For millions of car lovers and general enthusiasts around the world, the peak of "success" involves getting their dream sports car/supercar. Even if you don't worship nice cars, you can appreciate the beautiful lines and impressive power output. However, those high-end sports cars have some hidden demons.
Regrettably for those of us who can afford such a vehicle, not every one of them is made with the utmost care. Sometimes, manufacturers focus more on horsepower and aesthetics, rather than reliability and build-quality.
Even though these cars can cost a boatload of cash out of the factory, they'll end up costing even more further down the line! To showcase these problematic beauties, here are fifteen sports cars and supercars that are extremely unreliable...
15 15. Mazda RX-7 (FD3S)
When an automotive fan heres the name "RX-7," a few things likely pop into their mind. One of them is reliability problems due to the infamous two-rotor. Rotary engines can be a huge pain-in-the-neck with their constant need for attention, thirst for oil, weak apex-seals, and a lack of parts and mechanics capable of doing said repairs. Somehow, though, these cars still sell for over $30,000 at times.
14 14. Lamborghini Jalpa
In comparison to a majority of Lamborghini's models over time, the Jalpa is the red-headed step-child of the bunch. Since its production, the Jalpa was filled with maintenance issues and a less than competitive speed. Along with that, the Jalpa doesn't really look like a Lamborghini, either. Thanks to this, however, the Jalpa is easily the cheapest Lamborghini out there ($50,000 to $120,000).
13 13. 2020 Mercedes-Benz E350
You may not think it, but Mercedes-Benz still, to this day, has trouble producing some of their cars. Even with the Formula One championships, $60,000+ M.S.R.P. road cars, and multiple race wins, Mercedes' stereotype of unreliable consumer vehicles has come back with the latest E350. In short, the camshaft fails a lot, bushing frequently break apart, and speaker issues (To mention a few).
12 12. Ferrari Mondial
Just like with the Lamborghini Jalpa, the Ferrari Mondial is a prominently hated model of the bunch. For a Ferrari, the Mondial is kind of boring in terms of performance and appearance. Also, because of the transition from carburetors to fuel-injection, the Mondial was slower than others and disliked by customers at the time. If you're low on cash and want a Ferrari, try the Mondial for around/less than $100,000.
11 11. Jaguar XJ220
Among European car manufacturers, it's sort of common knowledge that Jaguar doesn't make the best vehicle; both in build-quality and resale value. When they tried to make their supercar, the Jaguar XJ220, this became evident. In the beginning, the XJ220 was intended to be a V12, but, because of emissions standards and costs, they built their own V6 instead.
Miraculously, the XJ220 was a competitive and quick supercar after a bit of hard work. Nevertheless, it would often be broken down when it wasn't going all-out.
10 10. Tesla Model S P100D
In spite of the fact that Tesla has become a worldwide phenomenon, they still experience a lot of problems when building their cars. According to an Auto Testing Director at Consumer Report in regards to the Model S, "updates can cause reliability to slide. It can take a year or two for carmakers to work out the kinks with new technology." Including claims of "suspension problems" and "false service alerts."Still, it can dust a Bugatti for a fraction of the price.
9 9. Fisker Karma
Speaking of electric vehicles, we've got another instance of a company that's super unreliable; just less successful. Obviously, this is in reference to the Fisker Karma: An unknown luxury carmaker specializing in all-electric models. The only problem, though, was that there wasn't much "specialization" anywhere, as the Karma rarely worked as intended.
Since the, Fisker has been sold and rebranded as just "Karma." The revised version seems promising, so far. At least they no what NOT to do when marketing and building their car.
8 8. Ferrari F355
From a mechanics point-of-view, Ferrari was lacking in their maintenance department for a long time. For example, engines would need to be removed entirely for a simple repair, or belts would be made of rubber instead of a chain. These, and many more, were issues that plagued the F355. Yet, it's so hard to hate the F355 due to the beauty and comparatively cost ($100,000 or so).
7 7. Dodge Viper (Phase VX I)
In the Viper's early years, they were infamous for their dangerous nature and ludicrously powerful V10 engines. Nowadays, they're not unsafe, just filled with issues. Dodge is very good at making V8s and HEMI's, however, not as skilled with larger V10s. For nearly one-hundred-thousand dollars, you'd expect a $100,000-quality build.
6 6. De Tomaso Pantera
Italians are very good at making beautiful cars. They aren't, though, the best at making cars that can run for a long time. Sure, Fiat and older Ferrari's are a good example, but another is the De Tomaso Pantera. Strangely enough, it looks a lot like the Lamborghini Jalpa and, equally as strange, has many of the same problems. The De Tomaso, on the other hand, doesn't have the Lamborghini brand to uplift it.
5 5. Jaguar F-Type
History really does feel like it repeats itself at times. For example, Jaguar releasing another "X-Type" model with persistent maintenance dilemmas. Instead of an E, though, it's an F-Type. Yes, it looks and feels like a luxury vehicle, but won't after 30,000 miles. Hopefully, Jaguar solves their reliability problem at some point (However unlikely it may be).
4 4. Maserati Ghibli
Perhaps the saddest example of a car manufacturer gone wrong (In this article) is that of Maserati's. When they were once making race cars, they are now stuck to making sub-par "luxury" vehicles. All of which are built with little-to-no high-end parts and constantly fall apart. To add to that, because of the Maserati brand, said parts/components will be ten times more than they're actually worth. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the epitome of the Ghibli...
3 3. Lamborghini Countach
For those who are uninformed, the Lamborghini Countach gets its name from the astonishing reactions of Italian designers ("Countach" meaning "Wow/Woah"). Although the Countach definitely looks amazing, its not the best made supercar out there. The V12 was prone to small component failures and the cockpit was so small that anyone over 5' 8" would find the pedals hard to use.
Nevertheless, this is par for the course with Lamborghini. "Form over function" was basically Lamborghini's model up until then, anyways.
2 2. Ferrari 458 Italia
As much as it pains a fellow Ferrari fan to admit this, the first couple years of their 458 Italia was pretty bad. The cars drove just fine and performed to spec, but had a really bad habit: Catching on fire. Eventually, Ferrari fixed most of the mess, however, not fast enough to save several 458's from a fiery death.
1 1. Jaguar E-Type
Once again, Jaguar is here on the list. The E-Type, though, is one of the worst instances of an unreliable Jaguar. The E-Type is notorious for problems: Fuel-pumps going out, ignition failures, tons of rust, blown alternators, and overheating. Those are just the popular ones.
At the end of the day, the E-Type may be unreliable, but its astounding lines, curves, and aesthetics along with its pedigree, its not very shocking to find that an O.G. E-Type can sell for $170,000.