1. 2001-2005 Porsche 911 and Boxster

The engines in both 911 and Boxster models between 2001 and 2005 had a tiny little problem that could cause them to go from sports cars to really expensive paperweights suddenly and without warning. A faulty intermediate shaft bearing could fail, causing catastrophic engine damage. After enough owner complaints, Porsche started fixing the problem, but only on a case-by-case basis, meaning several owners were unfairly left out to dry. It's easily one of the biggest black marks on Porsche's history, which is a shame, because both cars were otherwise fantastic drives.

2. 2001-2003 Subaru WRX

The first WRX in North America had an Achilles' heel— the transmission. The five-speed manuals were notoriously fragile, and the tuner-friendly engine caused some owners to boost the boxer-four to within an inch of its life—which didn't help matters. It also didn't do any favors for the head gasket, which often gave up at less than 100,000 miles. We can forgive all this, because aside from these two admittedly big problems, it's pretty reliable, and and the purity of these early 2-liter cars makes living out all of your WRC-inspired backroad fantasies all that much more fun.

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3. 1993-1995 Mazda RX-7

Apex seal failure hangs over the head of every owner of a rotary-powered car like the RX-7—especially when required maintenance is neglected even slightly. Unfortunately, the fix requires a complete rebuild or replacement of the engine. Ridiculously high fuel and oil consumption didn't help matters, but the later Renesis engine in the RX-8 addressed many of the reliability concerns. Still, the FD RX-7 is one of the quintessential 1990s Japanese sports cars, and there's nothing quite like the feeling you get dipping into the 13B-REW's second sequential turbocharger. Over a decade has passed since the last one was built, and we're still hoping for another sweet-handling, rev-happy rotary sports car.

4. 1999 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra

It didn't take long for enthusiasts, mainly drag racers, to figure out that the 1999 Mustang SVT Cobra was producing less than the 320 hp claimed by Ford. The problem was traced to aluminum residue in the intake and exhaust systems, but Ford made good by fixing the issue free of charge. However, the very public snafu caused Ford to kill production after just one year. The upside is that the 1999 Cobra suffered from no other major problems, and because it's a single-model-year special edition Mustang, the potential is there to become a sought-after classic.

5. 2008-2010 Nissan GT-R

Like many performance cars, the Nissan GT-R included a launch-control function. The difference was that the GT-R's launch control could potentially blow up the transmission and void the warranty—leaving owners holding a $20,000 repair bill. Nissan later settled a class action lawsuit and dialed back the launch control on later models. We love the GT-R and its ability to warp space and time—just avoid those hard launches.

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6. 2001-2006 Mini Cooper S

Those early adopters of the diminutive supercharged Mini Cooper S felt more like a beta tester than an owner. Here's the short list of 'bugs': electric power steering pumps that could catch fire, supercharger failure after 80,000 miles, and head gaskets that seemed timed to blow as soon as the warranty expired. Despite it being a sub-$20,000 car with the maintenance costs of a Porsche, the chuckable handling is still addictive.

7. 2010 Ferrari 458

Ferraris have an undeserved reputation for spontaneous combustion, but in the case of early 458 Italias, it was valid. Adhesive bonding between an engine heat shield and the wheel well was prone to melting and catching fire. Reports vary, but as many as 11 cars were affected, and all 1248 sold up to that point were recalled. Ferrari claimed this only happened during hard driving, but asking customers to not drive their 458s hard is a little laughable. After the concerns over fiery death were addressed, the 458 got back to being one of the greatest mid-engine cars ever to come out of Maranello.

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