Car quality going down the tubes?

[John6185]

Everyone cuts corners to make more profit from homes to cars to computers-you name it. I'll take a car with a reputable engine and transmission over trim taped on and all the addition all the glitz people pay for like pin stripes, etc. But I do like tinted windows at my age.

 

[Frederick]

Get a Toyota Corolla or a Honda civic

 

[Waltercat]

Reading this got me to thinking. Imagine how we would be out in the cold and helpless in trying to do our own work on our cars if we did not have the internet. The Dealers would rake us over the coals. And even today the car makers are trying to remove us from the equation.
Example: no dip sticks for transmission fluids. [lifetime fluid] yeah right!
I do all my own service and have not used a mechanic in many years. Saved thousands and countless down time. Drive em to at least 200k but these days I'll be shooting for 300k.

 

[ForsakenConservative]

I put about 220k on a Blazer that consumer reports said wouldn’t last past the loan. Nearly 23 years, kept the oil fresh and replaced whatever wore out or made noise. I think the real problem with the typical vehicle is the owner. Even the engine in my Blazer is still spotless, kept it that way because I knew I would be the one working on it.

 

[Roy14]

Only new vehicle I’d buy off the lot today with the intention of keeping out of warranty is a 4Runner. Once they go to the next generation, I wouldn’t buy it either.

 

[Two Gun Warrior]

Yeah, but with the UAW Union currently demanding $50-$70/hr pay for line workers the quality is going to go up, right? . . . RIGHT?

No the price is going to go up up up.

 

[Thorgrim]

My 2009 Tacoma TRD 4.0 was a champ. I bought it in 2013 with 125,000 miles on it.....obviously mostly highway. I kept it until this summer with 305,000+ miles, still had the original waterpump, alternator, transmission....ran great, no oil burning and would still break the tires loose on pavement. Now I have a 2023 4Runner TRD Premium.....I could do without all the electronic bs, the lower hp Tacoma felt peppier and the 19 mpg on the highway isn't worth bragging about. I hope this is a good vehicle in the long run too.

 

[Snattlerake]

I've always bought used vehicles, never new. When I was younger (for reference, I'm 39 now), I'd get clunkers due to lack of funds, run them for a few years, then buy another clunker. My general impression was that American cars from the 1980s to mid 1990s were terrible, though they could be expected to pretty much keep running/driving at least. So I went with imports...Datsuns/Nissan, an Alfa Romeo, Honda, BMW, my wife had an Infiniti G20 for a bit. Then I started having a little more money, and of course with the passage of time, the "old" cars I was buying were newer models than before.

And I began to notice something. First, as I would research various cars to possibly buy, I kept running across discussions of how such and such car has a weak transmission, some truck has a common engine problem, this other car tends to blow head gaskets, etc. Then I started running into issues myself.

As of right now, my wife's 2010 Subaru Outback with 142k miles and a 6spd manual transmission, has no reverse.
My '09 Mazdaspeed 3 has a misfire, shop says it's low compression on cyl #1 and probably internal engine issues.
About two years ago, my '08 Mazda 3 started drinking oil and spun a bearing. I eventually learned this is a common issue for the 2.3L. I also learned the 2.3L is actually a Ford engine.

I also seem to hear a lot more about weird random issues just weeks or months after someone drives a new car off the lot. Sometimes it's some sensor or computer module, but other times it's mechanical (like a customer's Ford truck that shook at certain highway speeds and the dealership was stumped, or the Mazda RX-8 engine debacle a few years ago).

Then there are the recalls.

Right now my nicest car is my '78 Datsun 280Z. It's rock solid on the road, starts every time, runs like a top. And the most dependable cars I've had in the past were my '79 and '82 Z cars back in my 20s. My wife's 2001 Infiniti was a solid ride as well, despite having been rebuilt from a wreck. Even my old abused, poorly maintained '94 BMW 530 was stubbornly reliable. Our '99 Chevy van had that 80s-90s cheap American car vibe with the interior and some ancillary systems-related stuff, but I never worried about the driveline.

So what gives? Has quality really taken a hit? I'm now shopping for a used vehicle again and it feels like I have to really be a lot more careful what model I pick. Would love to have another 1st-gen Mazda 3, it was an outstanding car except for the engine issue. Kinda nervous about buying another. I'm almost to the point where I just want to buy a late 70s/early 80s Japanese car, or maybe a mid-80s Civic CRX (always though they were neat). I thought I might be getting spoiled with the creature-comforts of the newer cars, but then I bought the '78 Z and discovered it suits me just fine (but it's way too nice to make a daily/work car).

Matt

I loved my British Racing Green 1978 280 Z!

I loved it so much I almost cried when the guy who bought it let his girlfriend wrap it around a tree. We ran across two 300 ZX's later on and gave one to each kid. My son had the all manual black one and my daughter was happy with her maroon all electric everything with the digital dashboard and talking nanny. "Your door is ajar."

She loved the rabbit more apparently and totaled it in a roll over that only hurt her car thank God.

Stock photo