Anyone else worried about ... the big "R"?

[JMAN311]

Maybe it's just me, but length of warranty/miles doesn't make me think AT ALL that a company has a more reliable car, quite the opposite actually. Instead of making a better quality car to begin with they cut corners to make a cheap car and will just spend the money throwing cheap replacement parts at it for longer.

Personally, I've never had a problem with any of the Chevy vehicles, or any american cars I've owned for that matter. But every company has the occasional lemon roll out the factory...

[The_Stache]

I have found that regardless of the car...the big R as in Reliability depends entirely upon the big O as in the OWNER.

Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance. People in today's world expect that all they have to do is change the oil and rotate tires and the car will last forever. This view on vehicle maintenance is why practically no cars last until 200k NOT the build quality or the materials.

[MajorTom]

GM reliability has been on par with imports for years now. And as far as quality, they've come very far in the last few years. The Malibu, CTS and G8 are great examples of American market GM vehicles with great quality interior as well as great exterior.

[littlecammi]

Originally Posted by exilio

For years I have only bought foreign cars.

You (and other people like you) are the problem. Do not buy a Camry or Accord - buy a Malibu instead. Do not buy a BMW 3-series coupe - buy a Camaro instead. Do not buy a Porsche Boxster - buy a Corvette instead.

[Rogue Leader]

Really didn't even cross my mind ever. I've owned over 15 cars, and while probably my least reliable was my rotted out 86 K5 Blazer or my beat to hell 86 IROC, my most reliable was my 1986 Regal Limited with 270k miles on it (damn I miss that car), followed closely by my 99 TA with 100k, 91 Firebird with 176k, 00 Vette with 85k... I could keep going. I had an 86 Camaro V6 that looked like someone plowed into a tree with it last 4 years and about 70,000 miles before i sold it to some stupid kid who proceeded to kill it.

The only low mileage GM car I had was pretty unreliable, my 89 Turbo Trans Am, with only 28k original miles... unfortunately 28k is a WHOLE LOTTA passes down the 1/4 mile drag strip (hence unreliable).

I have a 93 VW Fox beater with only 115k to get me around now, and its a complete piece of shit compared to the 92 Sunbird (135k) it replaced, that was killed in a flood :(

[camaro5]

I had a 1969 Camaro and later 1978 Trans Am. I loved them to death.

I ordered a new 1984 Camaro Z28, was the biggest POS ever imagined. Bought a Toyota Supra Turbo (worked at a Chevy dealer at the time), and loved it.

25 years later, I saw the Camaro and flashed back to 1969. Only my flashback was a light BLUE Camaro.

I'm trying again. I ordered a 2009 Corvette. This car was absolutely flawless. Assembly quality as good as any car from anywhere. Jetstream Blue paint with show quality. Runs like a bat out of hell!

Now, if you check Corvette Forum, you'll see more issues with long-term reliability than on an Infiniti forum. But I can't drive low torque vehicles any longer. And I love the styling of the Corvette and new Camaro.

So, if you want possible long-term perfection - buy Japenese.

If you want to get out of your car laughing, buy the Camaro.

Camaro's Oshawa Plant has won numerous awards for quality. JD Power, etc, etc.

I know, I was worried too. Not anymore.

[headpunter]

Originally Posted by diarmadhi

I have found that regardless of the car...the big R as in Reliability depends entirely upon the big O as in the OWNER.

Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance. People in today's world expect that all they have to do is change the oil and rotate tires and the car will last forever. This view on vehicle maintenance is why practically no cars last until 200k NOT the build quality or the materials.

+1,000,000 internets......

especially people who drive like they are racing all the time....if you DRIVE it like a race car, you need MAINTAINENCE like a race car.

[GamerGuyZ28]

I drive a 1995 Z28, it has 185,000 miles on it. I got it when I was 16 and drove the hell out of it ever since, and it still runs great, I can't kill it! so no the big "R" is not an issue with me when it comes to GM.

[Alarick]

Originally Posted by headpunter

+1,000,000 internets......

especially people who drive like they are racing all the time....if you DRIVE it like a race car, you need MAINTAINENCE like a race car.

Very true.
The saying "don't drive your racer, and don't race your daily driver" is a good bit of advice.

[Txturbo]

GM has a longer warranty than any import. I have an 03 Avalanche with 140K miles, still using the original brake pads. Only issue is a door switch the kid spilled a drink into. My 01 Z28 has 104K miles on it. No major problems. My 96 S-10 is still going strong with 160K on it. Yes...the late 70s and 80s GM kinda sucked in the reliability and design area and the imports were better in economy, reliability and price. But that changed almost 15-20 years ago but people are still clinging to it for some reason. Modern GM vehicles are way better than they were back then in all areas. Most models look better, have better reliability, better warranty and get better fuel economy than the imports of the same class.

[playhard67]

NOPE. Not at all. GM has taken their time on this car, and seeing it in Indy proved to me that the car is well built.

[SilverTurtle]

I've had SEVERAL GM products over the years... and have a few in my possession today... and none of them has ever given me a problem with reliability when I took care of them and did regular maintenance... have a '96 Silverado that went 186k miles on its original alternator, 140k miles on its original tranny and is still running strong at 270k miles on its original engine... so do I think reliability is an issue? absolutely not... GM isn't what people remember it as... and only the underinformed and gullible believe that import cars are more reliable than domestic cars in this day and age... doing a reference check of Toyota's recalls versus GM's recalls over the last 8 years will prove that fact.

[patriotpa]

Reliability will not be an issue. My wife has a '01 Saturn L200 with over 160K on it and it's been great. I have an '02 Silverado and it's got ~175K on it and is running like a top. Best vehicles we've ever owned!

[DurKNesS]

Can't find the video on here but i know it exists......it's the one with one of the test cars on stage and they said they couldn't do a burnout in it because it had over 200,000 miles on it. Ever since then I've thrown the reliability issue out the window.