And review the legitimate published data...not the advertising masquerading as legitimate. A lot of mechanics are on the wrong side of the dollar from you.
I totally approve of the above list bc I owned a BMW and after 5 yrs. I experienced expensive repairs averaging to $3000 a year. I finally sold it at a loss. I own a Mazda now and I am happier.
Back in the days, I owned an Audi 5000 Turbo. The vehicle looked amazing, the paint quality was fantastic, BUT it would NEVER STOP BREAKING DOWN!!! The dashboard looked like a Christmas tree with all the warning lights coming on all the time. I would get one thing fixed and then right after that something else would break down. IT WAS A TRUE NIGHTMARE!!! Then I got a Volkswagen Golf, that was not much different, either. After I got rid off the Golf as well to cut my losses once and for all, I promised myself to NEVER PURCHASE another GERMAN CAR EVER AGAIN!!!
@@sammyt3514 One of the general contractors I work for has a 2017 325i that refuses to die on her and she's refusing to replace it with modern BMW due to the fact that they all have twin turbos now and that's like a bad drug addiction is to the human body.
What I said to a Volkswagen service manager about my new Passat: "This is the worst vehicle I have ever owned -- including all the old used cars I have owned."
Another factor in play is the competency and trustworthiness of the service department. While it’s impossible to tar every dealership with the same brush, I gave up on BMW not just because of the problems, but also because of the arrogant elitist attitude of the people behind the counter.
If you believe what's shown on youtube European and Korean cars breakdown way more in the U S and Canada than in Europe. I owned a Ford and 2 Opels , the Ford had problems all the time but the Opels were fine( untill I crashed one and a blown headgasket after 18 years of use)
@@user-hm5nn9pk8n- Hard to believe European cars are breaking down. It must be lack of maintenance, or improper service. Great that you had such good luck with your Opels. It's expected with your Ford. I lived in Sweden for a long time too, and just saw flat tires at the side of the road, and they were mostly tourists. They don't know to avoid all the wood that falls off the wood trucks there.
Audi $70,000 new. 3 years after Audi being resold. = $8,000.= Nuff said. Every time I see an Audi in the street, I think one of two things: "Rich or a Sucker." 😊
We think alike! I see an audi or vw and know they haven't learned their lesson yet. Less well off people don't have the deep pockets. But the better off value their time and don't want to be at service all the time. Don't ask how i know 😉
In conclusion, all European cars are unreliable. As you can see, Audi, BMW, or Mercedes are all bad European cars. They are expensive to repair. They are prone to break down. Buyers can buy Toyota or Lexus and not have to worry about repair cost.
@bakgammon buy a BMW and ypu will be full of clues... I have owned 3 BMW'S and they were all very expensive to repair...2003 X5 given as a b-day gift in high school...5 series as a daily commute car in college... now X5 again as daily work car...this one just had a $16,000 engine replacement job...
The point was made by someone else that most people do not do their due diligence when it comes to putting out big bucks. Whether it is for a vehicle or purchasing a home or even electronics people get sucked in by marketing. There used to be laws about what you could say in marketing, but those laws have been either repealed or just ignored. Finding companies that market their products ethically is not easy. People are stupid and emotional when it comes to spending their money.
Friends of mine just bought a new Volkswagen. Why? It's a very nice car, good-looking, and with a very high quality interior. Howver, I'm certain they didn't investigate any of the sources available to learn about reliability and other issues and simply bought based on emotion. Sadly, I think many people don't do their due diligence and end up with an appealing but expensive car that makes them happy twice - once when they buy it and once when they get rid of it.
@@TheSjurisThe Jetta engines are fine. But they will cost you more to maintain properly. Oil changes every 5k miles, carbon cleaning at 75k miles, new water pump and thermostat at 80-90k miles. It’s a European car, so these things are not cheap.
@ on planet earth those diesels suck shit. All diesel’s suck shit. VWs aren’t worth anything. Maybe use a bigger engine. One that runs on gas and doesn’t need a turbo to accelerate.
These vehicles are expensive so I was wondering how do these companies stay in business? Surely people would not mind driving an unreliable car for a lot of money. The word should get around so future cars can be made better thank you for good information
I think what makes these cars so popular is their beautiful styling inside & out, and performance. Also, some people like the status symbol aspect of German cars.
Awesome video Shari 🙏👏👍 You relied on mechanics to provide this list of brands to avoid. I am surprised that Ford, Honda and Nissan are not in the list. These three brands are disastrous with their Turbo engines and CVT transmissions. In my personal experience, Toyota and Mazda takes the crown for being the most reliable brands and Subaru trailing behind…if they could only fix their oil leaks Subaru actually are very well engineered brand.
Agree with Toyota/Lexus, Mazda, Subaru being the most reliable (according to my experience with fleets of hundreds of cars and the Consumer Reports annual reliability surveys). But Honda/Acura is still in Top 10 reliability (declining) and Nissan and Ford are average. There are far worse brands, like the ones presented here. The peak of unreliability belonging to the Chinese commies' lemons (including the ex-British MG and the ex-Swedish Volvo) and to the Indian clunkers (including the ex-British Jaguar and Land Rover).
@@carhelpcornerPerhaps, those mechanics need a memory refreshment about Ford’s disastrous Ecoboost engine failures and Nissan’s catalytic converters failures and Honda’s Turbo engine failures.😂😂😂
Very informative, thank you. I know Kia and Hyundai made this list, how about Genesis the lux brand of Hyundai? I know one of your reviews, you did like the GV70. Would you be able to comment on Genesis' reliability? thanks.
Hmmmm. Years ago, my boss at the mechanics shop where I worked told me about the dangerous strains that a turbo-charger puts on small engine, e.g., the Saabs, which were the pioneer cars in that practice. We were getting out-of-warranty Saab turbos in with lots of failed timing belts. Dan was certain that crankcases and camshafts would be wearing out early too.
Yes, Honda's V6 engine is awesome. Honda V6 has well over 2 decades of a proven record. The same V6 is also used in every Acura MDX. Stay away from the 4 Cyl turbos.
You have confirmed everything I have heard about these brands. General comment. German engineering has gone down the toilet. No wonder their brands are crap.
My take, with 50 years+ of auto/truck ownership: Toyotas will, with some exceptions, require fewer expensive repairs and will last a long time. Unfortunately, Toyota quality, especially with the newer turbo engines in their trucks and SUVs has declined significantly in the last couple of years. GM and Ford vehicles have not been reliability champs for decades, and have gotten worse in the last few years. Their biggest advantage GM and Ford have is that they have gigantic dealer networks and there are hundreds of thousands of independent mechanics nationwide that are familiar with them and can work on GM and Ford vehicles. Compared to other makes, parts are more generally available. The European vehicles (including rebadged Fiat/Stellantis junk rebranded such as Jeep, Dodge, etc.) are unreliable and expensive to repair, at least in North America. Topping off the bad news are frequent parts shortages. Chrysler, despite having a big North American dealer network, has suffered from parts shortages with some vehicles laid up for months waiting for parts, going clear back to the Daimler-Chrysler era. Jeep reliability, in particular, has been on a steep downhill slide since the mid-2000's. As is typical for Chrysler, Ram trucks have had electrical/electronic issues for years that the company refuses to address. Same with its Hemi V8s--they have had well-known low-RPM lubrication issues for a couple of decades and Chrysler never fixed the design defect. Nissan has also been on a downhill slide in reliability for years. Its hidebound stubborn dependence on its relatively awful CVT's is killing the company, but they won't change. The two companies that actually seem to be producing better and more reliable vehicles over the past few years are Mazda and Subaru. Kia/Hyundai continue to produce visually appealing, but unreliable cars.
I own a 2014 Kia Rio - I have done oil changes and brakes once - that's it....and the engines he is whining about are up to 2021 - yet the new Civics including hybrids get a pass because " all new cars have growing pains " or something to that effect - yet the first recall was for worm gears on the steering - how long have Civics been made ? - and 2nd ( within 2 months or release was for fuel pump ) From Honda " Defective fuel pump part can cause fuel leak; fuel smell while idling or driving; risk of fire is increased with potential of subsequent crash or injury." His ranting about Hyundai ( which I also own ) and Kia is starting to sound like " they're eating the cats and the dogs " ....I see lots of both driving around and from 15 - 0 years old ( maybe 40% of what's on the road ) and I live in a small town in Northern Ontario so it can't be all that bad...
@@fourpoint64 I have not personally owned a Honda vehicle. I think that, overall, they have been well-made, reliable, long-lived vehicles. Their .15L Turbo oil consumption issues, especially in cold climates, early in their production was one of Honda's few major quality issues. With Honda's long experience in producing quality engines, how that big mistake "escaped" into production is a mystery.
I bought a 11 years old Japanese Suzuki swift and been using it for last 7 years. Never had any issue and my cousin who likes European 2nd hand cars bought about 9 cars at the same amount of time due to mechanical issues. Still haven't learned his lesson, now he bought a 2nd hand Audi A6. 😂
The last A6 I owned, mechanically totaled itself by 48k miles. Tranny failure $6k, steering rack $3k, headlights $1k each, back tonneu cover broke $850. Completely disintegrated despite anal level of care and maintenance. Never anything german again. Since then it's Toyota, Subaru, Honda. I'll keep my bank account and calm life over alluring design that robs you blind.
Kia's? I've had 2 Souls one I bought used with over 30k miles and a new one that I put over 53k miles on this year and haven't had any significant issues with.
There is really no excuse for all of the poor quality on these cars. The German's use to make some of the best cars out there but now they are money pits. Jaguar and Land Rover are jokes now and are just a poor choice unless you lease them. For what these cars cost there is just no excuse.
@@carhelpcorner good afternoon quick question if i am buying a CPO from say a Honda dealer should I still do a pre purchase inspection thanks for reading my message.
My Japanese fiancé was not impressed with my turbo Chrysler Laser .... and she proved correct when several key systems imploded before car even had 50K miles. Over the years, she has counseled me into giving Japanese cars a try [and I have not been disappointed]. Today, I drive a 2016 Lexus RX350 and it has zero problems and returns miles and miles of carefree luxury driver satisfaction. And, I've been driving my '89 Toyota Corolla station wagon for 35 years. I can't kill it. Rarely a problem. Over 300K miles. Great winter snow vehicle. In this case, it paid off to listen to my wise wife . . . . .
@@wholeNwon we're all young-and-dumb at some point in our Lives ..................... even you. [there was no internet or GOOGLE back then. Maybe they had that info in CAR & DRIVER mag, but I wasn't a subscriber.]
@@kansaidan2302 No sensible person ever acted upon info in "Car and Driver". I did study Consumer Reports and their famous "owners' survey" way back then in the stone age but I didn't subscribe, either. That's why we all had (have) access to a public library.
More frequent fluid changes than what's recommended in the owners manual. For example, change the oil every 8,000km instead of every 16,000km as BMW recommends.
Hyundai lantra SE 1998 was the worst model car for reliability. They were made with heaps of price cutting under cutting everything at the time. When i used to get it serviced i got a laundry list of items costing 1000-2000 every single time. it eventually just turned off in the middle of the road and i lost all electrical power and the steering wheel locked . i got rid of it after that . most reliable car i had was the Miitshibushi magna series and hyundai getz were fine too
Cost of average repair? So if only one of the million Audis sold in the US over the last 5 years was ever in for a repair, and it was expensive, Audi would top the list? 98% of Buicks are in the shop every other month for a few hundred dollars, that’s much more “reliable”? Terrible metric.
Car Wizard says, 75% of Americans don't maintain their car properly, and he's been working on cars for a long time. Also people have to understand that those fun to drive cars like BMW and Audi when you're behind the wheel of a turbo'd powerhouse most people don't drive them like grandma going to the Piggly Wiggly. These German cars are rich man's toys, they lease them for 3 years, beat the heck out of them and then they wind up on a BHPH lot in or near a ghetto for $7000 so the people there can look hood rich.
@@oleglishchenko4922 Why would anybody buy a Korean clunker when the best (most reliable and lowest TCO=Total Cost of Ownership) are the Japanese hybrids?
The only reason why Im avoiding MAZDA in my local area becuase of that scammer from MAZDA insurance. They scam me on side mirror replacement by letting me paid a new side mirror for $480 plus. after the fix. I found out that its stil my old side mirror. They just only fixed some interior parts. This pissed me off. Mazda is a good brand I would preferred MAZDA than Toyota. Toyota is losing lately on modern features.
Do EVs have fewer quality problems? They are more simple in design and ICE cars and may depreciate more quickly due to upgrades in technology but there is less to go wrong. Right?
Yes, I think his focus on average repair order price yet leaves out Bentley or Lamborghini or lotus, where to repair anything even if not many repairs are done.
To me the most unreliable cars are most modern American cars. On the other end of the spectrum are the Japanese ones but also increasingly so the Chinese vehicles.
Sold parts to NIssan USA. Mazda makes NIssan look bad. The VC engines and the turbo 4s, plus Jayco CVTs are bringing down Nissan quality. With no hybrids for sale and dropping sales, Nissan might go broke or be bought out by a Chinese company. Will be in for some news soon here.
Skewed data. Warranty wise is more reliable. They offer after manufacturer warranties in Europe. The data is for hundreds per car brand, if not thousands.
Only buy a BMW or MINI that is 2017 or newer. Even then if buying used try to find one where the oil was changed every 5k miles instead of BMW/MINI's recommend 10k miles. It's also important the previous owners used 91 octane or higher. There is no reason they both can't reach high mileage now without any major problems if properly taken care of.
I agree that this is the safest way to buy a BMW/Mini. The hardest part will be finding one that had oil changes every 5k when BMW recommends 10k intervals.
I agree with this list except for Hyundai and Kia: Because I’ll explain why: my friend Dominic has a 2009 Hyundai Sonata with 70,000 something miles with no issues at all, I have a 2014 Hyundai Elantra Limited pushing under 60,000 something miles with no issues either, my coworker has a 2019 Hyundai Kona with no issues, and my friend Kassidy has a 2023 Hyundai Kona with no issues except for when the oil change shop tried to destroy her engine by putting the wrong oil in the car, but same goes for Kia’s in general I have a neighbor with 2022/2023 Kia Telluride no issues either, it all comes down to luck, because to make myself clear: I had a 2015 Honda Civic Lx before I wrecked it 91,840 something miles it would have kept going if it wasn’t for that, and newer Honda’s aren’t quite as reliable thanks to the recent recall with the fuel pump actually, and Toyota same thing with it’s recent recall on the Tundra, so mechanics even said: The newer stuff hasn’t been around long enough to collect data on repairs yet, but not everyone that owns Kia and Hyundai will have the same problems proper maintenance will help it in long term, but I agree about the European cars even with proper maintenance I feel the build quality is worse than the Korean cars because of the technology atleast the technology inside of Kia and Hyundai is more like Honda and Toyota where it’s simple to figure out still! 🤷🏻♂️
Your anecdotal "evidence' is nothing vs. statistics. The Japanese brands are far above the Korean brands. But the Koreans are better than German, Indian, Chinese commies' lemons.
It's so weird to see on a list of car brands such as Range Rover. Cost of a car around 150k-200k. It gives way more than just go from A to B. The cost of owning gonna be average 10-15% like most of the cars. Most owners of Range Rover change their cars once in 3-5 years. And in more than 70% of the time, guess what? Its gonna be more fresh Range Rover
Sounds like all car brands are terrible now. The exceptions being Honda and Toyota. Except Toyota is having engine and transmission problems. And the 1.5 L turbo that Honda put in my Accord is complete garbage If you have an old car that runs,, keep it
My 7 year old, 200k km MINI needs a new turbo. it'll cost me as much as 10% of the car when I got it new. Still cheaper than buying a used car though to keep it going.
My Volkswagen has been excellent. Granted I agree with you that routine maintenance is very expensive. It’s fine, I do it anyway. Anyone who is not willing to put in the money to maintain a European vehicle should instead get an appliance like a Corolla.
I've done comparison videos with the XC40 and XC60 a while back. I will be reviewing the new EX30, and doing a comparison with the EX90 vs XC90 in the new year 👍
I am surprised you haven't mentioned Subaru. I have spent countless dollars on it's repairs. Just almost 5000$ since May 2023 till date. Not sure why you (or the mechanics) are so biased towards Japanese brands. The worst Japanese brand that I have driven so far is - Subaru. Never ever will I buy a Japanese brand. Period.
Just to confirm your experience we had a 1988 Subaru GL which was nice to sit in just don’t try to drive it on the highway. I’m sorry to this day I didn’t buy a Toyota Camry wagon instead. Later we bought a 2002 Honda CR V and Honda Accord. What a relief and we are still driving them today. I’m a firm believer in regular maintenance and they have served us well.
@@richardmorse5307 I spent 19,000 CAD to buy a used 2010 Subaru Tribeca (in 2015). It had 150,000 kms on it when I purchased and today it has 266,000 kms on it. I spent almost 16,000 CAD on its maintenance (reactive and preventive) so far. In last 1.5 years alone I spent almost 5300 CAD on it for repairs. Time to get rid of this junk and replace it with a non Japanese hybrid .
"just consider them all bad" 🤣...that's hilarious. all the usual suspects. the late models of these junkers are even worse. they are not even pretending to improve their products.
Words of wisdom: Talk to your mechanic, not your salesman, before buying a car.
And review the legitimate published data...not the advertising masquerading as legitimate. A lot of mechanics are on the wrong side of the dollar from you.
@@wholeNwonwell you have multiple avenues of getting data. If a mechanic says Jeeps are reliable then you know they can't be trusted.
Talk to your insurance provider as well.
Unless your mechanic likes to see you in the shop all the time.
@@WhittyPics The vehicles in this video provided a very comfortable life for a lot of independent shop owners.
Our family used to buy Honda products but we’ve switched to Mazda, we’re happy with this brand.
So glad I bought a Mazda CX-5.
me too!
I have been in CX-5s and quite frankly I can't see going to anything European, especially since Mazda has upped their luxury game.
The CX-5 is a wonderful car. I almost bought one, but the 23 mpg city held me back, since I do a lot of city driving.
@@kenfrank2730Did you check the hybrid?
I also got the 2024 CX-5 Signature trim and love it.
I totally approve of the above list bc I owned a BMW and after 5 yrs. I experienced expensive repairs averaging to $3000 a year. I finally sold it at a loss. I own a Mazda now and I am happier.
Back in the days, I owned an Audi 5000 Turbo. The vehicle looked amazing, the paint quality was fantastic, BUT it would NEVER STOP BREAKING DOWN!!! The dashboard looked like a Christmas tree with all the warning lights coming on all the time. I would get one thing fixed and then right after that something else would break down. IT WAS A TRUE NIGHTMARE!!! Then I got a Volkswagen Golf, that was not much different, either. After I got rid off the Golf as well to cut my losses once and for all, I promised myself to NEVER PURCHASE another GERMAN CAR EVER AGAIN!!!
Funny that you sound surprised.
And those were the days when German cars were better built; it's much worse now.
Today, the Golf breaks down everytime you finish 18 holes.
@@sammyt3514 One of the general contractors I work for has a 2017 325i that refuses to die on her and she's refusing to replace it with modern BMW due to the fact that they all have twin turbos now and that's like a bad drug addiction is to the human body.
I am not surprised with any vehicle on this list
What I said to a Volkswagen service manager about my new Passat: "This is the worst vehicle I have ever owned -- including all the old used cars I have owned."
What year and mileage was your Passat?
@@Mabeylater293 A 2000 Passat. It was like a beautiful woman: alluring but unfaithful :- }
As just about everyone knows. But could have been worse, you could have bought a Phaeton!!!
Japan Japan Japan or forget it. If it's not Toyota or Honda? Forget it. 😊 Maybe Subaru too.
@@oreally8605Mazda’s coming along fine too.
Appreciate all the information you share. Very helpful and appreciated🙏🏽
Thank you!
Another factor in play is the competency and trustworthiness of the service department. While it’s impossible to tar every dealership with the same brush, I gave up on BMW not just because of the problems, but also because of the arrogant elitist attitude of the people behind the counter.
Another great informative video. Thank you.
Problem is mechanics in UsA charging to much , back home in Serbia mechanic are more realistic with prices , cars is normal to need repair
THANK YOU! I appreciate this video very much.
When I lived in Germany, the only cars that were down on the side of the road were Ford and Opel.
If you believe what's shown on youtube European and Korean cars breakdown way more in the U S and Canada than in Europe. I owned a Ford and 2 Opels , the Ford had problems all the time but the Opels were fine( untill I crashed one and a blown headgasket after 18 years of use)
@@user-hm5nn9pk8n- Hard to believe European cars are breaking down. It must be lack of maintenance, or improper service. Great that you had such good luck with your Opels. It's expected with your Ford. I lived in Sweden for a long time too, and just saw flat tires at the side of the road, and they were mostly tourists. They don't know to avoid all the wood that falls off the wood trucks there.
Normal car : toyota
Luxury car : lexus
That's it!
Reliable and also boring
Mechanics want consumers to buy cars that are constantly giving problems, especially if they don’t work as part of a dealership.
Look at the brand your mechanic DRIVES instead of what he recommends?
German lemons Audi is so obvious. My friend worked for an Audi dealer mechanic and loved his job, making big bucks, LOL.
Audi, the four rings of despair.
@@Backhaul back in the 70's, they were producing the Outhouzen 5000
Audi $70,000 new. 3 years after Audi being resold. = $8,000.= Nuff said. Every time I see an Audi in the street, I think one of two things: "Rich or a Sucker." 😊
Once you go Audi, you go Audi 100%. I can relate to that despite massive depreciation value.
Or just leasing
We think alike! I see an audi or vw and know they haven't learned their lesson yet. Less well off people don't have the deep pockets. But the better off value their time and don't want to be at service all the time.
Don't ask how i know 😉
@ivanvarykino8202 "learned their lesson yet" 😂😂😂 True!
Or both.
In conclusion, all European cars are unreliable. As you can see, Audi, BMW, or Mercedes are all bad European cars. They are expensive to repair. They are prone to break down. Buyers can buy Toyota or Lexus and not have to worry about repair cost.
clueless
@bakgammon buy a BMW and ypu will be full of clues... I have owned 3 BMW'S and they were all very expensive to repair...2003 X5 given as a b-day gift in high school...5 series as a daily commute car in college... now X5 again as daily work car...this one just had a $16,000 engine replacement job...
I really dodged the raindrops by buying my Nissan Versa Note. Gas and go. Just routine maintenance. Phew!!
The point was made by someone else that most people do not do their due diligence when it comes to putting out big bucks. Whether it is for a vehicle or purchasing a home or even electronics people get sucked in by marketing. There used to be laws about what you could say in marketing, but those laws have been either repealed or just ignored. Finding companies that market their products ethically is not easy. People are stupid and emotional when it comes to spending their money.
Excellent to the point fact filled impressive presentation.
Thank you!
Friends of mine just bought a new Volkswagen. Why? It's a very nice car, good-looking, and with a very high quality interior. Howver, I'm certain they didn't investigate any of the sources available to learn about reliability and other issues and simply bought based on emotion. Sadly, I think many people don't do their due diligence and end up with an appealing but expensive car that makes them happy twice - once when they buy it and once when they get rid of it.
Was about to consider a Jetta, but can’t trust an engine that will not last.
@@TheSjurisThe Jetta engines are fine. But they will cost you more to maintain properly. Oil changes every 5k miles, carbon cleaning at 75k miles, new water pump and thermostat at 80-90k miles. It’s a European car, so these things are not cheap.
@ and need to be replaced at 130k.
@@TheSjurisIn what world?
@ on planet earth those diesels suck shit. All diesel’s suck shit. VWs aren’t worth anything. Maybe use a bigger engine. One that runs on gas and doesn’t need a turbo to accelerate.
Avoid turbocharged engines. Unless you are prepared to change oil every 5k miles
Is changing your oil every 6 months a good idea with turbocharged engines, even if you don't quite reach 5k miles at every interval?
You should be changing oil every 5k no matter what the engine.
@TheSjuris I change my oil every 6 months regardless of mileage. Between my first and most recent oil changes I had only driven about 2k miles.
@@damilolaakanniyes! Especially for turbo charged engines
And experience early-onset aging.
These vehicles are expensive so I was wondering how do these companies stay in business?
Surely people would not mind driving an unreliable car for a lot of money. The word should get around so future cars can be made better thank you for good information
I think what makes these cars so popular is their beautiful styling inside & out, and performance. Also, some people like the status symbol aspect of German cars.
I agree. Many of these brands sell based on their designs, status symbol, and other superficial/emotional based reasons.
@kenfrank2730 i am used to Hondas and like the feeling of being in areliable vehicle, tha I can afford.
Awesome video Shari 🙏👏👍
You relied on mechanics to provide this list of brands to avoid. I am surprised that Ford, Honda and Nissan are not in the list. These three brands are disastrous with their Turbo engines and CVT transmissions.
In my personal experience, Toyota and Mazda takes the crown for being the most reliable brands and Subaru trailing behind…if they could only fix their oil leaks Subaru actually are very well engineered brand.
Agree with Toyota/Lexus, Mazda, Subaru being the most reliable (according to my experience with fleets of hundreds of cars and the Consumer Reports annual reliability surveys).
But Honda/Acura is still in Top 10 reliability (declining) and Nissan and Ford are average. There are far worse brands, like the ones presented here. The peak of unreliability belonging to the Chinese commies' lemons (including the ex-British MG and the ex-Swedish Volvo) and to the Indian clunkers (including the ex-British Jaguar and Land Rover).
Thank you! Many of the mechanics rated Ford and Nissan pretty poorly, but they weren't as bad as the ones in this video.
@@carhelpcornerPerhaps, those mechanics need a memory refreshment about Ford’s disastrous Ecoboost engine failures and Nissan’s catalytic converters failures and Honda’s Turbo engine failures.😂😂😂
I have a very well maintained 2020 Nissan. No problems yet knock on wood.
Drove a 2011 kia soul for 13 years no problems, now have a hyndia tucson I guess time will tell. Keep oil changed every 3000 miles.
One of my General Contractors swears by Hyundai reliability.
Jeremy Clarckson, who would never give any credit to American cars and always loved British and European cars, is hating this list.
Very informative, thank you. I know Kia and Hyundai made this list, how about Genesis the lux brand of Hyundai? I know one of your reviews, you did like the GV70. Would you be able to comment on Genesis' reliability? thanks.
If you're going to buy kia/hyundai, buy a unit made in Korea. Just like Japanese vehicles, better quality.
Too bad so many people's egos and need for recognition override their reason and common sense.
Sadly, many consumers buy with their emotions and not their brains.
Hmmmm. Years ago, my boss at the mechanics shop where I worked told me about the dangerous strains that a turbo-charger puts on small engine, e.g., the Saabs, which were the pioneer cars in that practice. We were getting out-of-warranty Saab turbos in with lots of failed timing belts. Dan was certain that crankcases and camshafts would be wearing out early too.
Maybe you could have saved time by just listing the five vehicles that are not repair nightmares
I remember stickers from the 70s that said, "happiness is selling your audi"
So would you recommend a honda pilot over a telluride?
Yes. Or CX90. Or Grand highlander.
Absolutely. Go with the Pilot.
Yes, Honda's V6 engine is awesome. Honda V6 has well over 2 decades of a proven record. The same V6 is also used in every Acura MDX. Stay away from the 4 Cyl turbos.
I love my Golf...
I've owned it over 4 years and have only replaced the tires and change the oil.
I would buy one again. 😉
You have confirmed everything I have heard about these brands. General comment. German engineering has gone down the toilet. No wonder their brands are crap.
Thank God I drive an '89 Yugo.
Yugo downhill but Yucan't go back up?
Buy clever. Buy Japanese
Japanese forks, knives, and spoons.
My take, with 50 years+ of auto/truck ownership:
Toyotas will, with some exceptions, require fewer expensive repairs and will last a long time. Unfortunately, Toyota quality, especially with the newer turbo engines in their trucks and SUVs has declined significantly in the last couple of years.
GM and Ford vehicles have not been reliability champs for decades, and have gotten worse in the last few years. Their biggest advantage GM and Ford have is that they have gigantic dealer networks and there are hundreds of thousands of independent mechanics nationwide that are familiar with them and can work on GM and Ford vehicles. Compared to other makes, parts are more generally available.
The European vehicles (including rebadged Fiat/Stellantis junk rebranded such as Jeep, Dodge, etc.) are unreliable and expensive to repair, at least in North America. Topping off the bad news are frequent parts shortages.
Chrysler, despite having a big North American dealer network, has suffered from parts shortages with some vehicles laid up for months waiting for parts, going clear back to the Daimler-Chrysler era. Jeep reliability, in particular, has been on a steep downhill slide since the mid-2000's. As is typical for Chrysler, Ram trucks have had electrical/electronic issues for years that the company refuses to address. Same with its Hemi V8s--they have had well-known low-RPM lubrication issues for a couple of decades and Chrysler never fixed the design defect.
Nissan has also been on a downhill slide in reliability for years. Its hidebound stubborn dependence on its relatively awful CVT's is killing the company, but they won't change.
The two companies that actually seem to be producing better and more reliable vehicles over the past few years are Mazda and Subaru.
Kia/Hyundai continue to produce visually appealing, but unreliable cars.
I own a 2014 Kia Rio - I have done oil changes and brakes once - that's it....and the engines he is whining about are up to 2021 - yet the new Civics including hybrids get a pass because " all new cars have growing pains " or something to that effect - yet the first recall was for worm gears on the steering - how long have Civics been made ? - and 2nd ( within 2 months or release was for fuel pump ) From Honda " Defective fuel pump part can cause fuel leak; fuel smell while idling or driving; risk of fire is increased with potential of subsequent crash or injury." His ranting about Hyundai ( which I also own ) and Kia is starting to sound like " they're eating the cats and the dogs " ....I see lots of both driving around and from 15 - 0 years old ( maybe 40% of what's on the road ) and I live in a small town in Northern Ontario so it can't be all that bad...
how about Honda
Very well said. For the most part, I would have to agree 👌
@@fourpoint64 I have not personally owned a Honda vehicle. I think that, overall, they have been well-made, reliable, long-lived vehicles. Their .15L Turbo oil consumption issues, especially in cold climates, early in their production was one of Honda's few major quality issues. With Honda's long experience in producing quality engines, how that big mistake "escaped" into production is a mystery.
I bought a 11 years old Japanese Suzuki swift and been using it for last 7 years. Never had any issue and my cousin who likes European 2nd hand cars bought about 9 cars at the same amount of time due to mechanical issues. Still haven't learned his lesson, now he bought a 2nd hand Audi A6. 😂
The last A6 I owned, mechanically totaled itself by 48k miles. Tranny failure $6k, steering rack $3k, headlights $1k each, back tonneu cover broke $850. Completely disintegrated despite anal level of care and maintenance.
Never anything german again.
Since then it's Toyota, Subaru, Honda.
I'll keep my bank account and calm life over alluring design that robs you blind.
Thanks for sharing. A great example of how problematic these cars can be even with meticulous maintenance
Kia's? I've had 2 Souls one I bought used with over 30k miles and a new one that I put over 53k miles on this year and haven't had any significant issues with.
There is really no excuse for all of the poor quality on these cars. The German's use to make some of the best cars out there but now they are money pits. Jaguar and Land Rover are jokes now and are just a poor choice unless you lease them. For what these cars cost there is just no excuse.
Germans has lost it. Way to complicated cars with lots of cheap plastics in the engines.
Good day thinking of buying a 2022 CRV 2022 RAV 4 or 2022 CX5 which would you prefer for long term and reliablity.
Cx5, based on consumer reports. Rav 4 just too pricey. Look in the reviews here. A couple of people love there Mazda.
Can't go wrong with any of them, but the safest bets are either the RAV4 or CX-5 (non-turbo).
@@carhelpcorner thanks for your reply really appreciate it.
@@carhelpcorner good afternoon quick question if i am buying a CPO from say a Honda dealer should I still do a pre purchase inspection thanks for reading my message.
@Dev-wz4vd With CPO you should be fine because of the extra warranty coverage and the PPI that Honda does.
What do you think Renault Kolios 2022 ? Regards Frank
My Japanese fiancé was not impressed with my turbo Chrysler Laser .... and she proved correct when several key systems imploded before car even had 50K miles. Over the years, she has counseled me into giving Japanese cars a try [and I have not been disappointed]. Today, I drive a 2016 Lexus RX350 and it has zero problems and returns miles and miles of carefree luxury driver satisfaction. And, I've been driving my '89 Toyota Corolla station wagon for 35 years. I can't kill it. Rarely a problem. Over 300K miles. Great winter snow vehicle. In this case, it paid off to listen to my wise wife . . . . .
Asians usually make reliable partners as well as reliable vehicles.
Considering all of the relevant published data accumulated over many decades, how could you not have known that?
@@wholeNwon we're all young-and-dumb at some point in our Lives ..................... even you. [there was no internet or GOOGLE back then. Maybe they had that info in CAR & DRIVER mag, but I wasn't a subscriber.]
@@kansaidan2302 No sensible person ever acted upon info in "Car and Driver". I did study Consumer Reports and their famous "owners' survey" way back then in the stone age but I didn't subscribe, either. That's why we all had (have) access to a public library.
@@wholeNwon Good point . . . .
What additional to the MFG recommendations should we perform if we own a BMW X5 for instance?
More frequent fluid changes than what's recommended in the owners manual. For example, change the oil every 8,000km instead of every 16,000km as BMW recommends.
Hyundai lantra SE 1998 was the worst model car for reliability. They were made with heaps of price cutting under cutting everything at the time. When i used to get it serviced i got a laundry list of items costing 1000-2000 every single time. it eventually just turned off in the middle of the road and i lost all electrical power and the steering wheel locked . i got rid of it after that . most reliable car i had was the Miitshibushi magna series and hyundai getz were fine too
What about Opel brand?
Cost of average repair? So if only one of the million Audis sold in the US over the last 5 years was ever in for a repair, and it was expensive, Audi would top the list? 98% of Buicks are in the shop every other month for a few hundred dollars, that’s much more “reliable”? Terrible metric.
My 1997 s320 still daily driving
Car Wizard says, 75% of Americans don't maintain their car properly, and he's been working on cars for a long time. Also people have to understand that those fun to drive cars like BMW and Audi when you're behind the wheel of a turbo'd powerhouse most people don't drive them like grandma going to the Piggly Wiggly. These German cars are rich man's toys, they lease them for 3 years, beat the heck out of them and then they wind up on a BHPH lot in or near a ghetto for $7000 so the people there can look hood rich.
What is your opinion on Kia hybrids like Niro? Is it just as unreliable as other Kia models or even worse?
@@oleglishchenko4922 Why would anybody buy a Korean clunker when the best (most reliable and lowest TCO=Total Cost of Ownership) are the Japanese hybrids?
The only reason why Im avoiding MAZDA in my local area becuase of that scammer from MAZDA insurance.
They scam me on side mirror replacement by letting me paid a new side mirror for $480 plus.
after the fix. I found out that its stil my old side mirror. They just only fixed some interior parts. This pissed me off.
Mazda is a good brand I would preferred MAZDA than Toyota.
Toyota is losing lately on modern features.
Jeep 🤮
Mercedes 🤮
Range Rover 🤮
You haven't mentioned the average repair cost for Hyundai & KIA
Just buy japanese if you value your hard earned money.
No surprises on this list.
How is it these manufacturers year after year, generation after generation, crank out terrible cars and stay in business? Who is buying this stuff???
Do EVs have fewer quality problems? They are more simple in design and ICE cars and may depreciate more quickly due to upgrades in technology but there is less to go wrong. Right?
Put on the list: Honda 1.5 turbo direct injection. My car is giving me oil dilation and fuel pump failures.
Turbos is general is a bad idea. Blame Honda for not wanting to put a slightly bigger engine that doesn’t need a turbo.
What about Alfa Romeo and Maserati
Yes, I think his focus on average repair order price yet leaves out Bentley or Lamborghini or lotus, where to repair anything even if not many repairs are done.
What kpi is more important to include to rate of repairs required.
Toyota is the only car brand in the world that knows how to make a good cars
Volkswagen GTI was by far the worst vehicle we ever owned
To me the most unreliable cars are most modern American cars. On the other end of the spectrum are the Japanese ones but also increasingly so the Chinese vehicles.
Not a single Nissan. Love it
Sold parts to NIssan USA. Mazda makes NIssan look bad. The VC engines and the turbo 4s, plus Jayco CVTs are bringing down Nissan quality. With no hybrids for sale and dropping sales, Nissan might go broke or be bought out by a Chinese company. Will be in for some news soon here.
@williamrossetter9430 found the Toyota bot
@steve11263 know much about cars and Nissan? COme on dude! Where have you been recently, give me a break! 😄
German quality they say
Who are "they"? German "engineering" has been a delusion for generations.
🤣🤣
Back in the day
The quality only refers to the surface (i.e. things you see and touch); under the hood, it's anything BUT quality.
@@geminiecricket4798 Long, long ago.
Skewed data. Warranty wise is more reliable. They offer after manufacturer warranties in Europe. The data is for hundreds per car brand, if not thousands.
Wow. It's the same usual junk cars. Only way I mite drive 1 of those crap cars is if u give it to me for completely free, Lol
Only buy a BMW or MINI that is 2017 or newer. Even then if buying used try to find one where the oil was changed every 5k miles instead of BMW/MINI's recommend 10k miles. It's also important the previous owners used 91 octane or higher. There is no reason they both can't reach high mileage now without any major problems if properly taken care of.
Keep telling yourself that.
I agree that this is the safest way to buy a BMW/Mini. The hardest part will be finding one that had oil changes every 5k when BMW recommends 10k intervals.
Also beware of unreliable spellers
I agree with this list except for Hyundai and Kia: Because I’ll explain why: my friend Dominic has a 2009 Hyundai Sonata with 70,000 something miles with no issues at all, I have a 2014 Hyundai Elantra Limited pushing under 60,000 something miles with no issues either, my coworker has a 2019 Hyundai Kona with no issues, and my friend Kassidy has a 2023 Hyundai Kona with no issues except for when the oil change shop tried to destroy her engine by putting the wrong oil in the car, but same goes for Kia’s in general I have a neighbor with 2022/2023 Kia Telluride no issues either, it all comes down to luck, because to make myself clear: I had a 2015 Honda Civic Lx before I wrecked it 91,840 something miles it would have kept going if it wasn’t for that, and newer Honda’s aren’t quite as reliable thanks to the recent recall with the fuel pump actually, and Toyota same thing with it’s recent recall on the Tundra, so mechanics even said: The newer stuff hasn’t been around long enough to collect data on repairs yet, but not everyone that owns Kia and Hyundai will have the same problems proper maintenance will help it in long term, but I agree about the European cars even with proper maintenance I feel the build quality is worse than the Korean cars because of the technology atleast the technology inside of Kia and Hyundai is more like Honda and Toyota where it’s simple to figure out still! 🤷🏻♂️
I had a 2007 Hyundai Entourage that I finally traded in after 8 years and 310,000 miles and never had an issue outside regular maintenance.
@ Good to know so that proves Korean cars can last just as long as the Japanese cars if well taken care of! 👍🏻
We own both a 2019 and 2020 H-DAY Santa Fe models '
Zero problems and a real pleasure to drive.
Your anecdotal "evidence' is nothing vs. statistics.
The Japanese brands are far above the Korean brands.
But the Koreans are better than German, Indian, Chinese commies' lemons.
1 - 4 you've accounted for entire German car industry 🙄
Except for maybe Porsche although there are some outliers.
@@brokeboy87 Porsche belong to VW? 🤔
Guys, set the speed to 1.25x and watch the video, you will find this should be a normal speed for a person to talk lol
1.75 gang here
Thanks! 🙏🏾
Lol this actually is spot on!
So everything except the Japanese brands.
Very sobering.
It's so weird to see on a list of car brands such as Range Rover. Cost of a car around 150k-200k. It gives way more than just go from A to B. The cost of owning gonna be average 10-15% like most of the cars. Most owners of Range Rover change their cars once in 3-5 years. And in more than 70% of the time, guess what? Its gonna be more fresh Range Rover
"greener" europe....
LOL
Sounds like all car brands are terrible now. The exceptions being Honda and Toyota.
Except Toyota is having engine and transmission problems.
And the 1.5 L turbo that Honda put in my Accord is complete garbage
If you have an old car that runs,, keep it
But you bought a turbo.
Do you realize that “apostrophe s” indicates possession and not plural? Kind of reflects on the whole video, doesn’t it?
mechanics...not mechanic's
My 7 year old, 200k km MINI needs a new turbo. it'll cost me as much as 10% of the car when I got it new. Still cheaper than buying a used car though to keep it going.
Consider selling it before something else expensive goes. Sadly with 200k, it won't have much life left and it's probably only down hill from here.
My Volkswagen has been excellent. Granted I agree with you that routine maintenance is very expensive. It’s fine, I do it anyway. Anyone who is not willing to put in the money to maintain a European vehicle should instead get an appliance like a Corolla.
😎
Always Jeep
At the bottom of the list...near Range Rover.
Most mechanics are about as irrationally opinionated as everyone else. That's why you get so many of these type of video.
And here come the Chinese.
You never talk about Volvo. Why not?
I've done comparison videos with the XC40 and XC60 a while back. I will be reviewing the new EX30, and doing a comparison with the EX90 vs XC90 in the new year 👍
240s were very good.
Audi is Chinese though
I am surprised you haven't mentioned Subaru. I have spent countless dollars on it's repairs. Just almost 5000$ since May 2023 till date. Not sure why you (or the mechanics) are so biased towards Japanese brands. The worst Japanese brand that I have driven so far is - Subaru. Never ever will I buy a Japanese brand. Period.
What year & model was your Subaru?
26 yrs. with my LS400 daily driver and still a joy to own and drive.
Just to confirm your experience we had a 1988 Subaru GL which was nice to sit in just don’t try to drive it on the highway. I’m sorry to this day I didn’t buy a Toyota Camry wagon instead. Later we bought a 2002 Honda CR V and Honda Accord. What a relief and we are still driving them today. I’m a firm believer in regular maintenance and they have served us well.
You probably got a lemon. I have owned a 2015 Forester till now. No problems.
@@richardmorse5307 I spent 19,000 CAD to buy a used 2010 Subaru Tribeca (in 2015). It had 150,000 kms on it when I purchased and today it has 266,000 kms on it. I spent almost 16,000 CAD on its maintenance (reactive and preventive) so far. In last 1.5 years alone I spent almost 5300 CAD on it for repairs. Time to get rid of this junk and replace it with a non Japanese hybrid .
"just consider them all bad" 🤣...that's hilarious. all the usual suspects.
the late models of these junkers are even worse. they are not even pretending to improve their products.
Stick with Toyota and Lexus, no problem