9. Mini Cooper
The hot hatch from the BMW-owned Mini brand was a popular choice of a city car in the U.S., due to its quickness and maneuverability. But, while the Cooper was strong on meandering through everyday traffic, it scored weak when it came to reliability. According to Consumer Reports, the Mini Cooper was a great car to buy new, but it suffered from reliability issues that came with age and mileage, so it is far from a good choice to buy used.
The second generation Cooper, which they produced between 2006 and 2003, was equipped with a 1.6L BMW N16 inline-four with 120 horsepower. This was more than enough for lively performance and fun driving experience. Engine reliability sadly didn’t follow suit, so the Mini Cooper is a car you shouldn’t buy unless you’re sure the former owner maintained it on a regular basis.
For a compact car, the Cooper is expensive to maintain. You don’t want to rack up additional costs for a car that is basically a sporty hatchback that packs just enough power to make your everyday commuting fun. Hotter turbocharged Cooper S versions also have their own sets of reliability issues, so avoid them too, as secondhand turbocharged cars are never a good idea.