ANY Ford from the 1980's should be on the list, especially the LTD's and Crown Vic's with the variable Ventura (sp?) carburetor.
Amazingly, my aunt's 197x Pinto was a great car, although we had no clue how much danger us kids were in every day!
My cars have been: 197x VW bug - excellent car
197x Ford Fairmont Futura 2dr - good car
198x Ford Mustang - piece of SHIT (But I was a college kid, too!)
198x Dodge Dakota Gen I - OK
199x Dodge Dakota Gen II - BEST truck I ever owned. Wish I'd kept it.
200x Dodge Dakota Gen III - ABSOLUTE PILE OF DOGSHIT IN BLUE! sued Dodge over it.
200x Ford Explorer - OK until the boy cracked up the front end and didn't think I'd notice...since then it's been a pain in the ass for suspension issues.
ten worst cars in the USA
-
MacTheWolf (imported)
- Articles: 0
- Posts: 4186
- Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2003 9:22 pm
-
Posting Rank
-
george2u2 (imported)
- Articles: 0
- Posts: 249
- Joined: Sun Aug 08, 2004 5:26 pm
-
Posting Rank
Re: ten worst cars in the USA
I loved my Edsel. The transmission buttons in the middle of the steering wheel. When I rented cars the company always specified economy, so I drove several Pinto's and Vegas. There were some Pinto's that I would like to have kept.
My first car was a DeSoto. Followed by Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler, Willys Overland, Renault, Cadillac, Honda, Buick, Subaru, and Jeep. It looks like I've left out, Caprice, Jetta, Camero, Edsel, Crown Victoria, Dodge and Plymouth Vans, Kenworth, Internationalnd and Volvo
But as the last Big Johnson T shirt lamented, If its got tots or tires It's going to give you grief.
My first car was a DeSoto. Followed by Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler, Willys Overland, Renault, Cadillac, Honda, Buick, Subaru, and Jeep. It looks like I've left out, Caprice, Jetta, Camero, Edsel, Crown Victoria, Dodge and Plymouth Vans, Kenworth, Internationalnd and Volvo
But as the last Big Johnson T shirt lamented, If its got tots or tires It's going to give you grief.
-
Losethem (imported)
- Articles: 0
- Posts: 3342
- Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2001 9:01 am
-
Posting Rank
Re: ten worst cars in the USA
Paolo wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2013 8:40 pm ANY Ford from the 1980's should be on the list, especially the LTD's and Crown Vic's with the variable Ventura (sp?) carburetor.
Amazingly, my aunt's 197x Pinto was a great car, although we had no clue how much danger us kids were in every day!
Now, now... my 88 Ford Escort GT was a GREAT car. Great fuel economy (best was 45.5 MPG across northern AZ), no problems, looked like a baby Mustang GT of the same year. I was never afraid to drive that car across the US and back (which I did 3 times AFTER it had 85,000 miles on it). My brother ran it up to 200K miles before it had significant problems. By the late 80's Ford was improving their line significantly.
My list of the worst cars of the last 40 years (in no particular order):
1. General Motors X-body cars 1980's - Buick Skylark, Oldmobile Omega's.
2. Ford Mustang II 1974 - Worst. Mustang. Ever. Didn't even have a V8 option that year.
3. Chevy Vega - my mom had one. It was a nice looking car, but a mechanical POS.
4. Dodge K Cars - Dad had one. The thing couldn't pass a snail in an hour.
5. The Yugo - A friend had one. Not sure what drug they were on when the bought it.
6. Ford Taurus - first round. The cars were generally o.k. but they all had transmissions that blew up at 85,000 miles. Very low mileage compared to other brands.
7. Chevy Blazer/S-10 Late 90's. Darn things rattled like a spray paint can. Every single one I ever rode in.
8. Anything built in the mid-70's. Pollution regulations killed horsepower. Then they all had the slab bumper to meet the 5mph bumper requirement without redesign of the car.
9. Chevy Chevette - what the hell were they thinking?
10. Late 90's to end of production in 2004 Chevy Cavalier - they were called Cadaver-liers for a good reason. Very unstable on the road. Had great MPG though.
--LT
-
StefanIsMe (imported)
- Articles: 0
- Posts: 770
- Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2004 3:32 pm
-
Posting Rank
Re: ten worst cars in the USA
Yep, as losethem says, the Dodge K-car was a horrid car.
It's my most hated vehicle.
So many people I knew had them in the 80's and through the 90's.
Why I hated them:
- Inside trim. Designers said; "Vinyl! And lots of it!" and make sure it will crack ASAP.
- The smell. They all smelled the same!! Some weird combination of gas, exhaust, and a vinyl/trim stench that combined to make every one of them make me slightly nauseus from the stink.
- The sound. Again, they all sounded the same! This stupid, insipid "muuuuuuUUUUAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH" as you stepped on the gas, like a bitchy, whiny old cat who moans whenever you try to urge it off the couch.
On the other hand, my favorite car that I've actually owned was my '78 Toyota Celica that I bought in 1987. Thing lasted me 10 years, and all I ever did to it (other than normal maintenance stuff) was replace the clutch.
It's my most hated vehicle.
So many people I knew had them in the 80's and through the 90's.
Why I hated them:
- Inside trim. Designers said; "Vinyl! And lots of it!" and make sure it will crack ASAP.
- The smell. They all smelled the same!! Some weird combination of gas, exhaust, and a vinyl/trim stench that combined to make every one of them make me slightly nauseus from the stink.
- The sound. Again, they all sounded the same! This stupid, insipid "muuuuuuUUUUAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH" as you stepped on the gas, like a bitchy, whiny old cat who moans whenever you try to urge it off the couch.
On the other hand, my favorite car that I've actually owned was my '78 Toyota Celica that I bought in 1987. Thing lasted me 10 years, and all I ever did to it (other than normal maintenance stuff) was replace the clutch.
-
nonuts (imported)
- Articles: 0
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2005 9:58 pm
-
Posting Rank
Re: ten worst cars in the USA
One correction to the list: The Yugo was built in Yugoslavia, NOT Serbia.
The Aztek was ugly, but hardly are reason alone to be a "worst" car. They were hard to service, due to the under hood packaging, and the plastic bit's and pieces fell off like EVERYTHING produced by GM even today, but it really wasn't that horrible to drive, and it's handling wasn't any worse than a lot of cars of the and it was better than many as well. The brakes were underpowered for a vehicle of it's weight, but again nothing that particularly stands out for the period.
Major omission: The 1983-1987 Renault Alliance/Encore, by AMC. Cars so horrible, that when you consider sold over 600,000 copies, there are hardly any around anymore. As bad as they were though, at least they did get great fuel economy, unlike the AMC Pacer and Gremlin, that were ugly, handled like pigs, slow, couldn't stop, fell apart, broke down, and got terrible fuel economy, when that was the very reason for their existence. Total fail.
I disagree with putting the Chrysler K-car or the Ford Taurus on the list. Yes, they weren't great cars, but they weren't the worst of their time either. Most importantly in both cases they saved their respective companies. The K-car also went on to become the basis of the Caravan.
The Aztek was ugly, but hardly are reason alone to be a "worst" car. They were hard to service, due to the under hood packaging, and the plastic bit's and pieces fell off like EVERYTHING produced by GM even today, but it really wasn't that horrible to drive, and it's handling wasn't any worse than a lot of cars of the and it was better than many as well. The brakes were underpowered for a vehicle of it's weight, but again nothing that particularly stands out for the period.
Major omission: The 1983-1987 Renault Alliance/Encore, by AMC. Cars so horrible, that when you consider sold over 600,000 copies, there are hardly any around anymore. As bad as they were though, at least they did get great fuel economy, unlike the AMC Pacer and Gremlin, that were ugly, handled like pigs, slow, couldn't stop, fell apart, broke down, and got terrible fuel economy, when that was the very reason for their existence. Total fail.
I disagree with putting the Chrysler K-car or the Ford Taurus on the list. Yes, they weren't great cars, but they weren't the worst of their time either. Most importantly in both cases they saved their respective companies. The K-car also went on to become the basis of the Caravan.
-
DeaconBlues (imported)
- Articles: 0
- Posts: 941
- Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:24 am
-
Posting Rank
Re: ten worst cars in the USA
I agree with nonuts that the Ford Taurus does not belong there, the transmissions were bad, but at least the car was somewhat practical and could be fixed for a reasonable cost.
NOW, there were some cars, that were not really BAD cars, like the Ford Pinto was BAD, a death trap by it's design, but the cars I am thinking deserve notice for their "WORST CAR EVER" status, are the ones that were HYPED up as such super shit hot cars, and turned out to be not so hot, and then were IMPOSSIBLE TO REPAIR OR MAINTAIN.
REMEMBER the HORRIDLY OVER HYPED "Merkur XR-4ti" It was touted as a German built "almost Porsche" at a Ford/Mercury price..... Uh huh, it was SHIT
What about the Chrysler TC coupe? Made in Italy.... Uhhhhh don't remember it? Good, it was a bad memory.
The Mercury "Mystique" and the "Scorpio," (yes, there really was a car called "Scorpio") Again, the "superior German craftsmanship" bullshit was used to sell these cars, and spare parts and upkeep was cost prohibitive.
I really don't think much of German engineering, I think that the German built cars are NOT that much better than their American counterparts and they only COST a lot more and are hyped up.
NOW, there were some cars, that were not really BAD cars, like the Ford Pinto was BAD, a death trap by it's design, but the cars I am thinking deserve notice for their "WORST CAR EVER" status, are the ones that were HYPED up as such super shit hot cars, and turned out to be not so hot, and then were IMPOSSIBLE TO REPAIR OR MAINTAIN.
REMEMBER the HORRIDLY OVER HYPED "Merkur XR-4ti" It was touted as a German built "almost Porsche" at a Ford/Mercury price..... Uh huh, it was SHIT
What about the Chrysler TC coupe? Made in Italy.... Uhhhhh don't remember it? Good, it was a bad memory.
The Mercury "Mystique" and the "Scorpio," (yes, there really was a car called "Scorpio") Again, the "superior German craftsmanship" bullshit was used to sell these cars, and spare parts and upkeep was cost prohibitive.
I really don't think much of German engineering, I think that the German built cars are NOT that much better than their American counterparts and they only COST a lot more and are hyped up.
Re: ten worst cars in the USA
I remember the XR4Ti Merkur, 1985 I think it was. There was ONE here in town, and it stickered for like $23k. A pile of money back in that day. It was around for one summer, then vanished. The local Ford lot had 1 Scorpio and 1 other XR; neither ever sold and were sent to ... wherever unsellable new cars go.
Seems that the likes of the 80's/early 90's Dodge cars like the TC3, "Charger", and Daytona have all vanished over time, too. Friend had an 86 Daytona and it was a great car. Then again, the sportier models never seem to "live" long.
Seems that the likes of the 80's/early 90's Dodge cars like the TC3, "Charger", and Daytona have all vanished over time, too. Friend had an 86 Daytona and it was a great car. Then again, the sportier models never seem to "live" long.
-
butterflyjack (imported)
- Articles: 0
- Posts: 613
- Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 6:33 pm
-
Posting Rank
Re: ten worst cars in the USA
Paolo wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2013 8:40 pm ANY Ford from the 1980's should be on the list, especially the LTD's and Crown Vic's with the variable Ventura (sp?) carburetor.
Amazingly, my aunt's 197x Pinto was a great car, although we had no clue how much danger us kids were in every day!
My cars have been: 197x VW bug - excellent car
197x Ford Fairmont Futura 2dr - good car
198x Ford Mustang - piece of SHIT (But I was a college kid, too!)
198x Dodge Dakota Gen I - OK
199x Dodge Dakota Gen II - BEST truck I ever owned. Wish I'd kept it.
200x Dodge Dakota Gen III - ABSOLUTE PILE OF DOGSHIT IN BLUE! sued Dodge over it.
200x Ford Explorer - OK until the boy cracked up the front end and didn't think I'd notice...since then it's been a pain in the ass for suspension issues.
Might I add to this..I bought a '95 Dodge Dakota new, put about 125,000 trouble free miles on it, (I used it for commuting back and forth to Brooklyn, NY from Wallkill, NY, about 100 miles each way). It got about 20-21 MPG...Hauled many cords of wood in it (although it would only carry about 800-1000 pounds in the bed)...Bought an '88 VW Fox wagon and didn't need it for commuting anymore...Gave it to my son-in-law (AKA the moron) who moved a ton of his household goods to Myrtle Beach and then as a work truck for a few years....He sold it for 4,000 bucks...What a gift that was!!!
I wish I still had it...But I've had many good vehicles over the years..A '72 Plymouth Satellite, 6 cyl/ auto was a real tank..Even my drunken ass couldn't kill it..
My brother had an early Vega he bought new...The motor completely wore out at 25,000 miles and it rusted out completely, even the roof! What a POS...
Chevy claimed they had developed a new procedure to harden the cylinder walls, negating the need for steel liners...BS! The cylinder walls were all scored and the engine burned amazing amounts of oil...I love cars...Always will, I hope...smooches all Jackie
-
cheetaking243 (imported)
- Articles: 0
- Posts: 422
- Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:35 pm
-
Posting Rank
Re: ten worst cars in the USA
The Chevy Vega definitely belongs on this list. My mom constantly tells me horror stories about how she had one back in the 70's, and the engine blew up after only 50,000 miles.
I haven't personally been around long enough to really ride the ups and downs of good/bad cars. I've only had two cars in my lifetime thus far... a 1996 Dodge Intrepid, (which, although VERY comfortable inside, was a total POS under the hood... I poured something like $6,000 in repairs into that damned thing in the 4 years that I owned it,) and a 1998 Toyota RAV4 (which, although much less comfortable on the interior, has been AMAZING in terms of maintenance. I've had it for 6 years now, it's up to 210,000 miles, and I still haven't had to do ONE major repair on it.)
I haven't personally been around long enough to really ride the ups and downs of good/bad cars. I've only had two cars in my lifetime thus far... a 1996 Dodge Intrepid, (which, although VERY comfortable inside, was a total POS under the hood... I poured something like $6,000 in repairs into that damned thing in the 4 years that I owned it,) and a 1998 Toyota RAV4 (which, although much less comfortable on the interior, has been AMAZING in terms of maintenance. I've had it for 6 years now, it's up to 210,000 miles, and I still haven't had to do ONE major repair on it.)