Topic: simple car to maintain

[74cb750]

Are there any easily maintained autos on the market now a days?

After working on the brakes of a 2009 Nissan Altima this week I am starting to wonder.
The rear brakes were non-accessable unless you had an airwrench. whereas my Honda
civic is Relatively easy to work on the brakes etc etc.

Just curious as older (pre 1980 cars) were easier to work on, but they did not last as long.
All my Honda Civics have lasted at least 250,000 miles but my old Dodge vans never went
oer 150,000 without major repairs or rusted out.

peace,
michel

[nomad]

How about an earlier version of the Volkswagen Beetle?  It was designed by Ferdinand Porsche, Sr... and they never seem to die.  They were produced from 1938 until 2003.  They have after market parts galor.  They use a simple air cooled engine (something that might be familiar).  And if you ever get bored with it, you can turn it into a dune buggy!

[fmctm1sw]

I have a 1999 Chevy Tracker.  1.6L SOHC4 engine.  Everything looks real accessible under the hood.  I've had the dash tore apart and the seat all out. 

[Gurp]

Any of the old American cars trucks with a carbonated inline six from the mid 40s to the late 70s those keep going parts arnt bad to find. The work is easy. lol

[jamesb]

Any of the old American cars trucks with a carbonated inline six from the mid 40s to the late 70s those keep going parts arnt bad to find. The work is easy. lol

yep my 1960 bel air and 1972 gmc 1/2 ton both have 250 straight sixes in them the truck actually gets about 23 miles to the gallon the bel air should get about the same i'm still finishing some things on it.the bel air parts are a little difficult to get depending on what your after.the truck on the other hand parts all day long and cheap.

[Greggo]

My dad has been an independent German car mechanic for the past thirty five years.  They've always fixed all cars, except Peugot but they specialize in Porsche/VW and other German makes.  He often echoes that sentiment, that cars have become much harder to work on compared to the old days.  Aside from his old Porsches and VW's, we all drive Hondas and Toyotas in the family now.  They're all going to be hard to work on, so we just buy cars that don't break down as often   Out of those, Toyota/Lexus are the winners.

[Stev-o]

Buy a Toyota, it is low maint. The oil filter is accessible from the top of the engine bay ('06 Tacoma V6).
Replaced the front brake pads in 30 min. 100K mile on original back brake shoes, still work great. No tune up yet, but thinking about it, runs great and up to 20 MPG. 

[faux fiddy]

Buy a Toyota, it is low maint. The oil filter is accessible from the top of the engine bay ('06 Tacoma V6).
Replaced the front brake pads in 30 min. 100K mile on original back brake shoes, still work great. No tune up yet, but thinking about it, runs great and up to 20 MPG.

+1 on toyota.

'03 Corolla went over 100k with nothing but oil changes.

I had a vanwagon that I got dead, no spark. Bought all the ignitors and ECU's and still no spark. I was told I had to buy a distributor, but I adjusted the gap in the pickup with a wedge of hardwood and it had bright blue spark and I put another 20,ooo on it. It burned a bit of oil , but cars with over 1/4 million miles on them often do.

Eventually the auto transmission quit and was retired.

[phaedrus314]

I'm on my 3rd Subaru, and none of them have had an issue, except at 100k the 1st 2 both developed an external head gasket leak.  I also have a 97 Altima that has been trouble free for the last 7 years even though it is the bastard step child of my household that gets neglected and ignored continuously. 

My 03 Suburban with the 8.1 liter is a gremlin magnet and always has something odd going on with it.  Never anything major, it is rock solid reliable but everything is automatic and computer controlled and has a mind of its own...and shocks are $600+ apiece.

I saw an article within the last couple of years, though I don't remember where that said that a large part of the increased reliability that is perceived in the "long life" brands came down to the way they were maintained.  Basically people took better care of them and fixed the little issues before they became bigger issues because they expected them to last longer.

[Sparked]

I saw an article within the last couple of years, though I don't remember where that said that a large part of the increased reliability that is perceived in the "long life" brands came down to the way they were maintained.  Basically people took better care of them and fixed the little issues before they became bigger issues because they expected them to last longer.

I would agree with that.  My 1983 Ranger had 350,000 km on the original drivetrain when I sold it. Never had a major issue with it, kept up with the maintenance and it ran forever. I could do an oil change without even getting under the car. Could reach the filter and drain plug from the top.

Was the original hybrid though. Burned gas and oil.

[Boostthis89]

Being an Audi/VW mechanic and working on pretty much anything and everything under the sun.. I would say ALL cars are created equal.. they all work under the same concepts, some are just more advanced...
Nowdays every technician uses repair manuals to troubleshoot, etc.. or do random things.. so if you can work on an older car you can definitly work on a newer one as long as your mechanically inclined

[Stev-o]

The problem on working on newer cars is the special tools that may be needed. I has a Nissan that had an engine light come on. Took it to my local mech, said he'd diagnose it for free. Said it was a sensor, changed it and charged me $80. A week later, light came back on. Brought it back, said he really didn't have the proper equip to diagnose it and recommended I bring it to the dealer. I said screw it, traded it in for an Infinity.

[brandEn]

My Dad is a GM mechanic (40 years or so) at a dealership and he has told me of all the new training needed to work on the new cars. Its not as simple as it used to be. Everything is fly by wire and troubleshooting anything takes test equipment that most people will never own.

[scottly]

Are there any easily maintained autos on the market now a days?

 whereas my Honda
civic is Relatively easy to work on the brakes etc etc.


All my Honda Civics have lasted at least 250,000 miles but my old Dodge vans never went
oer 150,000 without major repairs or rusted out.

peace,
michel

The ABSOLUTELY worst car for routine maintenance I've EVER owned is my '01 Civic. To change the oil, you have to raise the front of the car about 2 feet off the ground, minimum, to reach the filter and drain plug! Anyone ever try to change a timing belt on one? Honda recommends it be changed every 60K miles, but says the car won't need any major service for something like 100K. To make matters worse, the plastic timing belt covers have JIS head screws, threaded into metal inserts cast into the mating cover. They seize, since Honda still has not learned to lubricate fasteners upon initial assembly (they evidently never planned on these parts being removed) and even with a proper driver, when push comes to shove, the metal insert rips out the plastic and spins. Can you say screwed???
Mine is due for a new timing belt, and I am dreading it. Hell, it's over-due for an oil change; it's a major chore .   

[DH]

My Dad is a GM mechanic (40 years or so) at a dealership and he has told me of all the new training needed to work on the new cars. Its not as simple as it used to be. Everything is fly by wire and troubleshooting anything takes test equipment that most people will never own.

This is very true, and the price of repairs reflects it. And if you're at an independent shop rather than a dealership some of the repair information availability for many of these newer vehicles is limited.
You end up going on the internet and searching for it in some instances.
The entire field is being complicated with more and more electronics.
I recently saw a case of an inoperative right low beam on a late model volvo. Low beam function, among other things, is controlled thru an electronic module. Cost around 350.00 +diag time to fix a low beam so that the vehicle would pass state safety inspection. All due to a defective black box.
I can hardly wait to see what's its gonna be like when this stuff gets old and really starts screwing up. I can hear it now...."could you fix my voice activated heater/ac?.......Oh, and while you're at it, have a look at the automatic paralell park assist. It messes up once in a while, but it hasn't done it in a few weeks...Oh and can you have it ready for me by noon or so?"
Oh and try to keep the costs down please........
Sigh.................................

[Retro Rocket]

My Dad is a GM mechanic (40 years or so) at a dealership and he has told me of all the new training needed to work on the new cars. Its not as simple as it used to be. Everything is fly by wire and troubleshooting anything takes test equipment that most people will never own.

Yep, thats why i have a turbo diesel twin cab ute {light truck}, never breaks down and super easy to work on.... Good mileage as well, also has the benefit of being a five seater and having the utility back end...

[dave500]

thats why ive kept my 73 holden non green v8 for all these years,i can see and understanding the entire engine fossil fuel chewing dosent bother me and it never stops,i went for a ride with a group today and we stopped at this cafe that was like a tree hugger one,,me and a mate wanted a bacon sandwhich but they said sorry we dont have red meat,,i said damn,,i wanted a blood sandwhich aswell!wont be going there again!

[Terry in Australia]

All modern cars are very reliable, and because of our "disposable cigarette lighter" mentality, are really cheap to buy when only a few years old. I'm not much into fashion (hence my love for old bikes) so when my wife's 20 year old Ford became a maintenance liability I bought her a 7 year old Hyundai Excel with 60,000 miles (101,000 Km) for $2100.00 from a female work collegue.

The PO bought it at 12,000 miles, and neglected it completely. It only had one oil change in almost 50,000 miles, so when I bought it I did a couple of oil changes in the first couple of hundred miles to completely flush the old tar-like oil goop out of it. The PO had also blown out one tire several thousand miles ago and just put it in the trunk and drove the car without a spare. Both her and her husband love to party, but when they drink they fight, so there was a crack in the windscreen where he'd thrown a "stubby" (small beer bottle) at her, and a ding in the trunk where he'd apparently kicked it as she drove past.

Apart from oil changes, I replaced the windscreen and 3 tires, and pulled the dent out. In the 8 years since, I had the timing belt changed (300 bucks) and replaced one set of brake pads on the front right disc, because somehow or other, the pads fell off the backing plate, a couple of years apart. Except for that, nothing has been replaced or repaired, (not even the battery) and nothing has gone wrong with it. In 2009 I bought the wife a 2003 Hyundai Accent in mint condition with less than 20,000 miles on it, but she wouldn't let me give away the Excel, so I gave my Ford to my son and I drive the old Excel on weekends. (I've got a company car to drive during the week)

I love the little Hyundai around town, with the 5 speed manual gearbox it hammers, and averages around 50 MPG, and loves 98 RON fuel. I drove it to Canberra 2 years ago to pick up my Henry Abe wheels and a complete K0 engine, (800 mile round trip) I left at 6am and arrived home 14 hours later. My fuel bill was 120 bucks, and that was cruising at around 80 MPH. I drove my 6 cylinder Ford back the following weekend (bought a CB750 from the same guy) and towing a small rental trailer, the fuel bill was 400 bucks.

Occasionally I think about getting rid of it, it's done 100,000 miles now and it needs a paint job, but I think I'll keep it awhile longer, it'll only need a liter of 2 pack paint and a litre of clear, and it'll be good for another 15 years. Cheers, Terry.    

[Greggo]

The problem on working on newer cars is the special tools that may be needed. I has a Nissan that had an engine light come on. Took it to my local mech, said he'd diagnose it for free. Said it was a sensor, changed it and charged me $80. A week later, light came back on. Brought it back, said he really didn't have the proper equip to diagnose it and recommended I bring it to the dealer. I said screw it, traded it in for an Infinity.

Stev-o!  All you did was trade your Nissan for a Nissan.  They're made with the same parts.

[Stev-o]

I said screw it, traded it in for an Infinity.

Stev-o!  All you did was trade your Nissan for a Nissan.  They're made with the same parts.

Yes, but the G35 is quite an upgrade from the Altima!

[BobbyR]

I always fixed my own cars. As they became more complicated and tight under the hood I started leasing my cars. I lift the hood to add some washer fluid now and then. I return them with 50K on the clock. If the wheels fall off at 75K I will never know.   

[70CB750]

Any of the old American cars trucks with a carbonated inline six from the mid 40s to the late 70s those keep going parts arnt bad to find. The work is easy. lol

Thats my AMC Jeep, made 86 and I drive it daily since 98.

But CJs have huge following and incredible aftermarket industry, you can buy anything you want for it in parts or upgrades.