It’s a view shared by Charlie Sterrett, owner of Sterrett’s Auto Centre in Northern Ireland, who says he would choose a 2023 Toyota Aygo with an automatic gearbox, which is dependable if serviced yearly. A recurring theme quickly emerges: mechanics tend to favour cars that are sensibly engineered and have established a reputation for reliability.
At the enthusiast end of the market, performance and reliability are not always mutually exclusive. James Dudley, founder of Automotive Cardiff, is in no doubt: “I’d purchase a petrol BMW without question. F-chassis or G-chassis, mated with the legendary B58 3.0-litre turbocharged engine, which is commonly found in the M140i, 240i, 340i and 540i.”
He argues that although these are not as uncompromising as the German firm’s explosive M2, M3, M4 and M5 models, they nevertheless provide sufficient comfort for daily use combined with still-mighty performance; both manual versions and the ZF 8HP automatic gearbox are “pretty robust”.
Alex Alfano, owner of north London garage Diagnostic Service & Repairs (DSR), is similarly smitten by a BMW, the renowned E46 M3, a 3.2-litre, six-cylinder manual produced from 2000 to 2006. “It’s fast and exciting to drive,” he says.
Diesel cars are more complicated
Many of the garages interviewed expressed concerns about the increasing complexity of modern emission-control systems, particularly on newer diesel cars.
Dudley says choosing a diesel for the same £20,000 budget is “much harder” because of recurring problems involving exhaust treatment systems such as AdBlue, low-pressure/high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems and diesel particulate filters (DPFs).
Perhaps surprisingly, his choice is a Maserati Ghibli with the 3.0 V6 (DV6) engine and the eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. “It’s comfortable and even though it’s Italian the quality is pretty damn good. Parts can be quite expensive but who cares, you own a Maserati.”