The 20 used cars experts warn to avoid

If you know nothing about cars – and don’t have a family member or mate to be your automotive guardian angel – buying a second-hand car without a warranty can be fraught. If you buy the wrong one, you could be on the bus and thousands of dollars out-of-pocket.

Even if you do know about cars, there’s still plenty that can go wrong. Succumb to the voice that tells you to buy that $4000 Alfa Romeo and you’re in all sorts of trouble.

In 2025, national used car sales totalled 2.32 million vehicles, meaning for every new car sold, approximately two used cars changed hands.

If you might shortly be joining those statistics, in this article we speak to a mechanic, a used car importer, a roadside assistance technician and go over used car safety data from Monash University to share with you 20 second-hand cars, or types of car (in no particular order), you probably shouldn’t buy.

Or any Japanese hero cars of the 1990s and early 2000s, says Iron Chef Imports director Kristian Appelt.

“Avoid is probably a little harsh, but definitely proceed with caution when considering buying,” says Appelt.

“It's bad enough that demand from the US has pushed their prices rapidly upwards, but it’s their insatiable demand for parts for these cars that is really putting the squeeze on.

"Servicing and maintenance is relatively straightforward, but if you need body parts or an engine rebuild, be prepared for some eye-watering bills. You’ve got to pay to play, as they say in the classics.”

Purchase any of these brands out-of-warranty with great caution, says Rob, a 20-year veteran roadside assistance technician (talking on condition of anonymity).

“I wouldn’t touch anything from the Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge family,” he says. “I wouldn’t even take one as a work car just because of the unreliability – a lot of electrical issues on those cars.”

That means Barina, Astra, Vectra – and most of all – Captiva.

“Even probably amongst Holden mechanics, the Captiva is renowned to be one of the most problematic cars that you could buy second-hand,” says Andrew Murphy from UltraTune, with nearly 25 years in the industry.

If you ever drove a VFII Holden SS Commodore, you’d think any car made in Australia was the proverbial duck’s guts. But not the Holden Cruze, which you should steer well clear of, says Rob.

“Depends on the breakdown really, but some of those Cruzes, as well as Captiva, are definitely the worst,” he says.

Sixteen used cars are woven through this list for having the worst possible scores in the 2025 Used Car Safety Ratings from the Monash University Accident Research Centre.

TopGear proved the HiLux has cockroach-levels of survivability, but the 2003–2004 model received the lowest possible scores for Driver Safety, Other Road User Safety and Crash Avoidance.

Other very poorly rated second-hand utes for safety were the 1999–2002 Holden Rodeo, 1998–2002 Ford Courier and 1996–2006 Mitsubishi Triton.

While locally sold Mitsubishis might be a different proposition, Appelt warns to steer clear of privately imported ones.

“When checking cars at auction in Japan, we would often joke that we're doing a ‘Mitsubishi inspection’, which means starting the inspection by checking under the car,” he says.

“Mitsubishis built in the 1990s and 2000s were all notorious for underbody rust, so when you go to check out the Lancer Evo of your dreams, get down on your hands and knees and pray it’s not a mess underneath.”

We get it – it’s red, has telephone-dial wheels, polished intake runners and an interior that screams 'che bomba'. And the price is very much right. But you should resist, says Murphy.

“I've got a friend that desperately has wanted to buy an Alfa Romeo for years, and I know he's gonna end up just buying without telling me,” he says.

“But every time he asks me, I tell him 'no'. Really, it needs to be bought by an enthusiast who has the contacts or the know-how to maintain it themselves.”

Thirteen Hyundais and nine Kias – with model years between 2007 and 2023 – are implicated in a class action for engines that are prone to internal damage, sudden loss of power and even fire. Click here for more information about the affected models.

The class action covers cars powered by 1.6-litre, 2.0-litre and 2.4-litre petrol engines – and includes a mix of sedans, hatchbacks and SUVs. Do a search before buying any vehicles that fit this description.

“I'm quite a fan of Kia and Hyundai, but the caveat on that is there are still some [problematic] engines,” adds Murphy. “The particular 2.0-litre engine [can] have some dramas.”

Reliability is so poor that owners have taken Ford Australia to court in a class action for Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta and Ford EcoSport cars built between 2010 and 2016 fitted with a DPS6 ‘PowerShift’ transmission.

“We’ve seen a lot of Focuses break down,” says Rob. “Maybe not the newer Focuses but certainly 2010-ish, that sort of generation.”

While we don’t doubt the venerable 4.0-litre straight-six would be suitable for lunar missions with proper maintenance, you’d want a textbook re-entry back to earth. That’s because it was one of the lowest-scoring cars for safety in the Monash University Accident Research Centre’s 2025 Used Car Safety Ratings.

Of its peers, it wasn’t alone, however. The 1997–2002 Toyota Camry also had the lowest possible safety rating, as did the 1996–2003 Mitsubishi Magna/Verada (and some Holdens mentioned below).

If you’re looking at a turbo-diesel dual-cab ute with a smaller four-cylinder engine, do your due diligence before purchasing, cautions Rob.

“I see a lot of problems with the highly strung, low capacity dual-cab utes,” he says. “Everything fails – cracked intercoolers, blown turbos, holes burnt in pistons.”

There was a 3.2-litre inline-five-cylinder turbo-diesel engine available in the previous-generation Ford Ranger – and if you’re looking at one to buy, run for the hills, says Rob.

“The Rangers were really bad for burning holes in pistons; the 3.2-litre one burns holes in pistons like there’s no tomorrow,” he says. 

Roadside assistance technician Rob says to avoid the twin-turbocharged Nissan Navara out-of-warranty – unless you want to get stuck on the side of the road somewhere.

“They’d have a crack in the intercooler pipe, it would over-spool the turbos a lot and really just destroy the engine,” he says. “A lot more than I really thought would happen.”

The Century is the grandest vehicle of the entire Toyota portfolio, but that doesn’t mean they’re all bulletproof.

“Not to be confused with the later GZG50 V12 Centurys, the VG40 of the early 1990s had the 5V-EU hemi-headed V8 that's design dates back to the early 1960s,” says Appelt.

“In its final form, it still only made 140kW and finding any parts for them beyond filters is on par with finding a Tassie tiger. It's easy to fall for their glorious mid-Century (pun intended) interiors but long-term ownership is an exercise in frustration.”

Yes, it has a 6.75-litre V8, 1970s vibes in all the right ways and the Spirit of Ecstasy sitting proudly atop its squarish chrome front grille, but just because it costs $15,000 doesn't mean you should buy it.

“Well-built car, great workmanship and everything,” says Murphy. “But if you treat it as a normal car and expect to run around and do normal things in it, it's going to be an expensive one to run.”

Turbocharging and supercharging? What could go wrong? Plenty, says Murphy.

“That particular line of engines is well renowned for failing at low kilometres,” he says. “As low as 30,000km. If you've got [one] that's done low kilometres [but is outside of warranty], you could be looking at potentially an out-of-pocket cost of $15,000 or more.”

Reliability might be a different matter, but the VT/VX Holden Commodore (1997–2002) and WH Holden Statesman and Caprice (1999–2003) scored the lowest possible safety rating in the 2025 Used Car Safety Ratings from the Monash University Accident Research Centre. The VU Commodore Ute (2000–2002) also fared the same.

According to the 2025 Used Car Safety Ratings from the Monash University Accident Research Centre, if you value your safety you should avoid the 2002–2006 Kia Pregio, 1995–2003 Mitsubishi Starwagon/Delica Spacegear, 1994–2013 Mitsubishi Express and 1996–2004 Toyota HiAce/LiteAce.

The Great Wall has the unfortunate distinction of being the newest vehicle in the 2025 Used Car Safety Ratings to score one star for safety – and the lowest possible scores for driver protection, pedestrian safety and crash avoidance.

While studies are showing EV batteries to be retaining more charge than expected over long lifespans, an older EV is still best avoided, says Murphy.

“Look at the average lifespan of the battery, if it's in the second half of its lifespan, I'd probably try and avoid it,” he says.

Have you ever bought a lemon? What was it, and what went wrong? Let us know in the comments below.

Dylan Campbell has been road-testing and writing about cars and the new-car industry since 2006. An independent motoring expert based in Melbourne, Dylan is a former Editor of Wheels Magazine, MOTOR Magazine and the TopGear Australia website.

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