Have you ever been burned by a car? Maybe it was unreliable, maybe maintenance ended up costing more than you expected, or maybe it just turned out to be a much less pleasant daily-driver than you’d anticipated. Or maybe it was too much fun (?). Tell us about a car you would never buy again. We’ll make no judgements here.
Now let’s make fun of our pal Thomas Hundal. When I was asking for advice on choosing a stock photo guy, this happened:
Ordinarily, Thomas is an absolutely tremendous knower of cars. Which Acura Vigor trim level came with a 6-CD changer? Was the 1996 Vauxhaul Astra offered as a wagon with a manual? Thomas knows off the top of his head. He’s that guy. Usually. Apparently his superpower is coffee-fueled. We feel you, Thomas.
Last time around we asked: “What Car Advertising Campaigns Have Stuck With You (For Better or Worse)?” Your answers included some absolute legends such as Chevy’s “Like a Rock” campaign featuring Bob Seger’s 1986 hit of the same name, as well as reminders of bangers we’d forgotten and some commercial’s we’d never seen.
Stefthepef:
I’m convinced this is actually the best campaign of all time: Anchan vs. the Daihatsu Wake.
It’s a whole series that documents one man’s descent into madness as he tries to one-up the Wake and can’t. Everything about it is incredible. I feel like I’m commenting a blog just mentioning it. The entire series is an absolute masterpiece.
Icouldntfindaclevername:
Joe Isuzu, end of story
Lew Schiller:
Joe Isuzu.
“Wanna see the air bags?”
Boulevard_Yachtsman
I’m am kind of stunned no one has yet mentioned it, but my absolute favorite bit of automotive marketing has to be “Cog”, the two-minute mini-film from Honda. It’s about a deconstructed Honda Accord with the parts arranged in a wonderful Rube-Goldberg setup that doubles as pure asmr before that was a thing. No CGI either – it’s still a delight to watch:
And our very own Mercedes Streeter shared this heckin’ legend from Pontiac, which we’ve also expressed our love for on Twitter:
The FULL LENGTH version of "Ride, Pontiac, Ride is *fantastic.* Turn it UP ???? (Link below to full video) https://t.co/swkhm5TDDx pic.twitter.com/vMmo5pyvSZ
— The Autopian (@the_autopian) April 10, 2023
Anyway, that’s how you responded to the last Autopian Asks; now it’s time to hit the comments and tell us which car you’d never buy again and why.
I don’t think I’ll buy anything German other than Porsche. BMW, Mercedes, Audi, VW, MINI and others I’m not thinking of right now.
They’re nice while they last, but I’m not sure their engineers take wear into account when designing parts.
I’m only leaving Porsche in because they’ve proven to be pretty good after the IMS bearing issues were sorted, and the Porsches I want (a Boxster, Cayman or 911) are weekend cars that are worth suffering over.
I’m also not buying Subaru. I swear, every Subaru owner I know has had a horrible repair record, but still plans to buy another. I don’t want to catch a bad case of Subaru Stockholm Syndrome.
My wife and I have owned 4 Subies so far, no repairs other than typical stuff like batteries and tires and oil changes and such. Regular maintenance still done by the dealership which I typically never do but the Subaru dealerships so far have been wayyyyy nicer than others I’ve had to deal with so I keep letting them change the oil.
2002 Olds Aurora. I don’t really have to worry about buying one again because the brand doesn’t exist. It pains me to type this because it was a car I really wanted at the time. I owned three Olds previously, so I was very much an Oldsmobile Man(TM). The originals were gorgeous to me, and the V8 was really appealing. A few years later, prices in the used market had dropped significantly, so I had a chance to land a second gen. Styling wasn’t as striking, but the interior had most everything I liked about the first gen, and it was built on the same platform. It had the V6, not the V8, but I rationalized that it was better for MPG anyway. Well…I soon figured out that any savings gas were going to be scoffed at by all the stuff I’d have to fix; the air pump for the suspension, the fuel sending unit, sensors galore, and a low oil pressure warning sensor that would randomly fire off when sitting in traffic (unsettling to say the least) – never got to the bottom of that one. Parts specific to the car started to get really hard to find after a while as well – even things like brake lines. It was roomy, comfortable, well equipped, and a pain in the ass to own. Lesson learned – avoid used near luxury vehicles, especially from discontinued brands (!)
I’m with you, I was always drawn to the Aurora but never pulled the trigger. After yours and other stories I’ve heard, I’m glad I didn’t.
Minivan. Thought I “needed” one once we had 2 kids. There’s nothing mini about those things. I’ve been driving a Kia Soul for the past 2 years.
1979 Mercury Monarch two door. Man, what a POS when I purchased it in 1988 as a broke college student. I had to buy ANOTHER car three months just because it was so bad, and then it took another 6 months to sell it. Total waste of $800.
Oh I lived the Monarch life! Was borrowing my buddy’s 4-door (my Isuzu Impulse was broken down) when it blew a head gasket on I-5 South one mile from the exit for Albany Oregon. Had to walk along the freeway to find a payphone (was 1998 no cell phone yet). Made two calls. One, my girlfriend in Eugene to come pick me up. Two, my buddy and owner who was working in Chicago at the moment… all I said to him was ‘Car’s dead…’… his reply ‘Sweet!, thanks for killing my car buddy!’… he truly was happy about it, so was I.
I’m never buying a modern VW again. Both mine and my sister’s were abject disasters and mine was brand new/hers was certified with 25k miles. There’s just no excuse for such new cars to have to wind up in the service bay every couple of months, and in both of our cases the techs/dealerships could never give us answers other than “this just happens with some of these cars, try not to worry about it and call us if it happens again” or “we can’t find the problem but it’s not happening right this second so you’re fine”.
The company and its dealerships have literally accepted that their cars are unreliable at this point and it’s just engrained in the culture at every level. I think it’s downright unacceptable but clearly people keep buying them so it mustn’t matter all that much. I am occasionally tempted by the siren song of performance Audi sedans and liftbacks, but then again my mom’s Allroad just absolutely shit the bed at 60,000 miles, conveniently just days right after the extended warranty and maintenance plan she bought with it ran out.
They’ve spent months fighting with their insurance company and the dealership over who owes what for what and whether or not the car is even salvageable after multiple catastrophic electronics failures. At SIXTY THOUSAND MILES! I’ve tried to help but alas…my mother is a loving and kind but very set in her ways Boomer who says she’s never driving anything other than Audis again. That generation and its spectacular brand loyalty will make for a hell of a discussion another time.
The only VAG product worth buying is the Porsche. And that’s only worth buying because you’ve already been trained in how to piss your money away.
And modern Porsches are surprisingly reliable for what they are. I’d certainly avoid the ones with the VW sourced engines like the plague (I forget if it’s just the Macan with the dreaded EA888 or if there are others) but if it’s a Porsche powertrain it’s either:
1.) Going to be pretty robust
Or
2). Has such a dedicated following that the failure points and fixes are all well known
People don’t seem to realize that once the 991.2 came around Porsche flat 6s had become pretty bulletproof. I definitely wouldn’t gamble on 10 year old one with a PDK since if that transmission fails you’re looking at $10,000+ to replace it but a manual one? There are much dumber choices out there.
Really? Porsche used to be intentional crap to make money on repairs. Now they figured out how to make the money onaintainance they dont need it to break down every time you start it.
I think I got lucky as I chose one of the last Passat SE’s with a NA 2.5 5 cylinder. the horror stories of the TSi 4 cylinder turbo make me really question why VW continue to put those in their cars at all, let alone in nearly everything. I would not buy anything VW at this point because of that reputation.
The EA888 is a nightmare as far as reliability and working on it go. If you’re willing to roll the dice (I’m not since I’m not much of a wrencher) the ones found in the GTI and Golf R can make absolutely ridiculous power due to the fact that they have cast iron blocks…and even stock they’re punchy as hell off the line and get good fuel economy for what they are.
But you’re playing with fire. I know folks who’ve had them and been fine and I know folks who’ve had them and dealt with constant problems. I’m one of those people…
DAZA or bust? The ea888 are so awful. I own one and would be worried if I wasn’t planning to swap it as soon as it shits the bed.
You arent playing the game right.
I’ve had very good luck with my cars. I can’t call any of them a bad experience. It was disappointing when my 2009 Escape developed engine problems at only 118,000 miles, but up until that point it had been a reliable and practical vehicle. So for my “never again” I have to go with what was by most measures the best car I’ve ever owned- Toyota Camry.
My 2003 Camry was a stupid reliable and pleasant vehicle that was in the family for 17 years and 160,000 miles. It didn’t suit me though in that it was boring to drive and limited in its utility. The Escape and the Mazda3 hatchback I have now are more versatile. It’s easier to unload bulky things from both, and I could take my wife, our kid, and 2 big dogs out in a single vehicle. I took the Camry as my DD when my wife got a new car. This happened to be when the Escape started breaking down, so having a dependable vehicle to replace it was great.
I’ve lost my mind. Of course the Escape is the car I would never buy again. All the utility in the world doesn’t do a damn thing for you while your car gets towed to the shop yet again. Screw that junker. The Camry was a great car that never let me down.
Chrysler Town and Country. Please don’t judge, we needed a reasonably priced kid and cargo hauler and it had some cool gadgets. I though “Well, I see them everywhere, with so many on the road they can’t be that bad.” Within a year and a half none of those cool gadgets were working. It consumed a battery and alternator every 18 months like clockwork. Gas mileage went from 28 highway to 22 over the course of about 3 years, and yes we kept up with all of the maintenance. For six years it was in the shop with the regularity of the cycles of the moon, whereas my Hyundai Azera had never seen the inside of a mechanic shop. That Chrysler was hopeless, hateful, and as reliable as a pensioner’s erection (credit Clarkson). Never again!
If you got 28 highway out of a town and country, that was a miracle. Don’t feel too bad about it coming down to a more normal 22. Best I ever got was 25, briefly.
Best I’ve ever gotten was 24, and that was going 55 behind a semi. Instantly dropped back to 22~ the second I switched lanes and sped up.
As I posted elsewhere, I rented a brand new one in 2014 to load those valuable things that the moving company suggests you take yourself. It wouldn’t start upon check-in at our first night hotel in VA of our NY to FL trip. The next morning it decided to start after an hour of trying, and we immediately dumped it at a nearby Enterprise where it was swapped for a nasty Camry. We had to dump the contents of two big containers loose into its trunk and leave $150 worth of containers at the rental office. I have never been utterly stranded by a car before, and I’ve rented hundreds. Never again from Stellantis anything.
Had a rental Toyota broke down 1 mile after i cleared the airport. The rental company said i didnt purchase insurance i was responsible for getting it back to them. Never enterprise again.
I would never, ever buy a Buick LaCrosse, even with the 3.8. First one I bought was a high mileage 2008 with the Series III 3.8 (with the aluminum intake). Ran great, but the interior ergonomics were just awful. I could never get comfortable with the leather upholstery. After replacing the seat bottom with a brand new one located and bought at great personal expense, there was still no satisfaction. Full blame is on me for that.
Then, some time later on, I bought another LaCrosse with the same 3.8, but cloth upholstery. My hope was that I’d find that more comfortable long term. No dice. Sold that one too and vowed never to buy another. As far as I’m concerned, Buick died with the G platform LeSabre and Park Avenue.
So your worst vehicle experience ever was it was uncomfortable? Read the stories man. Mine tried to kill me everytime i took a left hand turn. Was the AC off too. You set it at 78 and it always blew at 79?
Fine, fine. The steering shaft creaked and popped a lot. Whaddya want from me?!
Modern Gasoline Volkswagen. 2007 Passat 2.0L turbo 6 speed. Great on paper, great performance, looked good. Absolutely demolished clutches, front suspension parts, tires, had the oil sludge/ failed high pressure fuel pump issue that nuked the first engine at 97K. Got a goodwill crate engine from VW, still cost 5K to have it put in and replace ancillary parts that were destroyed when the engine went. New engine had the obsolete PCV valve which failed spectacularly on the highway and ejected enough oil to grenade the turbo. Every time something broke it was 1K or 1.5K at my very cheap and reliable VW repair place (3-5K quotes from the dealer). I finally got my mom give up the car, when I got a screaming deal on a cheating TDI Jetta, which is much more robust, and she loves just as much as the Passat. Have several friends who have had similar, or worse experiences with similar VW or Audi Vehicles. Seems the TDIs are much more reliable.
Never buy a turbo gas powered VAG 4 banger. They can’t make one to save their lives.
1984 Chrysler New Yorker – my parents bought it as the kids car when I learned to drive circa 1994. We cross shopped it with another much cheaper K car, and despite the clean body and interior of the New Yorker, and the slamin’ digital dash, and working power steering, I preferred the other K car. Sure enough, the damn thing was a total dog. Slow and unreliable as could be – the carb got replaced multiple times in the couple of years we owned it, probably due to the snake’s nest of smog era analog computing that drove it.
1985 Dodge Daytona with the base 2.2-liter I4 and 5MT. It was very slow and leaked oil from an impressive number of locations. It also turned out to be extremely fragile.
Of course in 2023 they don’t appear to exist in any meaningful way, so I would need a time machine in order to find one so I could refuse to buy it. That seems like a lot of work.
I came here to say 1984 Dodge Daytona Turbo with 5MT. It was not slow but it was a piece of Iocrappa that fell apart in a couple of years.
I don’t think I have a specific car that I would never buy again, but being hit or miss on buying used cars, definitely not buying another one without getting it properly inspected beforehand. Pro-tip, get them inspected before handing money over.
I don’t think I’ll ever have another pickup truck. I’ve had two Rangers and one S10, mostly because I was poor and they were good deals. My lifestyle just doesn’t have me doing truck stuff.
Poor baby! Maybe Autopian can set up a fucking safe space for people whose worst experience was it was uncomfortable, or my $500 car only lasted 4 years and 48,000 miles. The interior and exterior colors didnt match. The 10 year old tech broke. Hell if it didnt fucking try to kill you, multiple times well go have a bud light.
oof
Any BMW product, the E36 was a learning experience, the 128i was great, until it wasn’t and BMW’s cost cutting combined with German engineering really put me off from the brand. Now I see their styling and “Technologic Bukkake” of an interior space and I’m totally done.
I have an E46 M3, and am clearly a previously undiagnosed masochist.
Had an 08 Grand Caravan that broke a lot.
Had an 03 Grand Caravan that was unkillable.
I’m thoroughly convinced that mileage, age, year, make, model, ect. are less important in a cars reliability than maintenance most of the time.
Guys, when you’re buying used cars, an inspection is everything. A 2004 Nissan Altima with 150k might have 100k left in it. A 2022 Toyota Camry with 50k but no oil changes is not likely to have 100k left in it.
Chrysler products are like that – get a good one and they’re as good as anything, but they consistently put out way more than their fair share of lemons.
I call it the Mopar Quality Lottery.
“Maybe it was unreliable, maybe maintenance ended up costing more than you expected, or maybe it just turned out to be a much less pleasant daily-driver than you’d anticipated.”
I don’t understand. These pretty much are the reasons I buy my cars.
Had 2014 Ford Focus and I won’t be getting a Ford again anytime soon. Not only was it more boring to drive than my 05 Saturn Ion the transmission went out and it was supposed to be a 3 month wait to get a new one. Luckily got a new transmission in a few weeks but then that one started to act up shortly after and it also just started to throw other random codes for no reason. Traded the pos in for something newer.
Regretful former Fiesta (2011) owner here to agree with you.
No newer Fords for me.
I see Fiesta’s and Foci of those years for sale everywhere, usually with almost exactly the same mileage as mine was when the transmission started to shit the bed.
Don’t, just just just just don’t!
Older Fords, sure.
I’ve got a 98’ Ranger with about 300k on the clock that still does Home Depot and yard duty on the regular.
When I was 16, dad didn’t want me driving his car all over the place so he bought me one. We went to a gravel-lot used car dealer, and there was a ’68 Dart convertible. I really wanted it, so dad bought me something else.
A ’76 Mercury Bobcat. A Pinto in a silk hat.
Absolute garbage through and through. Rocker arms fell off lifters. The brake calipers rusted out so bad they had to be replaced. Exhaust? Pfft, you’re dreaming. Oh, and the windows kept falling out of the tracks.
I haven’t owned a Ford since.
Well, there’s the Mercury Monday post.
I had a 1980 Pinto once. My dad rebuilt the engine after it overheated from the load from the aftermarket AC.
When he was done, it had a bigger radiator, had been bored out a bit, higher compression pistons, an aluminum intake with a 4 barrel carb, long tube header, and would bark the tires in 2nd gear.
It was a lot of fun!!
My 05 Volvo 70R. 1. Turn radius turn radius turn radius. Each drive, I get to play the game of “will I be able to make this turn in one go?” The answer each time: probably not. 2. The seemingly fragile AWD angle gear collar. I’ve had it fixed once. And a few years later, I’m pretty sure I’ve killed it again without doing anything too crazy driving-wise. It was super fun while it lasted though. 3. The suspension on advanced is just crash city. I downgraded the 18s to 17s and still keep it mostly in comfort ride mode. Sport suspension can be stiff and compliant. Not in the V70R.
I have an 04′ V70 2.5t and my goodness the turning radius is *comically bad*. It’s a running joke at this point at our house.
I had a used 92 Grand Am, what a POS. It would just shut itself down while driving on the freeway. Always happened when it was hot out. It wasn’t a vapor lock. The whole electrical system would just cut off.
My 97 540I6. BMW bring pain.
When I was 19 my HS car had just died and I had a little bit of money in the bank and my dad found a 1978 MGB (that he’d always wanted) and convinced me to spend my money on it. I’d had a 1987 Starion/Conquest before that and it had a turbo and awesome handling and styling that still stops my heart to this day and he was adamant that the MGB had the same handling and could be built to have the same acceleration.
Well, that simply was NOT true, not by the longest shot. The one we bought was such a basket case that we spent 6 mos just trying to get the damn thing back on the road and when we did, well, disappointment is the most appropriate word. No acceleration despite the ear deafening levels of noise from the glasspack the previous owner had installed. Handling? Well it handled like it was about to derail. Maybe MG’s had a reputation for great handling when they were up against the yachts of the malaise era but compared to my StarQuest it was about as tight as wet cardboard.
Reliability? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA Let’s just say I never got to do an oil change in that car because it never made it 3,000 contiguous miles between a major engine tear-down and overhaul.
After that car I was burned on ALL THINGS BRITISH. Seriously I couldn’t even wear Reeboks or watch Monty Python for years after owning that car. To this day I see an MG or Triumph or Jag and think how nice it’s going to look with its hood up on the side of I-10 between Hankamer and Anahuac.
Seeing a project car I want for myself and convincing my kid to buy it is some next-level Dad Energy that I do not aspire to.
It worked out in the end. I had lost my ’87 StarQuest but he had an ’88. A couple years later we worked out a deal and swapped 🙂
I am not going to say British cars are reliable or fast, but they were much better in the 60s than the 70s. You MGB went from nearly a hundred ponies in the late 60s, to a smog strangled 60 some HP by the late seventies, added weight, simply raise the ride height and put on big heavy full rubber bumpers to meet crash standards.
I could go on and on about old Triumphs and MGs, but will just leave it at that.
Unfortunately, any Volkswagen. I want to like VWs. But, then I owned one. I had a 2003 Golf from ‘08-‘10, and during that time it was faaaaaaar from problem-free. At around 50k miles the water pump literally exploded and took out my radiator upon its exit. The speedometer during the length of my ownership was calibrated incorrectly and several trips to the dealer failed to rectify the situation. Shortly before I sold it, the oil pan mysteriously cracked, overnight, inside my garage. There were other maladies but those were the memorable ones. It actually got so bad I was dailying a ‘69 Chevy C10 instead of the Golf because it was more dependable.
The Golf was terrific in the snow, I’ll give it that. But not worth the hassle of owning it. It, and my sister’s ‘02 Jetta bought around the same time, were godawdul money pits that turned me off of VW ownership permanently.
Yep, screw VW now and forever.
My ex girlfriend had a Chevy Cobalt. It was such a huge burning pile of garbage that the crap can forever ruined me with GM products. It was constantly being fixed by me, or in the shop. Seemingly endless recalls.
Never again, GM.
Being in highschool/college when it came out, I had a lot of exposure to the Cobalt. The Cobalt is underrated for how bad it was. Like many GM small cars that came before it, the Cobalt experience basically poisoned the Chevy brand for a lot of people I know.
Any Mercedes SUV. Luckily we got rid of our ML320 before it went to total shit, but by 40k miles the engine started to get buggy in the way only Mercedes products can.
We had a 2000 ML 430. The drivetrain was fine. Nice firm seats. The antilock brake system cost more to repair than the value of the car, so we didn’t. Everything inside the dashboard was buggy, brittle and refused to stay repaired. Mercifully, it was totaled when a person merging on the freeway took it out in a PIT maneuver (precision immobilization technique) sending it into a Jersey barrier. To its credit, the ML kept its driver, Mrs. OverlandingSprinter, safe from harm.
Yeah, those 3 valve sixes were not as nice as the V8s. Our ML experience left the distinct impression of having been more designed than engineered.
Glad to hear it was safe. It did feel like it was, so that was at least nice.