13 Japanese Cars To Stay Away From Buying
Japanese carmakers are known for their reliable and usually conservatively-styled vehicles, but even they make mistakes.
As it turns out, several Japanese cars are best avoided, whether because they’re ugly, unreliable, or just plain boring.
Here, we’ve gathered 13 Japanese cars you should probably stay away from.
Mitsubishi Mirage
The Mitsubishi Mirage is perhaps mostly known for being the cheapest new car you could buy, and while there’s nothing wrong with a bargain, we think the Mirage took it too far.
It’s as cheap and basic as a car can possibly be and lacks performance, comfort, handling, and pretty much anything that makes driving fun. We’d rather buy a 20-year-old Prius than a new Mitsubishi Mirage.
2nd-Gen Isuzu Trooper
Isuzu found itself in trouble following the release of the second-gen Trooper. The controversial vehicle became the center of focus when lawsuits concerning its stability and safety began to emerge.
It wasn’t just the Trooper’s high rollover risk that ruined its reputation. It was also troubled by engine issues and transmission failures. It was still a decent off-roader, though.
Honda Del Sol
Honda’s Civic-based Del Sol is a fun little sports car, especially with the iconic B-series VTEC engine under the hood.
However, we can’t deny the fact that the Del Sol did have some annoying flaws — the biggest one was its targa-style roof, which is guaranteed to leak. You can try to fix it, but it’ll soon start leaking again. Its cutesy looks, has made many enthusiasts avoid it, as it doesn’t look aggressive enough. If you desperately want one, you should at least have a garage so you don’t need to deal with water in the cabin.
Toyota Sera
Toyota produces millions of cars every year, but few are as quirky as the Sera, which debuted in 1990. Interestingly, its butterfly doors inspired the ones fitted to the McLaren F1.
Unlike the F1, the Sera wasn’t packing a serious powerplant. Instead, it had to make do with a 1.5-liter that sent a paltry 108 ponies to the front wheels. Its weak engine isn’t the only reason why you should avoid it, as it tends to have severe rust issues. While its bubble-like glass canopy may look cool, it’s the exact opposite of that, as the cabin gets excruciatingly hot, and there’s nowhere to hide from the sun.
Mazda RX-8
While the RX-8’s predecessor, the RX-7, wasn’t exactly the most reliable sports car, the RX-8 is worse in practically every way and will never achieve the same status among JDM fans.
Its Renesis 13B Wankel engine drinks premium fuel and chugs a lot of oil. It’s known for wearing out its apex seals, which means the engine needs a rebuild every 50-60,000 miles. That said, it is more reliable when it’s kept high in the rev range, but good luck paying for all the gasoline that’s required.
Suzuki X-90
Suzuki has built many cool cars and motorcycles, but the X-90 is not one of them. We’re not sure what they were thinking when they came up with it. Apparently, Suzuki tried to make a new, fun car segment, but failed spectacularly.
It just fell between all the chairs, as it wasn’t a proper off-roader, it’s not a sports car, it’s not even practical. The only thing we can say with certainty is that it’s ugly! Top Gear even rated it as one of the worst cars of that era.
Subaru SVX
Subaru’s first-gen Impreza WRX is one of the most iconic Japanese cars from the Golden Era, so it’s hard to understand how Subaru completely messed up another sports car from the same period.
The Subaru SVX‘s front isn’t terrible, but the further back we look, the worse it gets. The weird door windows are described by Subaru as an “aircraft-inspired glass-to-glass canopy.” Right! Then there’s the C-pillar and bumper designs, all the other swoops and angles… the SVX is nauseating to look at, and that, coupled with the outrageous price tag, meant Subaru barely sold any.
Honda CR-Z
Honda tried to make a sporty hybrid and capitalize on the legendary CR-X, so it came up with the CR-Z. However, it was never the success the Japanese carmaker was hoping for — mainly because it wasn’t particularly good.
The CR-Z was severely lacking in the performance department, so it wasn’t sporty — it did have a typical sports car interior, meaning it was cramped and lacked cargo space. While it was a hybrid, it didn’t get better fuel economy than a regular Civic, so the CR-Z basically failed at everything it was supposed to do.
3rd-Gen Mitsubishi Eclipse
The second-generation Mitsubishi Eclipse skyrocketed to fame thanks to its starring role in the opening scenes of The Fast and the Furious. A couple of years later, the third-generation Eclipse appeared in the sequel, but it never achieved the same level of stardom.
Part of that was due to the modifications on the car in the movie, but perhaps an even bigger reason was the car itself. It never looked as good as the second-gen car, its styling didn’t age well, it was underpowered, and the interior was cheap.
Mitsubishi i-Miev
When new, the Mitsubishi i-Miev was practically useless for anything other than short commutes or quick trips to the local shops. This tiny egg-shaped car only offered a 62-mile range.
As we all know by now, with time, EV batteries won’t hold the same charge as when they’re new. You’re probably better off buying a golf cart than a used Mitsubishi i-Miev, as the range would be similar.
Honda Crosstour
The Honda Crosstour is a strange-looking creation. It started as an attempt to turn the Accord into an SUV-like station wagon. Which, unfortunately, didn’t work.
The Crosstour turtleback styling looks strange, and the sloping roof compromises cargo space and rear passenger headroom. It also doesn’t drive as well as the Accord sedan. In fact, other crossovers, such as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda’s own CR-V, do everything better.
1st-Gen Nissan Leaf
The original Leaf was never a pretty car. It looked like a baby’s shoe was its main design influence. That said, its looks aren’t even the biggest problem.
The Nissan Leaf was lacking in the range department when it was new in 2011. Who would buy an EV with a 100-mile range today? In addition, recharging can take 16 hours on 110V or 8 hours on 220V power. At least the charging times will give you plenty of time to focus on your range anxiety.
1st-Gen Nissan Juke
Other than the Tesla Cybertruck, the first-generation Nissan Juke may be the most polarizing modern-day car. The British (and Australians) would say it has Marmite-like styling — you either love or hate it. They’re right!
When the Juke drives past, it either turns heads or stomachs. It’s a decent car and does what it says on the label, so it’s worth buying if you can get used to its frog-like design.
