the most reliable car you have ever owned

[Trevor 57]

The most reliable car I have ever owned was a 1989 Ford Maverick TD42, I probably should have ticked Nissan coz it really was a Patrol, but what the hell it had Ford badges, we had it for 18 odd years and never had to repair anything on it other than routine maintenance and a few small repairs.

[SSD-85]

Well I have only really ever owned Fords, so the most reliable out of them ive owned would have to be my old 99 AU Forte. Indestructible.

[GTP534]

I've had a good run with Fords and Nissans and a Sigma GSR over the years. "Least reliable" would have more meaning for me and that was an EA Falcon S 3.9 MPI 5-Speed manual; still stuck with Ford after it though!

[nb_351]

My ba ghia I have had since 2005, nothing wrong with it at all
Maybe the fuel bill compensates for that haha
And n13 pulsar was a great runaround car too lasted a couple of years with no hassles whatsoever

[DJR-351]

Landcruiser.....

Bought my first one in 1980 and have had one every day since, 8 of them through 6 different models, all diesel.....any major issues caused by their overly abusive owner....

[revcore]

My old 94 ED Falcon was another reliable car that I've owned. The only things that went wrong with it were the fuel pump, front left wheel bearing and a power steering belt.
Sometimes I wish I still had it.

[Wretched]

My old Holden Barina (Suzuki Swift) was the most reliable car I ever owned.
Had it for 5 years and had no problems with it ever.

[revcore]

Originally Posted by Wretched

My old Holden Barina (Suzuki Swift) was the most reliable car I ever owned.
Had it for 5 years and had no problems with it ever.

Agree 100%. My girlfriends aunty had the Suzuki Swift version of the Barina and she had it for years and drove everywhere in it...Ran on the smell of an oily rag and never once let her down.

[ryeman]

Daihatsu Charade ....remember seeing 5th Gears Butler-Henderson FLOGGING a poor Charade around a dirt track. Full throttle in first gear for something like an hour ....valve bounce and never backing off....idled sweet as after...

[Powdered Toast Man]

Voted Ford but my results are probably a bit skewed since I have only ever owned Fords.

But of my cars my BA has been by far the most reliable. No breakdowns or mechanical breakages in 6.5 years / 145000kms. Its also been the newest and lowest kay car though so....

My mums Magnas have been pretty good.

[Professor Farnsworth]

Magnas are /almost/ unbreakable

[Gadgetman]

1997 EL XR8 Manual Sedan. Why the hell did I sell this car. Never gave me the silghtest hint of grief.

[supershifty]

This thread really made me think how lucky I've been with cars. I've never had a lemon. The bulk of my cars have been older Falcon 6's purchased at between 5 and 10 years old in very good condition, I can't say that any of them were more reliable than the other, they were all good. Apart from routine maintenance and acceptable wear and tear on parts they were all turn key and go. Alike everyone else I've been left stranded with dead batteries/blown hoses/fan belts - that's just par for the course.

My Fords have been faithful to me, and I've been loyal to the brand in return.

To give my vote to one particular car it would have to be my XF which I've owned since 1993, it's bulletproof! She's failed to start twice: 1) starter solenoid 2) ignition module.

Go the Fords - Hell yeah!

Cheers!

[dmat2391]

my first car with my mrs was a ford laser 1994 kh model, bought it as a 2yr old car with 126 000 kms on the clock. Obviously a cheap car but a basic 5 speed manual 1.6 ltr carburetor with aircon and power steering. Gave it on to my little sister in 2005. With 380 000 on the clock only changes were the regular wear and tear stuff like timing belt, bearings,water pump etc before they died, and 2 thermostats. Never ever stopped once and we did abuse it from time to time.
for the record took my sisters future husband 6 months to kill it. ie a brick wall

[Werd.]

1994 Ford Laser, 1.8L 5 speed.

Dunno how diff, tranny, driveshafts, engine survived but they did.
Would have done 100 clutch dumps into first and an equal amount of 2nd gear flat shifts.

Never had trouble with it apart from when a fuel injector oring blew out, but rubber perishes and can't really be blamed on the car, more so poor maintenance.

2 consecutive laser posts, hmm....

[SSVPom]

Originally Posted by Full Noise

Two of the most reliable cars I’ve ever owned have just been clunkers that I use to drive to work and leave there for days on end.

1. TE Cortina 6 cyl auto. Went like the clappers and couldn’t kill it with a stick. Kept it as a depot car for 11 years.

2. AU series 1 Forte, ex QLD police car. Replaced the Cortina after I was given a Liberace in a traffic jam. Kept this for twelve months and spent nothing on it. Ended up trading it on a BA and got nearly as much for a trade-in as what I paid for it.

Both fantastic cars. That’s probably why I always recommend the AU Falcon for anyone who wants a cheap reliable car to get around in.

Didn't you fit my AU2 Ghia rims and tyres to that Forte ?

[RPH74]

First car VH SLE 253. Did a cam and tranny.
Second car VK Calais 304 which did a cam as well.
Third car VP Calais 304 which spun a big end .
Forth car 2000 Series2 V8 Disco, harmonic balancer fell off.
Fifth was the other halves 85' Telstar 2ltr 5spd which needed new big ends and mains and rings after 220000 ks mainly because of a lack of maintanence on her part!!!
Six and still have 04' TX AWD Terri, oxy sensor, rear shocks, front wheel bearings.
Seventh and still have 95'TX5 2.5 Ghia, clutch at 199000ks and timing belt tensioner.
Eighth and current the other halves 08 FGXR6t 6spd, no probs yet but the g/box rattles at idle which I'm told is common and just needs cluster shaft shimmed.
Been pretty lucky with all my cars the only one that was towed was the VH when she blew the tranny.
Favourite was my Disco cause it did everything on and off road!

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Professor Farnsworth

what colour was it?

i have to agree, dad's EA Ghia 5 speed from '91 was solid as a rock. We owned it from 120,000 to 330,000 and all it needed in that time was ONE set of brake pads, a water pump and a new clutch. Here's a photo from 1995 when we bought it after going on the Ferry.

image

Burgundy but it had so many stone chips it was known as the maroon lamington....

[Falcman0o7]

EF 96 Wagon! My pajero is also doing very well.
Worst? Not sure maybe our RB gemini due to its stupid carbi.
Really though thay have all been pretty good as I always maintain them and fix any issues that may become worse. NEVER been to a mechanic.

[Charliewool]

Probably my current.. XR50T ute.. 62000ks so far and still as tight as when I bought it. Tyres and brakes (brakes done under warranty) great car! The Nissan's also been faultless though only 10,000ks so far (in 2 yrs) Worst? 1981 Datsun Bluebird.. A heap. As were most aussie built Nissans

[Falcman0o7]

Actually our AU XR8 has been faultless! and we have had it 6 years! Got it with 85k now 160k oh, idle bearing spat it 9 bucks fixed that! And it leaves this house EVERY SINGLE DAY

Now i remember! We did have a dud! 1991 camry! OMFG

[SSD-85]

Originally Posted by Professor Farnsworth

Magnas are /almost/ unbreakable

I managed to break mine. Quite thoroughly.

[Orangejuicepony]

Most reliable was 2007 Forester XT, only did 70,000kms in it but not a thing went wrong and it went to Fraser Island twice, Inskip, Double Island Pt, Teewah (towed a 1500kg camper up the beach), Bribie Island, Stradbroke and Moreton Island in the five years I had it. Only ever change the tyres at the 60,000km mark then sold it 10,000km, never been off road of course ;)

Currently 12,000km into a 2011 Outback CVT and looks to be another winner.

Nissan Patrol 2009 model close second, only had to change the tyres at 70,000km and I am nearly 30,000km into the next set and about to hit 100,000km in 4 years. Had to replace the TPS on the fly-by-wire throttle. Otherwise it has copped a flogging and keeps on going. Tight as a drum.

ED Falcon my first car, did a head gasket at 150,000kms. Made me sad, and broke.

2004 XR6 Turbo my second car and most unreliable, needed something in the gear box for linkages at 10,000kms. external trims came off twice, surging issue with turbo was fixed by software update, style side tray started squeaking at 30,000km, clutch was buggered by 35,000km (and I never slipped it). Clunk in drive line ruined the experience. Would start first go sometimes (common BA fault), numerous other TSB's on it like most Falcons ;( but I loved that car more than the others.

[wrongwaynorris]

My EF Futura would have to be a perfect example . Just clocked 370,000 kms. NEVER broken down , not once not ever . Has at times towed way more than 2.3 tonnes on a semi regular basis . Head has never been off and it has been over heated twice . Just this last year I have spent a bit on it getting a reco'd transmission ( replacing the original one ) at 340,000 k's , water pump and radiator ( the original ones ) at 350,000 k's , power steering pressure switch ( the original one )at 350,000 k's , just serviced the AC at 370,000 k's and replaced the reciever dryer and TX valve ( both the originals ) , discs at 340,000 k's ( the original ones ) . Car has ALWAYS been meticulously serviced by myself every 5000 k's .

[wrongwaynorris]

" Daihatsu Charade ....remember seeing 5th Gears Butler-Henderson FLOGGING a poor Charade "

How do I get a job as that Charade ?

[1TUFFUTE]

the xh xr6 in my profile picture. It worked very hard towing bigtime everyday. I modded it pretty hard (so I may have dodged a few things over time...like exhaust,head gaskets and gearbox problems) but only broke down once from an electrical fault from a new towpack rewiring

My hilux broke down a few times
My magna broke down a few times
My vw golf broke down a few times
My mazda bravo broke down more then a few times
My jeep wrangler broke down a few times (but I forgave that beast many times )

EL fairmant ghia gold series II (the xr6 engine/diff).....only had to replace the exhaust and cat back.

I like REAL cars that GIVE back...maybe that's why im a passionate ford enthusiast

[Itsme]

The AU Forte...Ugly looking B.I.T.C.H. but never let me down at all and going strong when sold after 10 years.

[olds]

HQ 6cyl manual ute.R an it out of water 3 times . Just waited for it to cool down and off we go again No blown head gasket . Not like alloy headed rubbish

[UberKnee]

Never had a really reliable car though my first car a 98 XH Ute probably could have been very reliable if I wasn't young, dumb and thrashed it. Next came a VU SS which probably was my most reliable car to date only problem it ever had was the radiator cracked. I had a WB 308 ute for a couple of weeks before selling it on due to it just constantly breaking down. My VZ Tonner was a constant headache but it was cammed, slammed, supercharged, stalled. Chewed through belts, cracked a radiator, one of the electric windows stopped working, burnt out fuses all the time, pig to start at the best of times, ****** Holden diff was on the way out, front bar clip snapped...but it was loud, fast and had a good size tray on it. My Triton isn't as reliable as people tout Japanese cars to be; a couple of different airbag issues, leaking oil with only 45k on the odometer.

[SPArKy_Dave]

My XF Falcon wagon (still own it)
two tone metallic blue, bench seat, column auto.
Original driveline still.

Bought off an old highschool mate for $500.00 in the early 2000's, was owned by his family for 10 years before that.
I've owned it for over 7yrs now, never let me down.

Doesn't get used much anymore though.
It has sentimental value.