For fun: What's the simplest car that could be a DD?

My wife's F150 has been out of service for two weeks waiting for a transmission specialist to diagnose an intermittent problem with the 6R80W. Frustration can lead to many bad ideas, so this has me not-seriously pondering: What if I traded one set of problems for a different set and tried to press the simplest car possible into service as a daily driver? Something that might break a lot more, but as long as you can find parts, you could diagnose and fix anything quickly. 

What would you choose? Air cooled VW? Straight six Falcon with a three on the tree? FX16 Corolla?

This is (mostly) me venting instead of a serious idea... Mostly.

AC VW. Hands down. /thread.

Especially if you do not need heat.

A friend had a '73 Super Beetle growing up and it was reliable AF and when he was diligent about the maintenance (valve lash, clean oil air cleaner, carb adj, timing adj) it got close to 40mpg.

Simple is in the eye of the beholder.  Sure, an AC VW is "simple", but you have to maintain it.  Some parts are getting harder to find.  You could make it more reliable with things like electronic ignition, but is that simpler?  I'd think so, but others might disagree.  I'd argue a base NA miata is simpler than AC VW.  Certainly more reliable, though it sounds like you're less interested in reliability than you are in ease of repair.  Is figuring out that your VW sputters in corners because the top gasket on the carburetor isn't sealed perfectly and is allowing excess fuel to slosh into the venturi a "simple" thing to figure out?  Probably depends on how familiar you are with the VW and carburetion.  I think troubleshooting a simple EFI with a stock ECU is much simpler...  Or, what about keeping the drum brakes adjusted on an old VW?  Is that simple?  I think modern self-adjusting calipers are much simpler, but you might disagree there, too.

preach (dudeist priest) said:

AC VW. Hands down. /thread.

This will be hard to beat. Maybe a low-end EV if you want to trade mechanical complexity for electrical/electronic complexity.

(The EV would definitely win in the "fairly simple and not likely to break down" practical category)

A 90s Toyota Corolla would be very hard to beat. Yes the acvw is simpler but it's also slower and not as reliable. And if you want to spice it up and have it be more fun an mr2 spyder is just a 90s Corolla with the drivetrain moved back. 

My mother thought a Dodge Dart with the slant 6 was the way to go.   

90s Civic

Bicycle?

In reply to tremm :

I don't think there's any definition of "simple" that includes a hybrid drivetrain.

A two stroke moped?

93EXCivic said:

90s Civic

came here to say this. Carry a sore fuel pump relay and never bay an eye. They even had AC and three pedals and HF transmission. 

In reply to MadScientistMatt :

For me? My MGTD  for my wife ? Her Honda CRV 

I would say AC VW if you could find a rust free one....

but anymore I would say a Prius is a good choice (as lighting strikes nearby)

Non-turbo, manual, W123 300D

Easy answer is this the CRX. Aircooleds need rebuilds and valve adjustments, even basic Toyotas' need something but a CRX with a manual is modern enough not to need all that. Its everything you need and nothing you want but it will get you there and last 400K miles if treated properly. 

In terms of dead simple I used to commute in a Model A. Can you do it yes, is it simple yes. Is it a pain to maintain also yes. 

93EXCivic said:

90s Civic

But try to find one these days....

dculberson said:

A 90s Toyota Corolla would be very hard to beat. 

I had a 92 Prism (corolla platform) and I could not kill it and never worked on it in the time I had it.

As someone currently struggling to find parts to fix the brakes on a not-obscure late-80's Japanese car, I would definitely argue against anything old.  Sure they were simple, but even something as common as an ACVW is going to present challenges in terms of parts availability, quality, and expense.

My vote would be for whatever basic transportation had a can't-kill-it-it's-a-cockroach reputation for reliability from between 10 and 20 years ago.  You want something that had huge production numbers and is undesirable to those pesky enthusiasts who like to drive up the price on fun, sporty cars.  I think a manual Honda Accord would be my choice, but a Camry would likely do the job as well.

I cringe as I say it, but a Prius probably wouldn't be terrible either.

93EXCivic said:

Bicycle?

There are so many; Civics, Corrolla, Sentra, old Datsun Pick Up etc.

I think the best for this exercise would be the simplest with the best parts support.

VW beetle would be one but as pointed out the maintenance intervals are more frequent; some of that can be eliminated with upgrades.

A Datsun 1200, B210 or 210 would be another one if you could find one; the made the motor until 2007.

I don't know domestic cars very well but I assume something like a Dodge Dart with slant six would fit the bill.

Cactus said:

93EXCivic said:

Bicycle?

You got it.

Simple and reliable are not the same thing. A Model T is simple, but I would rather a high mileage Alfa for getting to work and back.

Simple is only limited by your tolerance to things. If you don't need protection from the weather, any crash protection, and performance, and cargo carrying capacity, it sounds like a Vespa.

In reply to tuna55 :

+1.

Give me a slightly more complex early 2000s Japanese car over a simpler AC VW any day. I have had both and it's not even close for trouble free transportation.

I think cars built around the turn of the century will be the benchmark for trouble free transportation for decades to come. It's before things got too complicated but you still got safety features like ABS that I love. 

F a car and family... cheapest pre 04 Harley sportster 1200. Convert to chain and buy a 5spd model.

tuna55 said:

 

 

Simple and reliable are not the same thing.

This is precisely what I was going to say.  Seems like a lot of the answers are focused on reliability.  In that case, lots of good answers here.  Prius is tough to beat, as is most any Civic/Corolla, etc...but they aren't necessarily simple.

This is simple....

I think there's a couple of routes you could go with the question.  On one hand, look at cars that rarely have issues and if they do, they're probably simple ones to fix (in theory).  It's less about having something to easy to maintain and more about things that need little to maintain. That would encompass semi-modern Japanese cars like Honda's and Toyota's. They just run and run.  However, parts are getting thin on the ground and if you get into something like an ECU issue, it can get complicated really quickly.  Timing belts aren't difficult, but not quite "easy".

On the other side, cheap to maintain could be looked at as what's the minimum amount of tools/cheapest parts to maintain.  That would probably be an old Ford or GM.  Older GM parts are practically sold at gas stations.  Need a fan belt for a 1978 GM V8?  Every parts store will have it in stock.  Same might not be said for a 1990 Honda Civic.  

Ease of maintenance plays a part, too.  Wrenching on an old Ford with a straight six for a car that could have also had a V8 is so accessible you could practically stand in the engine bay to work on it.  Getting to the starter on a '92 Corolla will probably require some swivel sockets, a contortionist and some swearing.    But, that old Ford will have a carb v. EFI.  Easier for some, not so much for others.

So, my vote would be a carbureted GM small block car.  More specifically, a 70's era truck.  Parts from brakes to suspension to engine are all in stock at every part store you walk in to, and usually the cheapest.  Sure, things like door panels or cracked dashes (which any truck of that era will have) are unobtainium, but we're talking about maintaining, not a show queen.

-Rob

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

tuna55 said:

 

 

Simple and reliable are not the same thing.

This is precisely what I was going to say.  Seems like a lot of the answers are focused on reliability.  In that case, lots of good answers here.  Prius is tough to beat, as is most any Civic/Corolla, etc...but they aren't necessarily simple.

This is simple....

Quoted so that I could plug the image from Strong's Garage:  https://youtube.com/channel/UCMMlvWUf1LXqKBzWCE53yNQ

I love these guys, quintessential western Canadian small town guys.