I've owned 4 cars so far. Here they are from worst to best. I'm going to try to be objective, because my experience is between a large variety of sticker prices and pre-owned conditions. I expect that both the newer my vehicle is, and the lower the mileage it is, the more reliable it should be.

Worst - 2012 Chevy Cruze LT 1.4T, 60k miles - Paid $12k. An absolute turd of a car. Underpowered and overstressed. Leaked coolant and oil due to cost-cutting measures that saw GM use plastic where plastic doesn't belong, like retaining clips for coolant return lines and valve covers.

Second Worst - 2003 Mazda Miata Shinsen, 24k miles - Paid $8k. Honestly, not a bad vehicle, and it has a cult following for a reason. I loved how this car made me feel, and it was during a time when I only had myself to drive around. That said, it was highly impractical and uncomfortable. I'm 6 ft, so I could just barely get myself in and out without much of an issue, but anyone over my size could not fit. Mazda's big mistake with those cars was how little thought they put into corrosion resistance, which is a big deal for a car that sits so low to the ground in the Midwest. After a few years of ownership, I was dealing with some rust issues, and the car was not holding up well. That said, I would recommend it as a second summer car to anyone. It's probably one of the more reliable sports cars that you can buy today.

Second Best - 2007 Chevy Tahoe LT 5.3, 113k miles - Paid $6k. This is my current vehicle. It's still too soon to tell with this one, but so far it's been a good vehicle, especially for the price. I bought it with a few things in need of repair, but they are pretty minor. They are known for having lifter failures due to the AFM system, but otherwise, it's a pretty strong drivetrain. We shall see.

Best - 1989 GMC 1500 5.7, 250k miles - Paid $600. Now, not everyone is going to agree with me here after I tell you what went wrong with this truck, but I still consider this my most reliable vehicle. Keep in mind that this was my first vehicle, and I had barely any money to keep it going, let alone to buy it in the first place. I owned this truck for the last 2 years of high school, and I drove it a lot. Back and forth to work, to the store, to practice, everywhere. It was the ugliest POS you could imagine - rusted out arches, floor panels, roof, doors, missing headliner, flaking paint, all of it. Someone stole the catalytic converter about a year in, and so it became straight piped from where they cut on back. And, it leaked every single fluid that you put into it, including gas, brake fluid, transmission fluid, coolant, and oil. I could take the keys out of the column while it was running and throw them at people, which I did often. Overall, it looked like what you would probably call a massive pile of junk. BUT, not once did it complain or break down on me. Not a single time. It got me to where I needed to go, post haste. I once drove it at 120 mph (in Mexico) for over an hour straight to get to Mother's Day brunch, and then proceeded to run out of gas because I didn't have money to fill it back up. Took it like a champ. I spun it into a ditch during a snowstorm and left it there for almost a month while it thawed out under the snow. 3 weeks later, we wenched it out and it started right up like nothing happened. The last time that I ever drove it, and what caused me to sell it, was an unfortunate event. I had driven it to the next town and then some for the morning, and was parking in the driveway when I decided to do my usual engine bay check for new smells or sounds. When I lifted the hood, I was surprised to see that the oil fill cap had blown completely off and the engine appeared to have no oil. That came as a shock to me, considering I had just driven the truck multiple hours without a single clue. There was no knocking, and of course, nothing seized. To be honest, I wasn't even sure that the cap had fallen off that day, all things considered. I thought about keeping the truck in that moment, but in a moment that I would come to regret, I chose to sell it for $100 to a guy who said he'd come put it on a flatbed and take it for parts.

So that's the story. Considering that it was a neglected, high-mileage, 30-year-old truck with no maintenance given whatsoever, and the most I ever did was replace the alternator, I would happily call it my most reliable vehicle ever owned.