Worst Car ever Made

[Dr.Drew]

I was at the bar yesterday with a group of friends and we got on the subject of the worst car ever made. This is factoring in everything: concept, price, features, usefulness, aesthetics, etc. We represented a general cross section pretty well, we had a muscle car guy, an import guy, a ricer, a truck guy, a European exotic fanatic, a guy who doesn't care about cars, and a few others.

What we came to after an hour or so of debate and deliberation was...

The Hummer H3

It's not very well designed, the concept is stupid, it tries to do too many things and ends up not doing anything well, it's expensive to buy and expensive to own, and it's poorly built.


So I'm posting this because it's Monday morning. I'm bored, and I want to see what else we may have missed and what you guys think.

[matredd]

I had an 07 Chevy Colorado as my work truck that I put 37k miles on in about 9 months. It had so many electrical problems and rattling noises before I changed jobs. I looked under the hood and inside of an H3 and it was the same truck... I can only imagine.

[Dynra Rockets]

71-74 Vega. Quarter panels rusted on the showroom floor and engine typically lasted about 30-45k due to no liners in alum block causing lots of oil burn/piston rocking or cast iron head expension rate caused pre-MLS era head gasket failures.

I had one (actually 2). Bought a blown engine 73 in '80 for $250 (had 45k miles) and installed a 231 odd fire 110 hp V6/Saginaw 4 speed from 76 Monza (a bolt in).

Ended up buying a 74, also with a blown engine, as a parts car for $175 as too many parts were rusted beyond servicability and it was literally crumbled apart after a couple of months of driving. Floor boards gone, quarter panels gone, inner fender panels gone, windshield frame gone... and this was a 7 year old car.

Ultimately I used the less rusty 74 body and tranfered the engine.

[Dr.Drew]

The Vega was brought up actually but it did have some redeeming qualities. First off it wasn't terribly ugly, even pretty from some angles. Then is had a cosworth engine, and finally it wasn't a bad handling car either (at least for a big American iron sled).

We also tried not to make it year specific.

[Synthmob]

71-74 Vega. Quarter panels rusted on the showroom floor and engine typically lasted about 30-45k due to no liners in alum block

I don't remember much about the engine of the Vega my brother had (either 71 or 72) but I just remember that hard plastic interior and how brittle it got after a few short years of exposure to sunlight.

[blackmamba92]

any early model saturn. Burned oil, lots of electrical problems, made by GM and ugly as hell. Also for some reason attracted people to modify them = uglier. Are we seeing a pattern here? GM..... hmmmm.

[jzilla]

yugo.

runner up.

1st generation hyundai excel

[Dr.Drew]

I think the Yugo is saved because, although it wasn't necessarily a good car, it serves it's purpose well. It was a cheap disposable source of transportation.

[Dynra Rockets]

The Vega was brought up actually but it did have some redeeming qualities. First off it wasn't terribly ugly, even pretty from some angles. Then is had a cosworth engine, and finally it wasn't a bad handling car either (at least for a big American iron sled).

We also tried not to make it year specific.


I agree it looked nice for the era. A mini Camaro.

The cosworth was a bust. While it was port fuel injected and DOHC they couldn't figure out emissions with it's very basic analog computer. They had to detune it to 110 hp which was not worth the $4k premium ($6500 total, the same price as a base Corvette) over the standard 90 hp mill. They sold something like 1500 of them and today still only command about $6500.

[metalman]

The top three have already been mentioned...

1. Vega
2. Hyundai (1st gen)
3. Yugo

No matter what rationale is used, those ARE probably the worst
sheit piles ever built. Even a stupid sheit Hummer is far better.
Even the Cosworth Vegas were garbage. I know, I messed with one. :lol:

[matredd]

Daewoo?

[Beastinthebushes]

Corvair?

[jzilla]

Daewoo?


you are so young.

[metalman]

Corvair?

Corvair would make my top ten worst list.
Always broken down, leaking, and/or on fire. :lol:

Put a 400 small block V8 mid chassis and theyre kinda cool though. ;)

[Stealth97]

Your buddy don is a corvair head, too Kurt. I had a '92 Saturn SC and it wasn't a bad car. Mine had around 200k miles on it when some jerk totaled it for me.

[Doppelgänger]

Pontiac Aztec

/thread

[Dr.Drew]

I've driven a couple of early Saturns and while I wouldn't say they're great cars I wouldn't rank them amongst the worst ever.


Nice call on the Aztek Mike! That thing is garbage!

[Dynra Rockets]

Pontiac Aztec

/thread

That would be the worse looking car. The machanicals were actually okay for what it was.

[Doppelgänger]

Yeah, but a big factor on "worst car" is the factor of passers by asking "what were you thinking when you bought that?" and the Aztec takes the cake on that :lol:

[Beastinthebushes]

How about a pacer, pinto, or chevette? Those are all pretty bad in my opinion.

[metalman]

How about a pacer, pinto, or chevette? Those are all pretty bad in my opinion.

Compared to a Vega those are great cars. :lol:
But, as you can see from the list...GM pretty much takes the cake
when it comes to making sheitpiles. :lol:

BTW, IMHO Mitsucrap****ty made some of the worst Jap cars ever.
I cant tell you how many late model Mitsus I have seen pushed through the auction...and I mean
pushed, pulled, tugged, towed....and then see all the bidders on that lane scatter as if you sprayed
an aerosol contaminated with aids. :lol:

[oldgrayfrog]

Vega. Even the Cosworth which only accounted for a handful of production sucked. Hyundai excels were commonly found in junk yards with less than 30k on the ODO. Remember the Fiat X19? They were total piles, and lead the AAA list of most break down prone cars, for the entire run of production,

[metalman]

I think you ask someone that works for an automotive warranty company
you will find Rover to be in their top 5 sheitpiles. ;)

[metalman]

Remember the Fiat X19?

Yeah...I drove one on the Polar Bear Run. ;)
It was actually fun to drive...but yes, not a car I want to work on
and they often do need work. :lol:

[Dynra Rockets]

threadjack. Speaking of "fix it again tony", the 500 is due here this fall. Wife has already asked about it.

Based on our 8 year experience with the Mini Cooper, which IMO, is a cheap, crappy, plastic $10k designed car with big tires and stiff suspension and nice seats sold under the BMW umbrella for $25k, I don't think I will entertain the 500. 8 years of electrical gremlins, engines that burn way too much oil and $2500 clutch jobs is enough for me. If I am going to spend $25k again I want a car that is actually a 25k car.

[JennB]

For what it's worth, the MINI has changed a LOT since the 02 and 03 models which are known to be problematic... as are most first years of new car models. I've had two and loved them both. I've also driven a 500 and really enjoyed it. I hope it comes over with a low price tag though. It's not exactly on the same level as a MINI but still enjoyable.

I had a friend whose parents gave him a first gen Excel in high school. It literally couldn't make it up a large hill with more than 3 people in it. Five would fit but he never gave more than two people rides at a time.

[jester911]

I personally think the worst vehicle produced was the diesel V-8 crap Chevy put in their trucks in the early 80s. To this day this country still has a stigma about diesel engines that stemmed a lot from the troubles of those POS.

[VitaminD]

I think anything that Renault/AMC put out in the USA in the early/mid eighties deserves an honorable mention.

[Dr.Drew]

No way, the 80's clio was a cool looking car! I also think the X19 is kinda neat looking.

Kurt is right about the Rovers though. They were crappy cars that were badly designed and built. It seems like even when they did try to innovate they figured out what would work then purposefully did the opposite.

[Jack-MX5ATLanta.com]

Lexus RX330. Lexus SC 430 convertibles. Anything beige.

[theothersawyer]

Anything made my GM

[RotorNutFD3S]

Anything made by Ford

Fixed for accuracy. Especially the Taurus, Focus, or Exploder. Those 3 vehicles were our bread and butter when I worked at Ford. The Exploder especially, if it had cruise control, it could just catch on fire while sitting in your garage.

[theothersawyer]

I can agree with that for the older fords. The new fords are of high quality and are very good cars.

[jester911]

I have had many GM vehicles over the years and I never had a bad one. Very few problems with any of them. My GMC work van is solid as well. I know they made some bad products but so has every car company at some point.

The worst vehicle I ever owned though was my wife's Chrysler Town and Country mini-van.
That thing had phantom electrical problems constantly.
Not to mention that was our one and only lease of a vehicle.
What a joke that was.

[VitaminD]

No way, the 80's clio was a cool looking car! I also think the X19 is kinda neat looking.

Clio was 90's. I was thinking more along the lines of the Alliance. Slow, horribly unreliable, and total rust buckets. Oh, did I mention ugly? Never owned one but I'm not sure I would call the Clio "cool".

[Dynra Rockets]

Who would have thunk that Renault would have got it right back in 1980. The "Le Box" was actually "the shape of thinks to come" and not the TR7 (unless you count the ast gen MR2). The Smart Car also uses the 3 bolt wheels. Go figure.

[RotorNutFD3S]

I can agree with that for the older fords. The new fords are of high quality and are very good cars.

Depends on what you consider "new". This was around model year 2006, so not that long ago. And in talking to friends that still work at that dealership not much has changed. :dunno:

[theothersawyer]

I'm talking like very new 2009-2011 models.

[MXwes]

+1 on the Pontiac Aztek. They didn't even spell it right. My parents own one of these. It's ugly and uncomfortable. Driving it is like eating Cornflakes with skim milk, plain and completely forgettable. Head gasket started leaking at 50k and transmission went out at 90k. Plus, It's a V6 and it can only tow 2,000 lbs. My parents also owned a Ford Aspire:jawdrop:! A deer took care of it, though. :lol:

[blk95r]

Jeep Compass, WTF is that thing? The Aztec's little brother? Our friends have one and it has to be the cheapest made vehicle I've been in. Jeep should be ashamed to have their name on it.

[NA6R]

http://www.terra2imports.ca/ab-larger/119447201264519.jpg

[MoD_Scotty]

The reborn Monte Carlo. 3400lbs, FWD, 200hp (SS trim), more overhang than Frank LLoyd Wright design, and absolutely hideous. I've never been in one, but why the hell would I?

http://www.edmunds.com/pictures/VEHICLE/2002/Chevrolet/19045/2002.chevrolet.montecarlo.2313-E.jpg


Ooooooooh....later models had a 5.3L V8 that made 300hp. HOLY CRAP! And they're almost 3600lbs. AND STILL FWD.

[mustangtomiata]

the last of the international harvester pickup trucks especially v8, every car mentioned you still see once in a blue moon, most won't even know what I'm talking about but they were the biggest **** boxes when brand new. A family friend had 3 of them and within a year of the new purchase they were all parked and left to die.

[Beastinthebushes]

I would rock the **** out of a International Scout though