Harry Gibson on March 2, 2023 No Comments
Are you tired to work on your car? Modern cars have a ton of components inside of the engine bay that makes working on the engine almost impossible. And you are probably asking yourself the question what is the easiest car to work on? And let me tell you, there are a lot of them, to be honest. You just need to know where to look. And I’m going to help you out.
One of the most essential things that you need as a car owner is the ability to do your own repairs. But unfortunately, many carmakers are making this thing very difficult and work on some cars. For example, Tesla’s are almost impossible to fix. For everything that you want to do on your car, you have to visit the dealership and pay thousands of dollars in the process. And that is what carmakers want, to rip you off.
That’s why the right to repair is essential and you should always find some car that is easy to work on if you want to perform some maintenance work on it. Finding a car that is all crammed up with components and there is not an inch of space that will allow you to wrench is frustrating. And we get your frustration. That’s why we are going to help you out to find a car that is a breeze to work on.
In this article, we cover the right to repair topic and why the right to repair should be the law when it comes to cars. Then we cover the easiest car to work on. Lastly, we cover what to look after when purchasing a car. So, follow along.
The Right To Repair – Easiest Car To Work On
As the years go by, repairing cars has become more and more difficult. It’s not like in the good old days when you opened up the hood and you started wrenching on your car.
These days it’s getting harder and harder to repair a car. Especially if you own an expensive car that has a lot of complex electronics and other equipment that if not handled with care will probably be damaged.
Companies also make the thing more difficult want to make you pay a fortune for simple repairs that could be done with common tools. But if you don’t want to lose your warranty you have to comply and take your car to the dealership.
Many people are getting more and more frustrated because of this and are looking for some ways how to avoid this and repair their cars on their own.
Repairing a modern car is not that difficult. But it is more difficult than it used to be. This is the case because if you want to diagnose a problem with your car you need an OBD2 scanner. Without a scanner, you cannot even try to do anything on the vehicle.
That’s why this tool is essential to have if you care about your car and you are interested in troubleshooting and you want to avoid those expensive dealerships that want to rip you off.
Some companies have even started rejecting to service cars that were serviced by not approved car service. That’s why we need to fight for the right to repair and make sure that this doesn’t affect us in the future.
That’s why it is better to purchase cars that are more serviceable than other vehicles. But what makes a car more serviceable than other cars? Let’s find out in the next chapter.
What Makes A Car To Be Easy To Work On?
This is a good question and let’s elaborate in detail so you have a better perspective on what you should look after when you try to find a good buy on the market. Knowing these things will help you avoid cars that you don’t want and get the easiest car to work on.
Car Serviceability
The first thing that makes a car to be easy to work on is the relatively easiness to perform a certain repair.
For example, in some cars to remove a timing belt you just need to put your wrench and lose the tensioner. Then the belt pops right off. While on some cars if you want to remove a timing belt you need to dismantle the complete front end. And that is a lot of separate pieces that you need to take off to reach the component that you need.
This makes the work on these cars extremely difficult and expensive. That’s why these cars are called luxury vehicles. The designers do not focus on the ease of repair but they focus to make the car look the best it can to sell. And also, for the owner to pay more for repairs. That’s why you should know that not every car brand focuses on the ease of repair and most of them look only to earn more later by the regular service that will cost a fortune to perform.
Imagine that you need to do something complex on the car like timing chain replacement. For this job, you will be lucky if you get it sorted for less than $2,500. But in most cases, it’s going to cost you a lot more. That’s why you need to bear in mind the serviceability of the vehicle as well the possible repair costs for each of the major problems that could occur along the way.
Parts Availability
Another aspect is the part availability. This is key if you want to get a part for the cheap and not spend a fortune on it. This is the case because some cars are extremely rare. So, parts for these cars can be hard to come by.
That’s why you should only focus on cars which are very common on the roads. For these cars, the parts are always cheap and easy to come by.
If you own a car that is rare, it is highly likely that you will be able to find the part from a couple of places. And each of them will want to rip you off.
That’s are some of the downsides when it comes to owning a rare car and that is the bad parts availability.
Mechanics Expertise
This is another important aspect when trying to get a car. And that is the mechanic’s expertise. It is quite obvious that each mechanic doesn’t know to work on every car.
Some cars are extremely specific and will require some expertise that only a few people in the state have. So, to repair your car, you will have to travel hundreds of miles to get there. And the repairs will cost you even more.
That’s why we mentioned that getting a car that is easy to work on and common on the roads is the best thing you can do if you have a limited budget. If you don’t have a limited budget then you can buy anything you like.
But what is the easiest car to work on? Well, we are going to cover that a bit later. But first, let’s see how much money you are going to save if you wrench on your own car.
How Much Money You Could Save By Working On Your Car – Easiest Car To Work On
By working on your car you could save thousands and thousands of dollars in the long run. Why this much? Let’s elaborate.
The average labor prices in the US are somewhere between $50 and $100. So, if you decide to fix problems on your vehicle you will basically save the price that is spent on the labor.
The labor is somewhere between 60 to 80% of the cost in most situations when you need work on your car. And if you learn to do your basic maintenance like doing oil changes and replacing your filters, you are going to save thousands in the long run.
That’s why doing your maintenance is key to save money. Not only that you will save a lot of cash on these repairs. But you will also have some fun and learn more about car mechanics and troubleshooting.
Another thing that you will need to invest in if you want to work on your car is an OBD2 scanner tool. This tool is essential if you want to save money in the long run. With this tool, every car will be the easiest car to work on.
But make sure that you get a tool that has more options and will offer you some detailed diagnostics on your car. Preferably real-time diagnostics for some components. This is how you will be able to read the values that these components are making and see if they are not performing well.
These tools can be rather expensive but they are worth it. If you do not want to spend a lot, you can get a simple code reader. It will tell you only the codes and you will be able to troubleshoot the problem.
Easiest Car To Work On – Our Top 6 Cars That Are Easy To Wrench
We have covered a lot when it comes to working on a car by yourself but what is the easiest car to work on? In this chapter, we are going to elaborate on that in detail and will help you in making your choice when it comes to purchasing a used car. By the end, you will be able to tell which of these cars will be the perfect buying option for you if you are looking to get a car that you could wrench without hassles. So, let’s discuss.
Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, Chrysler 300
All these cars are based on the same platform and they are a breeze to work on. Also, the parts for them are dirt cheap. The cheaper you cannot get from this. So, why I’m saying this? Let’s elaborate in detail.
The Dodge Charger was designed to be a utilitarian vehicle. As a cop car, this car should have met some conditions. And these conditions involve ease of maintenance (but make sure you pick one from the best Dodge Challenger years).
The Charger is still included in many police fleet and government agencies fleets and is a true workhorse.
The Challenger and the Chrysler 300 are based on the same platform and you get all the goodies that the Charger has. Their parts are basically interchangeable and they use pretty much the same engines and transmissions which are rather cheap to maintain and repair.
Also, the Charger was designed to be a utilitarian vehicle. Repairs can be carried out with ease. The engine bays are massive and you can reach almost any component without removing a bunch of other components to get to the component that you wanted to.
When you think about the easiest car to work on. It couldn’t be easier than the Charger. Also, if you decide to take your Charger for repairs at a shop, you can expect to pay a lot less than with other vehicles because its repairs require a lot less time than other vehicles. So, it is a win-win situation for you as an owner.
Getting a 2 to 5 year old Charger with low miles will be one of the best investments that you could make because the car doesn’t have a lot of miles accumulated and will serve you for a long time into the future.
Ford Crown Victoria
The Ford Crown Victoria is another utilitarian vehicle that is a breeze to work on and it could be said that it is the easiest car to work on in the world. But why is this the case?
The Crown Vic was designed with this in mind and was made to serve many different taxi fleets and also many government agencies. That’s why Ford made the Crown Vic an extremely tough and durable piece of machinery.
The Crown Vic could end up in numerous incidents on the road during a chase and it just keeps going. It couldn’t be better than that, to be honest.
It is a complete body-on-frame that guarantees that the Crown Vic will behave like a tank. Unlike today’s interceptors that are on the soft side and will suffer some irreparable damage if they get involved in an accident.
The Crown Vic is also easy to work on. Running just one engine and transmission, makes the Crown Vic perfect to work on. You don’t have to look for different configurations and parts for that specific engine. All Crown Vic’s are pretty much the same.
Also, parts for these cars are dirt cheap and you could fix them on a budget. Also, they are extremely cheap to purchase and you can find a Crown Vic in a decent condition for around $3,000. Just make sure that you find a relatively low-mile car if you don’t want to have the trouble of getting rid of it later.
Chevy Silverado
The Chevy Silverado is another good purchase when it comes to the ease of work on it to your mind. This is the case because the Silverado is a big truck that has a lot of space in the engine bay and you could do almost anything to it without removing a lot of componentry to get the part that you want to replace.
The Silverado also uses the LS family of engines which are a breeze to work on. These engines are extremely simple pushrod designs that even a novice mechanic could tackle with ease. Not to mention that they run like forever and you will rarely experience some problems with them in the long run.
That’s why this GM product is an excellent investment for you and you will probably enjoy the ownership of this vehicle.
Not to mention the usability that you could have by owning a big pickup truck that can haul a lot of stuff without any issues whatsoever.
Even if you have an issue with your Silverado, you could open your hood and start wrenching and troubleshooting with minimal previous knowledge on this model. That’s why this is the easiest car to work on and I would recommend it to people who want to get a good reliable vehicle and be able to repair it on their own.
Toyota Tacoma
The Toyota Tacoma is also one of the easiest vehicles to work on. But why is this the case? This is the case because of the relative inexpensiveness of the Tacoma and the extremely high quality of the vehicle. These two things usually don’t go in the same sentence but when it comes to the Tacoma this is really the case.
The Tacoma wears the same Toyota durability along with the simple design that makes this pickup truck a breeze to work on.
The engine bay is huge and everything is relatively close and easy to replace. The parts are also cheap since it is a Toyota and the best side of the Tacoma is that the Tacoma components rarely break and these pickups can drive for a long time before you need any major service on them.
Also, Toyota doesn’t make our life more difficult by designing a complex engine bay that is hard to reach and maintain the Tacoma. Overall, thumbs up for the Tacoma and its design. Easily the easiest car to work on, to be honest.
Chevrolet Cruze
The Chevy Cruze is another car that is extremely simple and easy to work on. The Cruze is running the small Ecotec engines that GM makes and these engines are extremely simple in design and work on them is one of the simplest things that you will do.
Everything is easily accessible and you can replace everything without removing a lot of components from the engine bay.
The servicing is also quite simple and easy to do. Even for beginners. I have an Ecotec engine and servicing it is a breeze. The oil filter is right at the top and you just remove the bolt on the oil pan that is easily reachable and you are good to go. Oil change in only 15 minutes. That’s why I love this engine so much, to be honest.
Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler is another Chrysler product that is a breeze to work on. But why is this the case? This is the case because the Wrangler is extremely modular and is built like a Lego.
The components are just bolt-on and are easy to remove. Improving the serviceability of the Wrangler by a big margin. Another positive is that the Wrangler is sharing a lot of engines and other components with other Chrysler products like the Charger and Challenger. Making the work on it even easier.
Not to mention the big engine bay that the Wrangler has and that every component is easily accessible and prepared from the factory to be easily removed if there is a need to do so.
That’s why getting a Wrangler is one of the best investments that you can make and you will for sure going to enjoy the ownership of it. Because the Wrangler is one of the easiest car to work on in the world, to be honest.
What To Look When Purchasing A Car – Easiest Car To Work On
As we mentioned above, when you go out on the market to purchase a vehicle you need to look at the serviceability of that specific car. You need to make sure that the car is easily serviceable.
Open google and see some images on the engine bay and see how regular maintenance is performed on this engine. This will give you a good idea of what you should expect when getting a car like that.
If it requires a lot of labor then stay away from it. Since you are looking for the easiest car to work on and not to work on a car that is a complete nightmare.
Cars for Beginners: Facts on the Easiest Cars to Work On
- When buying a car, factors such as smoothness, affordability, and ease of maintenance should be considered.
- Old cars are easier to work on because they have simpler mechanics than modern cars.
- The easiest cars for beginners to work on are those that can be repaired using simple tools and parts that are readily available.
- The Jeep Wrangler, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Subaru BRZ, Toyota Tacoma, Honda Accord, Chevrolet Cruze, Mazda Miata, Chevrolet Silverado, Subaru Outback, Nissan Frontier, Ford Crown Victoria, and Lada Niva are some of the easiest cars for beginners to work on.
- The Jeep Wrangler is a spacious car with an extensive engine compartment that can be customized and repaired easily.
- The Toyota Corolla has been sold for years and has easy-to-access parts that make maintenance simple.
- The Honda Civic is easy to drive and has parts that are easy to find, and it has excellent fuel efficiency.
- The Subaru BRZ has an easy-to-reach engine layout that makes changing the oil and repairing it straightforward.
- The Chevrolet Cruze has improved considerably over the years, with a better engine layout that makes it easier to repair and maintain.
- The Lada Niva is a simple and affordable off-road car that is easy to access and repair, and provides good value for money.
Conclusion – Easiest Car To Work On
In this article, we have covered a lot when it comes to the topic of the easiest car to work on. We have learned what is the right to repair and why should repair your own car.
Then we have covered what makes a car to be easy to work on. And as we mentioned these are the three aspects. The car serviceability and design of the engine bay, the labor involved as well the parts availability.
Then we gave our opinion on why you should perform your own repairs on your car.
Lastly, we shared our top picks when it comes to choosing a car that is easy to work on. There are a ton of other cars that are easy to work on and it’s up to you to look and do your research to find out more.
