8:26 am, September 25, 2026
When it comes to the motor trade, there are few better known faces than TV’s Mr Wheeler Dealer himself, Mike Brewer.
With more than four decades in the business, Brewer has bought, sold and repaired thousands of used cars – and he knows a thing or two about what to look out for.
Earlier this month, the Car Dealer Used Car Awards host shared his favourite used cars for buyers on a budget, but what about the other side of the coin?
What are the models that the experienced trader goes out of his way to avoid?
Ahead of nominations closing for this year’s Used Car Awards, we caught up with the 62-year-old to find out. This is what he said…
Range Rover
Brewer says: ‘If you buy a £60,000 Range Rover, it’d be the best £100,000 you’ve ever spent because it’s likely to spend a lot of time back at the dealership being worked on!
‘Unfortunately, it’s got to be said with reliability problems I don’t sell Range Rovers out of my dealership. We move heaven and earth not to take them in part-exchange or sell them.
‘I love Range Rover. I love our own brand. I love the styling. I think they look incredible. I desire one. I want one. But if somebody buys a Range Rover or a Land Rover from us, and they get 600 yards up the road and it goes wrong, they go online and complain about my business rather than complain about Land Rover.
‘I didn’t build the car; I just sold it. So it becomes a problem for our review and as such, I don’t sell them.’
Land Rover Discovery Sport
Brewer says: ‘I think that car is probably up for extinction incredibly soon, if not almost immediately, when you think about what’s on the horizon with the Chinese brands that can compete with that vehicle in a much cleaner, healthier, smarter, more tech way.
‘They’ll be beset with problems. Those cars, unfortunately, they’ve got huge reliability issues.
‘Prices are ridiculous for them in terms of when you buy one to resell it again as a dealer. You just have to build in a margin of error because you’re likely to see that car back again.
‘So that means that the prices are low. So I don’t recommend them.’
Tesla Model X
Brewer says: ‘Tesla as a brand, they’re generally pretty good. Healthy cars, good reliability, they’re great.
‘But the Model X is a complicated beast with its gullwing doors and lots of tech inside.
‘I do know that they have got reliability issues. I’ve never actually had one myself, but I’ve heard from other dealers that they’ve got problems, so I’ve kind of avoided them.’
Mazda CX-5
Brewer says: ‘I wouldn’t touch the diesel with a bargepole now. I’ve tried it three times, and three cars had the black oil of death in the engine.
‘I’ve had to buy all three cars back off the customers. Had the engines rebuilt on two of them, where they jumped the belt because of the black oil.
‘Retailed one of them again, and it did exactly the same again. Had to buy it back again.
‘So I’ve lost a full chunk of money on a car that should be amazing from Mazda, but I’ve never been more disappointed.
‘I wouldn’t touch them with the bargepole.’
Be aware of wet-belt engines…
Brewer says: ‘Wet-belt issues on PureTech engines, even Ford engines, and now VW Transporter engines – I hear this a lot.
‘I think it’s not a problem if the car is serviced correctly with the correct oils at the dealership at the scheduled intervals.
‘If it’s done correctly, there’s no reason why a wet-belt would be the owner’s problem. It’s not your problem. It’s their problem.
‘If you’re servicing the car and everything’s within warranty and you’re doing it correctly, it’s not your problem, is it? It’s their problem.
‘If people say they buy a cheap Citroen or Peugeot, they’ve got a PureTech engine and it’s been serviced with inferior oils in the past, it could be a problem in the future.
‘So they just need to be careful. Make sure it’s a good service by the main dealer at the scheduled intervals, and you should be fine.’
Time running out to be part of 2026 Used Car Awards
Brewer was speaking to Car Dealer just days before the deadline for dealers to put themselves forward to a Used Car Award in 2026.
Nominations slam shut on Monday (Sept 28), meaning dealers need to hurry if they want to throw their hat in the ring for a prestigious gong.
Brewer will be hosting the glitzy ceremony once again this year at the Brewery in London and tickets are on sale now.
If you want a shot at glory, all you need to do is fill in our nominations form before Monday’s deadline.
In the same video, which can be watched at the top of this story, Brewer added: ‘We’re really excited about the awards that are coming up later on in the year.
‘To celebrate that excitement, we thought we’d make sure that you can avoid some pitfalls out there when you’re choosing your next car.’
With voting about to draw to a close, here are the other key dates for your diary:
- Nominations close: Monday, September 28
- Nominations (long list) revealed: Monday, October 5
- Shortlist revealed: Monday, October 19
- Awards night: Monday, November 30
To be in with a chance of a trophy, our nominations form needs to be completed and the process couldn’t be any more straightforward!
All you need to do is select the category that you’d like to nominate yourself or someone else for on the form and supply the requested details.
Car Dealer editor-in-chief, James Baggott said: ‘These awards are about recognising the people and businesses that are going the extra mile and making a real difference in the used car sector.
‘Whether it’s your dealership, a colleague, a supplier or someone in the wider industry who deserves recognition, get their name in the hat.
We’ve got some fantastic categories this year and competition is going to be fierce, but you can’t win if you’re not nominated.
‘So don’t wait, don’t put it off and don’t assume someone else will do it – get your nominations in now. When that deadline passes, it’s gone!’
Car Dealer wants everyone to enjoy themselves at the Used Car Awards and wishes to emphasise that all its events are inclusive. Any kind of offensive behaviour – verbal or physical – will not be tolerated. Those booking tickets assume full responsibility for the behaviour of their attendees.