HOW is an old Boxster more robust than Jeeps and Trucks??
 

Seriously.
I just got terrible news. I decided to put my Jeep Wrangler back on the road by replacing the bad head gasket. After it was apart and the new parts in, I found that the recently replaced radiator is split and both the head and block are cracked. It's heavily burned toast. And I was easy on this vehicle, and meticulous about maintenance. Turns out they're prone to these engine problems. (Dead at 118,000 miles)
TOTAL MILAGE ON THE JOB: 18,000

My previous Wrangler, an older YJ, had to have the radiator replaced, and the differential went out. After fixing all of that, it started spitting synchros one gear at a time. Turns out, the 5-speed 4 cylinder YJs have notoriously weak trannys. (Dead at 104,000 miles)
TOTAL MILAGE ON YHE JOB: 6,000

Before that, my Land Rover Discovery needed to be towed twice a week (no joke), needed the whole cooling system, brake system, and much of the electrical system replaced. After fixing most of that, I found that both head gaskets were blown. While contemplating fixing that, the tranny started slipping. All of these and more are extremely common on Land Rovers. (Dead at 124,000 miles)
TOTAL MILAGE ON THE JOB: 8,500

Before THAT! My Nissan Pickup had a multitude of differential and electrical issues and a fuel injection problem that no one could figure out. Sold it while I was ahead. (81,000 miles)
TOTAL MILAGE ON THE JOB: 14,000

Current work car: 1999 Porsche Boxster. Yes, I've replaced several worn out items as it hit higher mileage, only needed a tow twice: once because the coolant bottle was leaking, and I didn't want to risk getting it hot, and once when I wrecked it (it was still drivable, but hey, free tow from AAA).
You guys have probably seen my posts with the downtown traffic, and going off-road, and plowing through miles and miles of snow, and yet the bloody thing keeps cheerfully humming along. How??! (Still going at 171,000)
TOTAL MILAGE ON THE JOB so far: 48,000

What's left to say, except: WTF??

PS: I'm selling the jeep to a do-it-yourself off road guy and the money will be put aside to buy a lower mileage used engine for the Boxster when it finally does go. Might as well reward loyalty.

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Way to go Retro!

Nice write up. Just be sure you have the hand brake on near boat docks so you don't have a "Risky Business" situation. ;)

Delete post.

This is why my wife bought a Macan.

I know the history of Rover, Land Rover and Range Rover. Classic off roaders from days gone by. But why does anybody, in America, still buy a Land Rover in this day and age? They are just bloody awful. My boss had a brand new one and it spent 4 of his first six months at the dealer waiting on parts. And they are ridiculously over-priced.

Exactly. I just made an offer for a low mileage '99 2.5L engine so I have something ready to swap in whenever my current engine lets go. These M96's are consumables/disposables.

Hi Retroman,

simply because it's a good car. Especially if you use it as a daily driver. Over here in Germany we have some folks also at the 300.000 Km / 186.411 miles mark with no bigger problems – OK, the typical maintenance stuff has to be done and wearparts need to be replaced.

Mostly the low mileage cars do make the problems. Also you have the good 16" wheels, which may not look that nice / sporty, but give a good ride comfort and help the chassis structure to stay fresh.

Regards, Markus

LOL, I had thought about that with the pier in the background.
The guy driving the car in the highway pic is my friend Jim. He's the only member of the Possum Lodge to pay his dues on time with the exception of Harold. ;)
Wow, so it's up there with Lexus and Toyota on JD Power while the other vehicles I mentioned owning linger near the bottom! Well, I can't argue with that figure.
Often the myriad scare stories you hear about certain vehicles are overblown. We certainly hear plenty of them about Porsche. In the case of Land Rover/Range Rover it is as bad and worse in reality. I switched to Jeeps because I thought they'd be simple, tough, and dependable by comparison. But turns out they're cheaply thrown together in ways that compromise their perceived durability.
I guess that's why I've had so much better luck with the Porsche. They're just plain made with a higher level of care and it shows.

Sorry the rant above was so long, but after the news of the Jeep I had to vent my frustration. Thanks for listening and for your comments! ;)

Wait a minute. I have those rims and I happen to think they look much better than those 17" twisty things. Tires are cheaper also. :p

G

Yes, a big plus on a car that needs tires at least once a year. ;)

Somehow they are a status symbol. They make a terrible product, consistently finish dead last in every possible category. But every celebrity has one, so somehow they sell mass amounts of them. I laugh everytime I see one on the side of the road.

I don't understand something. I know the same people make different named cars, but what is the difference between Honda and Acura? Or Dodge and Ram?

Graph means what?

So out of 100 Porsches on any particular day of the year, on average that sampling showed that there were 97 "problems" evident in those 100?

Or over the life of those 100 cars they cumulatively had 97 problems at some point in time?

As the 2nd owner of a 99 Jeep Wrangler, having owned it for the last 10 years, I have only replaced a cracked header, and a starter motor after numerous submersion's in the lake while launching Seadoo's.

No current issues, so how does that translate to those statistics?

Lies, damned lies and statistics, its all the same. :p

I had an '89 Jeep Cherokee Limited, a black one with a gold stripe, very retro looking today but the height of suburban modernity back in the early '90's. Anyway this thing was great for the first 3 or 4 years but then, like a synchronized demolition, everything started to fail at once. Radiator, A/C, 4 wheel diff, clear coat paint finish, wheel bearings . . the entire vehicle fell apart. It's like a timer went off. I'll never own another Jeep product again.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I bought a 2005 Ford Escape 'No Boundaries' Edition new from the dealer in 2004 and still have it. Other than a transmission issue in 2009 covered under warranty this thing has been bullet proof (knock on wood). i may keep it forever.

PS Retroman, I love your whole "Red Green" persona . . . Possum Lodge and all. When i used to live in Southern Ontario I'd see Steve Smith (aka Red Green) once in awhile out and about around Hamliton. He's a genuinely nice guy and a great ambassador for duct tape. In the words of Red 'Keep your stick on the ice'.

Hi,

uhm. i'm sorry. Wanted to say that the 16" rims look extremely elegant and emphasizes this special female attitude of the car. :D :D :D ;) ;) ;)

And i agree, don't like the 17" Turbo style rims. That's why i have 18" Carrera rims. Said that, i have to say that the ride comfort is better with 17". Never drove a 986 with 16", but on the bad roads we have today i think that is a good choice. Especially for a daily driver.

Regards, Markus

Dodge Trucks are no longer called "Dodge RAM", just "RAM"
Obviously Acura is the luxury division or Honda, just like Lexus-Toyota, Infiniti-Nissan, GMC-Chevrolet, etc.

I have no idea why reliability would vary by division, such as Acura vs. Honda.

Here's a potential explanation:

How The Hell Are Porsches So Reliable?

he isnt asking about the reliability of Porsches

he's asking how to read the graph

//ENDRANT

I was curious, so I looked up the study. Here's a bit that generally explains their method:

The J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS)
focuses on problems experienced by
original owners of 3-year-old vehicles. Study findings are used extensively by manufacturers
worldwide to help them design and build better vehicles—which typically retain higher resale
value—and by consumers to help them make more informed choices for both new and used
vehicles.
Problem symptoms are evaluated in eight vehicle system categories:
• Exterior
• Seats
• The Driving Experience
• HVAC
• Features/Controls/Displays
• Interior
• Audio/Communication/Entertainment/Navigation
• Engine/Transmission
Quoted from: http://www.jdpower.com/sites/default/files/vds_ss_16.pdf

My SeaDoo's reliability was terrible, they were 90s models. Gave them away and got some old WaveRunners. Those old Yamahas just keep on going.

Wow. Sorry AE. Didn't mean to offend or irritate. Just thought it was an interesting commentary on the survey.

I'll go back into my hole...:chicken: