Date: July 20th, 2026 5:36 PM Author: Fucking Fuckface
Isn't that the opposite of what happened? I had a friend in high school who bought a KIA, and the transmission went out at least four times in in that span of time alone
They're now one of the most reliable brands out there, although it may be possible that the others have just regressed (as I have heard to be true about Toyota)
Date: July 20th, 2026 5:42 PM Author: Duck-like alcoholic therapy reading party
I've heard that many times, then three years later they issue yuge recalls. At one point they said Elantras were on par with civics, then a few years later people said Elantras from that era had self-destructing engines. Sonata engines also self-destructed at the same time for the same reason: metal shearing off inside the crankcase. Two separate engine designs failing at the same time for the same reason. Their dual clutch transmissions have also been nightmares.
just this year SWIM just bought a Hyundai EV. I don't know what model but it looked big, not like a compact. He said it was full of glitches that remind you it's all electric, like sometimes the door lock buttons don't register your input, or they're slow to register them. It's not like a normal car where you just push a button and the doors unlock.
Date: July 20th, 2026 5:49 PM Author: Richard Ames
They are behind the Japanese in terms of build quality and driving enjoyment, but they compete (at least in the SUV segment) by offering way more high-end features as standard and by using high end materials comparable to luxury brands.
Reliability is down more-or-less across every brand because fuel efficiency regs have forced everyone to move to inline-4 turbos and turbocharged engines / hybrids across the board. The days of the naturally aspirated v6 or v8 with no complexity in a normal person's car are just about over.
Date: July 20th, 2026 5:52 PM Author: Duck-like alcoholic therapy reading party
Reliability is fucked everywhere now, but in the past you could get very high quality vehicles from Japan and Germany. Hyundai never made rugged and reliable cars, even if it offered good value
Date: July 20th, 2026 5:54 PM Author: Richard Ames
At least with the Japanese you know there is a huge volume sold and tons of parts available, so repairs are significantly cheaper (and still easier) than with German counterparts.
Date: July 21st, 2026 10:53 AM Author: Fucking Fuckface
I just want a rear wheel drive v8 450 hp rocket with a backup camera, adaptive cruise control, no fucking spying/tracking/bullshit, powerful AC, and nice leather. They can keep dash screens, Sirius XM, blinking blind spot detectors, self-driving, and all this other bullshit that drives up costs and does jack fucking shit for most people
Date: July 21st, 2026 2:18 PM Author: Richard Ames
C7 Corvette is your best bet. Even a recent gen Mustang. Alternatively (and the best choice), a Lexus LC500. Though you'd need to buy an early model year one (2018 - 2019) and $50k or less is still gonna be tough.
Date: July 21st, 2026 2:24 PM Author: Fucking Fuckface
Agreed. Car prices have gotten insane, and not just because of general inflation (though of course it hasn't helped). This is why I'm leaning towards investing some money into my current ride to see it through to my retirement and move abroad in a few years. I just can't stomach current prices for what you actually get
Date: July 21st, 2026 2:28 PM Author: Richard Ames
To be fair, the LC500 is as bulletproof as such a car can be. And it may be the best looking car in the world (or at least it is in the conversation), especially in coupe form.
That said, I think there is a lot to be said about buying sub-400HP cars and making them your own. It's hard to really enjoy a 500+HP beast on regular roads and going to a track regularly is its own time sink and expense.
Date: July 21st, 2026 2:47 PM Author: sticky fragrant library
It's definitely a sweet ride. The best part is when you take it to pick up your date though. It's pretty much guaranteed that he'll be incredibly horny by the time you drop him off.
Date: July 21st, 2026 2:30 PM Author: Richard Ames
MPG regulations are part of it, as are emissions regs in Europe (which end up in most models.) But the biggest culprit IMO is the safety regs around bystander collision. i.e.) a car needs to be designed in such a way that if it hits a person on the street, it won't necessarily kill or maim them.
This is why you basically don't see squared off front fascias anymore and why car "beltlines" are so much higher than they used to be. This killed sedans more than people simply opting for SUVs, who wants to drive around in an ugly blob? Much harder to make them look great, though there are some exceptions.
Date: July 21st, 2026 3:50 PM Author: Duck-like alcoholic therapy reading party
Manufacturing tolerances are tighter, forcing everyone to use lighter weight oils don't protect the engine as well. This is being done to improve fuel efficiency