What's the most simple, bullet-proof, reliable daily driver you can find today?

I have a 2000 S70 that I've been using as a daily for the last 8 months and today the transmission decided to sing it's last song. Now I need to find another daily driver because I sure ain't fixing that as the car has about a million other issues. I'd like to spend at least as possible but still have something that can last me a couple years. 

Four years ago, I bought a 1994 Volvo 940 for 500$ that I drove every day for almost 2 years with absolutely no problems. I sled that thing through every corner in the winter. It could start at -40 better than most cars. I never trusted that thing and it never left me stranded. Sure, I had to change brakes and a muffler, but all that was cheap and expected, considering the age of the car. Doing maintenance on this was easy because it was simple. Single cam engine, solid rear axle, 4 speed auto, etc. No complex packaging or anything. I sold the car for 500$ in the end because the rust was starting to scare me. After that I found a 1989 240 and a 1998 S70 T5 at the same time for the same price. I ended up purchasing the S70, but soon after I realized all the parts were much more expensive and the car itself was much more complex. I drove it for 1.5 years but had some minor issues. I got the other S70 after that, thinking it couldn't be worse or better. Little did I know, I had all the possible issues with the DBW throttle, the then-new 5 speed auto transmission that can't shift and takes special fluid, 5 engine mounts, etc.

I'd like to find something else that is like the older Volvos. Very simple, cheap parts, tough with good build quality. Now I know that in 2018 I won't find another RWD Volvo that isn't a project car. Most have rusted away here in eastern Canada or have been used and abused past 350-400 km. I know Toyotas can do that. But what else is out there? It can't be much older than 15 years because past that rust has partly claimed it unless the factory rust-proofing process was perfect.

A plane ticket to BC and the cleanest Toyota Echo available to drive back.

Or a Leaf.

Anything that says Toyota on it from the mid 90s. 

A Pontiac Sunfire or Chevy Cavalier, with the 2.2L.

They are the cockroach of the automotive world and cannot be killed. Most wreckers have a "Cavalier Section," where you can have an endless supply of parts.  Warning though - nobody put new parts on these cars, so don't expect to find a new set of shocks or an axle on a recently crashed one.  Except alternators, because GM.

"4 cylinders of cast iron goodness with 8-count ’em 8 Pushrods. That’s more than you can get in any Honda, Porsche, or even Ferrari today.  All that fury is coupled to a three speed automated gearbox that gives you the power of a four, but the mileage of a V8." (Wally)

"And running forever is not an asset when it comes to these cars, it’s a liability." (Tom_Spangler)

2.3 Ranger? I just found a 2wd extended cab one locally with 100k miles.

It fails on "simple", but my bride's 2011 c300 4matic (v6) fits the bulletproof bill. Bought it at 24k. She's put 60k on it. Here's the list of things it has needed and the list of problems.

Tires

Oilchanges

Wiper blades

Problems list:

Rear window screen rattles sometimes when retracted

Sounds like there might be a pebble in one of the mufflers

Srsly. That's it. By leaps and bounds the most reliable car I've ever been around.

Mazda2 is about as simple and reliable as it gets for a modern car.

4 cylinder camry. Reliable as gravity but not as quick.

In reply to SkinnyG :

That was my first thought. We had 2 with the 2.4 and they were perfectly reliable.

How vanilla are you willing to go? Toyota Avalon vanilla? Because that's your answer. If you want fancy vanilla with the little specks in it, Lexus LS 

Panther.

Crown Victoria, Town Car, Grand Marquis, pick your poison.

When I think reliability as a former shop guy, these ones come to mind:

90s or 00s Corolla, Camry, or pretty much any Toyota of that generation

Early 90s Mazdas.  Find yourself a pre-OBD2 MX-3 with a manual and you'll need a Evap purge solenoid every 150k.  Also, surprisingly fun to drive.  More torque than I expected.

4.9L straight-6 Ford F150.  Good luck trying to kill that one.

I know you've had great luck with Volvos (as have many others) but they are not the top of the food chain in reliability.  Great,  yes, but not the top of the world.

I am like you in many ways, but my go-to was Mercedes.  As far as I'm concerned, the W210 was the last great, reliable Mercedes, and it is getting impossible to find one that isn't completely wasted, or doesn't cost too much.

Also, 2008-2011 Hyundai Elantra. My friend's mom has put 300k on hers with no issues other than a groaning serpentine belt pulley.

A CRV? My mom has a 2005 that is closing in on 300K miles and the only thing out of the ordinary that broke was the A/C (black death or whatever). Other than that, it still drives like new. No oil leaks, or burning, nothing. I had an Element of the same vintage that was a similar story until it was killed by a Volvo. I would say any CRV made until they started putting in the CVT trans.

Speaking of Volvo's I also had a cockroach 940. I bought it for $1K, drove it for 3 years (including 2 yrs earning mileage as a sales rep), changed the oil a couple times, and sold it for $2K. Seriously nothing else. I beat the crap out of that thing and it never broke.

For a car that is simple and rust resistant, my choice was a Saturn Vue SUV but only the 2.2L 4cyl (same as mentioned above for Cavalier} and specifically only mated to the 5 speed manual trans

Here is my detailed experience going from 140k miles to 260k miles.

Specifically look for 2005-2007 because those engines got the improve timing chain guide tensioner. 

Any of the Toyota Camrys that are not really Camrys.  You want a 4 door Camry, its going to cost you X.  Get a Solara, its going to cost you X-Y.  Pick up an Avalon which is basically a bigger nicer Camry, its cheaper.  You can even find Lexus ES300s cheaper than most beat to death Camrys.  Saabs are also way cheaper than they should be.  Every one I see on CL is close to if not over 200,000 miles.  Most are well cared for.  4 Cylinder Rangers are a good choice.  Most around here that come up for sale are original owner old guy trucks.  The 6 cylinder ones fetch a huge premium over the 4s.

This little guy im pretty sure these are going to be the modern cockroach of the car world.

The cockroach of the past 2 decades is the Prius.

In reply to G_Body_Man : 

Make that fly to Victoria BC. There is no salt used on roads, no snow removal budget.

John Welsh said:

For a car that is simple and rust resistant, my choice was a Saturn Vue SUV but only the 2.2L 4cyl (same as mentioned above for Cavalier} and specifically only mated to the 5 speed manual trans

Here is my detailed experience going from 140k miles to 260k miles.

Specifically look for 2005-2007 because those engines got the improve timing chain guide tensioner. 

 

They are speaking of the old 2.2L (aka 2200, 122ci).  The ecotec 2.2 was only in the Cavalier for 03-05 IIRC.

I think the ecotec 2.2 was pretty reliable too. The water pump is semi-annoying for a DIYer, but i dont think there's a lot else that isn't either normal or better than average.

In reply to ProDarwin :

I saw that too but he didn't specifically say the same motor, just the same size recommendation.

And you can't really go wrong with the 2.2 Eco Cavalier

Those early '90s Mazdas (Protege, 323, MX-3, and Ford Escort) are good cars. I've had 2 different ones (a '92 Protege and a '95 Escort) and both were ultra reliable, simple, and cheap. The Protege finally needed CV joints at around 200k, and I believe it may still have been on the original clutch. 1.8 SOHC BP motor just kept on going. The Squirt (Escort) chucked the timing belt after a couple years of me driving it (I wasn't exactly easy on it). My dad bought it off me for the same $400 I paid, changed the timing belt, and my stepmom drove it for a couple years before they sold it to my brother. He owned it for about a year, when one day it mysteriously burned to the ground at his girlfriend's work.

My '03 Tacoma has been reliable as gravity.

Buy a 2wd pickup truck, it's all unit repair and there is very little "remove these 5 things to access the one thing you need to fix." stuff