There are a number of car experts on TikTok, legitimate or self-styled, who give recommendations on which make and model of car not to buy. Would you be more likely to take a recommendation from one of those if his nickname was “The Professor?”
That’s what the frequently-TikToking crew at St. Mary’s, Georgia,’s Royalty Auto Service offered its audience on Saturday. The Professor, a.k.a. Sherwood, is one of the mechanics appearing in the auto shop’s well-trafficked videos. In this one, getting more than 490,000 views since going up, his son is off-camera asking him the three types of cars he wouldn’t buy.
They first establish his car buying history—he’s partial to Acuras based on his earlier driving history, now splitting time between a Lexus and a Mercedes—but has a few brands that he’s not shy about expressing his negative opinion on.
“Let me give you two that I would never drive,” The Professor says after considering the question. “Let me give you a third one that I would probably not drive, but I would give you the instances where I would drive it.”
1. Hyundai
The first blighted brand he identifies is Hyundai, noting the problems he’s identified with them in his time as a mechanic.
He also adds, “Why would I want to drive a Hyundai? I mean, they’re not really inexpensive. I mean, they might be a few thousand cheaper, maybe $2,000 or $3,000 cheaper than their competitors.”
He contends that considering their quality, they should be priced $20,000 lower than those unnamed competitors.
2. Kia
Similarly, he also regards Kias as problematic, going as far as to call them “another Hyundai.”
3. Jaguar
He also addresses the makes under the Jaguar Land Rover umbrella, noting that they also have problems but granting that they’re stylish cars.
“So the footnote would be, if I just had tons of money and I didn’t care, if I want to drive this car for three years, then I’m gonna trade it in? Yeah, I’d probably get a Jaguar or Land Rover why not? I mean, they could go three years,” he says.
“Maybe,” his son interjects with a laugh.
“Hopefully,” The Professor adds, also laughing.
The Professor did acknowledge that some people would likely come into the comments defending Hyundai’s and Kia’s valor, and would testify that their cars have been problem-free, though he also expected people would have horror stories to share.
@royaltyautoservice Are you surprised by his answers? 😬 #mechaniclife #mechanicsoftiktok #cartok #automotive #buyingacar #hyundai #kia #landrover #jaguar #diy #viral #tips #fyp #foryou #stitch ♬ Pop beat BGM / long version(1283324) – nightbird_bgm
A website looking at car reliability, Repair Pal, claimed Hyundai was 4th among 32 different brands, noting, “The average annual repair cost for a Hyundai is $468, which means it has above average ownership costs.” Kia was 3rd by the same metric, with repairs running $6 more a year, while Jaguar was 29th and Land Rover was 31st.
Indeed, as The Professor predicted, the comments provided a mix of experiences.
“As a Hyundai technician, this is true,” one agreed. “I’ve worked here a minute [and] never had a car in my bay that made it past 150k.”
But one happy Hyundai owner observed, “Bought a new 09 Hyundai Accent hatchback manual. 322000 miles. Replaced 2 coils and did the front brakes. That’s it. Best car I’ve ever owned.”
Someone else shared, “Hyundai Sonata…never missed a maintenance…engine seized at 85k after $1000s in repairs. NEVER AGAIN.”
Kia owners had similarly conflicting chapters.
“My daughter own a kia soul 2016 with 110.000 miles without any problems,” one revealed. “Good maintenence with good oil that’s it.”
But another countered, “I [used] to work at a Kia dealership. a customer bought a new forte and [had] 2 transmissions and an engine all before 10000 km.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Royalty Auto Service via online media form and to Hyundai, Kia, and Jaguar Land Rover via email.
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