Vehicles that retain quality after 8-10 years

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Originally Posted By: madRiver
Skip any economy or smaller car. They have to cut corners and also the lower quality ride seems to rattle them apart as they age.

Mid size and up seem to hold together better. Even "quality" brands like Toyota, Honda smaller offerings feel like tin cans after 10 years vs the larger counter part. (Eg Corolla vs Camry , civic vs accord, focus vs fusion etc)


My 2007 MS3 was tight and rattle-free at 8 years and 158,000 miles. It looked like new as well.
 
My 06 Mazda 3 feels pretty much the same as it did when I bought it new. I did change the front wheel bearings and struts though.
There are no rattles in the cabin and it still has that "tight" feeling to it.
The only thing right now that spoils the driving experience are the old, worn out tires that make lots of noise.
 
I still love driving my '07 VW Jetta 2.0T.
Still tight and handles great.
The leatherette interior has aged very, very well and the dash still looks as good as the day I bought it. Paint has held up very well and when I detail it, I still get comments on how good the car looks, which is pretty cool for a 9/10year old daily driver. I must say VW black has a good bling factor going for it.
The car only has 165,000 KMS/ 103,000 miles, which I'm sure also helps.
 
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
BMW... also stays looking classy. Something about beemers and 'cedes they age well as far as styling goes. Ten yr old beemer still looks classy.
So do the repair bills.


A lot of people think that, but you have to research the model you buy. My Mercedes is at 8 years and it's pretty solid. Still a quiet and smooth ride. Parts are 2-3x what domestic cars are at, but I haven't had any major repairs. It's probably more like 1.5-2x what import parts are like. Aftermarket stuff can be just as cheap as other car brands, it's just that for certain parts, you can only get OEM. Still has that solid thunk when you close the door, it's what a solid sounding door closing is supposed to sound like, no rattles. When they're around 3-4 years old, they cost as much as a new car from a regular brand. Plus you can get extended or CPO warranties for an extra 3 years, the standard warranty is 4 years, 50k.
 
BMW, Mercedes or Audi if you want a vehicle that will retain quality for a long time. Not only they are built well but you will baby them for a long time -- each time you remember the $20k+ you spent on a 2-3 year old car
lol.gif
you will wash and detail it.
 
Originally Posted By: Alfred_B
BMW, Mercedes or Audi if you want a vehicle that will retain quality for a long time. Not only they are built well but you will baby them for a long time -- each time you remember the $20k+ you spent on a 2-3 year old car
lol.gif
you will wash and detail it.


Funny, my next purchase will be 7ish years old an $30-35k!
 
So we have Buick, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Mazda (a few times), VW, Lincoln, and a Dodge Charger mentioned.

Seems like in general you get what you pay for!
 
Originally Posted By: NateDN10
So I'm looking for your experiences - what cars have you had for 8-10 years that still felt solid? Mileage plays a role as well, so younger examples with 150 to 200,000 miles are also welcome.

Thanks!

Any German car will lasted 10-15 years given that you do proper maintenance and repair, and this will cost you plenty.

A car that can lasted 10-20 years with fairly low maintenance and repair is Lexus.

Maintenance of German cars is not much higher than Lexus, but repair cost will be a lot more to keep it running after 8-10 years and 100-150k miles.
 
Our Cobalt has 305,000 miles on it.

Last year, I replaced the steering rack, tie rod ends, and the connecting joint between the rack and steering wheel (I forget the proper term for this). The joint was worn out. After this, the car drives like new.

Suspension feels wallowy most likely because of worn control arm bushings, ball joints, and struts/shocks.

But to answer your question, hard to go wrong with a Lexus or BMW if you want a quality feel for long term. Mercedes used to be like this, but I'm unfamiliar with the newer models and how well they are aging.

These very things that are causing your Cobalt to feel old, however, are all wear items. Regardless of the car, some of these will have to be addressed during a 10 year ownership period.
 
Quote:
Vehicles that retain quality after 8-10 years


Toyota for sure. Honda at one time, not sure about these days.

Mazda is getting there and close....
 
My daily driver is an 84 Civic wagon purchased new. I'll consider replacing it as soon as maintenance becomes a problem. I put 10 to 15K miles a year on it. The worst mileage is 37mpg and the best is 41mpg and depending on the cith/highway mix of driving.

This car would not be considered acceptable to most young drivers today because of no air bags, manual transmission, no power steering, no ABS or any kind of computer aided controls, no blue tooth, manual windows and door locks, no fuel injection, no computer engine controls or variable valve timing, no oil change monitor, manual seat adjustments, no heated/cooled seats even though it has a/c but without dual control climate zones, no lane departure warning system and no cruise control and you have to manually turn off the headlights.
 
My Camry runs like new. The car itself isn't in all that great of shape due to a few minor mishaps, but they are all physical. The only issues are the sway bar links.

Moms Grand Prix runs good as well, but there are numerous squeaks that have been there since ~20K. The car has had numerous replaced parts over time. GMs quality is not a good point. However the car is still rock solid (chassis).

Out of all my family's vehicles, the Toyotas have been the most reliable by far. The Hondas all have build quality issues and other issues. My dads Subaru was as tight as a drum, until the engine blew at 190K. In the end all cars have their issues, but as long as you maintain them the car will serve you well.
 
I would agree with respect to Mazda. My Protegé5 is starting to show signs of rust after 13 years and 203k miles on the road. I figure it's got 2 or 3 more years before I'll let it go.

No perforated panels yet, but soon, very soon.

Originally Posted By: spavel6
Agreed on MB, BMW, VW.

Not so much on Audi, Mazda (rust being the major culprit), Buick, Lincoln
 
Originally Posted By: Wolf359


A lot of people think that, but you have to research the model you buy. My Mercedes is at 8 years and it's pretty solid. Still a quiet and smooth ride. Parts are 2-3x what domestic cars are at, but I haven't had any major repairs. It's probably more like 1.5-2x what import parts are like. Aftermarket stuff can be just as cheap as other car brands, it's just that for certain parts, you can only get OEM. Still has that solid thunk when you close the door, it's what a solid sounding door closing is supposed to sound like, no rattles. When they're around 3-4 years old, they cost as much as a new car from a regular brand. Plus you can get extended or CPO warranties for an extra 3 years, the standard warranty is 4 years, 50k.


I agree; a 3 Series or C Class will usually be relatively inexpensive to run- especially compared to a 7er or S Class.
 
My Dad still have his first truck, a Mazda B1600 1976 model. My bother replaced the engine but the tranny is still original.

I would love to give it to Mazda so the engineers can have a look at it.

Mileage about 1 000 000 miles maybe more, he drove a lot.
But at 80 yrs old not much anymore.
 
My Rams look like new after 10 years on the road.

My Roadmaster looks like new after 20 years on the road.

UD/Nissan truck still looks and drives like new after 10 years.

My NPRs are a mixed bag of nuts (and I do mean nuts), but most are like new.

Chevy Expresses have held up incredibly well. only one I have that looks like dood has well over 450k miles on it.
 
I forgot to mentioned my 03 Ford Focus that I bought used and sold last year. I don't know how it drove when brand new, but when I got it at 9 years old and about 85k miles, it felt pretty good and tight. There were no squeaks or rattles and every option/accessory on the car worked fine until I sold it. Rust however was starting to get it.
 
Originally Posted By: NateDN10
So we have Buick, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Mazda (a few times), VW, Lincoln, and a Dodge Charger mentioned.

Seems like in general you get what you pay for!


Get a 2011-2013 Honda Fit or 2010-2011 Honda Civic. Both pretty solid vehicles.
 
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