Most reliable used Toyota models and years...

[STANLEY82]

Hello fellow Toyotarists!

I've been Googling and Youtubing around trying to fathom which Toyota models and which years are the most reliable. However I'm finding it a bit confusing and some assertions seem contradictory.

For example some say the Corolla 2004 or earlier is unreliable, but the 2005 -2008 versions are very reliable. However both petrol 1.6 and diesel 2.0 D4D both have the same spec and body shape? Do some engine components change from year to year?

So if I'm buying a used car ONLY for reliability, which years of Toyota models (or dare I say Hondas) would you suggest?

 

 

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

15 minutes ago, STANLEY82 said:

Do some engine components change from year to year?

As with any car and manufacturer, during the production life there are changes made by the manufacturer to introduce new components, address issues, comply with revised safety and/or emissions requirements, mid-life facelifts, etc, etc.

For example with the 2004-2007 Corolla, pre 2005 petrol models could suffer from heavy oil consumption at higher mileage, and this was largely corrected with production changes from June 2005.

The YouTube video included in your topic, is largely related to the US market, and not so relevant to the UK and European markets due to different models sold in that market, and so on.

[Bper]

Mine is, Auris 1.2T 2017 never missed a beat in two years of ownership and no problems plus £20 road tax. 😂

[yossarian247]

When looking at cars which are now 15-20 years old, the most reliable is usually the one which has been serviced and maintained properly. Condition is often more important than worrying about specific models, engines, etc at that age and price range.

[Cyker]

No shortcut for this I'm afraid; You'll need to decide what kind of car you're after, e.g. small, medium, SUV etc., and find specific models and then do more research on those specific models.

There are just too many cars and variations of cars for anyone to be able to just tell you The Wizzbang Lighting 2 is the most reliable model

[STANLEY82]

Thank-you all.

On 8/28/2023 at 2:59 PM, Cyker said:

No shortcut for this I'm afraid; You'll need to decide what kind of car you're after, e.g. small, medium, SUV etc., and find specific models and then do more research on those specific models.

There are just too many cars and variations of cars for anyone to be able to just tell you The Wizzbang Lighting 2 is the most reliable model

An small to average sized vehicle which is reliable. Thats it! I don't care about anything else. Not just vehicles with reliable engines, but also with door-locks.  I've had too many cars where the door locks will not open or close.

[oldcodger]

Think your premise is wrong, yes the 2005/2006 Corllas have proven to have Been very reliable, as ours has, But if you are considering buying one of these, at nearly 20 years old, think you will be expecting more than they can give.  Many of the parts are becoming tired and in need of constant checking and possible replacement if you need to maintain the reliability factor.

What age and  price range are you looking at ?

Not sure what your door lock problem is , have had a good few cars of various makes over the years and never had any problem with them to speak of ?

[STANLEY82]

On 8/28/2023 at 8:04 PM, oldcodger said:

Think your premise is wrong, yes the 2005/2006 Corllas have proven to have Been very reliable, as ours has, But if you are considering buying one of these, at nearly 20 years old, think you will be expecting more than they can give.  Many of the parts are becoming tired and in need of constant checking and possible replacement if you need to maintain the reliability factor.

What age and  price range are you looking at ?

Not sure what your door lock problem is , have had a good few cars of various makes over the years and never had any problem with them to speak of ?

Yes thanks I see your point but if they're fairly low mileage and have been reasonably well maintained, which parts are most likely in need to be replaced?

I was thinking of buying something low-powered, cheap to run and really boring but hopefully known for reliablity? Such as this 1.4 Corolla >>>

My budget is £2,000.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202308231129219?sort=price-asc&fuel-type=Diesel&make=Toyota&model=Corolla&postcode=s1 1dj&quantity-of-doors=5&year-from=2004&year-to=2007&advertising-location=at_cars&fromsra

Almost all cars I have owned over last 10 years have had problems with either not been able to lock or open the doors, bonnet or boots. These include Saab 9000, Vectra, Punto, Rover, VW Passat, Golf, MondeoAudi A4.

 

[Hybrid21]

Hi Ian, with your budget you most likely won't find the perfect car and will need to compromise somewhat.

The Corolla has a good MOT history, but you would need to go and see it, check out service history, etc

Good luck 👍

 

[oldcodger]

14 hours ago, STANLEY82 said:

Yes thanks I see your point but if they're fairly low mileage and have been reasonably well maintained, which parts are most likely in need to be replaced?

I was thinking of buying something low-powered, cheap to run and really boring but hopefully known for reliablity? Such as this 1.4 Corolla >>>

My budget is £2,000.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202308231129219?sort=price-asc&fuel-type=Diesel&make=Toyota&model=Corolla&postcode=s1 1dj&quantity-of-doors=5&year-from=2004&year-to=2007&advertising-location=at_cars&fromsra

Almost all cars I have owned over last 10 years have had problems with either not been able to lock or open the doors, bonnet or boots. These include Saab 9000, Vectra, Punto, Rover, VW Passat, Golf, MondeoAudi A4.

 

Strange how you have had such lock problems, are you near the coast, salt spray etc ?

What parts need to be replaced, impossible to say,  no worse than any other make, if not better, though our exhaust pipe broke the other month after 17 years.

Go for something made after June 2005 as @FROSTYBALLS mentioned earlier otherwise you could end up with an oil burning problem, though do not know if that applies in any way to the Diesels ?

Have only test driven a 1.4  petrol and it felt quiet under powered compared to our 1.6 petrol which still gives 40 mpg

[STANLEY82]

1 hour ago, oldcodger said:

Strange how you have had such lock problems, are you near the coast, salt spray etc ?

What parts need to be replaced, impossible to say,  no worse than any other make, if not better, though our exhaust pipe broke the other month after 17 years.

Go for something made after June 2005 as @FROSTYBALLS mentioned earlier otherwise you could end up with an oil burning problem, though do not know if that applies in any way to the Diesels ?

Have only test driven a 1.4  petrol and it felt quiet under powered compared to our 1.6 petrol which still gives 40 mpg

I'm in Sheffield which as you'll know is one of most central cities in UK.  I've been told I'm heavy handed though - Which would explain car-locking opening issues.  Some folk say it is a 'ADHD thing' ?

Thanks, I'll play it safe and go for 2005 onwards.

 

[APS]

I had a 2002 Corolla D4D - did over 200k in it. Probably the most reliable car I've ever had. Most remarkably, didn't rust. I think the Toyotas of that era have proven to be some of the most reliable you can get. The E120 generation brought over some Lexus items. You could also consider a well looked after Lexus. They are built one notch better. 
Another example - our Yaris T-sport from 2003 - 20 years and 100k miles of being used and always stood outside. Underneath, northing but a little bit of surface rust...

But remember, they are still just mechanical items. Things will break, just less often than some others. 

[STANLEY82]

On 8/30/2023 at 10:45 PM, APS said:

I had a 2002 Corolla D4D - did over 200k in it. Probably the most reliable car I've ever had. Most remarkably, didn't rust. I think the Toyotas of that era have proven to be some of the most reliable you can get. The E120 generation brought over some Lexus items. You could also consider a well looked after Lexus. They are built one notch better. 
Another example - our Yaris T-sport from 2003 - 20 years and 100k miles of being used and always stood outside. Underneath, northing but a little bit of surface rust...

But remember, they are still just mechanical items. Things will break, just less often than some others. 

Thanks but the Care-Care-Nut guy on Youtube video.  Skip to  > 11:22 advised to stay well away from the 1998-2002 Corollas. He could've have been referring to petrol Corollas of this era? 

Thinking of definitely increasing my budget.

I would like 5 door no smaller than a typical Yaris or Corolla. Are D4D engines in other Toyotas such as Avensis of any year also reliable?

Also for reliability could I consider a diesel Carina? Or now too old to repair? There's currently one for sale on AT with low mileage and within my budget

>>>

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295758612779?hash=item44dc96492b:g:JcsAAOSwukhkwMGg

 

 

 

[APS]

11 hours ago, STANLEY82 said:

hanks but the Care-Care-Nut guy on Youtube video.  Skip to  > 11:22 advised to stay well away from the 1998-2002 Corollas. He could've have been referring to petrol Corollas of this era? 

Thinking of definitely increasing my budget.

I would like 5 door no smaller than a typical Yaris or Corolla. Are D4D engines in other Toyotas such as Avensis of any year also reliable?

Also for reliability could I consider a diesel Carina? Or now too old to repair? There's currently one for sale on AT with low mileage and within my budget

He's referring to the previous, E110 generation. The E120 was introduced in 2002 and was a major leap forward in terms of perceived and real quality. As I mentioned, they took much of what they'd learned from their Lexus models and transferred it to their mainstream Corolla line. Doors were sound deadened to give that "fridge thud". It also drives much better. I remember swapping over to a 2002 Avensis at the time and it felt positively ancient in its handling - very stodgy - compared to the Corolla. 

The 1CD-FTV was carried over from the previous generation. It's a solid and reliable unit, but oldskool in character, with clatter, pronounced turbo lag and a narrow power band. It also has a cam belt that needs replacing every 60k. It works well enough, but if you come from contemporary European diesels you will notice it as a decidedly backwards step in terms of power and flexibility. The same engine was used in Avensis and Verso. It was improved in stages over the years.

The Carina is older, and definitely feels older to drive compared to the E120 Corolla.

An alternative you might want to look at could be the seventh gen Honda Accord that was also introduced in 2002. With that car came the 2.2l diesel (N22A1) engine. This was a low compression diesel that Honda had spent years developing. In typical Honda style, they did a good job and it turned out to be a very solid and much loved unit. It is flexible, frugal and pretty reliable. The Accord also drives better than an Avensis.  

    

[Cyker]

The 1ND-TV (1.4 D4D) and 1CD-FTV (2.0 D4D) are, for the most part, pre-DPF and because of that are two of the most reliable diesel engines Toyota have ever made, AS LONG as they've been looked after and maintained properly.

But even if maintained, they are very old now and will attract every jumped up emission charge from every UK city, so it's hard to recommend them unless you just drive long distances between different villages exclusively.

 

[STANLEY82]

On 9/4/2023 at 7:32 PM, Cyker said:

The 1ND-TV (1.4 D4D) and 1CD-FTV (2.0 D4D) are, for the most part, pre-DPF and because of that are two of the most reliable diesel engines Toyota have ever made, AS LONG as they've been looked after and maintained properly.

But even if maintained, they are very old now and will attract every jumped up emission charge from every UK city, so it's hard to recommend them unless you just drive long distances between different villages exclusively.

 

Thanks, I live in Sheffield but mostly drive out of the city on motorways. I'm unsure if they'll pursue more CAZ Charges in relative poorer regions such as Sheffield. 

[STANLEY82]

On 9/4/2023 at 2:29 PM, APS said:

He's referring to the previous, E110 generation. The E120 was introduced in 2002 and was a major leap forward in terms of perceived and real quality. As I mentioned, they took much of what they'd learned from their Lexus models and transferred it to their mainstream Corolla line. Doors were sound deadened to give that "fridge thud". It also drives much better. I remember swapping over to a 2002 Avensis at the time and it felt positively ancient in its handling - very stodgy - compared to the Corolla. 

The 1CD-FTV was carried over from the previous generation. It's a solid and reliable unit, but oldskool in character, with clatter, pronounced turbo lag and a narrow power band. It also has a cam belt that needs replacing every 60k. It works well enough, but if you come from contemporary European diesels you will notice it as a decidedly backwards step in terms of power and flexibility. The same engine was used in Avensis and Verso. It was improved in stages over the years.

The Carina is older, and definitely feels older to drive compared to the E120 Corolla.

An alternative you might want to look at could be the seventh gen Honda Accord that was also introduced in 2002. With that car came the 2.2l diesel (N22A1) engine. This was a low compression diesel that Honda had spent years developing. In typical Honda style, they did a good job and it turned out to be a very solid and much loved unit. It is flexible, frugal and pretty reliable. The Accord also drives better than an Avensis.  

    

I understand now, thank-you.   Yes I have been looking at Honda Accord 2.2 diesels.  They have very good reviews and can be found at relative moderate prices. I'm hoping the demonisation of diesel accelerates so they become even cheaper.