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Thread: Post 2 cars of your past, the most reliable and the biggest lemon.

  1. #21
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    This will sound like I am being snotty, but I have never had an unreliable vehicle. I am very particular about the cars i choose, and make sure they are specimens that have been taken care of properly. I keep up that care, and they keep on going. And this has been across a variety of vehicles.


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  2. #22
    I've never been stranded by having a car break down but I'm sure there are lots of people who wouldn't even sit inside let alone drive half the junk I've owned! So I guess I've had all reliable vehicles too. But I've owned some terrible money pits, and still do. They don't break down(completely) and always make it home under their own power, but have problems all the time and will nickle and dime me til I give up and buy something that the previous owner didn't trash so bad. I'm at that point with my dodge, bought it 2-3 years ago and easily dumped around 5-6k in parts at it. Would have been better off buying a new one up to this point
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  3. #23
    Yeah, I guess we should have defined "reliable". I've only ever been stranded once - a head gasket blew on the highway in an '85 Civic I bought for $260.

    The rest of the junky cars that broke I was able to limp home or fix en route.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


  4. #24
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    Most reliable car? I'd say my 2003 Toyota Echo. It has about 230K on it as of now and I put over 100K on it myself. Other than oil changes and a clutch when I bought it, it has never even set a check engine light. Not bad at all.

    Least reliable? my 1980 VW Rabbit C 1.6L gas engine had so many electrical bugs it was ALWAYS leaving me stranded. The alternator would charge when it wanted to, and when it didn't want to, it would slowly kill the battery while I drove it leaving me where ever the battery decided to leave me.
    It got so bad that I learned to only park the car facing downhill so I could push start it if needed. Then the Rust started to really set in and the dang gas tank failed internally. Every time I took a left turn the car would stall. That car was something else. I walked home so many times back then I lost count. A few times It would leave me stranded on a date, and let me tell you... Girls don't like that!

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  6. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mrfixit View Post

    Least reliable? my 1980 VW Rabbit C 1.6L gas engine had so many electrical bugs it was ALWAYS leaving me stranded. The alternator would charge when it wanted to, and when it didn't want to, it would slowly kill the battery while I drove it leaving me where ever the battery decided to leave me.
    It got so bad that I learned to only park the car facing downhill so I could push start it if needed.
    I had a 1985 Rabbit with the 1.8L gas engine. The car was classic, but had plenty of issues being a $350 find, electrical included.

    I can't remember why but I had to push-start my Rabbit a few times. Not an easy feat with such a heavy clutch and no power steering. Oh the memories!

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  7. #26
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    Least reliable:

    1985 Audi 5000S. Car was beautiful inside and still looked really good on the outside, despite a few rust holes (Audi was first to use galvanized steel). Those holes and the fact it was a Canadian car (I was in Florida) owned by a real old dude should have been a big red flag. Stupid thing was a rusted out hunk of junk underneath. On the day I bought it, en route home, it blew out a metal brake line. Of course the emergency brake cable was stretched and barely worked so we had to carefully use the clutch/1st gear and a parking space divider to come to a stop. All the metal brake lines were rotted and had to be replaced along with the clutch slave cylinder. I believe the fuel pressure accumulator and/or regulator was rusted out too because when left overnight, fuel pressure would drop and you would have to crank it for 10 minutes before it would start. This constant cranking burned out the rusty starter. When hot, she would fire right up and actually ran good. The 5 cylinder motor was the only thing worth a damn on the car. The CV axle was falling apart. The auto HVAC was stuck in defrost mode and made weird clicking noises, sounding like a ticking time bomb. The AC was ice cold when we bought it but it died a few days later. The dash warning system (very futuristic for the time) flashed just about every warning light in succession constantly, along with warning dings. The final straw was when she sprung a large oil leak. Turns out the oil pan had literally rusted straight through and all that was holding the oil in was a quarter size flake of rust just waiting to fall off. All this occurred over about a month. We put a sign on her for $400obo and washed our hands. NEVER BUY A CANADIAN CAR!

    Most reliable:

    1992 Mazda Miata. Everything worked on that car, including the original AC, at 146k. Ties with the GTI for most fun to drive.

    Honorable Mention:

    1984 VW Rabbit GTI. Owned it for 15 years. After fixing a faulty fuel pump shortly after buying it, she ran great and always started. One of the most fun to drive cars I ever owned. She survived collisions with an early 80s Caprice and a Ford panel van with minimal damage and no injury to me. She did leave me stranded a few times, once only a mile from home when the clutch cable broke and another time when the alternator belt jumped the pulley and got all tied up but both of these was from me being young and not recognizing the issue before it became a big problem. Otherwise, she took me through high school and college like a champ.
    Last edited by Carfreak09; 07-30-2019 at 07:34 AM.

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  9. #27
    ^ Ha - I blew a brake line on my winter beater Metro this spring. Wanna buy a Canadian Metro??

    stranded a few times, once only a mile from home when the clutch cable broke
    I had a bunch of Rabbits that vintage (no GTI though). Also suffered a busted clutch cable, but didn't let it stop me. Switch the engine off, put it in 1st gear, re-start the engine... car lurches to life, and off you go! Clutchless shift to your destination!

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  10. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
    ^ Ha - I blew a brake line on my winter beater Metro this spring. Wanna buy a Canadian Metro??



    I had a bunch of Rabbits that vintage (no GTI though). Also suffered a busted clutch cable, but didn't let it stop me. Switch the engine off, put it in 1st gear, re-start the engine... car lurches to life, and off you go! Clutchless shift to your destination!
    Hell no on the Canadian Metro!! And yea, my sister's bf came and told me the same thing. Since I broke down at a busy stop sign and was only 16, he did the honors for me and started the car in gear and nursed it home. It sure jerks hard when doing that!

  11. #29
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    My most reliable is the 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage - I haven't had to spend a penny of my own money on it yet for repairs, just regular maintenance.

    Least reliable is hard to figure. Nothing sticks out with high owners remorse. My most expensive vehicle I have owned is an F150. I've owned it for 15 years and it has needed plenty of repairs, but it always started when asked, plows my driveway and keeps the Mirage out of the snow and salt in the winter.
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  12. #30
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    Least reliable: 1988 Mercury Tracer. It had a bad wheel bearing (I think) the whole time I owned it and would shake at any speed over 50 MPH, and the alternator died while I was out driving. Despite that, I loved the car (it was the first I bought myself)--I just wish I had known more about cars back then and could have fixed the problems myself.

    Most reliable: 2006 Kia Spectra5 (which I still own). It has had exactly two things go wrong, neither serious: I replaced an O2 sensor at year 8, and the blower motor went out this summer. Both were simple fixes. The original battery lasted 9 years, the original headlights and taillights lasted 10+ years (!), and it's never had any engine or transmission issues. I'm itching to replace it, but it's hard to let go of a car that has been so dependable (and it was the first car I bought brand new).

    (Honorable mention for most reliable goes to my 2016 Soul, but it's only 3.5 years old, and I wouldn't expect anything to go wrong on any car in that timeframe.)



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