Top 10 cars that will last 200,000 miles

1. Honda Accord
2. Subaru Legacy
3. Toyota Avalon
4. Honda Odyssey
5. Nissan Maxima
6. Toyota Camry
7. Ford Taurus
8. Honda Civic
9. Acura TL
10. Subaru Outback

Interestingly, the list is made up almost entirely of mainstream sedans, with the only exceptions being the Honda Odyssey minivan and Subaru Outback wagon—although Subaru has offered a low-selling Outback sedan in the past.

These are all vehicles purchased for everyday use and family duty, and not sophisticated luxury models laden with electronic features or vehicles designed for extreme performance or heavy towing. Notably, all but the Taurus are Japanese models. 

And no European brands made the list.

Our own annual autos reliability survey of more than a million vehicles routinely finds that some of these vehicles, including the TL, Avalon, Camry, and Civic, are reliability all-stars, with many years of very good or better scores. It is worth noting that while the Civic has a long track record of reliability, for certain years, the Civic Hybrid has developed significant battery pack failure rates.

The list doesn’t include some cars, such as the Toyota Prius, that have excellent reliability. It could be that the Prius hasn’t reached that mileage in great volumes, and it could also mean that owners aren’t ready to sell y

et. (Read: “Hybrids Hang Tough as the Miles Rack Up.”)

In its recently published study of all vehicles, iSeeCars found that the models most likely to be advertised with more than 200,000 miles overall were overwhelmingly work trucks and large SUVs, with the Ford F-250 leading the pack.

But most large SUVs have not performed as well in our reliability surveys as pickups. The Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon, Dodge Durango, Ford Expedition, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Lincoln Navigator cited in the study have all had sub-par reliability most years in our surveys. The Toyota Sequoia is an exception, landing in second place in the iSeeCars study and with a solid reliability record in our surveys.

The prevalence of trucks may be due to several factors, including: commercial users are diligent about maintenance and willing to make major repairs, and acceptance of a truck in rough condition that would have seen a regular car retired. For these reasons, we requested this special view of passenger cars from iSeeCars to inform consumers.

In the end, its data largely aligns with our own findings. Whether you’re looking for a car, truck, or SUV that’s good for the long haul, the best bet is to choose a model with a solid reliability record and keep up with regular maintenance.

Learn how to go the distance yourself, with our special feature on how to make your car last 200,00 miles.

—Jim Travers 

Diminished Value explained by a lawyer

Although this was produced by a law office in Georgia the principals explained here apply in Texas as well.

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Car News: First photos of 2014 50th Anniversary Mustang

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By Jerry Hirsch

LA TIMES: 

December 4, 2013, 9:00 p.m.

Ford Motor Co. unveiled the sixth generation of its Mustang on Wednesday night, nearly 50 years after the original debuted at the New York World’s Fair.

The automaker released photos of the 2015 Mustang and planned to show it off in a global reveal at events in Los Angeles; New York; Dearborn, Mich.; Barcelona, Spain; Shanghai; and Sidney, Australia, on Thursday. The new version of the iconic American sports coupe will go on sale late next year.

“Every car company has a vehicle that strikes to the heart and soul of the company, and for us that is the Mustang,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s chief operating officer.

PHOTOS: Ford debuts 2015 Mustang

The new model hews closely to the styling that enabled Ford to sell 9 million Mustangs and made the car a star of countless movies, television shows and even postage stamps. Ford plans to take advantage of its international fame -- there’s a Mustang club even in remote Iceland -- to launch sales in Europe and Asia.

Anyone seeing the car will instantly recognize it as a Mustang, with its long sculpted hood and short rear deck. The styling is most evocative of the 1969 model.

“When you see it, you know it has the bloodlines of a Mustang but is designed for the 21st century,” Fields said.

The shark nose grill leans forward to give an impression of movement and aggression. The trademark tri-bar tail lamps now come in a three-dimensional configuration that lends depth to the rear. The sloping fast-back roof profile shouts Mustang more than anything else.

Ford’s challenge: to honor a half-century of history while injecting the car with modern engines, technology and styling cues.

It will offer three engine choices. The base model will have a 3.7-liter V6 with at least 300 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. Ford also plans a turbo-charged four cylinder that will have about the same horsepower but more torque and better fuel economy.

The performance Mustang will come with a 5.0-liter V8 that will produce more than the 420 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque that’s in the current GT model.

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-ford-mustang-debut-20131204,0,2626130.story#ixzz2mbs1G1Ec

You wrecked your car, but do you trust the repair shop?

by JESSE JONES / KING 5 News 

For two years Saohouy Ieng drove a truck that experts say was unsafe after it was repaired incorrectly by an insurance preferred body shop.

“Their preferred shops cut corners on repairing the car and they are trying to save money for the company itself, but not for the consumer”, said Saohouy.

Pictures of the frame of Saohouy's Toyota Tacoma after it was repaired the first time show it is rusted and bent, the welding still incomplete.

It’s something Saohouy still can’t understand.

“My kids, my wife when I drove that car for that two years. (I’m) just very, very upset,” he said.

Jeff Butler owns Haury's Lake City Collision. He says Saohouy’s truck was left in a dangerous condition. He made the final repairs on Sahouy's truck and blames the shoddy job on the cost pressures delivered by insurance companies to its preferred shops.

“They are tying the hands of the body shop. That's how they are getting their work. It's that insurance referral but it puts the insurance company as the customer and not the person with the keys. It's a conflict,” said Butler.

Over the next few weeks Butler showed many questionable repairs, from improperly soldered frames to one that was severely damaged then covered up with paint to look new.

Cosmetically the parts look good, but the results could cause casualties.

“So while this car may not fall apart as you drive down the road tomorrow, this is not an approved procedure and it could kill the occupant if he is in a future collision,” said Butler.

Another expert I spoke with was Mike Harber, a former body shop owner who spent years as a preferred facility.

“I think the insurance companies have gone way too far in managing claims and adjusting claims downward and they have a strangle hold on the collision industry, affecting ultimately the consumer,” said Harber.

Harber now owns an appraisal business assisting customers through post-repair inspections of insurance preferred shops.

His advice: “It's not in your best interest to be at one of those shops because it calls for cut rate labor, it calls for the use of imitation and used parts.”

Karl Newman of the Northwest Insurance Council disagrees with this premise.

“There's no motivation for a company to put an unsafe vehicle back on the road,” said Newman. “They're still insuring the car so they want it done right.”

Karl adds that if the job’s not done right by the body shop, the vast majority of insurers guarantee the repairs.

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