Of all the things to experience, a car enthusiast's greatest moment will most likely be getting their dream car. The overwhelming joy will have them riding high for a while. That is, until the first mechanical issues set in.
Nothing can rain on your parade quite as bad as a broken-down sports car. You want to drive it, after all, not have it towed to-and-fro for repairs between the mechanic and home. Some will say it's because of the origins of the cars; specifically their respective countries. You have the JDM fans (who believe Japan makes the best cars) and the Euro-enthusiasts, among a litany of other groups.
To bolster the JDM supporters' point, we have five extremely reliable Japanese sports cars, as well as five European ones that are made to fall apart.
10 Reliable: Subaru Impreza WRX STI 22B
There are a lot of things that can make a vehicle expensive. For instance, rarity, speed, appearance, brand, reliability, and so on. But, what if it has almost all of them? Well, you can see exactly what that looks like with the Subaru Impreza WRX STI '22B'.
For a limited time, Subaru commissioned the WRX STi 22B to celebrate their rally racing success and 40th anniversary. A bit over 400 were made, and showed how well-built and powerful an authentic Subaru rally car could be. However, with that low number comes a high price, too. How high?" Around $400,000!
9 Reliable: Lexus LFA
Of the many Japanese car manufacturers, we're most thankful for Toyota and Lexus—both share platforms and plenty of similarities yet are some of the greatest carmakers around. There are two go-to examples to support this case, with one of them being the Lexus LFA.
The LFA's appearance divided enthusiasts. Some thought it was a bit bland at first, but those criticisms were swiftly put to rest once it got up and going. With a well-tuned V10, a screaming exhaust system, and state-of-the-art technology, the Lexus LFA had fans jumping at the chance to snag one.
While Lexus did their best to make as many as possible, they eventually discontinued the LFA for its high production costs.
8 Reliable: Toyota Corolla AE86
Having Déjà vu? Feel like you've been in this place before? Well, so do we whenever we gaze upon this iconic cult classic: the 1980's Toyota Corolla AE86!
Aside from the Initial D references, the AE86 is more than a nod to an old TV show. As is characteristic of Toyota, the Corolla AE86 is a brick house, often running for hundreds of thousands of miles. However, its more notable aspects are its drifting and affordable price.
7 Reliable: 2020 Honda Civic Type R
Next up is a front-wheel-drive masterpiece recently released from Honda's production line: the 2017 to 2021 Honda Civic Type R. After having experienced this car for ourselves, we couldn't ask for anything better!
Yes, it's a Honda, so the car's reliability (in the long-term) is all but guaranteed. Amazing, but what's even greater is its speed on-track! It's so good, actually, that it went on to set the record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 2017 for fastest front-wheel drive car.
However, records are meant to be broken, and so too was the Honda Civic Type R's back in 2019. Don't fret, they'll bounce back soon.
6 Reliable: Toyota Supra MkIV
Like we'd mentioned beforehand with the Lexus LFA, there are two main Toyota-produced sports cars that we'll never get over: the Lexus LFA and the legendary Mark IV Toyota Supra (A80).
What more can we really say about the Mark IV Supra that hasn't already been drilled into the minds of everyday car-lovers? It's powerful, amazing looking, and easily modified to crush cars as high up as a Bugatti Veyron. And, of course, it's got that Toyota build-quality, as well.
5 Crumble: Ferrari F355 Berlinetta
Though it's no secret that we're Ferrari enthusiasts, we're also Ferrari realists, too. As a result, we won't just overlook their mistakes in favor of the company's broader reputation. It pains us to admit it, but one such disappointment is the Ferrari F355 Berlinetta.
Even though we have never owned one ourselves, we can take it from those who have to explain why it's so bad. Several claim a continual stream of mechanical issues plague this car from something as little as an oil leak to an entire engine rebuild.
In this case, the trademarked Ferrari look and sound aren't enough to tempt us to take the 355's defense.
4 Crumble: Jaguar E-Type
Occasionally, there are anomalies in the comprehensive world of automobiles. Sometimes, a car that's extremely unreliable will still become a fan favorite regardless of its issues throughout time. The Jaguar E-Type is the epitome of that exact scenario.
If you wanted to empathize with a 1960s E-Type owner, all you need to bring up are broken ignitions, failed starts, breakdowns, blown motors, and—well, just about anything. The host of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson, was one who took a jab at the E-Type's inconsistent starter electric system at the end of its fifty-year anniversary tribute.
They weren't alone, either. AMC's Mad Men also hinted at exactly this, albeit in a much darker scenario than the one on Top Gear. Still, it was pretty good writing.
3 Crumble: De Tomaso Pantera
In a world dominated by Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Pagani, the Italian sports car/supercar market has proved to be extremely hard to succeed in. Survival of the fittest, if you will. One such car (and brand) to have eventually crashed was the De Tomaso Pantera.
In our personal view, we believe that the Pantera may have gotten too rough of a deal from the general car community. Nevertheless, it was certainly flawed in more ways than one. There was its issue with stalling, oil leaks, overheating, and so on. Nothing that you want in a costly supercar.
2 Crumble: Lamborghini Jalpa
Speaking of obscure classic sports cars, there's one more we've neglected to mention thus far: the Lamborghini Jalpa. "Haven't heard of it?" Well we're not surprised, as not that many have these days.
Not only was the Lamborghini Jalpa (stereotypically) a maintenance nightmare, it was also way too slow for its own good. Although it packed a decent 3.5-liter V8, it would still take over six-seconds to hit the 60-mph mark.
1 Crumble: Ferrari 458 Italia
Once again, we must yield to the popular criticisms towards yet another Ferrari model: the 458 Italia/Spider. We really did want a 458 for quite some time, but we were eventually dissuaded due to its 'fiery personality'.
When we say fiery personality, we're not being hyperbolic. A huge problem with the Ferrari 458 Italia's (besides the overly complicated and expensive maintenance costs) was its tendency to catch fire. Of course, it didn't happen all the time, but it did happen too frequently for a car with an MSRP that was a quarter of a million dollars.