What car models should I avoid buying?

Question

I'm getting my 1st used car, what should I steer clear of?

Answer 1

People typically say to stay away from domestic cars. These include Pontiac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Dodge, Ford...

They say to buy foreign cars. Such as Toyota, Subaru, Honda, Acura, Lexus..

My honest opinion: If a car was taken care of, it will run as long as possible. There's no reason that an Oldsmobile vehicle can't go just as many miles as a Toyota one. But the key is: Was it taken care of? Many used vehicles aren't, and so that makes foreign ones run longer. But I bought an Oldsmobile Alero, and haven't had any problems yet. :)

Good luck!

Answer 2

Steer clear of any Dodge product with an automatic transmission that was made in the 90's and early 2000's. I have had quite a few Dodge products from this era, and all have had problems. If you ever check out the "parts Cars" section on eBay, it is full of Dodge's with bad transmissions. Good luck on buying your first car!

Answer 3

It really depends upon your preferences.
Everyone is going to have good or bad experiences with different makes and models and will bias their opinion accordingly.
I would never advise someone to buy an "import" car (toyota, honda, hyundai, kia, nissan) but that is my opinion based on my personal experiences.
Find something you like, make sure it has been taken good care of, and buy it!

Answer 4

Since you want to get a used car, I'd say don't even think of getting a used Ford, Pontiac, and Dodge.

I had bad experiences with pontiac and dodge (used vehicles), and a couple of my friends had used fords and they broke down unexpectedly....

So I think, based on reputation, you should only look at used honda or toyota.

Remember though, that sometimes, good cars are made by dodge, ford, and pontiac -- ALWAYS CHECK THE VEHICLE'S HISTORY!

Answer 5

Personally I feel Kia & Hyundai are crappy cars.
I have also had bad experiences with Fords.
I would look into Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Lexus, and Acura.
Avoid VW, BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes and other luxury cars that are highly expensive to work on.

Answer 6

Never get a used Hyundai and stay away from Kia (new and used)

I would recommend taking a look at japanese cars. Many people say that they tend to last pretty long and its pretty safe. Domestic cars are ok, but i would look at Toyotas, hondas, and other japanese cars first.

Answer 7

Everyone always tells me I should get a Toyota Tarago, they say they are really good cars and hardly anything ever goes wrong with them. I've been told to say away from the Sigma. Also I've been told that German cars are the best.

Answer 8

Toyota Rav-4 is one I would steer clear of my grandma has one with 58,000 miles on it and has already replaced the transmission and the computer. Also alot of vw's are junk

Answer 9

I had a bad experiance with Ford Contour. The transmissions tend to go out. I have been told that the Mystic has the same tranny.

Answer 10

Never a KIA: rule of thumb.