The #1 Car Mechanics Recommend the Most
The top criteria when shopping for a car tend to be price, reliability, and a stellar safety record. After all, no one wants to regret a financial investment as big as driving off in a new ride. But while doing plenty of research and reading reports can lead you in the right direction, the professionals who make a living fixing vehicles have some of the best real-world insight. Fortunately, some have taken to social media with their top vehicle picks—and it appears that there’s a consensus among many mechanics about which cars they recommend most.
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What type of car do mechanics recommend the most?
The latest intel comes from a video recently posted to TikTok by Colorado Springs-based auto shop Elite Mobile Tires and Maintenance. The person behind the camera goes around the garage and polls mechanics at work by asking them which car brand or make they would recommend to a friend based on what they know about maintenance, upkeep, and performance. Interestingly, everyone who was questioned gave a variation of the same answer.
“Anything Japanese. Toyota [is] at the top of that list,” the first mechanic tells the camera, also vouching for Honda and Subaru.
Another one of the mechanics polled agreed that “Toyotas or Hondas” were the best pick. Some even went so far as to recommend specific makes and models, including one who said “any four-cylinder Japanese car, [like a] Honda Civic [or] Toyota Camry,” while one other said a “Toyota 4Runner, absolutely.”
However, there were some caveats. When pressed on whether the “anything Japanese” recommendation also applied to Nissan, one mechanic quickly backpedalled. “OK, hold on! Not all Japanese [brands]!” he conceded.
Other mechanics agree about Japanese cars.
This isn’t the first time mechanics have taken to social media to voice their approval of Japanese car brands. In a TikTok video posted in September, car expert and mechanic Zach Trahan gave a rundown of the top five cars he said were guaranteed to last 200,000 miles. Similar to the Elite Mobile Tires video, he cited the Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, and Honda Accord among his top picks. He also included Toyota’s luxury line Lexus, specifically saying the IS250 or IS350 were truly reliable vehicles.
But when it comes to recurring answers, there seems to be one true constant: the Honda Civic. In another video posted to TikTok by U.K. vehicle service specialists Autobliss, an on-site poll of mechanics found that the iconic make and model was far and away the top pick.
RELATED: Mechanics Agree These Are the 2 Most Reliable Cars You Can Buy.
Drivers mostly agreed with the take.
But it’s not just mechanics’ opinion that matters. Drivers took to the comment section on the Elite Mobile Tires video to chime in with their takes, including many who were aligned.
“Just asked my mechanic the same thing, and he said ‘you can’t go wrong with Toyota,'” one commenter wrote.
Another cited some impressive longevity. “My ’87 [Toyota] Corolla’s life ended at 900,000 miles!” one driver claims. “It always got me from A to B.”
But while most drivers supported the take, many others felt that one Japanese brand was missing from the recommendation lineup. “Are these guys aware that Mazda exists and is now competing with Honda and Toyota on quality and outdoing them on style?!?” one commenter asked.