Car brands drivers refuse to buy even for free

Citroën and Peugeot: The most rejected brands when buying a car

According to one participant in the debate, Seat has an expiration date before 2030, and Citroën and Peugeot lead the list of car brands that drivers would not buy even if they were free. This is not a reliability report. It is a list of accumulated grievances where French brands repeatedly bear the brunt.

"Citroën, not even free." This phrase appears almost verbatim in different comments, with a nuance that makes it more uncomfortable: those who say it have owned two Citroëns and both gave them trouble. The last one was a diesel Berlingo that has already consumed two AdBlue tanks. The complaint is not about aesthetics; it is about workshop visits and bills.

Which car brands are ruled out before entering the dealership

The blacklist has tiers. First, Citroën and Peugeot, attributed zero reliability and unjustified prices. Next, Fiat and Seat, described as mediocre mainstream brands. Opel appears as "very bad, flimsy." Skoda suffers from an unexplainable bias. And Volkswagen, they say, has not recovered from the emissions scandal fine.

The underlying reproach is not mechanical but managerial. There is debate over whether what you pay for a new car corresponds to what you get. The majority answer is no. And there are vetoes that allow no nuances: someone who would never drive an SUV would also not get into a Morris, Simca, Daewoo, or Rover.

Mercedes faces a more uncomfortable criticism: selling as luxury what is not. It is claimed that in their models, aluminum is plastic, leather is plastic, exhausts are fake, and even the dashboard needles are Chinese tablets. The kicker, according to another participant: acceptable finishes only start at €80,000.

Why do Japanese cars escape the veto?

Many reviews place Japanese brands on another level. Toyota, Mazda, and Honda appear among those people would actually buy. Kia "is acceptable." Mitsubishi has defenders who describe it as a brand that manufactures in analog mode, without the planned obsolescence of European rivals.

That is where the argument begins. Another sector responds that Mitsubishi now only shares platforms with the Renault-Nissan alliance and changes badges in Europe, while its supporters highlight its good reception in Asian and Gulf countries. The counterargument has a date and factory: in Sakahogi, Japan, the 2012 Ensimismado was still being produced, a model eleven years old that remained in the catalog, it is claimed, until recently.

The repeated conclusion: either Japanese or Korean, or leasing. In other words, if the product fails, let someone else absorb the loss.

The breakdown that appears at 37,000 kilometers

The star argument against new cars is not price, but the schedule of failures. A 2018 Audi with 37,000 kilometers and a serious gearbox failure serves as an example. The circulating thesis: current cars are built to break within a specific timeframe, with screens and lights aging faster than the mechanics.

Hence, some drivers prefer well-maintained older units. An immaculate Renault 21 crossing the street is worth more, for several, than any current design. A 1992 Bentley Continental is cited as proof that class does not depend on the registration year.

How many kilometers does a real engine last?

Here come the numbers. Renault engines like the Sierra type, used from the Dauphine to the Twingo and R-5, had a fruta for lasting 400,000 kilometers without touching them. And if they needed rebuilding, replaceable wet liners made the operation cheaper compared to other blocks. A Renault dCi exceeded 400,000 kilometers after 17 years with barely one injection relay as a serious fault.

Citroëns are defended with the same arithmetic: 250,000 kilometers without breaking a sweat. One family bought six of the brand and none had serious problems. No one fully clarifies whether it is better to sell or invest to restore it to like-new condition beyond that point.

Where the blacklist gets stuck

With the same data, one can write an accusation or a defense. Citroën is the most rejected brand and, at the same time, the one an entire family bought for decades. BMW concentrates mockery regarding turn signal usage and, at the other extreme, there are those who claim to own five cars, one of them Bavarian. One participant recounts a traffic accident in September 2020, when a Series 3 ran a stop sign; for him, that weighs more than any discussion about finishes.

That is where consensus ends. No one knows if the list is written by breakdowns or fruta. And while this is decided, there will continue to be those who look at a 2012 Ensimismado with more affection than a newly registered SUV.