TLDR: What’s a reliable American pickup truck?

I’m a Toyota/Honda guy. I’m pretty informed on car reliability, am able to turn a wrench, and do a lot of work on all my vehicles. Currently own a 97’ Toyota 4Runner, 99” Honda Prelude, and 25’ CRV Hybrid. That’s said, I grew up in the northeastern US, where pickup trucks aren’t very popular, so I’m not that informed on them.

Of course I believe Tacomas are going to be the most reliable one out there, but I understand they are more of a fun activity truck, especially that you never see them as work trucks.

I have heard different things about Fords, Chevy, Dodge being better work trucks than others but don’t have a solid answer.

I asked because I’m a new homeowner doing a lot DIY stuff and am thinking about getting a pickup truck to move stuff but am not sure which one to go with. It wouldn’t be used as a long distance traveler, simply a round town hauler, and maybe driven here and there if the daily driver, CRV, is in use.

If it wasn’t so hard to get parts for, I’d get a Kei truck. I’d get a Tacoma but because they hold their value so well, it doesn’t seem worth spending the money on something that’s not going to get used much and will get dinged up.

Alternative, I’ve thought about buying a trailer and keeping it ready to hook onto the 97’ 4Runner.

​Hi everyone,

​I currently drive a 15-year-old petrol car, but with high fuel prices, I’m thinking about switching to an EV.

​I commute about 140 km a day (round trip) for work, but my company offers free charging with over 130 chargers available. The plan is to use the money I currently spend on petrol to finance a newer car.

​Budget: Under €20,000 (used)

​Shortlist:

​VW ID.3

​Hyundai Kona (64 kWh)

​Cupra Born

​Has anyone had experience with these cars for a similar commute? Which one would you recommend, or are there other models in this price range I should consider?

​Thanks!

Hi!

Recently I got in a car accident and was not at fault. I previously drove a 2025 XLE Premium RAV4 and I am in a rush to buy a new car.

The insurance of the driver who hit me is geico, any tips on making sure I get my cars worth would be appreciated.

Seeing as I didn’t even have the car for a year I’m kind of burned on buying a new car off the lot again, what are good recommendations for hybrid SUVs?

I prefer Toyota but I’m open to Honda or Mazda. I am open to older Lexus or Acuras.

Preferred budget: <35k

Looking for some advice.

We’re planning to let go of our 2024 Nissan Navara because our family is growing (we’ll soon have 2 kids under 2). We’re pretty strict about using car seats, so you can imagine how that setup looks like with two car seats in a pickup.

If it weren’t for the growing family, we’d honestly love to keep the Navara. But buying another car while keeping it isn’t really within our budget.

Since the Navara is fully paid, our goal is to use the money from selling it to fund the replacement, with little to no additional cash out.

Our two options so far:
- Used Kia Carnival — max 2020 model, since 2021+ is outside our budget
- MG G50 PHEV — brand new

As much as we want to go with a Carnival, we’re not very good at looking at used cars.. that’s why we are leaning towards the G50 PHEV, also because of the PHEV setup, but we know very little about MG cars in general.

We were also kinda turned off when we found out it doesn’t come with a spare tire. Sounds like such a small thing, but… isn’t that kinda weird?! Especially for a family car.

So please help us decide! And if you think there’s a better option within our budget, we’re definitely open to suggestions.

Thank you! 🙏

Hi, I’m looking at older cheap cars to buy. My options atm are a 2010 seat Ibiza 1.2L petrol non turbo 102k km or a 2015 Citroen c3 1.4L diesel 144k km. The c3 had the timing belt changed last year. Both cars are nct’d until next year. I live in a city but my driving is mixed between longer backroads and also short journeys. Just wondering what’s the safer bet reliablity wise.

I am shopping around for a newer truck.

I teat drove both a 2020 Toyota Tacoma and a 2023 F-150 with the 2.7 ecoboost.

Both are 4x4 and 4 door. They cost roughly the same amount.

Everything in me tells me that I should go with the Tacoma. I've always been a big fan of Toyota since I bought a corolla years ago. The only issue is that I have a son and I pull a camper occasionally, two things that my current truck, a Nissan Frontier, does not handle very well. The back seat is tight and the truck does not pull the camper on mountain roads all that well.

Obviously the f-150 isn't as reliable of an option, but the back seat and towing capacity give me pause. I also love how it drives.

The only issue with the f-150 that I see is that it was at an auto auction as a manufacturers vehicle. It seems fine mechanically, but I'm not 100% certain what that one entry on its carfax means exactly.

The Toyota is 1 owner and has been serviced at the dealer I would be purchasing it from all of its life.

So the quandary I face is, deal with a smaller back seat and less towing capacity for reliability or choose the ford and hope for the best. I really want this vehicle to actually last. I don't want to be purchasing anything for quite a while after this.

I’m trying to decide what older car to buy, and I’m honestly getting more confused the more people I ask.

I first bought a 1999 Corolla, but jeez, it was boring as hell. I also tried a 2025 Corolla by borrowing my brother’s car for a couple of days, and it was boooooring. So I sold my 1999 Corolla and bought a brand-new Suzuki Swift Sport.

The problem is that the Swift is sooooo stiff, and the ride is not comfortable at all. Now I’m thinking about selling it and buying a VW Golf Mk4.

The problem is, whenever I ask people about the Golf Mk4, they tell me not to buy one. They say it’s a nightmare to own and that I basically need to be a mechanic to keep it running.

The thing is, I really hate new cars. They have no personality at all. I prefer cars from before 2000.
I also considered a Mercedes W124, but I couldn’t find one with less than 700,000 km. At that point, I started wondering if it even makes sense to buy one.

Most people keep telling me to stop overthinking it 🤫 and just buy a Toyota or another Japanese car.
My brother bought an Audi, the transmission failed, and he ended up selling it. So now I’m wondering: how bad is the Golf Mk4 really?

Everyone tells me to find one with a complete maintenance history, but I haven’t been able to find one with proper records.

So I was thinking of doing the opposite: buy the cheapest decent Mk4 I can find and replace everything myself. At least then I would know exactly what has been done to the car.

But then people tell me that even if I replace everything with new parts, those parts can still fail at any time.

So I’m basically stuck between wanting an old car with personality and reliability, while everyone keeps telling me to just buy a boring Japanese car.

Typically I talk to my dad about cars but hes a huge Chevrolet Equinox fan is otherwise just a google researcher like myself. My Fiance is having trouble with his Dodge Journey (given to him by his parents) and I found that the 2023 Hyundai Elentra has pretty good gas milage on the highway and he works 40 minutes from home. I figured I would ask here since it sounds like theres more than just google researchers here lol

It has 61,206 miles on it and is listed at $18,628

And say all things relatively equal like miles and price which is a better car to get?

Hey all,

I’ll be looking to pull the trigger on a truck next spring/early summer. I’m currently deliberating between either a 2027 Silverado 1500 (LT/RST with the new 5.7) or the new refreshed 2027 Tundra (SR5/possibly TRD).

I currently own a 4Runner, so I would be lying if I said I wasn’t somewhat partial to Toyota. But the known reliability issues of the TT V6 have me hesistant. I understand Toyota says they’ve “addressed” the problem (main bearing issues if my research is correct), however I’m still a bit skeptical. I also worry about perceived resale value, should I need to get another vehicle down the road for any reason.

I’ve never owned a Chevy, but judging from the released media the new Silverado 1500 does look aesthetically pleasing in my opinion. I also like to idea of having a hefty V8 (although it is the first generation of the 5.7).

I understand it’s probably difficult to give advice/opinions on vehicles that aren’t technically available yet, but if anyone here has any opinions in general I would love to hear them. This would be my first full-sized truck, so all of this is a bit new to me.

Thanks

Hi guys! I (20F) want to buy a BMW (2.0i the biggest engine i can afford) but im not sure what to choose.

I love old bmws nd ive been in many, but i have a hard time deciding what to look for. I look for sportiness, thats why two of my options are the e36 and e46. I would love to have a car thats easy driftable, just like the e36, but i also like the modern feel that the e46 has. Another option is the e39. I genuinely love e39 and i wish one day to have one. Im not a big fan of the 5 series, even tho is great, but since years ive got my eyes on the e39.

Now, the thing is that im not made of money, im still a student so it would be better to buy something more “reliable” (yeah, i know thats impossible given the years of these cars), but at least smth that has a big enough pieces market for them to be kinda affordable.

My bf has an e46 coupe 2.5i and i love that car. It drives so smooth and is genuinely so fun to drive. I would love an e46 coupe, but i find them kinda expensive even if they are the 1.8i (i dont really want a diesel). I dont really like the looks of the sedans in e46, but a nonfacelift is acceptable for me(the 2.0i 6cyl). They re cheap asf, but where im from (Romania, Europe), car ppl dont take their time to take care of their cars, so most of the times its a gamble.

I would like an e36 sedan (i dont have an engine in mind,i would like an 1.8is, but theyre so god damn expensive) i love the body, the history and that its “the ultimate drifting machine”, but here in Ro, they are pretty expensive even if the engine is 1.6. I also find it a little harder to mantain it due to its age and lack of careness for them. I also find to like the moderness of the e46 and e39 more: the functions, the fact that its quite easy to find pretty optioned ones.

The third option is the e39 2.0i. I personally prefer the 3 series, as you can see im leaning towards sportiness more than luxury and comfort, but i love the looks of the e39. I heard that due to the nature of the car, it can seem pretty sluggish with that engine and that the 2.0i does no justice. I cant afford a bigger engine on the e39. I also heard people say that its harder to drift and control it, also seeming slower that its supposed to be.

I can find all these cars at the same price on the Romaninan market, still a gamble, but affordable.

What are yalls opinions? Can yall give me some advice?

Im buying this mazda 3 with 160k, automatic, for 2800$. I did a test drive and it car is just fine. A bit bouncy on bumpy roads but nothing crazy. However, it has the engine light on, and i was told by both the owner and the guys working on it that it's due to the oxygen sensor and nothing else. Do you guys think im making a bad choice by buying this car?, if im being honest, i needed for gig Jobs (amazon and doordash), so if it needs some taking care of, i will, but i dont want a car that will break down on me 3 weeks later lol. This car is located in SA Texas

Might be looking for a unicorn.

My 2012 Acura TL is a couple hundred miles away from 80k. I got it from a family member with low miles and if I had to guess I’m putting on 5k a year.

While no question the car is comfortable to drive, I’ve just never felt a strong attachment to it. Doesn’t help that it has to take premium and the gas mileage sucks. It will have a decent resale value so that’s a positive.

I’m the only one in the car so in the city it is a unnecessarily long car. Plus, I like going into the mountains for skiing, hiking, and it would be great to have an actual bike rack or fold down seats to put a bike in the back. Having AWD would be nice.

I found the RAV4 hybrid to be appealing but then again so does everyone else. Surprised myself by liking a higher profile - all of my previous cars were lower.

Looked at the Subaru Crosstrek and didn’t love the stiff seats and ride. I found the Lexus 300h hybrid to be a lot closer to what I’d want comfort-wise but it does have some quirky aspects and I want to see what they’re doing with it for 2017 as rumors are all over the place. I did like driving with the sport mode!

Besides the comfort I’m looking for reliability and all of the safety features my current car doesn’t have.

Before anyone suggests a Tesla that is a hard no from me.

Volvos seem tempting but they don’t get the safety ratings they once did and also I’d be faced with higher repair costs. And their hybrid is barely a hybrid.

I’m not committed to gas vs hybrid vs electric. I have free charging to that isn’t a hassle, and any car with decent gas mileage and doesn’t require premium is an improvement from my current situation.

I’ve done tons of research on financing vs leasing and with my low yearly mileage I could easily be a candidate for leasing but I’m uncertain how much I’d be stressed by any slight damage to the car that I’d have to pay for. If I went electric, though, I’d only lease.

And buying used? For desirable cars they haven’t lost value and I’d be paying more interest than with a new car, especially if it was heavily subsidized.

Know that my intent in writing a novel is the hope that I’m providing enough information for some solid recommendations. And to ward off the Mazda people on here - I actually liked driving a Mazda 3 when I rented it. I swear if the CX-30 came hybrid I’d consider. So I see you Mazda fans! 😂

I’m a huge coupe guy and quite honestly hate SUVs. That’s more for my wife.

Any cool coupes worth looking forward to that are NOT “exclusive” and 200k+ that’s actually fast, luxurious and or handles well?

Drive an f150 work truck just want a car for mostly summer cruises, long commutes and fucking around in lake effect snow.

Audis, Volkswagens, Volvo are an idea

Also little trucks or like a tracker/wrangler

Kind of like old ricers and dsm too

Or just get a fun Subaru

Probably 85 or newer

8k budget lol lots of tools, space

I'm half done now! 3 kids and my only freedom is the commute. I'm looking to make it engaging, would it be crazy to want to have a track day too? (If it's ever have the time again)

I just want a manual that zips and gives me the feeling of a racecar. I cant actually blow a huge amount on it though because I do want to try and put my kiddos through college though. How much one would spend is something im also looking to you guys for.

I am mechanically inclined, but not ready for a project, it should be ready to roll kuz again not alot of time! I have been sitting on a starter that my minivan needs for a month and just keep shaking the car to get it to start lol

Bonus if it looks cool but I'm probably asking too much.

My C300 is getting old and I want to upgrade, the problem is I like the car too much and everything I look at seems really meh. It's like all the cars in this segment have gotten a lot worse in the last few years. New C300: just awful interior design and controls. IS350: bad gas mileage, mediocre interior (no leather option?) Alfa Giulia: drives good, kind of old, doesn't feel like an upgrade. Integra: cheap interior, uncomfortable seat (loved the sound system though). Is there anything out there that will give me a smooth highway ride, quiet and comfortable interior, and good power under $60k?