“Behind the Wheel” listed cars that are dangerous to buy on the Russian secondary market

The publication’s experts analyzed the segment of used cars worth 400-500 thousand rubles and came to the conclusion that almost 40 percent of the entire secondary market in the country is in this price category, but most offers are fraught with financial disaster for the buyer.

The most dangerous cars on the Russian secondary market are the old premium segment cars, in particular the second generation Audi A6 manufactured before 2005, said Sergei Zinoviev, an expert at Za Rulem magazine.

Behind the apparent benefit lies inevitable ruin in the first six months of ownership. For most of these used cars, the actual mileage has long exceeded 300-500 thousand kilometers, the variator has exhausted its service life, and the suspension uses expensive and short-lived aluminum. Almost every example has traces of handicraft body repairs, homemade mufflers and spacers to increase ground clearance. Buying such a car means risking your budget.

The expert named the second category of risk as not very old used Chinese cars, for example Lifan Solano 2017-2018. Despite their youth compared to Audi, these budget foreign cars were not famous for their build quality, ergonomics and resistance to corrosion – by the age of five or six the body was covered with rust spots. The reliability of the Chinese of that period leaves much to be desired.

Rare successful models like the Changan Eado and Dongfeng S30 have practically disappeared from the Russian market, and it is impossible to find spare parts for Chinese cars, which makes them similar to the ancient premium ones. Used cars from China are a lottery.

The only reasonable alternative, according to the Za Rulem expert, remains the most banal budget foreign cars under 500 thousand rubles, like the Renault Logan with a mileage of 200 thousand kilometers, which will travel another 100 thousand without large investments. How to choose a reliable car – focus on proven mass-produced models.

If a foreign car is not an end in itself, experts advise taking a closer look at the Lada Granta or Datsun on-DO for the same money, especially with a hydraulic automatic transmission, which is no longer available on new versions. A used Lada Granta can be a smart choice.

The publication’s main advice when choosing a car under 500 thousand rubles is to avoid any cars with a smoking engine and a grinding gearbox, and also not to be fooled by the cheap prestige of an old premium car – otherwise huge expenses on repairing a used car will be inevitable in the first months. The most dangerous cars on the secondary market are old premium and problematic Chinese ones.

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