Hooniverse Asks: What Automotive Makes Would You Never Buy, and Why?

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I have this rule when it comes to stereo equipment – never, ever buy anything by Pioneer. Now, I know what you’re most likely saying- but I have never had a problem with Pioneer equipment, and in fact I love their attractive blend of quality sound reproduction and high-value pricing. Yeah, well good for you, but I have had problems with their stuff. In fact, I’ve had problems with EVERY piece of Pioneer hardware I’ve ever bought. And because of that, I don’t buy them anymore.
Car companies can suffer the same sort of consumer backlash, whether it be because of bad experiences, or an implied connotation of either the car or its stereotypical owner. Either of those will result in a brand that some people classify as TBAAAC – To Be Avoided At All Costs. It may be a well thought out thesis, or the result of a third-hand story about someone thinking their ride’s new car smell was farts, but it definitely drives choice.
Today, I want to hear about your choices, or at least those when it comes to excluding certain brands from your automotive selection set. Are there any makes or models that you consider off-limits to your own personal ownership? If so, which ones are they, and how did you come to that decision?
Image: RGBStock

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86 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: What Automotive Makes Would You Never Buy, and Why?”

  1. Mallomar Avatar
    Mallomar

    VW, if it’s out of warranty. Does that count?

  2. P161911 Avatar
    P161911

    Maybe Kia, but they aren’t bad cars and if the deal was right and the wife wanted one for her to drive….
    Mitsubishi, but the old mini-trucks are OKAY, so is the 1st gen Montero, if the deal/price was cheap enough, maybe…
    Can’t think of a good reason to get an Audi, I don’t need AWD and If I want a complicated, expensive to repair German sports sedan, I’ll get a BMW or Mercedes.
    I honestly can’t think of any brand that doesn’t make SOMETHING I wouldn’t mind driving, if it was cheap enough. I even drove a 20 year old BMW V-12 for a few months.

  3. Kiefmo Avatar
    Kiefmo

    This depends on what we’re talking — a vehicle from any point in the automaker’s history, or only current models? I can’t name a single automaker for which I wouldn’t own at least one of the vehicles they’ve produced throughout history.
    If we’re talking current, here ya go:
    – FiatChrysler – I just don’t feel like I can trust products from that company right now. They’ve been through too much turmoil in the past decade.
    – Toyota – Nothing they make would entice me over their competitor in any category.
    – BMW – I just have zero desire for an ///M car, which are all they have going. Maybe I should check my pulse. Nothing they make would entice me over their competitor in any category.
    – Nissan – Nothing they make would entice me over their competitor in any category.

    1. Tanshanomi Avatar

      “I just don’t feel like I can trust products from that company right now.”
      Given the premature decrepitude and generally lazy construction of Mrs. T’s 300 Touring, I will encourage you to maintain that attitude. (Please conveniently ignore the fact that I was prepared to fawn all over that black Challenger R/T in the parking lot yesterday.)

      1. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        Saw my first Renegade in Berlin yesterday, in orange of all things. It looks fantastic.

      2. Alff Avatar
        Alff

        “Damn fine cars.” – Alff’s Father In Law
        I will not deny that Chryco products are prone to certain failings – some of them common across the line. However, I’ve owned at least one and as many as three of their products at any given time over the last 13 years and feel that they have given generally good service.
        Yeah, my standards may be lower than most.

        1. P161911 Avatar
          P161911

          One of the worst cars to roll and rattle out of American showrooms in years was the Dodge Caliber. My dad had one as a company car, the damn thing lasted over 275k miles! It was finally retired (still running!) with CVT transmission overheating issues. It still drove just as bad as it did when new, maybe a little louder.

          1. Alff Avatar
            Alff

            My sentiments notwithstanding, the Caliber sucked ass. One of the three worst rental cars I’ve ever had. The other two were an Olds Achieva and a tiny KIA POS (Spectra? Rio?).

    2. Kiefmo Avatar
      Kiefmo

      To add to the Nissan hate, I was very nearly cursed with a Nissan Sentra when we recently rented a car. I was not looking forward to the CVT keeping the anemic 1.8L constantly boiling while tooling around the CO front range and mountain towns west of Denver and Boulder.
      But the car gods smiled upon me, and the Sentra had a dent in the hood that had not been noted when it was turned in, and thusly could not be rented. I pointed at a white VW Passat and said “can we have that one?”
      The agent checked her tablet gizmo and confirmed that we indeed could have it, so we took it. Leatherette interior, 1.8T, DSG. I found the DSG to be cantankerous around town, occasionally shifting like a kid who had just learned to do the three-pedal dance and was still a bit shaky, but up in the higher elevations with the trans locked in lower gears and the turbo spooled, it was a nice companion.

  4. Alff Avatar
    Alff

    Hyundai. In the thirty years that I’ve driven them they’ve gradually gone from utterly horrid to “meh”. At this rate, they’ll have something I like in another 30 years.

    1. PotbellyJoe★★★★★ Avatar
      PotbellyJoe★★★★★

      Ditto on this. I’m cursed to always get them as rentals, but even when I sold against them, they seem like they would have been good five years earlier, but in the year they were released they are meh.

    2. Kiefmo Avatar
      Kiefmo

      I want to like them so badly. I’m just a fan of the underdog, you know? Especially when they produce interesting-ish vehicles like the Veloster with it’s wee turbo mill. But you’re right — despite their slashy-swoopy appearance, which seems to promise fun, they wind up bland.

  5. Vavon Avatar
    Vavon

    Audi, because…

    1. Gurdil the Dwarf Avatar
      Gurdil the Dwarf

      Damn, beat me to it !

      1. marmer Avatar
        marmer

        Well, if he’s stupid enough to stand next to a puddle! 😉

        1. Sjalabais Avatar
          Sjalabais

          It’s all just a BMW conspiracy.

  6. Joe Btfsplk Avatar
    Joe Btfsplk

    Anything General Motors… the company has a recent history of corporate deceit, financial mismanagement and lack of moral integrity.

    1. Eric Masek Avatar
      Eric Masek

      I would add current Toyota to that with similar reasoning from the whole cover up of the unintended acceleration and the way they handled it. GM with their ignition recall debacle.

      1. Stu_Rock Avatar

        If we’re talking about integrity, Daimler and Hyundai are the ones that give me the most pause. GM and Toyota, as far as I can tell, have been run by decent people who have at times made some bad business decisions.
        But I also aspire to keep forgiveness in my heart, so I am willing to do business with companies that have done wrong but are now trying to do right by their customers, employees, and the communities they operate in.
        Daimler reference: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/daimler-to-pay-up-to-settle-corruption-charges/?_r=0
        Hyundai reference: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB114622561202038677

      2. CSM Avatar
        CSM

        There was no proven unintended acceleration, only allegations of unintended acceleration. Countless attempts to recreate the alleged acceleration never found a problem. Nobody likes to blame driver error, but driver error is driver error.

        1. Eric Masek Avatar
          Eric Masek

          I don’t discount that many of the “claims” were due to driver error (floor mats, not knowing how to shift to neutral, etc) however it was also found that the potential for a hardware error to cause some of the issues was also found. Additionally the code used to operate the vehicle was found to be a disaster which doesn’t help the situation.

          1. CSM Avatar
            CSM

            Is “potential” reason enough for the Feds to warn drivers away from their Toyotas?…..While those same Feds also own and operate GM?—I know, just a coincidence….

          2. Eric Masek Avatar
            Eric Masek

            That’s not my decision to make, however the companies gross mishandling of those situations make me want to stay away from them and their products. How many other potential significant risks exist that they’ve been covering up along with the couple that got exposed? That’s not to say it hasn’t or isn’t happening elsewhere, it very probably is. There’s no way to know until it gets uncovered.

  7. Stu_Rock Avatar

    I asked myself, “is there a brand that I wouldn’t buy from, even if they made a RWD midsize/fullsize manual transmission wagon?” (it can even be brown in this hypothetical).
    My first reaction was “no,” but then I asked myself if I really would spend my own money on a new, overcomplicated BMW, Mercedes, or Audi, even if I had very deep pockets. I probably wouldn’t. But there are old cars from those brands that I would enjoy.

  8. Tanshanomi Avatar

    Land Rover. I don’t have any need for the off-road capability (those that still have some: I’m looking at you Evoque), I don’t have a trophy wife, so I really don’t go in for their supposed prestige as a suburban curb crawler, and they are ridiculously overpriced. If that weren’t enough, they’re also horribly unreliable.
    http://images.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/02/lrtow2-450×337.jpg

    1. P161911 Avatar
      P161911

      But sub- $3000 old Range Rovers and sub-$2000 Discoverys are soo tempting. Yes, I know they are horribly unreliable and expensive to repair. If we had UK prices on Defenders, I would be REALLY tempted. My wife doesn’t like old cars, but she has a thing for old SUVs.

      1. buzzboy7 Avatar
        buzzboy7

        The only real unreliability is in the electronics. They’re quite easy and cheap to work on. If you are good with american small blocks you can do old RRs.

    2. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      As you can see in that picture, Land Rovers can be found going off road quite often!

  9. JayP Avatar
    JayP

    GM: the ONLY vehicle I’d bite would be a Z/28. Last 10 years of recalls, bankruptcy and pre-bankruptcy grasping at straws do not give a warm, fuzzy feeling.

  10. William Robinson Avatar
    William Robinson

    I’d have to go with gm(ok maybe not cadillac). My only reasoning being they do not have a seat that I can live with for anything over an hour. I’m talking about their cars as the seats in trucks seem to hold up well and offer decent comfort.

  11. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    I’m with Joe on this one.
    http://car-logos.50webs.com/wallpapers/gm.jpg
    There are some adorning classics under this umbrella, but the general level of crap GM has churned out leaves me baffled. It says a lot about human priorities that a company known for a faulty cheap, cheap, cheap-approach managed to become the world’s biggest car company for a time.

    1. quattrovalvole Avatar
      quattrovalvole

      GM has a habit of under-delivering on its promises, which is why I share the same sentiment as you. Some of their current lineups looks great on paper but once you get a seat time, you find out that they are flawed.
      Take the ATS for example. When it came out, the press heralded it as the best thing since sliced bread in the compact luxury segment. Sharp handling, E90 reincarnate, blah blah blah. Then you get inside one and see gauges that look bad even on a Malibu, a crash-prone ICE, and a cramped backseat. Oh, and rakish roofline + small rear door opening = me banging my head on the three times.

  12. Jofes2 Avatar
    Jofes2

    I wouldn’t buy any Hyundai or Kia, that’s what separates us car-folks from the humans.

    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      But…why? Some of the recent cars look, drive and feel well. Some antique Far East baroque sedans like the XG30 make me all warm inside, too. Nevermind the overhanging danger for engine failure lights and such.

      1. Jofes2 Avatar
        Jofes2

        Alright, maybe I was to hasty. If it is exotic I’ll take it. I was thinking of Accents and Elantras and such.

    2. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      you’re missing out on some good cars right now…

  13. Citric Avatar
    Citric

    I’m of the “never say never” mindset. I mean, people here are poo-pooing Hyundai, and one sits in my driveway and I like it a LOT – and yes, it’s a fun car, not bland at all, though I might be biased because I’ve driven it over mountains. There are a few examples I can think of a company coming back from garbage to make something that’s actually pretty great, and as a result never is something I can’t really agree with for any manufacturer.
    That said I wouldn’t buy something from China’s BYD because they seem mildly disreputable, even if they make a car that is remote controlled.

  14. 7FIAT's Later Avatar
    7FIAT’s Later

    I really don’t hate on any manufacture and most offer up something I would probably enjoy driving. So I would say for me, lack of a deep pocketbook would be the only reason for me to cancel out one over the other.

  15. Prince Halibrand Avatar
    Prince Halibrand

    http://assets.hemmings.com/story_image/525281-640-0.jpg
    1) Oldsmobile. Because they represented everything I hate about traditional American cars. Fat, flabby, inefficient land yachts. And even the ones that weren’t fat, flabby land yachts ASPIRED to be flat, flabby land yachts and were styled that way. I’d also include Buick, except that lately they’ve pull on some spanx and started working out.
    2) Anything French. Because French.

    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      But …
      http://www.sethrgbird.com/images/cars/Oldsmobile/aurora2.jpg
      I want so much to say “swooosh” when I see that.

      1. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar

        And curvy.

        1. mdharrell Avatar

          Unlike some French cars, so Prince Halibrand may have a point there.

    2. Lokki Avatar
      Lokki

      But …

  16. Andrew_theS2kBore Avatar
    Andrew_theS2kBore

    Until three months ago, Saturn. The 1996 sl2 i was given in college (sincere thanks to the parents for giving me a car, please ignore what follows) was such an utter sh*tbox that I literally begged my mother not to buy a Sky.
    Now I own a Sky too. I’m still not entirely sure what happened.

    1. Top-dead-centre Avatar
      Top-dead-centre

      Stockholm Syndrome.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome

  17. CSM Avatar
    CSM

    Any new GM product. I leased a new Chevy Astro van for work in 1997. From the moment I took delivery, there were problems. Things like a never installed gasket between the throttle body and the intake manifold. Things like unsolvable driveline vibration at 65 mph. Things like a dealer that had no interest in solving my van’s problems.
    There are lots of great new vehicles to choose from. GM doen’st really have anything so unique that I would need to buy it. I promised myself that I would never, ever risk acquiriing such a rotten product or rotten dealer experience…as I did with that Astro. Life is too short.

  18. marmer Avatar
    marmer

    My wife would probably say “Ford” for no good reason. She thinks having owned a Pinto, a stripped Econoline, and a first-gen Taurus wagon with a tinfoil transmission are reasons enough, along with a bad reaction to an automatic shoulder belt (remember those?) in a rental Tempo.

  19. engineerd Avatar
    engineerd

    SEAT.
    But only because they aren’t generally available in the US.

    1. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar

      Yep. SEAT. Because I don’t understand what they’re for.

      1. Guest Avatar
        Guest

        You sit in them to drive. Unless you are driving this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-stop_truck#/media/File:Divco2.JPG

      2. Guest Avatar
        Guest

        You sit in them to drive. Unless you are driving this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-stop_truck#/media/File:Divco2.JPG

    2. Rover 1 Avatar
      Rover 1

      How big would you want VW’s warranty department to get? VW would then really be bigger than GM.

  20. Stu_Rock Avatar

    I’m a little surprised at all the anti-GM sentiments expressed here. I guess they still have a lot of work to do on their market perception. Their current sales numbers seem good–Cadillac excepted–so I guess that’s an accomplishment given the headwind.
    Oh well, they and their products have always done right by me.

    1. William Robinson Avatar
      William Robinson

      GM has come along way but they still have along way to go. I’m of normal size, six foot 200 lbs and in all the gm mid and compact cars I have tried I have had no luck with finding a decent driving position. Weather it’s seats that don’t have enough adjustability or a tilt column that only just tilts I have never found a position that works for me. Probably won’t own another unless it’s a new impala or truck. And I haven’t been in an impala to see how that would work for me.

      1. Stu_Rock Avatar

        Agreed that shapes can be an issue. Using median biometric values, I have a torso length of a person who’s 6’0.5″, but I’m only 5’9″. My arms are short, too. I have had difficulty getting comfortable in many of the GM Delta and Epsilon cars if they don’t have height-adjustable seats and telescoping steering columns. The seating position I had in an HHR was comical. So there are many current GM products I would never buy, but I have nothing against the whole company.

  21. Jeff Glucker Avatar
    Jeff Glucker

    I’d try any brand on the planet… all of them.

    1. Bozi Avatar

      Very much agree, currently looking at a Yugo on craigslist that might be too cheap to pass up and could be a good candidate for an Ecotec or K-Series swap

      1. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        Honestly, you have written a lot of wildly interesting comments here today, from the “free” Civic (great story), to the Saab parts puzzle, to this one – wow! So a Yugo engine swap?

        1. Bozi Avatar

          Thanks, I hail from the land of the Yugo and have experienced all their quirks. It’s partially nostalgia and partially the fact that the guy wants $1500 for 2 Yugo’s with 60k miles. I am no stranger to unorthodox engine swaps so I would enjoy the challenge

    2. Alff Avatar
      Alff

      There’s a difference between buy and try. Most of us don’t get the opportunities to try that you do.

      1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
        Jeff Glucker

        Good point.
        I’d buy almost any brand though too, if the car was interesting enough (and I had the money)

        1. Alff Avatar
          Alff

          Perhaps that’s a more relevant question… What car company do you doubt will ever build a car interesting enough for you to spend your cash on?

    3. Guest Avatar
      Guest

      I agree with you.

      If the price was right, and it was interesting enough, I’d be willing to drive just about anything. Lada Samara, AMC Pacer, hell, I’d even drive a Trabant.

      Pretty much the only thing I’d avoid is cheap Chinese/Indian/third world imitations/fake copies of cars. I’ve heard way too many horror stories to trust one outright.

  22. BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ Avatar
    BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ

    Ferrari! First I don’t have the means to buy one, unless I’ve won the non checked lottery ticked, and second I see the owners like posh BMW drivers, most of them just show off and don’t use the car as it was ment to be.

    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      Saw a guy with a grin in a yellow Porsche today, and immediately imagined him having some manhood issues. Then I remembered I drive a frugal van, and was ashamed I didn’t instantly appreciate the little-boy-in-a-man’s-body points that come with a yellow Porsche instead.

  23. 0A5599 Avatar
    0A5599

    I buy good value. There are several makes that wouldn’t be my go-to choice at typical prices, but if they were available at a price so cheap that a trip to the junkyard will earn me a small profit, then I’ll go for it.

  24. Juliet C. Avatar
    Juliet C.

    Subaru because I’m not a geoscientist or a lesbian.

    1. Alff Avatar
      Alff

      I love mine … but I am a lesbian trapped in a man’s body.

  25. mdharrell Avatar

    http://www.chelseaclock.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Hol-Tan-945×776.jpg
    I will never buy a Hol-Tan, for the sad reason that apparently none survive.

  26. nanoop Avatar
    nanoop

    Fiat, including the old ones (which is rare for me). Some look gorgeous, but all owner reports in magazines start with “the car looked surprisingly sound, and we are only had to remodel the sills, window frames, belly, roof, and gearbox.”
    Cheers to those who fought that fight, though.

  27. Jaap Avatar
    Jaap

    First reason: they not screwed together properly, and out went Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot, Renault, Citroen, Chrysler, SSanyoung, Chevrolet, Lancia,
    Second, they do nothing for you in terms of identity: and out went Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, Opel, Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Ford, Seat, Skoda,
    Third, they charge you just for buying their products, BMW, Audi, Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Jaguar, LandRover,

    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      What’s left over then?

      1. Krautwursten Avatar
        Krautwursten

        Lada Niva is always the answer.

  28. Krautwursten Avatar
    Krautwursten

    I have a personal grudge against Bavarians, also the general perception of BMW drivers is so utterly catastrophic that I wouldn’t be seen dead with a BMW in my driveway. Or surrounding my steering wheel for that matter.

  29. peugeotdude505 Avatar
    peugeotdude505

    An Audi. I have been warned.

  30. Schm Avatar
    Schm

    Chrysler, for sure.
    If there ever is a brand that has lost it’s identity its Chrysler. Terrible materials, and the competition is just better. Maybe the 300c SRT8 but that’s it. Plus, Lincoln has an actual pulse now with the impending release of its Continental and Buick has been a Chinese sales success combined with compeditive, Opel-derived products make a much more compelling in that confused, dying American Mid-level luxury-ish segment.

  31. sunbeammadd Avatar

    Holden may be the darling of the hooniverse but I hate them. Every one I’ve ever driven, or even sat in, has been horrible.

    1. nanoop Avatar
      nanoop

      I understand – it’s still GM.

  32. sunbeammadd Avatar

    While it wouldn’t necessarily preclude me from buying one I would have to do a lot of soul-searching before I bought a Chrysler product because of what they did to the Rootes Group and, to a lesser extent, Simca. That said I do still get a bit gooey about E-body Challengers and Barracudas.

  33. Lokki Avatar
    Lokki

    GM tops the list. Over my lifetime, they have just made too many weasel moves to forgive, most recently refusing to honor claims from before the bankruptcy. I could just never trust them; I always be wondering if they cheaped out on the intake manifold, the ignition switch, the? and whether they would fix it if it broke. VW falls into more or less the same area, although without the primitive belief that it was ever otherwise. No lottery ticket is ever going to change my mind.
    At the other end of the Spectrum are the “I want one but I know better” cars. Land Rovers,Jaguars, and new Alfa Romeos. If my ship came in, it would unload of one of each – right after the Aston Martin of course.

  34. dr zero Avatar
    dr zero

    If I wanted to be facetious, I would nominate Bugatti, because I’m not a billionaire and very unlikely to ever be one.

  35. Cool_Cadillac_Cat Avatar
    Cool_Cadillac_Cat

    Suzuki. Even though they don’t sell automobiles here, anymore, I’d not purchased a used one, either.
    My first, and only, brand-new car was a ’99 Grand Vitara JLX. Optioned exactly how I wanted…4×4, CD changer under the passenger’s seat, center armrest, silver in color, manny tranny.
    It had 40 miles on it when I picked it up because the dealer who originally had it wouldn’t take my ’94 ZJ Limited, V8, Quadra-trac in on trade because “he couldn’t afford it”.
    Fine.
    I don’t know what happened to this trucklet before it got to me, but it had a leaking LR axle seal early on, a squeak in the hood I never could find, and later in life, after about 55K miles but before 70K, the LR axle snapped at the wheel (was driving on the street, backing out of a parking space…go figure), and it blew at least four rear diffs, maybe five. I put lower ratio Sidekick diffs in it, 5.13s, because I had slightly larger than OEM tires on it. Made no difference, broke those, too, and in a different manner each time.
    Chipped ring gear, cracked pinion gear, a combo of the two, and I don’t remember about the others because I hated it with a passion after rear diff #3.
    Oh, and the A/C’s expansion valve died. And it was both slow while getting piss-poor MPGs. Thankfully, it was kept as a “toad”, the vehicle you see being dragged behind motorcoaches, and it was perfect for this duty as I truly did not care what happened to it.
    It’s since been replaced for toad/3rd car duty with a ’98 Jeep ZJ 5.9L. Sure, 13/17 MPG, if you’re lucky, but it’s a nice truck…and it never attempts to camouflage the fact it’s a dual solid axle truck.
    I can’t see ever purchasing a Kia, or possibly a Hyundai. Not really a Mahzdaah fan, either. VWs give me the heebie-jeebies, as well, though I’d roll the dice on a W12 Phaeton (even though I know better).

  36. neight428 Avatar
    neight428

    Fiat-Chrysler coming together was like a harmonic resonance of bad automaker ju-ju in my perceptions. I might own a Jeep Wrangler, but only one with as few things to break as possible, preferably one with the old I-6.
    Anything German out of warranty is just scary, but if someone else were picking up the tab, I’d drive and enjoy any of them. Modern Volvo is much the same, without the enjoyment.
    GM overall has so many disappointments that it is easy to dislike the company, but I’ve seen so much of their stuff just keep going through neglect and abuse that I am a bit of a fan on those grounds, though that attribute is mostly on older stuff now.
    Nissan’s devotion to CVT’s keeps me from considering any of their cars (good luck finding a manual anything), though the Titan truck does not offend me so much that I wouldn’t consider it if the price were right.