A recent post by an auto mechanic on a financial advice Reddit sub laid out which cars to avoid like the plague as money gets tighter. While a lot of the cars on this list have aesthetic appeal and may claim to be reliable, they wrote that the maintenance costs can add thousands of dollars on top of the initial cost, whether you buy new or used.
For most folks in the U.S., it’s a terrible time for unexpected expenses. The remaining tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, including a 25 percent tax on auto parts, will only make repairs more expensive.
Avoid these cars at all costs
On Wednesday, Reddit user u/Slinky_Malingki posted their advice to the r/povertyfinance, which goes by the slogan “Personal Finance For The Financially Challenged.”
This mechanic is still in training, but says they’ve learned enough to know which cars they will never buy, especially while living paycheck to paycheck—like 57 percent of the U.S. population.
With that in mind, the OP grouped together vehicles to avoid by region.
1. European cars: VWs, Mercs, Audis, BMW, etc.
These brands love to attract eyes with their sleek designs and promises of speed, comfort, and performance, but require serious regular maintenance to keep going. If you can’t afford that on top of the increasingly high car financing payments, don’t bother.
“These are seriously the only for people who can either fix cars themselves, or afford to have someone else fix it for them,” the OP warned. “Doesn’t matter if your dream Beamer shows up on marketplace for an affordable price. That car will very quickly drain your bank account.”
2. American cars: Ford, Chevy, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, etc.
If you’re on the financially challenged sub, you’re probably not buying a BMW anyway. You’ll stick to good ol’ American cars—affordable and reliable. Right?
Not so much anymore, according to this mechanic. Your tough-as-nails cowboy pickup truck brands have been making parts out of cheap plastic.
“They are not good, to put it lightly. Plastic parts, tons of recalls, cheaply built, and tons of corner-cutting bullsh*t.”
The Redditor holds up Range Rovers as the peak example of this problem, calling the repair shop across the street “the RRG. Range Rover Graveyard.”
Jeeps aren’t on there by mistake, either. They’re well on their way to ruining their reputation with the Jeep Compass.
“Recently had a fairly new Jeep Compass come in for a new starter. Less than 40k miles on it. The new starter we put in (OEM, not a cheap part) was also trash. Had to put it in again. Oh and the Compass had already been in several times for other unrelated issues.”
Don’t think you can avoid the tariffs by buying American. The Trump administration removed the exception for American car parts early this month.
3. Asian cars
Japanese and South Korean car companies have a reputation for being the most reliable, and that is still the case…most of the time. Our resident Reddit mechanic advises prospective buyers to do their research and proceed with caution.
Nissans, for example, have trash transmissions.
“Nissan makes the worst CVT transmissions in the world. That’s a transmission with no gears, just a belt and some pulleys. And pretty much every Nissan on the road has one now. They blow up like every 50-80k miles on average and you’re lucky if it lasts that long.”
4. What about used cars?
The OP advises to “NEVER buy from a dealership unless you enjoy getting f*cked by predatory payment plans and outrageous interest rates.” If you don’t enjoy that, you can buy used straight from the previous owner, but there’s a trick to it.
“If you’re buying a used car from an individual, get it inspected by a mechanic first. Many shops will do a free walk-in multi-point inspection for any car, including the one I work at,” they wrote. “We look over everything, mark down anything we see, and tell you what’s urgent, and what can wait, and then we get you quotes.”
“And many shops are more than happy to do free inspections because it gives them the chance to recommend repairs to a potential new customer.”
What cars does the mechanic recommend? Toyota, Honda, or Subaru
They rated Kia and Hyundai as decent, but warned that buyers should check on which models have “major engine problems.”
“I’m a bit of a Toyota fan, so that’s what I drive,” they write. “It has nearly 300k miles in it and the motor is still mint. There are some Toyota engines that are damn near bulletproof.”
Your best bet is Toyota, Honda, or Subaru, but watch out for the latter’s 2.5 liter engine issue.
“This is because for a while Subaru decided to use a different gasket material for that engine, leading to the infamous ‘blown head gasket’ that Subarus are now famous for, a something that costs about $2000 on average to fix.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to u/Slinky_Malingki for comment via Reddit.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
