It currently has 147k miles on it; it had @144k in early 2018 when the pictures were taken. I drive it more often now that I’m working on a regular schedule. I try to drive it at least once or twice a week to work and/or dinner.
Car brand that burned you so bad on reliability you'd never buy again?
- Thread starter Speak2Mountain
- Start date
It currently has 147k miles on it; it had @144k in early 2018 when the pictures were taken. I drive it more often now that I’m working on a regular schedule. I try to drive it at least once or twice a week to work and/or dinner.
Ford. My wife bought a 2014 Ford Fiesta and then Lemoned it and upgraded to a 2016 Ford Focus just to have the same shoddy tranny. My biggest problem with Ford is they sell the same problem through the whole product life cycle. I.E. the Focus. Tranny had issues from 2012 through 2019. How can you sell something so bad and not change it for so long? We had dodges that had problems but Dodge redesigns what goes bad or discountes that combination.
I had a 1989 Ford Escort GT that never ran right from the day I bought it (used in 1993). The engine would randomly buck, sputter, and sometimes stall at random times. I probably threw $1500 in minor fixes at that car to no avail. And, the paint started to "crack" in this weird snowflaky way about a year after I bought it. Ironically, my wife had a Mercury Tracer LTS when we got married - I think it was a 1992 MY - that was just a dead reliable little car. However, I think it may have been blessed with a Mazda motor instead of the Ford POS.
Since then, we've really been fortunate to have mostly trouble-free cars. I had a 2005 Ford F350 with the dreaded 6.0L diesel that had a few problems early on, including new head gaskets, but after that, it gave me around 160k of reliable miles. We've had 2 Honda Odysseys with weak-ish transmissions that never failed, a Honda Pilot that was basically bullet-proof, a 2003 Suburban that was stupid reliable. I even bought a brand-new 1996 Ford Contour to replace that crappy Escort and it turned out to be a great car. It had a 2.5L V6 mated to a 5-speed manual. It was a hoot to drive and never gave me any trouble.
In fact, I'm in the camp that most cars nowadays are fairly reliable, with a few mishaps here and there (looking at you Hyundai and the Theta II).
Since then, we've really been fortunate to have mostly trouble-free cars. I had a 2005 Ford F350 with the dreaded 6.0L diesel that had a few problems early on, including new head gaskets, but after that, it gave me around 160k of reliable miles. We've had 2 Honda Odysseys with weak-ish transmissions that never failed, a Honda Pilot that was basically bullet-proof, a 2003 Suburban that was stupid reliable. I even bought a brand-new 1996 Ford Contour to replace that crappy Escort and it turned out to be a great car. It had a 2.5L V6 mated to a 5-speed manual. It was a hoot to drive and never gave me any trouble.
In fact, I'm in the camp that most cars nowadays are fairly reliable, with a few mishaps here and there (looking at you Hyundai and the Theta II).
Toyota Hybrid or any Hybrid. I will say my 2010 Prius has been a great car but after having to buy a new Hybrid battery at 78K miles I'll never make that mistake again. Plus all I have to do is take a good look around and realize many others feel the same way. When I bought mine through say 2016-2017 it was almost impossible to not see a Prius driving past you every few minutes it seemed.
Today I'm lucky to see one every few days.
Today I'm lucky to see one every few days.
Volkswagen and Chrysler/Dodge.
Never again on either one.
Never again on either one.
Nissan
Ford Fiesta total piece of crap. 6 speed duel clutch failed every 25,000 miles, total failure and was going out for the 5th time when we traded, door latches broke so the doors wouldn't shut had to ratchet strap them shut. Gas fill was cap-less and the flapper inside stuck shut so you couldn't add fuel. Even with the transmission fixed the car lurched and bucked bad. Ours was a 2011 and they were still selling that junk up until the last car.
Grandpa bought a Model T waaay back when, Dad was Ford and so was I until this. Never again.
Grandpa bought a Model T waaay back when, Dad was Ford and so was I until this. Never again.
Hyundai, and I guess Kia since they are sisters. Bought my wife an 08 Santa Fe in 2011. It was great for the first 30k, then a pile.
Chevy is almost there for me as well. Always owned Chevy trucks. I've had one of every body style from the OBS up to the K2xx. Every single one had transmission problems. 700r4, 4L60, 6L80 all failed on me. That was 6 trucks in a row. Either it's me or it's them that's the problem...possibly a mix of both.
Chevy is almost there for me as well. Always owned Chevy trucks. I've had one of every body style from the OBS up to the K2xx. Every single one had transmission problems. 700r4, 4L60, 6L80 all failed on me. That was 6 trucks in a row. Either it's me or it's them that's the problem...possibly a mix of both.
Hyundai, my mom had an 04 Elantra, paint evaporated in two years constant electrical issues, rented a Santa Fe on a trip where I flew in to Texas to buy a Tucson. The rental Santa Fe had awful paintwork and broke down on the side of the road with an electrical issue. The Tucson, broke down on my 1200 mile drive home the fuse box smoking like Fidel Castro, returned it to Carmax and swore off the brand.
It's the cheap plastic in the HVAC box that worries me more. Having to pull the dash to pull the HVAC box because of broken plastic (or stripped gears), and now on some vehicles, you have to remove the doors to remove bolts that hold in the dash.
I would say turned off, Volkswagen. Had a 94 Jetta that drove phenomenally and was very comfortable and nice. I just didn't like working on it, especially the cooling system. I believe it blew a head gasket, or it had an esoteric bleeding thing I could never figure out. I had the bumper and everything off to replace the radiator (whole front end has to come off for the radiator...) and went overseas, and then when I got back gave the car to a teenager for free with it all apart. (Kinda dumb decision on my end...) My sister had a similar 2.0 engined Beetle from 99 that had a bad water pump, and maybe a bad headgasket. It was built a lot worse than my Jetta, headliner sagged, etc, and had less miles. The main thing wasn't intrinsic reliability, just them being hard to work on. Thermostat is at least a 1 hour or more job getting under the car (or maybe 3-4 your first time) whereas on most Japanese and American cars it's on top of the engine and is about 10-15 minutes or so.
One weird brand that I had oddly good success with from a price to longevity ratio was a 1997 Mitsubishi Galant, an auto 2.4. At the end of its life it ended up blocking the radiator's relief tube, and I needlessly did a head gasket/etc when it just needed a new radiator from likely some idiot putting stop leak in or too much casting sand being left behind (probably casting sand.) We got it at 78K for only $1500, and I kept it 6 years and put about 50K on it. The only repairs until the head gasket debacle were minor things like tie rod ends, one $30 junkyard MAF, that sort of thing that only took an hour or two and not much cash.
Weirdly what may have killed it was I ran a synthetic blend diesel oil for a couple of OCIs, when I used to be cheap and just run Supertech conventional and a NAPA Gold filter. When I pulled the head it had only light varnish on Supertech conventional changed usually at 5-6K. With Supertech conventional it was barely using any oil, I think at most I topped it off half a quart between changes. After 1-2 OCIs with the synthetic diesel oil I developed a huge front main seal leak that leaked about 1-2 quarts every 5-10 miles. I can't say for sure it's that, but I can't help but suspect it.
Another brand with weird reliability for me has been Ford. As kids I don't remember a ton, though my family's always driven Fords (we had a 89 Taurus, 94 Taurus, 98 Windstar, 97 Taurus Wagon) but I learned to drive in a 2001 Taurus, and it really had a lot of issues. My high school friend's 1999 Mercury Sable was a lot better built and had disc brakes in back, which I found odd. The Taurus wasn't absolutely terrible, but having owned it similar mileage as my mom's 06 Five Hundred, the Five Hundred held up way better. It's got bad suspension and tie rods now at about 160K, but the Taurus at 130K was shifting terrible, went through two serpentine belts, a tensioner, and an alternator, and the rear springs had straight out broken and cut a tire. AC was relying on stopleak to work, and coolant had stopleak added every year by my mom. By comparison the only things I've even done to the Five Hundred in the 100K we owned it were one drive by wire throttle body, AC check valve and receiver dryer, and the spark plugs and coils at 150K, which my mom refused to change until the car started running on 5 cylinders. The only weird upside to the 2001 Taurus was it used almost no oil between changes, whereas the Duratec's been using a quart every 1500 miles or so with MC Semi-Synthetic 5w20. That said, the Five Hundred has been an absolute tank compared to Taurus. Even the CVT is still seemingly doing well. I recently got a 2.3 2007 Fusion with a manual, and I'm hoping for the best with it.
One weird brand that I had oddly good success with from a price to longevity ratio was a 1997 Mitsubishi Galant, an auto 2.4. At the end of its life it ended up blocking the radiator's relief tube, and I needlessly did a head gasket/etc when it just needed a new radiator from likely some idiot putting stop leak in or too much casting sand being left behind (probably casting sand.) We got it at 78K for only $1500, and I kept it 6 years and put about 50K on it. The only repairs until the head gasket debacle were minor things like tie rod ends, one $30 junkyard MAF, that sort of thing that only took an hour or two and not much cash.
Weirdly what may have killed it was I ran a synthetic blend diesel oil for a couple of OCIs, when I used to be cheap and just run Supertech conventional and a NAPA Gold filter. When I pulled the head it had only light varnish on Supertech conventional changed usually at 5-6K. With Supertech conventional it was barely using any oil, I think at most I topped it off half a quart between changes. After 1-2 OCIs with the synthetic diesel oil I developed a huge front main seal leak that leaked about 1-2 quarts every 5-10 miles. I can't say for sure it's that, but I can't help but suspect it.
Another brand with weird reliability for me has been Ford. As kids I don't remember a ton, though my family's always driven Fords (we had a 89 Taurus, 94 Taurus, 98 Windstar, 97 Taurus Wagon) but I learned to drive in a 2001 Taurus, and it really had a lot of issues. My high school friend's 1999 Mercury Sable was a lot better built and had disc brakes in back, which I found odd. The Taurus wasn't absolutely terrible, but having owned it similar mileage as my mom's 06 Five Hundred, the Five Hundred held up way better. It's got bad suspension and tie rods now at about 160K, but the Taurus at 130K was shifting terrible, went through two serpentine belts, a tensioner, and an alternator, and the rear springs had straight out broken and cut a tire. AC was relying on stopleak to work, and coolant had stopleak added every year by my mom. By comparison the only things I've even done to the Five Hundred in the 100K we owned it were one drive by wire throttle body, AC check valve and receiver dryer, and the spark plugs and coils at 150K, which my mom refused to change until the car started running on 5 cylinders. The only weird upside to the 2001 Taurus was it used almost no oil between changes, whereas the Duratec's been using a quart every 1500 miles or so with MC Semi-Synthetic 5w20. That said, the Five Hundred has been an absolute tank compared to Taurus. Even the CVT is still seemingly doing well. I recently got a 2.3 2007 Fusion with a manual, and I'm hoping for the best with it.
When growing up, any GM product my parents owned had major electrical issues that were unsolvable. I was always riding in them!
-A few 1980's motor homes that could NEVER complete a trip without them stalling out on the road for some kind ignition system problem. Too young to know the story, but the 440 dodge chassis that replaced them were tanks (other than a float that flooded).
-1985 suburban, massive flame and backfire everytime you let your foot off the gas, but only on the highway. Every electrical part was replaced and would always fix the problem for a few months then back at it again.
-1989 Astro Van - Dash, gas guage, parasitic draw, grounds corroded off the termination points. You would loose all power to the locks and windows constantly. All was able to be fixed but the wiring for the fuel guage could never be fixed.
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1992 Caprice - This was the worst. Electrical engine surge and TC lockup issue that was never able to be fixed by any mechanic or future owners. I honestly think two wires were rubbing somewhere.
-1999 GMC Topkick tilt bed with CAT 3116. Could not keep blower motor wiring harness in the thing. They would melt down in months. New motors, new speed controllers, and new relays. It was not until we rewired by hand with heavy wire that the problem resolved.
-2001 Chevy Crapalier - body and paint was nice, and upolstery was just as nice. Every single thing went wrong.
-2016 GMC Sierra 2500 - Was going to purchase for 11k back in early 2019, which I thought was a steal. Not gunna lie, the body style and interior drew me in, as well as condition. Every service light was on and it had no power steering. They put in new modules, and could not get them to communicate. They repaired the connectors stating the "wiring fell apart from road salt" and that is when I aborted the sale. I dont care if you soak a new wiring harness in direct road salt, it should NEVER fail in 3 yrs. 24 years then yes.
-A few 1980's motor homes that could NEVER complete a trip without them stalling out on the road for some kind ignition system problem. Too young to know the story, but the 440 dodge chassis that replaced them were tanks (other than a float that flooded).
-1985 suburban, massive flame and backfire everytime you let your foot off the gas, but only on the highway. Every electrical part was replaced and would always fix the problem for a few months then back at it again.
-1989 Astro Van - Dash, gas guage, parasitic draw, grounds corroded off the termination points. You would loose all power to the locks and windows constantly. All was able to be fixed but the wiring for the fuel guage could never be fixed.
-
1992 Caprice - This was the worst. Electrical engine surge and TC lockup issue that was never able to be fixed by any mechanic or future owners. I honestly think two wires were rubbing somewhere.
-1999 GMC Topkick tilt bed with CAT 3116. Could not keep blower motor wiring harness in the thing. They would melt down in months. New motors, new speed controllers, and new relays. It was not until we rewired by hand with heavy wire that the problem resolved.
-2001 Chevy Crapalier - body and paint was nice, and upolstery was just as nice. Every single thing went wrong.
-2016 GMC Sierra 2500 - Was going to purchase for 11k back in early 2019, which I thought was a steal. Not gunna lie, the body style and interior drew me in, as well as condition. Every service light was on and it had no power steering. They put in new modules, and could not get them to communicate. They repaired the connectors stating the "wiring fell apart from road salt" and that is when I aborted the sale. I dont care if you soak a new wiring harness in direct road salt, it should NEVER fail in 3 yrs. 24 years then yes.
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2011
- Messages
- 5,061
Overall I have had what I'd consider good experiences. My 2 negatives were with Chevy products. Chevy Z IIRC 1983 with CrossFire injection. The CPU would crash and require replacement about every 10 months. Distrib contacts did not last long at all either and nor did the plugs. Those were PITA items but easy repairs for a kid. And it had T-Tops and a cranking stereo. That's all that really mattered then. The memories! Second was a Chevy Blazer IIRC 1989. Loved that vehicle. I picked it up with 80k and whoever had it abused it. I made it last with 3k OCI and new filter. She had some sludge I was able to clean up. But again, distrib was an often issue. But the front end even after replacement was in constant need of repair. the trans/diffs/trans case were solid though.
Being the only kid and no dad I was the one who steered mom to new vehicles. First was a Chevy Celebrity with the old Iron 4! That engine is up there with the Camry 4 that you just couldn't kill. Rare anything went wrong with that car. Next was a 3.8 Series II Buick LeSabre. What a boat! Never an issue witht hat car either. If it weren't for Celebrity and LeSabre I'd probably have a skewed mind toward GM products.
Does Dorman parts count?
-1985 Suburban.......Faulty Smog Pump Diverter Valve/s would cause that, My 85 C20 Suburban had dual Smog Pumps & would do that when one of the Diverter failed (Sounded like a 12 gauge shotgun), Never any electrical issues other than the Wiper Delay Module giving up after 25 years.
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- Sep 19, 2020
- Messages
- 166
Ford Taurus. Probably 1996ish? The dealer eventually replaced the entire cooling system, then the warranty ran out and they didn't want to keep working on it. Literally anything the coolant touched turned to trash. We got lucky when my sister totaled it. The funny thing about that car is when I met my wife, her family also had a Taurus story. Those cars are legendary at being ****ty. The ones you see on the road today are probably really good cars, considering they've survived this long.
