Thread: Whats the most reliable car you've owned?

Close tie between



and

Vauxhall vectra 2.0 diesel

after years driving around in bmw, audi and merc and becoming increasingly obsessed with them, e.g. keeping them scratch free and clean, trying to find loose bolts and rattles etc. i eventually bought myself an old vectra diesel estate.

it was like being reborn, no longer did i have to worry whether i had locked it after parking, no longer did i worry if it got scratched or caked in mud, it became to me what cars should really be, a domestic appliance like a fridge or washing machine. a slave to my wishes, to be beaten and abused mercilessly until it dropped dead, rusty and leaking oil. then i would discard it like a used tissue and find another.

it served me well for 4 years until i sold it before i moved to thailand.

it was a great car.

in thailand i bought a vigo 4 door 4wd pickup and it has served me extremely well for 10 years, again i dont fret if it gets scratched or knocked, it is an appliance, a slave to my needs rather than me having to be a slave to my cars needs. apart from routing maintenance and a new alternator, nothing has broken on it in 10 years of ownership.

Nissan Note

i spend more time in the uk now and last year i bought a three year old nissan note, 1600cc petrol auto with sat nav, and climate control, again a car to be used rather than cherished, it does about 5000 miles a year, so far no problems.

nigel, you might find this forum useful, its the nissan note owners forum, lots of useful advice for owners of both your model and the recently redesigned model

Nissan Note Owners Club - Note Forums, Note Owners, Nissan Note

^ yeah, I would have had fun with the Fiat. & while there have been some utterly shite Alfas and Lancias there have also been some great ones.

When I was a teenage hooligan wanting to join the Slough Massive, I had one of these:



& I was the king of the traffic light racer twats until one day a shitty little Lancia pulled up next to me...

^ Booyakasha, jungle is massive!
Betty boo in da house!

^^^^^^Is that a 500 BHP Cosworth Vocalneal?

Most reliable was my first; Datsun 180B.

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

^ Booyakasha, jungle is massive!
Betty boo in da house!

Word!

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

^^^^^^Is that a 500 BHP Cosworth Vocalneal?

I don't think it is, I think it's aboring XR4i or perhaps an even lower spec special edition with a rear spoiler?



If I'm wrong and it is then VN was clearly an East End gangster/robber!


Most of those Coworth 500s were smashed to bits in accidents, weren't they?

Merkur XR4Ti. From memory all the auto ones were black.

No centre rib in the spoiler.

Sorry not 500 hp.

Originally Posted by ludwig

Most reliable was my first; Datsun 180B.

Boo, hiss ! Pistons used to develop cracks eventually, except on the SSS version.

Originally Posted by taxexile

i spend more time in the uk now and last year i bought a three year old nissan note, 1600cc petrol auto with sat nav, and climate control, again a car to be used rather than cherished, it does about 5000 miles a year, so far no problems.

Couldn't agree more Tax ,, same as the Vectra its a workhorse that does what it says on the tin ,, certainly not like the Jags or the GLT Volvo's I to had in the past.

I believe it was built in Washington here in the UK , when that factory was built we had the contract to deliver all the cars from there and was allowed in to see the build quality , so i know how strict they are in there in QC .

Just a point of interest I bought my last 240GLT a long while ago from a guy who lives in a converted pub in a place in North Essex called Pebmarsh . Nothing out the ordinary , however ,, as I chatted to him I kinda got the idea I recognised him , anyway paid him the cash after I knocked him down a bit he handed over the vehicle docs I knew instantly because I recognised the name Stephen Ronald Nice …..= Steve Harley the front man of Cockney Rebel , bloody nice guy he is to

I drove away out his drive singing " I came up to see you and made you smile "

In the 70's and early eighties the most reliable car I had was a VW Beetle.

Mercedes 250 petrol only other cost

The ultimate cheap run around in the past has to be the old mini, deceptively spacious and good for getaway's as well

Trouble with all the Austin Morris stuff mate it rotted from the inside out ^

Rusty subframes and boots.

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

The ultimate cheap run around in the past has to be the old mini, deceptively spacious and good for getaway's as well

Forgot I had a classic Paddy Hopkirk Mini. Enjoyed that little motor!

At age 17, I regularly enjoyed my girlfriend in the back seat of a mini.

Originally Posted by Latindancer

At age 17, I regularly enjoyed my girlfriend in the back seat of a mini.

me to they getting the starting handle in is tricky, I had a mini traveller for festivals pre VW camper, It was a mobile mattress for suitably small partners