The content of the article:
- Cars you don't need to buy
In addition to the rating of reliable and safe cars, car publishers and car sales agencies try to give their subscribers and potential buyers all the information and those models that are not worth buying.
Cars are selected after several years of operation, and an analysis is carried out on how worn out the ball joints, how the engine and transmission "behave", in what condition the body is. These units and parts are always checked, and at the same time, when diagnosing, they look at the general condition of the car, the amount of fuel consumption, the wear of the upholstery, etc.
One of the authoritative and popular ratings in Europe remains the quarterly report of the German Technical Inspection Association - TUV, which is published by Autobild. According to the checks, lists of the most reliable and worst cars are compiled, which in no case should be bought either on the primary or on the secondary market.
In Russia and the CIS, there are no state ratings that would collect analytics from all regions, but there are a large number of online publications and auto clubs that conduct test drives and check cars in the secondary market.
Comparing the European and domestic ratings, it can be seen that some brands and configurations have confidently "settled" both in Europe and in Russia.
Cars you don't need to buy
Alfa Romeo 147
The production of the model ended in 2010, in the European secondary market the cost of the complete set is from 3,000 euros, in the Russian Federation the model can also be found on the used car market already at a price of 4,000 euros.
The model has been ranked last in the TUV ranking for the last three. After seven years of operation in a sparing mode, car mechanics, during a superficial examination, diagnose wear of ball joints by 90 percent, a completely rusted muffler and oil leaks wherever possible. And this is just the pinnacle of what the city hatchback will show at the first inspection.
Mechanics find a lot more faults in the power unit. Every three years it is necessary not to repair - completely change the timing belt, water pump, regardless of which engine is installed in the configuration.
For variant 2.0 Twin Spark after 30,000 km, malfunctions are characteristic: complete wear of the clutch, destruction of the block head due to poor-quality connecting rods, constant problems with wiring due to poor-quality insulation.
Minor malfunctions that do not affect the quality of the ride, but so act on the nerves of drivers after five years, include loose door seals, flying out buttons on the control console, squeaks and interference in the operation of multimedia, clogged windshield wiper drains and constantly flashing airbag lights.
It is fair to say that, despite the lights flashing, the airbags only fly out after a moderate frontal impact.
Alfa Romeo 159 has completely different indicators, but this is already the history of a different rating.
FIAT Doblo
Over the past five years, the brand has significantly improved the quality of its models, but, unfortunately, not all. In the anti-rating of cars that do not need to be bought even in the salon, the FIAT Doblo equipment is in second place.
A beautiful van with all modern security and control systems turns out to be not so reliable in practice and begins to disappoint its owners within one and a half to two years after purchase.
The cost of a three-year FIAT Doblo in Europe is from 3000 euros, models produced before 2010 are a thousand cheaper. Approximately the same amount is asked for a complete set in the Russian market.
The list of faults begins with complaints about the gasoline engine line. These are cylinder head gaskets, which quickly burn out, a water pump that needs to be changed after two years, and fast coking of the engine due to low-quality fuel.
Diesel versions also do not differ in durability. After a few years, the turbocharger must be cleaned and replaced. The geometry of the unit is wedged, the turbine impeller is destroyed not under the influence of external particles that fly into the turbine, but due to low-quality steel, which quickly collapses.
The injector and fuel pump "die" in the third year of operation. The transmission also does not shine with high quality. Even professional drivers who never "tear" the gearshift lever, after 18 months, have a huge backlash through the worn rocker.
The handling characteristics of the FIAT Doblo, the dynamics of acceleration and the behavior of the car on the highway often make many drivers turn gray. When turning quickly and entering the second lane, the car frankly skids, the body sways strongly.
The stability control system does not always save the exchange rate stability - the vans turned over several times. It was this indicator that allowed the TUV agency and the Autobild publishing house to call the complete set one of the most dangerous for Europe, which cannot be bought.
Renault Megane
Renault Megane problems begin only after five to seven years of operation. And this is a huge plus of the complete set, the second generation of which was a hit of sales both in Europe and in Russia.
Renault Megan is very popular in the secondary market, but after seven years it is still not worth buying a car - repairs can cost exactly twice as much as the amount you spend on the purchase.
The first unpleasant surprise lies in the back - the car starts to rot. As it turned out, the manufacturer galvanized all external panels and hinged elements, but forgot about the internal details. Therefore, Renault Megan begins to rust from the inside.
The second surprise is the electronics and electrical system. In Megan, the electrician raises complaints from the first days: either the lamps are installed incorrectly, or the wiring is short, but all these little things are quickly eliminated at a low price. But after 7 years, drivers should be prepared for the fact that all the wiring in the car will have to be changed.
Megan also has problems with the power unit - motors, regardless of the class and fuel used, cannot boast of reliability and durability.
Gasoline units suffer from quick coking, cylinder head gaskets, a poor starter and a fuel pump are leaking. In diesel versions, turbine problems and fast clogging of the catalytic converter are observed. The generator in the model also needs to be repaired after three to five years of operation.
The conclusion is unambiguous: Megan is a good inexpensive car for the first three years, and after seven years you cannot buy a model, everything will have to be repaired.
Jaguar S-Type
It is strange to see such a model as the Jaguar S-Type in the anti-rating car. But the fact remains - the EU Technical Supervision Association has included the complete set in the list of the most unreliable cars in the secondary market.
We are talking about a line of Jaguars, released in the period from 1999-2009. The cost of a complete set in Germany is from 3000 euros, on the Russian market a sports car can be bought for approximately the same price.
Mechanics give the largest list of faults that they find in a seven-year-old Jaguar S-Type: this is a broken spring in the gearbox distribution mechanism, the lever does not switch from 4th to 5th gear, complete wear of ball joints, steering rods, oil leaks, chain wear Timing
Jaguar S-Type engines also require repair and cause the greatest difficulties for owners.
The S-Type comes standard with a petrol V8, with chain guide idlers made of ordinary plastic. The material crumbles, and the unit fails after a few years.
Mercedes-Benz M-klass
But this car does not need to be bought either in the salon or in the secondary market.Experts and ordinary fans of the brand note with despair that from the moment the first E-class equipment appeared on the market, the quality of Mercedes-Benz cars began to decline steadily, and the apogee was the entry into the European market of the first M-class equipment.
European experts called this car the king of defects in the aftermarket.
Of all the cars tested, 35% had serious problems with the front suspension, ball joints and tie rods were worn by 70%. There was a significant backlash in the ends of the tie rods.
In defense of the M-class, it should be said that seven-year-old cars had practically no foci of corrosion or rust.
As for the powertrain, those cars that were built at the Austrian factories Magna Steyr AG & Co KG were equipped with engines with an increased resource and felt great after 200,000 km of run. If the Romanian assembly was checked, then the motors had an exhausted resource and needed a major overhaul.
Especially poor build quality of the diesel power unit. In the ML 400 CDI V8 engine with a capacity of 250 hp. with. cylinder head gaskets constantly burn out, camshaft chains are stretched, high coking is observed. The automatic transmission starts to slip after 40,000 km.
Mazda RX-8
In the European anti-rating there is no this brand, for Europe the Japanese manufacturer offers a completely different version of the crossover configuration, but for the Russian driver the five-year-old Mazda RX-8 is a source of constant headache.
Both car mechanics and motorists sincerely advise against buying this car on the secondary market.
The new Mazda RX-8 is fast, interesting and dynamic. For the first year, the driver enjoys good dynamics, minimal fuel consumption, and excellent grip. Mazda is crammed with the most advanced equipment, modern multimedia and all security systems.
Problems begin in the third year of operation, the reason is the rotary motor, which so often sang praises at various exhibitions.
But the two-chamber "Wankel" with a volume of 1.3 liters initially has a motor resource of no more than 100,000 km and begins to "die" after the first 40,000.
Replacing with an analogue is unreasonably expensive, and the installation of a contract low-volume engine will make a fast Mazda out of a fast Mazda a low-power, constantly stalling car, which is suitable only for a collection.
Ford Ka
Rounding out the list of cars that you don't need to buy is the Ka model from Ford.
Already after the first scheduled technical inspection in the third year of the car's life, the TUV mechanics were not only surprised, but shocked - there was not a single body part left in the configuration that did not have traces of rust or the first foci of corrosion. For the Chinese car industry, such a situation is acceptable, but for a Romanian-assembled Ford ...
Of course, there are body parts in the Ford Ka that have not rusted - these are the front and rear bumpers, the steering column, the dashboard, and all because they are made of plastic.
The inspectors were upset by the significantly sagging springs of the front axle, worn out friction clutch linings, brake discs, etc. And all this after 35,000 km.
But the Ford engines that come with the Ka model, regardless of the type of fuel, showed excellent performance and simply "spoiled" the overall picture of decay. Unfortunately, the engine is far from everything in the package so that the car can be called reliable and promising.
