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The Most and Least Expensive Cars to Maintain. https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/the-most-and-least-expensive-cars-to-maintain-by-maddy-martin https://www.y

The Most and Least Expensive Cars to Maintain. https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/the-most-and-least-expensive-cars-to-maintain-by-maddy-martin https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/the-most-and-least-expe...

davrosthedalek 8y ago
That website urgently needs to add error estimates on these numbers. It might also be interesting to look at repair cost relative to car cost.
munchbunny 8y ago
I'm glad you posted this. The thread is mostly full of anecdotal claims, which makes sense since few people clock enough time in enough cars in a lifetime to claim statistical significance. However if we're talking about maintenance costs, it's really about average value and standard deviation.
vanilla-almond 8y ago
Here's a UK survey from 2015 of 50,000 motorists with remarkably similar results. To sum up: Japanese cars were the most reliable and dependable. And the cheapest to repair. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32332210 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32332210
otterpro 8y ago
Slightly off topic, but this article confirms the reliability and engineering feat of Toyota, along with my experience as a car owner for the past 30 years. I currently own Toyota Prius (ranked #1 in lowest maintenance cost) with 200k miles and I cannot believe how reliable this car is. Had I known this, I would've had bought only Toyota in the past, but I had only learned my lesson in the most painful way. I've had Mercury, which confirms extremely high maintenance (ranked 7th in the list) and Infiniti (ranked 12th), which seems about right, as well as Mazdas, etc. I still have nightmares thinking about what I went through with those other cars. Scotty Kilmer, a popular automechanic Youtuber, also confirms that Toyota is the most reliable car that he has ever owned or worked with. Not all Japanese car manufacturers are the same. Nissan and Honda are not even in the same league as Toyota. I hope that Toyota creates all-electric Prius someday.
- DaiPlusPlus 8y ago
  To me, it's surprising that a hybrid vehicle would be the most reliable given it couples an entire ICE drivetrain (inherently unreliable in its own right) with an electric system. I'm assuming Toyota appreciated the risks and put effort into using higher-reliability components into their hybrid cars - especially as the Prius brand could be devalued quickly if it ever developed a reputation for poor reliability.
  - r00fus 8y ago
    Shows you the massive inefficiencies of fuel-based motors that a marginally more complex setup yields such a better result maintenance wise. Plus the Atkinson cycle parallel hybrid drivetrain is a fantastic invention.
- adrr 8y ago
  Old Nissans used to be good until they hired the guy from Renault who focused on cost-cutting. Late 90s Nissans and Infinitis could easily put on 200k miles without major issues.

davrosthedalek 8y ago

That website urgently needs to add error estimates on these numbers. It might also be interesting to look at repair cost relative to car cost.

munchbunny 8y ago

I'm glad you posted this. The thread is mostly full of anecdotal claims, which makes sense since few people clock enough time in enough cars in a lifetime to claim statistical significance. However if we're talking about maintenance costs, it's really about average value and standard deviation.

vanilla-almond 8y ago

Here's a UK survey from 2015 of 50,000 motorists with remarkably similar results. To sum up: Japanese cars were the most reliable and dependable. And the cheapest to repair. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32332210 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32332210

otterpro 8y ago

Slightly off topic, but this article confirms the reliability and engineering feat of Toyota, along with my experience as a car owner for the past 30 years. I currently own Toyota Prius (ranked #1 in lowest maintenance cost) with 200k miles and I cannot believe how reliable this car is. Had I known this, I would've had bought only Toyota in the past, but I had only learned my lesson in the most painful way. I've had Mercury, which confirms extremely high maintenance (ranked 7th in the list) and Infiniti (ranked 12th), which seems about right, as well as Mazdas, etc. I still have nightmares thinking about what I went through with those other cars. Scotty Kilmer, a popular automechanic Youtuber, also confirms that Toyota is the most reliable car that he has ever owned or worked with. Not all Japanese car manufacturers are the same. Nissan and Honda are not even in the same league as Toyota. I hope that Toyota creates all-electric Prius someday.

DaiPlusPlus 8y ago
To me, it's surprising that a hybrid vehicle would be the most reliable given it couples an entire ICE drivetrain (inherently unreliable in its own right) with an electric system. I'm assuming Toyota appreciated the risks and put effort into using higher-reliability components into their hybrid cars - especially as the Prius brand could be devalued quickly if it ever developed a reputation for poor reliability.
- r00fus 8y ago
  Shows you the massive inefficiencies of fuel-based motors that a marginally more complex setup yields such a better result maintenance wise. Plus the Atkinson cycle parallel hybrid drivetrain is a fantastic invention.
adrr 8y ago
Old Nissans used to be good until they hired the guy from Renault who focused on cost-cutting. Late 90s Nissans and Infinitis could easily put on 200k miles without major issues.