Cars

[RobMc]

Now I'm aware that every country has different wants and requirements, but am I the only one disgruntled at the current models available? I'm looking for a new car, I buy and own them by the way, and very few manufacturers seem to make cars for me now.

I WANT

Reliability with a proven engine and gearbox (I need automatic now which normally I'd avoid), simple and cheap to maintain, with basic instrumentation, dials and knobs so you can adjust things without your eyes leaving the road. I don't mind winding down windows manually, and a MUST is a full size spare wheel. Cheap servicing that can be done at home without a computer and if in an accident cheap repair costs to keep insurance claims reasonable.

I DON'T WANT

Engines that are anything but reliable, wet belts, belts at the back of the engine meaning engine out to change, oil so thin it fails to lubricate, piston rings that fail to stop fuel contamination. Direct injection causing carbon build up, engine design so complicated even mechanics struggle, useless auto boxes like manual autos and dsg.

I don't want Apple play, somewhere to charge my phone, HUD, bumpers that if you actually use them cost an arm and leg to replace, millions of sensors and computers linked to a canbus wiring. Lane assist, radar, infotainment, speakers where the spare wheel should sit etc etc etc

But most importantly of all I wouldn't want to get into huge debts as a youngster paying for all this crap, buying a means of  transport that will cripple you financially.

I'm not suggesting going back to the model T, but I feel the way it's going cars may become less not more reliable, for those of us not being forced to go electric

Edited 10 hours ago by RobMc
typo

[刀evious]

I can tell ya avoid Mitsubishi.  She had an Outlander, great when it worked...but never worked.  It was an electrical nightmare.  I'm not sure really where you are from but Toyota and Honda seem to get the most milage around here.  I love my Dodge but it's got issues too.  currently needs a throw-out bearing...grr  

[RobMc]

Yea most recalls and fixes seem down to electrical problems, especially with infotainent, Mitsubishi were a great make 20 years ago, a shame. Report here recently, which is true, a lady was parked and a truck knocked her wing mirror off. Bad enough as they're expensive now not being simple, however it was much worse as she could not start the car. A sensor in the car noted a collision and blew off a charge in the electrical system I presume in case of fire?? the repair was going to cost thousands, ridiculous over engineering.

[YACCster]

From my buddy g:

He’s not the only one. That list is a reasonable spec for a car, and almost nothing new hits it. Emissions rules, crash rules, and mandatory driver aids pushed makers toward direct injection, turbos, wet belts, dual-clutch boxes, and a screen where the knobs used to be. The cars that still match him are mostly the last simple generation, bought used.

The closest current-new match is a body-on-frame truck or SUV with a full-size spare. Even those now have cameras, radar, and a CAN bus. If he wants the actual thing he described, buy 2010–2020 and skip the options.

Best fit: 2010–2024 Toyota 4Runner, 4.0 V6, 5-speed automatic. Port injection, timing chain, a boring Aisin torque-converter that Toyota barely changed for 15 years, full-size spare under the floor, and a cabin that still has knobs. The 2025+ 4Runner switched to a turbo four and an 8-speed. That is exactly the step he does not want. Same idea on a 2005–2015 Tacoma with the 4.0, or a Lexus GX 460.

If he wants a car, not a truck:

•  2012–2017 Toyota Camry 2.5 with the 6-speed automatic, not the hybrid. Conventional auto, cheap parts, easy to service.

•  2013–2017 Honda Accord 2.4 with the 6-speed automatic. Port-injected i-VTEC, chain, real automatic. Avoid the later 1.5 turbo (wet belt on some European Hondas, fuel dilution on the US one) and anything with a CVT if he already hates automated manuals.

•  Pre-2014 Mazda 6 2.0/2.5 MZR. Chain, port injection. Skyactiv after that is direct injection.

What to walk past, given his list: any Ford EcoBoost or Stellantis PureTech with a wet belt, VW/Audi/Skoda DSG (especially the dry-clutch DQ200), belt-at-the-back engines that need the motor out for a timing job, and almost every new crossover that replaced the spare with a can of goo and a speaker.

Full-size spares still show up on the 4Runner, Tacoma, Tundra, Sequoia, F-150, Wrangler, Bronco, Hilux, Land Cruiser 70, Ranger, and D-Max. Compact spare or a kit is the norm on cars. Speakers in the spare well are a real packaging choice on a lot of new Audis, BMWs, and some Hyundais.

Two caveats. Even a “simple” 2015 car has an ECU and a CAN bus, so a home mechanic can do brakes, fluids, plugs, and suspension, not module programming. And in the US and Europe, new cars are forced into automatic emergency braking and lane aids, so the only way to dodge that stack is used. A clean 4Runner or Camry from that window will not cripple him on insurance or repairs the way a sensor-heavy new car will after the first bumper tap.