Just thinking ahead for my ‘early’ retirement of what car I will be driving, basically the next, universally recognised, 2004ish era 1.9tdi A4/Passat equivalent of todays cars in the future.

Probably won’t be a BMW 320d given the timing chain failures or many modern diesels with DPF, EGR’s etc supposedly just waiting to fail.

My 2007 X3 3.0sd seems very robust and actually fairly basic on the electronics and mechanicals front but is currently off the road having had recon turbo’s fitted and the garage can’t work out why the small, HP, turbo isn’t engaging. Off my list!

Wife’s VW Touran is off the road again having died yesterday whilst driving home (again) 🙁

Looking at the carpark in work everything seems to have problems of some sort.

Petrol Honda?
Toyota?
Fiesta?

I can’t be alone in whiling away the hours at work thinking of this?!

In 15 years we’ll all be driving hydrogen powered hover-cars, and the fossil fuel powered internal combustion engine will be but a distant memory

Petrol Honda?

Is the right answer. I bought my 2 litre v-tec engined Honda 10 yrs and 2 months ago. It’s been faultless. In fact it’s still faultless. So much so that it’s become boring.

Phew Binners, that answers that.

Or petrol Toyota. Least troublesome cars I’ve ever owned, although you move a portion of expense to opex from capex if you do big miles 🙂
I would normally add Nissan to that list too, but a friend has had issues with his Qashqai. Worth a look?

Having had Fords I wouldn’t buy one expecting it to last. My S Max is coming up on 8 years and has just needed the DMF and clutch replacing.

While I tend to believe owners of Hondas and other such vehicles when they proclaim their faith in the potential longevity of their vehicles, what I don’t tend to trust is the trim.

It’s fine to say that a car might last for many years, but if the doors close with a light ‘kch’ as opposed to a robust ‘thwump’ (a universally-recognised test of excellence and durability!), it just doesn’t command the level of confidence asserted by current owners.

If I was looking for a long-term car, I would almost certainly be scouring the ads for a Volvo.

My FRV is at least as well built (and the doors even more “thwumpy”) as the 5 Series or the V40 that I had before it

If I was looking for a long-term car, I would almost certainly be scouring the ads for a Volvo.

Conversely, the only Volvo I’ve owned was the most problematic, badly put together money pit I’ve ever owned.

It was a 440 though.

My petrol toyota is now 16 years old.

In the last 8 years it’s had tyres, oil, new cam belt and new plugs/leads.

I honestly don’t know what’ll kill it

We’re hoping the Hyundai i10 Wifey bought new the year before last will still be with us in 10-15 years. 20 months and 15k miles trouble free so far.

IIRC The two cars mentioned above from reputable manufacturers were both collaborations with the same (3rd) manufacturer…Volvo and Nissan collaborations with Renault.

I have a petrol Honda – 13 years old, still looks good when cleaned up, still runs well and even has the original exhaust on it, it ‘may’ need a new one in the next year or so though.

Downsides are that it’s thirsty (but it is an Type-R variant) and it eats tyres, but a more sensible model is unlikely to be as bad.

I’m on my second Honda Accord Tourer (diesel 2.2i Type S) and I have to say it’s fabulous. I had a petrol 2.4i 2004 model before this one and it never missed a beat. You get quality engineering and all the gadgets for the similar prices to basic (and ubiquitous) German estates.

Including my wife having had a Civic, we’ve owned 3 Honda’s so far and they haven’t ever broken down or had any major mechanical failure. The new Civic Tourer is nice plus the petrol version returns circa 70mpg!

Pretty much any modern car unless they’re seriously neglected and undergo average use should last for 15 years.

For bulletproof I’d go petrol 4cyl 2wd manual toyota with minimal electrical equipment.

My focus is 10 next year.

Still on the original front disk and pads at 85k it’s that boring.

I wouldn’t bet against anything getting to 10 years old these days, ’05’ plate cars aren’t exactly rare to see – 15 years, will depend on how you look after it, I personally think it’s still rare for some massively expensive fault to come up and effectively write off a car, although it does happen.

I’d go for a petrol, just because I think the momentum is going that way. Yes there’s that whole DPF thing with diesels, but if you do the right sort of driving for a diesel it’s not usually a problem – and it’s not like coil packs don’t shit out on petrols and cause pain and suffering in the wallet.

You could probably buy a Yaris or an Auris and it will last a very long time if you look after it, but they’ll be easy to ‘write off’ at 1 years old simply because they’re not worth much – a 10 year old Yaris is a £500 – £1000 car.

Toyota…

Most unreliable car I’ve ever owned? Toyota Land Cruiser. And not the flimsy little one, but the full-on 4.2 straight-six turbodiesel.

Which just goes to show, even the best have the odd Friday car and that what’s right today is only as good as its current track record.

Emissions laws will stymie the “car for life” idea IMHO. Plan for change. Change is good.

Given that the worst car I’ve ever had is still with us after 10 years, and just got through its MOT last week, I suspect anything will last 10-15. Saab 9-3 diesel. DMF, clutch, lots of springs, electrics – all had issues although none so expensive as to be terminal yet as most parts now seem to be OK priced.

Why not buy what you want to drive and just look after it?

“Change is good expensive and unnecessary – and if it came to a japanese style age limit on cars – i’d find a way to go car free.

Hondas all the way , had 4 and not one ever caused me a problem

having had Fords I wouldn’t buy one expecting it to last. My S Max is coming up on 8 years and has just needed the DMF and clutch replacing.

You know a clutch is a wear item, don’t you? 🙄

So in 10 years time I’ll be driving a petrol, manual Honda. Good to know!

Ironically I’m looking a 2012 Honda Jazz this week as a replacement for my wife’s Touran.

Looks like I’m ahead of the game!

I have a 56 plate mk 5 Golf gti, owned from new and driven fairly ‘enthusiastically’ by me. I’ve done just shy of 100.000 miles and aside from routine servicing have only had two trips to a garage, for a smashed window after a break in, and for a broken suspension spring. Even with my bikes travelling inside the car the interior has held up amazingly well. My only ongoing concern is whether or not to have it chipped!!

You know a clutch is a wear item, don’t you?

On a Ford maybe. In 20 years of driving bangers I’ve only ever needed one clutch replacing, and that was on a Fiesta. Current car is 16 years old and the original clutch shows no signs of wear whatsoever. I fully expect it will do another 5 years – if the car is still going then. This is the difference between something fairly average, and something so well engineered that even the ‘wear items’ are capable of outlasting the life of the car itself. Which I think is what the OP is looking for!

I would normally add Nissan to that list too, but a friend has had issues with his Qashqai.

I’m a big fan of Nissans, but they’re half owned by Renault these days. I don’t know what that equates to in terms of facts, but I can’t imagine it is a good thing when it comes to reliability…

Prius – there were loads in Mongolia, driving around the battered roads, all surviving and the majority pretty old ones too.

Landcruisers as well, Lexus 570s last forever

You know a clutch is a wear item, don’t you?

On a Ford maybe.

Had the flywheel thingie go on a Toyota before. Since it’s a massive ball ache to get it all apart they said “you might as well have the clutch done at the same time”.

Got rid of car…

You know a clutch is a wear item, don’t you?

Yep, I’d expect it to wear out some time after 200k miles

Ive had hondas now for the past 7 years, in that time I’ve serviced, had tyres and bought an exhaust due to damage from grounding.

My current Accord is 16 years old and is looking like it’s at the point where it’s going to have to go as it needs a couple of bushings,a wheel brearing, discs/pads all round and some CV boots etc. I could spend the 700 ish but as it’s worth about 1000 it seems easier to get shot of it. It has been faultless for 40k miles but it’s got 130k on it now and running gear is starting to go and many parts are Honda OEM and not cheap (wheel bearing is 280 fitted for example). I’m going for a CRV with around 80k on it should get one for about 3k and I’ll expect at least 5 years trouble free out of it. Hondas are justifiably popular with tightwads like me as they just keep ticking with the minimal intervention. I use it as my family long distance, dog and bike carrier and have a small, new supermini for daily use..

digga – Member
…Emissions laws will stymie the “car for life” idea IMHO. Plan for change. Change is good.

I think this will trump all the other possibilities.

I went through the same thinking process after my last car-for-life started getting wonky (Volvo S80), and after looking at all the alternatives, I simply bought another.

I considered a hybrid, but I figure battery technology advances will obsolete anything currently around.

My focus is 10 next year.

Still on the original front disk and pads at 85k it’s that boring.

How is that even possible? Do you do mostly motorway driving and live close to the junction? 😕

My soon-to-be-ex-wife drives my old 2004 Hyundai Terracan. I reckon it’s got a good 10 years left in it. The downside is high fuel costs in a 2.5tonne 2.9tdi brick!

Honda Jazz. Although my mum and elderly aunt drive one, therefore they’re known to me as the Honda Spaz, they’re bloody amazing cars for MTB/Surf functions. Simple petrol engine, what’s not to like? Just grow a beard so no-one will know it’s you and park round the corner.

Petrol Hondas were phenomenal. I had a 2.2 VTEC Accord to 234,000 miles and everything was sweet apart from the back end slowly rotting. Engine was absolutely amazing. Modern Hondas are just a bit well, crap really, which is a MASSIVE shame. We have a 10-year old Civic Type R and this is the first year we have had to spend any money on it other than dropping the oil – wheel bearing.

The most future proof car would have to be something like a Tesla (if you can change the batteries to the obviously more advanced ones the future will have). Diesels are dead any day now and any petrols without a small engine and a turbo will be following them (and I can’t see them having any longevity anyhow).

Rockape – perfectly possible – somehow on my 234,000 mile Honda, I only ever changed the front discs once (I had it from 140,000 miles). I changed the oil and filter every 4000 miles because I’m pedantic too but that’s all.

I think part of the issue isn’t reliability but serviceability.

DMF/clutches mentioned above along with some other single high price items which, for an older car, may be uneconomical to repair (despite being something that usually would just be repaired). You’re always going to get the odd thing or two wearing out in 10-15 years time, but as long as you can complete the journey with it broken and get it repaired at a reasonable cost, you’re on a winner.

I’m going to just say my car (I hope) will be solid and reliable in 10-15 years, unless either of my kids has put it in a ditch by then.

With a bit of care I think any will. In ’93 I bought a Clio which I kept for 10 years and swapped for a Berlingo which I kept for another 10 years. Neither gave me a spot of bother, one diesel, one petrol.

I only bought the Berlingo because I was doing more cycling and the Clio was a faff for fitting bikes in and only sold the Berlingo as Mrs B and I wanted a camper van (which is less practical then the Berlingo for bikes!). I expect to keep it 15-20 years.

Assuming petrol still exists a nice little series 3 Landrover. It won’t be any more knackered than it was in 1970 and it will be just as repairable. Assuming of course that the nannie state lets us do such a thing.

Series 3 land rover? If you ou used it daily that steady stream of ‘update/restore’ money would be needed more regularly.

It’s not ‘reliable’ just more basic.

Sadly cars are becoming more and more complex. Soon we’ll see idrive failure writing off a perfectly usable BMW. ECU issues etc on other cars.

Petrol Berlingo
Aygo’s?
Most(?) Pre-2010’ish Japanese car

Are on my list

One other thing to consider: Car clubs and taxis might just work out a ton cheaper, depending on your expected mileage. Off in the dim and distant future, there’s also likely to be autonomous vehicles, so you can whistle up a car and just go. 10-15 years time, the market for cars might be quite different, and owning your own could be an even less affordable proposition.

A couple I know in London have ditched their car and gone for cabs, Uber and public transport, with occasional car club rental if needed. Admittedly, they’re living a very urban life, but it works for them. They also can (and do) rent very, very nice cars for weekends away, and it all still ends up costing a shedload less per year than the Civic Type R (maintained to OCD levels of shininess, admittedly) they reluctantly sold on.

My X reg Accord is still going fine ,bought 2 years ago with 54000 on the clock now has 104000 on it .The best thing is that it cost £400