Cars mentioned are: 1. Mazda 6 (2010-2014) Diesel 2. Nissan Qashqai various 3. Toyota Rav 4 mark 3 4. Mini (all of them!) 5. Ford Diesel cars 6. Vauxhall Corsa
I have a Ford Diesel and touch wood, there has been no problems with it. This guy doesn't like diesels anyway, nor cheap to run cars. We aren't all made of money!
I think your conspiracy theory is right myself. I think at the turn of the century cars were no longer bought to be cherished and owned for many years, but leased and disposed of after 3. Planned obsolescence applies to virtually everything we buy, and the same companies pushing this tat on us have the nerve to talk about how they're committed to "sustainability" and all that bollocks.
Spot on. The most eco-friendly cars around are the ones built well enough they are still running 15 years later. I reckon they are getting rarer and rarer.
Agree but I think the regulators also have a lot to answer for. Under the excuse of 'green' and 'climate' the car manufacturers are forced to fit useless technology like dpfs, egr valves etc which prematurely destroy engines. I'm sure the manufacturers could achieve equally clean engines with better engineering if left alone.
My thoughts exactly m8 all products including cars these days not fit for purpose to last 3 years then they develop issues. Disposable and if you do keep it longer they fleece you on repairs and replacement parts.
Agreed. I bought a Volvo 940 estate almost 30 years ago. It’s built like a 🧱 💩 🏠 , has done 150,000 miles and just keeps on going. At that time it was quite expensive, but alongside BMW, SAAB, Mercedes, Volvo was building cars to last. It’s been regularly serviced, driven carefully and apart from the usual new exhaust issues and a leaky rear diff has been utterly dependable. In terms of £/mile driven, and being ‘green’ and good for the planet, a well built, long life car like this is so much better than any brand new over engineered high tech wizardry coming off the assembly lines today. Cars today are built like microwaves - the manufacturers assume you’ll want or feel like you’ll ‘need’ a new one in 3 years.
Vauxhalls. I've had all types of Astras, hatchbacks, estates, 2 door, 4 door, petrol and diesel, manual and auto, from Mark 1 to the current Mark 7. I've covered hundreds of thousands of miles in total and NOT ONE has ever broken down. I regularly service them and generally look after them. The only issues I have ever had was that in the mark 1 the overhead camshaft had not been hardened properly but it was replaced foc. I'n the mark 6 I had to replace the coil pack a couple of times over the 80,000 miles. The most reliable was a diesel estate mark 3, covering over 130,000 miles and only had to replace tyres and wipers. Lucky? Perhaps but I think too many people these days are just get in a drive and pay no attention to the mechanics and electrics.
Had a Vectra 1.9 CDTI which was a decent family car - very quick and a nice drive on the motorway, but not the best cornering on winding roads. Got it for a great price with 40k mileage, and drove it for 6 years - only broke down once (alternator gave up). Friend of mine had an old Astra mk 3 TD which he drove for years - replaced it with a modern one and had a lot of problems with it - luck of the draw?
There aren’t many car dealer RUclips channels with such honesty and depth of knowledge, every vid is informative and entertaining! Keep up the great work mate.
Honest? He shills every car he buys to sell. Even if a car is shite he makes a 5 minute video on why it is soo good. Ofcourse he will because he needs to sell it.
@@ahmadmohamad6384 what a stupid cynical thing to say. I have done plenty of negative car reviews. I tend to only film with cars I like but there are plenty of examples of cars I don’t. Most of my cars have sold by the time the video goes live anyway.
No hidden agendas, no salesman's commission, simply no B.S. Straight to the point. Awesome content. Thanks for sharing. Bottom line is I think our society became too arrogant and spoilt. Too much money. That made me think; From South Korea there are awesome cars to consider and then from Indie there would be very cheap basic cars (albeit a bit rattling) that might be considered reliable.
Car reliability - about 40 years ago I read an article by a Volvo 240 owner who said he would tow his caravan to Italy without any preparation, at the time I was running an Austin Princess and before that a Maxi and I would start preparations 3 months before and still have problems. My Volvo 240’s were totally reliable, through snow in the Alps to 40c+ down the leg of Italy and never missed a beat. If only Volvo would produce another 240 with modern day performance and without all the modern fancy bits that make all cars less reliable … then I would be first in the queue.
Comments about Vauxhall's bites a bit. Back in the day I had a 1.6 cavalier and to build up my competition license I road rallied it several times. It still did 90k in 3 years without a fault. Next company cavalier Sri (!) Had 7 miles on it then after picking it up I drove flat out to get to a meeting in London. Never an issue in 84k in 3 years. Had a diesel 1.9 astra loved it, thrashed it never an issue in 3 years (trust me I did stage rallying so I know how to thrash a car). I think the diesel insignia is a great car - mega mpg, comfortable in Sri trim seats and cheap to buy and run. Just service them !!! I now run a landrover ..... Wish I had a vauxhall...
I have owned lots of different brands over sixty plus years of motoring. Never owned new, all second hand apart from my latest, now three years old. Skoda Karoq dsg td. That had a new battery at six months. Only one was a pain, a BL Princess with the 1700 O series engine. It never let me down, just spewed oil everywhere. The most comfortable were Citroen’s. Properly maintained they have all been fine. Vauxhall Corsa’? My wife’s is a 2004 1.4 Design automatic. Never missed a beat and starts on the button even after weeks unused. Utterly reliable and everything still works. The secret is regular maintenance and change engine oil at 10,000 miles or less.
Matt, thanks for your honesty, depth of knowledge and passion . This mix is rare these days. I was thinking of buying a used Mazda 6 diesel and what you said confirmed what I had noticed on some adds concerning the oil pump. As for the programmed obsolescence, that is sadly an epidemy that affects all sort of products, from washing machines to lap tops and cell phones. Even the clothing industry has embraced a very lucrative concept that leaves us with piles of trash, that we bring (more pollution) to third world countries (Chile, Ghana).
I had a 2007 mini clubman, fantastic to drive, when it actually worked. It cost me nearly £2000 in repairs over 8 months and then the ECU packed up. Never again
Good video. Had the same Honda petrol car for 15 years and it is very reliable and works just fine. Even the paint and upholstery is still good. Wish I was in such good condition.
I’m so glad I saw this today. I had a Mini years ago and it fell apart as soon as it was out of warranty, but I must admit, I’ve been tempted to try again. They’re so darned cute! Thanks for the reality check.
You don’t hear it being used a lot now, though it was used fairrly to mean something useless or unnecessary- therefore carries with it many synonyms and similes. Superfluous extras eg over-decoration, or additional features which have no function. Or it may also be used to politely describe unwanted by products in production - brewing springs to mind, or the unwanted accumulation from wood or metal turning.
My Toyota Celica is 17 years old and has never let me down. It always starts first crank, but it is a petrol car. I am very surprised that you didn't mention Peugeots. I have had 6 and the last 2 were absolute dogs. Thanks for the refreshing honesty.
Its not suprising for pegeot to be unreliable they are French. The shockers on this list are the Japanesse ones that lack reliability excluding the Nissan because its made by Renault now.
@@gravemind6536 French cars weren't unreliable before 2010. Germans began their 'drop off the cliff' stunt already in 2002-2003. Japanese cars before 2016 were usually pretty good, however they always did rust like swiss cheese.
@@totuudentorvi7781 French cars have always been pretty crap on reliability with the odd exception. German stuff was good especially the Diesels and like you said in early to mid 2000s things took a sharp decline. Japanese stuff has always been reliable yes a lot of it liked to rust. Japanese is still the most reliable to this day but even they have declined due to all the regulations. I have a 2016 Toyota Auris and its been flawless so far and shouldn't have the rust issues older ones have. Not even interested in buying a newer car due to all the intrusive tech and removal of things like the handbrake.
I had a 2nd user Yaris diesel 04 plate for 10 years until 2021. 150k Miles and never missed a beat. The new owner also still happily running. Reliability is outstanding considering the only thing I did was the usual annual service of oil change and check up. I suppose it all depends on how they were used and looked after. Constant foot to the floor on many diesels causes issues.
They are by no means bad but the Japanesse brands you're far better off with petrol engines they're very good at making them and not so good at diesels. Any modern diesel is unreliable now due to regulations but the old 1.9 SDI and TDI units from VW were the peak for diesel engines in normal cars imo.
Spot on with the Mini. I have a 2010 Clubman S (in the U.S.). Bought it used, and have put 3X the amount I paid for it into repairs. It runs fantastically now that it's all sorted, which also means it's the perfect time to get rid of it. Fun car to drive, though.
I love my mini clubman i get it serviced regularly at my local garage and it has only broken down once which for a 14year old car is pretty good I would say .
These are not the minis that have been around for 60yrs. BMW bought the mini brand around the year 2000 so in reality they are BM's! Personally, I'm not a fan. They're too fat now. REAL minis are a totally different animal with very different issues.
@@paulsz6194 I think Clarkson's first public comment about Greta, that she should be grateful to the adults who made her mobile 'phone etc., was fair enough. His second one, when he said someone should smack her bottom, was worrying.
Given that Matt doesn’t have a scriptwriter m I may suggest that he excels. See my comment - Matt is what he claim to be, he is also enterprising, entertaining and I look forward to watching his videos always waiting for the next amusing aphorism or metaphor as much as the motoring content. I would also recommend buying a car from him.
Great vid mate! I work on a Mazda dealer at the other end of the world (Chile) and I see very ofter CX5's and Mazda6's diesel starting with lots of problems as soon as the waranty expires (60,000 miles) and usually requires tearing half the engine apart to clean the garbage stuck inside of them or just replace the entire engine. What a load of rubbish that 2.2d engine is.
You are so spot on at the end, several car manufacturers no longer have the view that buying a car is no longer to purchase something that will last years and years, but so they will have issues after maybe 3 years, and the customer gets so fed up, they end up just having to buy another one… I’m actually convinced that several laptop manufacturers do a very similar thing as well…they will start to have issues after a few years, in order for the customer to be almost forced into having to buy a new one…
I bought a tablet instead of another laptop for my mother for this exact reason. The bottom of the range laptops only just outlive their warranty, while mobile phone chipsets seem very reliable
Always very informative and well made videos Matt, but I was a bit surprised on this occasion at your comments on 'Ford' diesel engines. Certainly the 2.0 Duratorque with the hopeless Delphi injection system as fitted to the Mk 3 Mondeo was a disaster and failed as you described, but their 1.8 TDCI Lynx as fitted to the Mk 4 Mondeo / Smax and Focus was bomb proof so long as the wet belt and cam belt were changed as per Ford Service requirements. The 2.0 TDCI as fitted to Mk4 and Mk5 Mondeo, SMax etc is a Peugeot unit and can run for over 300K miles with no bother. Smooth and refined. I know other 'Pug' diesels like the 1.6 have issues but I'm not sure your blanket condemnation was justified.
Agree. I also want to add a comment about Toyota Diesels. Besides the 2.2 t180 and 2.2 in the Lexus 220d. The 2.0 and 1.4 d4d diesels, are quite bullet proof.
@@chucky2316 I think the reason you here the bad is they are one of the most common if not the most common diesel engines. French diesel engines in everything. Including Volvo's and the mini used them. Modern German engines aren't exactly any better the only one that I find to be any good is the 2.2 in the sprinters.
*NOW HERE'S A STORY* - My first Mazda 6 fell victim to the oil pickup. It had been an otherwise brilliant car which had all the extras. I decided to have the engine recon'd; I last saw that car back in 2018 being taken to Paisley, Scotland, on a flatbed truck - that's the last time I saw it. The reconditioners effectively *stole* my car. I liked that car so much I bought a newer Mazda 6 (now having learned about the oil pickup problem), and had it remapped plus DPF cleaned. It's driven perfectly for 3 years now with 80K additional miles without any issues, and I still think it's a great drive.
I damned near bought a Mazda 6 diesel estate, but during my due diligence process I came across an excellent RUclips channel run by a guy who sorts out broken Mazda diesels for a living. I had a quick chat with him and he told me not to touch one, which was nice of him. (I ended up buying a 2019 Skoda Octavia petrol instead, and it's been a delight.)
My first car was a 2005 Opel Astra. Which is definitely more reliable than my current BMW. My brother still drives it and it has 370k km on it. Served the family well🙂
we also have an astra 1.7 diesel, i really can not understand what he is saying about astra, the car is ours new since 2005 and outside of regular maintenance it gave us no problems at all. the engine has a lot of torque, a bit noise but i really like the sound of it. outside of that i have friends with corsas to and no problems reported.
My Dad had a saturn astra... not the most comfortable car but sporty. He had problems with the electronic throttle pedal. Also when we got rid of it the transmission was on its way out... maybe 250,000 kilometers on the clock... not awful but not great. Not a cushy car either. PS it had the 1.8L gasoline engine out of the north american chevy cruze and an aisin transmission. Kind of a wierd american/european hybrid that was a pain to get certain parts for.
Now retired, I used to be "In the Trade". That was a very refreshing experience to watch HIGH PEAK. Thank you for posting. In my view, there are far more unreliable car users than unreliable cars. They are often the car owners/users who are "unlucky" with their cars, whatever they buy. The HIGH PEAK view of Vauxhall / GM / Opel ( Vauxhall have not made a British Design Car for ages ) and those who buy them has some merit. Thanks to Clarkson wannabees and those of that mindset, a huge percentage of UK Car Consumers have been brainwashed by UK Media in all its forms where cars are involved. I could mention many examples of this but, one should suffice. Take my long time friend who always buys German. For ages he always used to castigate me for my "poor" choices of means of getting about. Usually MGs and Rovers both new and used over the decades. He never does that now and for good reason. Actually twelve thousand of them. That's what it was in our English £££££ to repair one of Stuttgart's finest. That was nearly twenty years ago and his son, not him came over and told me the bad news. Sometime later he did tell me the full story and what it cost. I had bought a new MG ZS a couple of years before and he asked how it was going. I told him it had just returned from a family trip ( I stayed home ~ work ) touring the European Mainland where my older son casually let slip he cruised it all day long at over 100 mph! The rascal. Know what my friend said when I told him that. Get this :~ " Well that's Honda engines for you". In fact he is puzzled why my MGs and Rovers are and continue to be so reliable. He sincerely is convinced it is due to having Honda engines. That despite the five letters large and proud across the Engine Coil Pack and Spark Plug covers... R O V E R. The late great Soichiro Honda would be spinning in his grave and at very high Honda revs if he knew any other manufacturer had put their names on one of his power Units. Of course they were and still are MG and Rover engines. Brainwashing of the highest order right there. I told him that Rover's L-Series Diesel was considered suitable to put in their Diesel Honda Accords long before they had developed their own Diesel engines. That ARGroup Honda partnership was not all one way one as many would have us all believe. It worked both ways. You will never hear that from any of the Clarkson wannabees. It does not align with their negative agenda. Our UK Main Stream Media have a lot of FAKE NEWS to answer for. Worse still. it is still ongoing on just about every topic, subject and issue. Please keep telling it like you find it HIGH PEAK AUTOS. Just maybe the messages will get through to the permanently brainwashed.
Agree about petrol Mazdas, very relaible cars. I've owned a 323F and 2 Mazda3s. The 323F had a bulletproof 1.6 petrol engine, but it's rear wheel arches rotted. Both Mazda3s were great, except for the 50kV headlights on the 2.0 Sport. One of the igniters blew and Mazda wanted £250 just for the part! My only bad experience with a Mazda was (surprise, surprise) a 1.6 diesel, whose engine actually came from a Peugeot. It kept cutting out because a little additive bottle under the fuel tank had run out. The dealer wanted more than the car was worth to refill it!
I hired one on a short visit to the UK for a death in the family and I was upgraded to a Mini Cooper S. I wish I hadnt been. Yes, it was nippy and stuck to the road like glue and was pretty frugal on motion-lotion, but the rest was awful. Horrible clutch, awful gearbox, a centre console the size of Wiltshire that told you what radio channel you were on but no GPS, stupid knobs and buttons everywhere, a cruise control that changed speed in 50mph increments. It was such a frustrating car to drive. Nothing was intuitive. You needed to ingest the 300 page manual to find out how to make anything work. Never again.
@@thewarhammerworkshop not my experience. Family had four all to over 150k without major issue. Albeit they weren't in fantastic shape at that point, but definitely not unreliable or terrible return. One from 2003 now on 205k miles, can't complain with that.
@@ln5747 Same, my dad worked at mini for over 43 years, we never had a problem with a single company car, I have a 2014 Cooper S roadster atm, again no issues at all, gone from 28K to 54K miles in it and I'm getting a 2017 JCW this weekend!
I wish I’d been able to watch this before buying a Mazda 6 Skyactive diesel 2013 with a full service history. Ended up costing me a fortune in repairs to the engine. Most unreliable car I’ve ever had (I’m 64) and had to get rid to ‘We buy any cars’. It wasn’t on the road when I next checked 6 months later.
I have owned Fords, Land Rovers and a Civic and no problems. My favourites are French cars and I have owned loads of them with zero problems. I was a community nurse for 20 years. I had a Xara Picasso from new and the first and only work it needed was a clutch after 137,000 miles. It went on to 167,000 before I changed it. My favourites were the mk1 and Mk2 Renault Koleos. I now have a Peugeot 5008 petrol. It's done 41k in two years from new and is the most comfortable car I have ever owned. I always get my cars serviced regularly. There is always a lot of luck involved with cars too.
My 15 plate avensis 2.0 diesel had 10k on it when I bought it,sold it last year with 278k on it,only thing that went wrong was the alternator went at 222k,it was still on the original clutch when I sold it!
@@Mr330d it was Toyotas own engine. Ironically I have a 2017 avensis tourer with the 2.0 beemer engine now, I preferred the Toyota tbh, the bmw motor does seem to spin up faster but the fueling doesn’t seem quite right,even tho Toyota can’t find any faults. The rest of the car isn’t as good either,Iv had 2 ball joints replaced under warranty (60k) and 2 of the alloys have corrosion so are being replaced
Just curious. How did you manage 268k miles in 6 years ( or less)? Portsmouth - Inverness commuting? Sorry but it's unrealistic mileage. That's nearly 45k miles a year or 858 miles a week....
@@shaunsmith3336 eww. That's a tough job. Quite impressed with the clutch considering you're doing lots of busy traffic driving. The only original clutch I've seen in high mileage cars is on those driven on motorways.
I have a petrol Corsa, I’ve had it since 2018 when it was two years old. I service mine every year, it gets everything done. No issues in over 20k miles apart from two rear wheel bearings. I’ve had a few Corsa’s and no issues.
Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. That's what Bears Grilled (sic) says when the tree surgeon has been busy behind his favourite hotel and he has to go a bit further to get his "I'm so deep in the jungle, surrounded by creeping death!" footage. Apart from that, great video Matt, lots of useful info. Hope the weather improves so you can give the MX-5 a bit of a thrash
I used to have a recovery driver living on my cul-de-sac, and quite often he would briefly come back home after recovering cars from the M6 or wherever they had broken down. I never saw so many Mercedes, BMW's and Audi's on the back of his recovery truck. Almost every day it was one or the other............He never spoke highly of French cars either. He said he rarely recovered anything genuinely Japanese, or Hyundai/Kia.......
@@livc444111 or they buy them for the badge, have money coming out of their ears and bin them off before warranty runs out and just buy a new one. Then joe public you mentioned above buys one and has a myriad of issues they can't afford to sort.
My 2015 Ford Kuga 2.0 diesel power shift has been owned by me since new and has had zero problems so far. The only thing changed was discs and pads all round that I did myself and tyres. It is serviced every year by my local garage.
Agree 100%. A friend who has had a small plumbing business since 1990 agrees. Now he keeps a spare van because he nearly always has one off the road. He's tried pretty well all makes and none are good now.
I agree too. Up until about 2 yrs ago I as still driving a 98 BMW on an R reg. Maybe I notice it more than others, but there still seems to be a lot of R, S and T plate cars knocking around.
Agreed! I had one of the last MK3 Mondeos and it as an absolute peach of a car. I only got rid of it because I'd had it 10 years and fancied a change, and also the new ULE zones target older diesels, however clean they run.
Diesels were great in those years, reliable and fast. My last diesel was a 2006, that already started to have issues due to exhaust emission measures. I've only owned rather boring non-turbo petrol cars after that, boring but utterly reliable.
Darn right, I live in the arse end of Wales, nearest motorway is so 50 plus mile away, which I seldom see these days, so when my car was put down after failing the MOT big time, I bought a 2004 fiesta for a few hundred quid, some 2 years ago, no issues at all, mind you its had little use due to a certain virus. :) it's MOT next Wed so we shall see. :)
Great video! My 96 saab 900 2.0T manual has been great for the last 12 years. 335.000 miles. Fast, reliable, fun, practical and gets 28 mpg/hwy. Also easy to work on and modify.
@@gottliebdee263 The 9-5 Aero from 2006 to 2009 has plenty of power and about the same fuel economy. If it's had the Hirsch engine upgrade from factory then it's even better.
@@gottliebdee263 you're talking stock cars. My 900 had 185hp from the factory and plenty of low end torque. That's still decent comparing to today's cars. They are easy to tune and modify and can take a lot of power reliably. Stock Saab turbo engine block before 1999 can happily live with 400-450 hp. With a bigger turbo, intercooler, exhaust and tune you're looking at 300hp. Newer blocks can take 300hp easily. After that you'd want to build the block. There are lots of 500+ hp Saabs out there... The highest HP one I know of has 1080hp.
Had my Corsa C 18 years from new!!! It's still going strong. The secret is oil changes every 6-12 months. I did pop off the rocker cover and tighten up the camshaft bolts but apart from that I have no engine issues at all, the timing chain is still tight. I have saved up so much cash in that 18 years, its crazy 😂😂
Mostly though it's all about how it's been looked after. I have a 13 year old French hatch that's been looked after, it's very reliable and everything still works. I'm in no rush to change it. I can't afford to but that's not the point lol. Great videos as always. Cheers!
PSA cars are in general good except for the annoying plastic bits that break and electronics that can fail. But they do not rust and the engines do not fail (except for turbo and other “special” models - those are a nightmare).
PSA cars are cheap, and are bought by cheap owners who don't want to maintain their car. Gives them a bad rep when really most of the drivers are the problem!
@@Calvi36 Not all PSA owners are, I didn't mean that. A huge majority are though, much like Vauxhall owners. They look at the cheapest cars on sale and the deals around and get them. They then don't want to put any money into services or day to day running costs, buy the cheapest oils, filters and petrol, and often skip services completely! PSA and Vauxhall do so many leasing deals that they rarely sell cars from new, so the first owners abuse those and don't really take care of them. The 3 year warranty doesn't help much either, when a lease can be that length of time.
@@highmm2696 Interestingly enough Dacia owners are the cheapest of them all but they seem to take it really well. I mean no car lives a troublefree live when oilchanges never happen but the old Renault engines are reliable and since they don't have that much extras they can take it. So in my oppinion PSA cars are not bad but if I'd have to choose Renault>PSA just a little tho.
Peugeot Partner Combi Escapade - 04 plate, very few problems, great for 5 large teenage lads, great for building rubble as we gutted and rebuilt current house, still ULEZ compatible, well over 100k miles. Just gave it away serviced with full MoT, new owner delighted. Clutch too heavy for my arthritic feet. Very few electronic features
Well said 👍 Manufacturers have perfected the art of the disposable car. Once out of warranty, its not their problem, their marketing is all about "new and improved" 🤣😂🤣
Good video! You mentioned a VW Tiguan. Best to add that the sunroofs on VWs leak. And if it’s just the seal to replace it’s a £2k job. If the sunroof cassette has cracked it’s a £4K job. Don’t ask how I know….
Excellent stuff Matt, I really enjoy your channel. It will be great if you could do a top 3 in reliability of ULEZ compliant cars in every class of circa 2013 - 2017. A level of driving fun and comfort is assumed given your past videos. I think a lot of people (like me) are having to ditch their non-ULEZ compliant cars and are not quite ready to move to electric, given the inflated prices, lack of range and limited charging infrastructure.
At the end of the video Matt suggests a petrol Mazda, Honda or Toyota - a Civic or Auris. You cannot go wrong with those. I had a Honda Civic 2.2 diesel 2007, owned it 12 years and solid and reliable. Sold it when I moved to London, and bought a petrol KIA Ceed 2019 which is a fantastic car.
Yeah timing chain issues.... They suck.... I've got a 2016 VW transporter, 50k, mint condition. The intercooler needed replacing after it rusted a hole in it. Now an ABS sensor has broke.... Crap...
I’m surprised at the Japs doing it. Planned obsolescence is what pushed their cars forward in the early 1960s. My uncle bought a brand new Vauxhall, eighteen months later he was jacking it up to change a tyre and the jack went through the floor!
if it has BMW, AUDI, MERCEDES or LAND ROVER on the front don't buy it unless you like spending lots of money on repairs and servicing costs and getting the bus a few times each year,
I'm relieved that the KIA Sportage we bought from you last year wasn't on your list LOL. Wife still loves it BTW. It's the only car she's ever owned that she has washed herself rather than leaving it to muggins to sort out
Living in Hebrides on a small isle I’m surprised by my Hyundai 2.0 credit ix35… 🙏🏻🤞🏻lack of problems in 9 yrs… in fact they are now like Fords were all over… they and Kia seem to rule. A coil spring tyres because of the atrocious roads and plethora of cattle grids & servicing and a lack of that thing called rust that loved my wife’s bmw…
So far so good with the Sportage 1.7 2013 bought it at 36k 6 years ago and had to replace the clutch but other than that zero problems so far the most reliable car I have ever owned
Great video. I am in agreement that they are designed not too last unless they are looked after 110%. I also believe any leasing deals has encouraged the behaviour of a throwaway nature to cars not working properly.
I have had a 2003 Cooper S mini since it was new and has now completed 198,000 ks with only a couple of normal wear and tear issues. I have found it to be a lot of fun and very reliable. It will never be sold. I love it!
Great video! It's clear that some modern "average" cars with complicated diesel engines can be often more troublesome than those that are often ridiculed for unreliability (LR mostly :D). In my experience our regularly serviced old L322 was much more reliable than many much newer cars which were supposed to be reliable (mainly modern VW diesels spring to mind).
Having had a modern 1.6tdi VW engine in a Leon 2017 I agree. It feels like they modified them to pass emissions after the cheat but that the engine wasn't really designed to run that cleanly. Having to do an active regeneration of the filter which heated the exhaust up to 600 degrees and put the under bonnet fans on jet turbine mode if you were to stop somewhere during it concerned me and having an oil leak at 60,000 miles due to two damaged seals confirmed my fears. Seat and Arnold Clark paid most of the bill and even through in a free cambelt swap whilst they were doing it. But still that amount of heat is going to damage parts. The solution used in this engine seems similar to the pyrolytic cleaning in an oven. Heat the exhaust to really high temperatures to burn the soot into ash. With no ad blue or other chemical involved. Wasn't really convinced how environmentally friendly that was too with a distinctive burning smell. Other diesels I've been in don't seem to need to do this regenerating passively during longer runs. This wouldn't regenerate passively apart from up a steep incline as exhaust temp simply too cold.
Great video, with great honesty, thank you! I have still got my Merc 200 D 1980, no rust, no problems, strong as an OX, with compliments galore. I refuse to buy any modern car as I would not trust any of them sadly to say.
Just started watching some of your videos this week. Very honest and accurate opinions, thank you. Definitely more honesty needed in this world, great review. Ive experience of a mazda 2 (08) 1.2 have oil pick up issues and ended up seized and needed a replacement lump.
We bought a 2003 Vauxhall Zafira model A in 2007 and it feels like it's coming to the end of its life, but it's been a dependable workhorse, almost no issues until recently. We were so impressed with it we also bought a two-year old Zafira model B a few years later. That one was plagued with problems and lasted about three years. Maybe we were just lucky with the first one.
Zafira A really was a very reliable car (as was Astra of same model years, forgot the letter) - but Opel/Vauxhall pretty much turned to garbage after those. New ones that are rebadged Peugeots are good again though, I hear :)
We had two Zafira automatics back to back. Both utter trash, constantly in the garage. Swapped them out for an automatic Corolla Verso and that has been rolling with no issues for 7 years now.
Spot on! My girlfriend really struggles to open the passenger door on my Mini Cooper S. It has weird electronic faults too - occasionally goes into engine safety mode without any reason - turn it off and on again...reversing sensors sometimes work, uses oil at variable rates and clutch overheats. Avoid any tiny bump on the road or you'll need back surgery...Still it's great fun to drive! Oil change every 5k miles hoping will keep it running...
I’m loving all the “Mini” hate! They look good, but beyond that I would never ever want to be seen dead or alive in a modern Mini. Would definitely love to see your ten recommendations for a decent reliable vehicle! Thanks for this vid! Be safe and be well!
Thanks for the heads up and your honesty. I wonder if the design of all cars withDiesel particle filter DPF, is more to do with getting people into electric cars than cleaning diesel exhausts. It seem all the dpfs do is clog up your engine and thus reduce the life of your car.
hummmm...speaking as a taxi proprietor and has owned a few Avensis's one my fleet, I can say that the D4D engine pretty much bomb proof, they are good mile munchers and I've managed to get one up to 450k. only issue I find is when they do go wrong, they cost a mortgage to fix as the majority of the parts seems to be dealer only even when they over 10 years old. Totally agree with you on the Vauxhall, they are now an absolute shambles these days, shame really as they were awesome back in the 80s and 90s! bring back the Cavalier. I do love your videos BTW Matt
Exactly… !!! I’m from Southern Africa where majority of vehicles here are Toyota. People here trust Japanese cars. This guy here is giving out false info. Its not right .
Agree with you Andy the Toyota D4D engine is feat of engineering and reliable to the last, I’ve owned a Toyota diesel for 15 years with no problems. I’m surprised the Landrover/Range Rover didn’t get a mention.. I guess because it’s not a car you’re surprised with being unreliable 😅
Funny enough I worked with a guy who used to work for Honda UK as a technician at their import warehouse. He told me about the Honda Civic. The early 2000s Civic marketing slogan was 'The last car you will ever buy'. Funny enough that was very true. They were so well built that they had so very few problems people just kept on driving them year after year. Because of this the customers were not buying the newer model and the dealer shops were not making any money on them for repairs. Honda made the next generation of Civic a lower quality so they would start breaking down after a certain point. This way people would trade them in for the newest model at the time. It shows most manufacturers can make very good reliable vehicles, but that would be bad for business and the profits. 😅
Absolutely correct. My wife has just parted with her 20 year old 2002 Honda Civic. Passed its mot year after year without issue. The mechanics told her not to part with it when it was serviced. She only did when the gear box started sounding like a McClaren and the suspension clunking a bit. It probably still could have soldiered for another 2-3 years. I’ve had 3 cars in that time and I’m too embarrassed to say how much I’ve spent to keep them on the road.
I had a 1997 1.8 quite a high spec low miles when we got it but it just ran and ran nothing broke and I mean nothing my mechanic said don't sell it we had it 16 years bulbs and blades tyres that's all some arsehole ran into the back and wrote it off btw if you're looking for a good car and not bothering about looks Suzuki sx4 some leaking shock absorbers but that's it
@@therealisation5500 I agree, they are a decent engine once the crap head gasket is replaced. As long as you look after the 1.8k series they look after you. The only other thing that is a bit common is the gasket on the intake leaks sometimes, but that is not a massive and if you can find one, Rover had a metal intake that is less Prone to leaking. I worked for Suzuki for a couple years. They are decently made vehicles. Their production model is let the bigger manufacturers bring out the new technology first. Then when all the bugs and faults are worked out, copy what is good and reliable, so they seldom have major issues.
It takes a lot of guts to make a video like this these major manufacturers are very powerful but this information is very valuable for potential car buyers I definitely appreciate it
Interesting that Vauxhall Corsa was on the list - my partner had a 2002 Corsa (bought s/h from 25k - petrol semi-auto), which was bomb-proof and totally reliable. The engine was a 1liter Suzuki unit with timing chain AFAIK. She bought it with less than 30k miles, and when she sold it the garage couldn't find a buyer but kept it as their workshop run-around. My VX experience with a 2004 Vectra 1.9CDTI 150bhp was also a good one (bought s/h at 44k). Fast, comfortable trouble-free family motoring for over 5 years - only broke down once due to alternator failure. Otherwise just needed tyres, brakes & servicing. Things seem to have changed for the worse - I'm looking for a new turbo-diesel atm and trying to find a reliable model is a bit of a minefield.
A relative of mine has a 13 yrs old Mini Cooper and she loves it. All the issues you've mentioned, she's had complete trouble free motoring. The gear change is smooth, it's comfortable, no problems with the doors, no bits falling off. Maybe you've only had Lemons! As for the Corsa? The kids buy them to, let's say, "Doll" them up! I call them, to their faces, "Prat Mobiles" haha
I’ve got a Mini Countryman Cooper S and it’s been totally reliable for the three years I’ve had it. Before that I had a 2004 Cooper S convertible. I used to do 70 miles a day in it and only had a few minor issues. Maybe I’ve just been lucky
Same, I've got a 2014 Cooper S Roadster, done about 30K miles since 2021 and with no issues, just passed its MOT without a single advisory too, I'm getting a 2017 JCW this weekend to replace it
I must say my experiences with MINIs we’ve owned have been nothing but brilliant. As a family we’ve done at least 250,000 miles in a whole variety, but mainly F series Hatch and Clubman Cooper S’. In that time the only issue we’ve had was a faulty TPMS system on an R55 Clubman. There are some models we haven’t owned which are rubbish, such as the pre-LCI R56s, where the timing chain tensioner fails and writes off the car, and all Countryman’s due to being vile, especially the hybrid.
R56 didn’t have a great rep but f56 is much better. Having said that I did have a few issues with an f54 most notably auto gearbox but fortunately that was replaced under warranty. Main dealer services are exorbitant though. Despite this I’m still tempted by another.😊
The newest Mini supposedly are one of the most reliable cars. The older seems to have issues but its not like every Mini is a bad one. There just seem to be some bad apples between them.
I’ve had 4 Minis and honestly never had any problems. Mini always rate very well in reliability surveys (JD Power etc). Just look at the data out there?
I know someone who had a 2011 Mazda 6 diesel, the original engine failed after a few years, he had a replacement reconditioned engine installed and that failed 6 months later. Terrible. To top it off he then got a cheap Mondeo TDCi to replace it and the engine in that self destructed as well, talk about unlucky. I have to wonder if he mistreated his cars to have that much trouble...
@@timoliver4548 You shouldn't ever go wrong with a petrol engined Mazda. I know through experience they are pretty bullet proof if maintained correctly.
Nice one Matt, any chance you can do your Top 5 reliable cars in the under 6k, 15k and 25k market, would be interesting to see want your thoughts are Matt.
I drive a 2005 Peugeot 407 with 90k on the clock. I got it just after its first mot, and it had 26k on it. So far it has been utterly reliable, the cam belt and clutch have been changed as a part of regular maintenance, it runs very sweetly for a two litre diesel! Urban mpg is around 40 and motorways give around 58 mpg at a steady 70 mph. No screens, just buttons and knobs!
Thanks for the honest review, I was going to buy a Mini for my wife, will look at other options like a Golf! My last six cars have all been Jags, cant fault any of them except petrol cars, an S Type and old shape XJ were a bit thirsty. My present XJ Portfolio diesel is incredible, style, performance, luxury and economy!
The Vauxhall Agila is a fabulous runabout town car. Wife on 2nd one, and my local dealer techies tell me it's the best car that Vauhall stuck a badge on, probably because it's a Suzuki Splash. Totally reliable, and they rarely get one in for repairs. Her experience is a failed air con condensor only in 10 years. My 2015 Mondeo estate 2.0 185 bhp diesel was a lovely car, only spoiled by an 'electrical parasite' problem, that ultimately and sadly left me no choice but to get shut after wasting £500 trying to cure it. Just my observations.
As a vehicle mechanic for a few decades, I Can absolutely 100% back up your claims about Vauxhall. Having owned the older types ( Cavaliers, then astra's mk1-2 era ) they were ' pretty good ' for the price and on the whole were reliable. But since then, and to this day, every single vauxhall iv dealt with has been an absolute piece of junk, even down to the bolts and screws are the shittest poor quality the heads of the screws just come off like some old putty. Have on many occasions tried to work with the Vauxhall dealers to solve issues and recalls, they have no interest in helping at all. Worst customer service out of all the dealers. The correct name for Vauxhall is actually Fuxall, because thats what they do. Best vehicles iv dealt with are : 1 - Toyota. hands down. Probably the best car is their corolla and auris. Best commercial vehicle ( Van ) is the Toyota Hiace - they just do what they are designed to do with no bullshit.
I agree with the fact he says about the owners as well which i think is most of the problem with vauxhalls as the owners just have no clue/desire about maintaining them. Ive had 2 vauxhalls now, a corsa d which hadnt been serviced enough when i brought it so eventually needed a timing chain but on the whole was ok because i looked after it after that, and the astra j i have now which had a whining gearbox as vauxhall believe the gear oil is lifetime and doesnt need changing. I phoned them once to ask for parts and they were clueless.
@@TheKandR Lifetime oil... its a common claim these days on a lot of new cars. The oil will last a lifetime... LOL probably one of the most stupid things iv heard in all my life. Well, given from what Iv seen - any Vauxhall car lifespan is less than a year anyway so I guess they are right. Another new thing I see is new cars with NO oil dipstick to check the level... I mean, really ?????? the owners manuals say. " start engine first, let it idle and the oil level will display on the dashboard........ not to be a conspiracy theorist, but it seems the manufactures these days are doing anything they can to shorten all their vehicles lifespans. Vauxhall leading the way !
@@robstone370 i think its also interesting that when engineers mean 'lifetime' they only mean to a certain number of miles for example the lifetime warranty that the first owner of my astra paid for was only up to 100,000 miles.
@@TheKandR Absolutely, the marketing and sale pitch is designed to intentionally mislead buyers and help them part with their cash. I run a Toyota hiace van ( 307,000 miles ) and trying to find a workshop manual is impossible, the dealers say they don't produce any for that vehicle... so I always wondered, clearly Toyota built the vehicle, so one would have thought they'd have a workshop manual, or even a service / maintenance manual ? No chance. After no luck with a manual from them I decided to ask what I thought was a basic question, I actually spent almost 30 minutes on a call with them being passed around to different branches and departments, and not a single person could tell me what type or grade engine oil it takes. I guess it just isn't profitable for them anymore to keep old vehicles on the road
Hi Rob. Since I've seen your experience, I just want to ask you if you recommend me a VW Polo 1.2 2009 with nearly 100k mile on the clock as a first car.
Just love your channel. so refreshingly honest. I can testify to how awful the Mini is. My wife bought it as it seemed to fit in with her mobile accountancy business but its turned out to be an awful nightmare that she regrets to this day. everything that you said about it is true. Just garbage. She is getting rid of it as soon as the extended warranty comes to an end. Keep up the great work. Highlight of youtube as far as I am concerned
I bought a Vectra cdti ONCE! Everything you reeled off went wrong with mine. Never would I buy a Vauxhall again. In fact I swear the RAC operator knew me on first name terms. Your spot on.
Hi Matt. I really like your videos, your eloquence, blunt honesty and the fact that the roads you are driving are very familiar to me. I have been driving since 1976, probably before you you were born. I used to keep my cars for years, I had an Audi 80 Sport for thirteen years and finally traded it in with over 250k on the clock. It had an oil change at 8k intervals when the recommendation was 10k. I have a theory about extended oil change intervals and the longevity of modern engines. I know of several people who have bought new cars and had them serviced according to the recommended schedule but, the engines have failed at around 60-70k usually out of warranty. Personally, I think 20k is a lot to ask of even the best synthetic oils out there to protect an engine from wearing out. It's almost as if the manufacturers don't want their engines to last for ever, which I supose from their perspective makes good business sense. I'm very old school, if I had followed the service schedule for my three year old car it would be due its second oil change in June 2022 at around 40k. However, it's only done 32k but already had three changes at 10k intervals. What are your thoughts, am I wasting my money?
It all depends on where, how and under what weather conditions you drive your car. Also the size of your engine. Bigger engines have a bigger oil pan (more oil in circulation). Most modern engines have tighter tolerances than old engines and require finer oils and depend more on oil performance to deliver. Therefore there is a big expectation from oil performance. Then again oils are much better than in old engines days. So in my experience 10K miles (or 15K kms) is the border you should never cross. Also more often oil change under normal conditions of driving is throwing money away (and excessive environment pollution). On the other hand if your car is used just to go around on a very short drives, you better change oil twice as often. Your battery life will tell you if you do this kind of driving. But if your car is making a very low mileage and when it does it is mostly on open road or drives longer than an hour each trip, then stick to the millage and dont worry about the time between the changes. This is only my experience and I also started driving from 1976 (officially ;-) and a year or two earlier unofficially)
not wasting your money at all. most manufacturers these days only care about the warranty period, so if they extend the service intervals it saves them money, even if it's bad for the longevity of the engine/car. as the old saying goes, oil is cheap, engines are expensive so better to err on the side of too frequent maintenance than the other way round.
I agree with you, oil is cheap even fully synthetic oil. I fill my tank up every two weeks for £80. I change my oil every 10,000 miles or 8 months for £30. It’s nothing by comparison to fuel costs and certainly not against the cost of a replacement engine.
One of my first cars had an Oil Pressure needle gauge. About 6 months or 8,000 miles after an oil and filter change I could see the needle wouldn't reach the same peaks as it used to. There was an obvious reduction in oil pressure. I used to use this as a guide to when I needed to change the oil and filter. At low revs or tick over was when it was most noticeable. I think modern vehicles should have oil pressure gauges so we can see if the oil pressure is dropping.
This a brilliant way to spend a rainy day, I watch all your videos, and this one provided useful candid honest advice from your experience. To be fair to the Japanese, they hated diesels I reckon, only started making them to appease the European market, bet they regret the day they started - Toyota wisely got out first. Newer cleaner European-made Euro 6 diesels aside (conflict of interest, my wife has a super reliable efficient Audi A3 1.6 tdi), we will probably look back to that era with the same fondness as we do now to coal. Love the Corsa jibes too. Glad I know my chapstick from a dipstick... Great video, quite like this new style forced on you by the NW England climate, you should do more!
Some Honda Accords had a reliable Diesel engine. They fitted Rover's L-Series Diesel which was and still is one of the most reliable and economical ordinary production engines ever made.
@Retired Bore The Parasitic Union of Europe / Brussels clearly did not agree for the best part of two decades. Right up until it hit the Fan and bounced off fully and firmly into the VAG. UK Motoring Media Brainwashing. :~ What the Clarkson disciple wannabees would never advise as it never suited their agenda, was that the Honda Motor Company of Japan before developing their own Oil Burners ( THAT is what they are ), they fitted Rover's very long lived and reliable L-Series Diesel to their Diesel Accords. That Rover L-Series engine so good, I've seen Diesel Accords for sale back in the day with descriptions including "Has Honda's powerful, economical and very reliable Honda Diesel engine"... etc. Under bonnet image clearly shows a Rover L-Series. There's more, I've been an enthusiast for the Rover T-Series Turbos since the early 1990s. Since the day my company stopped covering own car use costs for work travel ( nice little earner ) supplied a hire car for those longer trips instead. Spoil sports. The first car supplied. Rover 420 Petrol Turbo instead of using my MG Montego Turbo ( which In still have ). As ordinary cars go, T-16 Rover Petrol Turbos have since become my main daily driver. First a TomCat 2-Door coupe, then soon after a Rover 620ti as my two sons were fast growing and a two door coupe is not fit for family purposes. I sold my trusty 620ti a couple of years ago. Had it since 2006. When I first started looking for 620ti and the Vitesse 820 petrol Turbos, saw more than a few advertised as having "The very powerful and reliable Honda Turbocharged engine".. That despite the five letters large and proud across the Spark Plug access covers. R O V E R. Soichiro Honda would be turning in his grave at max-Honda revs if any other manufacturer put their name on one of his engines. Arranging to view a Vitesse more than twenty years ago, I told the seller that if his Rover did have the Honda engine, I would not be buying. I could almost here his jaw drop on the phone in surprise. I bought the car .. but the seller insisted. "It must be a Honda, the engine is so powerful and reliable" as I loaded it onto my trailer. Cue more media brainwashing. " The only Rovers worth buying are those with Honda engines." Heard that on a few occasions over the years. People now wonder why we no longer have a UK owned indigenous Motor Manufacturing Industry in the Land of the increasingly and ever wider spread self-inflicted harm. Right enough of all that. I'm off to the shops in my MG. It does not have an MG or Rover engine. It has a Mustang power unit under that bonnet. Greta will be pleased. For longer trips @ closing on £2 per litre. I'll use my MG ZT-T 1.8T with the K-Series 1.8T series turbo power unit. On a long run, 40mpg IS achievable with some restraint but, that turbo boost can be addictive, Funny old game Cars and Folks.
I've had lots of old ford Mondeo's, drove them many 100.000's of km, good driving, great consumption. Maybe the newer ones have the problems? The Mondeo MK2 diesel was phenomenal.
Excellent video and I agree with everything you say! Especially Ford - we own a MK1 Focus and it’s been brilliantly reliable. Tried a MK4 Focus loan car and was so disappointed in it. Surprised the ecoboost engine not on your list actually.
I take it that's the 1.0 Ecoboost you're talking about and not the 1.6 or 2.0? The 1 litre 4 cylinder was notorious for overheating problems. Mind you, I've had 2 pistons go in my 1.6 ecoboost which cost me 2 k to sort out !
Had no faults with my boggo focus 1.6 mark 1 either. Not one thing broke. Not one piece of trim fell off. Foolishly traded it in for a mark 2. Nothing broke on that either but it just wasn't anywhere near as much fun to drive. That bit heavier I think and also being a more powerful 1.8 it got electric steering. Could choose comfort, normal or sport all of which were well fairly rubbish to be honest! Lost the agility. If you can keep the rust at bay nothing modern drives as sweetly. Hydraulic steering is just better and now everything has electric steering. I did get most of that joy back when we had a Mazda 3 1st generation. But that was a lot thirstier than the Ford thanks to lower gearing.
It isn't accurate. Look at how many private hire vehicles are Toyota Auris's. I am a private hire driver. We buy them for a reason. OK, not the best drive in the world, but they are economical and VERY reliable.
I have an Opel/Vaxhaull GTC diesel, and, you can defeat the manufacturer by 3000 mile interval oil changes, never revving hard until up to temp, driving at least 10 miles per journey and never shutting the engine off straight away after a journey, and waiting at least 30 seconds after start up before driving (especially with a turbo). My Astra GTC is on 304, 257 miles and running like new.
Car manufacturers have been reinventing the wheel forever - you're right, and it's called designed obsolescence, which affects virtually every consumer product out there. This raises questions about the seriousness of regulators and governments to address the "environmental crisis"
Get a Yaris diesel. Had mine 10 years now. £30 road tax, 2 tyres, 2 batteries, never failed an M.O.T., always starts first time every time, 45 to the gallon round town (had 80 on a trip), no rust and still goes like new. Don't think I'll ever change it or go electric (if they keep making the fuel)!
Very useful video, thanks a lot. Regarding Vauxhall, Vauxhall/Opel (in continental Europe) are just brands, the problem is GM. The most recent Vauxhall/Opel are Peugeot with some cosmetic differences, so their reliability is generally OK. Plus the great Peugeot handling.
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Cars mentioned are:
1. Mazda 6 (2010-2014) Diesel
2. Nissan Qashqai various
3. Toyota Rav 4 mark 3
4. Mini (all of them!)
5. Ford Diesel cars
6. Vauxhall Corsa
I have a Ford Diesel and touch wood, there has been no problems with it. This guy doesn't like diesels anyway, nor cheap to run cars. We aren't all made of money!
@@voice.of.reason most of what he says is true tho just cus yours aint gone wrong dont mean they aint bad on average
I think your conspiracy theory is right myself. I think at the turn of the century cars were no longer bought to be cherished and owned for many years, but leased and disposed of after 3. Planned obsolescence applies to virtually everything we buy, and the same companies pushing this tat on us have the nerve to talk about how they're committed to "sustainability" and all that bollocks.
Bang on pal 👍
Spot on. The most eco-friendly cars around are the ones built well enough they are still running 15 years later. I reckon they are getting rarer and rarer.
Agree but I think the regulators also have a lot to answer for. Under the excuse of 'green' and 'climate' the car manufacturers are forced to fit useless technology like dpfs, egr valves etc which prematurely destroy engines.
I'm sure the manufacturers could achieve equally clean engines with better engineering if left alone.
My thoughts exactly m8 all products including cars these days not fit for purpose to last 3 years then they develop issues. Disposable and if you do keep it longer they fleece you on repairs and replacement parts.
Agreed. I bought a Volvo 940 estate almost 30 years ago. It’s built like a 🧱 💩 🏠 , has done 150,000 miles and just keeps on going. At that time it was quite expensive, but alongside BMW, SAAB, Mercedes, Volvo was building cars to last. It’s been regularly serviced, driven carefully and apart from the usual new exhaust issues and a leaky rear diff has been utterly dependable. In terms of £/mile driven, and being ‘green’ and good for the planet, a well built, long life car like this is so much better than any brand new over engineered high tech wizardry coming off the assembly lines today. Cars today are built like microwaves - the manufacturers assume you’ll want or feel like you’ll ‘need’ a new one in 3 years.
Vauxhalls. I've had all types of Astras, hatchbacks, estates, 2 door, 4 door, petrol and diesel, manual and auto, from Mark 1 to the current Mark 7. I've covered hundreds of thousands of miles in total and NOT ONE has ever broken down. I regularly service them and generally look after them. The only issues I have ever had was that in the mark 1 the overhead camshaft had not been hardened properly but it was replaced foc. I'n the mark 6 I had to replace the coil pack a couple of times over the 80,000 miles. The most reliable was a diesel estate mark 3, covering over 130,000 miles and only had to replace tyres and wipers. Lucky? Perhaps but I think too many people these days are just get in a drive and pay no attention to the mechanics and electrics.
Me too. Vauxhall’s don’t react well to old oil and zero servicing thats all - get a low milage one and look after it simple
Had a Vectra 1.9 CDTI which was a decent family car - very quick and a nice drive on the motorway, but not the best cornering on winding roads. Got it for a great price with 40k mileage, and drove it for 6 years - only broke down once (alternator gave up). Friend of mine had an old Astra mk 3 TD which he drove for years - replaced it with a modern one and had a lot of problems with it - luck of the draw?
I’ve had seven Vauxhalls, Corsa, 2 astras, Vectra and 3 insignias. Also never had an issue with any of them, Serviced every year no problems.
knew there would be a comment like this, ffs.
@@jasonkilshaw4430 Like what?
There aren’t many car dealer RUclips channels with such honesty and depth of knowledge, every vid is informative and entertaining! Keep up the great work mate.
True said
Wish every car or most of them was sold through him 🤣😜
Honest? He shills every car he buys to sell. Even if a car is shite he makes a 5 minute video on why it is soo good. Ofcourse he will because he needs to sell it.
@@ahmadmohamad6384 what a stupid cynical thing to say. I have done plenty of negative car reviews. I tend to only film with cars I like but there are plenty of examples of cars I don’t. Most of my cars have sold by the time the video goes live anyway.
Informative , honest and to the point. What on earth else do you need? Keep the vids coming . Great content😊
No hidden agendas, no salesman's commission, simply no B.S. Straight to the point. Awesome content. Thanks for sharing. Bottom line is I think our society became too arrogant and spoilt. Too much money. That made me think; From South Korea there are awesome cars to consider and then from Indie there would be very cheap basic cars (albeit a bit rattling) that might be considered reliable.
UUID’s
Really useful words of Wisdom and experience - almost Bible-like pronouncements !! Thkz !,
Yes! This is why I'm subscribing
Car reliability - about 40 years ago I read an article by a Volvo 240 owner who said he would tow his caravan to Italy without any preparation, at the time I was running an Austin Princess and before that a Maxi and I would start preparations 3 months before and still have problems. My Volvo 240’s were totally reliable, through snow in the Alps to 40c+ down the leg of Italy and never missed a beat. If only Volvo would produce another 240 with modern day performance and without all the modern fancy bits that make all cars less reliable … then I would be first in the queue.
Great vid mate - we need a reliable list next!
Simple Ismail, Lexus Honda Toyota petrols, easy peasy 😁
Just about to say that, wonder if it's Land Rover at the top............🙂
@@Shane-zx4ps which diesels ?
It’ll be a short list!
@@jb6368. Honda I-dtec Diesels are the best
Nice variety to your normal vids mate! maybe do a surprisingly reliable cars list on the next rainy day.
Comments about Vauxhall's bites a bit. Back in the day I had a 1.6 cavalier and to build up my competition license I road rallied it several times. It still did 90k in 3 years without a fault. Next company cavalier Sri (!) Had 7 miles on it then after picking it up I drove flat out to get to a meeting in London. Never an issue in 84k in 3 years. Had a diesel 1.9 astra loved it, thrashed it never an issue in 3 years (trust me I did stage rallying so I know how to thrash a car). I think the diesel insignia is a great car - mega mpg, comfortable in Sri trim seats and cheap to buy and run. Just service them !!! I now run a landrover ..... Wish I had a vauxhall...
Insignia back in the day wonderful car had one as a company car never had an issue
I have owned lots of different brands over sixty plus years of motoring. Never owned new, all second hand apart from my latest, now three years old. Skoda Karoq dsg td. That had a new battery at six months.
Only one was a pain, a BL Princess with the 1700 O series engine. It never let me down, just spewed oil everywhere. The most comfortable were Citroen’s. Properly maintained they have all been fine.
Vauxhall Corsa’? My wife’s is a 2004 1.4 Design automatic. Never missed a beat and starts on the button even after weeks unused. Utterly reliable and everything still works. The secret is regular maintenance and change engine oil at 10,000 miles or less.
Matt, thanks for your honesty, depth of knowledge and passion . This mix is rare these days. I was thinking of buying a used Mazda 6 diesel and what you said confirmed what I had noticed on some adds concerning the oil pump. As for the programmed obsolescence, that is sadly an epidemy that affects all sort of products, from washing machines to lap tops and cell phones. Even the clothing industry has embraced a very lucrative concept that leaves us with piles of trash, that we bring (more pollution) to third world countries (Chile, Ghana).
Where are the Audi's on this list? In my experience they are just scrap metal on wheels.
And all mercs
Well they are fine. Surprised MG isn’t on this list
I had a 2007 mini clubman, fantastic to drive, when it actually worked. It cost me nearly £2000 in repairs over 8 months and then the ECU packed up. Never again
Good video. Had the same Honda petrol car for 15 years and it is very reliable and works just fine. Even the paint and upholstery is still good. Wish I was in such good condition.
I’m so glad I saw this today. I had a Mini years ago and it fell apart as soon as it was out of warranty, but I must admit, I’ve been tempted to try again. They’re so darned cute! Thanks for the reality check.
“Dross”. Such a good word that sadly doesn’t get used enough.
Unfortunately for me, I use it all the time 😂
You don’t hear it being used a lot now, though it was used fairrly to mean something useless or unnecessary- therefore carries with it many synonyms and similes. Superfluous extras eg over-decoration, or additional features which have no function. Or it may also be used to politely describe unwanted by products in production - brewing springs to mind, or the unwanted accumulation from wood or metal turning.
Iyour list didn’t overly surprise me, but you certainly put the rationale behind it very well
'Seldom' used
We use that word a lot in Scotland, Douglas Ross leader of the Scottish Tories gets called DRoss :-) He's a bit dim.
That was great : short, sharp and to the point. It did exactly what it said on the tin :)
I wonder how many people that use this phrase have ever heard of Sadolin.. I must now check to see if the product still exists.
My Toyota Celica is 17 years old and has never let me down. It always starts first crank, but it is a petrol car. I am very surprised that you didn't mention Peugeots. I have had 6 and the last 2 were absolute dogs. Thanks for the refreshing honesty.
Uk models are mostly diesels which are perfect.
Its not suprising for pegeot to be unreliable they are French. The shockers on this list are the Japanesse ones that lack reliability excluding the Nissan because its made by Renault now.
You forgot anything made by Landrover, absolute junk.
@@gravemind6536 French cars weren't unreliable before 2010. Germans began their 'drop off the cliff' stunt already in 2002-2003. Japanese cars before 2016 were usually pretty good, however they always did rust like swiss cheese.
@@totuudentorvi7781 French cars have always been pretty crap on reliability with the odd exception. German stuff was good especially the Diesels and like you said in early to mid 2000s things took a sharp decline. Japanese stuff has always been reliable yes a lot of it liked to rust. Japanese is still the most reliable to this day but even they have declined due to all the regulations. I have a 2016 Toyota Auris and its been flawless so far and shouldn't have the rust issues older ones have. Not even interested in buying a newer car due to all the intrusive tech and removal of things like the handbrake.
Thanks Matt! Can you please do a video on the 6 most reliable cars, that you’ve come across?
I had a 2nd user Yaris diesel 04 plate for 10 years until 2021. 150k Miles and never missed a beat. The new owner also still happily running. Reliability is outstanding considering the only thing I did was the usual annual service of oil change and check up. I suppose it all depends on how they were used and looked after. Constant foot to the floor on many diesels causes issues.
They are by no means bad but the Japanesse brands you're far better off with petrol engines they're very good at making them and not so good at diesels. Any modern diesel is unreliable now due to regulations but the old 1.9 SDI and TDI units from VW were the peak for diesel engines in normal cars imo.
i have a mk2 yaris. 1.4 d4d, it has 130.000miles and still runs perfect, just oil and filter changes once every 5000 miles
Spot on with the Mini. I have a 2010 Clubman S (in the U.S.). Bought it used, and have put 3X the amount I paid for it into repairs. It runs fantastically now that it's all sorted, which also means it's the perfect time to get rid of it. Fun car to drive, though.
I have a 09 mini clubman very reliable had it 5 years
Why do you people buy such junk cars for ? Don't understand you. Buy a second hand Honda, Toyota.... weird
@@Jack_The_Ripper_Here That'll be my next vehicle. Had I known the Mini was that bad, I would never have bought it.
I love my mini clubman i get it serviced regularly at my local garage and it has only broken down once which for a 14year old car is pretty good I would say .
These are not the minis that have been around for 60yrs. BMW bought the mini brand around the year 2000 so in reality they are BM's! Personally, I'm not a fan. They're too fat now.
REAL minis are a totally different animal with very different issues.
Your metaphors are slowly reaching Clarkson level of hilariousness.
But Clarkson gets nasty & has lost the plot.
@@chrischadwick3079 Greta Thunberg apologist? 🤔
@@paulsz6194 I think Clarkson's first public comment about Greta, that she should be grateful to the adults who made her mobile 'phone etc., was fair enough.
His second one, when he said someone should smack her bottom, was worrying.
Actually is trying when it is every sentence, and not funny.
Given that Matt doesn’t have a scriptwriter m I may suggest that he excels. See my comment - Matt is what he claim to be, he is also enterprising, entertaining and I look forward to watching his videos always waiting for the next amusing aphorism or metaphor as much as the motoring content. I would also recommend buying a car from him.
Great vid mate!
I work on a Mazda dealer at the other end of the world (Chile) and I see very ofter CX5's and Mazda6's diesel starting with lots of problems as soon as the waranty expires (60,000 miles) and usually requires tearing half the engine apart to clean the garbage stuck inside of them or just replace the entire engine. What a load of rubbish that 2.2d engine is.
You are so spot on at the end, several car manufacturers no longer have the view that buying a car is no longer to purchase something that will last years and years, but so they will have issues after maybe 3 years, and the customer gets so fed up, they end up just having to buy another one…
I’m actually convinced that several laptop manufacturers do a very similar thing as well…they will start to have issues after a few years, in order for the customer to be almost forced into having to buy a new one…
I bought a tablet instead of another laptop for my mother for this exact reason. The bottom of the range laptops only just outlive their warranty, while mobile phone chipsets seem very reliable
Always very informative and well made videos Matt, but I was a bit surprised on this occasion at your comments on 'Ford' diesel engines. Certainly the 2.0 Duratorque with the hopeless Delphi injection system as fitted to the Mk 3 Mondeo was a disaster and failed as you described, but their 1.8 TDCI Lynx as fitted to the Mk 4 Mondeo / Smax and Focus was bomb proof so long as the wet belt and cam belt were changed as per Ford Service requirements. The 2.0 TDCI as fitted to Mk4 and Mk5 Mondeo, SMax etc is a Peugeot unit and can run for over 300K miles with no bother. Smooth and refined. I know other 'Pug' diesels like the 1.6 have issues but I'm not sure your blanket condemnation was justified.
What
Agree. I also want to add a comment about Toyota Diesels. Besides the 2.2 t180 and 2.2 in the Lexus 220d. The 2.0 and 1.4 d4d diesels, are quite bullet proof.
Yeh Ive got 2.0 in smax and I believe Bosch or Siemens injectors and not Delphi thank God and it's been good as gold
I've got a 14 plate 2.0 tdci it's done 103 thousand miles no issues thus far with it. I bought it for the reason it had a French diesel engine in it
@@chucky2316 I think the reason you here the bad is they are one of the most common if not the most common diesel engines. French diesel engines in everything. Including Volvo's and the mini used them. Modern German engines aren't exactly any better the only one that I find to be any good is the 2.2 in the sprinters.
*NOW HERE'S A STORY* - My first Mazda 6 fell victim to the oil pickup. It had been an otherwise brilliant car which had all the extras. I decided to have the engine recon'd; I last saw that car back in 2018 being taken to Paisley, Scotland, on a flatbed truck - that's the last time I saw it. The reconditioners effectively *stole* my car.
I liked that car so much I bought a newer Mazda 6 (now having learned about the oil pickup problem), and had it remapped plus DPF cleaned. It's driven perfectly for 3 years now with 80K additional miles without any issues, and I still think it's a great drive.
I damned near bought a Mazda 6 diesel estate, but during my due diligence process I came across an excellent RUclips channel run by a guy who sorts out broken Mazda diesels for a living. I had a quick chat with him and he told me not to touch one, which was nice of him. (I ended up buying a 2019 Skoda Octavia petrol instead, and it's been a delight.)
Same problem on the ford focus...Mazda and ford are bedfellows 🤔
@ The Winged Messenger why didn’t you pay them a visit to see what the story was?
Had a 1st gen Corsa from 96. Ran forever and zero servicing. Nowadays, theyre better known as the 'Nonce-mobile'.
My first car was a 2005 Opel Astra. Which is definitely more reliable than my current BMW. My brother still drives it and it has 370k km on it. Served the family well🙂
Astra G rules!
we also have an astra 1.7 diesel, i really can not understand what he is saying about astra, the car is ours new since 2005 and outside of regular maintenance it gave us no problems at all. the engine has a lot of torque, a bit noise but i really like the sound of it. outside of that i have friends with corsas to and no problems reported.
My Dad had a saturn astra... not the most comfortable car but sporty. He had problems with the electronic throttle pedal. Also when we got rid of it the transmission was on its way out... maybe 250,000 kilometers on the clock... not awful but not great. Not a cushy car either. PS it had the 1.8L gasoline engine out of the north american chevy cruze and an aisin transmission. Kind of a wierd american/european hybrid that was a pain to get certain parts for.
@@СашаДрit was a Astra H actaully but G also great
Astra G was the one!
Now retired, I used to be "In the Trade". That was a very refreshing experience to watch HIGH PEAK. Thank you for posting.
In my view, there are far more unreliable car users than unreliable cars. They are often the car owners/users who are "unlucky" with their cars, whatever they buy. The HIGH PEAK view of Vauxhall / GM / Opel ( Vauxhall have not made a British Design Car for ages ) and those who buy them has some merit.
Thanks to Clarkson wannabees and those of that mindset, a huge percentage of UK Car Consumers have been brainwashed by UK Media in all its forms where cars are involved. I could mention many examples of this but, one should suffice. Take my long time friend who always buys German. For ages he always used to castigate me for my "poor" choices of means of getting about. Usually MGs and Rovers both new and used over the decades. He never does that now and for good reason. Actually twelve thousand of them. That's what it was in our English £££££ to repair one of Stuttgart's finest. That was nearly twenty years ago and his son, not him came over and told me the bad news. Sometime later he did tell me the full story and what it cost. I had bought a new MG ZS a couple of years before and he asked how it was going. I told him it had just returned from a family trip ( I stayed home ~ work ) touring the European Mainland where my older son casually let slip he cruised it all day long at over 100 mph! The rascal. Know what my friend said when I told him that. Get this :~
" Well that's Honda engines for you". In fact he is puzzled why my MGs and Rovers are and continue to be so reliable. He sincerely is convinced it is due to having Honda engines. That despite the five letters large and proud across the Engine Coil Pack and Spark Plug covers...
R O V E R. The late great Soichiro Honda would be spinning in his grave and at very high Honda revs if he knew any other manufacturer had put their names on one of his power Units. Of course they were and still are MG and Rover engines. Brainwashing of the highest order right there. I told him that Rover's L-Series Diesel was considered suitable to put in their Diesel Honda Accords long before they had developed their own Diesel engines. That ARGroup Honda partnership was not all one way one as many would have us all believe. It worked both ways. You will never hear that from any of the Clarkson wannabees. It does not align with their negative agenda.
Our UK Main Stream Media have a lot of FAKE NEWS to answer for. Worse still. it is still ongoing on just about every topic, subject and issue.
Please keep telling it like you find it HIGH PEAK AUTOS. Just maybe the messages will get through to the permanently brainwashed.
Agree about petrol Mazdas, very relaible cars. I've owned a 323F and 2 Mazda3s. The 323F had a bulletproof 1.6 petrol engine, but it's rear wheel arches rotted. Both Mazda3s were great, except for the 50kV headlights on the 2.0 Sport. One of the igniters blew and Mazda wanted £250 just for the part!
My only bad experience with a Mazda was (surprise, surprise) a 1.6 diesel, whose engine actually came from a Peugeot. It kept cutting out because a little additive bottle under the fuel tank had run out. The dealer wanted more than the car was worth to refill it!
My experience with the mini is different. My daughter has had 2 & the only thing required has been windows wiper blades & tail light bulbs.
I hired one on a short visit to the UK for a death in the family and I was upgraded to a Mini Cooper S. I wish I hadnt been. Yes, it was nippy and stuck to the road like glue and was pretty frugal on motion-lotion, but the rest was awful. Horrible clutch, awful gearbox, a centre console the size of Wiltshire that told you what radio channel you were on but no GPS, stupid knobs and buttons everywhere, a cruise control that changed speed in 50mph increments. It was such a frustrating car to drive. Nothing was intuitive. You needed to ingest the 300 page manual to find out how to make anything work. Never again.
@@csjrogerson2377 nonsense, literally the easiest car to drive and an absolute blast. Great manual for driving fun.
@@ln5747 I deal in cars from time to time, I stay the hell away from Mini's, break down incredibly easily, hence why they're all so cheap second hand
@@thewarhammerworkshop not my experience. Family had four all to over 150k without major issue. Albeit they weren't in fantastic shape at that point, but definitely not unreliable or terrible return. One from 2003 now on 205k miles, can't complain with that.
@@ln5747 Same, my dad worked at mini for over 43 years, we never had a problem with a single company car, I have a 2014 Cooper S roadster atm, again no issues at all, gone from 28K to 54K miles in it and I'm getting a 2017 JCW this weekend!
I wish I’d been able to watch this before buying a Mazda 6 Skyactive diesel 2013 with a full service history. Ended up costing me a fortune in repairs to the engine. Most unreliable car I’ve ever had (I’m 64) and had to get rid to ‘We buy any cars’. It wasn’t on the road when I next checked 6 months later.
Unfortunately, Mazda is not good at designing diesel engines.
I can assure you that the petrol wankel rotary engine by mazda is a complete dog..
@@andywells397 a good Wankel is hard to come by though tbf
@@andywells397 Wankel Engines by design are flawed, I wouldn't blame Mazda for that.
I have owned Fords, Land Rovers and a Civic and no problems. My favourites are French cars and I have owned loads of them with zero problems. I was a community nurse for 20 years. I had a Xara Picasso from new and the first and only work it needed was a clutch after 137,000 miles. It went on to 167,000 before I changed it. My favourites were the mk1 and Mk2 Renault Koleos. I now have a Peugeot 5008 petrol. It's done 41k in two years from new and is the most comfortable car I have ever owned. I always get my cars serviced regularly. There is always a lot of luck involved with cars too.
My 15 plate avensis 2.0 diesel had 10k on it when I bought it,sold it last year with 278k on it,only thing that went wrong was the alternator went at 222k,it was still on the original clutch when I sold it!
What engine ? Toyotas own 2.0 D4d or the borrowed Bmw 2.0d introduced in 2015
@@Mr330d it was Toyotas own engine. Ironically I have a 2017 avensis tourer with the 2.0 beemer engine now, I preferred the Toyota tbh, the bmw motor does seem to spin up faster but the fueling doesn’t seem quite right,even tho Toyota can’t find any faults. The rest of the car isn’t as good either,Iv had 2 ball joints replaced under warranty (60k) and 2 of the alloys have corrosion so are being replaced
Just curious. How did you manage 268k miles in 6 years ( or less)? Portsmouth - Inverness commuting? Sorry but it's unrealistic mileage. That's nearly 45k miles a year or 858 miles a week....
@@svetoslavtodorov2427 I do airport transfers
@@shaunsmith3336 eww. That's a tough job.
Quite impressed with the clutch considering you're doing lots of busy traffic driving. The only original clutch I've seen in high mileage cars is on those driven on motorways.
At last , the true voice of reason. Thank you Matt for being so honest and truthful. 6 most reliable next please mate 🙏
I have a petrol Corsa, I’ve had it since 2018 when it was two years old. I service mine every year, it gets everything done. No issues in over 20k miles apart from two rear wheel bearings. I’ve had a few Corsa’s and no issues.
Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. That's what Bears Grilled (sic) says when the tree surgeon has been busy behind his favourite hotel and he has to go a bit further to get his "I'm so deep in the jungle, surrounded by creeping death!" footage. Apart from that, great video Matt, lots of useful info. Hope the weather improves so you can give the MX-5 a bit of a thrash
I used to have a recovery driver living on my cul-de-sac, and quite often he would briefly come back home after recovering cars from the M6 or wherever they had broken down. I never saw so many Mercedes, BMW's and Audi's on the back of his recovery truck. Almost every day it was one or the other............He never spoke highly of French cars either. He said he rarely recovered anything genuinely Japanese, or Hyundai/Kia.......
Problem with Audi Merc and BMW buyers is that the majority buy them for the badge but they have no money for the upkeep
@@livc444111 or they buy them for the badge, have money coming out of their ears and bin them off before warranty runs out and just buy a new one. Then joe public you mentioned above buys one and has a myriad of issues they can't afford to sort.
We have a 17 year old Hyundai Trajet which only 'broke down' when its then 12 year old battery died.
German technology is too great a challenge for British mechanics; it's not the cars' fault.
@@geraldstuchell8894 Yes it is. The German makes have a reputation for unreliability in the rest of the world too.
My 2015 Ford Kuga 2.0 diesel power shift has been owned by me since new and has had zero problems so far. The only thing changed was discs and pads all round that I did myself and tyres. It is serviced every year by my local garage.
Late nineties/early 2000's was the sweet spot, not enough modules that will cause the whole thing not to proceed.
Agree 100%. A friend who has had a small plumbing business since 1990 agrees. Now he keeps a spare van because he nearly always has one off the road. He's tried pretty well all makes and none are good now.
I agree too. Up until about 2 yrs ago I as still driving a 98 BMW on an R reg. Maybe I notice it more than others, but there still seems to be a lot of R, S and T plate cars knocking around.
Agreed! I had one of the last MK3 Mondeos and it as an absolute peach of a car. I only got rid of it because I'd had it 10 years and fancied a change, and also the new ULE zones target older diesels, however clean they run.
Diesels were great in those years, reliable and fast. My last diesel was a 2006, that already started to have issues due to exhaust emission measures. I've only owned rather boring non-turbo petrol cars after that, boring but utterly reliable.
Darn right, I live in the arse end of Wales, nearest motorway is so 50 plus mile away, which I seldom see these days, so when my car was put down after failing the MOT big time, I bought a 2004 fiesta for a few hundred quid, some 2 years ago, no issues at all, mind you its had little use due to a certain virus. :) it's MOT next Wed so we shall see. :)
Matt for minister of transport!
Haha I’d like that. I would shake up a few things
@@HighPeakAutos I think the first thing you'd do as minister of transport would be to scrap the ban on petrol and diesel cars
@@HighPeakAutos they probably have you assassinated for using your brain and common sense
@@izzirosenberg9339 The switch to electric is do that they can switch you off any time they want.
Certainly sounds like a government minister😂
That was super useful and super hilarious. Being in UK for just a week and actively looking for a used car, it was a lifesaver. Thanks a ton!
Glad it helped!
Brilliant vid , exactly what people need . The distilled experience of someone who actually knows
the truth through bitter experience . More please !
Great video!
My 96 saab 900 2.0T manual has been great for the last 12 years. 335.000 miles. Fast, reliable, fun, practical and gets 28 mpg/hwy. Also easy to work on and modify.
Good to hear.
They ain't fast though. They may have been relatively fast 20 years ago but they certainly aren't now.
@@gottliebdee263 The 9-5 Aero from 2006 to 2009 has plenty of power and about the same fuel economy. If it's had the Hirsch engine upgrade from factory then it's even better.
@@gottliebdee263 you're talking stock cars. My 900 had 185hp from the factory and plenty of low end torque. That's still decent comparing to today's cars. They are easy to tune and modify and can take a lot of power reliably. Stock Saab turbo engine block before 1999 can happily live with 400-450 hp. With a bigger turbo, intercooler, exhaust and tune you're looking at 300hp. Newer blocks can take 300hp easily. After that you'd want to build the block.
There are lots of 500+ hp Saabs out there... The highest HP one I know of has 1080hp.
Had my Corsa C 18 years from new!!! It's still going strong. The secret is oil changes every 6-12 months. I did pop off the rocker cover and tighten up the camshaft bolts but apart from that I have no engine issues at all, the timing chain is still tight. I have saved up so much cash in that 18 years, its crazy 😂😂
A lot more chilled out than that maniac Scotty Kilmer! 😂
Mostly though it's all about how it's been looked after. I have a 13 year old French hatch that's been looked after, it's very reliable and everything still works. I'm in no rush to change it. I can't afford to but that's not the point lol. Great videos as always. Cheers!
PSA cars are in general good except for the annoying plastic bits that break and electronics that can fail. But they do not rust and the engines do not fail (except for turbo and other “special” models - those are a nightmare).
PSA cars are cheap, and are bought by cheap owners who don't want to maintain their car. Gives them a bad rep when really most of the drivers are the problem!
@@Calvi36 Not all PSA owners are, I didn't mean that. A huge majority are though, much like Vauxhall owners. They look at the cheapest cars on sale and the deals around and get them. They then don't want to put any money into services or day to day running costs, buy the cheapest oils, filters and petrol, and often skip services completely! PSA and Vauxhall do so many leasing deals that they rarely sell cars from new, so the first owners abuse those and don't really take care of them. The 3 year warranty doesn't help much either, when a lease can be that length of time.
@@highmm2696 Interestingly enough Dacia owners are the cheapest of them all but they seem to take it really well. I mean no car lives a troublefree live when oilchanges never happen but the old Renault engines are reliable and since they don't have that much extras they can take it. So in my oppinion PSA cars are not bad but if I'd have to choose Renault>PSA just a little tho.
Peugeot Partner Combi Escapade - 04 plate, very few problems, great for 5 large teenage lads, great for building rubble as we gutted and rebuilt current house, still ULEZ compatible, well over 100k miles. Just gave it away serviced with full MoT, new owner delighted. Clutch too heavy for my arthritic feet. Very few electronic features
I’ve been in the motor trade for over 40 years and I couldn’t agree more with what you have said well said
I’ve owned 3 cars from that list, and everything Matt said is 100% accurate! Another great vid 👍
Thanks! 👍
My wife wanted a Zafira. I’m going to say nooooo after hearing your opinion on Vauxhalls
@@RationalCreed they are absolute shite mate don't waste your cash on one
@@alternativeperception6949 yeah had an Astra with 110k kms and the auto box failed on me catastrophically carrying with it a 2k€ bill
@@RationalCreed don't do it
Well said 👍 Manufacturers have perfected the art of the disposable car. Once out of warranty, its not their problem, their marketing is all about "new and improved" 🤣😂🤣
Not all! Lexus will add another year of warranty for up to 10 years if you get it serviced.
And these same manufacturers will virtue signal about their commitment to "sustainability".
Yes, planned obsolescence. Back in the day, that was all about rust - now it is about over complication.
Good video! You mentioned a VW Tiguan. Best to add that the sunroofs on VWs leak. And if it’s just the seal to replace it’s a £2k job. If the sunroof cassette has cracked it’s a £4K job. Don’t ask how I know….
Excellent stuff Matt, I really enjoy your channel.
It will be great if you could do a top 3 in reliability of ULEZ compliant cars in every class of circa 2013 - 2017. A level of driving fun and comfort is assumed given your past videos. I think a lot of people (like me) are having to ditch their non-ULEZ compliant cars and are not quite ready to move to electric, given the inflated prices, lack of range and limited charging infrastructure.
At the end of the video Matt suggests a petrol Mazda, Honda or Toyota - a Civic or Auris. You cannot go wrong with those.
I had a Honda Civic 2.2 diesel 2007, owned it 12 years and solid and reliable. Sold it when I moved to London, and bought a petrol KIA Ceed 2019 which is a fantastic car.
I'm surprised that there's no VAG early TFSI engine cars in the list, unless you consider these as unsurprisingly unreliable! 😁
The 1.4 - good. The 1.2 - run for the hills!
Yeah timing chain issues.... They suck.... I've got a 2016 VW transporter, 50k, mint condition. The intercooler needed replacing after it rusted a hole in it. Now an ABS sensor has broke.... Crap...
I once asked a recovery driver in Croatia which cars he picks-up most often.
"Volkswagens, by far"!!!
Yes the 1.4 TSI was awful, hollow camshafts warped and chains were made out of cheese.
What a likeable chap and no bollox, straight to the point. Appreciate you and subscribed! Oh, and a Mazda 3 fourth gen it is!
Totally agree on the planned obsolescence on car parts. I think a lot of manufacturers are up to it.
I’m surprised at the Japs doing it. Planned obsolescence is what pushed their cars forward in the early 1960s.
My uncle bought a brand new Vauxhall, eighteen months later he was jacking it up to change a tyre and the jack went through the floor!
Loving the content! Could we also get a top 6 surprisingly reliable cars video? That would be a very interesting one 🙂
if it has BMW, AUDI, MERCEDES or LAND ROVER on the front don't buy it unless you like spending lots of money on repairs and servicing costs and getting the bus a few times each year,
I'm relieved that the KIA Sportage we bought from you last year wasn't on your list LOL. Wife still loves it BTW. It's the only car she's ever owned that she has washed herself rather than leaving it to muggins to sort out
Living in Hebrides on a small isle I’m surprised by my Hyundai 2.0 credit ix35… 🙏🏻🤞🏻lack of problems in 9 yrs… in fact they are now like Fords were all over… they and Kia seem to rule. A coil spring tyres because of the atrocious roads and plethora of cattle grids & servicing and a lack of that thing called rust that loved my wife’s bmw…
So far so good with the Sportage 1.7 2013 bought it at 36k 6 years ago and had to replace the clutch but other than that zero problems so far the most reliable car I have ever owned
Great video. I am in agreement that they are designed not too last unless they are looked after 110%. I also believe any leasing deals has encouraged the behaviour of a throwaway nature to cars not working properly.
I have had a 2003 Cooper S mini since it was new and has now completed 198,000 ks with only a couple of normal wear and tear issues. I have found it to be a lot of fun and very reliable. It will never be sold. I love it!
Great video! It's clear that some modern "average" cars with complicated diesel engines can be often more troublesome than those that are often ridiculed for unreliability (LR mostly :D). In my experience our regularly serviced old L322 was much more reliable than many much newer cars which were supposed to be reliable (mainly modern VW diesels spring to mind).
Having had a modern 1.6tdi VW engine in a Leon 2017 I agree. It feels like they modified them to pass emissions after the cheat but that the engine wasn't really designed to run that cleanly. Having to do an active regeneration of the filter which heated the exhaust up to 600 degrees and put the under bonnet fans on jet turbine mode if you were to stop somewhere during it concerned me and having an oil leak at 60,000 miles due to two damaged seals confirmed my fears. Seat and Arnold Clark paid most of the bill and even through in a free cambelt swap whilst they were doing it. But still that amount of heat is going to damage parts. The solution used in this engine seems similar to the pyrolytic cleaning in an oven. Heat the exhaust to really high temperatures to burn the soot into ash. With no ad blue or other chemical involved. Wasn't really convinced how environmentally friendly that was too with a distinctive burning smell. Other diesels I've been in don't seem to need to do this regenerating passively during longer runs. This wouldn't regenerate passively apart from up a steep incline as exhaust temp simply too cold.
A nice change from watching your usual videos, I don't want to buy any of these! Thanks Matt 👍🏼
Great video, with great honesty, thank you! I have still got my Merc 200 D 1980, no rust, no problems, strong as an OX, with compliments galore. I refuse to buy any modern car as I would not trust any of them sadly to say.
Just started watching some of your videos this week. Very honest and accurate opinions, thank you. Definitely more honesty needed in this world, great review.
Ive experience of a mazda 2 (08) 1.2 have oil pick up issues and ended up seized and needed a replacement lump.
I'm still driving around in my 20 year old 2.2 Toyota Camry so I don't know the pain of unreliability. 😅
Worst cars companies I can think of is landrover, renault volkwagon, audi and BMW. See them broken down constantly
We bought a 2003 Vauxhall Zafira model A in 2007 and it feels like it's coming to the end of its life, but it's been a dependable workhorse, almost no issues until recently. We were so impressed with it we also bought a two-year old Zafira model B a few years later. That one was plagued with problems and lasted about three years. Maybe we were just lucky with the first one.
Zafira A really was a very reliable car (as was Astra of same model years, forgot the letter) - but Opel/Vauxhall pretty much turned to garbage after those. New ones that are rebadged Peugeots are good again though, I hear :)
We had two Zafira automatics back to back. Both utter trash, constantly in the garage. Swapped them out for an automatic Corolla Verso and that has been rolling with no issues for 7 years now.
Brilliant and enlightening 👍 was expecting an LR on the list ( I do own one)…You’re the only man I’d buy a 2nd hand car from.
There’s nothing surprising about a LR being unreliable though is there 😂😂
I think he may have a separate video just on JLR failings, I own one as well so I have the rather unpleasant experience.
I bought a Range Rover Sport, thinking they surely can be as unreliable as everyone says-sadly I was wrong
Saw a new defender broken down today on my way back from Oxford.
He tried to put one on the list but it broke down before it got there.
Spot on! My girlfriend really struggles to open the passenger door on my Mini Cooper S. It has weird electronic faults too - occasionally goes into engine safety mode without any reason - turn it off and on again...reversing sensors sometimes work, uses oil at variable rates and clutch overheats. Avoid any tiny bump on the road or you'll need back surgery...Still it's great fun to drive! Oil change every 5k miles hoping will keep it running...
I’m loving all the “Mini” hate! They look good, but beyond that I would never ever want to be seen dead or alive in a modern Mini. Would definitely love to see your ten recommendations for a decent reliable vehicle! Thanks for this vid! Be safe and be well!
I know quite a few people that have had mini’s and every single one of them has had problems! Some really bad problems too!
Even qualified mechanics hate working on them... that says it all really.
Had 3 of them and all got to 150k miles with only routine maintenance.
Nah they don't look good.
Yes please! Top ten reliable cars next video go 👍🏻
It was actually Sgt. Thomas Highway in Heartbreak Ridge who said ‘improvise adapt and overcome, played by Clint Eastwood.
Thanks for the heads up and your honesty.
I wonder if the design of all cars withDiesel particle filter DPF, is more to do with getting people into electric cars than cleaning diesel exhausts.
It seem all the dpfs do is clog up your engine and thus reduce the life of your car.
hummmm...speaking as a taxi proprietor and has owned a few Avensis's one my fleet, I can say that the D4D engine pretty much bomb proof, they are good mile munchers and I've managed to get one up to 450k. only issue I find is when they do go wrong, they cost a mortgage to fix as the majority of the parts seems to be dealer only even when they over 10 years old. Totally agree with you on the Vauxhall, they are now an absolute shambles these days, shame really as they were awesome back in the 80s and 90s! bring back the Cavalier.
I do love your videos BTW Matt
Exactly… !!! I’m from Southern Africa where majority of vehicles here are Toyota. People here trust Japanese cars. This guy here is giving out false info. Its not right .
Agree with you Andy the Toyota D4D engine is feat of engineering and reliable to the last, I’ve owned a Toyota diesel for 15 years with no problems. I’m surprised the Landrover/Range Rover didn’t get a mention.. I guess because it’s not a car you’re surprised with being unreliable 😅
@@AdrianPayne1 i think that's Matt being abit modest, he wont give Range Rover a mention 😂
Funny enough I worked with a guy who used to work for Honda UK as a technician at their import warehouse. He told me about the Honda Civic. The early 2000s Civic marketing slogan was 'The last car you will ever buy'. Funny enough that was very true. They were so well built that they had so very few problems people just kept on driving them year after year. Because of this the customers were not buying the newer model and the dealer shops were not making any money on them for repairs. Honda made the next generation of Civic a lower quality so they would start breaking down after a certain point. This way people would trade them in for the newest model at the time. It shows most manufacturers can make very good reliable vehicles, but that would be bad for business and the profits. 😅
That’s quite right
Absolutely correct. My wife has just parted with her 20 year old 2002 Honda Civic. Passed its mot year after year without issue. The mechanics told her not to part with it when it was serviced. She only did when the gear box started sounding like a McClaren and the suspension clunking a bit. It probably still could have soldiered for another 2-3 years. I’ve had 3 cars in that time and I’m too embarrassed to say how much I’ve spent to keep them on the road.
I had a 1997 1.8 quite a high spec low miles when we got it but it just ran and ran nothing broke and I mean nothing my mechanic said don't sell it we had it 16 years bulbs and blades tyres that's all some arsehole ran into the back and wrote it off btw if you're looking for a good car and not bothering about looks Suzuki sx4 some leaking shock absorbers but that's it
@@therealisation5500 I agree, they are a decent engine once the crap head gasket is replaced. As long as you look after the 1.8k series they look after you. The only other thing that is a bit common is the gasket on the intake leaks sometimes, but that is not a massive and if you can find one, Rover had a metal intake that is less Prone to leaking.
I worked for Suzuki for a couple years. They are decently made vehicles. Their production model is let the bigger manufacturers bring out the new technology first. Then when all the bugs and faults are worked out, copy what is good and reliable, so they seldom have major issues.
Despite the lower quality the replacement Civic (06-11) is still way more reliable than most cars.
It takes a lot of guts to make a video like this these major manufacturers are very powerful but this information is very valuable for potential car buyers I definitely appreciate it
Interesting that Vauxhall Corsa was on the list - my partner had a 2002 Corsa (bought s/h from 25k - petrol semi-auto), which was bomb-proof and totally reliable. The engine was a 1liter Suzuki unit with timing chain AFAIK. She bought it with less than 30k miles, and when she sold it the garage couldn't find a buyer but kept it as their workshop run-around. My VX experience with a 2004 Vectra 1.9CDTI 150bhp was also a good one (bought s/h at 44k). Fast, comfortable trouble-free family motoring for over 5 years - only broke down once due to alternator failure. Otherwise just needed tyres, brakes & servicing. Things seem to have changed for the worse - I'm looking for a new turbo-diesel atm and trying to find a reliable model is a bit of a minefield.
I’m no car guy, but I feel like the fact that Corsa’s are so incredibly cheap tells a lot about the way people rate them
@@Mona-.- Underrated?
Don’t hold back, Matt tell it like it is!!
We need more of this kind of video. Great passionate reviews based on coal face knowledge.
A relative of mine has
a 13 yrs old Mini Cooper and she loves it. All the issues you've mentioned, she's had complete trouble free motoring. The gear change is smooth, it's comfortable, no problems with the doors, no bits falling off. Maybe you've only had Lemons!
As for the Corsa? The kids buy them to, let's say, "Doll" them up! I call them, to their faces,
"Prat Mobiles" haha
I’ve got a Mini Countryman Cooper S and it’s been totally reliable for the three years I’ve had it. Before that I had a 2004 Cooper S convertible. I used to do 70 miles a day in it and only had a few minor issues. Maybe I’ve just been lucky
Same, I've got a 2014 Cooper S Roadster, done about 30K miles since 2021 and with no issues, just passed its MOT without a single advisory too, I'm getting a 2017 JCW this weekend to replace it
I must say my experiences with MINIs we’ve owned have been nothing but brilliant. As a family we’ve done at least 250,000 miles in a whole variety, but mainly F series Hatch and Clubman Cooper S’. In that time the only issue we’ve had was a faulty TPMS system on an R55 Clubman. There are some models we haven’t owned which are rubbish, such as the pre-LCI R56s, where the timing chain tensioner fails and writes off the car, and all Countryman’s due to being vile, especially the hybrid.
Same here! No problem with Minis at all. The F series are much better but even the R56's we had were spot on. Never any issues with them.
R56 didn’t have a great rep but f56 is much better.
Having said that I did have a few issues with an f54 most notably auto gearbox but fortunately that was replaced under warranty.
Main dealer services are exorbitant though.
Despite this I’m still tempted by another.😊
The newest Mini supposedly are one of the most reliable cars. The older seems to have issues but its not like every Mini is a bad one. There just seem to be some bad apples between them.
I’ve had 4 Minis and honestly never had any problems. Mini always rate very well in reliability surveys (JD Power etc). Just look at the data out there?
COmpletely agree. The F56 onwards is superb and one of the most reliable cars I've owned. But I have heard the R56 and earlier are very unreliable.
I know someone who had a 2011 Mazda 6 diesel, the original engine failed after a few years, he had a replacement reconditioned engine installed and that failed 6 months later. Terrible. To top it off he then got a cheap Mondeo TDCi to replace it and the engine in that self destructed as well, talk about unlucky. I have to wonder if he mistreated his cars to have that much trouble...
That Mazda 6 is really beautiful, but I'm sure you're right about the diesel engine's poor reliability.
I’m loving my wife’s petrol automatic. Fab to drive and great styling.
Matt is spot on re Mazda 6 diesel, I unfortunately know this from experience.
@@timoliver4548 You shouldn't ever go wrong with a petrol engined Mazda. I know through experience they are pretty bullet proof if maintained correctly.
Nice one Matt, any chance you can do your Top 5 reliable cars in the under 6k, 15k and 25k market, would be interesting to see want your thoughts are Matt.
I drive a 2005 Peugeot 407 with 90k on the clock. I got it just after its first mot, and it had 26k on it.
So far it has been utterly reliable, the cam belt and clutch have been changed as a part of regular maintenance, it runs very sweetly for a two litre diesel! Urban mpg is around 40 and motorways give around 58 mpg at a steady 70 mph.
No screens, just buttons and knobs!
Do the opposite Matt! Top 6 most reliable, would love it.
Volvo240 🤣🤣, Vw golf mk4 tdi, older BMW 5 series deisels , older Mercedes 300 deisel, 80s / 90s Toyota hilux .....let's see what he comes back with 👍
Thanks for the honest review, I was going to buy a Mini for my wife, will look at other options like a Golf!
My last six cars have all been Jags, cant fault any of them except petrol cars, an S Type and old shape XJ were a bit thirsty. My present XJ Portfolio diesel is incredible, style, performance, luxury and economy!
I've never had any issues with Mini, I'd recommend buying one that's approved used from a Mini dealership
The Vauxhall Agila is a fabulous runabout town car. Wife on 2nd one, and my local dealer techies tell me it's the best car that Vauhall stuck a badge on, probably because it's a Suzuki Splash. Totally reliable, and they rarely get one in for repairs. Her experience is a failed air con condensor only in 10 years. My 2015 Mondeo estate 2.0 185 bhp diesel was a lovely car, only spoiled by an 'electrical parasite' problem, that ultimately and sadly left me no choice but to get shut after wasting £500 trying to cure it. Just my observations.
As a vehicle mechanic for a few decades, I Can absolutely 100% back up your claims about Vauxhall. Having owned the older types ( Cavaliers, then astra's mk1-2 era ) they were ' pretty good ' for the price and on the whole were reliable. But since then, and to this day, every single vauxhall iv dealt with has been an absolute piece of junk, even down to the bolts and screws are the shittest poor quality the heads of the screws just come off like some old putty. Have on many occasions tried to work with the Vauxhall dealers to solve issues and recalls, they have no interest in helping at all. Worst customer service out of all the dealers.
The correct name for Vauxhall is actually Fuxall, because thats what they do.
Best vehicles iv dealt with are : 1 - Toyota. hands down. Probably the best car is their corolla and auris. Best commercial vehicle ( Van ) is the Toyota Hiace - they just do what they are designed to do with no bullshit.
I agree with the fact he says about the owners as well which i think is most of the problem with vauxhalls as the owners just have no clue/desire about maintaining them. Ive had 2 vauxhalls now, a corsa d which hadnt been serviced enough when i brought it so eventually needed a timing chain but on the whole was ok because i looked after it after that, and the astra j i have now which had a whining gearbox as vauxhall believe the gear oil is lifetime and doesnt need changing. I phoned them once to ask for parts and they were clueless.
@@TheKandR Lifetime oil... its a common claim these days on a lot of new cars. The oil will last a lifetime... LOL probably one of the most stupid things iv heard in all my life. Well, given from what Iv seen - any Vauxhall car lifespan is less than a year anyway so I guess they are right. Another new thing I see is new cars with NO oil dipstick to check the level... I mean, really ?????? the owners manuals say. " start engine first, let it idle and the oil level will display on the dashboard........ not to be a conspiracy theorist, but it seems the manufactures these days are doing anything they can to shorten all their vehicles lifespans. Vauxhall leading the way !
@@robstone370 i think its also interesting that when engineers mean 'lifetime' they only mean to a certain number of miles for example the lifetime warranty that the first owner of my astra paid for was only up to 100,000 miles.
@@TheKandR Absolutely, the marketing and sale pitch is designed to intentionally mislead buyers and help them part with their cash. I run a Toyota hiace van ( 307,000 miles ) and trying to find a workshop manual is impossible, the dealers say they don't produce any for that vehicle... so I always wondered, clearly Toyota built the vehicle, so one would have thought they'd have a workshop manual, or even a service / maintenance manual ? No chance. After no luck with a manual from them I decided to ask what I thought was a basic question, I actually spent almost 30 minutes on a call with them being passed around to different branches and departments, and not a single person could tell me what type or grade engine oil it takes. I guess it just isn't profitable for them anymore to keep old vehicles on the road
Hi Rob.
Since I've seen your experience, I just want to ask you if you recommend me a VW Polo 1.2 2009 with nearly 100k mile on the clock as a first car.
Just love your channel. so refreshingly honest. I can testify to how awful the Mini is. My wife bought it as it seemed to fit in with her mobile accountancy business but its turned out to be an awful nightmare that she regrets to this day. everything that you said about it is true. Just garbage. She is getting rid of it as soon as the extended warranty comes to an end. Keep up the great work. Highlight of youtube as far as I am concerned
Had one, and it was the biggest POS I've ever owned.
I bought a Vectra cdti ONCE! Everything you reeled off went wrong with mine. Never would I buy a Vauxhall again. In fact I swear the RAC operator knew me on first name terms. Your spot on.
I bought a vectra c and had it 5 years, And did 112,000 miles in it. Nothing what he said happened to it. 🤔
Hi Matt.
I really like your videos, your eloquence, blunt honesty and the fact that the roads you are driving are very familiar to me.
I have been driving since 1976, probably before you you were born. I used to keep my cars for years, I had an Audi 80 Sport for thirteen years and finally traded it in with over 250k on the clock. It had an oil change at 8k intervals when the recommendation was 10k.
I have a theory about extended oil change intervals and the longevity of modern engines. I know of several people who have bought new cars and had them serviced according to the recommended schedule but, the engines have failed at around 60-70k usually out of warranty.
Personally, I think 20k is a lot to ask of even the best synthetic oils out there to protect an engine from wearing out. It's almost as if the manufacturers don't want their engines to last for ever, which I supose from their perspective makes good business sense. I'm very old school, if I had followed the service schedule for my three year old car it would be due its second oil change in June 2022 at around 40k. However, it's only done 32k but already had three changes at 10k intervals. What are your thoughts, am I wasting my money?
It all depends on where, how and under what weather conditions you drive your car. Also the size of your engine. Bigger engines have a bigger oil pan (more oil in circulation). Most modern engines have tighter tolerances than old engines and require finer oils and depend more on oil performance to deliver. Therefore there is a big expectation from oil performance. Then again oils are much better than in old engines days. So in my experience 10K miles (or 15K kms) is the border you should never cross. Also more often oil change under normal conditions of driving is throwing money away (and excessive environment pollution). On the other hand if your car is used just to go around on a very short drives, you better change oil twice as often. Your battery life will tell you if you do this kind of driving. But if your car is making a very low mileage and when it does it is mostly on open road or drives longer than an hour each trip, then stick to the millage and dont worry about the time between the changes. This is only my experience and I also started driving from 1976 (officially ;-) and a year or two earlier unofficially)
not wasting your money at all. most manufacturers these days only care about the warranty period, so if they extend the service intervals it saves them money, even if it's bad for the longevity of the engine/car. as the old saying goes, oil is cheap, engines are expensive so better to err on the side of too frequent maintenance than the other way round.
No waste of money. I change the oil in my cars every 5k.
I agree with you, oil is cheap even fully synthetic oil.
I fill my tank up every two weeks for £80. I change my oil every 10,000 miles or 8 months for £30.
It’s nothing by comparison to fuel costs and certainly not against the cost of a replacement engine.
One of my first cars had an Oil Pressure needle gauge. About 6 months or 8,000 miles after an oil and filter change I could see the needle wouldn't reach the same peaks as it used to. There was an obvious reduction in oil pressure. I used to use this as a guide to when I needed to change the oil and filter.
At low revs or tick over was when it was most noticeable.
I think modern vehicles should have oil pressure gauges so we can see if the oil pressure is dropping.
This a brilliant way to spend a rainy day, I watch all your videos, and this one provided useful candid honest advice from your experience. To be fair to the Japanese, they hated diesels I reckon, only started making them to appease the European market, bet they regret the day they started - Toyota wisely got out first. Newer cleaner European-made Euro 6 diesels aside (conflict of interest, my wife has a super reliable efficient Audi A3 1.6 tdi), we will probably look back to that era with the same fondness as we do now to coal. Love the Corsa jibes too. Glad I know my chapstick from a dipstick... Great video, quite like this new style forced on you by the NW England climate, you should do more!
Some Honda Accords had a reliable Diesel engine. They fitted Rover's L-Series Diesel which was and still is one of the most reliable and economical ordinary production engines ever made.
@Retired Bore The Parasitic Union of Europe / Brussels clearly did not agree for the best part of two decades. Right up until it hit the Fan and bounced off fully and firmly into the VAG.
UK Motoring Media Brainwashing. :~
What the Clarkson disciple wannabees would never advise as it never suited their agenda, was that the Honda Motor Company of Japan before developing their own Oil Burners ( THAT is what they are ), they fitted Rover's very long lived and reliable L-Series Diesel to their Diesel Accords. That Rover L-Series engine so good, I've seen Diesel Accords for sale back in the day with descriptions including "Has Honda's powerful, economical and very reliable Honda Diesel engine"... etc. Under bonnet image clearly shows a Rover L-Series.
There's more, I've been an enthusiast for the Rover T-Series Turbos since the early 1990s. Since the day my company stopped covering own car use costs for work travel ( nice little earner ) supplied a hire car for those longer trips instead. Spoil sports. The first car supplied. Rover 420 Petrol Turbo instead of using my MG Montego Turbo ( which In still have ).
As ordinary cars go, T-16 Rover Petrol Turbos have since become my main daily driver. First a TomCat 2-Door coupe, then soon after a Rover 620ti as my two sons were fast growing and a two door coupe is not fit for family purposes. I sold my trusty 620ti a couple of years ago. Had it since 2006.
When I first started looking for 620ti and the Vitesse 820 petrol Turbos, saw more than a few advertised as having "The very powerful and reliable Honda Turbocharged engine".. That despite the five letters large and proud across the Spark Plug access covers. R O V E R. Soichiro Honda would be turning in his grave at max-Honda revs if any other manufacturer put their name on one of his engines. Arranging to view a Vitesse more than twenty years ago, I told the seller that if his Rover did have the Honda engine, I would not be buying. I could almost here his jaw drop on the phone in surprise. I bought the car .. but the seller insisted. "It must be a Honda, the engine is so powerful and reliable" as I loaded it onto my trailer.
Cue more media brainwashing. " The only Rovers worth buying are those with Honda engines." Heard that on a few occasions over the years.
People now wonder why we no longer have a UK owned indigenous Motor Manufacturing Industry in the Land of the increasingly and ever wider spread self-inflicted harm.
Right enough of all that. I'm off to the shops in my MG. It does not have an MG or Rover engine. It has a Mustang power unit under that bonnet. Greta will be pleased.
For longer trips @ closing on £2 per litre. I'll use my MG ZT-T 1.8T with the K-Series 1.8T series turbo power unit. On a long run, 40mpg IS achievable with some restraint but, that turbo boost can be addictive,
Funny old game Cars and Folks.
I've had lots of old ford Mondeo's, drove them many 100.000's of km, good driving, great consumption. Maybe the newer ones have the problems? The Mondeo MK2 diesel was phenomenal.
Excellent video and I agree with everything you say! Especially Ford - we own a MK1 Focus and it’s been brilliantly reliable. Tried a MK4 Focus loan car and was so disappointed in it. Surprised the ecoboost engine not on your list actually.
I take it that's the 1.0 Ecoboost you're talking about and not the 1.6 or 2.0? The 1 litre 4 cylinder was notorious for overheating problems. Mind you, I've had 2 pistons go in my 1.6 ecoboost which cost me 2 k to sort out !
Had no faults with my boggo focus 1.6 mark 1 either. Not one thing broke. Not one piece of trim fell off. Foolishly traded it in for a mark 2. Nothing broke on that either but it just wasn't anywhere near as much fun to drive. That bit heavier I think and also being a more powerful 1.8 it got electric steering. Could choose comfort, normal or sport all of which were well fairly rubbish to be honest! Lost the agility. If you can keep the rust at bay nothing modern drives as sweetly. Hydraulic steering is just better and now everything has electric steering. I did get most of that joy back when we had a Mazda 3 1st generation. But that was a lot thirstier than the Ford thanks to lower gearing.
Thankyou for a accurate , informative and detailed episode. You answered questions that I look for in a car show. Keep up the good work 👍
It isn't accurate. Look at how many private hire vehicles are Toyota Auris's. I am a private hire driver. We buy them for a reason. OK, not the best drive in the world, but they are economical and VERY reliable.
I have an Opel/Vaxhaull GTC diesel, and, you can defeat the manufacturer by 3000 mile interval oil changes, never revving hard until up to temp, driving at least 10 miles per journey and never shutting the engine off straight away after a journey, and waiting at least 30 seconds after start up before driving (especially with a turbo). My Astra GTC is on 304, 257 miles and running like new.
Car manufacturers have been reinventing the wheel forever - you're right, and it's called designed obsolescence, which affects virtually every consumer product out there. This raises questions about the seriousness of regulators and governments to address the "environmental crisis"
This format
I really like
More of these would be great
Get a Yaris diesel. Had mine 10 years now. £30 road tax, 2 tyres, 2 batteries, never failed an M.O.T., always starts first time every time, 45 to the gallon round town (had 80 on a trip), no rust and still goes like new. Don't think I'll ever change it or go electric (if they keep making the fuel)!
Very useful video, thanks a lot. Regarding Vauxhall, Vauxhall/Opel (in continental Europe) are just brands, the problem is GM. The most recent Vauxhall/Opel are Peugeot with some cosmetic differences, so their reliability is generally OK. Plus the great Peugeot handling.
Ive got a 2004 Vauxhall Combo 1.7Di van.... Its done 450,000 miles.
its been a reliable workhorse.