the most reliable car you have ever owned

[XP6]

The old mans AP5 was the most reliable car I've ever known, she had 270000 miles on the clock before needing shims because the cam had worn down! never missed a beat or had work on it before that!


The only thing dad ever had to get fixed under warrantee was replace the exhaust manifold(cracking was a common fault) with extractors.

The old 3 on the tree was pretty sloppy tho

[Eldubayu]

ED Sedan with 270K until pest control van side swiped me
EF Sedan with 345K until the transmission disintegrated
AU Sedan with 230K until wife ran up an Audi's backside
Now with BA Wagon with 200K and hoping to get another 100K

I commute 1000 Klms per week so car has to be reliable and comfy ............ So Falcons of course.

[F6E]

My BF II cab-chasis, 3 seater, it's worked hard it's whole life, yet is still rattle and squeak free, auto is smooth, diff is quiet, minimal servicing, yet has never, ever missed a beat or required repairs of any sort...

It joined the 200,000 club last week, which made me feel guilty, so on the weekend I changed the oil and filter ( previously done at 166,000 ) and even washed it !!

What goes wrong with these ? Auto, coil packs ?

Comfort, power ( compared to the Jap tonners ), uber reliable and, if ever required, cheap to repair ....

[deadfish2]

my vz commodore was the best ive had, after skid pan days, track days (that got that hot under the bonett it boiled my battery, but never overheated or burnt oil), towing to much, the odd clutch dumps, and not joke it would atleast hit rev limiter minimum 2 times a day each day over 4 years never let me down,

I moved out west and started comuting at night, the kangaroos started costing to much (1 hit was 4.5k in damage) so i bought a new 2012 bt50 and its been reliable, but has been going back to the dealer for a few issues and still onging with a transmission/engine noise

[ZedTee]

I've only owned falcons so I didn't vote.
But my 6 cyl BA ute copped an absolute flogging (think of what you would call a flogging and times it by 100!) But I did 'melt' a motor at 150,000. Was doing circles in a paddock slightly (very) ****ed and it broke the oil control ring in the 1st cylinder destroying the piston and cylinder bore, otherwise the inside of the engine still looked alright even after I drove the thing 1500k's a week for 3 weeks running on 5 cylinders! The last night I had that engine in that ute I burnt a full tank of fuel (2 hours) cutting hoops in the mud and dirt at 6000 rpm trying to kill it but it wouldn't die! Drove it to the Mechanics the next morning. That morning I videoed it starting ('Ba ute rooted engine' on youtube). The strength of the i6 is awesome! Other than that the diff would keep killing bearings (4 Diffs in 3ish years) which I was not worried about due to the abuse it copped cutting hoops on uneven, rutted, corrugated, generally rough paddocks. It never broke down, never broke anything other than the engine, I have a massive respect for the ba i6. I sold it with 215,000k's on it and I am regretting it! It did so well. I now have a BA XR8 ute, haven't had it long to see if it will cop the abuse the 6 pot did, but at the same time it's already done 237,000k's and I've been driving it hard for the last 22,000k's so hopefully it'll hold up!
Other cars I know of that have done a good job are;
A mates mums Ef Falcon. 4 speed auto, i6 done 550,000k's with no major work other than head gasket done once. Still going.
My good mates '02 diesel Rodeo done about 200,000k's but copped the same amount of abuse as my ol i6 BA did! Still hasn't missed a beat.
My Missus had a VS ute done 380,000 k's but it was stuffed when she got rid of it, copped a bit of abuse along the way too!
My missus before I met her had a VN Wagon that had done 700,000k's when it wore out. She bought it at around 450,000k's. Best 500 Bucks she spent she reckons!
The only lemon I know of is my dad's VZ Acclaim sedan. The 3.6 V6 has done head gaskets, Cam sensors, Timing chains have stretched, ABS doesn't work, Traction Control doesn't work, the radiator filled the auto with coolant, The auto now seems a bit sloppy after that, and when I moved it for him the other day, while riding the brakes at walking speed in drive, the brakes pulsed really hard and fast like the ABS is taking over. All of that and the car has only done 130,000k's. By the way I'm not bagging Holdens, just stating what has happened to it.
Thanks for reading this far! It took me 3 Cans to write all that!

[H.G]

a 1984 Subaru brumby ute and a 2003 Subaru impreza family planner..


both vehicles driven to their deaths hardly missing a beat.. and they say toyotas are unbreakable..

just because they were reliable doesnt mean I liked the vehicles though.. hated the impreza with a passion.. the brumby on the other hand was a beast..

[xr gr8]

Never owned a Toyota in my life nor the cook.
Way too boring for me.
Would have to be a dead heat between my much loved EB s pac which apart from a head gasket ran faultlesly for the 9 years we owned it.
....and our current family car the Terri listed below.
It's just clocked 285,000k and has been bullet proof in every way.
Has not failed us once in six years.
Has not seen a workshop in six years either.
All servicing done at home...by my good self!

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by H.G

a 1984 Subaru brumby ute and a 2003 Subaru impreza family planner..


both vehicles driven to their deaths hardly missing a beat.. and they say toyotas are unbreakable..

just because they were reliable doesnt mean I liked the vehicles though.. hated the impreza with a passion.. the brumby on the other hand was a beast..

Totally agreed, infact i would go as far as to say that my recent experiences with Subaru has been like an automotive awakening.
I've always been a Ford or Holden owner, with the occasional dable in mitsubishi and hyundai.

Ive only ever considered a Subaru once before, a late 90's RX which my missus liked but the salesman mentioned expensive engine rebuilds so i resorted to the easily repairable local and bought a VT Acclaim which proved to be a great car.

Recently my nephew went looking for a xheap hack to learn in.
We stumbled across a 94 Subaru Liberty GX wagon in grey with AWD and auto for $1k.
The words of the salesman were ringing in my ears but i thought for a k, how can you go wrong considering the condition of the Liberty and its features for a mid 90's car.
The 2.2l 100kw motor is surprisingly strong enough for the job.

Well, the car has 380k's on it, has full service history.
From what i can tell iits never had a spanner on it apart from regular Subaru servicing.

I know its a 94 model car, but i cant stop commenting on it when i drive it.

It has definately changed my opinion and i have gained a strong attraction to the third gen Liberty RX sedan and will most proberbly be my next purchase as a second car.

[H.G]

my imprezas biggest expense was the $1000 to get the timing belt done...

plus I am guilty of poor maintenance of the vehicle..mostly because I was flat out being able to afford fuel.. let alone servicing..

although I hated the vehicle with a passion.. it was like that mongrel dog that wants your affection.. it didnt give up on me once.

[OzJavelin]

'03 VY SV8 ... With a caveat. 210,000 km and it's had a tie rod, both strut bushes and an oil pressure sensor replaced by me outside warranty. Inside warranty the original engine was replaced at 80,000km for "excessive gudgeon pin noise" .. Which was noisy for about 30 sec as it warmed up, but never caused any issues, never used any oil and ran hard. It never left me stranded and the engine changeover only took two days so it was no great inconvenience. The "new" engine has been fine .. No issues. I'll keep this car until it reall becomes economically unfeasable.

[WILDB]

99' N15 Pulsar SSS. I bought it from my sister as a runabout as I was doing 120km each day to/from work. The vehicle itself was in excellent shape, it was so dependable and that SR20DE motor was just bulletproof. It never used any oil, would happily rev out to 8,000rpm and all the while got awesome fuel economy.

I sold it to my brother with 255,000km on it after I stopped working where I was as I didn't have the need for another car - he had done another 100,000km in the thing with pretty much no mechanical issues (a couple of weeks ago he managed to kill it by using the wrong oil during an oil change).

The least reliable car I've had title unfortunately goes to my FG XR6T, it was such a fantastic car to drive but the amount of repairs it required was absolutely ridiculous. I sold it with 30,000km on the clock - not before it had seen 3 new diffs fitted (4 diffs been in the car in total), multiple ZF issues, major engine oil leaks, trim issues, suspension issues, electrical problems etc.

[monte.b]

I have had lots of lovely fords and never been let down by one ,started with a xa wagon ,lots of rust but one of the best cruising cars ive ever owned ,then a xb which wasnt as good to drive as the xa i reckon but the rust was improving ,third was a xd wagon ,drove it for 5 yrs and about 450k never even changed the oil ,but it rusted too ,then a zj fairlane ,nice car but it was wiped out in a hail storm ,after that a zl fairlane ,very nice car ,pity the door handles were still a problem ,it caught on fire with my ex wife driving ,she survived ,but the car didnt ,pity really ,i then bought a xh ute ,bloody wonderful ute too ,my first new car ,drove it to 100k without a service and traded it on a ba xr6 ute ,didnt like that much ,traded it on a ba xl ute nice one ,loved it ,now i have got a bf mr2 ute and its a ripper ,just love driving it ,they just keep getting better ,pity we look like losing them

[quirky]

Toyota corolla panelvan 1979 model with a 2t 1600cc engine and 5speed gear box swap back in 1983 performance and reliability great also good economy with fuel. Mods were to suspension and engine with new mags and exhaust, car ran a consistant 17 second 1/4 mile run!

[chevypower]

So took my F150 to have the tyres rotated and a small air leak fixed on one of the tyres. They were trying to show me what all I could get fixed on it, they said the only things that really needed doing was a radiator and tranny flush, but not urgent. I was thinking how reliable that thing was, and how it's the most reliable car I have ever owned. It's got 104,000 miles on it (166,000 kms), and the only mechanical thing wrong with it is a small exhaust leak at the manifold cos I haven't been bothered to fix it. I have not fixed anything mechanical on it - ever! Just normal basic maintenance! Way to go Ford! (I am also the least biased toward any manufacturer). I really ought to change my username though!

[mik]

Originally Posted by XP6

The old mans AP5 was the most reliable car I've ever known, she had 270000 miles on the clock before needing shims because the cam had worn down! never missed a beat or had work on it before that!


The only thing dad ever had to get fixed under warrantee was replace the exhaust manifold(cracking was a common fault) with extractors.

The old 3 on the tree was pretty sloppy tho

The good old AP5, i had one of those(and the manifold fault ) also broke a torsion bar on the way home from work one night just for a bit of fun,
also had a vc and a cm regal, good old cars but that bloody torsion bar suspension, severely annoying going over corrugations, reliable though.

[BA-XT]

1974 FJ-40 Land Cruiser. 1,200,000 km on original bottom end. Been everywhere in Australia and back again. Fuel consumption was horrendous though.... Rolled it 4x4ing :-(

1985 HJ-60 Land Cruiser. 410,000 when I sold it. Barely worn in. Will outlast civilization if maintained. Body was tight as a drum. Hard to go past Toyota.

Lots of GQ Patrols have done the lap too.

[TATT2]

BA 2003 futura, flogged it for the 168.000kms i had it, trips from Bris to darwin towing, never had 1 problem with that car, hope the FG ute is just as good

[Bearman]

My vote went to Valiant!! I had an old VF VIP 318 V8 Auto. Was rusty in the C pillars and was rough in the body but was in superb mechanical condition. Comfy seats too, was a fantastic highway car. That 318 was so smooth you could put a glass of water on the air cleaner and the water would hardly ripple!! Never needed to lay a spanner on it in the 2 years I drove it and it never broke down or gave any trouble. Best $250 I ever spent!!

My top 3:
Valiant VF VIP 318 Auto
Honda Accord Euro, current daily and absolutely faultless.
Ford Falcon XA GS Sedan 250 4speed, another ultra reliable old roughy!!

My 3 worst:
Ford EA Fairmont Ghia, nothing but trouble!! A major POS!!
Ford ED Fairmont Ghia, was great for a while then just fell apart!!
Ford XC Fairmont 302 Auto. Just copped a lemon, all my other X series were pretty good!!

[jpblue1000]

Hold the voting...I read today the world Guinness book of records has listed as, the car having traveled the furthest, as being a 1966 volvo p1800 (over 3 million miles). By the loose definition of reliable used by those of you who replace head gaskets every week or claim a 3 week old car as being the most reliable ever this has to be the most reliable car ever.
And is Volvo even on the list?

JP

[big_landau]

Originally Posted by mik

The good old AP5, i had one of those(and the manifold fault ) also broke a torsion bar on the way home from work one night just for a bit of fun,
also had a vc and a cm regal, good old cars but that bloody torsion bar suspension, severely annoying going over corrugations, reliable though.

you would be supprised how many cars actually have torsion bar front suspension,alot of newer cars have it and people dont even know.never seen anyone break one before so looks like you got braging rights on that

[mik]

Originally Posted by big_landau

you would be supprised how many cars actually have torsion bar front suspension,alot of newer cars have it and people dont even know.never seen anyone break one before so looks like you got braging rights on that

heeheh agreed, i don`t know if it was the old valiant thing but the thump transmitted through the floor on the the vals that was on rough roads was pretty annoying( i remember a trip into northern territory vividly ), really loved my old vc, seemed to have a body that just did`nt rust and stayed dent free with no particular care on my part.
getting a bit nostalgic now i really liked this era of cars, i remember going bush in the vc , and a rear master cylinder failed miles from anywhere, , (this is after i had sold the car to my best mate of the time and he had run it into the ground substantially), all he had in the car was a big pair of pliers and a wheel brace and jack from memory and big ugly looking screw driver(typical of my bud) , we managed to get the offending wheel cylinder out on the side of the road , do a macgyver to it , reinstall and on our way again, we had a big laugh about it later........... ah those where days .

[chookaradley]

Originally Posted by flappist

I once owned a 5 speed manual EA Fairmont Ghia 3.9 MPI. I bought it from Bryan Byrt in 1989.

I drive it almost every day on dirt roads, in mud, through floods, on the highway, on back roads.
I went to buy a new one when it was 3 years but they did not make manuals anymore so I just kept driving it.
I washed it once a year whether it needed it or not and changed the oil when I changed the tyres and just kept diving it.
It would only just do 200km/h so most of the time it was between 120 and 150 except on dirt when I would usually slow to 100 but it was a good car and I just kept driving it.

Unfortunately the aircon failed and need regassing in 1997 and as the the gas I needed was full of clorofluro FnCs it was not worth converting it so after 9 years and over 300,000 km I bought an EL Ghia auto.

I used to see it still getting about but that was over a decade ago so I think has retired.

NOTHING I have ever owned has ever bees as dependable as my old EA.......

EA's can get a lot of hate. Ive owned 2 over the years, both 3.9MPI 5 speed manual 'S' pacs, both were fantastic cars, went like stink, looked good for their time and were reliable

[Moby Vic]

I'm in the camp that has only owned Fords. My most reliable Ford, however, has been my 2001 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (not that my other Fords—all Mustangs—were unreliable).

I factory ordered my PI in 2001. Nearly 12 years and 95,00+ miles later it has never left me stranded, even though I have been driving it daily with a supercharger since 2005. Two years ago, returning from a round trip to Canada, the IAC went out on me in Ohio, but I drove it back to Florida before fixing it. A few days after I returned, one of the COPs died, and even that was an intermittent problem. Since then I've had no mechanical issues.

[Jeddak]

the Territory is working hard to claim top spot in our family but so far our previous car which was a march 88 EA sedan was/is the winner bought with 212,000,went to 400,000 odd and now owned by a retired shearer in Melbourne

[XWmemories]

Ford Festiva (rebadged KIA) bought at 30,000km ex lease car from Rebel Ford and traded at a whopping 365,000km
1x alternator
1x front exhaust pipe
Thats it!!!!!!!
Wished I never got rid of it - never missed a beat.

[MR SOFTY]

Well even tho I have mostly blue blood in me , I would have to say if it counts as a ute lol my 2003 4.2 t/c rv landcruiser ute 160kph full noise with load with a/c on as on my thread , was great even the v8;s cruiser of today is not as bullet proof but close as second too !

[SavVYute]

I've never owned a vehicle that didn't have some sort of problem or annoying niggle.
In saying that though...I've enjoyed 'em all.
Most of the problems over the years have been minor and I've easily fixed.

The problems that have annoyed me most were things that failed that should not have failed (just out of warranty) and cost me big time. Aircon gas leak in a Subaru Liberty (dash out) and diff pinion bearing failure in a Holden ute at 50k (complete o'haul). Thousands of $$$ out of pocket for these.

Most reliable was a little Mazda 1000 ute.