[potta_coffee]

I have a Subaru beater with ~250k on it, it's going strong. Have had Toyotas with almost 300k miles on them before selling the car for ~1k bucks. I love Japanese cars. I have a Dodge Caravan, at 140k miles the thing is about ready for the junk pile.

[shadowbannedtoo]

Yea, older Toyotas are really dependable. Late 80's, and early 90's are dead simple. Make sure it's a manual tranny.

I'm in the process of buying a newer car/truck for a family member, and it's depressing. So many sensors, and computers that dealership mechanics barely comprehend.

I understand it's for emissions, but so many of those sensors are for comfort systems, and selling gizmos. The problem being is when they malfunction. A dealership mechanic will not tell a customer we are basically learning on your new computer on wheels, but they put that in the price to fix.

I went to automotive school in the ninties, and these new vechicles still scare me.

My trusty Snap-on Mt2500 is practically useless on newer vechicles.

And there will ge the guy whom claims, "I just plug a scan tool in, and that lovely system (CAN Bus system, and multiple computers), just spit out a PID, and the fix is found."

It's just so much more complicated.

On a positive note, my New Years resolution is trying to master these new electrical systems.

There's a market for a simple vechicle, like older Toyotas.

I don't see any company offering a simple vechicle? And yes, I understand emissions are a problem, but it doesn't seem like an impossible problem to get a manual four banger, with just the basics on the market.

And I won't get started on automatic transmission problems.

Sorry for the rant.

[rms25]

lol simple vehicle? maybe a lada niva (not sold in the US I think?) nothing fancy but easy to fix

[potta_coffee]

I wish vehicles like that were available in the US. I'm afraid the market for them might be tiny. Americans often view their cars as an extension of themselves and their lifestyle rather than a utility.

[loeg]

My Subaru died at 20 years old and 200k miles, but that's still pretty good longevity for a car that isn't a Toyota.

[ams6110]

Older Toyotas rust horribly, especially the trucks, but are mechanically very solid. I've had rust issues with Nissans also. Honda seems to have it figured out.

I've been quite happy with Ford also.

Chrysler products are the worst I've ever owned from a reliability standpoint, most of my issues with them have been electrical not mechanical though.

[headmelted]

Have to say that the Corolla I referred to above is spotless wrt rust. Undercarriage too.

This is all the more impressive given that our roads are salted constantly in the winter months here.

The worst I've seen for it are mid-2000s Fords. It's like the frames aren't galvanized at all, but that may be a problem limited to UK models.

That said my (beloved) Nissan Leaf is starting to go orange underneath but thankfully it looks like surface rust rather than rot.

[ams6110]

I live in an area that goes crazy with salt at the slightest threat of snow or ice. So any shortcomings in corrosion protection are exposed here.

[potta_coffee]

Subaru is rusted badly. Toyotas didn't have any. Caravan problems are terrible and mostly electrical...window motors have all failed, door locks are failed, weird problems with the car not starting even though battery has charge (starter is fine but the computer refuses to allow the starter to try to work if voltage reading isn't correct). Weather stripping that covers the seams on the roof is all coming off. Anything that is not the engine is falling apart.

[DrScump]

  Older Toyotas rust horribly, especially the trucks

My 25 year old Toyota SR5 pickup has no rust at all.