A TikTok user who goes by Class Ceiling, with the handle @velveteen.oysters, said in a video that she was shocked by how cheap a rented 2026 Toyota Yaris Cross felt while she was traveling in Norway. She said in the video that she does not own the car and that she rented it during her trip. In the caption, she said she has faced criticism for driving her 18-year-old Mercedes, so she decided to make a video explaining why she said she will never buy a new car. She said her Mercedes cost her £3,500 and had 42,000 miles on it when she got it. She said in the caption that the older Mercedes does not have Bluetooth, but also does not come with a car payment. She added that, in her view, it is still a smoother ride than the new Toyota. Creator says panels and knobs moved and creaked when pressed In the video, the creator’s hand appeared to press on the plastic trim around the steering wheel, which seemed to flex and creak under light pressure. On-screen text in the clip read, “POV: you buy a new car in 2026.” @velveteen.oysters Don’t worry, I didn’t buy this. I’m currently travelling around Norway and rented a 2026 Toyota Yaris Cross. I’ve had so much hate for driving my 18-year old Merc, I thought I’d do a little video about why I’ll never buy a car new. My old Merc cost me £3.5k and she had 42k miles on the clock. She doesn’t have Bluetooth, but she doesn’t come with a car payment either. And she’s still a smoother ride than this brand new Toyota #newcar #toyota #mercedes #financialliteracy #finacialtips ♬ original sound – Class Ceiling She then pushed and wiggled a circular drive mode selector knob on the center console, and the panel around the knob appeared to shift with the pressure. Text on screen stated, “Nothing feels secure” and “Look at the entire console just move???” In another case, a woman wonders why her Japanese car feels off after 25 seconds of driving. The creator also turned a climate control knob on the dashboard, which she said felt loose and did not click firmly into place. She wrote in the video that “Everything just moves so easily.” She pressed on the plastic hood above the digital instrument cluster as well, which appeared soft and easily pushed in, with on-screen text describing it as showing “Cheap-feeling materials.” She pressed on the armrest between the front seats, which also seemed to flex and creak, with text reading, “It feels like a toy car.” The video then showed the car’s infotainment screen displaying a message that read, “Your subscription has expired. Tap the button below to keep using Navigation.” The creator pointed to a “Subscribe now” button, and on-screen text said, “You have to buy A subscription to use the GPS .” Returning to the steering wheel, she pressed and wiggled the trim again, with text stating, “I can’t get over how poorly made the steering wheel is.” She then pressed on the glossy black plastic trim around the gear shifter, which appeared to give way under light pressure, with text asking, “The plastic just gives way??” She also pressed on the plastic around the door handle, which she said flexed significantly, alongside text noting, “This car is £30k to buy new btw.” The creator wiggled the driver’s seat headrest as well, describing it as loose, with text reading, “Wonky headrest anyone?” A similar story involves a Tennessee woman pulled over while driving, but all she had was a tasty snack. A close-up in the video showed her pressing small buttons on the center console for EV mode, traction control, and drive mode. Text on screen read, “Doesn’t really show on camera but the buttons are so feeble.” She then wiggled the gear stick itself, which she said moved side-to-side even while the car was in park, with text stating, “Gearstick just gives way.” The video returned to the steering wheel once more, with the creator pressing and flexing the trim around the airbag cover, and text declaring, “Steering wheel is the worst imo.” Another shot showed her pressing and turning the drive mode selector and other buttons, with text reading, “Wish you could feel how feeble this was.” In the final shot, the creator gripped the steering wheel and shook it slightly, with on-screen text concluding, “Old cars any day tbh.” The video drew reactions in the comments section. One commenter wrote, “cheap 10 year old car is more sturdy than luxury brands these days,” while another replied, “older than 10 years but she’ll do.” A separate commenter argued, “30k+ isn’t cheap, we need to stop excusing extremely low quality builds,” and another user pushed back, writing, “30k for the best hybrid technology on the car market. 30k for the only compact full hybrid. and wait, in real life interior aren’t that bad. don’t trust what you watch on internet.” Other users shared mixed views on specific models. One commenter wrote, “my 2025 yaris is NOT like this at all?” and another replied, “literally same the parts don’t move like that w–, i get they’re still not luxurious but they’re pretty steady, that car must be faulty or maybe that’s how they sell it in other countries.” A different user added, “every car is reliable in the first year I’ve got a 2009 discovery with 190k on the clock and its still solid,” while another wrote, “Not every car, had a Volkswagen Tiguan come in, 5 months old and losing 1L of oil a month yet still not enough for warranty to take action.” The creator’s caption suggests she prefers older cars over new ones for financial reasons, saying she believes not having a car payment is worth the tradeoff of missing features like Bluetooth. She did not say in the video whether she plans to buy a car in the future or continue driving her current Mercedes. Mercedes and Toyota have not commented.