Reliability

[Canine]

Why would the battery Hold Down be 
missing ?

They wear out and the previous owner may have decided to not replace that part to "save money". Or it may have been too much trouble to reinstall the hold down; he/she may not have appreciated the importance of having their battery bolted down.

 

[Silver]

Good point.
Its sad to see that people
dont do regular maintenance.

The battery could disconect
causing loss of power n a
possible accident

 

[idn88]

You originally mention the Nissan Quest. That generation of quest was actually assembled by Ford in Ohio, and sold both by Nissan and by Ford under the Mercury Villager badge (for the must buy American contingent).

Solid state electrical controls (AKA computer controlled) vehicles are statistically far more reliable than their predecessors - however as mentioned more expensive to fix if they do break.

I would find a vehicle you like, then join a web forum specific to that vehicle and ask questions there. Often they are great resources with people willing to answer very specific questions about potential problems, model year specific issues, etc.

 

[Canine]

Great reply. Edmunds has forums specific to every make and model out there it seems. The bigger brands also have their own fan forums. Other than some merciless flamers and trolls, you can get decent information. I used to follow a forum for a generation 1 Honda CR-V that I owned, trouble is, the type I had was so old that there wasn't much action on it, as most people had moved on and relegated the old car to either their high school or college kid or it was in a junkyard. That 98 Toyota could be close to what I found happening.

Other than repair fix arounds due to a lack of OEM parts availability, I didnt find much use for my forum. There were some fanatics of course, but there are those in most everything except, well, Yugo's or Le Car's...

 

[highdesertranger]

well newer computer controlled vehicles are usually much more reliable for awhile. however at about 10 years this reliability starts to taper off. by 15 years a lot of them are done. very few will make it longer than 20 years. let's face it very few of these new vehicles will make it to antique status. so in the long run I would have to disagree with newer vehicles being more reliable. don't even get me started about the environmental cost of producing new vehicles. highdesertranger

 

[Canine]

HDR, even if more people would accept and operate older vehicles, all of Madison Avenue advertisers spend millions convincing us that used isn't good enough and thousands of factory workers, heck, tens of thousands would be laid off due to making more realistic consumer decisions. Then we would have another 2008 recession/depression. Thank goodness for the Fed printing money! I am going to try that as soon as I can get my old crayons to work...

As far as reliability goes, when I am out walking to pass the time I see more new vehicles than ever before. Jives with the auto industry selling over 17 million new cars and trucks last year. (I've never been able to imagine so many, that's a lot of materials, energy and jobs.) Anyway, I saw a new SUV parked with its folding mirrors automatically in and it's oversized sunroof partially open for ventilation. Then I thought about how expensive the automatic folding mirrors were if one ever got damaged. Much less the 5 foot long sunroof... That thing was huge! More to break, leak or just cause trouble. Fancy option and I can't even imagine the price. Then there were the 20 or 22 inch wheels with the tires that probably cost $250 each... Pretty soon just wheels, tires and fancy mirrors alone in parts cost more than your rig... But it t keeps all the factories and repair places busy as well... Progress. We never go backwards, people wouldn't stand for it.

That's why vandwellers are dangerous nonconformists, we are attacking the very fabric of consumer driven societies! "Ban the van"! (Dweller)

 

[akrvbob]

The worst part is it is easier to buy a new vehicle than it is to buy an older one you can afford. For the average couple with both working they can afford a new car, but if they buy an older car they can pay cash for then it starts having problem (and it probably will) then they can't fix it because they are broke.

Then they are living check to check just to pay for a roof over their head and a car. So anything they want to buy goes on a credit card.

We are a nation living on debt right now and we can't see that historically that always leads to a credit bubble and bubbles always burst. The entire "recovery" from the 2008 recession is based on credit, and when this one bursts it's going to make 2008 look like good times.
Bob

 

[Canine]

Quite accurate on all fronts. Case in point for reliability and affordability...

Any newspaper car ad will tell you the terms of the 60, 72 or 84 month contract. Depending on the make and model and trim, your SUV or passenger van or pickup, not even loaded up with options, is going to set you back anywhere from 35K to perhaps $50K. (Have to add taxes and licensing fees to your purchase price, as well as extended warranties...)

Now most people either trade in with little equity or have a small cash down payment, say 10 percent. Payments on this new sheet metal range from $400 a month to over $700 for the loan term. I realize it's a big spread but there's so many possibilities out there...

Anyway, using the same down payment of 10 percent on a say, $35K vehicle, that's $3,500. That buys you a basic older 90's van. Now with the monthly 4,5,6,or $700 payment, you are either building up a good sized maintenance fund or using that each month for repairs. Yes it could be needed to spend the entire first year's "payments" on repairs yet how much more would you realistically need than that? At $500 a month that's $6,000 in repairs in a year!

New tires, shocks, exhaust, windshield, radiator, belts and hoses, battery, front end repairs, alignment, brakes, tuneup, filters and fluids, even a complete transmission could be purchased with $6,000, AND you would then start off year 2 with all that already done, it's pretty difficult to spend it again, while the poor guy making payments keeps writing those checks...

There's two ways to look at reliability, get a rock solid vehicle (what's that?) or have the funds to pay for the repairs and if done right, you don't need to pay again for quite a while. The guy with the new sheet metal also pays a lot more for his required full coverage insurance than I do on my almost 20 year old van with liability only.

That's my take on it. I paid $2,100 for my van and haven't spent $2,000 in a year. Course the transmission may go out but it's still shifting smoothly. With 175K on it I know it's due yet I have the funds for another, and that one should last another 10-15 years at least.

No it won't keep Detroit's factories open but that's not my issue.

 

[LeeRevell]

My thoughts too. I'd rather recondition the old iron, than dump beaucoup FIRNs into a 'new' vehicle with all the baggage. And I wouldn't touch an "extended warranty" with a ten foot steel pole. Bad juju!