One of the most difficult parts of car shopping can be marrying what your individual tastes and style with more practical considerations. After all, there’s nothing worse than investing some serious in a vehicle only to have it start breaking down soon thereafter. But while poring over technical specs on different makes and models might be helpful for some potential buyers, it can be better to consult those who are on the front lines of repairing people’s rides. If you’re in the market for a new vehicle, read on to see which cars an expert says he’d never own himself.
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1 | Land Rovers
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When picking a car, it’s often more important to narrow down the list of makes and models you shouldn’t buy than the ones you should. In a recent TikTok video, Zach Trahan (@bevurly), a service advisor at an auto shop, took the time to list which cars he would never own, saying that they come in for repairs “way more than they should.”
He starts off his list with one recognizable brand of SUVs: Land Rovers.
“I can’t count on one hand—maybe even two hands—how many Land Rovers we have in the shops right now for major problems,” Trahan says. “These aren’t simple problems: Major problems! I would avoid these at all costs.”
Users in the comments were quick to agree with this assessment. The most liked response to the post was one cheeky reply: “It has been estimated that over 80 percent of Range Rovers are still on the road today. The rest made it home.”
2 | Nissan Sentra
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These midsized sedans are fairly ubiquitous on the roads, likely thanks in no small part to their modest price tags. However, that low price might come with a lot of grief down the line,
“I sell more transmissions on these things than any other car. Nissan’s CVT transmission, [as] everybody knows, is absolutely junk,” Trahan warns.
He does concede that Nissan recently revamped this notorious problem and mostly made it better, “but anything like 2020 and [earlier] is just not good.”
3 | SUVs with 6.2-liter engines
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In the market for a larger SUV? Be careful about which you pick: Trahan alleges that models like Yukons and Escalades are riddled with problems.
“I’ve seen a lot of these even in the last two, three weeks that have failed lifters, blown motors—the list goes on,” he cautions.
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4 | BMWs
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No matter how well you research, all cars will develop issues at some point in their useful lives. Unfortunately, Trahan says that driving away with “almost any” BMW model could set you up for repeat sticker shock anytime it needs maintenance.
“I’m not saying they’re unreliable: I’m just saying I have to write these repair tickets, and the cost to do anything on these vehicles is astronomical,” he cautions. “It almost outweighs not even owning one.”
5 | Jeeps
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These cars may have arrived on American roads with a reputation for their performance on the battlefield, but in the decades since they’ve become a popular SUV brand, models like Cherokee, Compass, or Grand Cherokee can be problematic.
“As soon as I see one of these roll up in the shop, I know I’m about to make some money,” says Trahan. “I wouldn’t give my worst enemy one of these for free.”