Are Honda/Toyota/Mazda/Subaru overrated?

[Traveler]

Can’t say all are more reliable, especially mazda and Subaru, friends have had issues with those.

Mazda doesn’t belong on anything but pavement. I think mazda is more like Kia and Hyundai.

My Toyotas just won’t stop though, not a single dog on them

 

[Fordguy]

I used to buy and drive Ford vehicles, (part of the reason for the handle), but that was when they had vehicles that I could work on myself, and they were engines and transmissions that I was familiar with. I owned F150s and F250s from 1979 up through the mid 1990s and had very few problems with any of them. Some.of them were still running when I sold them with 350k-400k miles on the odometer. The last Ford car that I owned was a 1999 escort zx2, sold it running with more than 300k miles.
Chrysler - my family had lousy experiences with them when I was a kid and it soured me on most of their products for life. I still remember the lousy k-car that died with just over 100k miles on it.
My older brother has had good luck with Toyota cars, and one of my friends has a 4runner but he spends a lot on maintenance (7k recently for a head gasket replacement and some other stuff on what I would consider a relatively low mileage vehicle). One of my uncle's has a Prius, and he loves it, but I sometimes question his mental state.
A lot of people like Subaru, but based on experiences with one that my girlfriend had (2010 Impreza) and one that her aunt still has (2019 Forrester I think) neither of us will ever buy another. Oil leaks, oil consumption, ac issues, door handles that literally fall apart in your hands, recurring steering rack problems that the dealership couldn't fix in multiple attempts, and more.
Currently drive a Mazda CX-5 but its only a few years old and has about 75k miles. No problems yet. Also drive a 2006 Nissan frontier 4cyl stick. Runs great, just had to replace a wheel bearing, but nothing major. I have an old dodge ram with a Cummins from the 90s that I keep around for heavier hauling, but the transmission is a concern.

 

[2five7]

Never owned a foreign truck, they simply don't make one that will do what I need it to do. I've driven Ford trucks since I was in high school, and up until this new 2021 covid truck I'm currently driving, I've never had any breakdowns that I would consider abnormal. The new one has been back to the dealer more times than all my previous trucks combined, and I've heard that the 22's and 23's are even worse.

 

[11boo]

I wondered how they could make vehicles with such poor quality.

UAW workers caught drinking and smoking dope

 

[Titan_Bow]

I had a 1995 Dodge Ram 1500 that I basically gave away at 140,000 miles. It was the biggest POS. I could not reliably drive that truck anywhere without it breaking down.
I then put 280,000 miles on a Nissan Titan with no issues outside of tires and oil changes. I then bought a Nissan Xterra and put 160.000 trouble free miles on the before hitting a deer and totaling it. Now I have a Toyota 4Runner that I’ve 56,000 miles since new and had zero issues. Half a million miles with no issues, I would be really hard pressed to go Ford or Chevy. I wouldn’t even consider a Dodge after my initial experience. I’m now a Toyota fan, but if Nissan ever decides to do another Xterra, I’d definitely take a look!


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[displacedtexan]

No, they are definitely not overrated.

I won’t buy anything domestic other than a 3/4 ton truck.

My first thought when I saw the title was "why would I buy anything domestic that's not a classic or 3/4 ton or bigger"

Even our finicky BMW was a better vehicle than a comperable American sedan.

The Subaru has been great, and will be replaced by another Subaru.

And when I say replaced, I mean that we'll most likely buy her another Subaru, and keep the current one.

 

[np307]

Toyota isn't without their issues, but by and large those problems are not as significant or as frequent as other manufacturers. The service department at your local Toyota dealer is still going to have cars in there for problems though.

Honda used to be right there with Toyota but they've slipped a little. Still better than domestic made vehicles.

Subaru I would say are reliable but not carefree. You have to keep an eye on them and they do have more issues than Toyota. Anyone who tells you not to get a Subaru because of head gaskets or timing belts has no idea what they're talking about. The EJ series engine that they're talking about hasn't been in a new Subaru for a decade. They require you to pay attention to maintenance items but they're also very easy vehicles to work on.

Mazda and Nissan I have no firsthand experience with.

I've owned an '89 Toyota Pickup that I got rid of with 230k miles, currently own a 2005 Camry with 263k miles on it, a 2014 Corolla with 155k miles on it, and a 2014 Subaru Forester with 149k miles on it.

If I were buying a new car for just commuting, no question it would be a Camry or Prius. If I were buying a new SUV, it would be a Forester or an Outback.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

i have dabbled in American trucks and SUVs, but I am a die hard Toyota guy. Honda is also great. I have a 2020 Tundra 1794, Wife has a highlander AWD Limited, 16 yr old son drives my wifes old 2016 Rav4 and my 18 yr old daughter just bought my moms 2015 Honda CRV Touring. They are usually more money up front, but hold their value and require nothing more than oil, tires and brakes. I had a 2018 Tundra, went to a 2020 Ram Cummins, had nothing but recalls and problems then went back to the Tundra I have now.

 

[DenimChicken]

My past 20 years of trouble free Japanese cars made by Toyota and Subaru have led me to believe they are not overrated.

 

[dapstuck49]

My past 20 years of trouble free Japanese cars made by Toyota and Subaru have led me to believe they are not overrated.

Any subaru head gasket issues?

 

[np307]

Any subaru head gasket issues?

Subaru hasn't produced an EJ25 in a decade

 

[Gen273]

I am the oddball, or maybe I was just unlucky, but I have only owned two Toyota vehicles, a truck, and a 4runner. Both gave me major trouble including engine replacements. I had them back to back, and it soured me on the brand. However, I am the only one I know who has had this kind of terrible experience with them. But so far, I have not bought another.

 

[Yoder]

I wondered how they could make vehicles with such poor quality.

UAW workers caught drinking and smoking dope

That's why they are going on strike. Once they get more money and better benefits, the quality will be much better.

 

[chapman8523]

Modern day Mazdas don’t belong on that list. Subaru is also the clear 3rd place of the remaining 3.

I commute 105 miles a day in Alaska driving a CX5. It belongs on the list, no issues whatsoever. the Subaru I had is another story. Better always have some oil and low beams on hands.

Mazda Named Most Reliable Brand For 2022 By Consumer Reports

In its newest rankings, Consumer Reports Mazda scores highest overall in the auto industry in reliability.

www.torquenews.com

 

[dapstuck49]

I commute 105 miles a day in Alaska driving a CX5. It belongs on the list, no issues whatsoever. the Subaru I had is another story. Better always have some oil and low beams on hands.

Mazda Named Most Reliable Brand For 2022 By Consumer Reports

In its newest rankings, Consumer Reports Mazda scores highest overall in the auto industry in reliability.

www.torquenews.com

I've heard tons of good things about mazdas reliability. I'm seriously considering one. It can't off road but it can definitely go up dirt roads to get to lakes and trailheads.

 

[DenimChicken]

Any subaru head gasket issues?

No. But both Subaru’s in the family are within 5 model years old.

 

[ODB]

Overrated. Give me a Chevy Volt any day.

Your confidence is in your word choice. “Give me” versus “I’d buy” ….clear as day…;-)

 

[JFK]

All I’ve ever owned are Toyota trucks.

1988 4x4 pickup- bought used and put roughly 60k miles on it. Water pump and timing chain were all that were fixed.

2000 Tacoma 4x4 trd- Bought used at 60k miles, sold at 198k miles twelve years later. Timing belt and water pump were replaced, along with a few brake jobs. Ran perfect when I got rid of it but was due for new cat converters.

2017 Tundra 4x4- Bought new and currently have 88k miles on it. All I’ve done is change oil and tires. Probably due for brakes pretty soon.

 

[Karlburns]

They tend to hold their value better than domestic but they also tend to not have the same mpg as their counterparts. Compare the rav4 or the 4 runner to fords suvs and you’ll find a remarkable difference in mpg. Most of this is due to the small motors with turbos that domestics are running.

 

[5MilesBack]

Overrated. Give me a Chevy Volt any day.

Only if all the Gremlins, Pintos, and Pacers are taken.