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40 Cars That Break Drivers’ Budgets Just to Maintain

Cameron Eittreim May 2, 2022

24: Honda Odyssey

How could a minivan with a Honda badge be expensive to maintain? Well, the Odyssey has its problems with expensive repair costs. The unique thing about the Odyssey is that the van has remained a dominant force in the minivan segment for this long (via Autolist).

The downside of the Odyssey is that it has many defects that are expensive to repair. The transmission fails often in the first generation of the van, and there are also known issues with the valves. This is a common problem Honda has addressed under warranty. But for used models, this, unfortunately, won’t be the case.

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23: Nissan Murano

The Murano was a popular change of scenery for Nissan and one of the first crossover SUV models to hit the market. The first Murano shared a lot of its underpinnings with the Nissan Z sports car so its driving aesthetics were great (via Autolist).

Unfortunately, maintenance is expensive with this car because there are many issues. Reliability is not generally favorable, and the CVT transmission is problematic at best. There has also been a flurry of electrical problems the car suffers from.

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22: Subaru Outback

The Outback is one of the most popular wagons ever to grace the automotive world. In recent years, owning a Subaru has become a sort of status symbol. But with a status symbol car, there is also the price tag of high repairs (via Hot Cars).

The AWD system in the Outback is not bulletproof and older models are also subject to head gasket failures. That’s not to say the Outback is a bad ride, but you will spend a fair amount of money to keep it going.

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21: Subaru Forester

Forester owners face all kinds of problems including head gasket failures and overheating. The Forester is reliable when it has low mileage on the odometer, but as the car ages, these problems tend to spring up (via Hot Cars).

Another problem with the early Forester models is rust, which tends to target the wheel wells of the car. This is another well-known problem Subaru has acknowledged, and it will break drivers’ budgets to get it taken care of.

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20: Chrysler Sebring

The Sebring was long the sweetheart of rental car fleets across the country thanks to its cheap price tag and a seemingly stylish exterior. Sadly, though, the Sebring didn’t have the best build quality, and many of these issues have come to light (via Hot Cars).

The Sebring had a notorious engine failure rate, involving the 2.7L V6. These engines are known to suffer premature engine sludge and worse. The cost of these repairs is astronomical, and thus the Sebring is one of the worst money pits out there.

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19: Chevrolet Suburban

The Suburban is one of the longest-running auto nameplates of all time, it was the original family car. This large cruiser has long been popular in the SUV world, and even more so in the last couple of decades (via Hot Cars).

But the Suburban isn’t without its faults, and if you own one, there are a few costly repairs that you will encounter. The most common problem with the early Vortec V8 models is that with the spider injectors going out, drivers are left with a repair that will cost upwards of 800 dollars.

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18: Mini Cooper

The Mini Cooper experienced a resurgence when it was revived for the 2001 model year, and since then it has remained a unique option. But the Mini Cooper is a complex car to own and repair costs can be expensive (via Hot Cars).

Even an oil change in one of these automobiles can break budgets, especially if you are doing it at the dealership. In recent years, its transmission has also been the subject of many problems with owners, and it’s not a cheap fix.

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1999 Dodge Caravan — Photo Credit: Dodge

17: Dodge Grand Caravan

The original and arguably the most popular minivan to ever grace the automotive world is also expensive to fix. The Grand Caravan has one of the most stellar sales records of any minivan on the market (via Hot Cars).

Dodge Caravan Via Edmunds — Photo Credit: Edmunds

However there are many reliability issues with the caravan, and many of these issues are expensive to repair. The transmission is the most common, and the timing chain is the second most common failure on the Grand Caravan.

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GMC Acadia Via Motor Trend — Photo Credit Motor Trend

16: GMC Acadia

The GMC variant of the GM crossover trio including the Buick Enclave and the Chevy Traverse also had its fair share of reliability issues. These automobiles’ design was rushed to the market and thus there were many shortcomings (via Hot Cars).

The CVT transmission is problematic, and the cost to replace one of these is expensive. The head gasket has also been known to go out on the earliest models of the Acadia, which leads to frustration when it comes time to pay for the repairs.

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15: Jeep Wrangler

The Wrangler has long been a popular off-road SUV with a lot of potential but recent models have been problematic. It should be expected that any modern SUV will have more expensive repair costs than the classics, but the Wrangler is taking it to the next level (via Hot Cars).

There have been problems with the seals along the removable top, the engine overheating, and several electrical issues. There have also been issues related to the 4WD system, and these are among the most expensive to fix.

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14: Nissan Maxima

The Maxima is often referred to as one of the most popular Nissan models of all time. This was the first sedan with a talking interior but was even a thing. But the modern Maxima models have started to wane in popularity (via Hot Cars).

One of the reasons for this has been the expensive repair costs associated with the car. The Maxima is not cheap to repair, and the most common problem has been associated with the CVT transmission. The head gasket is also an expensive repair that tends to happen on the older Maxima models.

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13: Acura TL

The TL is by far one of the most underrated cars on this list, as it has been a staple of the Acura lineup. With that being said, the car still has its fair share of expensive repairs that tend to cost drivers a lot of money (via Hot Cars).

What exactly goes wrong when you own a TL? Well, there are a few things that tend to happen with this car. More recently, these issues have been related to the CVT transmission, and there have also been timing chain issues reported.

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12: Honda Pilot

For years, the Honda Passport was the only SUV sold in the Honda lineup, or at least the only authentic SUV because there was the CR-V. The passport was sadly nothing more than an Isuzu Rodeo with a different badge on it. When the pilot hit the market, it was an authentic Honda model in every sense of the word (via Hot Cars).

The Pilot has had issues with the transmission, rear-end, and even overheating as the mileage gets higher. Many of these issues Honda has rectified with service bulletins, but the warranty doesn’t cover used models, unfortunately.

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11: Jaguar F-Pace

The last couple of decades haven’t been too pleasant for the Jaguar brand. The F-Pace was designed and built to fix the incredibly tarnished reputation. The crossover has a great driving presence and interior design but there have been costly issues (via Hot Cars).

There have been coolant leaks reported, and this repair is costly, and there have also been gearbox issues reported. Given the price tag is upwards of $47k, these are just issues that drivers just don’t want to run into.

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10: Porsche Cayenne

The Cayenne has been on the market for a long time, and with every year, the SUV gets a little better. But that doesn’t mean there have been hiccups along the way, as the SUV has had its faults (via Motor 1).

The Cayenne has had issues with the turbocharger leaking oil as well as the transmission solenoid going out. These are costly repairs on any car, but especially on a Porsche SUV.

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9: Land Rover Range Rover

There was a time when Land Rover was the be-all and end-all of off-road capability. But in recent years, the brand has become more of a status symbol. That doesn’t change the fact that the Range Rover is still one of the most problematic SUVs on the road (via Motor 1).

The reliability of the model is questionable at best, and if you get a used model, it will be even worse. The head gasket failures are rampant on these vehicles, and the price to perform that repair will set you back thousands of dollars.

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8: BMW X-Series

When BMW introduced its first SUV model in the early 2000s, it was one of the innovators. There weren’t many luxury SUVs on the market at this time, much less a German offering. However, as is the case with most German luxury vehicles, the repair costs are obscenely high (via Motor 1).

You won’t get away cheap when you take your BMW X-Series in for servicing. Most of the repairs that these vehicles tend to need center around transmission and electrical issues, none of which are cheap to fix.

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7: Chevrolet Impala

The Impala is a noteworthy sedan and one of the longest-running GM nameplates of all time. But there have been many issues with this car in recent years. GM build quality isn’t what it once was, and this is the case with the Impala (via Motor 1).

The overheating issues that plague these cars are just one of the most common issues you’ll encounter. There are also issues with the transmission, and more recently a faulty brake system was covered under a recall.

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6: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

The Sprinter was a surprise for Mercedes-Benz in the United States, completely changing the delivery van segment as we know it. These big diesel vans aren’t cheap to maintain, and when it comes time to repair, you will spend a large amount of cash (via Motor 1).

The most recent incarnations of the Sprinter have suffered from many transmission issues, as well as a fair share of overheating problems. Because this is a Mercedes-Benz product, you will feel that when the repair bill comes.

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5: Ford Focus

Ford tried for years to stake a claim in the compact car segment, and in 2000 the company finally made some headway with the Focus. The car was incredibly popular, and there was even a rare sport model called the Focus SVT (via Motor 1).

But all that success wasn’t enough to deter the fact that the car still has many reliability problems. The head gaskets would routinely fail in the first-generation models and the timing chain has also been a problem.

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4: Acura MDX

The MDX was the first official Acura SUV to hit the market since the previous SLX was just a badge-engineered Isuzu Trooper. The MDX brought a lot of great features to the table and the styling was a lot better than you’d expect (via Motor 1).

As the SUV ages, however, there have been many reliability issues. The timing chain tends to go out early, and the engine has also suffered from head gasket issues. The transmission is also problematic and repairing it is not cheap, as the MDX is a luxury vehicle. It’s one that also breaks drivers’ budgets to maintain.

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3: Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Grand Cherokee has been marketed as a luxury SUV since the day it hit the market. With that type of recognition comes a luxury SUV price tag and also expensive repairs (via Motor 1).

The Grand Cherokee had an especially tough time during the Daimler years, as these vehicles shared many components with Mercedes-Benz. Transmission failure was all too common, and head gasket failure was equally frustrating to owners of these SUVs.

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2: Chevrolet Cobalt

When the Cobalt hit the market, it was the replacement for the long-running Cavalier compact car. The Cavalier had been a great seller for GM and one of the most well-known cars on the road at the time. The Cobalt had some big shoes to fill and for the most part, the car was a decent offering (via Motor 1).

However there were reliability issues with the Cobalt, which makes it an expensive car to own. The coolant system has a lot of faults and it tends to be an expensive repair. The AC system is yet another expensive repair on the Cobalt, making this Chevy model one that wrecks drivers’ budgets to keep on the road.

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1: Ford Explorer

There is no denying that the Explorer is one of the most influential SUV models that has hit the market. There are millions of them on the road right now and it continues to be a sales success as time goes on (via Motor 1).

However, numerous issues happen to the Explorer models as time goes on, and many of these are very expensive to repair. The main issues that happen to the older Explorer models are the suspension going out and the transmission starting to slip. These repairs are crucial to the driving quality of the vehicle.

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40 Cars That Break Drivers’ Budgets Just to Maintain

24: Honda Odyssey

23: Nissan Murano

22: Subaru Outback

21: Subaru Forester

20: Chrysler Sebring

19: Chevrolet Suburban

18: Mini Cooper

17: Dodge Grand Caravan

16: GMC Acadia

15: Jeep Wrangler

14: Nissan Maxima

13: Acura TL

12: Honda Pilot

11: Jaguar F-Pace

10: Porsche Cayenne

9: Land Rover Range Rover

8: BMW X-Series

7: Chevrolet Impala

6: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

5: Ford Focus

4: Acura MDX

3: Jeep Grand Cherokee

2: Chevrolet Cobalt

1: Ford Explorer

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