With car prices still painfully high, mechanics are warning shoppers that some vehicles simply aren’t worth the long-term cost. One viral video is reigniting debate over which brands quickly turn into “instant money pits.”
What cars are “instant money pits”?
In a video with more than eight million views, mechanics from AccurateAuto break down three types of vehicles they say buyers should think twice about before purchasing.
“Land Rover and Range Rover,” he says first. “They’re all made of plastic, so when things get too hot, they start cracking and having issues.”
He also notes that the control arm bushings frequently fail to carry the weight of the vehicle, causing them to fail around 40,000 miles.
The second car brand he warns drivers about is Cadillac, specifically the CTS and ATS models.
“They tend to have a lot of transmission problems. But CTS in particular has a lot of oil valve control issues,” he says. “It can destroy engines as soon as 60,000 to 70,000 miles.”
For his final pick, he suggests drivers avoid BMWs.
@accurateautoinc What three types of vehicles are an instant money pit? *extended cut #fyp #auto #rangerover #bmw #cadillac ♬ original sound – AccurateAuto
“We’ve seen some dramatic issues at young mileage on these cars. They’re all made of plastic,” he says. “BMW stands for ‘break my wallet’ for a reason.”
The mechanic clarifies that he’s not trying to “throw shade” at the money pit cars.
“I’m just saying those are three brands that tend to be some of the most expensive vehicles to repair and we tend to see these repairs needed at young mileages,” he says.
Do drivers agree with his picks?
In the comments, drivers who own the “money pit” vehicles share their personal experiences with the cars.
“Range Rover owner here. This is accurate,” one remarks.
“Even leasing a Range Rover is rough. I was at the dealership 6 times in 3 years for unscheduled maintenance,” a second shares.
“I’m on my 2nd Range Rover and knock on wood, no problems. Not sure why people always say this,” another counters.
“My BMW X5 has 150,000 only changed the oil. Great car,” a fourth adds.
Others share different vehicles they believe aren’t worth the cost to maintain.
“Good luck with an Audi. You can’t even change a battery without having to pay to get it reprogrammed. Don’t get me started on the maintenance big money pit,” a commenter suggests.
Another writes, “Anything Ford.”
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here.
