Has anyone ever owned a trouble-free car or truck?

[soldierguy]

Has anyone ever owned a trouble free car or truck? Nearly trouble free? Conversely, has anyone owned a vehicle that was trouble from day one and just never got better no matter what was done? And I'm talking about your own personal experience, not what you've heard or a car that a relative, or friend, or a friend of an acquaintence had...just what you've owned or at least been the primary driver of for a reasonable period of time.I'm asking because since I've been here in Korea (2+ years) I've been searching for a companion to my truck, so I've spent a fair amount of time lurking on websites like this one...sites geared to a particular kind of car that at one point or another I've considered purchasing or actually have owned. If I were to avoid trouble-free cars, I'd give up car ownership and ride the bus if I were looking for trouble-free transportation. I've read about intakes and intercoolers clogging with soot after 20,000 miles on VW TDIs, brakes and ball joints failing on Dodges, transmissions failing on Subarus...those are just a few examples, and I'm not mentioning any that I've read on this site to avoid someone getting mad at me.I've had problems with most of my vehicles, but it's never bothered me that much...I'm a car nut, and I'm willing to put up with problems now and then to drive what I want to drive.Here's a list of what I've owned and the problems:69 VW Bug semiautomatic: sunroof leaked horribly and the transmission ate itself one day. I got it in 1984 with just over 100,000 miles on it and put on another 12,000 before I sold it.79 VW Rabbit: leaky water pump; oil blowing up through the intake manifold, soaking the air filter. Got this one from my mom with 70,000 miles on it and drove it until just over 100,000 miles.89 Toyota Tercel: bad clutch chatter from day two until I replaced the flywheel & clutch (Toyota said it was normal). Drove this one from new until I traded it with 70,000 miles.94 Dodge Dakota 2WD V6 5 speed regular cab: Started leaking brake fluid a month before I traded it in, otherwise trouble-free. Bought it new, traded it with 38,000 miles.96 VW Jetta GLX (6 cylinder 5-speed): cheap battery (replaced it myself the first and only time it left me stranded, 1 year into ownership); cheap plastic seat locaters in the seat tracks that I had to replace annually or live with a shifting drivers seat); ABS light would come on after 30 minutes of driving and ABS would not work when the light was on (restarting would cure it for about 5 minutes), VW replaced just about everything in the brake system to no avail. Bought it new and traded it with just over 70,000 miles.2000 Dodge Dakota 4X4 club cab V8: had to replace a noisy power lock solenoid in the passenger door...it worked but just sounded bad. I still own this one. Bought it new and it has 45,000 miles on it now.2002 Kia Visto: No problems yet, but the clutch does feel weak. Bought it used here in Korea with 17,700 km (11,000 miles) and it now has 23,800 km (14,850 miles) on it 11 months later.Funny thing though...the most annoying car I ever owned because of the troubles with it (the Jetta) was also the one that I loved the most...it just spoke to me when I drove it...the Jetta and the Rabbit were the only cars I've owned that always seemed to want me to drive them hard...they just felt great when pushed hard.Anyone else?

[sto_vibe04]

My last car was a 1993 Saturn SL2 and I drove it for 175,000 trouble free miles. Only things I ever had to do to it was replace tires, brakes and the normal wear and tear items.

[futseal04]

Here is my list:74 Datsun P/U- Never had a problem74 Mustang- replaced 3 starters, tranny, rear end, master cylinder, shifter, pedal bolt, 2 clutch cables, radiator, radiator fan, both hoses. Drivetrain was because of abuse by me, rest were because the car had 289000 miles on it.92 Isuzu P/U- no problems96 Camaro RS- only problems were build quality items like sagging doors, rattles.99 Grand Am GT- stuck thermostat (closed)- head and thermostat replaced under warranty.96 Cobra- only problem was gas mileage and rear tires91 Escort- replaced the CV joints and half shafts at 160K with a defective set from autozone. Passenger side sheared at 27 miles and was replaced for free. Other than that, no power was the only problem.01 Grand Am GT and the Vibe- no problems (GA has 65k miles and the vibe has 7.7K miles)00 Harley FXDX- battery internally shorted at 1 year. Cost- $9001 Suzuki SV650S- only problem is that it fouls plugs when you just start it the requisite once a month to keep the battery charged.

[ArcsVibe]

My last car before the Vibe was a 96 Cavy. Drove it for 7 years 120 000 kms and the only thing I ever changed on her was the water pump besides the usual oil and brakes.I loved that car! Too bad it had no A/C (black car)

[ebslopp]

my 95 Civic ran trouble free until last winter when a rock hit the radiator and my wife continued to drive without any coolant for another 150 miles.Only routine maintanence was done otherwise (i.e. brakes & oil)

[GMJAP]

1998 Toyota Camry LE V6. No problems in 5 years.

[steves76]

former auto was a 2000 Acura Integra 56k and no problems just new tires and oil changes.

[03VibeGT6Spd]

"1979 Chevrolet Monza Spider trunk version with a V8 350ci" The only thing I ever done was oil changes and tires.I had it for 8 years and wish I never sold it.ebslopp,I'll vote for kerry If you fix your banner! It is to wide and I have to scroll sideways to read the messages.

[soldierguy]

Oh yeah, I remember the Monza! Never drove one though. I remember back in the 80's reading about one in a Car & Driver or Motor Trend. I remember that they liked the availability of the V8, but for some reason didn't like the transmission...my guess is that they were either talking about that it was an automatic only or that if it had a manual, it was probably a 4-speed back then.What was yours?

[silver_vibe]

The following is a list of my wife/my cars:1966 Mustang - got it in 1986 with 100,000+ miles and put 200,000+ miles on it. MANY maintenance items (understandable for a 20+ year old car). Most notable was the drum brakes wore out way too fast and the motor mounts kept breaking.1986 Escort GT – I loved that thing. 160,000 trouble free miles until the timing belt broke.1993 Thunderbird - 80,000 trouble free miles except for the driver's side power window (stopped working twice under warranty). For some reason it stopped running after I drove it under an SUV on the freeway. 1985 Chevy El Camino - bought it with 150,000 miles on it. I had the engine/transmission rebuilt immediately. Transmission has been leaking ever since but I can't blame Chevy for that. The shop that rebuilt it tried fixing the leak 3X and failed I finally got fed up and didn't take it back. I love it anyway and I will never sell it.1999 Toyota Solara - 69,000 miles and I hate that car. To begin with, Toyota does not honor their warranty. Within the first year the paint on the bumpers completely changed color. I took it to the dealer and they said it was a manufacture defect and was not covered under the warranty, but the dealer said they would call a Toyota rep to come look at the car. When the rep came out and saw it he said it was normal wear to the vehicle ((removed)?)...I tried 3 different dealers and they all said it was not covered under the warranty. The CD player was skipping - also denied under the warranty. The vanity mirror fell off the passenger side visor (that they did cover - I guess because it was cheap enough for them to fix). The engine runs warm (known issue with the V6) so the oil gels if you don't change it every 3000 miles. The car started stalling after 30,000 miles and continued to do so until I got a tune up at 38,000...and yes I did take it to the dealer at 30,000 miles but they claim to have found nothing wrong. Now with 69,000 miles it's running great but the bumpers still don't match and the CD still skips. BTW, I will never buy Toyota again because they refused to honor their warranty time and time again. That is why I chose the Vibe over the Matrix.2003 Vibe - 29,000 trouble free miles (this is now my all time favorite "daily driver" - dethroned the Escort)

[ColonelPanic]

I haven't had a trouble-free vehicle... Vibe's the closest thing I've had to a trouble-free vehicle thus far, however.

[Mavrik]

My last car was a 1996 Sunfire GT and all I ever did to it was regular upkeep repairs. brakes, a battery, 2 tires and some exhaust work. Nothing else went wrong.and the Vibe, well knock on wood but no problems I didn't cause myself the whole year I've had it so far.

[ToolGuy]

First car - 1987 Cavalier RS. No trouble, never saw a tow truck. 133,000 miles. Raced it and took three throphies with it at shows. Got me through college too. Traded it in for a 1998 Cavalier, dealer put it on its lot and sold it.Second car - 1998 Cavalier Z24. Was at the dlr once, bad strut. Traded it in at 40,000 for a Blazer.2000 Blazer - Leased, oil cooler line went bad (most did) dlr fixed. Good truck but the 4x4 control mod broke just outside of warranty. Bargined with the dlr and only paid $175 to fix. Disappointed though since I used the 4x4 maybe 10 times. 45,000 miles2001 Jeep Cheerokee - Leased, been to the dlr once, bad u-joint. 45,000 miles 2003 PT Cruiser - Leased, No trouble, never been to the dlr so far.2003 Vibe - Own, No trouble, never been to the dlr so far.1998 Corvette - Have warranty history and the people that had it before me basically got anything they wanted if questioned. Great car and I have only had it since March, 54,000 miles. Heard the engine was engineered for 300K miles. Anyway, I always maintain my vehicles and they usually never go to the dealer and never leave me stranded. My friends and I used to joke VW's should come with a little Germany mechanic in the glove box. Friend had two VW Rabbits, one diesel and one gas. The gas we painted, lowered and modded, & GTI parts too.

[nismo]

First car- 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis-tranny failed 2 times on me. Once on the freeway and once driving on normal roads. Currently -2004 Pontiac Vibe-no problems, knock on wood. I only have problems because of the fact that it got hit 2 times.Inder

[soldierguy]

You are not kidding about VWs needing a mechanic in the glove box! I love them because of the way they drive, but there seems to be a string of little annoying things that go wrong. When I was in the middle of the ABS problem mine was having, the nearest VW dealer was 75 miles away. They had Saturday service hours though, so I made a string of Saturday appointments knowing that the drive to the dealer would cause the light to go on and the ABS to stop working. When I made the appointments (all at once for every Saturday for a couple months), the service guy thought I was insane. After the first trip they said that they couldn't find anything wrong...I just said "ok...see ya next week, and the week after, and the week after that..." That's when they realized I wasn't going to go away, so they actually put some effort into working on the car. They never fixed the problem even after replacing most of everything in the braking system...Iwas glad that they at least covered it under warranty even though I was WELL beyond the warranty period, because it was documented in their own files that this was an ongoing problem with my car that had started during the warranty coverage. I was also glad that when I traded it in (at a different dealer), the dealer didn't drive it long enough to see the light go on...they probably would have knocked at least $1000 off the trade-in I got.I think I need therapy...I tend to have unhealthy co-dependent relationships with VWs.

[ebslopp]

Quote, originally posted by 03VibeGT6Spd »ebslopp,I'll vote for kerry If you fix your banner! It is to wide and I have to scroll sideways to read the messages.What is your screen resolution set at? I'd be happy to make the adjustment. My screen is set at 1280x1024 and the banner only goes a little over half of the screen.

[kostby]

Quote, originally posted by soldierguy »I love them because of the way they drive... Quote »I think I need therapy...I tend to have unhealthy co-dependent relationships with VWs.That says it all! I still own an '84 Rabbit convertible with the close-ratio 5-speed. It has the same engine as the '83 GTI, so although it's heavier than a GTI, it still goes like stink. I only drive it about 1,000 miles a year, so it's virtually trouble-free. I had a chance to get an '83 GTI in good condition a couple of years ago for $300.00, but I didn't have any spare garage space.As for trouble-free cars I've owned, here's the latest one:I only have to clean the lint off the axles once or twice a year!

[5lbsofswisscheese]

'?? Dodge Shadow Convertible: Drove it, parents owned it. We didn't keep it too long, it had an automatic transmission failure while I was driving it. Not fun.'90 Chevrolet Lumina APV (minivan): I inherited this one from my parents. It was pretty reliable except the alternator had to be replaced every year or two, and it developed a hole in the radiator shortly before we sold it in '96. It had about 94,000 miles on it if I recall correctly.'97 Pontiac Sunfire: This was my first new car I bought back in 96. To be honest I can't remember what all went wrong with it. GM always seems to have a few piddly little fit & finish issues with the new cars. One thing that pissed me off was a constant leak when it rained. I had a puddle of water in my rear passenger-side footwell every time it rained. The dealer never could find it, as I couldn't ever manage to bring it in while it was raining. They said they did the TSB on it after I found it and showed it to them, but it still leaked after that.'99 Chevy Tracker: This one was a mistake. It was very reliable except the handles above the doors and the passgenger side moulding kept falling off. I did spend a week without a radio when that broke under warranty. It was a mistake because it was not that much fun to drive, except on the few days a year it's actually comfortable to drive a convertible in Texas (plus it was a royal pain in the (removed) to get that jeep-style convertible top back on). I should have went with my gut and made the salesman hunt down a Cavalier Z24 for me. '03 Pontiac Vibe: I went back to Pontiac for this one. Only thing wrong from the factory was that the door-ajar switch on the driver door wasn't grounded so it never thought the door was open. One initial problem seems pretty good for GM in my experience. Everone on this website knows the stock Continentals are horrible tires, so I'll leave it at that. At about 8000 miles the hood latch stopped working because the cable was loose, then I got in an accident just before it was going to be fixed and the dealer wouldn't touch it.at about 20,000 mi the CEL came on, diagnosis was malfunctioning catalytic converter which they replaced. The compartment below the gear shifter also broke so that it wouldn't open willingly about that time. At about 38,000 miles the shifter linkage was squeaking, but they tried to tell me it needed a whole new transmission. I let them only because I had an extended warranty. I suspect the clutch was going out as well. The dealer gave me the car back, claiming they had done the work, but the original transmission was still in there with it's 2 year old bolts and everything. I took advantage of the "pull-ahead" program and traded in the car a year early instead of keeping it. P) I couldn't find a GM car I like better, so I got another Vibe.'04 Pontiac Vibe: From the start it had an ill-fitted shifter boot, a scratch on the speedometer, and a big greasy streak on the front driver window. 4500 miles out, that's been the only thing wrong with it.

[03VibeGT6Spd]

Quote, originally posted by soldierguy »Oh yeah, I remember the Monza! Never drove one though. I remember back in the 80's reading about one in a Car & Driver or Motor Trend. I remember that they liked the availability of the V8, but for some reason didn't like the transmission...my guess is that they were either talking about that it was an automatic only or that if it had a manual, it was probably a 4-speed back then.What was yours?The std transmisson was saginaw 4 spd, but I had the optional Borg warner 5 spd.

[03VibeGT6Spd]

Quote, originally posted by ebslopp »What is your screen resolution set at? I'd be happy to make the adjustment. My screen is set at 1280x1024 and the banner only goes a little over half of the screen. I switched mine, but It was to small.It's set at 800 x 600.Thank You!