1984 model Volvo 340.

 

1989 Pontiac Grand Am. Water pump, cylinders, electrical, etc.

 

Cadillac STS... List of failures too long to mention. On average for over 8 years of ownership I spent more per MONTH in parts and repairs than my wife did with here older and higher mileage 4Runner over its entire LIFE. A partial list includes Transmission, fuel pump, air pump, ignition switch, engine mounts, power steering, electronic suspension, A./C, leaky trunk, etc etc etc. All that topped off with a dealer experience that can only be described as snotty.

Last GM I will ever own.

 

I had to be my '66/'67 (cross-year model) Jaguar XKE. Loved the car, when she was good, but too often, she was very, very bad.

Next would have to be a '73 Pontiac Grand Prix SD-455, which was just a poorly engineered auto. Though supposedly heavy-duty in all aspects, it was fitted with Chevy Nova brakes, and a very powerful engine. It could not stop in the same ZIP Code, and few things worked - ever!

Hunt

 

[QUOTE=whoster;6478474]So far, my GS400 has been the least reliable than all of my previous cars combined.



starter, alternator (twice), alignment problems, ball joints (just in case), batteries (because of the hiccuping alternator), ongoing stereo display issues, the futzy factory remote/alarm....

My GS400 has replaced ball joints, camber arms, upper arms, starter, and yet it seems bullet-proof and unstoppable, just fragile in some ways.

 

My 60 Lincoln has to be, but its also 52 years old and a very complex car.. Rube Goldberg designed half the stuff on this thing.

But modern stuff? My GS350. Dealers it's been too suck, Lexus corporate sucks (oh, the dealer told us that the wheel bearing wasn't covered under the power train warranty, your owners manual must be wrong) To drive the car safely you have to regularly watch the passenger side mirror to make sure it hasn't gone into the "full up" position again. While driving.

It's been well behaved lately but it's sworn me off another Lexus.

 

My folks gave me a 76, 77 or 78 Plymouth Gran Fury to drive in high school....left me stranded many times...just did not want to start when the temp was over 90°F....electrical issues not VL.

 

Probably why it was called a "Fury".

The 70's were low-water marks for many manufacturers who were struggling with quality issues just as the first gas crisis hit in 1974. By 1979, they'd been working to downsize their product to meet new CAFE regulations, and both efforts were failing miserably. The muscle car was dead, and by 1974, the C3 'Vette's standard ZQ3 engine produced only 165 bhp, thanks to lowered compression and timing to burn regular gas. The optional L82 made 205 bhp and the big-block 454 went into hiding. Not exactly what you bought a 'Vette for . . .

 

2000 Mazda millenia, tranny was done at 30k miles. Replaced under warranty but then it went bad again around 70k...unbelievable.

 

I had a 86 Honda Civic standard ( 4 speed , 1.3 liter, AND a whopping 47 hp) that was burning more oil than gas. It was my first car and I bought it for 1200 bucks. When I had the car to the mechanic he told me the original motor wasnt even in the car. Nightmare. I ditched it after 3 years for an 86 Prelude Si. It felt like a Ferrari compared to the civic

 

A regular Civic? I thought they only put that little 48-HP motor in the 2-seat CRX HF.......the high-mileage CRX version with the bite-size carburator.

 

Hmmm... All my cars are super reliable. Only problem I had was 97 honda civic (replaced alternator) and that was it lol... No problem... So far I had...

97 civic ex (only had one problem) totaled after some idiot hit me @ 89k miles.
97 accord wagon - 0 problem @ 158k miles and still have this car and runs great
02 toyota camry - 0 problem @ 105k miles and still have this this car and runs great
04 acura rsx-s - 0 problem sold @ 100k miles
08 lexus is350 - 0 problem and still have this car and runs great.


Maybe this is why I only buy Japanese cars lol.


Oh yea.. and my uncle had benz C280 too and his car was at shops so many times and he traded in for Lexus and he never looked back...

 

my first car, an 83 honda prelude, was incapable of dealing with pennsylvania winters. its carburetor and choke would freeze, making the car near impossible to start.

other than that, and being slow, it was great.

 

I just haven't kept a car long enough to determine if it is really reliable or not. But most of the cars my family has owned are pretty reliable, especailly the 1995 Toyota Camry LE V6 and the 1995 Honda Accord EX V6 sedan, as well as the 2004 Lexus RX330 and this 2008 Lexus IS350 sedan. Not any big issues, only some minor things like loose pop-out cup holders after a few years and not responsive radio power button and stuff like that.

 

The scoupe and the related excel were part of a quiet buy back campaign. As they came into dealerships for repairs, the current owners where offered deals they couldn't refuse on new cars or cash outright to buy them out and crush them. So I've heard....