Worst Car Ever that you've owned

[strider]

My mom's Ford Taurus hands down. 2 transmissions and logged around 70,000 miles. I know Ford has turned around but I don't think I could ever buy a Ford again.

[kdamron]

1999 Ford Mustang GT. Blasted thing broke down every single payday. I still have no idea how it knew...

[strider]

sroo4. That looks alot like my Pontiac Grand Prix now. Haha. The electrical is awful in mine. Had my windshield wipers go out in a blizzard on a mountain pass (They closed the road behind me so I kept going forward. Ugh that sucked.

[Bob Ross]

Jun 20, 2011 22:32:22 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Worst car... 1982 Mustang. It was Beige.

Jun 21, 2011 9:39:05 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

I feel for the person driving the beige mustang. At least it was a mustang. I believe the color they called this Topaz was Light Cocoa. Ughhh it was terrible.

I currently have a beige Cadillac Eldorado. GM "officially" calls the color "slate grey metallic" but they're not fooling anyone. It's beige, man. It's also got a lighter beige partial landau roof. It's pretty bitchin'. I get compliments all of the time at the Country Kitchen Buffet. ;D

Just remember...beige is not just a color. It's a lifestyle.

[Tiny]

I found a picture of one.. Just what every 23 year old girl wants to drive.. Grandma's car!

Sometimes I think there's some wisdom to having young adults drive crappy old no pickup cars. They (the kids) live longer. I know I was Death On Wheels (even though I'm female!) back then and I'm sure the limitations of the cars I owned back then kept me alive (both from the fact that the cars were NOT cool so I couldn't keep up with the "Joneses" and that they didn't always run so well).



ETA: had to google for the color name of the 82 mustang - I'm going to go with Pastel Vanilla.... maybe they mean French Vanilla?? I guess Pastel Vanilla could be a Yellow-y Tan color AKA Beige.

[tskeeter]

1980 Chevy Citation.

48K miles - rebuild transmission, 2nd gear shift forks worn out

51K miles - replace plenum for air injection, rusted out

52K miles - replace driver's side mirror, control cables pulled through corroded back plate

60K - replace automatic choke, which would not release

63K - replace fuel level sender in gas tank

68K miles - replace parking brake cable and pedal assembly, cable rusted solid in steel jacket, bent light weight pedal assembly trying to put on parking brake

68K miles - driver's side floor pan rusted out, allowing a nice view of the driveway while replacing the parking brake cable. "Repair" with skin from a door off a junked car

76K miles - repair (sort of) and adjust carburetor, carburetor so badly worn that next step is replacement. Cost of replacement would equal value of car

88K miles - sell car cheap and move out of town before the car turns into a pile of corroded metal on the toll way

[Poppet]

My worst car was a vehicle I had while stationed on Okinawa. It was called a Gemini and I don't even remember who made it, Izuzu?
I wanted it because it was nice looking, navy blue and sort of resembled a Jetta.

Anyway, it would sometimes refuse to start. stalling at stop lights and major intersections was its specialty. It would just conk out at just about every other stop light EXCEPT when a man drove it. Then it behaved.

Auto repair men, of course could not find anything wrong with the car. They were, after all, men.

The point in which I wanted to take a sledge hammer to it was when my then toddler son had an accident and needed to go to the emergency room and the car would not start. I tried and tried and my kid was bleeding and well... I gave the car away to a friend who did not believe me about it's selective malfunctioning powers.

[Poppet]

ooops. Double post.

[Small Biz Owner]

German made Opel Omega known in the USA as a Cadillac Catera.

[chiver78]

Jun 20, 2011 23:45:40 GMT -5 @tiredboomer said:

2002 Saturn. Started with $2000 worth of repairs at 22,000 miles and continued to get worse. I had a 1997 Saturn that was wonderful, but their quality went way down apparently.

Saturn definitely had a break point - anything before it was excellent, afterwards, complete junk. I thought that point was '96, sounds like it was a little later. anyway, there was a change in upper management around that time (my uncle worked there, so I got the back story) and that's when it all started going downhill.

I had a '94 SL2 that had 140k miles on it when I sold it as my stupid tax for graduating college. that was 10 years ago, and that little SL2 is still seen periodically around my hometown. I wonder how many miles are on it now....

as far as my own worst car, it would have to be Phyllis - a late-80s Chrysler LeBaron sedan, not convertible, in a lovely shade of dull gray. it would shake between 60-80 mph - I did mainly highway driving with this car, that sucked. towards the end of its life, it lost power steering and stability in handling. I ended up having to borrow it back from my younger sis when my above-mentioned SL2 was in the shop to repair damages caused by a tow truck just before graduation. Phyllis had a Rejection sticker at that point, and I think got retired not long after I got my SL2 back.

[TheOtherMe]

For me, it was a Ford Escort--the only American car I've ever owned. It was in the mid-80's. I'd be driving down the highway (it didn't do this in town) and the engine would just stop. Dealership couldn't figure out what was wrong with it.

I dumped it for a Honda and have had two Honda's since.

[Tiny]

I had a 74 Nova - it was my first car - purchased as a BeaterMobile - it was a money pit - and should really be my Worst Car experience. The shiny finish from it's original lima bean green color was gone. The interior was pretty much torn apart. It came with bald tires (I got 'new' tires from my brother's dead Firebird - yes, my brother made me do all the work to replace the tires.). I had to put water/antifreeze in the radiator every week. It leaked oil, had to put in a quart every two weeks. I also had to keep adding brake fluid couldn't figure out where it was going. After a big temperature change (like over night during the spring and fall) I needed to use a screw driver and some spray stuff on the carburator to get it started. It was incredibly fast coming off a stop light - couldn't be beat! hee hee hee. I'm amazed I'm still alive and didn't crash the thing. I did love that car Despite being Death on Wheels I had incredibly low insurance even on my own (my mom wouldn't put me on her insurance - she didn't want me to have a car - I was almost 18!)
That's why it's not my Worst Car.

[CarolinaKat]

'93 Jeep Cherokee... My parents bought it and then 'gave' it too me after I started working because my '93 mercury broke down often and I lived alone and had to get to work. I called it the 'rolling deathtrap.' It had this awful shake that would start around 60 and you felt like you and the car were going to fly apart at any minute. If you were accelerating to over 75 though, it would only shake until you'd been over 75 for about 10 mins. Replaced everything you could think of, and it still shook. Eventuallly it started to shake around 50 and that was it for me. I gave the damn thing back. Eventually the mechanic said, I have no idea what's wrong with it, but it's worth X in parts...

[Mad Dawg Wiccan]

I didn't own it, but I had to drive an '87 Ford Aerostar van as a company vehicle. It blew the rear main seal at 3,000 miles, and things went downhill from there. The rear brakes would grab when it rained, a neverending source of excitement. I will never forget Veteran's Day 1988, I was exiting the freeway in the rain. The frigging brakes grabbed, first spinning me out and then rolling the POS.

[dancinmama]

Jun 20, 2011 22:23:29 GMT -5 Waffle said:

I'm on my second Dodge Caravan and really can't complain. The first one I had for 10 years. Granted, I don't put a lot of miles on my vehicles. I've got 56,000 on this one - but no major problems.

waffle: Glad you had a better experience than we did. We bought ours new in 1987 (the only new car that we've ever purchased) and we were not the only ones in that model year that had transmission problems - many others had them as well and Dodge just prayed that they went out after the warranty was up, as was the case with us. We were two months past the time limit and waaaay under on the mileage limit.

In addition, when the transmission failed the first time we had the dealer do the replacement. That transmission did not last even 20K miles, before we had to put in a third. We went to an independent mechanic for that one. Transmissions ARE NOT CHEAP.

Our absolutely best car before buying the Caravan was a Chrysler Cordoba (which is why we bought the Dodge). We bought it with less than 25K miles for $5K from a private owner. We drove it for 13 years and only did regular maintenance. We sold it for $700. But our experience with Dodge corporate and the dealership left a bad taste in our mouth, so we blackballed Chrysler/Dodge.

Now I am sad to say that both our vehicles are foreign cars. I am hoping to buy US next time, but have absolutely no idea what would be reliable.

[daisylu]

Jun 21, 2011 10:56:33 GMT -5 Poppet said:

My worst car was a vehicle I had while stationed on Okinawa. It was called a Gemini and I don't even remember who made it, Izuzu?
I wanted it because it was nice looking, navy blue and sort of resembled a Jetta.

stalling at stop lights and major intersections was its specialty. It would just conk out at just about every other stop light EXCEPT when a man drove it. Then it behaved.

Auto repair men, of course could not find anything wrong with the car. They were, after all, men.

I have a 2001 Isuzu Trooper that had the VERY same issue. I fought that thing for 2 years, in and out of the dealership =- big $. Then a GREAT mechanic discovered that it has a sensor that causes this when it is even the slightest bit low on oil.

[midjd]

I don't really see a distinction between "domestic" and "foreign", at least not anymore... there is a Honda plant just down the road that employs about 5,000 people and is getting ready to hire 1,000 more. I'm sure plenty of sales revenue goes overseas, and stays there - but as far as I'm concerned, there are 5,000-6,000 people in my city with good solid jobs making and assembling Hondas, so it's not unAmerican of me to buy one

(Meanwhile my worst-car 98 Taurus had a big sticker on the windshield stating that it was built in Mexico. My ex's Buick Regal had a similar sticker saying "Assembled in Toronto".)

[CarolinaKat]

Jun 21, 2011 12:50:39 GMT -5 midjd said:

I don't really see a distinction between "domestic" and "foreign", at least not anymore... there is a Honda plant just down the road that employs about 5,000 people and is getting ready to hire 1,000 more. I'm sure plenty of sales revenue goes overseas, and stays there - but as far as I'm concerned, there are 5,000-6,000 people in my city with good solid jobs making and assembling Hondas, so it's not unAmerican of me to buy one

(Meanwhile my worst-car 98 Taurus had a big sticker on the windshield stating that it was built in Mexico. My ex's Buick Regal had a similar sticker saying "Assembled in Toronto".)

There was a survey a while back showing what % of parts and assembly of a car were foriegn/domestic (domestic being defined as Canada and US). I remember the percents were usually not indicitave of whether the company was an 'american' company or 'foreign.' Hondas have a pretty high percentage domestic.... i'll link if i can find the article

[muttleynfelix]

We bought ours new in 1987 (the only new car that we've ever purchased) and we were not the only ones in that model year that had transmission problems

My parents bought an '88 Caravan new .. on our '92 family vacation, 1500 miles from home the engine blew!! Oh what memories. My sister was 17, brother 15 and I was 10. Stuck in a 1950s style pop-up camper in Kingman Arizona the last week of June! The rental car was a Chevy Corsica. Add in an escaped convict and an earthquake and lots of buffet dinners at the Casinos in Laughlin, NV ... I guess you can tell why that is the vacation we all talk about.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

I didn't own it personally, but I sure learned the lessons: My parents had a 1984 Buick Century. This thread's pretty long, any non-American label cars posted as the worst car? See a LOT of Chrysler / Plymouth.

[midjd]

any non-American label cars posted as the worst car?

No late-model ones... couple of 70s-80s Hondas and Toyotas, but I think that's it.

[strider]

I know people that have 400,000+ miles on their honda civics. They will probably die before the car does. Domestic cars haven't been great since the muscle car. Sure the companies may be headquartered in the US but Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda all have plants in the US that provide jobs. I consider that to be pretty American at this point.

[Catseye]

I've owned 2 Mustangs - an '81 and a '83 and they were both pretty lousy. Bought the '83 used and let my ex-step dad who'd been a mechanic for several years pick it out for me. BIG MISTAKE. The d*** thing had been in an accident and why step dad didn't figure this out from the mis-matched paint job, I'll never know. He made up for his bad judgment by working on the car whenever it needed it. Until he split up with mom, of course.
The next car was a new Buick Skyhawk and it was also underwhelming. The beautiful paint job began flaking off during the first year I owned it! A portent of things to come. The a/c compressor conked out at year nine and I drove it for another 4 years without air (in Arkansas) because I was NOT going to put $1000 plus into that POS.
Finally traded it in for my Hyundai Accent, which is the most dependable car I've owned so far. Had it nine years and counting. My next car will likely be a Hyundai also.

[moneymaven]

Ford Explorer. Literally, as I was trading in the vehicle - final drive by the dealer, the engine decompressed and I got junk parts for the POS. I will never buy Ford again.

I love my GMC's though. Owned 3 of them and they are wonderful to me.

[kgb18]

1999 Volkswagen Cabrio. It was a total lemon. I had nothing but problems with it from the get go. It was such a disappointment.

[Wisconsin Beth]

I learned early on how to stick a screwdriver to prop open the butterfly valve on my parents station wagon. I have no idea of make or model.

I was afraid my first Ford Escort was a POS car but after I mentioned the lemon law to the dealer it started behaving itself and I didn't have any problems after that. I had 3 more Fords after that which were great cars. Admittedly I totaled 2 of the Ford Escorts around the 5+ year mark.

I really don't like my Dodge Caravan but that's not because of POS issues it's more personal preference issues like "I hate the heater, the placement of the cup holders, the space in back seat, the way the remote works, etc." than actual issues.

[thyme4change]

I think there was a Kia here, aren't those Korean or something? And a couple of VW's.

But yes, mostly American. Probably due to the average age of the poster here. We all drove old American cars during our teenaged years, as old Hondas weren't very prevelant, unless you are talking to younger people. I know we have some younger people here - but I bet statistically, most of us were not born in the 80's or 90's.

[Poppet]

I have a 2001 Isuzu Trooper that had the VERY same issue. I fought that thing for 2 years, in and out of the dealership =- big $. Then a GREAT mechanic discovered that it has a sensor that causes this when it is even the slightest bit low on oil.


I knew I wasn't crazy. ;D

[Deleted]

It would be easy to say my first car at 16 because it was a POS - but that was the point. The biggest disappointment from a new car was the Mazda CX-7 we had a few years back. The unpredictable turbo lag was dangerous. Sometimes you would go to pull out into traffic and the power was just not there. Other times it was fine.

[kgb18]

I didn't even count my very first car ever. That car was a huge POS, but I expected it to be. It's so much worse when you spend good money on a brand new car and it turns out to be a POS.