What is a good car brand these days?

[Fuzzarr]

Surprised there hasn't been any mention of Honda so far. The current Civic is considered to be very classy and well put together inside. This might not be reflected across the entire range, though.

[smithler2023]

OP you mentioned you like a Skoda Superb. I have a 2021 Superb 2.0 petrol estate which I bought for c. £30k and I think it is an excellent car with masses of space. I did not want an SUV. I am not feeling short changed on either image or luxury having previously had an Audi. It is a Sportline model with heated seats, heated steering wheel etc. The L&K version is even more luxurious. When I bought it it was affected by the VW group infotainment software issues but to be fair the dealer fixed it with a software update and its been fine since. The newest model Superb has a much smarter interior too. So consider this a recommendation for a Superb!

[Snow and Rocks]

JAMSXR said:

I’ll get flamed for this but if you’re after a low cost, cheap to run, nice to steer, reliable transportation box, then Tesla is a good shout.

I’ve been bowled over by my wife’s model 3. When I did have an issue setting up the driver profile on the first day, their helpdesk was on another level compared to the legacy manufacturers, who would have required a dealer visit etc.. this was all done remotely is a few minutes.

Edited by JAMSXR on Friday 21st June 07:30

I'd agree with considering an EV with those criteria but our experience with Tesla has been the very opposite of what the OP is looking for.

A few weeks ago - on the morning of our wedding my parents parked our Model Y briefly on the high street of a local town. Within a few minutes the entire car was bricked with everything, including the door opening buttons completely dead.

After some minor panic, my dad (outside the car with my mum stuck inside) remembered about the emergency manual releases. They worked but their stuff including wedding outfits was stuck in the boot with no apparent way of getting it out.

They phoned Tesla who organised recovery and told them just to close the car and leave it there. As the manual releases don't drop the windows, just shutting the doors again resulted in both front passenger windows breaking. The car sat there for 48 hours on the High St with broken front windows.

2 weeks, lots of chasing and £2.8k later - the car is back. All for a dead battery invertor which failed without warning on a 60k mile car. It also had both rear hubs replaced too a while back at almost £4k.

Stick with Lexus OP.

[durbster]

TUS373 said:

I balk at a £660 service. Reason is - I checked exactly what they do on a B service compared to A service. The only discernible difference is change of brake fluid and coolant, yet it is hundreds of pounds more.

Yeah you're right, they're the main differences. I took my RX to Lexus for its first service in my ownership, and I made a note of the difference between the two service options. These are all the additional things you get for the more expensive service:

• Inspect inverter coolant.
• Replace engine coolant.
• Replace brake fluid.
• Inspect fuel cap, fuel lines & connections.
• Inspect drive shafts including CV boots.
• Inspect ball joints & dust covers.
• Inspect wheel bearings.
• Inspect wheel alignment.
• Check exhaust system for security & leaks.
• Check operation of hand brake.
• Inspect glass and light lenses.
• Check operation of alarm system.
• Replace remote control battery.

I dunno whether anyone can say that's worth the extra £300 or not.

I've never really used main dealers before but the older, higher mileage cars I tend to buy have been a bit of a bugger to sell on, so I might keep up the Lexus service history in the hope it'll make my life a little easier when it comes to move on.

[Wheel Turned Out]

Fuzzarr said:

Surprised there hasn't been any mention of Honda so far. The current Civic is considered to be very classy and well put together inside. This might not be reflected across the entire range, though.

I mentioned Honda 12 posts in.

[trevalvole]

Fuzzarr said:

Surprised there hasn't been any mention of Honda so far. The current Civic is considered to be very classy and well put together inside. This might not be reflected across the entire range, though.

IIRC from the Honda sub-forum, there's some serious issue with the steering on the current Civic.

[rosejem]

Interesting , I think less is more these days with the price of new cars .
The more you spend the better happier you expect your life to be , but it seems a lot more stress when things go wrong with our over complicated cars.

I would suggest hang on to the LEXUS and only go to the main dealer for the hybrid check every year and use an independent garage for everything else .

To answer you question though , I would say DACIA is a good brand keep it simple affordable and basic.

[Sheepshanks]

trevalvole said:

Fuzzarr said:

Surprised there hasn't been any mention of Honda so far. The current Civic is considered to be very classy and well put together inside. This might not be reflected across the entire range, though.

IIRC from the Honda sub-forum, there's some serious issue with the steering on the current Civic.

A lot of the lovely little independent Honda dealers where nothing was too much trouble have been canned or just closed down, so dealers can be quite thin on the ground. Honda UK are nothing like they used to be either.

[Flumpo]

I’ve been considering a Lexus as the idea of having a car that nothing goes wrong with and the idea of the additional warranty gives some peace of mind.

The only real model that for the bill is the es around 3 years old. But it’s comparatively pretty slow to the completion and I know it’s annoying but I could live with the cvt.

Anyway, started doing some research and the uk Lexus forum is not a happy place. It seems there is a feeling Lexus isn’t the company it use to be and many stories like the OP of leaving the brand after decades due to customer service issues.

The feeling seems to be owners are not use to things going wrong and when they do Lexus are not much help. The canbus thefts has really upset a lot of loyal customers who have been told nothing Lexus can do, even though they are for some models. Apparently Lexus (maybe specifically the es) is the most stolen car per sold in the uk.

I have noticed the insurance is significantly higher for the es than the completion for me personally, throw in the noisy cvt, slow performance and the fact the back seats don’t fold, and I’m probably going to end up in a slightly older 530d.

Then regret it the first time a massive bill blows up

[TUS373]

OP here.

Lexus fitted the CANBUS protection to my RX free of charge. Availability was not publicised. It was due to PHs and the Lexus forum that I found out about it so asked the dealer and they claimed to know nothing about it. I asked again a few weeks later and they then said yes, we will book you in. Still.....I now use a steering lock on it routinely.

I feel as a customer that often I know more than the dealers do. Perseverance sometimes pays off.

The ES looks like a bargain and CVT is no issue. However, you just put me off further more re the theft risk!

Owning a car is freedom at the very least but I'm starting to perhaps grow tired of motoring, congested roads, declining driving standards, high car costs, poor dealers, and cars that are full of screens.

[Silvanus]

Take a look at Genesis

[Snow and Rocks]

Flumpo said:

I’ve been considering a Lexus as the idea of having a car that nothing goes wrong with and the idea of the additional warranty gives some peace of mind.

The only real model that for the bill is the es around 3 years old. But it’s comparatively pretty slow to the completion and I know it’s annoying but I could live with the cvt.

Anyway, started doing some research and the uk Lexus forum is not a happy place. It seems there is a feeling Lexus isn’t the company it use to be and many stories like the OP of leaving the brand after decades due to customer service issues.

The feeling seems to be owners are not use to things going wrong and when they do Lexus are not much help...

I'm not sure owners forums are the best place to accurately gauge reliability. I'm on a few Hilux forums and they're the same - complaints about how the mk8 isn't as good as the old ones. Meanwhile, ours and every neighbouring farmer's just work day in/day out. Our 8 year old/130k mile abused off road daily hack hasn't even needed a bulb.

I'd put money on a hybrid Toyota/Lexus being significantly more reliable and cheaper to maintain than anything the equivalent Germans have to offer, especially in the longer term. Even the scheduled maintenance with the inherently simple hybrid system is much less onerous.

Edited by Snow and Rocks on Friday 21st June 23:42

[Flumpo]

Snow and Rocks said:

Flumpo said:

I’ve been considering a Lexus as the idea of having a car that nothing goes wrong with and the idea of the additional warranty gives some peace of mind.

The only real model that for the bill is the es around 3 years old. But it’s comparatively pretty slow to the completion and I know it’s annoying but I could live with the cvt.

Anyway, started doing some research and the uk Lexus forum is not a happy place. It seems there is a feeling Lexus isn’t the company it use to be and many stories like the OP of leaving the brand after decades due to customer service issues.

The feeling seems to be owners are not use to things going wrong and when they do Lexus are not much help...

I'm not sure owners forums are the best place to accurately gauge reliability. I'm on a few Hilux forums and they're the same - complaints about how the mk8 isn't as good as the old ones. Meanwhile, ours and every neighbouring farmer's just work day in/day out. Our 8 year old/130k mile abused off road daily hack hasn't even needed a bulb.

I'd put money on a hybrid Toyota/Lexus being significantly more reliable and cheaper to maintain than anything the equivalent Germans have to offer, especially in the longer term. Even the scheduled maintenance with the inherently simple hybrid system is much less onerous.

Edited by Snow and Rocks on Friday 21st June 23:42

Totally agree, I doubt you’re getting anything generally more reliable than Toyota/lexus. I meant the customer service and treatment or lack of action over the canbus has really upset a lot of longstanding owners.

And yeah you’re right, forums tend to be full of the bad stories than the good ones.

[MYOB]

Flumpo said:

I’ve been considering a Lexus as the idea of having a car that nothing goes wrong with and the idea of the additional warranty gives some peace of mind.

The only real model that for the bill is the es around 3 years old. But it’s comparatively pretty slow to the completion and I know it’s annoying but I could live with the cvt.

Anyway, started doing some research and the uk Lexus forum is not a happy place. It seems there is a feeling Lexus isn’t the company it use to be and many stories like the OP of leaving the brand after decades due to customer service issues.

The feeling seems to be owners are not use to things going wrong and when they do Lexus are not much help. The canbus thefts has really upset a lot of loyal customers who have been told nothing Lexus can do, even though they are for some models. Apparently Lexus (maybe specifically the es) is the most stolen car per sold in the uk.

I have noticed the insurance is significantly higher for the es than the completion for me personally, throw in the noisy cvt, slow performance and the fact the back seats don’t fold, and I’m probably going to end up in a slightly older 530d.

Then regret it the first time a massive bill blows up

Just a minor but critical point. The ES300h doesn’t have a cvt. it’s a planetary gear and is called the ecvt. Nothing like the traditional cvt. But yes, there’s the noise but you get used to it.

[Filibuster]

Arrivalist said:

valiant said:

Filibuster said:

Volvo

Not the newer ones.

Electrical gremlins galore!

Old stuff was unburstable but they've gone the same way as bmw and Audi and trade off past glories

I've had an XC40 for the last 4 years and, apart from one blip with the infotainment system which was sorted by the dealer in minutes, it hasn't missed a beat.

As said above though, it's the dealers that make the difference; mine is still a family run business and they are always superb at customer service.

2017 Volvo V90 T8 @60k miles with every single option there is.
The panoramic sun blind wouldn’t close some years ago and the motorised rear tailgate sensor needed replacing (2 out of 10 times when opening with the foot, wouldn’t open properly).
That’s it. Took out a very expensive Volvo warranty for up to 8 years, which I’m not sure whether I extend it upto 10 years old. Didn’t need it as of yet *touch wood*

Cognac coloured leather looks impeccable! Volvo dealer is superb too.

[blueg33]

valiant said:

Filibuster said:

Volvo

Not the newer ones.

Electrical gremlins galore!

Old stuff was unburstable but they've gone the same way as bmw and Audi and trade off past glories

We are on our second Volvo. First was a 2020 car, second a 2023 car. Not a single electrical gremlin.

However, I think the 2020 car was marginally better built. They are the same model, the newer car is higher spec.

[blueg33]

JAMSXR said:

I’ll get flamed for this but if you’re after a low cost, cheap to run, nice to steer, reliable transportation box, then Tesla is a good shout.

I’ve been bowled over by my wife’s model 3. When I did have an issue setting up the driver profile on the first day, their helpdesk was on another level compared to the legacy manufacturers, who would have required a dealer visit etc.. this was all done remotely is a few minutes.

Edited by JAMSXR on Friday 21st June 07:30

All the build quality of a magerine tub. I test drove a 3, a Y and an S. they were all terrible in terms of build quality.

Edited by blueg33 on Saturday 22 June 04:06

[cptsideways]

You'll have a very small list of really truly reliable cars to choose from. Narrow down the good dealer options, ie small independent family business but the ev world is also something to consider.

Mazda or Suzuki Dealers would be the place to buy the car, independent dealer only.

If only they'd sell you a Toyota, oh they do! (Rebadged)

Or just buy a new Land cruiser and get it serviced by above dealers.

[Rob 131 Sport]

I would definitely have a look at BMW. I’m on my 9th in a 30 year period and with the exception of some reliability issues with a 5 Series circa 15 years ago they’ve been great, especially the current 440 and previous 530 that I had.

I’ve received great service from my local dealer and the prices are reasonable.

[JAMSXR]

Snow and Rocks said:

I'd agree with considering an EV with those criteria but our experience with Tesla has been the very opposite of what the OP is looking for.

A few weeks ago - on the morning of our wedding my parents parked our Model Y briefly on the high street of a local town. Within a few minutes the entire car was bricked with everything, including the door opening buttons completely dead.

After some minor panic, my dad (outside the car with my mum stuck inside) remembered about the emergency manual releases. They worked but their stuff including wedding outfits was stuck in the boot with no apparent way of getting it out.

They phoned Tesla who organised recovery and told them just to close the car and leave it there. As the manual releases don't drop the windows, just shutting the doors again resulted in both front passenger windows breaking. The car sat there for 48 hours on the High St with broken front windows.

2 weeks, lots of chasing and £2.8k later - the car is back. All for a dead battery invertor which failed without warning on a 60k mile car. It also had both rear hubs replaced too a while back at almost £4k.

Stick with Lexus OP.

Jeez, that’s enough to put anyone off! I did a fair amount of digging before pulling the trigger and the majority was very positive.

Surely the battery inverter and hubs were covered under warranty?

blueg33 said:

All the build quality of a magerine tub. I test drove a 3, a Y and an S. they were all terrible in terms of build quality.

Edited by blueg33 on Saturday 22 June 04:06

After 15 years of BMW, Mercedes, and Honda, I’ve been really happy. No squeaks or rattles, hard wearing interior, great sound system. I get the lack of buttons and faux leather is a problem for some people, but it doesn’t bother me. Would I replace my RS4 with a Tesla, no, but I can’t think of a better family hack for 20k.

I would definitely avoid Honda. Sold my FL5 Type R due to awful build quality and a fundamental issue with the steering rack that Honda were ignoring.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/new-honda-civics-cr-...

Edited by JAMSXR on Saturday 22 June 07:21