How often do cars actually break down/have issues/why? How response-bias are defect reports?

How often do cars actually break down/have issues/why? How response-bias are defect reports?
For example, BMW gets a bad rep for having issues. What percentage of people actually suffer these issues? Are the issues caused by improper/infrequent maintenance? Or are BMW's just built crappily?

I'm asking because my mother's talking about handing down to me her '98 Nissan Maxima. It's gotten ~140k miles on it, and has never had a major issue, but that's with regular "tune-ups" (oil changes, brake changes, tire/wheel rotations, routine stuff). My dad's '06 Honda Odyessy is the same story, at ~180k miles. Meanwhile, one of my friends has an S10 with barely ~120k miles and it's falling apart, despite him knowing a hell of a lot more about cars than my dad and I.

I'm wondering how atypical it is to have never had a major issue with a car, provided you perform routine maintenance on it. If I were to buy, say, a used Volvo that runs well when bought, and then perform routine check-ups on it, will it last me a long time? Or are there simply just some makes/models that are shit? When cars are labeled "bulletproof" in terms of durability, is it due to how they last in the face of terrible maintenance, or is it just because they do their jobs without fuss for long?

I don't know if I'm making sense, sorry

>trying to compare Japanese cars to American cars in terms of reliability

inb4 muh japanese reliability

I drive a tow truck and my experience has been
>FCA ANYTHING>German stuff>ford/gm>hyundai> inifinty>the rest of the jap stuff

I'm sorry, please don't take it the wrong way, I'm seriously not trying to go
>muh honda engine stronk
It just so happens that my parents bought those cars, and those were the ones I had at hand to use as first-hand reference. One of my other friends has a recent year Ford Taurus and it also seems to be doing fine.

Do you happen to know off the top of your head how these problems occurred? (Maybe noticing that their brakes were garbage, they're running 5-year old oil, etc...?) Just by chance, I'm obviously not expecting you to give me a full diagnostics report

A fiat breaks as soon as you look at it, which is impressive since it only consists of the most necessary parts. This is not a meme. My 17 year old Fabia with the czech pushrod engine that I only drive in winter and that has over 220k km on the clock is more reliable than my sister's three year old fiat 500. And it's not even a nicer car to drive.

It's mostly owner negligence. Other main thing is just shitty build quality

Test drove a 335 I in 2010 on lunch break. Water pump went bad on the test drive. I literally wish I made this up. My boss was pissed :/

I guess that part boggles my mind. How does any company not try to fix their reputation? If you have a year full of lemons, wouldn't you try to identify what's going wrong, and then address it?
I guess this can go without saying, but if I were to just keep up basic maintenance, I shouldn't face any huge problems that'll warrant $1000+ in repairs? I guess I'm pretty nervous to take full ownership of a car, and I'm trying to figure out what sort of things I need to pay attention to.

So it essentially shipped from the factory with a bad pump? I'm mildly curious on how frequent that is, was it a freak defect, or are we seeing a significant percentage of BMW 3-series with water pump issues?

German automakers and luxury makes in general make a lot of their money on leasing. Then the cars come back and get sold again as CPO.

2nd owners are the guys who're more frugal but really really aspire to have that Merc or BMW or Audi because they've always wanted one. So they negotiate with themselves and settle for a CPO. These owners also still kinda want that luxury make experience so they're a bit more willing to shell out for post-purchase support like Dealer servicing packages and warranty extensions.

Any owners after that are the real wannabe's - the middle class and barely-middle class who really want a almost-current German shitbox to feel like they've "made it". These are the folks that will pinch every penny and put off maintenance and repairs for as long as possible because they're not used to pay fucking $100 for a goddamn brake pad or $150 for a Merc dealer oil change and check-up service. Then when the time comes that that HAVE to bring it in to a dealer, they'll freak out at the huge-fuck price estimate and take their car to some indie Euro Import Shop just out of principle since "the dealers are just crooks who want to screw me! I'll go to Flannagans Bavarian Autohaus specialists cause they said I only need to replace ONE of those sensors!"

So you see, there is a real disincentive for German luxury automakers to spend the extra time, effort, and money on longevity. The manufacturers get the most out of the 1st and maybe the 2nd drivers/owners of the car and the dealers won't make any money on servicing if the cars work perfectly for the 2nd owner. Therefore, the cars need to be sublime and great for about 3 years, then really good with maybe some shit going whack for the next 2-3 (but not TOO much because they want the 2nd owner coming back for another CPO or maybe even a new one if they've moved up in the world), and then...well whatever. 7+ year old Benz's won't make the mothership any money so who the fuck cares (their perspective)?

Plus, 7 year old mercs are going to be way outdated in terms of styles, trends, and technology anyway so they don't really want those cars to represent the brand anyway.

...Except maybe Porsche, who has a history of iconic cars and needs to keep it that way in order to keep the customers strolling in the door.

Incidentally, Porsche is also the one German carmaker that is consistently also the most solid in terms of long-term dependability. Funny thing, that?

This. My first car was a 1982 Porsche 928 that sat in a storage building untouched for eight years.

Six months after buying it I had the nicest car at my highschool.

Still drive it once a week with 160K miles and no major issues.

Porsche is god tier all around desu

>I guess this can go without saying, but if I were to just keep up basic maintenance, I shouldn't face any huge problems that'll warrant $1000+ in repairs? I guess I'm pretty nervous to take full ownership of a car, and I'm trying to figure out what sort of things I need to pay attention to.

It really comes down to if you are one of those people who get in their car start it and it just sounds or acts differently than normal. They then ignore it and what could have been a simple.fix starts to compund.

I have learned that once a bmw has its first breakdown it just continually shits the bed after that. That's what most people I tow say. It was great for 4 years then water pump bit the dust. Now it's every 2 weeks something else breaks

Interesting, I understand a little more about now, thanks! You often hear a lot of people spout stuff about "superior German engineering," but at the same time, you hear a lot about how German cars don't hold up well. So it's mostly these 3rd owners who buy an originally $40k car for $5k and then expect maintenance to cost as much as a $5k Camry? That'd explain it.

I saw a rally Carrera with mudflaps, rally lights, and probably more dirt on it than most Jeeps see in their lives on the highway today, and my mother asked how people did that to their cars (afraid that it would break). Just a thing I saw.

My parents and I are pretty sensitive to these things, I think. That would explain the longevity. Stuff like "weird grinding feeling when applying brakes" or "slight squealing when turning x-degrees." They're paranoid about cars breaking down in the middle of nowhere (and I've picked up that fear from them) so they usually get stuffed addressed right away. I say nothing more than routine maintenance because the shop always says that it's a minor fix, usually less than $300. The only time we had a repair over $1k was when someone ran a red and t-boned the car.

It pays to pay attention, I guess. Thanks for the input!

I have been driving Buick LeSabre a for the past fifteen years. Not once has one left me stranded. Once I had a water pump go south at perimeter, but the fuckers are so goddamned easy to work on that 30$ and a half hour later with only a basic toolkit in the trunk, it was running again with no issues. It's worth mentioning that at that point the old broad had over 300k miles on the clock. She ran for 200 more on the original engine and transmission before dying.

That being said, cara break down because people are utterly incompetent and don't notice when their car tells them that something is wrong. If they don't see a light, and sometimes if they do, the just ignore it. The rate at which a car breaks down has vastly more to do with the owner than the car. Unless that car is a 1997-2005 Chrysler in which case it is an unroadworthy steaming pile of shit.

German cars are greatly overrated.

Don't know, sure as fuck didn't buy it though.

Literally 90% of the 'reliability' meme is just banter and you should ignore it.

There are General trends. Porsche was weak in the 90s. BMW had issues with electronics and automatics (SMG) in the 2000s.

But you'll find out that the issues usually relate to the first years of a new platform.

Through out the life of the platform the errors are found out and fixed.

For example the Porsche boxter in 97 the first year it was out had coupling fractures and IMS failures. By 2004 the engine had been modified to greatly reduce the risk.

Toyota's are known for being reliable but they had been using the same platform for like 20 years without scratching it for a new one. They had a 4 speed slush box transmission in the camry until very recently. Which they had basically perfected but nobody wants a 4 speed slush box in 2017.

Banter is just ignorance.

Look up the history of the car model you want. Buy the year near the end of its life (Boxster 986: '97-'03, the 03 had fixed many of the problems of the 97, but they are the same car to the normie.

the 'car' is not a good subject to study if you want these measurements.

a single car uses many different parts, all with different reliability profiles.

>Buick LeSabre
i've noticed the new buick cars have gone up in reliability and even bypass their sister companies like chevy and cadillac. Kinda makes me want to own a new Regal or Lacrosse. Good job GM

Fucking this. And you can generally find a forum for the car you are interested in and you will see all the common issues with whatever car it is.

Like bad ring lands in WRXs, HPFP issues in early BMW 335, etc, etc

This times 100. First year of a model run has issues. 2nd has most ironed out. 3rd is great. Anything after is gravy baby.

Hello fellow tow driver. My experience is pretty similar. But German stuff is first because where I'm at we have so many. German cars are hot steaming garbage. Anyone who says otherwise is retarded. German cars, except for Porsche, ARE NOT RELIABLE. Then followed by FCA. Then domestic makes. Hyundai isn't even on my list to be honest, nor is Kia. The only Korean cars I tow are because of a flat tire and no spare or the owner did something retarded like crash it.

>putting your tiedowns through the lower spokes and not the ones that are inline between the axle and tiedown point

Suspensions problems happen often in states with horrible roads or weather. Cars that are beat on and ran hard for a long part of their life (70% of drivers, even normies) will experience bad blowby and oil burning by no later than 160k miles if not bearing failure
Transmission failure by 180k on people who never change the fluid
With proper maintenance mechanical parts will rarely fail unless they were cracked or fractured to begin with or something was installed incorrectly (see: Chrysler valve guides, ford rod bolts, etc etc). This is typically caught by 60k miles and replaced under warranty. Electronic parts are hit and miss and much more likely to fail early in extremely adverse climates.
Electric motors are a ticking time bomb

you make me want to sell my shitbox at 150k. It currently only has 65k on it, but I bought it at a time period in my life where I was still being a edgy tryhard; the first 25k or so were some rough miles

You can beat on a car if you properly maintain it, but rings and bearings will always tell the story of an engine. You can still drive a car once it starts blowing by the rings, but it will get weak as shit and probably burn oil big time

>I guess this can go without saying, but if I were to just keep up basic maintenance, I shouldn't face any huge problems that'll warrant $1000+ in repairs?
Not necessarily, but your chances of avoiding big bills are lower if you maintain your vehicle.

There are lots of small things that just wear out on vehicles. IACs, PCVs, thermostats, belts, hoses, sensors, electric motors and actuators, solenoids, suspension components, brakes. Some stuff costs more than others. You hope you don't get a bunch of these needed to be fixed at one time or in a short period of time.

Some stuff also comes down to manufacturer issues. My SUV has a common problem where oil gets on the coolant sensor and thermostat housing and eventually degrades it. Mine was about to go at the same time I had an MAF sensor failure. My bill was over $1000.