Germany is one of the world's leading countries when it comes to making cars. They have made many awesome cars over the years and are home to some of the world's largest car brands. German carmakers have been known for overengineering cars over the years, hence why some of the most reliable cars ever made have been German.
Unfortunately, they have also made some of the world's least reliable cars over the past few years, all of which have expensive parts and repair bills. Here are five of the most reliable German cars ever made and five that are in constant need of repairs.
10 Mercedes W123 (Most Reliable)
These cars are absolute tanks, and they were heavily used as Geerman taxi cabs for years and years. The W123 is a car that is also extremely popular in Africa as it is such a reliable car. The ones there are actually ex-taxis with a few hundred thousand miles on them already.
These cars have reported lasting decades without fault in Africa with little to no servicing. Mercedes properly overengineered this car and that's why they just last so long. It's a far more reliable car than some other Mercedes vehicles that are cheap for a reason.
9 BMW E9x 335i (Constant Need of Repairs)
The BMW 335i is a notorious car when it comes to breaking down. The reason why is because of the engine it uses, the N54 inline-6. That engine is a complete money pit, as it is prone to catastrophic failures. Things like turbocharger failure, blown engines, leaks, etc.
These cars love burning people's wallets, and it is a shame since these cars are actually quite nice to drive. They sound amazing and have 302hp stock, in fact, the 335iS has 322hp, which is 12 more than a new Ecoboost Mustang. Just a shame that this car will spend more time with the mechanic than on the road.
8 VW Golf (Most Reliable)
The Golf is a very simple car that can be used every single day with no issues whatsoever. There are so many old VW Golfs all over the world with no issues whatsoever. The early Golf models are just so simple to repair mainly because they have tiny engines that have hardly any parts. Modern Golfs are not as reliable, but they still are perfect cars for everyday use.
The Golf was launched back in 1974, and it aimed to replace the beetle. The MK1 was called the Rabbit originally in North America. The Golf was also turned into a sedan called the Jetta, which is an extremely popular car in the USA.
7 Mercedes S-Class W220 (Constant Need of Repairs)
The Mercedes S-Class should seriously not be on this list. However, in 1998, Mercedes decided to cheap out on the new S-Class W220 model. It was built pretty badly for a luxury car and now, years down the line, these cars suffer from rust issues, leaks, and many electrical gremlins. It was like Mercedes didn't care about how long this car would last.
The W220 S-Class was the start of a huge quality cut throughout Mercedes vehicles. The latest S-Class is far better, but it is nowhere near as reliable as some of the older S-Class models.
6 Opel Astra (Most Reliable)
The Opel Astra is just a normal car that you buy to get from A to B. It isn't anything special at all unless it's an SRI, GSI, GTC, or OPC model. The Astra has always been reliable, serving families for years and years. The MK5 Astra was sold in the USA, as the Saturn Astra.
The Opel Astra was launched back in 1991, as a replacement for the outgoing Kadett nameplate. The reason for the name change was that the Kadett in the UK was called the Vauxhall Astra, and GM wanted a standard name across the range.
5 VW Phaeton (Constant Need of Repairs)
The Phaeton is a car that is just too complicated for its own good. It was a car that caused many VW engineers working on this project to resign. VW CEO at the time, Ferdinand Piech, wanted the Phaeton to be the best car in the world, and he had a long list of what he wanted the Phaeton to be.
The Phaeton was truly one of the most advanced cars at the time, and in our opinion, it was far better than the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series at the time. It was, however, a ticking time bomb as it had far too many components and an array of specialist engines such as the 6.0 W12 and the 5.0 TDI V10.
4 BMW E30 3-Series (Most Reliable)
The E30 3-Series is a far cry from the current 3-series models of today. Many older E30 cars are still running perfectly today. Many of these cars have been used and abused for drifting, yet they still work perfectly fine. The E30 was made when BMW took so much more care into building their cars and making them more reliable.
Then you have the E30 M3, which was one of the coolest cars ever to come out of Europe during the 1980s.
3 Porsche Cayenne (Constant Need Of Repairs)
The Porsche Cayenne was a brilliant move for Porsche, as it brought in heaps of profit for the company which they then re-invested into other more desirable models such as the 911. The Cayenne was anything but reliable though, as it features just way too many electronics. The Cayenne will usually suffer from many electrical gremlins which will drive you up the wall.
The Cayenne is a fast car, no doubt about that. It is also a car that you can pick up pretty cheap these days, and if you know what you're doing in terms of mechanics, etc then it can be an absolute bargain. If not, it can be cheap thrills with a burnt wallet on the side.
2 VW Passat (Most Reliable)
The VW Passat is a car that just never wants to die. These cars are just so reliable and trustworthy, that in Europe some people fuel the diesel models with used cooking oil. The Passat was unveiled to the world back in 1972, and in 2011 a China and North-America version was unveiled, and the only difference is that it is slightly larger.
The Passat is a brilliant family car. It is solid, safe, and practical. It may not be the fastest or most interesting car in the world, but for the average Joe, it's perfect. Even the latest models will last decades and decades. A properly built modern German car.
1 BMW E60 M5 (Constant Need of Repairs)
The BMW E60 M5 is a legendary car. Everyone loves the big S85 5.0 Sauber V10 that lay under the hood. It had 500hp, which back in 2005 was the ultimate supercar figure. Even the Ferrari F430 didn't have 500hp, nor the Lamborghini Gallardo. The E60 M5 was something special from day one.
It was though completely and utterly unreliable. It was costly to repair since it required specialist tools and attention. It had way too many electronics and the engine was just too specialist for the average BMW mechanic. Just because the E60 M5 is one of the greatest M-Cars ever made, doesn't mean you should buy it no matter how cheap it is. Maintenance, servicing, and repairs are so costly on these cars.