Don’t Buy These 6 SUVs That Cost the Most Money Over Time
Nick Dimbleby / Land Rover
In a country that often prioritizes bigger, despite the price, SUVs are a popular choice of vehicle. Americans adore SUVs for a variety of reasons, most of which have to do with their size. The larger vehicles are equipped with ample horsepower, are higher off the ground to improve visibility and are roomy, accommodating up to eight passengers for their higher asking prices.
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There is also the added belief that because of their size, SUVs are safer than smaller cars, making them an obvious choice for many families. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the SUV categories of small, midsize, luxury midsize and large SUVs are littered with “Top Safety Picks” and Top Safety Pick+s.”
But that doesn’t mean some aren’t prone to high repair occurrences and maintenance costs. With more Americans choosing to buy used over new, it pays to know what models and years to avoid and consider looking for SUVs with strong reliability ratings and lower maintenance costs.
GOBankingRates asked auto expert Chris Pyle at JustAnswer his opinion on the matter, and the seasoned mechanic responded with six SUVs that have provided more than their fair share of expensive, time-consuming repairs over the years.
1. 2002-2004 Ford Explorer
SUVs are not inherently unreliable, but several factors can contribute to some models having higher maintenance and repair needs compared to others. According to Pyle, early 2000 Explorers are “Known for transmission and rear axle gear failure. The parts are not excessively priced but these are not DIY repairs. The process takes skill and special tools. Ford was making them too fast because they were selling like crazy, proper setup was not taken.”
2. 2005-2010 Nissan Pathfinder / 3. 2005-2010 Nissan Xterra
The second generation Xterra shared a platform with the Pathfinder before being discontinued in in 2015. However, the vast majority of common problems with both Nissan SUVs from this five year period involve engine, per RepairPal, and annoying transmission failures, per Pyle. “The cooler is inside the radiator,” he said. “It fails, allowing coolant to get into the transmission which ruins the clutch plates very fast. Resulting in an expensive overhaul or trans replacement.”
4. 2013-2020 Range Rover
According to Consumer Reports, purchasing a Land Rover may result in higher maintenance and repair costs than choosing any other type of vehicle, partly due to costly, exclusive parts. More than notoriously expensive-to-repair models made by competitive luxury brands like Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.For Pyle, the popular 4×4 Range Rover’s tedious major part repairs, support this claim. “Premature engine failures and brake failures, he said. “The repairs were expensive and took a long time to complete in a shop atmosphere.”
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5. 2016-2021 Chevy Tahoe / 6. 2016-2021 GMC Yukon
A head-to-head comparison between a new Chevy Tahoe and a GMC Yukon would yield differences, but none would be overly significant. Both versatile full-size SUVs are engineered on the same platform and share a majority of their components…and costly “Electronic failures, transmissions needing to be rebuilt, and climate control concerns,” according to Pyle. “The electronic failures were the most expensive due to there being no repairs to be made, just new parts needed.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Mechanics: Don’t Buy These 6 SUVs That Cost the Most Money Over Time
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