Most Reliable Cars From the 1990s (Including the Toyota Land Cruiser) (2024)

The 1990s were an excellent time for music, candy, and automotive design. The vehicles on this list were some of the most reliable cars on the road at the time, and yes, the ever-reliable Toyota Camry is on the list. But some of the options might surprise you or at least take you back to the good old days of cloth seats and headlight wipers.

Still one of the most reliable cars on the road, the Lexus LS400

The Lexus LS400 is one of the quintessential 90s cars that you still see on the road to this day. The Lexus LS400 was big in Japan before it came over to the U.S. to become one of the most reliable cars of the 90s and remains steadfast to this day. For the most part, you can assume any Lexus LS400 you see on the road today was meticulously cared for in the past.

“To put this in perspective, the first LS 400 was so good that everyone overlooked the half-effort ES 250 and seemed to collectively assume that the real Lexus models yet to come would live up to that standard. Lexus wouldn’t be Lexus today if the LS hadn’t been so spectacularly good.”

Edmunds

Even the critics loved the LS back in the day, which says a lot.

Obviously the Toyota Camry is the most reliable car

The Toyota Camry was one of the best-selling cars of the 1990s and remained the top-selling car for 19 consecutive years once it hit the charts. Calling it one of the most reliable cars of the 90s is an understatement. Like the LS400, you still see 90s generation Toyota Camrys on the road to this day as long as they escaped Cash for Clunkers a few years back.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee made quite a splash

The Jeep Grand Cherokee sort of broke the mold when it came to design. It started under the American Motors Corporation (AMC) brand and was continued after Chrysler purchased it in ’87. It was offered in one powertrain and a few transmission choices when introduced in ’92. The Jeep Grand Cherokee wasn’t the most popular car on the road, but you still see one once in a while, chugging along.

The Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon was atriocious and is still well-loved

The Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon was essentially the crème de la crème of most reliable cars from the 90s. The design? Atrocious but perfect. The reliability? top of the line. It was huge and slow, depending on which engine you had. The station wagon back seats faced each other, and the sophisticated wooden finishing left nothing to be desired. This was it.

A huge option: the Lincoln Navigator

The Lincoln Navigator was one of the most reliable cars on the road that could fit an entire soccer team in one trip. If you think about it, the Lincoln Navigator was basically the last cool car Lincoln produced. Even though the Navigator is still in production, the 90s version hits differently. You can hear the optional in-seat DVD players and Britney Spears playing over the speakers. Someone is eating a strawberry-flavored Baby Bottle Pop somewhere in the back seat.

Still a favorite: the Toyota Land Cruiser

The Toyota Land Cruiser is a funny addition to the most reliable cars list because it is still one of the most popular cars out there. The 90s versions are hard to get because buyers purchased one back then and have never let it out of their sight. Land Cruisers seem to get better with age, which makes sense. The Land Cruiser is like the grandfather of popular 90s vehicles that other vehicles hope to grow up to be. When people say, “they just don’t make ’em like they used to,” they are referring to the Toyota Land Cruiser.

While some of the most reliable cars from the 90s are still cult classics, you can’t get these vehicles from the factory anymore. These cars encompass everything good about the 90s but don’t change any of the bad things because it’s all about balance, right?