Forbes recently published an article titled “Cars That Can Last 250,000 Miles (Or More).”
Unfortunately for the author and Forbes, measuring long-term quality of any new or late model is nearly impossible.
Most defects and cost cutting compromises don’t become glaringly obvious until well after the vehicle becomes a common site at the wholesale auto auctions I frequent. That dependable car of yesterday can easily become a rolling pit of the modern day regardless of what seemed to be the reality.
So, I won’t pretend to know the crystal ball of reliability when it comes to any new car. However older used cars are a panacea of good data from actual owners, and to me that’s the only yardstick that truly matters.


Recent Comments
Lie2me - Wow! That’s an impressive Valiant
krhodes1 - In the days of the “voluntary import quotas”, Toyotas were both very expensive and very rust prone. And until about this generation of...
Buickman - sorry Doc, you’re wrong. Ford has the same labor costs as do the Germans. it’s nothing but bad management that drove GM into the dirt. you’re in...
krhodes1 - MPH is still used in the UK at least.
krhodes1 - Both the 85mph speedo and 55 highlight requirements ended in ~83. My ’84 VW Jetta GLI had neither. And I pegged its 120mph speedometer on more...
jimbob457 - Odd controversy here about tax refund season. Most products have a seasonal sales pattern. It was once commonly based on harvest season when farmers and ranchers...
Landcrusher - If you do it the way DARPA does, then just have DARPA do it. Its easier and more...
AJ - My father-in-law owns a restored Valiant that he’s used for drag racing. My wife and I drove it away when we were married....
nickoo - Personally, I would buy the caravan over this, but if someone absolutely needs awd then this might be the way to go. With the caravan and stow and go, there...
ttacgreg - Umm . . . I can’t think of any other nation that uses miles rather than kilometers.