jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

A friend has over 250,000 miles on her Honda CR-V, and she's looking for a new car. The thing is, she's been looking for over a year! She would like a Fit, but they are no longer being imported, so she's looking for used ones. She'll find one, but she waits and waits and someone else buys it. She's also looking for new cars.

Then she reads reviews. No matter what car it is, she manages to find bad reviews. From her point of view, there are no good cars. It's like prescription medications. They list dozens of negative side effects, but those are usually very uncommon. Every car is susceptible to problems, but millions of people are driving all different makes and models, and they're not all breaking down by the side of the road. We don't read every day about how bad a particular car is. I've been driving since 1960, and I've never had "a problem car." And I've had a lot of English cars.

It's gotten so I hate to hear her talk about her search. When I decide to buy something, I do the research, make a decision, and buy it. Life is too short to worry about a problem that might develop some day.

ELNikkor

2011 Camry, 110,000 miles, $6,000. I've seen more than 1

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

My 1999 Honda CRV purchased used (80,000 miles) in 2004 for $6000. It now has 153,000 miles. I have not spent 1 cent on repairs, other than tires, battery and oil changes. It's still my goto 2nd car when needed. Sporadically used since 2011. Has been garaged since 2004.

Our other car is a 2018 Honda Accord, 2.0T. Love it, but it's a bit low to the ground and has become difficult getting in and out. That's more a function of my wife's and my aging.
Mark

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

We kept two Civics for seventeen years. The1980 had about 125,000 when we bought the 1997. That one had about 325,000 when we traded it for a Fit - still running.

Remember when you had to replace and adjust the points? I hated adjusting points. Spark plugs had to be cleaned and changed more often, but I could usually buy them for $1.00 or less. My Fit has 78,000 miles with the original plugs, and I still get 50+ mpg on a trip. They recommend changing them at 100,000, but I'll change them this summer.

agillot

The new toyota corolla cross would be it .[ $ 22k ]

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I've stopped giving her advice.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Consider that its not that the cars are any worse than they were in the past. Rather, its that the reviews are more critical than in the past.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Definitely! Cars are much better, but people have the Internet to complain about them.

marine73 Loc: Modesto California

If she depends on reviews for vehicles that she is considering she will wind up on shanks mares or public transportation

whatdat Loc: Del Valle, Tx.

Wife drives a 2013 Hyundai Elantra; 10 years old with 132,000 on it. Never had a repair bill so far. I drive a Hyundai Sante Fe (2017). So far only had to replace motor for back hatch, but due to long warranty, didn’t cost me anything. Love the way both handle. Drove a Ford Explorer. Did not like it at all.

Lucasdv123

Got my wife a new 2015 tundra crew max and I got it insured by gieco insurance and since it was brand new I got the mechanical insurance for about $8 per month with a $250 deductible at the machanic of my choice.the warrenty is for 7 years or 100,000 miles.needed a new starter 6 month ago and the bill was over $1,400 . We paid $250.my question was why.they had to remove the exhaust manifold to replace the starter.who the hell places the starter between the exhaust manifold and the engine.the tundra had 38,000 on it.all that heat can't be good for a stater.

aphelps Loc: Central Ohio

Oh yes. Adjusting the points changed the dwell which, in turn, changed the timing, which changed the idle speed. And then repeat. Never got it perfect but close enough. Tuning is a lost art. Today the computer does it.

Hereford Loc: Palm Coast, FL

Doing car research is really pretty easy. Consumer's Report is the only outfit that is not susceptible to manufacturer influence, although they may have some biases. Use them for their repair data analysis exclusively to all other sources and you can choose a reliable new or even used car.

Beyond that manage the cars maintenance schedule as stated in the owners manual. It's mostly about managing the timely renewal of fluids and filters. Most people have never read enough of their owners manual to discover the maintenance schedule. It goes without saying that there are a couple of "don'ts" to a cars health.

1. Never ever drive an overheating car (this is always a low coolant issue) to the next exit or gas station. Pull over immediately and shut it down unless you wish to have a $4000.00 repair bill. Engines can't survive this treatment.

2. Same as for #1 for driving with the oil warning light on or blinking. Both will destroy the engine and you can't drive to the next exit or gas station either. Almost nobody opens the hood of their cars anymore to check fluid levels. When was the last time you pulled the oil dipstick to check the oil level ???? Manufacturers are extending oil change intervals to 10,000 or 15,000 miles and prescribing thin 0W-20 oils. Most cars consume some amount of these thinner oils over time, and can completely empty the oil supply in 10,000 or certainly 15,000 miles. So it becomes really important to check the oil level often to avoid certain disaster. Because of this it is becoming increasingly risky to buy a used car today.

3. Not one of the "don'ts" but of considerable import is to keep your tires balanced. Out of balance tires will pummel steering and suspension joints into oblivion with every turn of the wheel.

If you can do these few simple things you will not have many car problems. My last three cars were driven 350,000, 250,000 and 250,000 miles respectively following this regimen. At those trade in times they all seemed to me about as good as the day I purchased them -- they still consumed no oil between 5,000 mile oil changes, and had almost zero failure items, just needed wear replacement items such as brakes & tires.

Written by a lifelong gearhead and Certified Master Auto Technician.

Lucasdv123

I'll add one more.just cause you see no antifreeze on the driveway doesn't mean you don't have a water leak.my son brought his car over one day saying the engine was getting a little hot.i told him he had a water leak and he told me no fluid on the driveway.we let the car cool down and checked the radiator. It need a gallon of water.( antifreeze).he had a cracked water hose on top of the motor .the hose was about a 1/2 inch in diameter .it would leak on top of the motor but was very little and would evaporate without leaking down to the driveway.after time the radiator would eventually run out of antifreeze.

catgirl Loc: las vegas

Mine is a 2003 Buick century has 167,459 still going strong the wee soul