Reliable Cars of 2018: A Mechanic's Perspective
As a mechanic with years of experience working on various vehicles, I'm excited to share my insights on the top 5 most reliable cars of 2018. My list is based on personal experience and research that involves studying over 500,000 vehicles, ensuring that these rankings are not just random opinions but backed by data.
Number 5: Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a timeless choice when it comes to reliability. With millions of units sold worldwide, it's no surprise that this car has become synonymous with dependability. The current model range offers various options, including the sporty Corolla Hatchback, which, in my opinion, looks eerily similar to its predecessor, the Toyota Matrix. Even older models, like my 1994 Celica, share the same engine and transmission as Corollas, further solidifying their reputation.
My personal experience with Toyotas is unparalleled. My oldest son recently purchased a new Toyota Corolla S, which exceeded his expectations in terms of performance and fuel efficiency. The CVT transmission might not be ideal for some drivers, but it provides smooth acceleration and decent gas mileage. What's more surprising is that my son's driving style has resulted in better gas mileage than the predicted rating.
Number 4: Mazda MX-5 Miata
The Mazda MX-5 Miata, affectionately known as the "Miata," is a sports car that defies conventional wisdom when it comes to reliability. While many people associate reliability with boring sedans or SUVs, the Miata proves that even sports cars can be dependable and fun to drive. When equipped with a manual transmission, the Miata becomes an absolute blast to handle.
Personally, I'm a fan of the manual transmission in the Miata. The tight steering and perfected suspension make this little car an absolute joy to drive on winding roads or racing circuits. In fact, I have a customer who's a judge and a Miata enthusiast, who races his car against others at various tracks around the country. The level of competition is fierce, but it's clear that these cars are built for speed and agility.
Number 3: Toyota Prius Prime
The Toyota Prius Prime is another reliable option on this list, especially when it comes to fuel efficiency. With an astonishing 55 mpg in town and a range of 640 miles, this car is the epitome of practicality. While some might view hybrids as less desirable due to their high upfront costs or complicated systems, I firmly believe that the Prius Prime offers exceptional value.
From my experience, Toyota has a legendary quality that stands behind its products. The digital display systems on certain models are remarkably durable and rarely require repairs after years of use. Even my wife's 17-year-old Lexus has held up incredibly well, despite being purchased at an affordable price of $4,000, which might seem like a steal considering the car's age.
Now, if you're in the market for a reliable vehicle, it's essential to consider your long-term needs and choose wisely. A car that may not be the most stylish or the fastest will prove itself as a valuable investment over time. As I always say, "If you want to keep a vehicle forever, pick the right one in the first place."
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enRev up your engines,today I'm going to talk about the 5 most reliablecars of 2018, and before I start talking aboutthose 5 cars, realize that it's based on mypersonal experience as a mechanic about carsand research that I've done that's based ona study of 500,000 vehicles, so this isn'tjust some random thing that's made out ofthe blue,now number 5 on the list is the toyota corolla,they've sold millions of those things andthey continue to be extremely reliable dependablevehicles, they come in a range of models andfunny enough for me because I like this old2007 matrix, they now have a toyota corollahatchback and the hatchback to me looks exactlylike a toyota matrix and anyways this 07 isbasically a toyota corolla with a differentbody stuck on it anyways,even my 94 celica, hey that's pretty muchbased on a toyota corolla, it's got the sameengine, transmission, corollas are dependablecars, their comfy and their even getting sporty,my oldest son recently bought a new toyotacorolla s, the s really is a sporty car, hewas even surprised at how fast it acceleratedwith even the CVT transmission and strangelyenough he's even getting better gas mileagethan the rating was which surprised me becausehe kind of drives like a maniac,next on the list is the mazda mx-5 betterknown as the miata, personally I like thembest with the manual transmission then theirmuch sportier to drive but they are increasingthe horsepower in them, they're increasingthe horsepower from 155 to 181 horsepowerand that's pretty zippy for a light littlecar like the miata, they've always been knownfor tight steering, they've really perfectedthe suspension on them, and their qualitybuilt little sports cars,because not often do the words reliable andsports cars go together but it certainly doeswith the miata and it has over history, heyI've got a customer with one and he's a judgeand for fun he races miatas, they have circuitswhere these guys race miatas against eachother, they have various rules and they haveto follow them and it's actually kind of funracing them, they go to the actual races,he's been to the grand prix track in AustinTexas, guy have a lot of fun with those things,now number 3 on the list is the toyota priusprime, these things get insane gas mileage,55 mpg in town, yeah their backwards becausethey have regenerative electricity but theyhave a range of 640 miles, and since theiraerodynamically designed so they get the bestgas mileage, they also have very responsivehandling, now I know people say, scotty you'renot a hybrid fan, well I am personally notbut I'm talking about people going out, buyinga brand new car and seeing if that car hasquality in it,and strangely enough number 2 on the listis the toyota prius c, two priuses on thetop 5, they are well built I'll give themthat, now the c isn't a plug in hybrid likethe prius prime is, so is costs quite a bitless and it still gets good gas mileage, nowyes the toyota c is a little more of a noisiercar to drive around in because it's smallerthan the other one, it's more of a sub compactcar but for a sub compact car it's reallywell built, the toyota prius c has a prettybig carrying capacity for it, you can puta lot of cargo in that thing, it is a subcompact car theirs no arguing that, but it'sprobably the best built sub compact car, beingthe most affordable and getting the best gasmileage of any non plug in hybrid makes theprius c a good bargain for somebody who'slooking for a hybrid car,and here's the moment you've been waitingfor, the most reliable car of 2018 is thelexus gx, now we are talking the most reliablehere, we're not talking about gas mileage,compared to the prius these things are gashogs, their giant vehicles that have big v8engines in them, and get pretty low gas mileage,it's rated at 15 mpg in the city and 18 onthe highway, and your only going to get thatif you drive conservatively, if you driveit really hard in the city, I got customerswith those things and their getting closerto 10 mpg in the city,but their the number 1 in reliability, theirfast, their smooth and they can tow 6,500pounds if you really want to, and of coursethey got tons of space inside, theirs a lotof things that have space inside but let metell you a lot of those big old SUVs overtime they are not reliable like a lexus ortoyota, really it's the same company,and judging from my experience of workingon these things for decades, hey this maybe 2018 I'm talking about but I can just aboutguarantee you that if you bought one it'sgoing to last for a long time, I've got customersdriving lexus suvs around that have 300,000miles and their still running pretty muchtrouble free, with very little maintenance,unlike some like Cadillac, their digital displayssystems seem to work forever, they don't breakdown after a few years and cost a fortuneto repair, they've got legendary toyota qualitybehind them,now yeah your paying between $52,000-$63,000for the fully loaded gx but for that kindof money at least your getting quality, andquality that should last over a long periodof time, unlike a lot of the expensive suvs,they got all kinds of stuff loaded, some ofthem have more room, some of them are faster,but in the long run your better off buyinga lexus if you want to keep your car for areally long time, now if your really hookedon the styling of a BMW or a Porsche suv oreven a Lambo suv hey my advice, if you wantto get it out of your system lease it, andthen when your done you give it in, and youwon't have to deal with repairs,this is my wife's 17 year old lexus that Ipaid $4,000 for, does it look like a 17 yearold car, it doesn't ride like 17 year oldcar, it is smooth as silk, you want to keepa vehicle forever, pick the right one in thefirst place,so now you know the top 5 reliable cars of2018 and if you're in the market for one,now you know what's going to be reliable,so if you never want to miss another one ofmy new car repair videos, remember to ringthat bell!\n"
