after 4 days on a training course for my job in a dealership, i can confirm that modern cars are getting worse and worse and worse. your old bus will still be around when the disposible unrepairable junk they peddling out these days will be melted down ...believe me ......sorry to moan had to get if off me chest :-X
I'm seriously considering replacing my renault clio work van for a morris minor van should be more reliable and cheaper to run
BMW...in the workshop mending em...if i was mending french cars i would have given up years ago ha ha..all the german manufactures have similar ideas these days,, 1 does it not long after the other does it.... too many wires and gubbins on cars these days...any way thats enough about work...gonna put me new Hayburner sticker on the camper tomo ..hooray ;D
I have an 08 plated Passat. I brought it for build quality,reliability,and fuel economy, one out of three isn't bad. DPF has caused more problems, two steering racks, new shocks on rear, rear tyres wear funny,two Turbo servos, endless list of engine management problems. Computer says Would never buy another one.
anything pre 2000 is a pain in the balls, and that's pushing it. too many sensors and warning lights, i must admit i used to look down on myself if i didn't upgrade by at least a couple of years if i bought a "new" car..... the beetle is a 2001 and i'm SERIOUSLY thinking of going back to an old car, the beetle does 27mpg - i was getting that out of a cortina 30 years ago.
Modern cars are much more reliable day to day because there's less stuff to go out of adjustment and it's all monitored and controlled by a computer. The problem with all of that complexity is when stuff does start going wrong - parts are expensive and they're hard to fix. I think modern cars will have a shorter life as uneconomic repairs will come up sooner, although even with electronics, turbos and expensive modules for stuff like ABS, aftermarket people do appear who can fix them rather than simply replace the £ '000s back box. Non turbo petrol cars are likely to be the long term reliable option since you can't buy a non turbo diesel these days.
