Most Reliable Cars in History

1. Pinpointing exactly how many kilometers, on average, any given model has racked up is virtually impossible, but weve identified 15 cars with exceptionalsometimes surprisingendurance and value. .....

Volvos

2. Model years:Dawn of Man1996 ,Volvos secret? It basically built one car for decades under a variety of model names. In its staid Swedish way, the carmaker eschewed fashion and focused instead on quality (and safety). About the only thing that will kill off a Volvo is rust, says Mark Bredesen, the owner of Herndon, Va., importrepairshop Autoscandia, whos been working on Volvos since 1978and the later models largely conquered that problem with galva .....

Buick LeSabre

3. Model years: 19892005 ,Despite the best efforts of GM marketing departments to persuade car buyers otherwise, most people realized by the 1990s and 2000s that Buicks, Chevrolets, Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles were all very similar under the skin. And yet, its the Buicks that got the love in this era, as reflected in the many, many awards the brand won from qualityrankers J.D. Power and Associates. The LeSabre won most troublefree domestic in 1990, an .....

Jaguar XJ6

4. Model years: 19951997 ,This pick caused a lot of browfurrowing among experts we spoke to. If you want to make friends, you dont want to recommend that, cautioned Bob Merlis of Feral Cars. Heres our thinking: During the 1970s, Jaguar reliability was horrid. A common solution to the cars troubles was to rip out the Jaguar motor and replace it with a good old Chevrolet V8. But in the 1980s, under the leadership of an industrial turnaround specialis .....

Ford Crown Victoria or Mercury Marquis

5. Model years: 19922011,These road tanks have been doing a great job taking Granny and Grandpa to church every Sunday for decades. Even though the civilian versions lack the endurancebuilding parts of police cruisers and taxis, such as oil coolers and stronger suspensions, the core components of the American sedan are all there: V8 engine, solid rear axle, bodyonframe construction. Many police officers got downright mistyeyed when they went out of .....

Chevrolet Camaro or Pontiac Firebird

6. Model years: 19822002,These cars refusal to die is not necessarily a function of inherent reliability. Its the sheer bullheadness of their owners, aging children of the ?60s and ?70s, who still want to drive a twodoor American sport coupe with a V8 and rearwheeldrive and no way is it going be a Mustang (because that would be a Ford.) They cant afford a new Camaro (or other new, hot sportcoupe offerings, such as the Dodge Charger R/T). And they c .....

Ford Escort

7. Model years: 19912002,Transportation, nothing more. Reasonable reliability. Way cheaper on the used market than a Toyota of the same era. Virtually nobody gets excited about a Ford Escort, but for people who need a way to get to work for not a lot of dough, this is a prime mover. Thats why it made a crowdsourced list of the 10 Best Cars for Poor People on the car blog Jalopnik, which commented, Everyone seemed to agree that Ford has turned out s .....

Toyota Camry

8. Model years: 1992forward ,The 1992 model year marked the point where the Camry really hit its stride and went on to become a sales and endurance leader. Two reasons: The styling, which evoked Toyotas thennew Lexus luxury line, and roominess. Camrys that Toyota had imported to the states up until then had hewed to a Japanese market restriction of being no more than 67 inches wide. For 1992, Toyota decided to build a separate model just for the No .....

MercedesBenz 240D or 300D

9. Model years: 1975 and beyond,If you wanted a Mercedes in the early 1980s that got reasonable mileagethat is, above 20 mpgyou got a diesel. That the company sold as many as it did was largely a fluke of federal regulations; the thrifty diesels allowed Mercedes to meet fleet fuel economy standards. They also were built to run forever, with not a single bit of electronics needed under the hood. [These cars] are like a rocking chair made out of hick .....

Jeep Cherokee

10. Model years: 19872001,Were going to make an exception to our notrucks rule for the Jeep Cherokee. For one thing, its not really a truck. As the first small crossover SUV in the U.S., it did not have traditional bodyonframe construction. Despite that, and despite being the last gasp of the dying American Motors Corporation, it did have Jeep toughness in its DNA and a wellproven, durable straight6 engine. Many Cherokees are still roaming Americas .....

Subaru Wagons

11. Model years: 1990Present,The toughness of Subarus (with their standard allwheeldrive) sometimes gets conflated with reliability, but theyre not the same thing: Just ask the many owners who had cylinderheadgasket failures. Nonetheless, many keep on trucking, particularly for owners involved in higher education. Have a look in the parking lots of colleges and universities in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest, where they serve as the transportati .....

Saab 900

12. Model years: 19791993,Lets just get this out of the way: The Saab 900 is no Swedish cousin to the Volvo 240, at least not in terms of inherent reliability or simplicity of design. Weak transmissions are among their problems, says import expert Bredesen. That said, this other Scandinavian has its own cultlike following that keeps a good number on the road, particularly in New England and Colorado, where the frontwheeldrive Saabs were popular for .....

Volkwagen Van

13. Model years: 19501992,The VW van, which creates instant counterculture nostalgia for baby boomers, keeps finding new generations of fans. Just look at the comic strip Zits, whose 16yearold protagonist drives one. A combination of sheer devotion from its fans and a deep reserve of used parts (thanks in part to its sharing many components with VW Beetles) keeps many of these going and going. Many are sunfaded and seem to rely on bumper stickers fo .....

Geo Prizm

14. Model years: 19842010,The Geo Prizm is one of a number of vehicles that have at their core one of the most reliable cars ever: the Toyota Corolla. The Corollas longevity generally goes unremarked, however. This Corolla clone (marketed as a Chevrolet at one point) also appeared as the Chevy Nova (19841988) and the Pontiac Vibe (20022010). Many of these cars are still out there on the open road, sometimes causing headscratching as they soldier on i .....

Buick Roadmaster Estate

15. Model years: 1991?1996,Behold the last of the big American station wagons. This General Motors behemoth offers an appealing combination of reliable, modern(ish) technology and retro looks. In the later years of its production, the Roadmaster was armed with a honking 5.7liter V8 closely related to the Chevy Corvettes to help it move all that mass. Rearfacing thirdrow seats, wood paneling on the sides, shifter on the steering columnits all there. .....

Honda Accord

16. Model years: 1976Present,Heres a wager: Next time youre out for a spin, watch for a nondescript, tan or silver fourdoor. Betcha its a Honda Accord. Combine reliability and bestselling statusa true virtuous cycleand you get ubiquity. Exactly what it is about Honda that provides such durability is the subject of much debate (and much corporate envy/espionage involving Hondas design and manufacturing processes). But surely some of it has to do with .....