A popular motoring personality has taken to YouTube to warn viewers against buying three well-known SUVs on the used market, stating they can be incredibly unreliable.
Jim Starling runs the YouTube channel DefinitelyNotAGuru, and regularly creates videos reacting to the latest automotive developments, and offering advice to help drivers find the best used car for them.
In a popular video, Jim looks at a reliability study conducted by the motoring publication WhatCar?, stating that many Land Rover Discovery owners have reported issues with their cars.
He explained: “Number three [on the list] is the Land Rover Discovery Sport from 2014 to present. It’s even more prone to problems than the [Range Rover] Evoque, with 55.4 percent reliability.
“That is shocking, nearly half of owners have reported problems with them. Land Rover has covered 34 percent of repairs but has left 20 percent of owners with bills ranging from £500 to £1,500, and a further 21 percent having to find more than £1,500.”
Launched in 2014, the Land Rover Discovery Sport is a smaller and more affordable version of the brand’s longstanding SUV, quickly becoming the best-selling Land Rover model.
However, WhatCar? found that 44.6 percent of owners taking part in their study reported that they had encountered issues with their Discovery Sport, with many reporting problems with the exhaust and engine in particular.
With all examples coming with a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty, Land Rover paid for 34 percent of repairs, however, some owners of older examples had to pay more than £1,500 to resolve the fault.
Later in the video, Jim also urged viewers to avoid used examples of the second-generation Peugeot 2008, claiming that many owners have faced issues.
He continued: “Number two is the Peugeot 2008, the 2013 to 2019 model. [It has a] 50.6 percent reliability score. The cost of repairs was covered by Peugeot in 22 percent of instances.
“The main issues here were exhausts, suspension, and one or two issues with batteries, electrics, engine and fuel systems. Wow, that’s a bad score.”
Finally, Jim highlighted that the previous-generation Land Rover Discovery was the least reliable car in the study, with many drivers reporting a variety of issues.
He added: “Look at this, 47.8 percent reliability – over half of the owners who responded have had problems. Now, this model can be quite long in the tooth, let’s be fair. It started off in 2004 and they’ve taken it all the way through to 2017, albeit with some facelifts along the way.
“Engine and suspension were the biggest bugbears, followed by battery, brakes, electrics and fuel system faults. Suspension is a famed area [for faults], particularly air suspension, on Jaguar Land Rover cars.”
