time you wash the car.

Clean and treat the paint at least once per year to a coat of some kind of polish and protecterant.

Ok, I am stepping down from my soap box now......LOL.

Interesting, because I follow the OLM in my Civic (which is 9-10,000 mile oil changes), I haven’t changed the original coolant yet (it’s now 9 years old) and it has only had two CVT fluid changes (although I’m planning to do another soon) I have 163,000 miles in it and it runs like new (it averages 49 MPG in the warm weather and 44 in the cold) Still on the original spark plugs too. I have never been one to follow the book, but I do drive my cars rather gently (especially when the oil isn’t up to temperature yet) So my point is that the way you drive the car makes a bigger difference than simply “over maintaining” them. I have a long history of owning cars that rarely need repairs too, so I’m doing something right.

 

[LDB]

Just got a new 2024 Honda Ridgeline about 3 weeks ago. Very pleased with it so far. Great ride. Adequate mpg. Very happy with the decision.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

Interesting, because I follow the OLM in my Civic (which is 9-10,000 mile oil changes), I haven’t changed the original coolant yet (it’s now 9 years old) and it has only had two CVT fluid changes (although I’m planning to do another soon) I have 163,000 miles in it and it runs like new (it averages 49 MPG in the warm weather and 44 in the cold) Still on the original spark plugs too. I have never been one to follow the book, but I do drive my cars rather gently (especially when the oil isn’t up to temperature yet) So my point is that the way you drive the car makes a bigger difference than simply “over maintaining” them. I have a long history of owning cars that rarely need repairs too, so I’m doing something right.

Patman, I urge you to visit your local salvage yard and see how many newer cars are there due to drivetrain maintenance issues. You may be surprised.

 

[SC Maintenance]

We have had good luck with our 2019 Rav4. Its the same design as this years but may change next year? I would not hesitate to buy another one. Might be too small for you?

 

[Patman]

Patman, I urge you to visit your local salvage yard and see how many newer cars are there due to drivetrain maintenance issues. You may be surprised.

I don’t need to do that. My own history of almost 40 years of driving is good enough for me to feel confident in what I’m doing. I have never had an engine failure and the only transmission failures I have ever had were on my 87 Mustang GT but that was because I drag raced that car a lot and added a Paxton supercharger so all of the power shifting I was doing was responsible for their demise (and truth be told I was getting those transmissions replaced at a really low price-often only $500)

 

[andrew_j]

Only hear the negative about the small percentage of failures. The vast majority seem to go trouble free whatever tech is being used.

Somehow I have 188k 18 Tiguan with only one issue(ignition wiring harness fail) since new. Not what I would have except from a VW product.

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

CX-5

 

[bighead2586]

I was considering a Lexus IS350F, before they are discontinued. Port & DI injected, NA V6. Not very good mpg, but quite reliable. Problem, to me, they cost almost $50k, and the design is OLD. Old isn't exactly bad when it comes to reliability, though. Struggling to pull the trigger...

Great engines IMO. Not sure if these have the GR FSE or GR FKS. I had a 2013 GS 350 with the FSE I loved that thing. I will say it was kind of ridiculously loud at startup otherwise it was smooth and powerful. Unstressed engine with large displacement and no turbo unlike so many cars now.

 

[mccandish]

If you can find a V6-equipped Toyota 4Runner left on the lot, they have a reliable drivetrain.

 

[Al]

I think it's a bit overreaction. Keep in mind, that you don't see forums that do nothing but praise a vehicle or engine and never report a problem with them. You only see the forum posts that indicate the issues. Everyone has them. One might be 'reliable' in the sense that it 'doesn't have a turbo or GDI', etc., but gets ratty mileage, slow power instead, so in a sense you end up paying in the long run. The best you can do these days is pick out the 5 cars you really like the looks and features of, compare them all, and see which one you believe will make it to its built-in 'ten-year average lifespan' with the least amount of issues. Chances are, no matter which one you buy, you'll probably get there issue-free.

This

 

[Exhaustgases]

I didn’t realize that they had added direct injection to the 2.0, I thought it was still the same as my 2016
That being said, the direct injected turbo 1.5s that have been in the Civic since 2016 have proven to last a long time, despite many people having fuel dilution issues in the beginning. There are quite a few 1.5 Civics that have gone over 400k and there is one out there over 700k.

On CRV forums the head gaskets are not lasting, bad design to install a turbo on.

 

[gfh77665]

Anything not GDI… the simpler the better, no turbo, no cylinder deactivation, no VVT if possible…. Not even sure what the leaves these days!

I purposely bought a 2019 RAM Classic new with the Pentastar V6. Its plush inside but plain and simple under the hood. Just the way I wanted it.

 

[Marcozi]

BMW B58 engine is great. It’s 3 liters it tuners have gotten 1000hp out of it using the stoke forged crankshaft.

 

[Dave Hess]

The only new cars under $40k that I could see myself owning are the Toyobaru twins (BRZ and GR86), the Elantra N, GTI, and Miata.

I ordered a 2025 BRZ with manual transmission.

Maybe I get it next month.

 

[nomas]

Of the various types of fuel injection . one of them seems to be less favored . Which one , and why ?

 

[Dave Hess]

Only hear the negative about the small percentage of failures. The vast majority seem to go trouble free whatever tech is being used.

Somehow I have 188k 18 Tiguan with only one issue(ignition wiring harness fail) since new. Not what I would have except from a VW product.

That’s a lot of miles per year.

 

[Cujet]

The Ford 2.7L Ecoboost and the 5.0L V8 in the F150's are both epic good. Both engines will provide trouble free service. Both use port and direct injection. Ford wisely went to really tough cylinder bores on each design, compacted graphite iron on the 2.7 and upgraded spray in iron liners on the 5.0. They also upgraded piston rings to more conventional ultra hard faced, wear resistant materials.

Ford's cyl deactivation on the 5.0 is completely trouble free and causes no problems. It is ultra simple, and the programming prevents cold cylinders.

Yes, both use a Kevlar belt to drive the oil pump. No, they are not prone to failure, unlike other engines where the tensioner causes belt failures. There are examples of the modern 2.7L with 400+K miles and one example with 540,000 miles. Nothing but oil changes.

 

[LDB]

I hope someone is paying by the mile for the 15k monthly driver.

 

[jhs914]

The GM 3.6 V6 gets a lot of hate on the internet, but my 2017 GMC Canyon has 135,000 trouble free miles. I bought it new and the only thing I have done to it is replace the spark plugs and the thermostat. I change the oil at about 15% left on the oil minder using whatever Dexos synthetic 5W-30 is on sale (though my last oil change I put Valvoline Restore and Protect in it.)