These Are Your Most Expensive Automotive Mistakes

Last week we asked you to share the most expensive automotive mistake you’ve made, and I must commend you all for being so honest about your past missteps. It can be difficult to admit when you were in the wrong, but it’s a necessary step for growth. Well done, gang. While there was no short supply of great answers, I couldn’t include them all in this roundup, but I did include a smattering of my favorites. And though I love all of you equally, I think the last answer I included on this list is my favorite, since it made me laugh the hardest. If you think your story is funnier, share it in the comments down below! 

I said my most expensive automotive mistake was ignoring numerous red flags and deciding to buy my first car–a 2005 Saab 9-3 cabriolet off a sketchy dude from Craigslist–only for it to literally go wrong the moment I got home and parked it in my driveway. I let my desire for a fun first car outweigh the clear signs that I was buying a mechanical nightmare, and literally and figuratively paid the price. 

This trauma is a big part of why I only have one reliable daily instead of the dirt lot full of misfiring automotive misfits that y’all think all Jalopnik writers ought to have, so unless you’re funding said endeavors, it ain’t happening any time soon. Anywho, these are the most expensive automotive mistakes our doting Jalopnik audience has made. 

Going too cheap.

I was hired at the same time as another young engineer. My car didn’t have AC and I was being relocated to the South. My coworker had the same problem.

He got a brand new, high quality car that was the way he liked it (an Accord BTW). Took out a 3 year loan to pay for it.

I paid cash for a jalopy that I could fix. Ends up that I couldn’t keep up with repairs and stay employed so I ended up paying others to keep it running. Got sick of trying to keep it running and switched to a different car I could afford

Fast forward 10 years. Coworker has 160k with no repairs on his Accord. He’s out of pocket about 1/3rd what I have paid to get, try to fix and keep running a series of cheap cars. He also has vacation built up because he didn’t have to take off days to work on a car to try to get it functional.

Lesson learned. Get a reliable daily driver and treat it right. It doesn’t have to be expensive, just high quality. Save your fun car for a project.

Submitted by: hoser68

I learned that I shouldn’t be confident in my own abilities to wax a BLACK car with a buffer. Thought I was taking the hard part out of the equation by using it to remove the wax and polish. Looked good at first, only then I started to see all the ghosting marks. It was shiny but looked awful in the sun. Spent about $1500 having a professional remove all the ghost lines and swirls. Will never do that again!

Submitted by: Depeche Zero

My #1 advice for anything is don’t drive or work angry, tired, or frustrated.

My biggest mistake is when I was driving basically with all 3. I was leaving work once night after a long shift, already driving a rental because someone hit me earlier in the week. I was tired and mentally burned out. The parking lot had a one way in and one way out.

As I was trying to leave the correct out way, another car started pulling in the wrong way and refused to back out. In anger, I threw the rental car in reverse and started speeding backward to get out of their way so I could leave. However, the car started drifting slightly to the left as I backed up and I smashed right into a bollard.

Never let your anger get the better or you. If you’re angry, fatigued, frustrated, whatever has you not in the right mind, just stop what you’re doing for as long as it takes to get your mind right.

Submitted by: Thomas Hajicek

When I had a 3000GT (FWD) as a daily driver, the input shaft of the transmission started leaking a little. It did not leak out completely but enough to see oil stains on the pavement. I could have bought a used transmission on the forums for $200-300 or just topped off the oil every month or two. Instead I removed the transmission and took it to my mechanic at the time and had him change the seal which required total transmission disassembly. I was not comfortable opening it up and reassembling. There were probably special pullers and press tool required. I paid him $600 for this job. Got it back, installed in car, and it would not go into any gear. I had to remove and take it back. Got it back and it worked this time. A few weeks later I was shifting from 2nd to 3rd while accelerating normally and hear a clang of metal breaking. No gears available and it was completely locked up. Mechanic refused to admit any botched job so I never went back there. I ended up buying a used transmission on the forum for $200 something but drove 5 hours to get it. Someone on the forum bought my transmission as a a core for $70. So, a job that could have been done for $300 became one that cost $900+ adding in the gas and food to pick up used transmission plus my labor of pulling and installing it 3 times. Not as catastrophic as people who dump $20K+ into an AMG car then fire sale it for a massive loss on top of the money spent on repairs but still up there as bonehead move.

Submitted by: Tex

Buying a 10 year old Mk6 GTI from a buy here pay here lot without doing due diligence. Turns out it was previously in an accident and not very well maintained. Resulted in years of expensive fixes.

But, when it finally died and my wife sent me out to get a more comfortable, reliable car, I came back with a CPO Mk7.5 so it clearly left an impression!

Submitted by: manbearpig

Money shifting a rented racecar on the Nurburgring (4->3 instead of 4->5). It was a super notchy short shifter and I just missed the gate. I wasn’t even fully clutched out before the revs shot to 8,000 (redline was below 7,000) and I realized what had happened. The tow alone (all 3 miles of it) was close to $1,000 U.S. Fortunately, the rental place was fairly reasonable with the head rebuild and only charged me $3k.

Submitted by: Neal Richards

I don’t know if I can type this one out without crying.

I purchased a driving 1972 Alfa Romeo GTV before they got insane for $4,200. I drove it as it was for about a year and loved that thing to death. Then…I decided to “make it my dream car.” The first few steps went well-enough, stripped it down and sent the engine/transmission to a respected builder ($10,000) and the body to a “home” body shop with a guy from the Alfa community ($8,000 to deal with any rust and repaint it). This took about 3 years so the financial impact was easy to spread out.

Then…the mistake. I sent the car to the shop at the time to finish it off. I’d reinstalled the suspension, engine, transmission, etc. so they were just to do the interior, brakes, and fuel system. I was quoted “no more than” $13,000 and 4 months. I blindly trusted the shop, paying each invoice and ignoring each red flag. When I got the car back 4 years later, the first drive resulted in the shift knob falling off in my hands, getting pulled over for my brake lights being out, a weird noise from the brake booster, and the wheel almost falling off.

I made the questionable decision to add up my invoices…$43,000. This is when I realized I’d been fleeced. I sent the car back (twice) for them to correct their mistakes and it never got fully resolved.

I was $70k into the car (this was before kids) and the juju never recoverd. The love I felt for the car when it was a $4,200 rough driver never returned, and I ultimately sold it.

Submitted by: SantaCruzin

Buying my first SAAB. It started me down the road of a very bad habit of buying them, restoring them, then never selling them.

Submitted by: Old_SLAAB_Guy

My mistake was thinking that I could afford that new 1985 Pontiac Fiero on my measly paycheck. I put some of the blame on the salesman who convinced me to make the purchase anyway. Before two years was up I was broke, and gave up the car to the lender – at least they didn’t have to re-possess it themselves – that saved me some penalty fees at least. Long story short, it took several years and a better paying job to clean up my credit. After I was in a better place financially, I bought a used 1985 Fiero that was better equipped than my first one.

Submitted by: Radar Lover Gone

1970 911T restoration. Bought it for $50k, discovered hidden rust (it was swiss cheese). $70k in metal work, and a total restoration cost nearing $220k. I’ll never restore a car again. 90’s and above for me from now on.

Submitted by: GT3_911T

Letting Todd drive it to pick up some girl. Now it is totaled.

Thanks a lot, Todd.

Submitted by: BtotheS