It it one of my life’s regrets that I do not own, and have never owned, a Lancia. However, almost all Lancias have a cool factor that simply cannot be beat, even if their mechanical reliability is non-existent. I’d love to own one someday.
Lessee… in 23 years of driving I have owned either by myself or with my wife:
1979 IH Scout II. Complete pile of shit, I replaced the engine twice, the transmission was constantly slipping, and it had a leak somewhere that let rain in so the floors were moldy. I sold it for a pittance before I turned 16.
1975 VW bus. First car I actually drove. It was in great shape in and out and I was absolutely in love with it. Sold it for $300 in 1999 after the engine sized. One of only two vehicles I truly regret getting rid of.
1989 Toyota van. Basic if ugly transportation. Got rid of it after hitting two deer simultaneously. Never had any mechanical issues before that.
Late 80’s Nissan 2x4 pickup. Basic transport. The owner before me had put overload springs on it and it rode as if there was no suspension at all. Incredibly uncomfortable, sold it after 18 months or so. The only thing I ever had to do with it was clean and rebuild the carburetor and replace the radiator after it developed a leak.
1990 Jeep Cherokee Laredo with the 4.0. Loved it… when it ran. It developed an intermittent electrical problem that would prevent it from starting. Got sick of trying to diagnose it and gave it away.
1986 Buick Lesabre coupe. Pile of shit that was literally given to me. Transmission slipped, cv joints were bad, had no stereo, heater didn’t work… the list was endless. I actually don’t remember exactly how I got rid of it. It wasn’t worth the title transfer fee and nobody I knew would take it for free. I think I gave it to my dad who sold it for scrap but I may be mistaken.
1991 Dodge Dakota 4x4, 5spd. Loved that pickup but sold it when my second kid was born, it was simply useless for hauling a family. Never had any mechanical problems but the paint was shit.
1984 Toyota Tercel 4x4 w/ 6 speed manual. Tiny car but perfect as a commuter. The front CV joints would go out every six months like clockwork and I never could figure out why. I took to a reputable shop locally and had them go over the entire front suspension and drivetrain with a fine-toothed comb and they could find nothing wrong or worn out. Other than that it was mechanically sound and never gave me issues. Gave it my brother after 10 years of ownership and almost 300K miles, he promptly gave it to his girlfriend’s dipshit kid who promptly destroyed it. The only other car I truly regret getting rid of.
1986 Chevy Suburban 4x4. Had lots of issues with that one: transfer case grenaded, electrical problems on top of more electrical problems… and finally a cracked block that occurred with no warning: I was driving down the road one day, there was a sudden big boom from under the hood, and the thing was dead. Towed it home and had my FIL, a once-pro mechanic, come take a look. He said the block had a crack in it. Engine was toast. It had an aftermarket Edelbrock 4 barrel carburetor on it that I pulled off. I sold the Suburban for scrap and the carb separately on Craigslist.
Two Pontiac Grand Prixs. One a 1999, the other a 2006. Both were comfortable, powerful cars and I loved driving them. They both developed electrical and transmission issues around the 200K mile mark so I sold them rather than try to repair them.
1999 Chrysler Town and Country minivan. Limited trim, so leather and heated seats and the works. Comfy but plagued by electrical problems. Had to rebuild the engine around 200K miles. When it left my wife stranded at work one evening and I was unable to diagnose the problem (I even started a thread here looking for ideas) I sold it to some guy for $700, which was about $675 more than I felt it was worth.
Current vehicles:
2006 Chevy HHR. It has just over 90K miles on it, and in 3 years of ownership all I’ve had to do is replace the alternator. The passenger side heated seat doesn’t work and the drivers seat lateral adjustment switch needs replaced. Otherwise a good vehicle.
2020 Honda Civic sedan. The first and so far only vehicle I’ve bought new. A manual transmission was mandatory, so this trim model is missing a lot of features that I miss: it doesnt have a CD player or satellite radio, doesnt have variable intermittent windshield wipers (in 2020?!?), doesnt have a place to store sunglasses, doesnt have a map pocket on the back of the seat… but it gets decent mileage and was purchased solely as a commuting car. The only other car that made my short list was the Kia Soul, but a stick was only available in the base model, and the DCT in the top trim is full of problems. So I went with the Honda. It just turned over 8K miles yesterday and is due for its first oil change and tire rotation.
2006 Subaru Forester. This car was given to me the week the DMV closed due to COVID in March, so I’ve put maybe 30 miles on it because I cannot transfer the title. It uses oil, and at some point soon-ish will need a new power steering pump and head gaskets replaced. Otherwise its in pristine condition. It was used by a couple that had no kids so the rear seats have been used maybe a dozen times in 14 years, and the owners were religious about doing all the maintenance, both needed and routine. The oil issue however was enough to prompt them to replace it with a new car. It was given to us by a family member for my 15 year old son to have to drive, but it has a 5-speed and my son is adamant that he does not want to learn to drive a stick (I sometimes wonder if he’s really my kid). So I’ll probably sell it this spring after tax refunds start coming back.
So I guess this a really, really long-winded way of saying that I’m not loyal to any particular car brand, but apparently favor Japanese makes over American makes. I’ve certainly had much better luck with them, anyway.
The only vehicle brand that I’ve deliberately avoided is Ford. My FIL, a retired mechanic, and my dad, a decently skilled shade tree mechanic, both hate fords and claim they are plagued with mechanial issues, or at least were up to the late 90’s. That was enough to convince me to steer clear of them.