The most Reliable sports car...

Spoolpigeon wrote: My completely unbiased opinion is the s2k I've been beating the piss out of my car for the 3+ years I've owned it with nothing more than fluid changes, valve adjustments and a set of brakes.

...and bodywork

The 350Z is much more a "Grand Tourer" than "sports car". The level of additional complexity that could possibly become an issue would have me deem the miata more reliable. That being said a marginally cared for Z or S2K are both excellent quality dependable cars, but If I had to choose the one car that I thought I could keep going on no dollars after the zombie apocalypse it's miata all day.

If I had to pick just one, I would go with the NSX.

I would put the 300ZX NA up before the 350/370. Even before the before mentioned issues due to the fragile alignment.

Doesn't the S2K have issues with the tranny? I know changing the clutch is a bit more of a pain than is was in the Miata.

Funny no one has put up the BRZ/FRS. Or many other of the usual suspects, MR2, Supra, older M3s, etc.

I was calling BS on the Vette just from my experience with them.

I am surprised no one brought up one of these either. Brit in the front with a Jap in the trunk.

The Datsun S30 chassis (240z, 260z, 280z) is stone age strong, simple, reliable and easy to work on. Parts are plentiful and upgrades are cheap and easy. Plus, they're gorgeous looking.

jimbob_racing wrote: The Datsun S30 chassis (240z, 260z, 280z) is stone age strong, simple, reliable and easy to work on. Parts are plentiful and upgrades are cheap and easy. Plus, they're gorgeous looking.

Agreed, agreed, agreed. But you'd better be good with body work. The rust worm was truly tough on these rides.

Flight Service wrote: I am surprised no one brought up one of these either. Brit in the front with a Jap in the trunk.

I agree about what's in the trunk. It's the rest of the ride that would worry me. Like when people put a sbc in a Jaguar and are surprised that the electrical system sucks.

911's seem to be reliable with the caveat of "proper maintenence". Other than chaning the oil, what does that mean? I know what it means for an Alfa, and doing it's proper maintenence has meant that my GTV has had the same number of problems as my brand new Miata has- none.

But my Miata has no "proper maintenence" besides chaning the oil. You should change the timing belt- but it's more of a PITA if it fails, plus they last a long time. I've done nothing to my '99, and it has 200k miles. Nothing. Need to change the PCV valve.

In reply to alfadriver:

Exactly. Almost any car will be dead nuts reliable if you do enough 'proper maintenance' on it. But never leaving you stranded simply isn't enough to be called "the most reliable" in this day and age. I would strongly argue that "the most reliable" is the one that has the lowest failure rate combined with the least amount of knowledge, maintenance, and general care required to ensure its reliability. Every time you have to pop the hood (or trunk in the case of the 911) to measure, check, adjust, add, change, repair, replace, or rebuild anything there in, is a black mark against its overall reliability ranking.

Good Definition...so is the Answer the answer?

Driven5 wrote: In reply to alfadriver: Exactly. Almost any car will be dead nuts reliable if you do enough 'proper maintenance' on it. But never leaving you stranded simply isn't enough to be called "the most reliable" in this day and age. I would strongly argue that "the most reliable" is the one that has the lowest failure rate combined with the least amount of knowledge, maintenance, and general care required to ensure its reliability. Every time you have to pop the hood (or trunk in the case of the 911) to measure, check, adjust, add, change, repair, replace, or rebuild anything there in, is a black mark against its reliability ranking.

Flight Service wrote: I would put the 300ZX NA up before the 350/370. Even before the before mentioned issues due to the fragile alignment. Doesn't the S2K have issues with the tranny? I know changing the clutch is a bit more of a pain than is was in the Miata. Funny no one has put up the BRZ/FRS. Or many other of the usual suspects, MR2, Supra, older M3s, etc. I was calling BS on the Vette just from my experience with them.

The Z32 used to be dependable but as they are all 20-25 years old at this point things fail with age and the Z32 uses a lot of proprietary parts that are rare expensive and difficult to replace, the Z33 does have the much more complicated canbus systems but in every other way the z33 is easier to service, and if you have a consult 2 the canbus can be even easier to diagnose. I'd trust a Z31 far more than a z32.

Miata, MR2, or Corvette.

My reasoning is that in any of these cars, you can basically ignore ALL maintenance besides oil changes, and they will run for a long long time.

My Miata has left me stranded four times. Alternator went, and 3 flat tires. While the alternator is the only one that was actually the car, it wasn't part of regular maintenance but not unexpected.

As a rotary owner, I feel like I should join with the NA rotary vote here, but I don't think I can. Going with Driven5's definition, which I like, no rotary will last. NA rotaries might be great to beat on for days on end with proper maintenance, but neglect with kill them.

Even stock maintained RX8's have problems with the cats, and coils, and clutch pedals, and so on.

Flight Service wrote: I am surprised no one brought up one of these either. Brit in the front with a Jap in the trunk.

Don't write out Jap. It's an old school derogatory term. Just use Japanese. Anyway, that generation isn't sold here.

Jap, are we still having this conversation?

mtn wrote: Miata, MR2, or Corvette. My reasoning is that in any of these cars, you can basically ignore ALL maintenance besides oil changes, and they will run for a long long time. My Miata has left me stranded four times. Alternator went, and 3 flat tires. While the alternator is the only one that was actually the car, it wasn't part of regular maintenance but not unexpected.

I cannot disagree with you on Miata or MR2.. but vettes are not reliable. They may start and run everyday, but there is so much crap in them that is unique to the rest of the Chevy line up that they always have niggling faults that can drive you mad... and do not even think if the big stuff that is unique to them goes sour... like I said above, everyone I know who owns or owned a vette, it was in the shop all the time

Knurled wrote:

Appleseed wrote: If you've had to modify it to make it reliable, that kind of disqualifies it. That means it was broken to start with.

That is what is nice about the 12A RX-7s. The only "reliability mods" are making sure that it still has fluids in it, and making sure that it's using oil. If it stops using oil, you have a problem.

That reminds me of brand new British Motorcycles. When I sold them we would drain all the drip pans daily. So if a bike sitting on the showroom didn't have three distinct oil puddles in the drip pan, we knew at least one oil cavity was dry.

mad_machine wrote:

mtn wrote: Miata, MR2, or Corvette. My reasoning is that in any of these cars, you can basically ignore ALL maintenance besides oil changes, and they will run for a long long time. My Miata has left me stranded four times. Alternator went, and 3 flat tires. While the alternator is the only one that was actually the car, it wasn't part of regular maintenance but not unexpected.

I cannot disagree with you on Miata or MR2.. but vettes are not reliable. They may start and run everyday, but there is so much crap in them that is unique to the rest of the Chevy line up that they always have niggling faults that can drive you mad... and do not even think if the big stuff that is unique to them goes sour... like I said above, everyone I know who owns or owned a vette, it was in the shop all the time

Coming from the guy with a Land Rover and a Fiat... Seriously though, if a modern vette can't be considered a reliable sports car I don't know what can. Of course we never really defined reliable either. I would weigh "radio going out" at a different level than "tendency to blow head gaskets".

In reply to mr2peak: Didn't someone say "sports car" about this thread?

Isn't the answer Miata here?

I know many here don't put much stock in Consumer Reports, but for good reliability data they are fairly accurate. Over the past decade or so, they have consistently listed Honda/Mazda/Porsche as the sports car makers with the best reliability. In the case or Porsche, it's the boxter they list as best, not the 911.

As far as the Jap vs Japanese, I must have missed that one. So an abbreviation is some how derogatory when you are talking about things? I am about as left as they get and that one is a stretch. Should the British get offended because I called them Brit? My son is Autistic, we don't take offense (as in he or my wife and myself) if someone calls him Auty ( pronounced like ah-D) Now that I floundered my own thread, back to the conversation.

I know we don't get the v6 here (I just really like that photo) but the standard version we do get has a toyota 4 banger and those are pretty reliable IRRC.

Since the Miata will soon come with a Fiat badge, will it go down in reliability or bring the Itals up?

I mean think about the possibilities, re-bodied Mazdas as Fiats and while we are at it, Alfas.

Flight Service wrote: I am surprised no one brought up one of these either. Brit in the front with a Jap in the trunk.

I think the term "Brit" is highly offensive.

If we're going by purely anecdotal evidence, my 996 has never left me stranded, but my miata has had a coil pack go. Therefore my 996 is 1000000% more reliable than a miata (until the ims bearing breaks).