Although it’s not usually clear at first glance, some cars are built to suck your money into a deep, dark pit. If you don’t know what to avoid, you could end up buying one of these troublesome rides. And you likely won’t even realize it until it’s way too late.
What are the biggest money pit cars on the market today?
#savagescotty is here to let you know what to avoid.
On his list, you’ll find the:
- Audi A4 Quattro
- Jaguar XJ
- BMW X3
- Mercedes S600
- Porsche Cayman S
Now you know what to avoid, but do you know why? Lifelong auto tech Scotty Kilmer is happy to reveal the many ways these cars will let you down. Just follow along and learn all you need to know.
Audi A4 Quattro
When you buy an Audi A4 Quattro, you can expect its value to drop like a rock. Kilmer claims that they depreciate by about 50% within just four years of ownership. Ouch!
They are not the most reliable cars either. In fact, it’s not uncommon for their head gaskets, automatic transmissions, and other major parts to go out rather suddenly. Many of these problems start to occur at 100,000 miles.
When something does go awry, which is almost guaranteed, they are expensive to fix. Even if you get a screaming deal on the purchase, the subsequent repairs are sure to leave you broke.
Jaguar XJ
Scotty points out that Jaguars have always been money pit machines, so the fact that the XJ landed on this list should be no surprise. The XJ model takes this notorious reputation to the next level, however, and here’s why.
Jaguar merged with Land Rover and moved a lot of its production to China. And when that happened, poor manufacturing processes resulted in even more broken parts, if you can believe that.
BMW X3
In true BMW fashion, all their X-Series cars, notably the X3, are overly engineered. What this means is that they are prone to breaking down all the time and are expensive to repair.
Even parts alone will leave you scraping the bottom of your piggy bank. This causes many to land on the used car market for cheap, but they will likely cost you a fortune in the long run.
Also, good luck finding a mechanic who will happily work on your X3 without getting paid a ton. Their rates have to cover all the specialty tools and training required to work on these German cars, after all.
Mercedes S600
The Mercedes may look like a million bucks and cost what feels like almost as much, but that doesn’t mean its purchase will pay off. In fact, it won’t. This car suffers from extreme depreciation from the second it leaves the car lot.
Kilmer’s client bought one for over $120,000 only to sell it for $12,000 after just a few years of use.
That had to hurt.
They are also rather likely to break down, leaving you paying tons for parts and labor. Due to the wild depreciation rate, each dollar you throw at the car lands in the bottom of the money pit and never comes out again.
Porsche Cayman S
Although it’s quite a looker, the Porsche Cayman S just doesn’t have a great resale value. Scotty shares that his customer bought a used one with 40,000 miles on the clock for 40% of the original sticker price.
While they are quite fun to drive, all that excitement comes at a big price. With just a quick look inside, it becomes quite clear just why that is. You can adjust every last bit of the suspension system using the computer, which is likely to break in the long run.
And if you need to pay a shop to replace just the struts with OEM equipment? Expect to shell out over $5,000 — and that doesn’t include the computerized components.
Engine repairs are even more costly due to its mid-engine design. Even the smallest services require that techs drop the engine, which means incredibly high labor fees.
Use These Insights to Buy a Car That’ll Last
Upon starting your car buying journey, you’re sure to remember to avoid all of Scotty’s top money pit cars. Just make sure you go beyond that in finding your perfect ride by checking the Vehicle History as well. Then you’ll know what accidents and other major issues have occurred, allowing you to pick the best vehicle of the bunch.
