The automotive industry is very much an imperfect place, no matter how much research and development is done, some cars may well still make it out with a couple flaws.

Some cars are so incredible, we will gladly overlook a few quirks here and there because the overall ownership experience is so rewarding. Others will just get this one flaw, a flaw that becomes almost impossible to look past thanks to all the horror stories we hear. Those are the cars we are talking about, cars that will seem almost too good to be true until we are standing outside the junkyard, kissing our investment goodbye.

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8 Lotus Esprit

One sports car manufacturer that has truly come a long way is Lotus. Today, they have become one of the more reliable brands, and that trend is set to continue as they seek to electrify their entire range over the next few years.

That is ironic, because in the early years, it was the wiring that really let them down. Their mechanicals were rarely a problem as they used proven drivetrains and high quality engineered or third party aftermarket parts, but choosing Lucas as their sole supplier for all things wiring ruined most of their sports cars, especially older turbo Esprits.

7 MGA Twin Cam

Carburetors are truly fascinating, a good carb can help extract the absolute maximum performance out of an engine, a bad one can destroy it. SU carbs were fitted to these twin cam engines, they were an established home grown brand back then already, so nobody can blame MG for choosing them.

It was their carb that wasn’t optimized for these advanced little engines, fuel would froth, pistons would get burnt and disaster ensued. Swapping out the carbs is an easy fix in hindsight, but this problem was only resolved long after the car went out of production.

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6 Lancia Montecarlo

Both this and the Beta coupe had a lot of potential. These were the first cars that were made under the not so watchful eye of Fiat and instead of getting the funding they needed to make their own engineering better they simply inherited Fiat components and had to make do.

Which in so many respects they did, extracting a good deal more power out of the already capable Fiat made twin cam engines, then took it a step further with the Montecarlo by transforming the front engine, front drive car into a proper mid-engine sports car. Unfortunately, just like the Beta, it would return to the earth before your eyes because it was made with Fiat approved sheet metal and basically no rustproofing.

5 Citroën SM

Arguably one of the most beautiful cars to come out of France. The SM was the perfect evolution of the DS, as it embodied the styling that had already captured everyone’s imagination and then took its technology to the next level.

The problem came in with the unusual choice of powertrain, for some almost bizarre reason they got a hold of an engine that was destined for a mid-engine Maserati and plopped it into their front drive SM. An engine out of a supercar might sound fun, but it did nothing for reliability, or handling for that matter.

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4 Audi A8

At this point in their history, it felt like they could do no wrong. Success after success saw the Audi brand rise to untold heights by the early 00s, not only matching the other German brands but in some areas and even beating their fierce rivals in others.

It might have been that overconfidence that led to the development of the ill-fated tiptronic transmission of this era. Found in several models at this time, it would leave several customers stranded and furious, essentially turning their beautiful cars into scrap thanks to the immense repair bill that would follow.

3 BMW E60 M5

Few performance cars have a following as loyal as the BMW M cars. So when this E60 was launched to rave reviews, customers were lining up for the V10 powered sedan.

Unfortunately, even though it won engine of the year back in 2005, the V10 lump that made the car so popular was actually the biggest problem. With a supercar engine came supercar frailty, something M car buyers were not acquainted with, so when their rod-bearings failed under warranty the same buyers were equally eager to part ways with their once coveted cars.

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2 Alfa Romeo 156 GTA

Not many people want to give the time of day to these front drive GTAs, but they truly still are underrated future classics. Unfortunately, instead of several visible flaws that most Alfas have, these have one big one that is pretty well hidden.

Build quality was, quite frankly, as good as it ever was for any Alfa, performance at the time was also right on par with other manufacturers, but mounting a V6 transversely will always have a few side effects. Weight and torque are obvious issues, but the fact that they shipped these with an open diff beggars belief. Not equipping these cars with a proper limited slip diff was criminal.

1 Mazda RX7

Although saying the engine counts as one big flaw might be a bit harsh, but in the case of the RX7 you have one incredible oxymoron of a car.

It was destined for greatness, it was to be the best ever Wankel, instead it was just more of the same, leaving customers with expensive maintenance bills. It is still arguably worth it, because as advanced as the car was, the rotary power is what truly made it iconic.