reliable car

[toddy]

hi
my car may have had it, but if it hasnt i will still probilly be looking for another car due to the high milage(120,000)
i have done 60K+ in 2.5 years so i would need a car that is very relibial and that is cheep ish to run(so no 2.5L stuff)

i have been looking at a suzuki samurai lwb and was wondering what poeple think of them, and what is the things to look out for on them
i do like the way they drive, ive played with a completely nackered one off road and god it was fun and great. that one seamed to larst forever, and still going with no door's window's or anything that could be smashed or removed bu chav's, no oil in it and still going strong(i dont own it and i have told him to put more oil in)

and larst question, how easy are they ro repair and get parts for

 

[RustyBus]

Hmm I wouldn't want to do that sort of mileage in a car like that. Don't get me wrong I had a Vitara for 6 years and regularly made trips between Shaftesbury and Luton but you have to be prepared to be blown across the road by side winds, aquaplane in the wet, and not stop as fast as needed some times.
Parts are available for them but there not cheep, if you want cheep parts think ford / vauxhall.

If you are looking for reliability get a lexus. Mine's 10 years old now 140,000 miles with not a lot replaced (2 ball joints, 2 coil packs, and rear shocks). They're not cheap when they do brake, the pair of coil packs were £240.

Cost of insurance is also a consideration, I don't know how old you are but the first car I was going to buy at 21 years old was a golf syncro for £3600, insurance was £4000.

Do lots of research and try and find an owners club if you can.

Arran

 

[Wozzaaah]

i have done 60K+ in 2.5 years so i would need a car that is very relibial and that is cheep ish to run(so no 2.5L stuff)

i have been looking at a suzuki samurai lwb and was wondering what poeple think of them, and what is the things to look out for on them

I couldn't imagine doing that sort of mileage in one of them, you'd have no cartilage left after 60000 miles!
They're great fun but absolutely no way could you drive them long distances comfortably.
You need to be looking Golf, Polo, 206, something like that. Small, nippy, fun and won't cost you the earth in chiropractor fees.

 

[toddy]

well i wont be doing that much now, the longest i will be about 100ish miles.
and being blown across the road i am allready used to that. i have got a vauxhall agila at the mo, i do love it but it is now braking, and it could be the gearbox, and it will be about 500+ for the parts, then i have to remove half the car to get it out.
the part is comming tomorrow to find out if it is something in the gear box or if it was just the seal


and i do some offroading im my cars from when i go riding, so that is when the suzuki would be very handy, and it should hopefully larst alot longer. when you start to slide down the carpark in the places i go it is when it is fun.

i once slided down the driveway, with my mate in his m3 behind me

and as for insurance 23 wih 3y no claims, my agila is 600 3rd party and the suzuki would be 350 fully compted. and most of the driving will be done down a road where most of he trafic is 44t lorrys so i want something big and i only have about 1.5k to play with.

and the suzuki has done about 70k and is 1.5k(or they want)

and there is a few suzuki owners clubs around, and as for parts they seam to go cheepenough, unless there is some parts that go faster than others, was told that rust is the worst

 

[Highway_Star]

From my experience if you want reliability at a reasonable price, then buy Toyota. As a family we're on 6th Toyoto vehicle, most of them last 20 years easily without anything beyond service and normal wear parts. The last one that went to meet the crusher was 22 years old, nearly 200,000 miles and still running quietly, smoothly and reliably. It was only the cost of 2 tyres, shocks and brakes with a chance on buying a 4 year old Corolla for sweeties that sent it to be turned into cans.

My company Fords have been so-so, out of 5, 2 had breakdowns, all under 2 years old.

Reliability is not a word that Land Rover could spell!

 

[NTwoO]

Odds are that I'll get grilled for this suggestion, but I would recommend a Citroen. Go for something like a ZX, a saxo, a xsara or even a Xantia. The ZX is very similar to a 306 ph1 peugeot, but easily half the price. It is less the case for saxo/106 or xsara/306. A Xantia is similar to the 406, but far cheaper. My first Xant was a 1.8 with 400Mm on the clock (that is round 250k miles.) I had the top off and the motor had absolutely no ridge! Never saw anything like it! It never broke down and the Xant rarely rusts. The Xant is also known as the Toyota of the HP citroens. Here in NL I once spoke an ANWB truck driver (the equivalent of the AA). He said the Never see a Xantia on the back of the tow truck. I own a 3.0 V6 with Activa because I only do about 7Mm a year (cycle to work), but I recommend a 1.8 16v. They are reasonably efficient and problem free.

 

[pedrobedro]

If you want something reliable go for Japanese, Toyota are the most renowned for their reliability as above but the Koreans are pretty good these days as well and prices are decent for Hyundai and Kia cars.

 

[Hitch]

Pug/Citroen diesel powered.... im on my third one now. Love em. Had one with 146k on it and started and drove perfect every time. Still going now, 4 yrs since i sold it.

 

[hareng]

most of the driving will be done down a road where most of he trafic is 44t lorrys

Wouldnt advise one of them then, you want something to keep up with em.
Pain, get held up every morning by a geeza in one of them and 14 mile left to go.

Diesel engines the way to go if on a run. Cut my mileage down this year, now 78k in 3 1/2 years, its the wear and tare that costs over time!
No ****** or Korean automotive product at the moment is any good, quite the opposite, give em another 20 years.
Tow a trailer i used to, even pulled the late John Bonham out who got stuck in a yank 4wd beast, so know the score. Wouldnt rule out a saloon 4wd car across fields etc and still got comfort for day use.

 

[NTwoO]

If you want something reliable go for Japanese, Toyota are the most renowned for their reliability as above but the Koreans are pretty good these days as well and prices are decent for Hyundai and Kia cars.

The jap cars are reliable, but the engines can sometimes be unimpressive in their wear. They also tend to rust. Furthermore their reputation for being reliable is well known and thus you pay the premium. With Cit, you get the reliability that is known from the pug products, but thanks to TGear their reputation is absolutely ruined, so the prices are great!! It is definitely in the class "best bang for your buck". I think the newer Alfa's will also approach this, although they tend to have problems with iron lice as well.

 

[toddy]

Wouldnt advise one of them then, you want something to keep up with em.
Pain, get held up every morning by a geeza in one of them and 14 mile left to go.

well since they are only doing 40mph i think most cars would be able
we have a 12 mile road with avage apeed camra's all the way down it

 

[Wedg1e]

Another vote for a Xantia from me! Ex-wife had one, mate has had two. Masses of space in the rear seat, unusual in a modern car.
Later ones don't pump themselves up and down anymore, there's a restrictor to stop the spheres bleeding down (so I'm told).
French diesels in general are bloody good; had a '90 Pug 309 GRDT that had 120K plus on when we bought it. Last I heard it had done over 200K and had only oil and a timing belt since we sold it.

 

[pedrobedro]

No ****** or Korean automotive product at the moment is any good, quite the opposite, give em another 20 years.

I've got a Kia that's done 75,000 miles and only had oil and filters and my friend just sold a Hyundai with 140,000 with the same. 200,000 from a Toyota doesn't sound like Japanese engine wear problems and all the taxis round here are Nissans, they love unreliable motors those taxi drivers. Alfas are my favourite cars NtwoO but they will never sell on reliability while Italians are wiring them up Citroen and Peugeot along with Toyota Aygo are built in the same factory on the same floor pans.

 

[dean0]

I bought a rover 200 diesel for 400 quid. It's got nearly 150K miles on it but still runs really well. It's pretty comfortable too and does around 48 mpg. I've been using it for auto testing too so it doesn't have an easy life. It's a 1.9 intercooled diesel (about 110 hp) so not too bad in a light(ish) car.

 

[DaveCool]

Another toyota vote from me.
I've had mine 10 years now. Do the servicing myself, coming up to 300k now and so far I've had to change 2 headlight bulbs...

It is reliable, well built and rust is not a problem anymore. p.s. I don't work for toyota

 

[Matt the sign]

Sounds to me that you've already decided what you want .....

 

[toddy]

well i have but i havnt
i need a car under 1.5k and that the insurance would be about 500 a year. and most cars that people surgest to me are quite a bit more insurance for me.

i would loke another agila but they are about 2kish and i carnt strech that far

if i get a job it will all change but i am having loads of trouble with that. no one in the uk wants to employ a 23yr old asme ix tig/mma welder

 

[pedrobedro]

Lots of Agilas on autotrader under £1500, why not fix the one you have if you like it ? The parts are common to Corsa so aren't that expensive, I had my daughter's car in bits, head skimmed and new gaskets + timing belt etc. for under £200 only took a couple of days pottering about a bit at a time probably 3 hours in all.

 

[toddy]

well i have been quoted 500ish for a gearbox, they are special ones due to the size( not the same as corsa) for the seal i need it is needing to be specially orered for me, now going to be next week. and then if i did get a new box i would have to remove the front of the car to get it out and i have no hoist etc for that. and no way of getting one, the nearest garage is about 12 miles away so i am screwed if it is anything else.

and i know there is a few agilas around, but i would want one with 50-60k done, and they arnt that cheep

my mate(owns a garage in west london) knows some one with a suzuki vitara for sale at about 500ish so we will be inquiring about that.

and i have looked at toyota's and that, but for one with space is too expencive. as my bike comes in the car with me(too expencive to strap it on to the bk, and too heavy)

 

[MrFluffy]

Never had a samurai, but ive had shoguns etc, and currently have a landrover defender (but wouldnt describe it as exactly reliable without continued attention) and the one big thing that puts me off japanese offroads is the price of bits. To do the timing/pump chain on my shogun with dealer parts was nearly 500 quid on the parts alone, and it was a every 3rd service thing officially. And lots of other parts i priced up were astronomical. So if your gambling that you can get a good enough one that it'll never go wrong thats brilliant, but I think it will bite you when it does. I also get nervous remembering a friends del sol honda, that went to three different japanese specialists for fi and cam control position problems and had thousands spent on it in replacement ecu's etc, and was never fixed...

I think the french diesels are some of the best in the world too. Although my renault master (yes the old slab shaped one that the driveshafts explode into pieces at 30,000 miles if you listen to the naysayers) currently has the odometer stuck on 254,000. Whats more impressive is that it hasnt worked since I got the van, and for a while I was using it every few months for trips between the uk and france let alone out and about stuff and during 5 years so far Ive changed the diesel and oil filters three times, and bought it a new tyre. I must like them because its the fourth of the same model Ive owned...

Wonder if Ill get lynched if I stick the engine in place of the crappy td in the landy when it dies next...