I'm a Mechanic: 9 Cars I Would Never Buy & Why They Aren't Worth It

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3 days ago

Consumers often consider the sticker price, features, and design when deciding which car to buy.
However, car buyers should also consider hidden problems like transmission, the depreciation rate, and repair costs so they won't have to deal with headaches and a drained wallet a year later.
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GOBankingRates talked to Chris Pyle, an auto mechanic and expert at JustAnswer, to discuss the ten cars he would never buy and why they aren't worth it.
According to Car and Driver, Tesla 'has proven that electric vehicles can be desirable, combining outstanding performance and high-tech interiors with usable driving range.'
Driving a Tesla may seem wonderful until it needs repairs. Pyle ranks Tesla and Rivian among the top cars he wouldn't buy because the cost of owning the car outweighs the price. A 2024 Tesla Model 3 starts at nearly $41,000.
Pyle ranked Tesla, along with Rivian, at the top of the list of cars he wouldn't buy.
'The reasons are the cost of ownership once a motor or battery fails, and the repair cost is far more than the vehicle value.'
Dash Lewis, writing for Jalopnik, a news and opinion website about the 'culture of cars,' says Tesla is one of the most expensive cars to repair and maintain.
Expect to pay an average of $5,552 in repair costs while you own a Tesla. Part of the reason is that Tesla car parts are unique and difficult to find. Similar to other luxury cars, you're going to pay premium prices for car parts, Lewis said.
Even when compared to other electric vehicles, Tesla costs more. Lewis estimated it costs $1,078 more to repair a Tesla during its lifetime than other electric vehicles.
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The Rivian tied with Tesla as the top car Pyle said he wouldn't buy. Rivian is a California-based start-up that manufactures premium electric SUVs and pick-up trucks from their Illinois factory.
'The high cost of collision repairs and collision insurance can often be a car payment in itself,' Pyle said.
A 2025 Rivian RIT pick-up truck starts at $71,000. Like the Tesla, the Rivian is an expensive vehicle to repair. One Rivian owner said on an online forum that a minor accident cost him much more than expected. What appeared to be a bent bumper cover and a dented tailgate resulted in mechanics having to disassemble the truck's rear end and two and a half months of repairs.
'I figured the repair would be expensive but had no idea!' the Rivian owner said. 'Originally her insurance estimated the damage to be around $1,600 and sent me a check…The final bill was over $42,000!'
Pyle said he wouldn't buy any new truck, including Ford, Dodge, Chevy, Nissan, or Toyota.
'The light-duty up to the heavy-duty models are way overpriced,' Pyle said. 'In the first five years of ownership, you are going to lose about 35% to 55% of the car value in the $30,000 to $50,000 price range. It is better to buy one used so that the first owner takes the loss.'
According to Car and Driver, today's heavy-duty trucks are 'workhorses, luxury vehicles, high-performance machines, and comfortable cruisers.' However, CarEdge, an online vehicle reseller, estimated that a Ford F-350 Super Duty, for example, would depreciate by 36% after five years and have a five-year resale value of nearly $49,000. The estimate assumes an original selling price of $76,350.
Pyle said the Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500 share the same chassis and the need for repairs.
'Not so much the cost of the repairs, but the frequency in which they are needed,' Pyle said. 'For many, these cars spend more time sitting in a car lot waiting for repairs compared to being driven trouble-free.'
Edmunds Car Review rated the 2023 Jeep Renegade a 6 out of 10 in terms of value.
'The Renegade is one of the most expensive vehicles in its class,' Edmunds reviewers said.
'That might be OK if you got lots of features and value for the price, but you don't. Interior build quality is fine, but there's nothing exceptional inside and it feels like you're paying a lot of for the rough-and-tumble Jeep styling.'
The 2023 Fiat 500x fared a little better than the Jeep Renegade, earning a 7 out of 10 value score from Edmunds reviewers. The testers liked the 'soft-touch materials' and matching body-color panels. However, reviewers disliked the expensive price tag and 'charmless accessory sounds.'
'Changing those (price tag and accessory sounds) would go a long way to elevate the feel of this car,' Edmunds reviewers said.
The next group of cars Pyle wouldn't buy were the Ford Fiesta, Nissan cars, and small SUVs.
'The dual-clutch transaxle and the CVT (Continuous Variable Transaxles) do not hold up,' Pyle said. 'Once they fail, you are looking at very expensive repair costs and that most independent shops will not take on. So, they have to go to the dealer.'
Since 2012, the Ford Fiesta has been the subject of numerous lawsuits because the car company knew about the Fiesta's PowerShift transmission (dual-clutch transaxle) and sold it anyway.
Owners reported having the same problems, even after replacing clutches, output shafts, and entire transmissions.
Similarly, owners of various Nissan models between 2013 and 2018 filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), claiming that the faulty CVT transmissions caused 'shuddering and acceleration delays that could lead to collisions.'
The reviewers at carparts.com rated the Jeep Grand Cherokee average in terms of dependability.
'It received a reliability rating of 3.5 out of 5 from RepairPal and ranked 15thout of the 26 midsize SUVs reviewed based on data from different model years,' said Lisa Conant, writing for the online provider of aftermarket auto parts.
Pyle listed a number of reasons why he wouldn't buy a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
'They are plagued with high-cost repairs, premature parts failure from bad manufacturing, and they want too much to purchase the vehicle when new,' Pyle said. 'If you plan to purchase a new one, before the warranty is over, make sure to purchase an extended warranty.'
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I'm a Mechanic: 9 Cars I Would Never Buy & Why They Aren't Worth It