What is the most durable car available today?

Kinja'd!!! "Berang" (berang)
07/01/2015 at 04:43 • Filed to: None

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Ages ago - Volvos, Volkswagens, Peugeots, and even pushrod Subarus like the one above were renowned for their durability and longevity. My question is - what cars being made today are known for their ruggedness?

I want to point out that reliability is only part of the equation here, build quality and quality of materials also matter a lot. For instance my 1982 Toyota Tercel was a reliable car, but my 1978 Renalt Le Car was made of nicer, more durable materials (excepting the headliner which disintegrated into a material resembling stale garlic bread gratings if you sneezed at it). I’d still rather drive the Toyota because I knew it would get me there, but the Renault’s interior looked so much nicer despite being a few years older. Anyway I think you get the idea - this isn’t just about cars which have engines that don’t die - it’s about cars that don’t have seats that split open after 10 years, or trim parts that rattle off, or suspensions that use American-Cheese-Grade bushings that go all wonky before the car hits 100K miles.

These days it’s expected that an engine will reach better than 150,000+ miles before it needs a rebuild - often though the rest of the car looks ready for the scrapper before then. I’m not much of a new car guy, but even some very expensive cars today seem - well flimsy. So what cars today are truly durable? Does such a thing still exist?

photo courtesy wikipedia commons.


DISCUSSION (36)


Kinja'd!!! Toyota Sucks Lots Of Sausages > Berang
07/01/2015 at 04:56

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Land Cruiser


Kinja'd!!! not for canada - australian in disguise > Berang
07/01/2015 at 04:59

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Niva

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Kinja'd!!! Bluecold > Berang
07/01/2015 at 05:03

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Porsche 911s are generally very reliable.


Kinja'd!!! KnowsAboutCars > Toyota Sucks Lots Of Sausages
07/01/2015 at 05:21

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Even more durable Land Cruiser.

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Kinja'd!!! Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Berang
07/01/2015 at 06:09

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Ford Focus.

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Interior and exterior are tough, chassis can take a hell of a beating, most engines are strong.

Friends brother had one that he offroaded and beat on mercilessly, made it to 140k before turbo went. Rest of the car was fine but wasnt worth fixing. This was the least reputable engine too, the 2 litre would easily pass 200k.


Kinja'd!!! orcim > KnowsAboutCars
07/01/2015 at 06:24

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Not old enough, imo. But I’m an old fuck, so who knows? This may be a “get off my lawn” moment.

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Kinja'd!!! KnowsAboutCars > orcim
07/01/2015 at 06:28

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But the question was about cars you can buy new today.


Kinja'd!!! duurtlang > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
07/01/2015 at 06:39

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I don’t see it happening. I know the one in your picture is a mk2, but the mk1 was a rust trap. Is the mk2 any better? Anyway, 140k (miles?) is nothing. Hell, even my Peugeot 205 GTI has more, and that’s in prefect mechanical condition, has a perfect interior and is virtually rust free as well. Every somewhat modern car can easily reach that, or should be able to.


Kinja'd!!! orcim > KnowsAboutCars
07/01/2015 at 06:58

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Ach - missed that. All of my cars/trucks are 10-20 years old so I’m not a good judge.

89’ F150. 93’ Previa. 95’ Previa. 2006 Tacoma. 97’ Escort. 2002 325i. 97’ E400 Mercedes.

Good fuck, writing that out, it’s a goddamn white trash parking lot. (Luckily, I’ve got 4 acres. So.)


Kinja'd!!! kanadanmajava1 > Berang
07/01/2015 at 07:00

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My ‘89 VW Polo was quite tough one. It was lowered and the suspension was really firm. During my ~7 year ownership it had only quite small issues:

-Starter motor brushes wore out
-Exhaust pipe broke (I fixed it by removing the second muffler with a straight pipe)
-One wire in the gauge cluster flexible PCB broke (I fixed it with a jumper wire)
-Front brake hose was improperly tightened and rupture after contacting the wheel
-Rear damper failed as it was heavily used as one rear wheel was a bit bent
-Some rust issues that I had fixed




Kinja'd!!! SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Berang
07/01/2015 at 07:11

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Kinja'd!!! Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > duurtlang
07/01/2015 at 07:23

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It was rust free when it died so I’m not sure. And when I say he abused this car it was like it had done 300k not 140k. A new turbo and it would’ve done that again, but like I said the other engines will be tougher.


Kinja'd!!! Because Racecar > Berang
07/01/2015 at 07:25

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Ford Escape, it has crazy reliability and it’s fun to drive for a car targeted directly to 20something millennials.


Kinja'd!!! LongbowMkII > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
07/01/2015 at 07:26

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I hope not. I hope that interior dissintegrates at the end of the warranty.


Kinja'd!!! SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > LongbowMkII
07/01/2015 at 07:29

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I’d be expecting that, but to me reliability is drivetrain. I get the feeling that everything you don’t need will break on these while the engine just keeps going.


Kinja'd!!! LongbowMkII > Berang
07/01/2015 at 07:34

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It’s hard to say since they are new. every new car claims to be torure tested for 10 million hours, but you can’t take the manufacturers word as gospel obviously.


Kinja'd!!! Nibbles > duurtlang
07/01/2015 at 07:35

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I got 220k out of my 2000 Focus before I sold it. It was rust and problem free, only on its second clutch


Kinja'd!!! cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Because Racecar
07/01/2015 at 07:50

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I once blew a turbo inlet hose and put the auto trans into limp mode after spending 25 minutes in the track with it. Please do not ask how I came to track an Escape.


Kinja'd!!! jkm7680 > Berang
07/01/2015 at 08:03

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Panthers. The assembly line is dead, but they will live on for many years to come. Body on frame, easy to repair, not complicated.

120,000 miles of hard use with the Police, another 400,000 with a taxi company and then another life after that maybe.


Kinja'd!!! punkgoose17 > LongbowMkII
07/01/2015 at 08:10

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I think he is probably right. Everything in this car is so simple you can probably fix it with string, tape, and pliers; plus, it has a 10 year 100,000 mile warrenty so nothing should break before then.


Kinja'd!!! DoYouEvenShift > Berang
07/01/2015 at 08:33

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Kinja'd!!! JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Berang
07/01/2015 at 08:39

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I’m gonna say your best bet is probably a low-spec Porsche Cayman or 911. As few electronic do-dads as possible and a less-stressed engine. The materials quality is very high, the chassis are strong, and the whole car is built to not break when driven hard. Next best bet is probably a no-options Hyundai Accent or Mitsubishi Mirage. Those about the least-technical cars going, though the Hyundai is direct-injected now... And simple means less stuff to break. Hyundai will have nicer interior materials and probably less rust prone steel in the body. Moving outside traditional passenger vehicles HD pickups (not just full-sizers, the REAL trucks) and chassis-cabs are also probably in the running, but calling them “cars” is a bit of a stretch. If Ford built the new Transit like they built the old Transit, it might be in the running, but that remains to be seen... I would put the various Mercedes/Freightliner/Whatever Sprinter versions in here, but the rust problems are real on these.


Kinja'd!!! BaconSandwich is tasty. > DoYouEvenShift
07/01/2015 at 09:31

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S much as I love Tesla, I say nope. I can totally picture broken door handles and a terribly outdated infotainment system in a short period of time.


Kinja'd!!! BaconSandwich is tasty. > Berang
07/01/2015 at 09:32

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I’m surprised no one has said it yet: Toyota Corolla.


Kinja'd!!! DoYouEvenShift > BaconSandwich is tasty.
07/01/2015 at 10:06

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Maybe, but that goes for any car. Tesla has been very good about fixing issues and updating software. Anyways, Id rather have to deal with broken door handles or finicky infotainment than broken transmissions and spun bearings in ICE engine cars.


Kinja'd!!! j250ex > Berang
07/01/2015 at 11:00

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My current ride. 2009 Toyota Tacoma. 4 cylinder with a 5 speed. Changed the oil every 5,000 and haven’t had a problem yet. Nothing to break. Manual windows, manual locks, manual mirrors. 100,000 miles and still feels brand new.


Kinja'd!!! greasemonkey235097 > Berang
07/01/2015 at 15:24

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None! All that multiplex electronics, all those sensors, the enormous expense to rebuild 7,8,9 speed transmissions, new cars today will not see 25 year life span


Kinja'd!!! greasemonkey235097 > Toyota Sucks Lots Of Sausages
07/01/2015 at 15:26

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Overly electronically complex, that is a no, the fj40 series will outlive the 100/200 luxoturds


Kinja'd!!! greasemonkey235097 > j250ex
07/01/2015 at 15:29

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And now that the regular cab is dead, sought after, drive on my friend, i envy you!


Kinja'd!!! Toyota Sucks Lots Of Sausages > greasemonkey235097
07/01/2015 at 16:23

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You misunderstood my intent. When I suggested Land Cruiser, I meant ALL of them in general, regardless of series. Yes there are certain series which are more durable and less susceptible to malfunctions than others, but that’s not what’s being debated here (by me).

I could have posted photos of every single Land Cruisers here, but that’d be too much work.

The bottom line is, pick the Land Cruiser series YOU prefer, and that’d be YOUR answer.

Mine would be the BJ73. The FJ40 is pretty much the OG but man they can get expensive depending on condition.


Kinja'd!!! MultiplaOrgasms > Berang
07/03/2015 at 08:36

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We can’t judge the durability of brand new cars yet, so I’ll go with something made in the past ten years.

Contender No.1: My moms 2006 Gen 1 Nissan Note 1.4 (not pictured, but identical)

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Awful in every way, but aside from yellowed headlights and moss in the space where the hatch is hinged it looks and drives like new (unfortunately this means I will be forced to drive this thing for a while once I get my license). No repairs, nothing outside of basic maintenance had to be done, not counting a minor collision with a Van.

Contender No.2: My dads 2006 Renault Espace 2.0 DCi 150 (not pictured)

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Bought as a low mileage (28k km) used car in 2009, it spent the past 5 1/2 years as my dads DD and family hauler. Doing so it racked up another 260k km (as of today) and not inconsiderable abuse. Short summary of the current condition: The interior smells of dog and there is a thin layer of fur covering the carpets and seats, however the drivetrain is still going strong and the materials in general have held up very well aside from one seatbelt being consumed by the previously mentioned dog. Perhaps Minivans in general are tougher and more durable than other cars, or maybe my dad just has a magic hand for not making french cars explode (a long time ago the same man put twice that mileage on a 1990s Citroen [ with the most french suspension in the world ], which ended up in a very similar condition).


Kinja'd!!! Shiftright > MultiplaOrgasms
07/06/2015 at 16:16

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I know of many similar stories. Many French cars are extremely long lived and durable, contrary to popular stereotype


Kinja'd!!! Shiftright > DoYouEvenShift
07/06/2015 at 16:16

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Waaaaaay too early to say, but I’m going to say prob not so much, as much as I like it


Kinja'd!!! MultiplaOrgasms > Shiftright
07/06/2015 at 16:36

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Most french cars are also much simpler than most people think.


Kinja'd!!! Jedidiah > greasemonkey235097
07/06/2015 at 16:58

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This man understands.

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Kinja'd!!! Mike_Smith > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
07/06/2015 at 17:20

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Wouldn’t that be ironic.