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What's the worst car you've ever owned?

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  • What's the worst car you've ever owned?

    As car guys, we're bound to make mistakes once in awhile, so I'm curious, what's the worst car you've ever owned? Not the cheapest, but the worst. The one you thought you'd love and soon realized that it was a POS.

    For me it was a 1993 Corvette convertible in bright aqua metallic. Purchased from a used car dealer on Beach Blvd in Huntington Beach with 4,000 miles and less than a year old. My first modern "sports" car and a total piece of garbage. Perhaps the worst build quality I have ever seen. Random small parts and nuts/washers used to drop out from under the dash on a regular basis and it made noises when you went over bumps that still haunt me.

    This one isn't mine but an exact copy. I can still hear a faint rattle when I look at the photo.

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  • #2
    I'm going to win this.

    In 2001 I bought a brand new Pontiac Aztek. It's hard to believe now, but the marketing of this thing really went at cars guys. I distinctly remember advertisements focused on the performance and mentioning the 185hp. I fell for it. Within a couple months it seemed the car was classified a national embarrassment and I still had 40+ payments to make. I hated driving that thing every damn day.

    Almost a confessional. Feels good!

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    • #3
      I once (1975 -1980) owned a Series 2 Lotus Europa. Could never make everything work at one time. Something was always broken, and very difficult to repair mainly due to atrocious build design & quality. Renault 4 cylinder engine and transaxle from FWD Renault 16, would not cool properly due to constant air entering cooling plumbing...
      Was quick and cornered like a rat in a sewer, when it was running. Hot in summer, freezing in winter, I could go on but you get the idea.
      Donated the car to the Plano,Texas High School Auto Shop and promptly moved to California for a decade.
      My last British car. Bought my first 911 a few years later, and have had at least one ever since.

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      • #4
        This is all too funny. I'll play.

        In the mid-1980's I took a sales job that came with a company car. I could get anything I wanted but it had to be an American car. I (for some unknown reason) chose a Chevrolet Celebrity. remember those? Just a stinking pile of s**t of a car. Gutless. Ugly. And my wife used to describe the interior as something from her 90-year old Aunt Dodie's living room.

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        • #5
          I've had some awful cars but the one sitting in my driveway right now as a third car gets under my skin the most. 2010 GMC Arcadia (with 50K) on it. What a POS. In the last 10K it has broken two motor mounts (within 4K), the A/C has been fixed twice and it quit again yesterday, had a bad Coil pack, keeps throwing a check engine light that is either the Cat going or an oxygen sensor. I had to drill a hole in the passenger headlight assembly as it fills with water and blows the bulb for the blinker (I have a replacement but the whole front of the car needs to come apart to replace). The steering rack is leaking. Somewhere it ate enough brake fluid that I got a "Brake Low" light. The whole interior is falling apart with broken switches etc. Given it is 12 years old but only has 50K on it. Goes to the mechanic this week and then it's outa here. Had enough.

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          • #6
            Hands down, my 66 Jaguar XKE convertible. Lemon yellow, black leather interior, prettiest car ever, piece of crap. Overheated all the time, would warp the head, ate alternators on a bi yearly basis until I put a Motorola in, etc. etc. After a year I bought a 356 SC my wandering days were over.
            Then again it was a great car to have in Newport Beach in my 20's.
            That straight six sounded great too.

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            • #7
              Worst car (well i didn't own it but used it for 4 weeks as a replacement while my then car was without an engine) was a Fiat 126 Polski
              rear engined aircooled - and crap like hell. It was where Italian enigineed met polish manufacturing

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              • #8
                Easy, early Audi diesel. I don't remember the model. The engine actually fell out when going over a railroad crossing. I think Audi actually had an advertising campaign at some point that went along the lines of "Audi, They're Better Now".
                John Audette
                www.911bestinclass.com

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                • #9
                  1965 Karmann Ghia. had to drive it with one hand squeegeeing the windshield condensation. /On the other hand, a 1970 Ghia convertible (had a fan) and was a great car.

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                  • #10
                    Well, when I was in NZ I had a 1978 Holden (GM) Sunbird...4 cylinder 80 HP heavy dog
                    Attached Files

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by simonjb View Post
                      Well, when I was in NZ I had a 1978 Holden (GM) Sunbird...4 cylinder 80 HP heavy dog
                      My sister's first car was a Sunbird. And I agree, Terrible car!

                      For me, it was a Mercury Bobcat I bought when I was 17 for $1,500. Green with a white vinyl top. I was so excited for my first car. And then I drove it. Hard to believe a $500 car wouldn't meet my low expectations but this car managed.

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                      • #12
                        2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Fully loaded 8 cylinder model. Visibility was awful, “A” pillars were huge, I never felt safe. Also couldn’t see behind me, rear quarter windows were tiny. My kids felt claustrophobic in the back, this was the only vehicle they ever hated being in. Now this is a good one..the A/C was crap: it was loud and not very cold. After repeated trips to service, the service writer said “hey, this isn’t a Toyota, what do you expect?” I dumped it after 14 months at a big loss, but worse car ever so I was happy to get it out of my life.

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                        • P-Nut
                          P-Nut commented
                          Editing a comment
                          This is classic. I’ve not owned any Jeep products but I’ve heard and read many stories of claustrophobic interiors, poor crash ratings and awful reliability.

                          Scott

                      • #13
                        @JP: Had a friend that bought a new Corvette every 2-3 years starting with a '72. Every ride with him was me pointing out a rattle (s) that seemed to have been inherited from his previous Corvette. He of course ardently defended "America's Sports Car". I love C2 'Vettes, but GM's fit and finish was increasingly sub-par from the '70s on.

                        Anyway, our candidate: 1995 Range Rover LWB. Beluga black, tan leather, the original Vanity of the Bonfires urban assault vehicle. Participated in a Range Rover promoted off-road ramble a month after we got it... during the event, the adjustable suspension failed. Good place to happen, flatbed to the dealer, two days later we get it back with a "bad sensors, should never happen again".

                        We're outdoors people, so a canoe/kayak rack was added, and about 2 months later went on a mud & paddle Jamboree near Naples. Had a blast: nothing like rolling through door-deep muck while ensconced in fine leather, wood and aircon while listening to Vivaldi. Afterwards, a quick stop at a carwash to remove the evidence and the suspension gets wonky again. Lifted and dropped half a dozen times on the 2 1/2 hour drive home. Took it to the dealer, service writer is aghast upon opening the hood: engine compartment was covered in mud. "Where on earth did you go?" he asks... I said we didn't get the thing to drive to the f@*king mall. Fix the issue and detail it, thanks. Less than a month later, down to the Miami Modern show to load up some mid-century furniture, on the return trip the thing falls on the stops lowrider style and won't get up. Spent the night in Miami and they sent another flatbed plus a loaner. Same issue happened 4 more times in 10 months... along the way, rust had to be addressed on the tailgate, and the AC needed attention. Happy to be rid of it after 24 months, thank god it was a lease.

                        Godless yuppie DINKs !

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                        Bullethead
                        Oil Cooled Heart
                        Last edited by Bullethead; 05-26-2022, 01:25 PM.
                        Sooner or later, someone else will own them all...

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                        • #14
                          75 Plymouth Fury. Imagine naming a car for the way that the owner felt about it? Clever, huh?
                          Former British Leyland mechanic, remember them?
                          Long Beach, CA

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                        • #15
                          I forgot about this one, co-owned with my lifetime friend in his usual attire.
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