5 Japanese cars that you should avoid buying
Japanese cars have earned and maintained a well-deserved reputation for reliability and affordability. For example, the 2023 Toyota RAV4 is the fourth best-selling car of 2023 so far, according to Car & Driver. It falls behind American classics like the number-one Ford F-Series pickup trucks, the Chevy Silverado, and the Dodge Ram, all of which embody Americans’ love of pickup trucks.
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Regarding sedans, the Toyota Camry comes in second place after the Tesla Model Y on the list of best-selling cars. The Toyota Tacoma, Corolla, and several Nissan and Honda models are also included in the list. But not every Japanese car is a winner.
In fact, Japanese manufacturers, including Honda and Toyota, have had some failures over the decades. You may want to avoid these models if you’re shopping for a classic Japanese car that holds its value while offering performance, comfort and style.
Mazda RX-8
The first generation Maxda RX-8 was sold from 2004 to 2008. It was equipped with a 4-cylinder engine that did not win any races with 212 hp. But what’s worse is that it ranks only 11th in reliability out of 19 Mazda models evaluated by MadzaProblems.com. The site reveals complaints about engineer failure, steering jerks, excessive oil consumption, and numerous recalls over the years.
Mitsubishi Eclipse
The Mitsubishi Eclipse is a small sports car with great gas mileage and decent handling. If you buy one of the older models today, you can get it for only about $3,000, according to Kelley Blue Book. But models made between 1999 and 2003, and again in 2007, appear to have problems, according to MitsubishiEclipseMA.com.
Rims and wheels tend to wear easily or wear out over the years, which can make this vehicle look worn out prematurely. Tires also wear out more quickly than some vehicle models. The interior tends to be cheap, which means parts can break. Finally, drivers reported problems with the automatic transmission, powertrain, and steering in the 1999 model in particular.
Honda CRX del Sol
Honda remains a reliable Japanese brand today, with the Honda Civic and Honda Accord sedans topping Car & Driver’s list of best-selling cars for 2023. However, the Honda CRX Del Sol, designed to replace the beloved 1992 Honda CR-X, hasn’t Be better than that. It’s “extremely disappointing,” according to HotCars.com.
Roof leak. The cabin was noisy. The front brake rotors tend to warp. Aside from the sports coupe of the same name, the Honda CRX, it appears to be nothing short of a lemon. Honda no longer makes a car equivalent to the Del Sol.
The sportiest model you’ll find in Honda’s line today is the two-door version of the Civic Si, with recent versions of the model priced around $20,000 and worth every penny, considering that Honda cars tend to hold their value.
Toyota Paseo
We wouldn’t blame you if you read “Toyota Paseo” and said “Toyota – what?”. While other Toyotas, like the Camry, Tacoma, RAV4, and even the Prius – one of the first hybrids to gain mainstream popularity – are household names, the Paseo was little more than a passerby in the 1990s.
The little car was manufactured from 1991 to 1997, and could have received more market attention or love from Toyota fans even though it was built on the Corolla framework. The car came in a standard and debatable model. Today, these vehicles number in the thousands and are in excellent condition.
It’s not that the Paseo is a bad car. It doesn’t suffer from mechanical issues like others on this list; It failed to capture the hearts of drivers in the 1990s, so Toyota quickly discontinued it. As such, if you choose one to restore, with very few of them available in the US, it can be difficult to find replacement parts.
Suzuki Samurai and Suzuki X-90
The 1990s were a difficult decade for Japanese car manufacturers. Suzuki has launched the Suzuki Samurai SUV with boxy lines reminiscent of the Jeep Wrangler. But the car received an “unacceptable” safety rating by Consumer Reports, according to SlashGear.com. It was prone to tipping over during sharp maneuvers.
Likewise, the successor to the Suzuki X-90 had a similar problem of tipping over. However, unlike the Samurai, which had an attractive style, the two-seater X-90 had a strange design. Suzuki was curious to know if it was a coupe, a sports car, or the front half of a pickup truck. It only had 90 horsepower, and eventually, it crawled into oblivion, along with the Samurai, as one of the worst Japanese cars ever made.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 Japanese Cars You Should Avoid Buying
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