3 Luxury SUVs You Should Avoid When Shopping For A Used Car

When shopping for a used luxury SUV, you need to have a thorough understanding and knowledge of the different recalls and other troubles that have plagued the available options through the years. Unbeknownst to most casual consumers, even premium brands are subject to safety-related defects, production problems, and other serious issues. It's important to do some research before shopping for new or used vehicles so you'll have an idea which models have reputations for reliability, better resale value, and up-to-date features.

Considering that the internet has become a mixed puddle of facts and baseless opinions, and good information can get buried deep in search engine results, it can require a lot of time and effort to learn what you need to know.. As such, many car buyers end up with a car with a problematic history, or worse, a lemon by its true definition. To help you overcome these challenges, here are a few luxury SUVs you should steer clear of when shopping for a used car. For each model, we provide a detailed explanation of how they could cause you a combination of inconvenience and expense.

Although it didn't make our list of the worst Audi models ever made, the Q7 is one of the luxury brand's vehicles to avoid. The seven-seater luxury SUV banks on a minimally-altered fascia and dated form factor on top of a turbocharged V6 engine to attract consumers, and is quite expensive for what it delivers. The 2025 model year retails for at least $61,795, while gently used examples from recent years can easily fetch half that or more on online marketplaces.

The Q7 placed last in What Car?'s reliability survey of 12 seven-seater SUVs. According to the magazine, what really makes the vehicle one of the worst luxury SUVs to buy is the "eye-wateringly expensive" cost of repairs. The most common complaints from owners had to do with electrical issues. Some had gripes with the engines, too. For the premium price for fixes, you would expect repair work to last a day or two. However, that was never the case, with owners having to wait over a week to get their cars back.

The Audi Q7 has been around since 2007, with a major refresh coming about a decade ago. In 2017, Audi introduced what would be considered the most troublesome model year, according to Car Complaints. While the overall number of complaints isn't tremendously high, several owners reported oil consumption problems that led to expensive engine failures.

Another luxury SUV to avoid is the Land Rover Discovery, which should not be confused with the Defender. It's one of the most notable vehicles to come out of the British brand, and has been around for over three decades and five generations. However, it's also one of the worst to buy used based on reliability and cost of repairs. According to Consumer Reports, Land Rover has earned notoriety for "building SUVs that broke down frequently and expensively." Data collected by the site showed that Land Rover vehicles have the highest maintenance and repair costs among 28 brands, with its average 10-year expenses reaching over $17,000. That's more than thrice Tesla's $5,050 decade-long repair cost.

In What Car?'s 2024 reliability survey, the Land Rover Discovery ranked ninth out of 12 seven-seater SUVs in terms of dependability, and the brand was 27th out of 31 measured. The one big upside to the Discovery is its off-roading capability, which is one of the best in its class. The Sport variant in particular is hounded by several issues, including electrical faults, warning light problems, and infotainment system limitations. Common owner complaints also involved parts availability and long turnaround times for repairs. For model years 2017 and beyond, many Discovery owners have also reported recurring issues with the engine and emissions systems.

Though it's smaller and more car-like than many of its competitors, the refreshed for 2025 Tesla Model Y's price and problems earn it a spot on this list. It starts at nearly $50,000, and has given many of its owners headaches. The Model Y is larger than the Model 3 with its cramped third-row seating, but is significantly smaller than the other entries here. While the main disadvantages of the Audi Q7 and Land Rover Discovery lie in their frequency of breakdowns and high repair costs, the Model Y primarily suffers from problems related to its build quality. What Car? has received numerous reports about the Tesla Model Y's electronic glitches and hardware malfunctions, particularly with its sensors and infotainment system. Several of these issues have prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue recalls for the vehicle. 

Among the 33 recalls issued thus far, several had to do with safety-related components such as seat belts, steering, and brakes; many of those involved software issues. Other problems that did not warrant recalls but have drawn the ire of owners include rattling noises in the cabin and improperly fitted body and trim pieces. On Cars.com, only 61% of drivers recommend the Model Y, and it has an average rating of just 3.6 stars out of 5. Common gripes from dissatisfied owners were the poor build quality and customer service. Some drivers experienced a dangerous condition where the car braked unexpectedly, including an owner identifying herself as "Professional lawyer mama from Baltimore." She wrote, "I have experienced the phantom braking issue several times, and at least once it almost led to an accident ... I've had a variety of mechanical problems and Tesla service is abysmal ... this thing is cheaply made and the interior is like an Ikea cafeteria."