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Every time I see a Jeep in traffic, I think... there is someone who spent $80,000 without spending 5-10 minutes on Google, prior to purchase.

Few years ago my in -laws sold their house and decided to shout the 3 kids new cars. The missus had her mind set on a Jeep Cherokee. I could not change her mind no matter what I did. I offered to pay the extra amount for a Toyota Prado but I could not win the argument. Here we are 4 years later and the Jeeps gearbox is probably rooted and we are getting the usual corporate stuff around about who is responsible. I am not surprised. I am beyond angry as I know that 99% chance that a Toyota would have given us no problems. And a Toyota Prado would still be worth at least 70% of what we paid for it.

Some highlights with approx timing: 04:50 can start here 5:00 Ferrari 5:40 Vans 6:35 Ram Renault LDV 8:35 Alfa Romeo, Citreon, Lotus, Peugeot 10:25 Cherry 10:54 Volvo 11:14 general Euro comment - ""European quality - epic oxymoron" 11:30 Polestar 12:30 SsangYong 14:01 jeep 15:20 - Land Rover and Jaguar 16:40 - Mercedes 19:40 - Honda 21:00 Tesla 23:13 VW Skoda Audi "Volkswagen is a criminal organisation." 25:00 Nissan 29:00 Summary 30:00 GWM And continuing summary

Oi, I have a Jeep . It's 18 yrs old. It's never failed. Low altitude,high altitude works well. Driven Jeeps all over the planet plus Landrover defender....brilliant. Australia usually bends over for Asia...Toyota awroight.. Wouldn't mind a Stutz Bearcat. Cheers from a woman who loves her Jeep.

In America, if you get stuck with a lemon. You can just park it in LA.

These are by far my favourite vids made by John, everyone loves a shit list

We have a 3 year old Mazda CX 5 2.5l turbo petrol AWD. In my very average 40 years of car ownership I've never owned a better vehicle. It puts a smile on our dials every time we use it. 😊

Your description of Alfa Romeo is perhaps the best I've ever heard.... lol

Always thoroughly entertaining, thanks again John. I own a Volvo XC60 and as you say it's roolly nice to drive, but service is second rate expense BS. Had an electrical fault due to me jacking the car up on one side for too long (kid you not). I asked the service team to just do a DEL/ALT/DEL on the electronic park brake. They wouldn't. Charged me $223 to tell me they had no idea how to fix the issue. I bought a $30 OBD2 tool, reset the EPB and job done. One more warranty service to go (mistake of pre-paying service) and then I'll never go back to Volvo for my servicing

Watching you disect the quality of cars in the Australian market is hilarious John well done!

There is some good advice in this segment. What ever car or truck you buy make sure the service and parts supply chain is robust. Modern vehicles are loaded with electronics and if a chip goes bad your vehicle is dead until a new replacement can be acquired. This is especially important if you live out in Dingo Piss Creek where the roads are rough and the distance are great.

Great video, very accurate. Can I just add a personal experience. Bought my Ssangyong Musso new in 2006. Over 18 years it has been a family truckster, carried over a ton of dirt, towed race cars, hauled many racing bicycles. 180,000km and never, ever let me down. Fit and finish is average, paint is fkd and resale value is worthless but, after 18 years I've had my moneys worth and it was HALF the price of a Hilux at the time.

It is ALWAYS GOOD to see the RUBBISH car makers NAMED AND SHAMED!

I own a Jeep Wrangler JK and I have to say I enjoy having the skills as an ex mechanic and generous bank account to support this fine vehicle. The previous owner spent a fortune on this thing a I feel comfortably delusional that I’m on the cheaper end of this ownership, at 184,000 km. Feel free to wish me luck.

Thanks for sharing your valuable thoughts

My mate became an apprentice mechanic in 1988 and the first thing he told me when I asked him about his first day, was "never buy a Jeep". Great advice on day 1.

Mahindra announced today that they are new sponsors to Volleyball Australia, and I fully endorse their commitment to boobies in lycra.

🎶 Timothy Rigby, sweeps up the rust in the carpark where his car once had been...lives in a dream (aka nightmare)🎶

Such valuable information. Thank you so much.

Well, we got a 9 year old GC, V6 petrol and its been a great car. Kept the old ML Triton and it’s just rolled over 320,000 ks and just keeps kicking on. Moral of the story, service and fix shit. The biggest piece of shit I had was a Landcruiser wagon, that fucker was possessed. Cost me a fortune.

Much enjoyed your thinning of the "rank." Which rhymes with "stank." Glad to be enjoying vintage Toyotas over here in California (land of fruits and nuts). I expect our Avalon and Tacoma to outlast us, unless destroyed by some wayward driver, and their numbers seem to be on the increase. With a combined total of 538k miles, looking forward to seeing that number reach a million. Ever the optimist, I will be 75 this year, but plan to go past the 100 my father reached, so plenty of time to reach that million mile mark. BTW, he drove until he was 97, and a few thousand of the miles he drove were in Australia and New Zealand after retiring.

how about an updated best top 5 cars to buy Small/Medium/Suv/Ute/EV / for the average aussies! Thanks John

My mate's LDV had a flat battery in Ballinia. He had to get it transported on a tilt tray to Coffs Harbour to get it running again. Some lock down security code when the battery is tampered with need to be reset. Not a handy feature with a sparce deeler network.

Just went to NAPA and bought a clutch master and slave cylinder for my 1995 Landcruiser ute. Both were available over to counter. 385000km and is still running the original engine and drivetrain. Not sure you would expect that from many manufacturers. The resale value is also rising at around 10% per year.

Next, we need to know the top 20 best cars!

Great Video. Thank you. So hard to pick a car these days that are good quality and come with good service.

Just bought a Y62 Patrol TiL. I was going to purchase a Cruiser again, but couldn’t cop the price differential of over $35,000.00 for the top of the range Cruiser. On and off road, the Patrol is just as good, if not better at all things. It is more roomy, as well, but also more thirsty. Still, $35,000.00 means that the price differential might take me 30 years to use up on fuel, and spare parts are cheaper as well. As silly as some might call me, I love the feel and performance of the Patrol’s naturally aspirated V8. In any event, it’s my money and I get to drive the best large off-roader in Australia, or anywhere.

Before I had the 86 Volvo I had a 79 Jeep Wrangler with a fiberglass hard top. It was light and a bit squirrelly on the ice but swapping out the OEM mud tires for a set of Pirelli snow tires made softened the ride and increased the stability a lot. The low weight and short wheel base made the Wrangler a hoot to drive in the mud, sand and snow. The engine was a small six and the tranny was a four on the floor with high and low range. The only pare to need replacement were the U joints. It was not good at high speeds on an icey pavement but it was good at posted speed limits.

About time! Love your lemon lists.

Entertaining as always John. But my experience with the 3 pointed star must be the exception to the rule. I purchased a new E400D all terrain wagon in 2021. It is a great looking vehicle, drives beautifully, is extremely comfortable and quiet, and has amazing power from the 6 cylinder twin turbocharged diesel engine. I just am very impressed with the vehicle. Dealer service has been great. There was no quibbling when I needed a headlight replaced. And on last service they upgraded the entertainment and navigation system without any extra charge. Service charges are not much more than Toyota charge for my Landcruiser dual cab. So overall, after 3 years ownership, I am very happy with my Mercedes Benz. thanks again for your reviews.

Ive noticed that wherever you pause the video, he's always snearing. Love it !

You've got it wrong about Jaguar Land Rover - they are exceptional cars - especially the Range Rover. You just need to buy a 2 or 3 year old, so the 1st owner has sorted out all the issues. Once sorted, they are as reliable as any other car and more than most. I've had 5 Range Rovers and each has done over 120,000 miles, one did 185,000 miles (300,000km) with only regular maintenance, plus a few minor parts replaced. You can fit OEM parts from the part maker - e.g. pay £500 for a new radiator from Land Rover or buy exactly the same product from Bosch for £250 - or £38 for Land Rover wiper blades but £17 for the same part from Bosch.

Great video thanks John after putting the VZ Commodore Ute to sleep my vehicle aspirations are leaning these days towards a Toyota Camry Ascent which is pretty sad I think but then I’m 61 and as you can’t buy a new Commodore or even Falcon Ute and I’m not interested in twin cab diesels or SUVs it’s probably my best option. With the chunk of change I could pick up a great new Japanese bike or even 2. Great information just the same thanks again.

I was in the local LDV dealership last week. One of the local smash repairers, one of the best ones, was there. I know him quite well, I said "G'day, what are you doing here, upgrading to a Chinese ute hey?" He replied "nah, just quoting rust repairs on LDVs again."

Love your work! Fantastic overview and no pulled punches. The ordinary person on the street needs your expertise and straight shooting vehicle brand assessments. Where else can they go for such honesty. Thank you - great delivery and relevant to everyone.

Loved the count down. Very entertaining and informative. FYI. I bought on a Ssangyong Stavic used 10years ago. Very cheap. Done further 180 000km since then . It is very reliable never broken down. Just the heater got stuck on during winter Luckily got it fixed by summer. Some parts are difficult to get.

Love your work. Missed your calling as a stand up comic John.😂 Where do you get your awesome t-shirts?

Another great video! When every weekend was spent car camping in remote areas of CO, UT, and AZ in the USA, my choice of transportation was a 2003 Toyota Land Cruiser 100 series. Aside from recommended maintenance, no reliability problems presented themselves. After a major life change, I no longer spend time traveling or car camping, and now drive a 2011 Toyota Tundra that easily hauls building supplies required to build parrot perches, stands, and other projects that interest me. Based upon all the changes in new trucks including my favorite brand Toyota, I cannot imagine buying any truck that does not use a key to start and does not have a reliable gas V8 engine. I guess that means my reliable and cost-effective 2011 Tundra will be the last truck I will purchase. I always look forward your next video, thank you for sharing your wisdom and sense of humor!

Thank you! I’m not in the market for a new vehicle now or hopefully until after I die but I appreciate the time and no bullshit information you have provided me and all your followers who now have a better understanding of these brands and how we can hopefully buy our next vehicle knowing it will be reliable with good back up service. Thanks John

Hi John, great video as per usual. Now it's time for part 2 ==== the 18 best car makers with the best service and cars to buy.

In VW's defence we have two 2010's era vehicles that have done almost 300000km each with no major issues, heck, they've had few minor issues... Extremely reliable highway machines and both still a dream to drive with great fuel economy, both were purchased with 50000km on the clock and have been very impressive with how they hold up over ten years.... Can't fault them really...

My 2016 VF Commodore is the most reliable car I've ever owned. Only had one faulty component since I've owned it from new. That component is a stop light bulb. Other than standard service components replaced, just a set of tyres & a lead acid battery have been replaced.

Nicely presented. Subscribed. Where can I find a similar examination of motorcycle brands?

Fair & honest presentation, John! The truly sad part is that this is a global issue. When being the "least worst" is at the high end of the automotive grading scale, I say, "mmm - no, thanks, I'll just walk or take the bus hereafter."

I was driving home from work today hoping id see one of these lists again. The AutoExpert hath answered 🙏

We had a VW Golf in our work fleet - the seat had 1,000 adjustment options. Trouble was, 999 of them were uncomfortable.

My last 3 cars. Alfa Romeo 156, apart from regularly changing the light bulbs I had no issues. Next was VW Golf Plus (got married and had a kid) no issues, currently Mazda 2 so far no issues apart from a couple of fob problems.

An excellent review . And mirrors nicely what happens in the UK also. When I was working , I was driving company cars for over 40 years and have driven a lot of the brands you mention . I now stay loyal to Toyota .

Aye Matey! Kia has a special place in my heart, the part that makes cozy acidic hell-flames of hate! Over 20 years later I still advise everybody to avoid Kia like the plague, because there have to consequences when companies mess up, and I had warned them I would do this, but they never cared! My 2002 Rio had a clutch that slipped one day and was fine the next after only 5 months! Kia refused to fix it, despite their 10 year warranty. A clutch is either worn or good, so there was something wrong with the pressure mechanism rather than worn pads, but the managers at the dealer AND at Kia Corporate nixed me and wanted money for a "wear and tear" repair that would have cost around a thousand dollars! I told them to go to hell and just drove it as it was. So, I sat with a calculator and decided to let ALL maintenance go and not pay the dealer one more penny. 5 years later, the engine failed with a rackety sound, telling me the timing belt had failed at 90000 miles, and I had a tasty salad of hammered pistons and crushed valves, all soaked in aromatic oil that had not been changed in 50000 miles and was coloured like black soy-sauce! Well, not spending one more dime on that car had saved enough money for a down-payment for a Toyota Yaris that lasted 300000 miles and only died when a silly Karen took a left turn right in front of me and smashed "Toshi San" into a sad lump of wreckage. I played taps when I left it at the wreckage retrieval lot. I now have a 2011 Honda Fit and a 2003 Toyota Corolla, and they are both just dandy!

I’ve missed the frequent doses of JC wisdom. It’s hard to find common sense anywhere else. You’re the last bastion of hope for us all.

There have to be exceptions, and I'd love to say my diesel Grand Cherokee is an example, as it approaches 221,000 miles. But it only made it this far due to the extended warranty after they cheated on emissions. It's on its third DPF and second or third cat, but all of those on them. In the nearly 10 years I have owned it I have probably had a year of loaner usage. My shed and chicken coop were both transported in loaner trucks. I've probably done 50,000 miles in RAM 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks, including a RAM 3500 high output diesel I had for a month when they didn't have a solution for the second blown EGR cooler. I asked the service manager, now someone I know well enough to talk to outside of work, what the repairs so far would have cost. His first guess was around $40k excluding rental vehicle costs. Not bad for a PoS that cost me $55k. I should have left it with them the first time the CEL came on, and then lemon lawed it for a v8 and some cash after the first of the four months it took them to find a temporary fix.

Hi John. Love the channel. Have you ever thought about explaining QA to us. Feature packed V's a reliable car. Nissan and Mitsubishi have decked out there utes to flog them off recently and I did consider getting one of these recently. I did the rounds for an informed opinion but decided against them for reliable reputation (went the BT50) compared to a really nice car to sit in.

Those of us about to buy, salute you.

I asked my good friend what was his ownership experience after buying his Tesla 3 one year ago, after raving about it during his first 3 months of ownership. He doesn't want to talk about it now. Some things are better left unsaid! 😂

Great List Dude !! U Kill it !

I had a Porsche, 3 Volvo, but the last XC70 always repaired, finally I got Kia Rio. Doing 50 miles/ galon. Im happy !

Thank you.

As an old VAG product owner I can't help noticing how the quality of spare parts has deteriorated post dieselgate. Can't imagine what their new cars will be like.

Thanks for your youtube work! I have a , Canadian, Mitsubishi with the MIVEC engine. It's a GDI type. Q: do you have a opinion on use of spray intake valve cleaners?

Loved this loved the turn of phrase, you're back John! Now just get that Glass Thingy out and shout wei again for your fans

Thank you for valuable information, you should be nominated for "Australian of the year" award. Seriously - you are helping to a lot of people, your knowledge protects them from disasters ( if they have some brain and accept you ), you are giving your expertise for free to all of us. Again - THANK YOU!

The 3 prong: Observation is the current choice of Lebbos and Indians, most likely all on novated lease to make them look cool as they punch the throttle down the road, making them sound like a large fart. Also, those modern black mercs look like a cockroach on wheels. Have a look next time you see one. Once you see, you won't be able to unsee.

I freaking love my Jeep. Every major car manufacturer suffers when greedy politicians are in control of the economy. Obviously it goes much deeper.

What a much needed and perfectly made video. I did enjoy that. Thank you John

If buying new, Toyota preferred, Honda if price/features are an issue or Ford if desperate. If buying used, research the history and reliability of the vehicle. One usually unmentioned benefit of buying used, is the ability to essentially have other drivers be your guinea pig for how reliable a certain vehicle is.

I owned, a 1996 Nissan Micra Lx built Sunderland UK , for 20 years , never missed a beat, as reliable as the best of cars and very economical. I got rid of it eventually for a Honda. I suggest to take any advice on any vehicle with a huge level of doubt and get a mechanic report if buying a vehicle. I bought the Nissan Micra on advice from Wheels magazine rating of the car especially its economy on petrol consumption. Experts are what they supposedly are. Ultimately make up your own mind.

I agree with the Skoda comments and ranking. I owned a 2020 Kamiq for a while but had to call roadside assist twice when the fuel pump/injection system died. When I was in the service dept. to pick it up after repairs I got talking to another customer who had the same problem. Fortunately after Covid new car prices were going through the roof and I was able to sell 18 months later with no depreciation.

We live in the Scottish Highlands and love your videos. Great to hear what's happening "Down Under" 🤪. But,. We have a Jeep Renegade made in Italy by Fiat. It's now 9 years old, works hard every day on these mountainsides which are covered in snow for up to 6 months of the year and the roads are covered in salt ! The underside is as new with hardly any rust and the paintwork is as new ! It's been a fantastic vehicle. The engine has an oil change every 6 months (1.4 turbo) and it's been amazing ! Our other vehicle is an Isuzu D'max which does the hard work. That's been good too. A few sensor problems but never actually let us down . If we break down up here it's life or death in minus 20 temperatures. ...just saying 🤔 Anyway still love your videos and keep them coming ! 😀

Love this John been a mechanic for 38years your spot on !!!!

Ateco? They're the pinnacle of consumer excellence.... They're so brilliant I knew of them when I was 15....wish is 24 years ago. They were especially excellent in introducing Great Wall into Australia....

We have had 3 Peugeots since 2014. All were beautifully made and were a joy to drive. I kept the 208Gti for 10 years and it aged much better than a BMW or the Audi that we had. It was the oldest car that I ever had and I still miss it. All were reliable and the service provided by the dealer in Hawthorn was exceptional. I think you're being a bit rough on them when you refer to reliability and quality. Not just because of my experience but also because of the good results Peugeot gets in European surveys.

Thanks John. Be very interested in hearing your comments on the best mainstream brands to look for. Strongly considering a new last of the 2024 Prado (non battery version) Vs a Ford Everest V6 Your views would be greatly appreciated and welcomed pls mate Cheers

The Cupra Formentor is both the best and worst car I have owned, but I love it. A mix of luxury and poor build quality in a package that goes like a stuck rat, corners with an accuracy not found in Audis' and has a sense of humour with bangs and pops in Cupra mode. You are right and about VW on the whole, but I don't think any car company is without sin, once they have your money, they don't give a rat's rectum.

Ssangyong - those of us who have them tend to love them and advertise that fact to those around us. Just think how much we saved.

Thanks for the video! I was actually considering Nissan but not now.

"Weasel word generator", I can't stop chuckling at that one JC. Love your unfiltered opinion! The truth about Tesla is hard to swallow as my next car will be an EV (I have the very suitable usage case). I'm waiting for the Model 2 to materialise to compare to BYD's Dolphin. (but I quietly suspect the Dolphin is better holistically) I still can't nut out whether a Novated lease is better financially than purchasing outright (no finance required)

JC great list to avoid i would also put on the line MG i drove the HS as a rental 4 days and i felt it was under powered, the entertainment system and AC buttons were cumbersome, huge deep boot but a space saver spare. Actually i would punt any car manufacturer that doesn’t provide a full sized spare and only give Goo, inflation device or Space saver 80km spare. Anywhoo glad my Subaru lives another day

A video not slagging off ev's? are you alright dogesy

Excellent and comedic assessment, had an inkling for most of these but great to get it confirmed.

Excellent summary JC. Only one very minor error, simply in saying Australian Car manufacturers. Shouldn't manufacturer be replaced with seller? I was under the impression that the exhorting rhorting of funds through increasingly complicated layers of taxation in straya has all but eliminated all manufacting of any "mota" down 'ere.

Landrover...many, many moons ago I worked as a trades assistant on military contract to the Australian Army. Back then they only had land rovers and they were easily the biggest buckets of crap on any army base. The list of problems was endless from constant rear main oil leaks, dodgey tie rods, brake discs made from cheese. Whether they were new or old in service the problems just kept cropping up. You couldn't give me one.

54 is certainly more than I would have guessed. However, 90% could quite easily be thrown under the bus as garbage without further ado. The remaining 5 or 6, coz you cant have 0.6 of a car, could be quickly rendered down to Mazda. Would be nice to know which 18 were left as the least shit coz we didn't have the starting list to begin with.

A highly informative, and highly entertaining commentary. Thanks heaps John Cadogan! Really enjoyed it. Also as a Honda HRV owner from the last decade, I take your advice on not renewing my relationship with Honda and looking elsewhere. P.S. Do car companies have mind control to attract certain personalities to their products? I refer to the Subaru drivers who appear to be oblivious to their surroundings in traffic. Just sayin'.

Thank you for your wonderful video

These are the carmakers left (although I'm at 19, perhaps Caterham or BYD is erroneous?): BMW BYD (edit: removed) Chevrolet Chrysler Ford Genesis GWM Hyundai Isuzu Kia Lexus Mazda MG Mini Mitsubishi Subaru Suzuki Toyota

In my experience as a VW owner, I got nothing to complain, actually dealership was very responsive and quick to replace the water pump, even out of warranty for free. On the other hand, my toyota van has faulty brakes rotors from brand new, and the dealership refuses to repair it, despite complaining from the very beginning , not to talk about the faulty DPF, only replaced when we got a letter from EPA about a complain from another driver beying me. There are no saints in this business. They are all the same.

We own a few cars but one of our oldest is an 06 Toyota Prado diesel auto, pre D4D, that we bought new and I have to say that it has/is one of our most reliable vehicles with over 300,000 on board and still drives and looks like it’s relatively new, the only major thing that needed replacing recently was the lower control arms and that’s all, what a grouse vehicle it’s been, taken us all over Australia with confidence and it’s durability is second to none, I’ll continue to look after it as it has still got a lengthy life ahead with us, geez what a bloody good vehicle!

Hi John, A year ago I bought a new R53 Pathfinder, Love It, no problems, maybe I should hang my head in shame? Any way I still enjoy your show.

there are many cars you can buy that DO have a good rep. I will say that, Working for a dealership that sells a number of brands, Hyundai, Kia. Isuzu, F trucks Chery and Suzuki. Too early for Chery. However We get NO suzukis coming in for repairs. The ONLY time they come in, is for service. For a while, we had engines sitting on pallets, from Hyundai/Kia (same thing)

You did mention GWM but not their best seller here in South Africa. In February 2023 I bought a new, off the floor, HAVAL H6 2WD. T he first time I drove it there was a computer problem in that I could not lock the doors and called the dealership who asked me to return the car for them to download new software. Days later several other computer problems developed. After returning the car to the dealership 8 times in a 6 month period HAVAL SOUTH AFRICA stated that the on board computer was not covered by the warranty. My Aussie cousins, DO NOT BUY A GWM VEHICLE

Excellent rundown on the state of vehicles and makers John. Hope you can do a part two on the top 18 by ranking. What does stand out is how quality and reliability has down down since vehicle makers sent their manufacturing off-shore. A good example for all manufacturers (not just vehicles) - they may cut costs and maximise shareholder return in the short-term, but will eventually hit the wall long-term. Some recent reports indicate that EV manufacturers in China are starting to realise there are too many of them and the market just can't sustain them all. Just amalgamating without an increase in quality and consideration for the environment won't save them.

Loving the content on Auto Expert! Nice Work Mate👌👍

Mg and byd were on your lemon list last year. What brought them off it? Keen for your feedback on that one... We are an inner suburban family with solar panels that fits the small ev use case

I have been thinking about buying a new Mahindra Pik Up. I wonder if it's a good idea vs keeping my old Navarra. I can't afford any of the mainstream 4x4 utes and the LDV, GWM and SsangYong are non starters for me. But maybe I could afford a Mahindra and they were not mentioned in today's report! Two thumbs up then! Best idea I've ever had in fact!

I purchased a Mazda cx3 awd in 2016... so far pretty good no complaints! 🇨🇦👍

Great Tshirt followed by more information given quite entertainingly some of us slightly enlightened kinda thought anyway but you always deliver proper information we always love to hear in your excellently selected dialog.

Love the annual lemon list John. Keep roasting those rolling turds!

I don't get the Jeep thing myself however I have seen a 9 sec. SRT Jeep at the drag strip. That's pretty impressive when you consider this vehicle has the aerodynamics of a brick.

Great video John 🙂