When purchasing a vehicle, one of the top priorities on a buyer’s list of wants is longevity. Sure, a great-looking exterior, infotainment and sound system, and auto parking features are nice. But if your car can’t consistently start and get you on the road to where you need to go, you’re effectively paying for a fancy paperweight.
Moreover, when it comes time to service or repair anything on your vehicle, you don’t want to break the bank. This is why Hyundai and Kia vehicles’ 100,000-mile powertrain warranty is so appealing to customers. It’s no coincidence that a car’s most important component, its drivetrain, contains parts that are usually the most expensive to fix.
So when these vital parts are covered by such an extensive warranty, it gives buyers peace of mind.
TikToker and auto enthusiast Andy Sorensen (@vasiliygang) published a viral TikTok on car brand quality. The clip is geared towards folks looking to purchase a vehicle in 2025. In the clip, he mentions which car brands to buy and which to avoid in the upcoming year. And he had some strong opinions on Hyundai/Kia vehicles’ 100,000-mile warranties.
Cheers & jeers
Right out the gate, Sorensen decries the Korean auto manufacturer.
“Avoid all Hyundai and Kia products at all costs. You will lose your wallet, you will lose your soul,” he says. “And you will lose your money to that brand. I don’t care about their 100k warranty, I don’t care if it’s best in the industry.”
The TikToker states why the warranty isn’t as good as it sounds. “It doesn’t matter because even if you have the warranty you’re gonna end up waiting six months to get your car back. After you blow your engine up,” he states.
Furthermore, he stated that a massive German brand is also a bad buy, at least these days. He attributes the dip in quality to be directly associated with the manufacturer’s decision to cut corners.
“Avoid Volkswagen. Specifically the brand Volkswagen,” he shares. “They aren’t what they used to be. A lot of their products have gone cheap and unreliable in the last decade or so. I just avoid them at all costs.”
GM gets bad marks, too
The next brand Sorensen dissed isn’t one that he was happy about maligning. “I hate to say it being a Chevy guy. But I would say avoid any new GM products,” he continues. “They’ve kinda gone cheap too and a lot of engine problems. Especially in their larger vehicles. But their 3.6 liter has always been an issue in their SUVs.”
He also states that any vehicles manufactured by Stellantis are bad choices as well. And this covers a wide range of different car brands. Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, RAM trucks and others fall under this manufacturer.
He did concede, however, that there was an exception to the Stellantis rule. “I would say the only vehicle that’s worth buying at this point is probably the Chrysler Pacifica,” he claims. “With their 3.6 liter pull…whatever the engine is the V6. Everything else is pretty much trash.”
So…what’s good?
Sorensen did have some recommendations as to which manufacturers are churning out reliable vehicles. Anyone who’s kept a close eye over the years on vehicular brand recognition for dependability won’t be surprised. “And cars to buy I would say anything from Toyota’s fine. Pretty much everything from Honda is gonna be good,” he states.
Following this, however, he did offer up what initially seemed like a controversial opinion on a well-known luxury brand.
“Anything from BMW with the B58 or B48 engines that work. A collaboration with Toyota,” he says.
These vehicles include select 3 series, 4 series, X1-4 models, along with several MINI models. BMW worked with Toyota on these engines, which have been praised by auto experts as being stalwart and reliable.
Afterward, he offered up yet another controversial opinion: that Nissan vehicles were good buys. The brand’s CVT transmissions have been previously decried by fellow auto experts. Also, the Daily Dot has written about specific gripes individuals have had in getting their Nissans repaired. Which is probably why Sorensen specifically mentioned not to get these vehicles.
Nissan minus CVT
“Anything from Nissan/Infiniti with the V6 non CVT transmission.” As for American-made whips, he opines that the Ford F-150 is officially a good buy. “Can’t go wrong with the Ford F-150 with the coyote 5.0. Or the Ecoboost 3.5 liter twin turbo?”
The TikToker also specified that he isn’t a fan of newer vehicles. It’s an opinion that other auto experts seem to hold as well. The Daily Dot previously covered a staunch claim from a Chevy vehicle owner. In a viral clip of their own, they urge car buyers to opt for older trucks. Even going so far as to state they’d much rather have a 200,000-mile-old Chevrolet truck than a more recent model. The reason? Dependability.
Furthermore, some gear heads claim that usually dependable brands, such as Honda, are falling behind in quality.
TikTokers’ opinions
Viewers thought Sorensen missed out on other reliable car brands. One person penned that Subarus shouldn’t be left out in the cold. “Subaru. Period!” they wrote.
Another said only certain Japanese auto manufacturers are to be trusted. “Mazda, Toyota, Lexus, honda, Acura, Subaru. Everything else sucks,” they said.
One TikToker also remarked that they thought Mazdas should’ve been mentioned in Sorenson’s post. “Mazda has been putting out excellent vehicles for a very long time,” they wrote.
But others disagreed with Sorenson’s assessment of Kia and Hyundai. “Bro is just yapping, my 2025 kia is amazing, move on bro times have changed,” one said.
@vasiliygang Use disgression. #carmarket #newcars #newcar #newtruck #carbrands #carshopping #carbuying #tips ♬ original sound – Andy Sorensen
“Everyone’s always sleeping on the Mazdas. Don’t forget us,” another replied.
All of the gushing over Mazda apparently circled back to the brand. As its official TikTok account commented, “We see our Mazda fam in the comments.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kia and Hyundai via email and Sorenson via TikTok comment.
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