Independent case files on used cars
Know what breaks
before you buy.
One dossier per generation: documented faults with real repair costs, best and worst years, DIY fixes, verified part numbers, and the viral myths, debunked.
Buy
Should you buy this generation used? Best years, years to avoid, and a pre-purchase inspection checklist.
Own
Every common problem with real repair-cost ranges: what breaks, when, and what the repair costs at an independent shop.
Fix
Step-by-step DIY repairs with exact parts lists and what each job saves you over the shop.
Debunk
The viral "$2 fixes anything" hacks, rated against what happens inside your engine.
Newest car case files
All cars →- Open Case File →
Nissan
5/10 ScoreRogue 2nd gen
2014–2020
The T32 Rogue is a roomy, comfortable compact SUV that sold in huge numbers, and the same Jatco Xtronic CVT that makes it smooth is also its biggest liability. Early cars (2014–2018) have a documented history of CVT overheating, shuddering, and outright failure, which led to a class-action settlement and an extended warranty. Buy one with the transmission verified and you get a sensible family hauler; buy one blind and a $4,000+ CVT can be waiting.
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Chevrolet
5/10 ScoreEquinox 4th gen
2025–2026
The 4th-gen Equinox launched for 2025 with one engine, an updated 1.5L turbo (RPO LSD), plus a CVT on front-drive cars and an 8-speed automatic on AWD. It's a young generation, and the early trouble is electronic, not mechanical: OnStar telematics modules that fail and drain the 12V battery (with replacement parts backordered for weeks or months), an AWD 8-speed that can stick in first gear when cold (GM bulletin PIP6100), phantom automatic-braking activations, and a sculpted dashboard that throws glare onto the windshield. Consumer Reports pulled its Recommended rating in late 2025 on owner-reported reliability. Nearly every documented issue is fixed free under warranty. The real cost so far is dealer visits and downtime, not repair bills.
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Chevrolet
5/10 ScoreSilverado 1500 4th gen
2019–present
The T1XX Silverado is a comfortable, capable truck with a serious engine-lottery problem. The 5.3L and 6.2L V8s carry GM's well-documented lifter failures, and the 6.2L added a 597,000-truck recall for crankshaft and rod-bearing failures on 2021–2024 builds, with NHTSA now investigating both engines that failed after the recall fix and never-recalled 2019–2021 trucks. The 3.0L Duramax diesel is the sleeper pick, the 2.7L turbo quietly outgrew its doubters, and the 2025–2026 trucks carry the cleanest record of the run before the 2027 redesign retires the troubled V8s entirely. Buy the right engine and this is a great truck; buy the wrong build blind and you're gambling on a bottom end.
- Open Case File →
Ford
5/10 ScoreExplorer 6th gen
2020–present
The 6th-gen Explorer moved back to a rear-drive platform and got quicker, roomier, and nicer to drive, and then stumbled badly out of the gate. The 2020 launch year was a quality mess, and 2020–2022 cars carry a rear axle bolt defect that took Ford three recalls to actually fix. The sorted 2023–2024 cars are the generation's sweet spot. A heavy 2025 refresh (new interior, Google-based infotainment) restarted the first-year clock. The refresh years have already stacked up their own recall pile, from stalling EGR valves to engines built wrong enough to need replacement. Still on sale today, this is a verify-the-recalls-by-VIN purchase in every year, not a buy-on-faith one.
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Ford
6/10 ScoreF-150 14th gen
2021–present
The 14th-gen F-150 is a genuinely capable truck that launched badly and got better. 2021 trucks rack up the recalls: wiper motors, driveshafts, and a batch of 2.7L EcoBoost engines with intake valves that can shatter. The 10-speed 10R80 still shifts harshly for plenty of owners, and the PowerBoost hybrid adds impressive capability plus its own electrical headaches. The 2024 refresh brought new styling and the Pro Access tailgate without touching the mechanicals, and 2024–2026 trucks log far fewer complaints, though the recall cadence (backup camera, rear axle shafts, trailer brake module) hasn't stopped. A 2023–2025, or a 2021–2022 with all recall work documented, is a solid buy.
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Ford
7/10 ScoreRanger 5th gen (US), next-gen global T6
2024–2026
The next-generation Ranger reached the US for 2024 with a wider track, a proper interior, and, finally, engine choice: the familiar 2.3L EcoBoost, an optional 2.7L V6, and a 405-hp Raptor. The truck itself is genuinely good. The record so far is about build quality, not design: 13 recall campaigns on the 2024 alone, a 10-speed that clunks enough to fill owner forums, and two 2025–2026 engine recalls on the 2.3 whose fixes were still waiting on parts in mid-2026. Almost everything is a free fix, so this generation rewards the buyer who runs the VIN before running the numbers.
Viral car myths, diagnosed
"$1 liquid stops engine wear forever." "Banned in 11 states." We rate the clickbait against shop-floor reality.
- Mostly False
Do shops lose money on cheap oil changes? We opened a real shop's books to find out.
A quick lube's true all-in cost is roughly $16–40 per car. Even a $59 special turns a gross profit before the upsells start. The 'below cost' story is only true at full-service shops doing far more work per visit, which is a different product wearing the same name.
- Misleading
Is the "$1 Japanese oil trick" that stops engine wear forever real?
The 'Japanese oil trick' is almost certainly MoS2 (molybdenum disulfide), a real industrial friction modifier. It is German, not Japanese (Liqui Moly popularized it), sold openly at every parts store for $15-20, has real but modest measured friction benefits, and was never buried by anyone.
- Outdated
Does a "$1 mineral" really double car battery life? The Epsom-salt reality.
The mineral is Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). It was a real desulfation hack for serviceable flooded-cell batteries 40+ years ago. It does not work on modern sealed AGM or EFB batteries, and trying it on yours will void the warranty without helping the battery.
Why we exist
Car info online is either thin AI spam or fear-bait built to sell you something. We compile the real failure modes, real costs, and real fixes for each generation, and cite where they come from.
How we build a file
Each car file is compiled from documented failure data (NHTSA complaints and recalls, technical service bulletins, and owner reports), then checked against shop-floor experience. Our method.
How we make money
Affiliate commissions on parts we'd use for the repair, never on the snake-oil we review. Every commercial link is disclosed, and a verdict never changes because we earn from it. Full disclosure.