Easiest to work on?

I'm dreading doing anything on my Honda Fit. While most things are relatively simple, changing plugs requires removal of the upper intake manifold, and most of the back of the engine is underneath the firewall...

The Miata is the only car I've ever owned where changing wheel bearings was easier than changing the oil filter.

Really enjoying working on my super-base-model, no-AC '92 Civic though. Not looking forward to doing the alternator belt but doing the shocks was cake.

In reply to Trackmouse:

Depending on which engine it is, changing the alternator also requires removing the upper intake. But weirdly, it is easiest done if you leave the throttle body in place and yank the upper from between the two.

Miata is cake to work on. Honestly, everyone considering working on cars for a hobby or profession should get one to play with.

Subaru is gawdawefull. I've never enjoyed anything about them.

Allroad was realistically the worst to get under the hood of.

My 240SX was a piece of cake to work on. I could change a water pump in 30 minutes on one, spark plugs in 10. Never had to do anything big like a clutch job but seems like it would have also been super easy.

When my father drove me to the dealership to pick up my new WRX, I opened the hood and told him that I couldn't wait for the alternator to fail. He didn't believe me but I said, "Look how easy it is to get at!!"

I had the car for 125,000 miles and the alternator never failed.

Dads old 80s F350 mulch mover he had for the business, 300 I6 and boats of room everywhere for anything.

1973-1986 Chevy pickup. I defy you to find something more simple, and plentiful that that.

Appleseed wrote: 1973-1986 Chevy pickup. I defy you to find something more simple, and plentiful that that.

I spent some time under the hood of my 74 C10 today as a matter of fact. Absolutely sets the standard for easy to work on.

The 81 K5 Blazer I had. 250ci inline-6, winch bumper with no winch and 4X4. Tall enough to get under it without jacking. Can sit on the fender to work on the engine and the winch bumper with no winch made a great step/work platform. Plus was simple enough to work on.

EF Honda Civics. I've taken every single part on and off of them over the years, and there is nothing on that car that is hard to do, or poorly designed. I'm a firm believer that this was the best car Honda ever made.

Any 4 cylinder car that could be optioned with a V6. Though it really doesn't matter on 2000+ MY cars. Sure you can stand in the engine bay of an old large american car with a I6, which was nice because you needed to do so frequently. I always have to hunt for the hood latch on my Prizm, because I open the hood like 4 times a year.

NB miata was always an easy one.

Probably the easiest car I ever worked on was my buddy's '76 corolla 2dr hatch with a 2TC. You could take most of that car apart with a 10mm socket. He bought a parts car and the two of us had it completely diassembled in about 2 hours.

Appleseed wrote: 1973-1986 Chevy pickup. I defy you to find something more simple, and plentiful that that.

Yep... they rust apart and get scrapped before they need any work done I just barely remember working on those. I hated them and I don't even remember why. The '88-98 trucks are almost gone from the roads here, I hate those too. I still remember why.

Regarding the B5 Audis, I recently did a timing belt on an 058 block model in about 90 minutes. Just unbolt the bumper (foglight covers, two 8mm-head hex bolts, some T25 splash shield bolts, and YANK, then unplug the foglights and headlight washer hose, which is a quick disconnect), then three T30 bolts per side, then unbolt two T40 bumper support bolts per side, install two Miata/RX-7 transmission case bolts per side, remove remaining two T40 bolts and disconnect intercooler hose from crossmember (left side only - right side can stay on, but unplug the pressure sensor from the condensor), slide lock carrier forward, and everything is right there. Don't even need to drain the coolant. Anybody who pulls the whole front end off to work on one probably also strips naked to use the toilet.

That said I really do love working on Audis. It's therapeutic. They aren't difficult, I get to use knowledge I generated through experience, and there is a lot of soul-replenishing, visceral yanking things off the car, and then smacking it back together.

My 96 2wd Ranger with the 2.3/5spd was butter simple to work on, same with my 89 Mustang GT. The "Big Blue Bus" aka a 12 Suburban isn't that bad either. My 95 Dakota wasn't too bad, given the known history of Chrysler "engineering".

Certain specialty tools always make a job go easier.

By wide and far, I'd have to say that even in 2016, the easiest vehicles are most fullside trucks and Mustangs. I haven't had the pleasure to work on "the answer" yet...

Cousin_Eddie wrote:

Appleseed wrote: 1973-1986 Chevy pickup. I defy you to find something more simple, and plentiful that that.

I spent some time under the hood of my 74 C10 today as a matter of fact. Absolutely sets the standard for easy to work on.

Chevy built seats under the hood to work on the engine... aka fenderwells.

Na miata, redblock volvo. Although they dont really meet the 10-15 year requirement by op seems not many other people did either haha.

I might get flak for saying this, i enjoy working on i6 bmws...newest I worked on was 03 so that might be a reason but inline anything ususally grants you good space. Still havent done a job that sucked in that car yet

The_Jed wrote:

Knurled wrote: Subarus are still crazy-easy to work on....

I popped in here to say this. Unless of course you're talking about changing the spark plugs on an '05-'09 Outback with the EZ30. Hands. Will. Not. Fit.

Spark plugs on ANY Subaru suck.

In reply to NGTD:

Not so. They are stone simple on an EA82 engined car. Can get them standing up with a three foot extension, like a Pontiac V8.

The EZ engines suck to work on. It's not the engine so much as the chassis they put it in, though. I've done valve covers on EJ25 and EZ30 engined Legacies, they both are a nightmare to access the lower driver's side cover bolts. Easiest way for me is to break it loose from the framerail side with a high offset combo wrench, then bearhug the engine and reach my left hand down behind the engine and up, where I can juuust get a fingertip or two on the bolt. And maybe it will come out.

At least, that is what I did the first time. Then I realized, duh, it is two 14mm head nuts and you can just jack the engine up. Now access is way easier.

5 cyl volvos are pretty sweet. I can do an 850 t belt in 1.5 casual hours. About. 5 longer on a 01 and up v70.

Life's rough. Sit on the tire to do work, can reach anywhere through the side of the chassis.

In reply to Knurled:

I haven't worked on an older EA82 car. I have done plugs on a EJ25D, an EJ253 and two EJ205's and they all were awful to do plugs on. I agree that it is much more the chassis than the engine.

EF Civic / CRX is a good trainer. Logically laid out and nothing needs heavy machinery (press, fixture, subframe jack).

Aside from the clutch, a C5 Corvette is even easier to work on - obviously designed by people who wouldn't have much time to get it back in action before the next session.