General Motors

The r/BuyItForLife community is broadly negative toward General Motors as a brand, frequently contrasting it unfavorably with Japanese automakers like Toyota and Honda. There are some bright spots — certain older engines like the 3800 and LS V8 are praised for durability, and vintage GM products like Frigidaire appliances draw nostalgic admiration — but the modern GM lineup is widely viewed as unreliable, poorly engineered, and driven by cost-cutting and corporate cynicism. The consensus is that GM cars are not BIFL material, with most positive examples being notable exceptions rather than the rule.

While isolated older GM engines and vintage products earn genuine praise, the overwhelming community consensus is that modern GM vehicles are unreliable, built with cost-cutting in mind, and unworthy of a buy-it-for-life recommendation.

Older GM engines, particularly the 3800 and LS V8 families, are celebrated for near-indestructible reliability. Some users report exceptional longevity from GM trucks built in the US and Canada, and vintage GM-era Frigidaire appliances are seen as legendary workhorses.

• GM 3800 V8 engine described as essentially 'unkillable' by owners
• LS family V8s praised as wonderful, well-engineered motors
• US/Canada-built GM trucks reported to regularly exceed 300-400k miles
• Early Saturn models praised for build quality and easy maintenance
• Vintage Frigidaire appliances from GM era still running decades later
• GM compacts noted to 'run poorly longer than other cars run at all'

Modern GM vehicles are widely criticized for poor reliability, cost-cutting on components, data harvesting via OnStar, and a corporate culture that prioritizes short-term profit over quality. Multiple commenters describe bad personal experiences leading them to swear off the brand entirely.

• GM accused of systematic cost-cutting and planned obsolescence
• Modern vehicles criticized for electrical problems, coolant leaks, faulty transmissions
• GM removing CarPlay/Android Auto to sell phone features as subscriptions
• OnStar used to harvest and sell driver location and behavior data
• Corporate culture penalizes stopping production line to fix quality issues
• Ignition switch scandal and dismissed class action suits cited as trust-breakers

A former service advisor with eight years of experience said GM is well down the list from Toyota and Honda in overall reliability, and that Japanese cars are simply better built — a view reinforced by seeing enough breakdowns across brands to know the patterns.

A commenter who worked in automotive manufacturing explained that Toyota's superiority comes from keeping proven components in production long enough to eliminate flaws, while GM's management culture historically punished workers for stopping the line to fix problems, meaning defects were passed on to dealers rather than corrected at the source.

One owner described the GM 3800-powered Buicks as having engines so robust that the car will rust completely away around them before the motor ever gives out — treating it as the one genuine exception to GM's reliability reputation.

A long-time fleet operator noted that their company has never gotten fewer than 300,000 miles out of a US/Canada-built GM truck, suggesting that geography of assembly and type of use matters significantly to longevity outcomes.