Topic: What Car is Easiest To DIY

[carthatgoesboom]

Are there any cars specifically designed to be easy to fix yourself?  I was thinking older Jeeps might fit the bill.

[johngenx]

Most pre 2001 Mercedes models with inline engines (room in the bay) are very easy to work on.  I was able to do 99% of the maintenance and repairs on my 98 C230 with a small set of simple hand tools.  Brakes, fluids, filters, belts, etc. all simple and easy to do.

Go back to the pre OBD-II era, and MB models are even more DIY friendly.  As long as you stayed away from the complex models (like SL's or S-Class cars with tricky self-leveling suspensions, etc) those cars were simple to maintain and lasted forever.

But, if you want super-simple, look for North American iron, full frame or pony cars.  Carbs, no electronics, leaf spring suspensions, etc. are dead simple and parts cheap.

[ktm525]

Are there any cars specifically designed to be easy to fix yourself?  I was thinking older Jeeps might fit the bill.

My Volvo P1800 is a snap to work on. easy wrenching.

[Bubba]

My slant six Volare was a snap to work on. 

[mrthompson]

Ford Model T?

[ArticSteve]

They need to be as they are pure junk.  I just sold my beloved 88 Laredo.  I replaced everything but the motor and the diffs in the 10 years I owned it, but when the gas tank sprung a leak I decided enough was enough.  I replaced it with an ATV.

[wing]

Miata, S2000 is pretty easy to work on too, but parts are pricey.

[rrocket]

I'm finding my Echo to be stupidly easy.  Took off the starter the other day.  2 bolts. Right next to oil filter out in the open.  Beautiful.  15 minutes.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Carburetted pickups with front and rear solid axles are pretty easy to work on, especially if the have an inline six.

[PJungnitsch]

It can be hard to tell. The Ford pickup I had, other than the easiest heater core change in creation, tended to be difficult/frustrating to work on mechanically.

My Mazda pickup, OTOH, is extremely easy to service/fix, as if the engineers had the maintenance people at their shoulder during the design phase.

Other than the size difference they are very similar designs with simple suspensions and in-line engines, the difference is in how the little details are handled.

[ArticSteve]

the difference is in how the little details are handled.

I think that is pretty well it.  Some "little details" can set you back hours on what should have normally been a breeze. 

[ktm525]

the difference is in how the little details are handled.

I think that is pretty well it.  Some "little details" can set you back hours on what should have normally been a breeze. 

Like an old SL1 Saturn where the tire had to come off in order to remove the alternator? Who mounts an alternator on the bottom of an engine near where salt road splash can hit it? A 15 minute job turned into hours.

[dr_spock]

Maybe it makes it easier to change the alternator on the SL1 when it is on a shop lift. 

Wouldn't an aircooled VW Beetle be easy to DIY provided you can get the parts?   No electronics, no radiator, etc...

[rrocket]

^^Can you pull the engine?  Or do you have to drop it out the bottom??

[ArticSteve]

You drop it out the bottom.  Most of the effort is getting the ass end up high enough.  After that it's 20 minutes.  The simpler life. 

[Slow_lane]

The mechanic on TSN Motoring show has stated a few times that Toyotas are mechanic friendly and are designed better for servicing than other brands. My mechanic said same thing.

[ktm525]

The mechanic on TSN Motoring show has stated a few times that Toyotas are mechanic friendly and are designed better for servicing than other brands. My mechanic said same thing.

I could see that, my old Toyota 4*4 was easy to wrench on too.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

My old '86 1 Tonne Toyota was fine as far as access, but I broke so many farking bolts on it, it was unbelievable. It got to the point where I kept a bunch of lugnuts in the glove box because if I had a flat, I could count on breaking at least three (the most was five out of six).

I tried a bunch of anti-seize compounds, but it didn't matter. When the head gasket went, me and a friend used a pry bar to lift the head enough to get the new one in. There wasn't enough nut left on the exhaust manifold to get a wrench on. The truck was about 6 or seven years old when I sold it and it was well on its was to compost by then.

The easiest car I had to work on was my old 68 Wildcat, easy access and good quality components. Never stripped any threads or worried about breaking bolts. When I tore the 430 cu.in. motor down, even the nuts on the exhaust manifold studs backed off without a problem. With the radiator out, you could stand between the bumper and the engine block with room to spare.

[claudster]

The 1976 Buick Skylark my dad gave me. Large engine bay with lots of room to move around, no computers or electronics. Easy to access components that required a basic set of wrenches and hand tools.
I learned basic auto mechanics and body work on that car.

[Arthur Dent]

Generally the older the easier it is. Front engine, rwd cars tend to be easier as well since the axle is separate from the engine and transmission (generally). Inline engines are generally easier than V engines.

The Triumph has got to be one of the easiest every with the flip up hood. The wheel makes a nice seat too.