Most people love getting stuff for cheap, and why not? The less one has to pay for an item, the more one has to spend on something else more necessary or fun.
Because vehicles are a much larger investment than many other normal items, it’s even more important to the average car shopper to get a good deal on one.
However, there is a difference between a cheap vehicle and an inexpensive vehicle, just as with every other product on the market.
We all know when something is cheaply made. We either take a chance that our money savings solution will pan out, or we examine an item for ourselves and observe that the materials are bad or that it’s just not put together well and ignore it.
Something that is inexpensive can still be well made. Materials may not be top quality, but any item can still be manufactured well.
In the automotive industry, a great example of an inexpensive vehicle that is not cheaply made is the Toyota Yaris. It is unrefined, small, made with more low-grade materials than more expensive vehicles, and basically exists solely to get you from point A to point B.
As generally undesirable of a vehicle as the Toyota Yaris is, it has a stellar reliability record and low maintenance costs. It is reliable because it is made simply rather than cheaply.
Oppositely, the Maserati Ghibli is a great example of a cheaply made vehicle. It is priced above $70,000, a hefty price tag for most average buyers, and its build quality is said to be closer to a vehicle at least half that price.
Huge panel gaps, FCA (Fiat-Chrysler owns Maserati) re-used parts littered throughout the cabin, and rattles and squeaks are commonly reported by those who have tested and reviewed even the newest Ghibli models.
How then does one distinguish a cheap vehicle from an inexpensive one? The answer is not always as clear cut as one might think, however there are some general guidelines to help find the answer.
Reputation:
The chances that you buy the very first iteration of any vehicle is very slim. Most buyers are going to be able to find some kind of vehicle review or test data that has been gathered from someone who has driven it before you.
This is good news, because at least you have some information to go on, even if you are buying the hottest new vehicle to hit the showrooms.
For used vehicle buyers, this is even better. Years of vehicle data, owner satisfaction ratings, and vehicle history can establish trends that show just how well a vehicle was made.
Feel:
We’ve already mentioned that many people can tell by examining a product whether it is cheap or not. The same can be said when you get into a vehicle for the first time.
What do panel gaps look like? Does it look like things were glued in place? What is the general feel of the interior and exterior?
You get the idea.
Prioritization:
A key indicator of quality is the prioritization of various aspects of a vehicle.
Toyota knows that Yaris buyers are looking for an affordable vehicle, and little else. A plastic center console gets the job done better over a beautifully stitched leather-wrapped console. Basic seats, a steering wheel with a minimal amount of buttons, and manual seating adjustment work just fine in a vehicle that costs around $15,000 or less.
What matters more is the drivetrain. The Yaris’ is not refined, and it’s not powerful, but it lasts, and that’s exactly what Toyota needs the Yaris to do, because that’s what Yaris customers expect.
Market Position:
The Yaris example works well on so many levels. Even top-of-the-line Yaris models are not expected to reach the luxury and comfort levels of a base model BMW. BMW buyers are also not likely to be shopping for a top-of-the-line Toyota Yaris.
Not every purposefully-inexpensive vehicle is going to automatically be cheaply made, even though they can be. Likewise, even expensive vehicles – such as the Maserati Ghibli – are subject to low quality control standards and extreme cost cutting.
What can be expected is that a “regular” vehicle, such as a Honda Accord will not generally use the same high quality materials and levels of technology that a 7 series BMW will use. This is because both vehicles cater to a completely different clientele in two separate price brackets.
Resale Value:
Resale value is not always an indicator of cheaply made versus inexpensive vehicles; however, just as trends can be established with vehicle history and reputation, trends in resale value can also signal that a vehicle is to be avoid because it has been cheaply made.
Trends in pricing for certain models can tell a great story that may not be obvious when you are just looking around for your next vehicle.
Cheap versus inexpensive vehicles is a battle that is constantly waging for car buyers. Most of the time, avoiding a cheap vehicle that will not last involves a little digging and some critical thinking, but it is certainly not impossible to get a good, inexpensive vehicle.
Not all of the factors above are clear indicators if a vehicle has been cheaply made. Some are also more obvious than others. All of these factors can be combined to provide a good buying blueprint for any car buyer hoping to make the best purchase possible.
