Avoid Buying These 3 Vehicles That Will Likely Break Down After 200K Miles
Written by
Nicole Spector
Edited by
Gary Dudak
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Nowadays, it’s pretty common for most cars to last 200,000 miles and even beyond, a feature that is critical for buyers looking to get the most out of their auto investment. That said, there are a few on the market that simply don’t make the cut and may conk out before, or shortly after, reaching the 200K-mile milestone.
Scotty Kilmer, an American auto mechanic and passionate YouTuber with over 6 million subscribers, dished out the details on three vehicles he says are likely to not make it to 200K miles — and maybe not even to 150K. Let’s have a look at these cars to avoid, especially if you’re buying used.
2011 Audi A4
The 2024 Audi A4 sports an MSRP of just shy of $44,000, and hopefully this model is a vast improvement from the 2011 model, of which Kilmer had no shortage of condemning things to say
“I’m gonna dispel the myth of Audi supremacy with this absolute pile of junk Audi A4 2.0 four-cylinder turbo that a customer got suckered into buying,” Kilmer said. “Don’t walk away, run away from one of these cars.”
Kilmer went on to say that though the used one he presented in the video only had 87,000 miles on it, “in this case, that’s all she wrote.”
1998 Saturn SL
The Saturn brand was officially discontinued in 2010, but you can still find plenty of used Saturns on the market. If you’re interested in buying one, avoid the 1998 Saturn SL, which Kilmer slams for a number of reasons, including pathetic mileage.
“Theoretically they were supposed to be revolutionary cars,” Kilmer said of the 1998 Saturn SL. Evidently, they were anything but — unless you consider frequently breaking down revolutionary.
Kilmer didn’t specifically address how many miles this car can last, but the video he slams in it is called “3 Cars That Won’t Last 150k Miles,” so we can infer that it’s a lemon in that department.
Volkswagen Jetta
After 39 years on the market, the Volkswagen Jetta officially went bye bye in 2019. This was bad news for Kilmer, who includes it in his review of cars that won’t make it to 150K miles, let alone 200K.
In the case of the Jetta, though, Kilmer doesn’t have all bad things to say, but he does dive into some fairly big cons. “They’re fun to drive, but that fun comes in cost,” he said. “If you’re one of those types of people who likes keeping your cars forever, I’d rather have the Corolla engine.”
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