Top twenty Used Cars to Avoid: Consumer Reports
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In the market and shopping for a used car? Consumer Reports has released a list of twenty used vehicles to stay away from as they have a reputation for causing trouble. Listed is a top twenty list of used cars from two thousand three to two thousand twelve model year to avoid in alphabetical order. These vehicles had numerous years of much-worse-than-average overall reliability, according to Consumer Reports’ Annual Auto Survey.
The BMW 7-Series may be the German automaker’s luxury flagship, but used models aren’t without their issues. From 2001-2008, the 7-Series featured the good ‘ol “Bangle Butt” and sported some very controversial styling. Early production of that generation was dazed with issues even causing BMW to purchase back some of the vehicles back in 2002-2003. BMW of North America even extended its warranty on all 2002-2003 model year 7-Series vehicles to six years/100,000 miles from the original four years/50,000 miles.
According to Consumer Reports, the BMW 7-Series ranked “worse” in the categories of Engine Major, Engine Minor, Transmission Major, Transmission Minor, Assets Hardware, and Audio System.
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80% of the list is American cars… always leading!! USA!! USA!! USA!!
The Dodge Grand Caravan dates back to 1987, when it was simply the longer version of the Caravan. Also, both AutoGuide and Consumer reports could have put the Caravan, Grand Caravan, and Town and Country together as one item; they’re basically the same vehicle but for differences in wheelbase and trim.
for the record, it was 13, not 16. still a lot however.
This could have been a superb article, if we knew the reasons why each car made the list. The Ford F250’s with 6.0L diesels have turbo and head gasket problems. Mini Coppers have engine & transmission problems. The GMC Acadia/Saturn Outlook have power steering issues. The early BMW seven series had transmission, window motor, and airbag sensor problems. The BMW X5’s have problems with the digital displays (odometer & radio). I think including more specific info would have made this list a lot more helpful for readers.
“is the foot vehicle from THE American automaker”, referring to Chevrolet.Not the foot vehicle from AN American auto maker.
No mention of Acura one – six MDX’s well known radiator and transmission issues?? No mention of 04-08 Nissan Titan infamous rear axle issues? oh wait, by ‘used’ they most likely referring to vehicles 2008-2012… 🙁
This is a worthless article without citing to specific problems each model has encountered with frequency.
Personally, given the incredible number of Dodge Caravans sold and how the minivan basically pulled Chrysler out of ruin in the 80’s, I find it hard to believe that all models were failures that are to be avoided at all costs. In fact, I still own the one thousand nine hundred ninety three Grand Caravan my mom bought fresh as a spare utility vehicle, still going strong at 178K with the original motor and trans.
I agree. One of the poorest articles I have seen from Auto Guide. They listed the Caravan, Grand Caravan and Town and Country as three different models, but could have lightly combined them into one, given they’re practically the same. It’s a little difficult to even believe those three belong on the list however, given how immensely popular they are, and how they pretty much saved Chrysler.
Beyond that, they failed to mention why you should avoid them. Seems like a bit of a critical lump of information, if you ask me.
So you somehow missed the fact that this isn’t AutoGuide’s list? They couldn’t have combined cars into one category, numbnuts. It’s a list released by CR…
I’ll stick with my old school 90’s Mercedes sure quirky little annoyances here and there but for longevity and overall build quality I”ll take a Benz.
someone indeed hate dodge / chrysler models here… albeit styling and driving on audis are top of the line, quality issues are enlargening overwhelmingly, maybe to meet request. even manufacturers with long tradition of quality such as toyota have experienced a decreasing quality… sounds weird, but ford now offers tractor quality at affordable prices, i have a fiesta st, my dad a gt mustang my brother a truck, they never have any sort of quality issues, other than they rattle like old taxi cabs, interior ensamble are fairly bad.
I am not astonished! I am a CL driver. I was helping a family member look for a slightly used Luxury SUV. Thinking the GL450 would have similar quality to my CL500. The GL four hundred fifty was a frustration at every level. Under powered,poor trim quality and my old Tahoe had a better quality rail and sound insulation..
Then we went for a drive in a two thousand eleven InfinIti Q56. It had the quality and feel I was expeciting from the GL450. Unnecessary to say,she bought the Infiniti.
Whoops! Good catch. I’m still not sure why they didn’t combine cars that only differed on the surface, tho’.
The title is misleading, ITS SUPPOSED TO SAY twenty CARS. CARS. MOST OF THEM ARE SUVS. THEYRE SUPPOSED TO HAVE PROBLEMS WHERE ARE THE CARS.
Let us not leave behind they are quoting one of the most respected and sometimes controversial C R. Have you ever looked at any used mini van post soccer days? My sister has an older BMW, they are money pits. The PT Cruiser does drive like box with four wheels even the turbo model is a dog it’s the only version I have ever driven and it only took one corner for me to determine not to even to accept one for a rental. But statements regarding the twenty worst cars again these are the people who put three hundred pound out riggers on the Suzuki Samurai and then complained it had a tendency to spin, respect C R’s authority, if they say their list is cars you are are simply mistaken.
I unluckily own a two thousand seven Uplander and I wish I didn’t own this money pit. Expensive transmission failure is something you can almost count on not to mention the long list of problems this “junk” has. Thousands of owners are not finished paying for these things before they are into repair bills that are more than the Uplanders worth. If you do not own one, don’t buy a used one, you will be sorry. No wonder GM went to the wall.
Way to post an photo of the current gen explorer then go on to expalin that the issues only affected late models. dumbass
What a lump of shit
How could someone even think of buying such a crap.
My mother has a two thousand one PT Cruiser and manhandles the hell out of it. she has little to no maintenance other than the steering rack 2xs and a clutch once, she has over 200k mi on it now and it still runs strong, I’m sure this car is on the “best used Cars” list someplace.
The BMW seven Series issues come from the i-drive people couldn’t figure out how to work, and wound up hurting their cars because of it.. BMW recalled the vehicle to make it lighter for “Americans” to operate. These cars aren’t a problem in Europe. The holder demographics come greatly into play. typically they have Slew of Money, No time, and most likely little skill of vehicle repairs Therefore:
1. the dealers are more expensive, and thrust replacement in stead of repair, for necessary and unnecessary (suggested) maintenance, You know all the things the mechanics say may, could or are close to failing, that most people say no to. these owners say yes and get them immovable…..Every time.
Two. the owners leap and throw money to “substitute” things that most people would leave or have “repaired”
Trio. the owners complain at every little tick or noise or slight imperfection that most would consider normal. I have actually heard “the air conditioning throating out of the vents is too noisy” and “my directional arrow is too bright can you dim it down” any idea how much it costs to find dimmer interior turn signal bulbs? They eventually put window tint on the back of the instrument cluster. $1500.00 because of the time it took the dash had to be liquidated. then the customer filed a complaint that the arrow was too bright and cost to repair it should have been covered by warranty. after they requested the repair and were told it wouldn’t be covered..
Four. They suggested a 100mi warranty, I’m guessing that was because they knew the issue was immovable and they would come out ahead. not so it would cost them more money and please the customer fixing all the horrible issues, otherwise we would all have fifteen year 300k mi warranties.
This goes for Mercedes, BMW, Audi, any high end or luxury vehicle. The repair shops/dealer assume you fit the demographic above.
I have wielded all of these vehicles in various models and all dealers and most repair shops treat you exactly like that. I even had one dealer tell me my showroom condition Mercedes with uner 150k mi should be “junked” because of the condition it was in.(needed a $500 repair of a valve seal) and I should get a fresh one. Right because $65,000 and 850/mo payment is a so much better deal than paying $500 for a repair on car that is paid for, in pristine condition otherwise. I have worked for dealers and I am very knowledgeable on Autos and Auto repairs. If I had ever let them talk me into some of the unnecessary repairs and or replacements my service bills would also have been 4-5 times more than what I actually paid to have it immobilized. big difference from a Honda or Toyota Dealer.
The mini countryman should be on there …. What a beep of sh*t
Top twenty Used Cars to Avoid: Consumer Reports » News
Top twenty Used Cars to Avoid: Consumer Reports
Like AutoGuide.com on Facebook
In the market and shopping for a used car? Consumer Reports has released a list of twenty used vehicles to stay away from as they have a reputation for causing trouble. Listed is a top twenty list of used cars from two thousand three to two thousand twelve model year to avoid in alphabetical order. These vehicles had numerous years of much-worse-than-average overall reliability, according to Consumer Reports’ Annual Auto Survey.
The BMW 7-Series may be the German automaker’s luxury flagship, but used models aren’t without their issues. From 2001-2008, the 7-Series featured the good ‘ol “Bangle Butt” and sported some very controversial styling. Early production of that generation was dazed with issues even causing BMW to purchase back some of the vehicles back in 2002-2003. BMW of North America even extended its warranty on all 2002-2003 model year 7-Series vehicles to six years/100,000 miles from the original four years/50,000 miles.
According to Consumer Reports, the BMW 7-Series ranked “worse” in the categories of Engine Major, Engine Minor, Transmission Major, Transmission Minor, Assets Hardware, and Audio System.
Get AutoGuide.com in your Inbox
Like AutoGuide.com on Facebook
More Auto News.
80% of the list is American cars… always leading!! USA!! USA!! USA!!
The Dodge Grand Caravan dates back to 1987, when it was simply the longer version of the Caravan. Also, both AutoGuide and Consumer reports could have put the Caravan, Grand Caravan, and Town and Country together as one item; they’re basically the same vehicle but for differences in wheelbase and trim.
for the record, it was 13, not 16. still a lot tho’.
This could have been a fine article, if we knew the reasons why each car made the list. The Ford F250’s with 6.0L diesels have turbo and head gasket problems. Mini Coppers have engine & transmission problems. The GMC Acadia/Saturn Outlook have power steering issues. The early BMW seven series had transmission, window motor, and airbag sensor problems. The BMW X5’s have problems with the digital displays (odometer & radio). I think including more specific info would have made this list a lot more helpful for readers.
“is the foot vehicle from THE American automaker”, referring to Chevrolet.Not the foot vehicle from AN American auto maker.
No mention of Acura one – six MDX’s well known radiator and transmission issues?? No mention of 04-08 Nissan Titan infamous rear axle issues? oh wait, by ‘used’ they most likely referring to vehicles 2008-2012… 🙁
This is a worthless article without citing to specific problems each model has encountered with frequency.
Personally, given the incredible number of Dodge Caravans sold and how the minivan basically pulled Chrysler out of ruin in the 80’s, I find it hard to believe that all models were failures that are to be avoided at all costs. In fact, I still own the one thousand nine hundred ninety three Grand Caravan my mom bought fresh as a spare utility vehicle, still going strong at 178K with the original motor and trans.
I agree. One of the poorest articles I have seen from Auto Guide. They listed the Caravan, Grand Caravan and Town and Country as three different models, but could have lightly combined them into one, given they’re practically the same. It’s a little difficult to even believe those three belong on the list tho’, given how immensely popular they are, and how they pretty much saved Chrysler.
Beyond that, they failed to mention why you should avoid them. Seems like a bit of a critical lump of information, if you ask me.
So you somehow missed the fact that this isn’t AutoGuide’s list? They couldn’t have combined cars into one category, numbnuts. It’s a list released by CR…
I’ll stick with my old school 90’s Mercedes sure quirky little annoyances here and there but for longevity and overall build quality I”ll take a Benz.
someone indeed hate dodge / chrysler models here… albeit styling and driving on audis are top of the line, quality issues are enhancing overwhelmingly, maybe to meet request. even manufacturers with long tradition of quality such as toyota have experienced a decreasing quality… sounds weird, but ford now offers tractor quality at affordable prices, i have a fiesta st, my dad a gt mustang my brother a truck, they never have any sort of quality issues, other than they rattle like old taxi cabs, interior ensamble are fairly bad.
I am not astonished! I am a CL driver. I was helping a family member look for a slightly used Luxury SUV. Thinking the GL450 would have similar quality to my CL500. The GL four hundred fifty was a frustration at every level. Under powered,poor trim quality and my old Tahoe had a better quality rail and sound insulation..
Then we went for a drive in a two thousand eleven InfinIti Q56. It had the quality and feel I was expeciting from the GL450. Unnecessary to say,she bought the Infiniti.
Whoops! Good catch. I’m still not sure why they didn’t combine cars that only differed on the surface, however.
The title is misleading, ITS SUPPOSED TO SAY twenty CARS. CARS. MOST OF THEM ARE SUVS. THEYRE SUPPOSED TO HAVE PROBLEMS WHERE ARE THE CARS.
Let us not leave behind they are quoting one of the most respected and sometimes controversial C R. Have you ever looked at any used mini van post soccer days? My sister has an older BMW, they are money pits. The PT Cruiser does drive like box with four wheels even the turbo model is a dog it’s the only version I have ever driven and it only took one corner for me to determine not to even to accept one for a rental. But statements regarding the twenty worst cars again these are the people who put three hundred pound out riggers on the Suzuki Samurai and then complained it had a tendency to roll, respect C R’s authority, if they say their list is cars you are are simply mistaken.
I unluckily own a two thousand seven Uplander and I wish I didn’t own this money pit. Expensive transmission failure is something you can almost count on not to mention the long list of problems this “junk” has. Thousands of owners are not finished paying for these things before they are into repair bills that are more than the Uplanders worth. If you do not own one, don’t buy a used one, you will be sorry. No wonder GM went to the wall.
Way to post an photo of the current gen explorer then go on to expalin that the issues only affected late models. dumbass
What a chunk of shit
How could someone even think of buying such a crap.
My mother has a two thousand one PT Cruiser and manhandles the hell out of it. she has little to no maintenance other than the steering rack 2xs and a clutch once, she has over 200k mi on it now and it still runs strong, I’m sure this car is on the “best used Cars” list someplace.
The BMW seven Series issues come from the i-drive people couldn’t figure out how to work, and wound up bruising their cars because of it.. BMW recalled the vehicle to make it lighter for “Americans” to operate. These cars aren’t a problem in Europe. The proprietor demographics come greatly into play. typically they have Slew of Money, No time, and most likely little skill of vehicle repairs Therefore:
1. the dealers are more expensive, and shove replacement in stead of repair, for necessary and unnecessary (suggested) maintenance, You know all the things the mechanics say may, could or are close to failing, that most people say no to. these owners say yes and get them immobile…..Every time.
Two. the owners hop and throw money to “substitute” things that most people would leave or have “repaired”
Three. the owners complain at every little tick or noise or slight imperfection that most would consider normal. I have actually heard “the air conditioning gargling out of the vents is too noisy” and “my directional arrow is too bright can you dim it down” any idea how much it costs to find dimmer interior turn signal bulbs? They eventually put window tint on the back of the instrument cluster. $1500.00 because of the time it took the dash had to be eliminated. then the customer filed a complaint that the arrow was too bright and cost to repair it should have been covered by warranty. after they requested the repair and were told it wouldn’t be covered..
Four. They suggested a 100mi warranty, I’m guessing that was because they knew the issue was immovable and they would come out ahead. not so it would cost them more money and please the customer fixing all the horrible issues, otherwise we would all have fifteen year 300k mi warranties.
This goes for Mercedes, BMW, Audi, any high end or luxury vehicle. The repair shops/dealer assume you fit the demographic above.
I have wielded all of these vehicles in various models and all dealers and most repair shops treat you exactly like that. I even had one dealer tell me my showroom condition Mercedes with uner 150k mi should be “junked” because of the condition it was in.(needed a $500 repair of a valve seal) and I should get a fresh one. Right because $65,000 and 850/mo payment is a so much better deal than paying $500 for a repair on car that is paid for, in pristine condition otherwise. I have worked for dealers and I am very knowledgeable on Autos and Auto repairs. If I had ever let them talk me into some of the unnecessary repairs and or replacements my service bills would also have been 4-5 times more than what I actually paid to have it immobilized. big difference from a Honda or Toyota Dealer.
The mini countryman should be on there …. What a beep of sh*t
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