The Worst Cars Of All Time

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Nothing scientific about this but a pretty good sampling IMO. A lot of you probably weren't around yet for some of the true duds that have been made.

-------------------------------------------------
The Worst Cars Of All Time
The current lucky generation of automotive customers has no real understanding of how truly awful a car can be.

Even entry-level vehicles and subcompacts these days are surprisingly well made, thanks to a revolution started mainly by Japanese automakers like Toyota and Honda Motor. Honda's first-generation Accord came out in the days when Detroit was producing real stinkers like General Motors' Chevy Vega and Ford Motor's Pinto. Between that time and today, the Japanese proved to the world that just because a car was cheap, it didn't mean it also couldn't be a well-built, value-laden automobile that looked and drove well.

Now, it's hard to find poorly made cars at all. True, nascent auto industries in places like Sri Lanka, Vietnam and other developing nations are a long way from turning out flawless automobiles. But even here the general quality is ensured, because most of the manufacturers have joint ventures with Japanese and Western carmakers.


The Japanese influence has rippled across the auto business, from inexpensive vehicles to high-quality sports and luxury cars. Early in his career, Porsche's current president, Wendelin Wiedeking, shook up the company's inefficient, crowded factories by consulting Japanese manufacturing experts. The experts reorganized Porsche's plants, forging lean assembly lines that have made a once-reeling company highly profitable.
(CONTINUED)
http://tinyurl.com/2usjl



http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/8897/worstcars4rz.png

[ludo21]

LOL

First thing when i clicked on the thread was, PINTO!!

And their it is, in all its glory at #2!

[KipCorrington25]

I did own one of the cars on the list... but hey, it was 80's, I thought mullets were cool then too.

[bronco militia]

LOL

First thing when i clicked on the thread was, PINTO!!

And their it is, in all its glory at #2!

pretty ironic considering it was going to be the 1st car with airbags and a "soft" fuel tank...way to go Ford.

[penguintheory]

Incredibly ugly: Pontiac Aztek.

[Rohirrim]

And the Yugo wins! I remember once on the radio the Car Guys told some guy who wanted to buy a Yugo, "Make sure you get the hatchback with the defroster in the rear window. Then, you can keep your hands warm while you're pushing it." :rofl:

[JAWS]

The very worst car I ever travelled in was a lada riva similar to this one:
http://www.bloged.co.uk/pics/20050805/ladariva.jpg

A friend of mine had one in college. It was one heck of an ugly car and whenever you went up even the slightest of hills it would slow down right to a crawl and you'd have to change to first gear.

Even my gran at walking pace would have been faster than that heap!

[Rascal]

And the Yugo wins! I remember once on the radio the Car Guys told some guy who wanted to buy a Yugo, "Make sure you get the hatchback with the defroster in the rear window. Then, you can keep your hands warm while you're pushing it." :rofl:

LOL!!

[watermock]

Undoubtably the YouGotodashop. And there were SO many dealers to service it. Believe it or not, Pintos actually had an engine that lasted to about 80K but made perfect suicide IEDs if hit from the rear. I actually saw a Pinto wagon in perfect condition. Must of been an ole lady car or something.

The Hundai was a great seller, but they usually pulled a Chef at around 60K. Chevy Cavaliers were terrible too, as well as Sunbirds. Both are much better now. The Caddy 8-6-4 was so infuriating everyone just disconected it. GM put out alot of crap in the 80's. Most cars are pretty darn good now that hung over welders and installers have been largely replaced with androids from the future. Used to be you asked what day of the week the car was built. Monday and Friday were nono's.

[Smiling Assassin27]

can't believe the xr4ti didn't make the list. what a piece of crapola.

[-Slap-]

There is no other choice for number one than The Trabant (http://www.team.net/www/ktud/trabi.html) from Hungary.

From the resin and wool(!) composite chassis, to the two cylinder, two stroke engine. Nothing else is in its class. A Yugo looks like a 1931 Silver Shadow Rolls Royce by comparison.

[Rascal]

Resin and wool? Holy crap...I can just imagine how well that thing did in an accident.

[Bronx33]

What the heck was wrong with the 89 ford bronco 2 ?

[Bronco_Beerslug]

What the heck was wrong with the 89 ford bronco 2 ?
I thought those and Chevy Blazers (small version) were pretty much crap. Didn't actually own either but seen a few them disintegrate on their owners.

[Rock Chalk]

I thought immediately of Pinto and Yugo's.

#2 and #1 respectively.

The Fiero was another thought because of its piss poor unsafe design, but I didnt really expect to see it on this list.

Surprised the Dalorian isn't on there.

[Alkazar]

I for one actually think the Pinto was given a bad rep that it didn't deserve. I owned two that were among the best cars I've had.

[Needa Pass Rush]

http://www.nashnut.com/archives/m77gremlin.jpg

[maven]

Here's a '91 Yugo for sale on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Other-Makes-1-3-LITER-4-CYL-GV-PLUS-91-YUGO-GV-PLUS-ELECTRONIC-FUEL-INJECTION-HATCHBACK_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6472QQitemZ46 34281637QQrdZ1

[Master___Pain]

The AMC Eagle, maybe not the worst, but certainly one of the ugliest.

http://cache.jalopnik.com/cars/amc_eagle.jpg

[scorpio]

AMC Eagles rule. I'm going to buy one someday, then lift it and slap on a winch.

Anyway, the 1980s Chevy Cavaliers deserve at least an honorable mention for worst car ever.

[bronco militia]

What the heck was wrong with the 89 ford bronco 2 ?

easy roll over

[crazyhorse]

The Pinto gets an unfair reputation. Out of the millions sold, there were only 4 that exploded when hit in the rear. Though that still isn't a good thing, the Chevy truck had over 200 blow up by being hit in the side. That is why they had to put the fuel tank between the frame rails. But the Pinto has the rep for being a bomb waiting to go off when the Chevy truck had more than 50 times more incidents.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

The Pinto gets an unfair reputation. Out of the millions sold, there were only 4 that exploded when hit in the rear. Though that still isn't a good thing, the Chevy truck had over 200 blow up by being hit in the side. That is why they had to put the fuel tank between the frame rails. But the Pinto has the rep for being a bomb waiting to go off when the Chevy truck had more than 50 times more incidents.
"the barbecue that seats four." There had to be more than that wasn't there? I think 30 people were barbecued over all.




http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/images/23/pinto.jpg

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

Most cars are pretty darn good now that hung over welders and installers have been largely replaced with androids from the future. .

The new plants (all manufacturers) look more like hospitals or computer clean room compared to the old rivethead days. Takes a whole new skill set to work those assembly lines.

[Master___Pain]

AMC Eagles rule. I'm going to buy one someday, then lift it and slap on a winch.


Here you go!
http://washington.uwc.edu/depts/compsci/cps139DEf05/kuhnb1299/images/pa6/niceeagle.jpg

[smalltowngrll]

Yep...I'm embarrassed to say that the very first car I ever owned was a YUGO!! haha...but, I have to say, I never had a problem with it...until it was paid off! It was a good little car with excellent gas mileage! But, it was an embarrassment!

I'm surprised that Hyundai's aren't on that list. Now that was a bad choice on my part!!

Glad I own something a lot better these days! ;D

[watermock]

http://cache.jalopnik.com/cars/amc_eagle.jpg

Speaking of AMC, we bought a small AMC dealership for whatever reason I don't know. I got to drive around in a Golden Eagle Jeep pickup but the place went down faster than the Titanic. The General Manager bought about 30 Matdors and 20 Gremlins and Pacers and charged them to us. Evidently he got a good deal since they went out of business in months and Jeep was sold to Chrysler. We only bought it for the Jeep dealership and they were crap then too.

The Golden Eagle pickup was pretty fun to drive tho. It was just fundamentally a bad vehicle tho. Tranny would blow out, radiator, water pump, camber in the wheels. It's was trash. It was super cool with the big eagle on the hood and the mag wheels tho.

[Hogan11]

It's the Vega, hands down.

It was the only car ever to actually rust out on the showroom floor. My sister in law had one and it died on her before it hit the 50,000 mile mark (and yes, she took good care of it).

Even though there are three Fords on the list (and the 1978 Mustang II should be on there as well) nothing on there can surpass the Vega in terms of being a total lemon.

[watermock]

People, I have sold cars and had nightmares about going to hell.

You can only lead a horse to water but not make him drink. I have been fired twice for trying to keep customers from being ripped off.

[Florida_Bronco]

Even though there are three Fords on the list (and the 1978 Mustang II should be on there as well)

Why do you say that? The Mustang II was one of the best bangs for the buck back then (even more so than the "mighty" Z28 and Trans Ams) and was one of the best selling Mustangs ever.

[Dr. Broncenstein]

How did the Rennalt "le car" get snubbed?

[crazyhorse]

"the barbecue that seats four." There had to be more than that wasn't there? I think 30 people were barbecued over all.




http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/images/23/pinto.jpg

The point was, that the Chevrolet pickup cooked 50 times more people than did the Pinto, yet the Pinto was the car to get the "bar-b-que" car of the century reputation. I thought it was just an interesting fact.

The pic you posted leaves little arguement that if the explosion didn't kill them, the impact would have. That thing got creamed.

The numbers were, as I understand them, 4 for the pinto 200+ for the pickup.

The term "the barbeque that seats four" is the precise reason I posted on this thread. The Chevy Pickup was the barbeque, not the pinto.

IMO the Jeep is one of the most dangerous cars ever made. It's a cool car, no doubt. But has killed more people than the Pinto and the Chevy Pickup combined. Where design safety is concerned anyway.

[Rock Chalk]

IMO the Jeep is one of the most dangerous cars ever made. It's a cool car, no doubt. But has killed more people than the Pinto and the Chevy Pickup combined. Where design safety is concerned anyway.
Jeep wasnt designed for idiots to drive. Most people who have driven Jeeps and been killed were doing something that the Jeep was not supposed to be doing, like climbing up extremly steep grades ya know, for fun.

As far as worst cars ever by looks, the Pinto beats everything hands down. Ugliest car ever.

[Master___Pain]

Best car name....the Chevy Nova. It did not sell real well in latin speaking countries for some reasonLOL ;D :rofl:

[watermock]

My orther had a 396 which is put back into it, whitch blew up after he outran 15 cops in two states.

The 482 simply didn't let the car grip, it simply tore trannys.

It rested for a couple decades.

[scorpio]

Here you go!
http://washington.uwc.edu/depts/compsci/cps139DEf05/kuhnb1299/images/pa6/niceeagle.jpg


respect

[crazyhorse]

Jeep wasnt designed for idiots to drive. Most people who have driven Jeeps and been killed were doing something that the Jeep was not supposed to be doing, like climbing up extremly steep grades ya know, for fun.

As far as worst cars ever by looks, the Pinto beats everything hands down. Ugliest car ever.

Well that and driving around a corner on a public road.

Dont try so hard Al.

Hows the San Fran Trade for that 6th overall pick going? ROFL! Retard.

[Sassy]

LOL

First thing when i clicked on the thread was, PINTO!!

And their it is, in all its glory at #2!
My friend and I were in a rollover in one(on a gravel road) ...it was insane...and two seconds...not kidding...before the car rolled my thought was "Put your seat belt on and it will be ok"...we both walked away from it.
She was driving.

[Kaylore]

There is no other choice for number one than The Trabant (http://www.team.net/www/ktud/trabi.html) from Hungary.

From the resin and wool(!) composite chassis, to the two cylinder, two stroke engine. Nothing else is in its class. A Yugo looks like a 1931 Silver Shadow Rolls Royce by comparison.
Damnit Slap, I was gonna post that.

There were all sorts of jokes about this piece of crap car that was made of some kind of fiberwood. If you crashed in the Trabant, you were going to die. Jokes about rear-defrosters in place as hand warmers while you pushed it around were quite common.

[TexanBob]

Ugliest car ever was the 80s Cadillac Seville, the one with the rear end that resembled a dog taking a dump. I felt Seville owners should have been required to pay an "ugly tax" just for having that thing on the road.

I will say I've heard enough about the Trabant to believe it was the worst car from a performance standpoint. But even that had more dignity than a Seville.

[ludo21]

My friend and I were in a rollover in one(on a gravel road) ...it was insane...and two seconds...not kidding...before the car rolled my thought was "Put your seat belt on and it will be ok"...we both walked away from it.
She was driving.

woah!!

Sounds like someone was watching out for ya :thumbs:

[Hogan11]

Why do you say that? The Mustang II was one of the best bangs for the buck back then (even more so than the "mighty" Z28 and Trans Ams) and was one of the best selling Mustangs ever.

I owned one of these miserable pieces of junk whilst in college and I paid for it twice over in nickle and dime repairs...hands down the worst car I ever owned.....and the reason why I'll never own another Ford for as long as I live.

[crazyhorse]

I owned one of these miserable pieces of junk whilst in college and I paid for it twice over in nickle and dime repairs...hands down the worst car I ever owned.....and the reason why I'll never own another Ford for as long as I live.

You wont own another Ford due to a car that was produced during the gas crunch of the late 70s? I thought all cars sucked back then.

[Hogan11]

You wont own another Ford due to a car that was produced during the gas crunch of the late 70s? I thought all cars sucked back then.

Bad experiences with a make and model tend to do that to you...don't you think?

[Florida_Bronco]

You wont own another Ford due to a car that was produced during the gas crunch of the late 70s? I thought all cars sucked back then.

It also weighed much less than the Camaro and Firebird twins while only make 5hp less then the Z28.

[crazyhorse]

Bad experiences with a make and model tend to do that to you...don't you think?

No.

I have a pretty reasonable understanding that there are lemons in every brand of automobile. But I sure as hell wouldn't judge a brand of cars based on anything made in the 70s. They all sucked. Including Chysler and Chevrolet.

[Hogan11]

It also weighed much less than the Camaro and Firebird twins while only make 5hp less then the Z28.

The one I had was a 4 cylinder.....we called it the Mousetang Ha!

[crazyhorse]

It also weighed much less than the Camaro and Firebird twins while only make 5hp less then the Z28.

What's a Camaro? Isn't that just another car the Mustang has wiped out?

[Hogan11]

No.

I have a pretty reasonable understanding that there are lemons in every brand of automobile. But I sure as hell wouldn't judge a brand of cars based on anything made in the 70s. They all sucked. Including Chysler and Chevrolet.

Well, be that as it may, I've owned a Buick, a Ford, A Chevy and a Toyota and hands down the Toyota has had less problems and been more fuel efficient than all the others combined....so I'm sticking with it from here on out.

[Sodak]

Chrystler K car.

[crazyhorse]

Well, be that as it may, I've owned a Buick, a Ford, A Chevy and a Toyota and hands down the Toyota has had less problems and been more fuel efficient than all the others combined....so I'm sticking with it from here on out.

The Japanese kids you send to college say thank you. Just so you know, all the electronic parts for the Toyota are made in China. Which is generally what goes wrong on cars. Just like all the American cars have Chinese electronics. This isn't the70's. Get with the program.

For the record I have been driving Fords for 25 years. I have yet to have a single problem with one. I conceed that I'm not driving a Mustang II. After all, it's been almost 30 years since they made those.

[Hogan11]

The Japanese kids you send to college say thank you. Just so you know, all the electronic parts for the Toyota are made in China. Which is generally what goes wrong on cars. Just like all the American cars have Chinese electronics. This isn't the70's. Get with the program.

For the record I have been driving Fords for 25 years. I have yet to have a single problem with one. I conceed that I'm not driving a Mustang II. After all, it's been almost 30 years since they made those.

Well, here's the news....I've never had a problem with the electornics or anything else on the Celica ST I have and it's approaching 275,000 miles...that's more than I can say for any of the other cars I've ever had.

Game, set, match Toyota as far as I'm concerned, I'll never own anything else.

[Florida_Bronco]

Well, here's the news....I've never had a problem with the electornics or anything else on the Celica ST I have and it's approaching 275,000 miles...that's more than I can say for any of the other cars I've ever had.

Game, set, match Toyota as far as I'm concerned, I'll never own anything else.

My 1994 Mustang GT with the 5.0 liter pushrod engine has over 213,000 miles and will still get 20+mpg on the highway, and other than normal wear items the car has not given me any trouble.

Just about any modern car will run a long time with proper maintenance.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

The Japanese kids you send to college say thank you. Just so you know, all the electronic parts for the Toyota are made in China. Which is generally what goes wrong on cars. Just like all the American cars have Chinese electronics. This isn't the70's. Get with the program.

For the record I have been driving Fords for 25 years. I have yet to have a single problem with one. I conceed that I'm not driving a Mustang II. After all, it's been almost 30 years since they made those.

LOL
Americans aren't as dumb as you give them credit for.

-------------------------------------------------------
By ERIC NOE

March 2, 2006 — For the first time in the 10-year history of its list of recommended automobiles, Consumer Reports cited only Japanese-made cars in its 10 "Top Picks" for 2006.

The exclusion of any American-made cars from the list dealt a blow to U.S. automakers, which have tried to reverse the adage that Asian companies make superior cars.

"I think it's indicative of the market," said Rebecca Lindland, auto sales analyst with Global Insight. "Consumer Reports has a very high standard for consumer research — the gold standard really — and for the list of top picks to not have any domestic cars on it really says something."

Honda Places Four in Top 10

Japanese automaker Honda led the way with four of its cars making the list, including first-time entrants Honda Civic and Honda Ridgeline. Honda's luxury line, Acura, also scored with the Acura TL sedan

Toyota made the list with two cars, the Toyota Prius and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, the only two exclusively gasoline-electric hybrid cars among the top picks. The Subaru Forrester, the Subaru Impreza and the Infiniti M35 rounded out the picks.

American automakers have seen a steady erosion of their market share the past several years as foreign companies, specifically Japanese manufacturers, gained a toehold with American car buyers.

Much of the domestic sales decline stems from a widely held consumer belief that American-made cars are of lower quality than their Asian counterparts. Analysts say U.S. carmakers, Ford and General Motors in particular, have failed to put out passenger cars over the last several years that appeal to American consumers. The all-Japanese Consumer Reports list is likely to reinforce that stigma.

"I think consumers do respond to these types of reports," Lindland said. "Manufacturers can't use Consumer Reports data in their advertising, so it's up to consumers to research this and find out the information for themselves. Unfortunately for the domestic companies, a large percentage of people actually do that research when it comes to buying a car."
(CONTINUED)
http://tinyurl.com/mtt4u

[GoHAM]

So sad to see the '78 Honda Accord Hatchback on the list. That was my first car. It was my Dad's goal in life to teach us kids the value of a dollar. His main tactic in this particular crusade was to have us buy our own cars when we turned 16. So The summer when I was 15 and I could legally work I got a job at Taco Time bending burritos and frying "hard waldos" (not as cool as it sounds) for minimum wage. I still vividly remember going car shopping with my dad when I turned 16, $1200 of my summer job was burning a hole in my pocket, so we roll into some sort of "car wars" at the events center parking lot and look at three or four different cars in my price range. While debating the merits of each car over Whoppers I can still distinctly remember my Dad, who is a brilliant surgeon but knows very little about cars, saying "If it were me I'd buy the Honda,..." and the punchline... "because Honda makes bulletproof engines. I've owned many Honda motorcycles and they have never let me down." Ahh, and the Gospel was spoken. I went back to the dealer and bartered (shrewdly to my 16 yr old mind) with the salesman and got him to knock $200 off the price. I forked over my hard earned Taco Time $1000, the salesman handed me the keys and I drove off in my little red honda. Not 60 miles later I had to pull over to the side of the road due to the rather large amounts of steam pouring out from underneath the hood. Oh, the car she was a beaut!! EVery time you'd turn her off she'd backfire. Which is pretty embarassing to a soph in HS. I became a master of dumping the clutch to kill the engine just before turning the ignition off to allieviate this minor problem. Also after running her hard for around an hour or so she would cough, sputter, and coast her way to the side of the road. Wait 10 to 20 minutes and off we'd go. I eventually wound up having the head gasket replaced, and the brake pads and rotors replaced and on, and on, and on until eventually the engine finally seized and I put her to rest. I can't totally dump on that car as it was my mode of conveyance on that magical night when Sabrina and I awkwardly fumbled away our virginity. Plenty of good times were had in that car.

Have any of you ever heard the song 1000 Dollar Car by the Bottlerockets? Pretty much summed up my ownership experience with the Honda.

A thousand dollar car it ain't worth nothin'
A thousand dollar car it ain't worth ****
Might as well take your thousand dollars
And set fire to it

A thousand dollar car ain't worth a dime
You lose your thousand dollars every time
Oh why did I ever buy
A thousand dollar car

A thousand dollar car is gonna let you down
More than it's ever gonna get you around
Replace your gaskets and paint over your rust
You'll still end up with something that you'll never trust
A thousand dollar car's life was through
'Bout fifty thousand miles before it got to you
Oh why did I ever buy
A thousand dollar car

A thousand dollar car ain't gonna roll
Until you put at least another thousand in the hole
Sink your money in it , and there you are
The owner of a two thousand dollar... thousand dollar car

--The Bottle Rockets (http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/bottle_rockets/bio.jhtml)
"1000 Dollar Car" (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000DTQR/qid=1109464090/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl15/104-8527994-8191108?v=glance&s=music&n=507846)

[Vegas_Bronco]

Dodge Rampage or any other El Camino type.

[The Big E]

I actually drove a Pinto in college. A Pinto wagon, no less. Unfortunately I had no choice because that's what my stepdad bought for me. I just can't understand why I didn't get laid more often.

I remember in the 80's seeing an ad where they were giving away a free Yugo with the purchase of a new BMW. Might was well be a TV or a toaster.

[Cleo McDowell]

http://www.automotivechronicles.com/articles/2005/feb/04/images/chevrolet-el-camino-73.jpg

the truck-car. worst.concept.ever.

[watermock]

That model was actually pretty good.

[Dr. Broncenstein]

I drove the same gutless toyota 4x4 pickup from 16 yrs old until I finished internship. Reliable for sure, and it was pretty cool for high school and college... but not befitting a 6'6" dude. I couldn't wait to get my Ford superduty. Thats me passing you uphill going 80 hauling a boat....

[Bronco_Beerslug]

I drove the same gutless toyota 4x4 pickup from 16 yrs old until I finished internship. Reliable for sure, and it was pretty cool for high school and college... but not befitting a 6'6" dude. I couldn't wait to get my Ford superduty. Thats me passing you uphill going 80 hauling a boat....

Not if you're pulling a real boat but they really don't have any hills in OK, just some inclines and declines :)