Cars - For Car Enthusiasts

no contest: the little tykes car.

they get passed down for decades and wildly abused with zero maintenance.

except of course the stickers.

Mazda. Reliable, reasonably priced, good performance, an option for every type of driver (from RWD roadster to full sized SUV), gorgeous design language. I think people are going to look back on the current Mazdas and think they aged like fine wine. They're also one of the only brands I can think of that have a truly unified design language across all models (besides maybe Audi and Mercedes)

Purchased my first new car four years ago, and did at least a year of research on this subject because of a limited budget

The answer, hands down and by a long way, is Hyundai/Kia

Excellent value and ultra reliable, even their poverty-spec cars have A/C, Bluetooth, anti-rollback, stop-start etc

In four+ years I've needed new brake pads and wiper blades, after 70,000 Km not one single fault

Americans, before replying, remember you're only 3% of the planet and have some of the world's worst consumer protection laws. Of course Hyundai and Kia sell you cheap shite lol

They're bulletproof elsewhere

There is no answer for that kind of question, is there? It all depends what you want and what you like.

Let me give you an example. I have a very cheap small Nissan. It has zero features. Well, it has A/C and power windows, which were considered "features" half a century ago. It doesn't look stylish, but you could say that it's cute if you're feeling sympathetic. It's flimsy enough that you wouldn't want to wreck in it. It has great gas mileage, and it fits my needs perfectly.

But is this car good for you? Probably not, because you have different needs. A small car with no safety features would be terrible for a large family. Do you need cruise control for your long commune? If so, you don't want my car. Do you drive in snowy mountains? This isn't the vehicle for that. What is "stylish" to you? Do you mean "cute" or "strong" or "smooth" or "futuristic", or something else?

Nissan makes all kinds of cars. Even if the above car sound suitable or unsuitable for you, that wouldn't give you much information about the Nissan lineup as a whole. They make all kinds of cars with all kinds of characteristics.

In other words, if you can provide more details of your situation (within reason, of course), that would be helpful. Have fun shopping!

BYD, honestly. But, if you’re in a country that can’t get them, I’m still a fan of Toyota. Hear good things about modern Hyundai too, but I can’t say anything from personal experience.

Myself and others in my family have owned Hyundai and Toyotas and they did well or seem to be doing well. I had a Hyundai Tiburon that yeah I had to do some repairs around 200k (I think I had to replace the alternator and something else) but last I heard it was still going strong. I did have essentially redo all of the suspension because the salt mix that was use locally slowly destroyed it.

Recently I've come to know some people who have Chevrolet SUVs from the 2010s and they seem to do alright at least to the 150k mark.

I would love to own another Hyundai myself.

Taste is subjective. What works for you, works for you. What works for me, is a renaultsport megane rs. Doesn't work for others.

I'll throw in a vote for Mazda. I've had a 6 and a 3 and enjoyed both. Very, very few real problems. They're a little zippier than average Toyotas/Hondas with a little cooler styling, in my opinion, while not being extravagantly expensive.

Mazda's really pulled themselves our of their rut in recent years. I've continuisly heard the CX-5 be recommended as one of the best valued cars on the market right now. Toyota is a given, even if they're now priced in a higher bracket than they were 15 or 20 years ago.

I'd avoid anything domestic or Euro if you're looking for a good, economic, new car

I was a dealer tech for Hyundai, Dodge/Jeep/Chrysler, and Jaguar/Land Rover over the years.

Of all the places I worked, the cars that I saw the most only for service and not for major repairs ironically were Hyundais. Don't get me wrong, cars still came in that needed major repairs, and I was the guy doing them. But looking back at my time there, most of my day was spent doing routine maintenance - oil changes, brake services, transmission fluid exchanges, etc, and minor TSBs like computer updates and the MDPS coupler on old Sonatas. 2.4L engines from the big recall were common, of course, but those were free for the customer and they usually got a free rental car for the duration of their service.

I don't know how you like Hyundai styling, but I was with Hyundai from 2015-2018, and I liked the styling then. The lease terms were pretty good and the cost of the car was quite low. The quality didn't feel like a Land Rover, but the reliability impressed me for the time I was there. As long as you take care of it, it should take care of you. The ones that I seemed to see the absolute least were V6 equipped Santa Fes and Cadenzas, those seemed to be the most reliable in my experience. 2.4Ls had the recall but seemed to be fine after, and 1.8Ls are okay for the small cars but totally gutless.

Recently I haven't really liked Hyundai's styling because it seems too "Audi" for my liking. But if that's up your alley, try asking the service departments if you can speak to a tech just to see if they mostly do a lot of major repairs or maintenance work.

Dont get a Jaguar unless you drive it on a racetrack regularly, they like to spring random leaks if you drive it like a grandma. Don't get a Land Rover, their superchargers often grenade and end up overheating the engine from coolant leaks. And don't get anything made by Stellantis, just don't.

I’m a little biased because I own one, but Subaru. They choose to build on what’s proven, so they are slow to make changes on new generations of models but in exchange you get familiar tech that is reliable. Well rounded as well in the sense that they make great “outdoorsy” cars yet are comfy and efficient as daily commuters as well. Bang for buck because they’re at the mid price range in their segments and have the best AWD tech in the market.

I’d also say Mazda like the other comments. Toyota is a given.