USED-VEHICLE HITS AND MISSES FROM 2015
For money-wise drivers looking for reliable second-hand wheels, we’ve pulled together the most surprising finds
HITS
“If you can count your money, you don’t have a billion dollars.”
Jean Paul Getty was named the world’s richest person in 1966, back when $1.2 billion could buy a lot of top hats and monocles. While we can’t all be oil tycoons, this notorious miser could teach us something about hanging on to our money. Buying a used car is a good start.
For the many money-wise consumers looking for reliable second-hand wheels, we’ve pulled together the most surprising finds from our weekly used-car reviews this year.
2011-14 Mitsubishi RVR
Cash-strapped Mitsubishi conjured a new cute-ute on a budget by retaining the popular Outlander’s platform and paring the body down a few sizes. The surgery paid off.
The lone available engine was the Lancer’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder, rated at 148 hp. It was mated to a five-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Two litres is not enough motor to move the RVR with any authority, but owners praised the relaxed ride, precise steering, quiet operation and AWD traction. There are scant mechanical lapses. The most common recounts a finicky tire-pressure monitoring system, along with premature brake wear and a few faulty oxygen sensors.
2011-15 Chevrolet Volt
The Volt uses lithium-ion batteries that can power the car’s 149 hp electric motor by itself for about 60 km. Once the juice runs down, the car’s 1.4-litre four-cylinder gasoline engine fires up to recharge the batteries without interruption.
The Volt feels lively: zero to 97 km/h comes up in 9.1 seconds. All that hardware is tucked into the same compact, front-drive platform that underpins the Chevrolet Cruze — although the T-shaped battery cluster cuts into cabin space, rendering the Volt a four-seater.
Reliability has been exemplary; it may be General Motors’ highest-quality model. A high-voltage charging system warning may point to a low battery coolant level or bad battery temperature sensor. Coolant leaks aren’t unusual, along with troublesome charging ports.
2012-15 Toyota Yaris
The teeny-tiny Toyota Yaris had soldiered on virtually unchanged for six years until it underwent a redesign for 2012, returning in hatchback form only. The fresh, edgier exterior styling encompassed a marginally larger car.
A lot of that dimensional improvement went into the enlarged cargo hold, although the rest of the cabin had improved markedly with more soft-touch surfaces, better plastics and new upholstery. Mercifully, the instruments migrated back behind the steering wheel from their previous centre placement. Fun fact: the Yaris employs a single, massive windshield wiper.
Problems? There are none to speak of, really. The Yaris is arguably the most reliable car you can buy. It’s made in Japan and, um, France. Go figure.