10 cars that refuse to die.

Did a search and didn't find this so if it's already been posted just kindly move along.

It's a Kiplinger's list so we are not likely talking a list by an automotive expert or anything but it still is interesting and It's got a few of our old favorites.

http://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/cars_that_wont_die/1.html

I'm going to suggest that gentleman lives in a rust free portion of the country.

And, while I'm sure I'll get beaten to death over this, anybody that would put a Subaru on a list of long lasting vehicles has seen an entirely different fleet of Subarus than me.

Streetwiseguy wrote: anybody that would put a Subaru on a list of long lasting vehicles has seen an entirely different fleet of Subarus than me.

Based on what I've seen, I would agree 100% with that

I wonder how Subaru got the reputation of a long lasting vehicle then. Most of the non car people I know put them up there with Honda.

nicksta43 wrote: I wonder how Subaru got the reputation of a long lasting vehicle then. Most of the non car people I know put them up there with Honda.

Marketing? The same reason so many people think Toyotas are the best car ever made.

I have had four Subarus and although I have never put huge miles on any of them, the time I have had them they have been completely dead reliable and trouble free. I would recommend them to anyone.

HappyAndy wrote:

nicksta43 wrote: I wonder how Subaru got the reputation of a long lasting vehicle then. Most of the non car people I know put them up there with Honda.

Marketing? The same reason so many people think Toyotas are the best car ever made.

BTW I am not hating on subaru for or toyota when I say this, just pointing out that both companies have powerful marketing ability.

no slant 6 chrysler on list = no credibility.

Even though the article was excluding trucks, my first vote for an unkillable vehicle would be any Ford truck with a 300ci I6, especially F150s.

HappyAndy wrote: Even though the article was excluding trucks, my first vote for an unkillable vehicle would be any Ford truck with a 300ci I6, especially F150s.

+1

patgizz wrote: no slant 6 chrysler on list = no credibility.

I wonder if the author was even old enough to remember them?

My Dad loved slant 6s. Unfortunately I hated them. I knew nothing of their reputation for reliability, it was just with all those big block mopars in all those crazy colors sitting on the showroom floor my Dad always went for the slant 6. Damn you Chrysler!!

Well, I think it depends on what flavor of Subaru you are looking at.

If it's not 2.2 liters, I wouldn't call it a reliable Subaru.

Taiden wrote: Well, I think it depends on what flavor of Subaru you are looking at. If it's not 2.2 liters, I wouldn't call it a reliable Subaru.

204,000 trouble free miles on my WRX.

DILYSI Dave wrote:

Taiden wrote: Well, I think it depends on what flavor of Subaru you are looking at. If it's not 2.2 liters, I wouldn't call it a reliable Subaru.

204,000 trouble free miles on my WRX.

Should have said "≤ 2.2L"

I've not had any problems with our Saturn. I love that 1.9 twincam.

EA81, EA82, ER27, EJ18, EJ22, and EG33 were all great engines for what they were, slightly overbuilt for the application. I've had at least one of each in the family(sans EG) that did over 300k before the car was too rotten to continue.

Alas, they don't make them like they used to. Normally aspirated EJ25s, as delivered in at least half of new Subarus sold since '96, are a bit E36 M3. Good power delivery and sound, but: they crack heads, blow headgaskets, starve for oil under lateral Gs, spin bearings, and I've yet to have owned one(of three thus far) that didn't have piston slap when cold like the clatter of a '70s Mercedes diesel. Even had a friend who bought a new '07 2.5i(EJ253) that melted the crankshaft at 4k miles. (EDIT: root cause, so sayeth the dealer than did the warranty repair, turned out to be a crank bolt missing entirely from the factory.)

My last car was a 2.2 '93 Legacy wagon with 249k miles... rusty enough underneath that every bump threatened to remove the whole of the rear suspension, but it ran like new. I still miss it.

Saturns would indeed make my list as well if it weren't for their unquenchable thirst for oil. I have a friend who swears by hers, and said she'd never had a problem with it. Of course, she adds a quart of oil every single tank.

I'll agree with the article on RWD Volvos. If I could find a late-model low-miles 240 wagon locally, I'd be all set for life.

The engine in my dads 96 legacy made it to about 375k before it burned too much oil (caused problems with the cat) to pass emissions anymore. It has a different engine now and is still going. Parts for it are very expensive though compared to other daily driver type cars of that age.

There was no 88-91 Honda Civic on that list. Even crippled with rust and zero maintenance, there's still a million of them running around. (I bet that figure is close to accurate, even at 21 years old at the newest. I remember seeing sales figures somewhere of the 88-91 Civics being something absolutely crazy compared to competitors and population at the time.) I pay 1 dollar per day for the most insurance coverage available (full, $100k per person, $300k per accident) on my 90 CRX.

Or 86-89 Honda Accords. Ever notice how many gold LX-i sedans you see? I swear the gold ones last longer.

Since their premise was you've likely seen one of these cars on the road recently, I'd go along with their list.

And I agree color matters. Brown Spitfires are the most rustproof ones, by a large margin. Who knows why, but they really are.

i'd add any Chrysler car with a 318- but not the trucks. they suck in that application for some reason- and any GM vehicle with a 3.8/3800 that doesn't have either a turbocharger or supercharger. also, anything with the Iron Duke 2.5.

i've seen a lot of cars with these engines that were in the junkyard because the bodies fell apart with a mere 300,000 miles on them with notes written in paint on the hood that the engine is good..

opinion; pre-OHC subarus were stone reliable. that rep is still with them today. They used to run so long, there was no chance of disassembling them.

A DECENT list, but some of the conclusions/reasons why some of these cars refuse to die...well, I don't quite agree with.

First of all, some of the cars on this list, well, depending on the area of the country (or in the case of the Fiat 500, which they oddly include, world) aren't on the roads anymore.

Ciera or Century? Here in Fl. Centurys outnumber Cieras 2 to 1. They are right, tho, in that 6000s and Celebritys are gone.

Prism? Well, there were about as many GEO dealers as Toyota dealers and it was their "biggest" car. I don't think the prism is any better than a Corolla.

RWD Volvo? Here in Fl. they are as rare as "hen's teeth". Same story when I lived in Tn. I did see LOTS of them in junkyards in Tn. tho...very rusted.

Accords? Rarely see an Accord older than '91. And they very nicely forgot the late '90s V6/transmission issue.

E30? "Fool's game" to keep running? I guess if you don't approach the car for what it is...a modern classic.

Diesel Mercedes wouldn't be here without a "fluke" in CAFE regs? Gee, I have the money for a Mercedes, and I'm worried about gas? No, in the '80s diesel was WAAY cheaper than gasoline. CAFE didn't help diesels in the '80s...a LOWER road tax on diesel fuel did.

Crown Vic? Last week I actually saw a '92 CV. How do I know how old it is? The only year there was no grille/like a Taurus. I suspect these cars are hard to kill, but also suspect they are ubitquious...not long lived.

With all they cars they missed? why did they include 2 SUVs? Heck, Camrys are as unkillable as 4 Runners...aren't they?

my RWD Volvo broke down often - more than any car I've ever owned. Still like it though.