Reliable car - urban legend?

[Johnny English]

Just was thinking which one is rather existing reliable car or reliable owner who cares for car. I've heard about "reliable brands" a lot not sure though of theirs existance as irregular oil change or cambelt change strongly influenced the condition of car be it even so called "reliable brand". It is said though that cars from the Far-East are reliable indeed...Miggy is not my first one as I had a lot of different cars, low quality post communist cars included and after a certain period of time every one went to be reliable.

[Sir Tigger KC]

Unreliable owners are a bigger problem than unreliable cars I think! 

[05omegav6]

Some cars don't help themselves though

Generally speaking, the advances in fuelling and ignition over the last twenty years or so mean that engines have become more reliable... Also even if the body work is neglected from new, a car should last at least ten years without dissolving

A new car left unserviced will only mange 30-40k before going bang, so basically, if you look after the car it should last indefinitely

[TheBoy]

Some cars just go on, even when abused.

Most cars I've had have let me down at least once. Striking areas of reliability were my old Rover 25 (fuel pump failure and the "service item" HGF), and my old wedgy Rover 216 (ignitor unit failed). The 216 in particular was quite abused, moreso when I gave it to my brother, as he never serviced it or did anything, and used it as a workhorse/truck when he built his house. Stunning car.

[2boxerdogs]

Recently had a conversation at work , being a child in the late fifties you always saw cars  broken down with bonnets up being "fixed " at the roadside , don't see many now, so yes more reliable now but I still have a soft spot for the old ones especially Zephyrs/Zodiacs

[Kevin Wood]

Recently had a conversation at work , being a child in the late fifties you always saw cars  broken down with bonnets up being "fixed " at the roadside , don't see many now, so yes more reliable now but I still have a soft spot for the old ones especially Zephyrs/Zodiacs

You see quite a lot of BMW / VAG cars on low loaders, though. I guess it's not worth opening the bonnet when one of those breaks, as it's normally not fixable without some obscure part, and it's normally being driven by someone who doesn't know one end of the engine from another. Or someone who has just discovered that run-flat tyres don't.

[cem_devecioglu]

honda accords.. never seen one left on the road , never heard any problem..

[albitz]

Japanese _ Toyota or Honda in particular. Usually boring and characterless,but superbly engineered and built.

[05omegav6]

Japanese _ Toyota or Honda in particular. Usually boring and characterless,but superbly engineered and built.

And where's the fun in that

[cem_devecioglu]

Japanese used to live with minimal requirements..

however if they want they can do ..

niisan 350 z , honda s2000,subaru ,evo  are accessible examples

[05omegav6]

Mechanically interesting, aesthetically beige

[chrisgixer]

Recently had a conversation at work , being a child in the late fifties you always saw cars  broken down with bonnets up being "fixed " at the roadside , don't see many now, so yes more reliable now but I still have a soft spot for the old ones especially Zephyrs/Zodiacs

You see quite a lot of BMW / VAG cars on low loaders, though. I guess it's not worth opening the bonnet when one of those breaks, as it's normally not fixable without some obscure part, and it's normally being driven by someone who doesn't know one end of the engine from another. Or someone who has just discovered that run-flat tyres don't.

Ah yes, the average BMW owner...."but it's got tyre pressure sensors...doesn't the car inflate the tyres automatically?"

So... Is the omega reliable?

I'd say yes. Ignoring the appropriate cam and crank sensors for a minute, and possibly the hbv .... and leaking scuttle and cam covers causing missfires, 2.6 Mafs, TD auto boxes, central locking motors, rusty arches, wishbone bu....

...no its not reliable at all is it.

Apart from crank sensor fault on my cdx, I've never been let down by an omega. Oh, failed alternator x2. And the heated seat fault causing fuse 14(?) to blow and the car to refuse to start. ...apart from those.

Of course, the real difference with the omega is OOF.

[2boxerdogs]

I bought a new Mazda 626 in 2001 ran it for almost 10 years never had 1 problem with it , very reliable but boring as f**k to drive,px'd it for the 2.6.

[Kevin Wood]

I bought a new Mazda 626 in 2001 ran it for almost 10 years never had 1 problem with it , very reliable but boring as f**k to drive,px'd it for the 2.6.

Mrs. KW's MX 5 has only had a coil pack replaced in 135k miles and 13 years. Quite a nice car to drive, as well.

[05omegav6]

A good car for all the right reasons enough of a drivers car to ignore the interior, such as there is, to boot

The Japanese do imitation retro rather well...