09/01/2026
5 CAR MODELS To AVOID
written by Mr. Pyle
We’ve all heard it: “Japanese cars are bulletproof!” Well, hold onto your wrenches, folks. Not every car from the Land of the Rising Sun deserves that golden reputation (or your money).
SCION IQ
Remember when smart cars were all the rage? This one might just fill you with rage instead. “The ride is miserably uncomfortable,” auto expert Chris Pyle from JustAnswer said. If you love road noise, good news. He said “a lot of road noise enters the cab.” And that back seat? Pyle called it a “useless, tiny rear seat.”
Also, be careful driving this car because “it is not easy to merge due to the difficulty of seeing things beside you,” he added. Yikes.
HONDA CRZ EX
Honda tried to make a sporty hybrid, and well… let’s just say some marriages aren’t meant to be. “A two-seater that is nothing like a sports car,” Pyle explained. Want the bad news? “It is not fast, not quiet, and it handles poorly.”
Oh, and here’s a not-so-fun surprise: Pyle said “it is programmed to shut off the AC when stopped too long.” Perfect for those summer traffic jams!
MITSUBISHI MIRAGE
Ever heard the phrase “you couldn’t pay me to drive that car”? This might be exhibit A. “They were trying to corner the cheap car market. They did that but the car was too cheap,” Pyle said.
Planning a quick trip to the grocery store? Better make it quick, because, according to Pyle, it’s “very uncomfortable if you are on a trip beyond 30 minutes.”
Why? “The suspension is like riding in a car with no suspension, very stiff,” the auto expert noted.
MAXDA RX8
This one’s like that friend who only wants to party — fun in theory, exhausting in reality. “It was designed to be driven hard and fast,” Pyle warned. Drive it like a normal person? “The engine often fails as early as 60,000 [miles],” he said.
Drive it like you’re in Fast and Furious? “It loves to drink gas fast,” Pyle concluded.
TOYOTA FJ CRUISER
Just because it wears a Toyota badge doesn’t mean it inherited the family genes. “People think it is like other Toyota’s. It is not,” Pyle cautioned. Got friends? They’ll need to be circus contortionists since “the access to the back seats is too tight,” according to the expert. Need to change lanes? Good luck: “The styling of the doors makes it hard to see beside you,” he added.
And when something breaks? “Parts are difficult to find,” Pyle said.
