A relative of mine drives a VW Polo with 3 cylinders and below 1000 ccm. It always sounded a bit off, like a tractor, but the car now has around 450.000 km on the clock and is still going strong, looking great, and is low-maintenance and fuel-efficient.

The secret: she lives in a rural area and cruises most of the time with constant 80-90 km/h.

A similar car used in a city with many start/stop cycles would probably not last as long.