As far as reliablity goes, I've had three cars that never really needed much attention.
Most reliable: '82 Mazda RX7. Changed the plugs in it, replaced tires and an alt. Bought it with 168K miles on it, it was beaten to death in the '94 hail storm, and I got rid of it with 248k miles.
Next in line is a toss up.
'95 Toyota Corolla - before we bought the Avalon, it had things going out on it. Had to replace the clutch MC, brake MC, but other than that, it was all routine maintenance. Still never spent more than $1000 to keep it on the road all these years.
'71 Triumph Spitfire MkVI - yup, you heard me right...I had to change the front spindle, the rear end and an alt. Drove that little car like hell, and it never let me down.
-had an '85 Chevy Celebrity. When I bought the Spitfire, I gave the Celeb to my mom. Had 75k miles on it and my mom drove it until it died at 248k.
But we all keep and drive vehicles for different reasons. I've put 1k miles on my 60 since July. I drive so little, I could have just put the TR6 back on the road and had that as my daily. The TR6 was a GIANT pain in the ass...still have it though - it was my first car. The Avalon needs new CV joints already, the 60 was a nightmare the first year or two of ownership, but we'll be keeping them. Still have the Corolla, too. Not sure what my next vehicle would be. It'll probably wind up being a new car for the better half - she treats the Avalon like crap, and will want to replace it in a year or two - I know it's coming.
But it's a love thing. You get whatever you love and you drive it until it falls apart and you just can't fix it anymore.
