The One Used Car You Should Never Buy

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Buying a used car can be stressful and full of uncertainty. Are those door dings hiding expensive frame damage? Does this simple six-speed have closer to thirty thousand miles than the odometer shows? Most used cars are fine, but some can end up costing you an absolute fortune to own. While older cars can be great bang for your buck, there is one class of car that never fails to sting.

Buying a German sedan from around 2005 will ruin you. Don’t let the fancy badge fool you into thinking you’re getting a good deal; it’s only the beginning of many costly repairs. Yes it may be cheap when you first buy it, but you’re not buying a great machine, you’re signing up for a database of exotic sensors.

The Hidden Cost Of Sophisticated Engineering

Essentially, when they made these cars they were making them to drive, not service. Every system on the car is controlled by computer systems that get confused easily as the years go on. Connectors break and wires fall out as everything ages and plastic parts become brittle. One loose wire could cause your car not to run. Entire dashboards/electronics/control modules have to be taken off to replace various sensors on some models.

Also there are no hardware store fixes. You can't just pop down to Home Depot and buy a universal hose clamp to fix your coolant hose. You must special order OEM parts from another country. Making each repair hundreds if not thousands of dollars. You have to pay your specialist hundreds of dollars an hour just for labor because they have to have fancy computers to diagnose your problems. Even just basic maintenance will set you back more than 2 or 3 payments for a reliable Saturn.

Then you factor in labor. In most cars you have room to WORK on the car. Under the hood of these cars you have room to maybe fit your hand. What could take 15 minutes on a Civic may take you 2 hours just to get to the part you need to work on in a Lamborghini. You're paying someone to basically solve a Rubik's cube every time your car lights up. They purposely make these engine compartments smaller so NOBODY can work on their cars.

The Nightmare Of Depreciating Air Suspensions

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Air suspension...what a magical thing. The "pillow on wheels" feeling that high quality used executives offer up front is hard to beat. But the rubber bladders/pneumatic lines have an expiration date directly linked to when you sign the paperwork. Tiny leak goes unnoticed and before you know it you're listening to the onboard air compressor run 24/7 just to maintain ride height. Fast forward to the compressor going kaput, and you'll see and expensive repair thats right up there with transmission work. One morning you may open your garage door and see your shiny new toy looking like a crumpled up Chef's hat.

Unless you plan on shelling out multiple grand for factory OE replacements (per corner mind you) you might think you can save a few bucks using "delete kits". These replace the air bags with good ol' fashioned steel springs. But you then defeat the entire purpose of ride enjoyment that led you to buy your dream sled in the first place. No more cush ride equals awful handling and still left with all the inflated maintenance costs that come along with fancy car brands. Double fail.

If your previous owner wasn't diligent with air suspension upkeep, failed compressor/tires affecting ground clearance can even affect traction control/braking sensor operation. So not only can't you ignore that little "sssssqueak" coming from your suspension, you'll now risk completely shutting down your cars electronic braking system.

The Fragility Of Early High-Tech Interiors

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In addition to the issues under the hood, cabin electronics or special features became first generation of many early infotainment systems and motorized doodads two decades ago. The tiny gears in motorized dash vents and screens were never designed to last two decades of thermal expansion/contraction and vibration abuse. Don’t be surprised when you discover the faux wood grain trim panels are clipped on with flimsy brackets that break when you attempt to pry off for fuse access. Interior leather may seem soft and pliable at first, but may require chemical conditioners to keep from crumbling into a spiderweb of unattractive fissures.

As each individual pixel on digital clocks and radio dies the display becomes unreadable. Though this doesn’t impact drivability, you’ll feel like you’re riding in decay instead of luxury. Now you’re just staring at buttons with faded icons trying to remember which one defrosts windows. Replacement trim pieces or even functioning head units can turn into an archaeological dig through thousands of dollars of salvage yard scrap or dodgy internet messaging boards.