Before You Buy Used Cars

[kakatiya]

You did everything right when buying your car: Consumer Reports, enthusiast magazines, the big automotive online sites. You even went through the trouble of visiting enthusiast forums that specialized in the exact same car that ended up on your driveway.

 

So how did you wind up on a first-name basis with your mechanic? This happens more than you might think. Most car buyers will spend anywhere from weeks to several months trying to find a nice daily driver — only to find out that their cherished chariot has turned out to be as rough as a worn-out mop.

New? Used? It doesn't matter. Over time, quality always manages to reveal itself. The tough part for you is that most automotive publications will only test the new stuff, and most quality studies are only focused on first owners and short-term results.

Manufacturers use all of these sources as marketing tools, and some of the most popularized studies are not sound indicators of durability. Long-term reliability studies do a far better job, but they also have an Achilles' heel: Most of them are either captive to their subscribers, or only have the means to survey first owners. This creates a more challenging issue called ownership bias.

Plenty of us have ridden in cars that were barely hanging on for their dear mechanical life thanks to an owner who just didn't know anything about cars. Neglect, abuse, wear issues, and the owner's rose-colored glasses manage to make these surveys flawed.

That's why we decided to do something different: Measure failure. Specifically, nearly 450,000 cases of it. We co-developed a study that focuses on the exact point where the owner says, "No more!" — when they're willing to just throw up their hands and trade in that retail product for a cheap wholesale price.

All of these vehicles were independently inspected and appraised by professional car buyers who are trained to detect mechanical and structural issues, which can be overlooked or unreported by the owners in other industry studies, and are recorded by those who have no owner bias.

What we discovered is that many of the most popular vehicles in today's used-car market have severe long-term reliability issues when it comes to specific powertrains. One engine and transmission combination may do an outstanding job, while another may be truly abysmal.

Which popular cars have specific reliability issues? Here are several surprises.

 

 

Honda Accord: The Accord carries a stiff price premium in today's used car market due in large part due to its reputation for reliability. Yet, the flies in the ointment are automatic transmissions for their older six-cylinder models. Honda recalled over a million vehicles way back in 2004. However, there are reports that transmission issues for those recall vehicles still persist, and our survey shows that this issue remains chronic enough to make the Honda Accord just below average in terms of long-term reliability.  

 

Nissan Altima: Nissan Altimas with four-cylinder engines built between 2002 and 2006 experienced excessive oil consumption as a result of improper performance of the piston rings. Catalytic converters on these models also tend to break down during this same period, which scores the cylinder walls of the engine.



 

Mini Cooper: The Mini Cooper is one of the ten worst vehicles in our survey due to improper shifting of their continuously variable transmissions for the 2002 thru 2006 Mini Cooper and the 2005 thru 2008 Mini Convertible. BMW has recently settled a class action lawsuit, but our survey shows that this issue remains chronic for traded-in vehicles around the country during the last two years.




 

2008 Ford F-150

Ford F-150: Spark plugs that either blow out of the engine entirely, or break off on Ford F-150 models equipped with the 5.4-liter V-8 engine, have created an extreme spike in trade-ins that exhibit these serious engine problems. Model years 2004 thru 2008 appear to be the primary ones to avoid. However, there is also a recently settled class action lawsuit related to the 6-liter Powerstroke diesel due to engine performance and stalling issues. We believe both engines should be avoided. 

 

Dodge Caliber: The Caliber models equipped with the CVT transmission have chronic shifting issues. This transmission is also shared with the Nissan Altima, and Nissan decided to double the warranty coverage on all model year 2003 to 2010 Nissans with the CVT. This transmission was also shared with the Jeep Compass, Jeep Patriot, and Mitsubishi Outlander. A few of these models were given lifetime guarantees by Chrysler but unfortunately, they are not transferable to new owners.   

 

Nissan Maxima: In one of the more extreme cases, between model years 2004 and 2006, Nissan coupled the CVT with an engine that offered over 260 hp. This resulted in an extreme spike of defective transmissions and led to the Nissan Maxima becoming the least reliable Nissan product in our study. Manual transmissions and non-CVT models are perfectly fine. However, we would avoid CVT models. 



 

Mazda CX-7: Severe engine issues with the Mazda CX-7 — namely turbos and engine timing chains — has led to a shockingly high defect rate in our study. As with many of the other vehicles already mentioned, the problems have been widespread enough for several CX-7 owners to attempt a class-action lawsuit.

 

 

 

Honda Odyssey: Until recently the Honda Odyssey was the gold standard in the minivan market. Not anymore. From 1999 thru 2006 the Honda Odyssey experienced very high transmission rate failures, and despite earlier attempts to fix the problem, we're finding that the problems are chronic for these model years. The Odyseey is now the worst-performing Honda-built vehicle in our study.

 

 

 

 

 

Volkswagens: Specifically, any VW or Audi model that came with the 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbo. Engine sludge issues, defective coil packs and inaccurate timing belts all conspired to make a long list of models into paperweights, including the Volkswagen Passat, Beetle, Jetta, and GTI along with the Audi A4, S3 and TT models. (VW settled a class-action over engine sludge in 2011.) Transmission issues are also common for most of these models. However, there is an alternative: If you find one with the 1.9-liter turbodiesel TDI engine and a manual transmission, go for it. Those models have outstanding long-term reliability — so long as you maintain them properly.

[kakatiya]

unfamous cars worth considering than popular alternatives:

 

 

Saturn L200: Do you know what this is? Neither do the majority of Americans. The L-Series was a one-generation wonder that never caught on. In our study the four cylinder automatic models are proving to be more reliable than their Honda Accord peers, and still offer a steep discount in the retail car market.

 

Ford Crown Victoria: The Lincoln Town Car and Mercury Grand Marquis are based on the same platform. For those just looking for a beater, and don't drive very much, the price of a government issued Crown Vic is the cheapest durable buy you can find on a pound-per-pound basis. Government surplus auction models that haven't seen police duty are tough to beat. 

 

Buick Park Avenue: In our study we're finding that the vehicle kept for the longest time is not Lexus or Mercedes-Benz. It's Buick. The Park Avenue benefits from an outstanding powertrain — the GM 3.8-liter V-6 built for decades — in non-supercharged models, and a mature clientele that's usually willing to invest in a car's proper maintenance. 

 

Buick Lucerne: Another one generation wonder, the Buick Lucerne replaced the Park Avenue and older models brought forward the 3.8 liter V-6 engine found in the Park Avenue. 



 

Chevrolet Corvette: The Corvette benefits from long model runs, a robust V8 engine that can comfortably cruise at extremely low rpm's, and an enthusiast base that usually takes pride in keeping these sports cars in sound mechanical shape.



 

Chevrolet Prizm: Also known as the Geo Prizm, these cars are mechanically identical to the Toyota Corolla which is currently the best selling car in the world. Prizms often sell for cheaper prices than the Corolla, even though both cars were built in the same factory for well over two decades.  

 

Pontiac Vibe: After the Prizm was discontinued, Toyota and GM decided to continue their joint venture with the Pontiac Vibe and the Toyota Matrix. The Vibe is usually priced cheaper than the Matrix due to GM folding the Pontiac division in 2009. 

 

Jeep Cherokee: The Cherokee remained popular throughout its entire model run. The 4-liter "High Output" 190-hp straight-six engine used almost exclusively from 1991 through 2001 has proven to be exceptionally durable.



 

BMW Z4: Although the Z4 was priced at a $15,000 to $20,000 premium over the Mazda MX-5 Miata when new, as an older used vehicle, it usually only commands a couple thousand more dollars while offering a comparable level of reliability. For those who are looking for a roadster that isn't a Miata, the Z4 definitely deserves a look.

 

Infiniti M35: The styling of the M35 never caught on and this carried forward to their resale values. The M35 is usually anywhere between $6,000 to $8,000 less than the Lexus GS, Audi A6 and the Mercedes E-Class, while offering long-term reliability that matches or eclipses all of these model

[kakatiya]

cheverlet prizm and Honda civic are identical mechanically

[kakatiya]

Pontiac vibe is simllar to Toyota matrix.. They both are mechanically similar.

 

 

[Panasa_pandu]

Im planning to buy a Honda Civic coupe used one man....10K$ for 70K miles antunnadu...worth antava? sSa_j@il

[kakatiya]

Im planning to buy a Honda Civic coupe used one man....10K$ for 70K miles antunnadu...worth antava? sSa_j@il

not worth at all....

 

aina 10k petti coup adhi kooda civic uh !!!

 

 

you will get 6k$ 90k coups 2007 models...

[Panasa_pandu]

not worth at all....

 

aina 10k petti coup adhi kooda civic uh !!!

 

 

you will get 6k$ 90k coups 2007 models...

 

coupe edi best man in 8k-9k range? sSa_j@il

[kakatiya]

used cars ante.. lottery.. so if you want to go for coup around 9k price range lo ...

 

accord / Altima  etc are good deals.

[Panasa_pandu]

used cars ante.. lottery.. so if you want to go for coup around 9k price range lo ...

 

accord / Altima  etc are good deals.

 

thanks for suggestion man sSa_j@il

[kakatiya]

Ltt

[kakatiya]

verify the safety issues and recall by entering vin number here 

 

https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/vinLookup

[Raymondhar]

Ford Charger



Chargers are from Dodge Hehe. Ford for the win anyway. And I dont know why they dont use big-ass V8 Fords and FPVs as police cars in Oz