What's a car brand you would NEVER buy

[FlyingClayDisk]

I don't know if it's necessarily a "brand" I would never buy again, but one vehicle I will never, ever, ever, EVAR, own again is an Audi "A" series with the air suspension!!  NEVER...EVER!!

We have an Audi A8-L and we've had nothing but issues with the air suspension on this car.  Worse, when the air suspension goes out, you absolutely can NOT drive the car (AT ALL)!  It basically sits the entire vehicle all the way down on the frame, and it's so low a wrecker can't even get underneath it to tow it.  It is the biggest, royal, PITA I can even imagine on a car.  If you get stranded, you can't even get rescued.  If the damn thing didn't cost so much money...I'd probably blow it up! 

GRRRRRRRR!!!

It's been parked for over a year now because of this.  Every time I've sent it in to be repaired (3 times so far) it has cost anywhere from $3k to $6k to get it fixed!

NEVER AGAIN!!

[schuyler]

If you'd asked me a few years ago if I would ever have a GM product I would have laughed in your face. Now I have three. Never say never. You'll just embarrass yourself.

[l0st]

regarding that "worst SUVs of 2024" video, they should have added a a BMW X1 to that list.   We had one as a rental for a week this summer (2024 model) and you couldn't pay me to drive one daily.   Talk about crappy user experience.  The instrumentation was all digital and I'm guessing they had some hack-shop in Bangalor do the design and programming.  Words do not even begin to describe how distracting doing simple things like changing the AC temperature was.  No knobs means you're staring at a screen that is not uniform in dialogs in any way.    Driver preferences that get set do not get retained on the next session so simple things like "stopped-motion engine shutoff" need to be set each time you drive.   My VW has a biutton to accomplish this. 
Connecting a phone to the system?   About a 4 minute process.   Android Aiuto?   You have to dig through about 3 screens to find it.  Again, no 2 screens use the same layout. 

I can't believe people pay what they pay to drive these cars.

They're pretty much all like this now, from what I have seen. My newer car with the tablet dash does all the same shit. Most annoying things:

- If you enter a GPS route to somewhere, it uses a separate speaker in the center of the dash and for some reason, it ALWAYS turns this thing down to 2 bars so it can't be heard and has to be turned up every.single.time.you.use.it.
- Lots of the features on the touch screen are not only pointless, but buried in menus to the point of distraction. Oh, and certain things like turning up the GPS lady - oh yeah, can't do that unless you completely park the car. Spend 10 minutes flipping through Sirius-XM stations while driving? Perfectly ok.
- Console totally freaks out whenever my partner's phone is connected via Bluetooth. Just completely random button presses and whatnot. Only ever does it when that phone is in the car and connected to bluetooth, even if nobody is touching it. Works fine with my phone, although I rarely connect it.

Recently had a main battery on the way out. Instead of giving a battery light or service indicator like any normal vehicle, the computer on this thing totally freaks out and throws loads of completely random and seemingly unrelated failure messages. Telling me brakes and power steering aren't working when they obviously are, etc etc.

Also, if you use the driving assist features, this vehicle HATES crosswalks. You can be going 55 on a multi-lane highway with lights on it and as soon as you speed towards a crosswalk on a green this thing will NAIL the brakes.

I was just at the dealer last week and told them what a lemon I think this car is. I want them to take it back.

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The 'new' brand. I only buy used cars with maybe a 100k miles or so. I have like a handful of preferences – mainly performance and aesthetics.

I recall the last time I was shopping and thinking that those pointed Camaro front ends are ugly, so I likely wouldn't buy one of those. I was leaning towards a 400HP BMW at one point but was hearing a little that maintenance was a bitch, and that particular car would've needed a little work, plus the guy selling it acted like he was hiding something because he kept dancing around inquiries. I didn't really care much for that brownish interior either.

I think with me, it's more about what I will buy(with requirements satisfied), than "what I won't buy".

BMWs are wonderful to drive when fully working. I wouldn't go so far as to say that they are a maintenance nightmare - actually fairly reliable compared to other luxury vehicles - but put it this way... "it's a labor of love" to own one.

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I have seen so many Fords down here die prematurely.   It ain't right.   American made should shine.   I hope for it to again shine in the future.

Two anachronisms I've heard here in the states:

"Found On Road Dead"
"Fix Or Repair Daily"

I would agree, American cars are high maintenance after ~120K Miles. I've known more than one person with a bought from new Ford that died under 100K. I won't vouch for their maintenance history, though.

---

I don't know if it's necessarily a "brand" I would never buy again, but one vehicle I will never, ever, ever, EVAR, own again is an Audi "A" series with the air suspension!!  NEVER...EVER!!

We have an Audi A8-L and we've had nothing but issues with the air suspension on this car.  Worse, when the air suspension goes out, you absolutely can NOT drive the car (AT ALL)!  It basically sits the entire vehicle all the way down on the frame, and it's so low a wrecker can't even get underneath it to tow it.  It is the biggest, royal, PITA I can even imagine on a car.  If you get stranded, you can't even get rescued.  If the damn thing didn't cost so much money...I'd probably blow it up! 

GRRRRRRRR!!!

It's been parked for over a year now because of this.  Every time I've sent it in to be repaired (3 times so far) it has cost anywhere from $3k to $6k to get it fixed!

NEVER AGAIN!!

Dig under it and jack it up. I just had to do this with the new lemon that blew another factory tire out the sidewall at 60MPH.

Air suspension is a problem on every vehicle its installed on. I had a Lincoln Mark VII with the fluoroscope lights and air suspension and while the car was extremely quite, comfortable, and a pleasure to drive, the air suspension was always a problem.

I fixed that with an aftermarket suspension kit. Ripped out all the air bags and put a normal suspension back in. Is it "sporty-er" than with an air-ride? You bet. Its not too bad, though. Suspension is still pretty soft and handles better.
 

---

Cars I would avoid at all costs:

- Anything English
- Anything Italian
- Anything French

I would avoid most American CARS. Americans make decent TRUCKS, but not cars. We make nice looking cars, though.

If you want to buy an American truck... Chevy/GM is more reliable than Ford.
Ford builds a solid and possibly tougher chassis than GM, but the engines do not last as long, in general. Expect to be changing the engine before the vehicle is actually "done."
For American cars, at least in the US, parts are CHEAP.

I would avoid a Kia or Hyundai unless had very cheaply. They are not necessarily "bad" cars, but they are built to a price-point and lifespan of roughly 100K Mi and then they're scrap. Kias are known for piston ring wear and burning lots of oil in old age. Hyundais are known for blowing transmissions before 60K and lately, motors too.

Chrysler doesn't have a good track record in general. Neither does Cadillac and Pontiac. All owned by GM but all original Chrysler brands. I've seen lots of these run to 200K miles, but literally everything else on the car will break after 100K and I mean _everything_.

But really... if you don't want to drive yourself crazy... NO Iso-Rivolta, NO Alfa-Romeo, NO Fiat, NO Lambo, NO Maserati... and also NO MGs and NO pre-BMW Minis!(and even the post BMW minis aren't that great!) Edit, thought about it... also NO Citroen, NO Renault.... Peugeot.. maybe a diesel.

[VulcanWerks]

I happen to be a life-long auto enthusiast with many cars under my belt, one under construction now and a track log book. I also maintain two mid-engine sports cars myself.

This is my take:

Brands I 100% will never buy or own:
Ford
Chevy
GM
Jeep
Anything made in America.

American cars are terrible if made after about 1990. Note I said cars - the trucks are OK if you need one. Build quality sucks, attention to detail sucks - they suck. No soul, no quality and unreliable as hell becuase the UAW sucks and accountants run everything. These cars are really not inspiring. Sorry, home country, but you build really bad and crappy cars.

Along these lines, other cars I’d avoid:
Land Rover past 2010
Range Rover
BMW/Porsche/Audi SUVs (all of them)
Jaguar anything
Tesla
Any “luxury” EV car

Brands that are rock solid cars:
Porsche
Audi
Mazda
BMW
Subaru
Honda
Toyota
Lexus
Acura

I’d own several cars from each of those brands. No question.

I have had several Porsche 911’s and they are bullet proof.

I daily an Audi R8 V10 if it’s not too cold or wet. Best car I’ve ever owned.

My Ferrari 360 is infinitely more reliable than any “Premium SUV” we have had. By miles.

Cars are mechanical art to me. Some people paint, make music, use clay, etc. My canvases have four wheels and beating mechanical heart. I drive my sports cars hard fast and sideways, care not about the PITA factor and find maintenance (note, not repair) cathartic. Cars are one of my few passions beyond the love, caring and betterment of my wife and children.

If you want transportation - get a Mazda, Subaru or Lexus. I have several cars in my stable and my wife drives a Mazda and I drive a Subaru all winter. The new lexus SUV looks amazing - and overall the lexus GX we had before was a solid car (too slow and unresponsive for us, though - Mrs. Vulcan is also a sports car fan and couldn’t handle it - that thing was really slow, vague and unresponsive).

As a gent who is also restoring a 92 Corrado VR6 and an e46 m3, I say all of the above as a deep automotive enthusiast who only stops turning wrenches when my ability, fear-factor or space/tools run out. I actually have the shadow goal of opening a shop when I retire - if you have a 1980-2008 European car I can probably fix it, modify it, enhance it or generally evolve it.

My mid-engine cars, pre-2008 M cars and all 911s have never left me on the side of the road. Ever. Literally. (No jinx :))

Do anything you can to avoid American cars and buy Japanese or German for transportation.

Buy all of them before model year 2010. A 2006 BMW, for instance, has knobs or buttons for your HVAC (thank god), Bluetooth, butt warmers, cup holders and power everything. What else do you need and it’ll cost you 6-10k a 2006 3 series. It’ll go forever if you do your oil changes and basic old-school maintenance.

If you have read this far, you know I’m ranting because you hit my passion.

I’ll stop with this:

Ferrari gets a bad rap for “reliability”. My 360 is fantastic. Parts are accessible, Bosch makes most of them, and there’s plenty of room to work on them. The sound that comes out of it is hand-built angelic symphony at 9k RPMs.

Mazda makes an AMAZING SUV or Crossover. I feel Mazda is overlooked but dang the CX-90 is a good car - and frankly their dealer experience is excellent - as is parts.

Subaru is also excellent for customer service and overall reliability. Japanese cars have the ability to “limp” if there’s a problem. I drove my STi hard on a roadtrip AFTER I encountered dash lights I deemed erroneous - drove and pulled like a champ. These are very, very durable and quality cars.

Disclaimer: I’m a guy who is about to take on a moderately higher mileage Ferrari FF as a daily/kid hauler. Yes, I’m confident in my wrenching abilities but that’s going to stretch me. I like that though. My point in saying this is all of my commentary above isn’t coming from a place of willingness to embark on what most people would view as a “dangerous journey” but instead to say I’ve turned my wrenches and owned a lot of cars and when I view something as quality or a “good decision” I have experience away from the axis on tbe Dunning-Kruger chart.

Said since I’m a dude on the internet to all who read this :)

Drive what you love and it will change your life for the better.

VW

[VulcanWerks]

I happen to be a life-long auto enthusiast with many cars under my belt, one under construction now and a track log book. I also maintain two mid-engine sports cars myself.

This is my take:

Brands I 100% will never buy or own:
Ford
Chevy
GM
Jeep
Anything made in America.

American cars are terrible if made after about 1990. Note I said cars - the trucks are OK if you need one. Build quality sucks, attention to detail sucks - they suck. No soul, no quality and unreliable as hell becuase the UAW sucks and accountants run everything. These cars are really unsurprising. Sorry, home country, but you build really bad and crappy cars.

Along these lines, other cars I’d avoid:
Land Rover past 2010
Range Rover
BMW/Porsche/Audi SUVs (all of them)
Jaguar anything
Tesla
Any “luxury” EV car

Brands that are rock solid cars:
Porsche
Audi
Mazda
BMW
Subaru
Honda
Toyota
Lexus
Acura

I’d own several cars from each of those brands. No question.

I have had several Porsche 911’s and they are bullet proof.

I daily an Audi R8 V10 if it’s not too cold or wet. Best car I’ve ever owned.

My Ferrari 360 is infinitely more reliable than any “Premium SUV” we have had. By miles.

Cars are mechanical art to me. Some people paint, make music, use clay, etc. My canvases have four wheels and beating mechanical heart. I drive my sports cars hard fast and sideways, care not about the PITA factor and find maintenance (note, not repair) cathartic. Cars are one of my few passions beyond the love, caring and betterment of my wife and children.

If you want transportation - get a Mazda, Subaru or Lexus. I have several cars in my stable and my wife drives a Mazda and I drive a Subaru all winter. The new lexus SUV looks amazing - and overall the lexus GX we had before was a solid car (too slow and unresponsive for us, though - Mrs. Vulcan is also a sports car fan and couldn’t handle it - that thing was really slow, vague and unresponsive).

As a gent who is also restoring a 92 Corrado VR6 and an e46 m3, I say all of the above as a deep automotive enthusiast who only stops turning wrenches when my ability, fear-factor or space/tools run out. I actually have the shadow goal of opening a shop when I retire - if you have a 1980-2008 European car I can probably fix it, modify it, enhance it or generally evolve it.

My mid-engine cars, pre-2008 M cars and all 911s have never left me on the side of the road. Ever. Literally. (No jinx :))

Do anything you can to avoid American cars and buy Japanese or German for transportation.

Buy all of them before model year 2010. A 2006 BMW, for instance, has knobs or buttons for your HVAC (thank god), Bluetooth, butt warmers, cup holders and power everything. What else do you need and it’ll cost you 6-10k a 2006 3 series. It’ll go forever if you do your oil changes and basic old-school maintenance.

If you have read this far, you know I’m ranting because you hit my passion.

I’ll stop with this:

Ferrari gets a bad rap for “reliability”. My 360 is fantastic. Parts are accessible, Bosch makes most of them, and there’s plenty of room to work on them. The sound that comes out of it is hand-built angelic symphony at 9k RPMs.

Mazda makes an AMAZING SUV or Crossover. I feel Mazda is overlooked but dang the CX-90 is a good car - and frankly their dealer experience is excellent - as is parts.

Subaru is also excellent for customer service and overall reliability. Japanese cars have the ability to “limp” if there’s a problem. I drove my STi hard on a roadtrip AFTER I encountered dash lights I deemed erroneous - drove and pulled like a champ. These are very, very durable and quality cars.

Disclaimer: I’m a guy who is about to take on a moderately higher mileage Ferrari FF as a daily/kid hauler. Yes, I’m confident in my wrenching abilities but that’s going to stretch me. I like that though. My point in saying this is all of my commentary above isn’t coming from a place of willingness to embark on what most people would view as a “dangerous journey” but instead to say I’ve turned my wrenches and owned a lot of cars and when I view something as quality or a “good decision” I have experience on away from the axis on tbe Dunning-Kruger chart to state those opinions as someone with experience.

Said since I’m a dude on the internet to all who read this :)

Drive what you love and it will change your life for the better.

VW

[FlyingClayDisk]

That 360 will "torque" your mental bolts the first time you ever have to adjust the timing.  The 328's weren't too bad, but the turbos would expand your brain.

Growing up in a GM family, I really do like the Porches, Subaru's and some of the Mitsubishi's (specifically the Pajero).  LOL!  The first time I parked a Sirocco (VW) in the driveway, I thought the old man was gonna' have a stroke!  I do like the RAM trucks though, and own a new one...6.7L turbo diesel, baybee!!

Anyway, just my .02.

[FlyersFan]

I would never buy an electric vehicle of any brand.

Unless that is all that was sold and I couldn't buy anything else.

Then I'd be stuck with it.

For the record ... we buy Hondas.

[captinofcats]

I second the person who said they wouldn't buy new. If I can help it I would stay away from anything newish, especially electric vehicles. I have a feeling that if we continue to march towards the inevitable dystopian future we seem to be hell bent on reaching, newer cars will receive an "update" or a pre-existing feature will kick in that restricts driving to certain areas, or will not allow you to drive at all if your social credit score or something similar is not heigh enough.

[Raptured]

As a gent who is also restoring a 92 Corrado VR6 and an e46 m3, I say all of the above as a deep automotive enthusiast who only stops turning wrenches when my ability, fear-factor or space/tools run out. I actually have the shadow goal of opening a shop when I retire - if you have a 1980-2008 European car I can probably fix it, modify it, enhance it or generally evolve it.

I've driven a Corrado VR6 way back in the day and it was one of the most exciting cars I've ever had the pleasure of operating.

"Affordable Porsche" was a term I remember reading to describe it once.

I currently drive a GTI (2019 - Autobahn) and it can't begin to touch the fun-level the Corrado had

[l0st]

I've driven a Corrado VR6 way back in the day and it was one of the most exciting cars I've ever had the pleasure of operating.

"Affordable Porsche" was a term I remember reading to describe it once.

I currently drive a GTI (2019 - Autobahn) and it can't begin to touch the fun-level the Corrado had

My old neighbor had a '17 GTI that was heavily modified. That sucker was FAST. Unbelievably so. So much torque he chewed up the bearings in the stock driveshaft. He used to drag race it on a drag strip on the weekends.