If I buy a new car, and, want something "Reliable", this is what I want:
The vehicle never strands you
A Reliable vehicle never gets you stuck on the roadside. This means whatever problems the vehicle has are not problems that will result in you being stuck. Vehicles known for destroying their own engines are thus not reliable, even if the body lasts forever.
The vehicle will last 20 years or more
A Reliable vehicle is one that lasts. The average age of a vehicle is over a decade; but to be reliable, a vehicle needs to last longer. This means the vehicle should not have catastrophic things that tend to happen after 15 or so years of ownership.
The vehicle can be mistreated and still run well
A Reliable vehicle is one that will run and run well even when you neglect it. All vehicles should be treated well, but a reliable vehicle is one that can handle missed regular maintenance appointments and yet still work well.
The vehicle is cheap to repairs and maintain
A Reliable vehicle does not bankrupt you with maintenance. Some vehicles are difficult to work on and have high labour costs, while others have parts that are expensive to acquire, and others have so many cheap parts break often that repairs add up.
No vehicle is perfect, but a reliable vehicle is all of these.
You will not find a vehicle that scores 100% in all these categories, A vehicle that has a 95% in all but one of these categories, but a 5% in that last category is not reliable. One that has 70% in every category, is reliable by comparison.
This is important because it is important to look at what reliability is not.
Reliability is not an ugly car.
Measuring reliability by simply totalling the problems with a vehicle one by one means that ugly cars; those with damaged trim pieces or squeaky windows, end up being seen as not reliable. Measures that consider such things in their metrics are not worth your time. (Worst Offenders: Youtubers)
Reliability is not measured over the first 6 months.
Suggestions that reliability can be measured by looking at the first 6 months of a car's lifespan are as ludicrous as they are offensive. Manufacturers love such stats as, obviously, they present a low number of problems per car, compared to longer studies. Do not pay any attention to them. (Worst Offender: J.D. Power)
Reliability is not how cars work when at their best.
All vehicles that are operated as the manufacturer recommends will run well. This is not reliability. Reliability is measuring a vehicle at its worst. Even a Yugo can be reliable if maintained well enough, that does not make Yugo a reliable car brand. (Worst Offender: Car and Driver)
Reliability is not measured independent of cost
People who want a reliable car want one because they have limited amounts of money. This means the car needs to be designed to be easy to work on; that it needs to have affordable parts, and expensive parts that do not often break, and needs to have had reliability in mind at the design phase. (Worst Offender: Consumer Reports)
With this is mind, we can look at some specific examples:
The cost of any car's "known issues" must be factored in.
Some old Toyotas that are 20 years older or more have manual gearboxes where the 5th gear no longer works properly. Replacement could cost $1500; perhaps double that, or perhaps half that. Such a cost needs to be kept in mind when asking if Toyotas with these gearboxes are reliable.
Lexus's of the era can have leaky power steering pumps; and that leaks right on to the alternator. The cost for this can be $500, again, half to double; though, regular maintenance can cut this cost.
GM Northstar engines are known for head gasket problems.
The list can go on and on; but, any similar "known issue" must be kept in mind when looking at if a car is reliable. Sadly, the only way to know this for sure, is to wait 20 years.
The cost of any car's "expected issues" must be factored in.
Early CVT's, for example - those from before, say, 2016?, have been known to be problematic unless meticulously cared for. It remains to be seen if modern CVT's (those since 2016) are more reliable or not.
This guide will help you understand what a "Reliable" car is, at least, as defined by me.
