Transcription
This is Doug Demiro, and today I'm going to talk through five cars that are too unreliable for even me to buy. I have a Countach. It's terribly unreliable according to the internet. And yet, there are cars that even I am afraid to buy because they are too unreliable. So, let's talk through them right now.
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Okay, five cars that are too unreliable for me to buy. And I want to be clear that this list is cars that are appealing, like cars that I actually would want to buy, but they are so unreliable that it makes me scared. I cannot justify the purchase of these cars because of their unreliability, even though I want them.
This list is alphabetical, not in ranked order, except for the last car, which is sort of a maybe. Like, I probably wouldn't buy it, but I might be convinced. But the five cars are ranked. So, let's start with those. We'll move on to the maybe.
First off, five cars that are too unreliable for me to buy. First off, the E60 BMW M5. Oh, I want an E60 M5 so bad. I like a good V10. A V10's cool, but the fact that BMW put one in a sedan and then gave it a manual transmission is just one of the coolest things. And I'm a big fan of cars that are cool, not only in reality, but also on paper. Like, this was a very special time in the car industry, the mid-2000s. And the fact that this car existed at all is just like, that's the kind of car you have in your garage and you just look at it and think, "That is cool. That is just plain cool." A V10 super sedan. And in Europe, they sold it as a wagon. And I have always kind of wanted to create or to buy an E61 M5, that's the wagon version, bring it to the States, manual swap it, and have kind of the ultimate V10 manual station wagon. But I'm not going to do it because it's too unreliable.
The E60 M5, as great as it is, as cool as it is on paper, this is kind of the ultimate example of an automaker that made their customers do their test driving. Like, this car was not ready for prime time. Proven by the fact that there are people out there in the E60 M5 world who just bulletproof these motors, who know what to do, what to fix to make them reliable cars. But there's like four different things you've got to do. The motor's got to come out. It's an expensive job to get the motor bulletproofed. And even then, I have heard that after the motor has been gone through and successfully completed, enhanced to make it reliable, the stuff BMW should have done when the car was new, even then, I have heard the cars are still problematic to own. And it's just such a shame because it is such a cool car on paper. It is such a cool idea of a car. It is so insane in so many ways, and yet it's just too nerve-wracking. And obviously, it's insane for me to say this considering I have these expensive sports cars which are also problematic, but the difference between my sports cars and an E60 M5, you have to be able to rely on a sedan. Like, that's a car I would put car seats in and take my kids around, and I just don't think I would rely on it. And a sports car, like, if it breaks down, yeah, like, it's that I wasn't doing anything anyway, right? But that's not the case. An E61 M5, as cool as it would be, if I can't rely on a family car, it's too unreliable for me.
Okay, next car. Too unreliable for me. This is a really sad one, but true. The newest Jeep Grand Cherokee. When I was looking for a new SUV a couple of years ago, I made this big post about what I was looking for, and I said that what I wanted was an SUV that had three-row seating, that had good self-driving tech, and that could off-road. And after a lot of back and forth and elimination and this and that, I kind of got it down to two options. The new Toyota Sequoia, which I bought, and the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, which I wanted and still want more. And I chose the Sequoia. And why do you think I did that? It is such a shame to see the perception of reliability and some of the stories of reliability that have come out of Stellantis products in recent years. I love the new Grand Cherokee. I think it is a fantastic car. I think the powertrains are good. The style is good. The interior is the best ever in a Grand Cherokee. The tech is good. I just don't trust it. I just don't trust it. And that's true for basically all modern new Chrysler vehicles. I just don't trust them. I'm just not there on a level of trust with those cars. And I still to this day see a nice Grand Cherokee L and think to myself, "I wish I had that. I wish I had that." But I just know I use my Sequoia to drive cross-country twice a year. And I just know that if that car ever stranded me in middle Tennessee because the electrical system wasn't working and they had to put in a new engine or whatever crazy stuff happens with some Stellantis cars, I would just be so unbelievably furious, both with Chrysler and with myself for having been convinced into it. So, even though I truly believe that is a better car, I didn't get it. And again, it goes back to this is a car I plan to use daily, for my family, whatever. It is not a car that I can rely on for that purpose. And I wish that weren't true because Stellantis makes some really appealing cars right now. And they come out and they're so cool, and I do a review on them when they're brand new, and I think it's great. And then the horror, you know, two, three, five, eight years down the road, the horror stories start coming out, and you start thinking, you know, there is a reason why Toyotas are more expensive and why they are more expensive on the used market. And it is because people really trust them. And even though there have been times when Stellantis or FCA or Chrysler itself made DaimlerChrysler made cars that were pretty trustable, this didn't want them. And it just, it really makes me nervous. And based on what I read online, it makes a lot of people nervous. And it's a shame that such a good car is sullied by this rather difficult but probably true reputation for being unreliable.
Next up, more cars that are too unreliable for me to buy. A car that I absolutely adore but would never get. The Mazda RX-8. I have been on the record a bunch of times saying I absolutely love how the Mazda RX-8 drives. It is smooth, it is fast, it is so well-balanced. It is one of the very best, especially for the price point cars, sports cars that I have ever driven. The transmission is great, the feel of the rotary, throw it around, the chassis, it's just so good. And it's funny 'cause I actually think the car is ugly. I've always felt the car is ugly. Like, I really don't like how it looks. But I've been converted to love that car by how it drives. And I would love to have one, but rotary maintenance is just not easy. And used RX-8s sell for $2,000 to $4,000 a lot of times with good reason because you've got to, in order to have an RX-8, you can't just have an RX-8. You have to be someone who's like into the RX-8 and into understanding what a rotary engine is and how difficult it is to own. And you have to maintain it as such. And this isn't something you do at your local Mazda dealer. You're talking about a specialist getting involved. You're talking about like real, probably DIY stuff. You're talking about using the car a little bit differently than a normal car. And it's just a shame because, man, I love how that car drives. Wouldn't touch one.
The FD RX-7, which also is a rotary, is a little bit of a different story because it is a much more valuable car. So, it makes more sense to put in money on the car for maintenance, for repairs, fixing the rotary, improving the rotary, etc. But I actually hate to say this, but I actually almost prefer the way the RX-8 drives. It just feels so much more modern, especially the way the shifter feels and the steering is more precise. The FD came from the early '90s. It's just not as tight. The RX-8 is just such a tight, good, smooth, amazing car. And it's just a shame that it's the RX-8. And by the way, a lot of people are like, "Oh, well, you can swap out the rotary in an FD or in an RX-8 and put in something else." But to me, that actually ruins what I think is probably the best part about that car. The best part about that car is also the worst part about that car, which is the powertrain. I just love how the rotary engine feels, how smooth it is, how nicely it builds power, but it is also the Achilles' heel of the whole car.
Okay, next one. Cars that are too unreliable for me to buy. Uh, this one may surprise you. The Range Rover as a daily driver. I love a Range Rover. I would get another Range Rover. I've had two Range Rovers and a new Defender. And an old Defender. I've had four Land Rovers. I would not buy a Range Rover as a daily driver. I love them. They're great. The new ones look amazing. They look so nice with the vertical tail lights and just like almost the concept car look to them. Very clean, very modern, very high-quality look. I still don't trust them after all these years. I still don't trust them. And I've got to say, as more technology has gone into these cars, for off-roading technology, but also the screens and the interior controlling this and that, they haven't gotten better. Like, Land Rovers and Range Rovers have not gotten more reliable. I will still never forget the time with my new Defender where I took it into the dealer for service and I hadn't been to the dealer in like a year. It hadn't needed anything, and I pulled in, and they said, "Oh, nice to see. You've been having trouble with the infotainment system." And I said, "No." And they said, "Really?" Like that was a very common thing that was being experienced. They were like shocked that I wasn't having problems. And I think that's the kind of thing that happens at a Land Rover dealership. And the new Range Rover, as much as I absolutely adore it, I just can't go down that road again for a daily driver. This goes back to the Jeep Grand Cherokee thing. Like, I do not love my Toyota Sequoia. It is like fine. It is a tool for the job. But one thing it does that I absolutely guarantee: it starts every time, it unlocks every time, it rolls down the windows, it power rolls down the seats. Like, it does what it is supposed to. And when you have a Range Rover or a vehicle of that ilk, you just can't quite count on it to do that job. And again, to be a family car, you have to be able to count on it. It's not like a sports car that, like, you're not really going anywhere doing anything. A family car like a Range Rover, you just have to be able to rely on. And I just don't. It just isn't quite there. They are still great cars. They are great cars to drive. They are great cars to use. It is amazing how many horror stories I still hear about new Land Rover and Range Rover products and the way that they operate and the problems that they have. This is something that they have never really been able to completely figure out. It's a reputation that has dogged them for years, and it remains a reputation that will continue to dog them because it's just the truth about these cars.
Okay, next up, cars that are too unreliable for me to buy. Last, number fifth on my list, sad Rolls-Royce and Bentley. I love, especially Bentley. I have always wanted an Arnage T or a Continental GT with the W12. But even like a Phantom or a Silver Seraph, late '90s, early 2000s Seraph. I have always wanted a Rolls or a Bentley, and especially Bentley. Like, I think about it a lot, and I just really, really, really think it would be cool. It's just I can't. I've always, you know, I try to rent on Turo a Bentley wherever I go if there's one available. And I remember a few years ago I went to Atlanta and rented one, and it was just 10 warning lights on. And it's like that with basically every one of the Turo ones that I rent. Like, they're just never great cars. They do not age well. They were not really intended for frequent daily use, which a lot of them got. They get up there in miles. The interiors are worn. The warning lights are on. The engine, the electrical, the transmission, there's problems. They just are not cars. And I was still interested. I still had, in fact, I have this list of cars I want, and it's only like 10 cars for my whole life. And up until a year ago, the Bentley Arnage T was on that list, 'cause that's just the coolest damn thing. And then my buddy Nick got one, and he has had so many issues, problem after problem after problem. And he bought a crappy one, but a lot of them are crappy. And it's just basically occurred to me that those cars are amazing when they're new, but they depreciate like crazy. And I can't stomach that level of depreciation. And by the time they've depreciated to a point where the curve has flattened, you're not going to lose much money in the car. It's not as expensive to buy. By the time it's gotten to that point, it's just not a reliable enough car to actually own. And so the result of that is, as cool as these cars are, you're either going to get killed by maintenance and repairs or by depreciation. There's no way to own one and just have like a simple, nice, not crazy costly experience. And as much as I want a Mulsanne or an '09 Continental GT, they are such cool cars. I have kind of resigned myself to the fact that the reliability aspect of these cars is just never going to make it happen. Nick's experience and all the old Continental GTs I drive have just taught me these cars are just, they are not cars that can be daily driven, that can be used like I would want to use my cars. I drive all my cars. I just wouldn't be able to do that to the same level with a Bentley or with a Rolls. And so I'm kind of, I've kind of resigned myself to the fact that that probably won't happen for me, as much as I truly love those cars.
Okay, so those are the five cars that are too unreliable for me to buy. But there is a maybe car on this list, and that car is the Lotus Esprit. And why is it a maybe? Because it is incredibly unreliable, and yet I still kind of want one. I have always felt the Esprit is one of the coolest-looking cars. It comes from the Lamborghini Countach school of flat-front wedge shape, old-school wide supercars. Especially the V8 Turbo. That's what I want. The last end of the run cars. They are so cool to look at. And personally, I think they are so good to drive. Imagine a Lotus. Simplify and add lightness, but you also have a V8 mid-engine. Like, it really is a light, small, tossable car, but with a big old loud V8 back there. Honestly, the experience is not that different from a Lamborghini Countach, except you don't have to pay $600,000. You can pay $70,000 and have a very similar look, a very similar head-turning capability, and a truly amazing driving experience. It is just so much fun and so exciting and so fast and loud and raucous and everything. And as I sit here talking about it, I'm getting even more interested in the Esprit. I think they are so cool, and they are unreliable. Like, they are notoriously difficult, and they are difficult to work on. You've got to find somebody. I mean, there's not a lot of people. And I have always said I will not have one because of that. But every time I see one, I'm like, "Man, I want that car. I want that car." It is so cool. It is so exciting. It is so much fun to drive. And so that is a maybe on my list. It's a car I probably never should buy because it's too unreliable, but it is a car that I definitely want. And unlike the others on this list where I have resigned myself to the reality of no E60 M5, no RX-8, it's just not, it's too unreliable. Lotus Esprit, I might be able to roll the dice. Although the fact that it's a maybe is further proof of why the other cars you can't do that with. All the other cars on my list have four doors. And I think a four-door car, you just have a higher expectation of reliability and practicality that you don't have in a car like the Lotus Esprit. And so with the Esprit, the reason I think it is a maybe is because it's like a little bit less important that it be practical and reliable. And knowing that, and with that in mind, God, I think they are just the coolest cars. And although I know it would be a heartbreaker and a headache and a disaster, it's also really cool.
So there you go. That's my list of the five cars that are so unreliable that even I won't buy them. It's a shame. They are all good cars, but you've got to draw the line somewhere. And I draw it there.