The 2 Car Brands to Never Buy Used, Mechanics Warn
Shopping for a used car adds an undeniable wrinkle to the vehicle purchasing process. Sure, everyone knows it’s a great way to save money, especially if you’re able to find a reliable ride that has affordable maintenance costs. But those pre-owned rides can also present problems of their own for the next drivers who take them over. And no one knows this better than the professionals who work on and repair them for a living. According to recent social media posts, mechanics are warning about the two car brands you should never buy used.
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What used cars do mechanics say to avoid?
In a recent TikTok video posted by Austin, Texas-based auto shop Genuine Automotive, mechanics at work in the garage were polled about which car brands they would never buy used. Interestingly, there was a crossover of two brands in each answer.
“Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia,” the first person polled replied immediately.
“Basically, anything Kia or Hyundai,” a second said, adding that he also would avoid Mercedes.
What’s the most common problem with Hyundai or Kia cars?
If anything, it appears there’s one main recurring issue with both of the Korean-made vehicles. In a video posted to Instagram by Dart Automotive Services, an auto shop in Evansville, Indiana, one mechanic was asked why their garage specifically tells prospective buyers to avoid Hyundai and Kia cars. He quickly specified that it comes down to one common problem: Engine failure.
“We’re not a huge shop by any means, but we see once a week one getting towed in with the engine locked up in it,” he admits. “Other than that, I don’t really have anything against the vehicles! They’re not styled badly, you don’t see a lot of other issues with them really—just the engine locked up in them. Why would you want to buy a vehicle that more than likely you’re going to have to have the engine replaced on it, even if it is under warranty?”
He added that they see this with most models, even the “ones that are just a few years old,” including one recent case where a roughly four or five-year-old vehicle had the engine locked up in it.
Spilling some insider knowledge, he then explained that there’s an issue among repair shops with engine availability: “Our best option to get a remade engine or new engine is through the dealer, and a lot of those dealerships are hanging on to their engines right now to replace them, so it’s hard to get one. And we’re a little leery of putting a used engine in it because a lot of these failed before they ever hit 100,000 miles. So, you find a used engine that’s over 50,000 miles, it’s a ticking time bomb.”
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Other mechanics issued similar warnings.
This isn’t the first time auto pros have spoken out about getting a Hyundai or Kia long after it’s been driven off the lot. In a TikTok video posted last summer, a repairman from an Illinois auto shop, Tire Boss (@tirebossinc), said they tend to start showing very serious problems around the age at which most used cars are purchased.
“I probably would never wanna own a Hyundai or Kia product because after 100,000 miles they just start falling apart to pieces,” he explained. Meanwhile, one of his colleagues added that “nothing about Hyundai is good,” saying that the cars “just keep blowing up no matter what you do with them.”
In another video, a mechanic from Accurate Automotive took a more blunt approach to describing the vehicles: “They’re [expletive]. Excuse me how I put it, but they’re [expletive].”
Just how bad is it? The mechanic explains that the company has even taken note. “Their engines are terrible, unfortunately. That’s also part of the reason why they’re giving longer warranties on their engines,” he said.