The Best Used Cars for Reliability: Recommendations that May Keep You from Having a Break Down

I can remember my first used car that I purchased the summer after my freshman year in college. What a great used car it was, that 1985 Honda Civic wagon. A good choice for a person that knew very little about cars at the time and lucky for me the car served me well during my travels between Charlotte, NC and Pittsburgh, PA. At that time I didn't know anything about checking a car out under the hood or the under carriage. The car started and moved when I test drove it, so I bought it for $500. I found the value of a used car was great when the used car is reliable and didn't need too many repairs. If you are not mechanically inclined enough to maintain your pre-owned car or "wrench" a repair here or there, find someone you TRUST to do the work for you. Mechanics can be a life saver or the worst crook in the world, but I'll touch on that in another article.

The most reliable used cars that I have experienced have typically been foreign/import cars such as Acura, Honda, Toyota, Saab and, Volvo. American used cars that handle high mileage well are the Jeep Cherokee (1987 and later) and many of the General Motors family of cars. Most used cars will last a long time with proper maintenance, so the care given by previous owners is definitely important.

I have owned all of the used cars listed above at some point in my life and have worked on all of them myself. Now let us review.

Saab 900 (1987 - 1993)

This vehicle is nearly a cult legend and personally my favorite that I have ever driven. Fell in love at first drive. This car handles corners very well and has an impressive turning radius that makes parallel parking a breeze. The motor on these cars are virtually bulletproof and have a very low failure rate with proper maintenance. The styling of the car was before its time when introduced and still looks beautiful today. These model Saabs were actually manufactured by Saab-Scania in Sweden before Saab fell under the GM umbrella. These Saabs came standard with rubberized undercoating and a 10 year anti-rust guarantee that works great (I live in Upstate NY and we use tons of salt on the roads during winter). Saab 900 models are all 16 valve 4 cylinder engines and come in several packages which are the 2 door coupe (very rare), 2 door hatchback and 4 door sedan. Of these Saabs you can have the base 900 model, the 900 S, and the 900 Turbo (very fast).

I have always preferred the 900 S because it comes with most of the power options and sunroof without have a Turbo that could potentially go bad. Fuel economy is great with these cars. I have made a trip from Rochester, NY to New York, NY (325+ miles) on a single tank of gas. My only complaint about the Saab 900 is the lack of arm rest between the front bucket seats and the notorious sagging headliner. You can usually get these cars used for a great price, I have bought them from as low as $200 up to $1500. It may take a little more searching to find one because they aren't as popular as say a Honda or Toyota but are definitely worth the extra effort. Saabs are A+ reliable used cars.

Saab 9000 (1986 - 1994)

I've owned 2 of these a 1989 & 1990 Saab 9000 Turbo CD and they are truly the classy flagship of the fleet that they were intended to be. You feel as though you're driving a luxury car when you first get and that feeling continues for the duration of the ride. These models also have 16 valve 4 cylinder engine shared with the Saab 900 and is also available in the base 9000 model, S model and Turbo Models in either 4 door hatchback or 4 door sedan. The drivers seat makes you feel as though you're in an airplane cockpit (Saab was first a Jet Airplane manufacturer) with all the buttons and controls. This car is heavier and larger than the 900 but still does very well on gas. Issues with the 9000 are electrical relays that may go bad and cause the electric radiator cooling fan to fail or the heater blower motor to malfunction. These cars also suffer from the Saab Headliner problem and also lacks the armrest for the driver and front passenger. Not as great as the Saab 900 but a very good car that will still turn heads and impress your passengers with its ahead of its time features. The Saab 9000 series are still very reliable used cars.

Acura (Legend)

This Honda product has won my heart truly with its combination of style, power, elegance and reliability. I found an Acura Legend for a good price and gave it a try just because Honda has a history of being a top notch reliable used car and I couldn't have been happier. The Acura Legend is my daily driver that I frequently drive out of town with over 230,000 miles on the odometer and counting. I personally don't have anything to complain about with my Acura is has and continues to serve me well. I have heard others warn of Blown Head Gaskets if the car overheats, which shouldn't happen as long as the cooling system is properly maintained. I made numerous optional repairs to this used car and found the replacement parts to be very expensive, fortunately I saved enough by performing the labor myself to balance out the price. I will say this about the Acura, if you test drive one you'll probably buy one. The Acura Legend is an extremely reliable used car.

Honda (Civic, Accord, Prelude)

Oh what can I say about the Honda that you haven't already heard. These used cars are wonderful and have an excellent reputation of having extremely long life spans. The 4 cylinder engine is legendary for it reliability and willingness to push the odometer past 200,000 without breaking sweat. Honda's reliability has made it a very popular car that is easy to find and thus easy to find parts for in the event you need a replacement part. However the reliability leads them retain more of their resale value which is a cost that you the buyer will see. I have nothing bad to say about the Honda family of vehicles and the only reason they are not my favorite is because so many people own them and I like the uniqueness that the Saab affords. Honda vehicles are second to none when considering reliable used cars.

Toyota Camry (1988 - 1996)

This is a solid used car that will drive for miles and retain its resale value with the best of them. Strong motors with strong transmissions, and should always be considered as an option when considering a used car purchase. These cars are essentially the same as the Lexus ES 250 and ES 300 and they drive like it too. Good handling with the option to toggle the transmissions Overdrive function for extra power and speed. If you live in a cold-weather region where salt is used on the roads watch out for body rust and undercarriage rust. In these cold-weather regions many Toyota's develop leaky fuel and brake lines due to corrosion and may call for total replacement of all brake lines and fuel lines and the fuel pump sending unit. Mechanically and electronically these are solid used cars that with proper care will give you years of reliable performance. Camry's are also A+ reliable used cars

Volvo 240 & 740

Many great features on these cars include strong engines that can achieve very high mileage, great fuel economy, unique styling and Volvo's reknown crash safety rating. I might be partial to Swiss cars, but I really like the Volvo. I found my Volvo 740 to awesome on the long trips out of town and great for cruising around the city. Features a 4 cylinder gas sipping engines and strong transmissions. Will definitely last with proper maintenance. Volvo has made quality luxury cars that grow into being fabulously reliable used cars.

Jeep Cherokee (1987 - 2003)

If you must purchase an American used car, I would recommend the Cherokee. The inline 6 cylinder engine has the stuff legends are made of and are virtually indestructable. Not as good on fuel as the 4 cylinder cars we've discussed thus far but is a far cry from the gas guzzling 8 cylinder and up trucks and SUV's that are on the road today. I loved my Cherokee Limited Edition until the transmission finally gave up at around 250,000 miles. Great vehicle that like Great White Shark has not needed to evolve much since it was first introduced until its last year in production in the early 2000's. Drive a Jeep anywhere, they are exceptionally reliable used cars.

Mercedes Benz

Just have to say a word about the German masterpieces. I have heard of these used cars topping 400,000 and even 500,000 on the odometer which is insane but for the original sticker price what else would you expect. High resale value is a constant as well as the status associated with owning one. You may be able to find one for a reasonable price and enjoy many years of service from it. Should something break and you find yourself at a repair shop, may God be with you because you'll need divine intervention to keep from being taken to the cleaners.

Used Cars to stay away from:

Nissan Maxima (1989 - 1994) - Nice looking, strong motor, and fast. But automatic transmission consistently fails.

Volkswagen Fox (1989 -1992) - Many recalled due to overheating which leads to sudden car shut down.

Mazda 626 (Any Year) - Problematic Automatic Transmission.

Mazda MPV (up to 1994) - Problematic Automatic Transmission.

Infiniti (Up to 1994) - Problematic Automatic Transmission.

Ford Cars (over 100,000 miles) - Fix Or Repair Daily. Need I say more.

Daewoo (Any Model Any Year) - Junk Cars even when bought new from the dealership

This list of used cars is not exhaustive. You should research any used car before you make a purchase. Resources to aid you in your research about the vehicle model in general can be found just by searching Google, and you can always get car specific history from CarFax. In some cases just asking someone who owns or has owned the type of car your looking to buy may give you the most honest assessment of owner satisfaction.

The disadvantage of buying a used car is that it's not new. The advantages of buying a used car are the price and the fact that the used car has a track record to show if it is a worthwhile used car purchase.