Our adventures have been cut short by vehicle woes. My 2015 Tucson, that has taken me to every cove, has finally said no more. I’ve held off on upgrading for years - but it’s time for some reliability. What are you guys driving? Any recommendations?
Discussion
Sorry to hear that Chip. Mazda, Subaru and Kia make good SUVs that will be durable and save you money on gas and maintenance. I’m not fancy but those have been good to us over the years!
Just some thoughts from 22 years retail automotive (retired)
-Not KIA or Jeep.
-pretty much anything new will be a reliability disappointment so you’ll want a lot of warranty…
-Owning vs leasing used to be a no brainer, but now I only lease so I’m always under warranty and I just get a new vehicle every 3 years. 😕
The days of buying a new car and driving it for 10 years are long gone. Everything is filled with cheap electronics that fail frequently and buying an older car without them is near impossible anymore.
Thank you so much for this - I’m outside my area of expertise and really appreciate your input. Will be zapping this when I get home.
This guy knows. As an experienced mechanic said to me not long ago: “a toyota isn’t a Toyota anymore. A Honda isn’t a Honda anymore”.
Car “brands” that once were good are shit now. They’re affinity scams.
I personally only drive diesels and the newest vehicle I’ll buy is a 2015. If it’s a “newer” diesel I will get the EGR removed.
I love VW and without a doubt the best vehicle I’ve owned was a 2005 Jetta TDI. But I understand owning an older vehicle isn’t for everyone and comes with its own set of problems.
My dad who is also a mechanic had the best luck with a 2015 Mazda CX3. I think that platform was pretty damn good. Reliable, economical and awd. The CX5 is good too, had a GF who had the 2015 and it was good.
Go with a 4Runner or a Tacoma 💪
Toyota is better than most but they are ridiculous as well. Changing an oil filter is a simple task. (Think unscrewing a lightbulb)
Here’s the process for the new 2025 Land Cruiser.
—Manufacturers typically change the tools (to prevent people doing their own maintenance) every 4-5 years.
This new Toyota breaks the all time annoyance level by adding this stupid step and retooling from last year so the socket attachment from 2024 doesn’t fit.
🧡👊🏻🍻
Toyota’s are vey reliable. But stay away from the new Tundras with the V6 engine. Look for the old V8 engine only.
I would be suspicious of the 2025 Tacomas as well, since they also have a new engine.
I drive a 2019 F-150 with the Coyote V8 engine and an extended warranty from Grangers
I thought that way too each time Toyota made a change with a new engine, was proven wrong every time.
All 2022 and 2023 Tundras with non-hybrid engine need the engine replaced.
Oh, didn't know. What is the issue....Toyota going good for it?
They will replace your engine at the dealership shop so yes.
But I don’t think the quality of the final product is the same with an engine assembled manually
Mistakes happen.
People who buy expensive handmade cars might argue in your assembled manually point.
Toyota has replaced entire frames on older Tacomas way past warranty free of charge. They fixed a problem on our Toyota also way past warranty and not a recall either....dealer just let me know when we took it in for an emissions code that Toyota knew about this and were going good on it irregardless of mileage.
Some machining debris left in the engine due to a faulty manufacturing process
Toyota.
