Had a 1980 Pontiac Phoenix SJ followed by a 1980 Volkswagen Rabbit...both absolute junk.
What is the worst car you ever owned?
- Thread starter Stonemason Jason
- Start date
Everything I've owned from the Chrysler group since the 1970s to the late 90s.
Nice to drive I must say but, had to work on them all the time.
Nice to drive I must say but, had to work on them all the time.
I haven't owned anything truly awful myself, but my parents did have a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan (3.0L Mitsubishi V6 with 3 speed auto) when I was teenager. They bought it when it was only 4 years old, but it had a lot of problems right from the start of our ownership. In around 8 or 9 years of owning it the tape deck never worked. AC kept failing. Numerous oil leaks. Cruise control never worked. It had ABS, but the great lockup of 2006 proved it didn't wasn't functional. The engine kept ejecting serpentine belts, no matter how many tensioners we threw at it. That left us stranded several times. Exhaust fell off twice. By the end it had a substantial fuel leak, the steering rack was leaking a lot too, trans started slipping, and one of the front turn signals stopped working which was down to a wiring harness failure that three different shops couldn't fix. Not to mention the fact that getting it to pass emission was a constant ordeal. I just started working on cars at the time and all it's problems were a bit overwhelming for me at the time so rather than me inheriting the van it went to the junkyard instead.
I do miss it, though. I liked the space and practicality. It occasionally pops up in my dreams where I miraculously find it for sale and buy it back at a good price with all it's problems fixed.
I do miss it, though. I liked the space and practicality. It occasionally pops up in my dreams where I miraculously find it for sale and buy it back at a good price with all it's problems fixed.
2001 Dodge Dakota.
Had both the 89 olds cutless 3.3l 3 speed and it’s Lux twin the 89 Buick Centry 3.3l 3 speed. The Oldsmobile went to the junkyard with under 100k on it, and the Buick got at least 235k but it burnt its valves early in life so it misfired for 75k mile and finally believe it or not electrical issues took it out. After replacing almost every electrical component under the hood it was still stall and die randomly and became very unreliable and I was afraid to take it even 1 mile down the road.
Even if I came across the free one I would pass on it. The driving dynamics were nonexistent, the three speed auto killed any sort of acceleration or fun, the suspension was so soft that every bump you would bottom out on and would swerve over the road…
1981 Red Plymouth Horizon TC3 hatchback 2 door automatic. That car was the biggest pile of junk ever produced. The doors wouldn't unlock in the winter if it got really cold. The car also had an overheating problem and blew a head gasket. The car would go through water pumps too. It wasn't a high mileage car and I believe the motor was the same engine they put in a Volkswagen Rabbit. When you turned on the air conditioner it was all the car could do to propel itself and the air conditioning compressor. All of my other vehicles have been very good that I owned in the past and I owned a lot of them.
The techs at the Oldsmobile shop I worked at told me the fe3 suspension made a big difference in these cars, but of course mine didn't have that. Body lean for days. Bought it in 1990 with 25,000 miles on it and it was constantly in the shop for something. Sold it privately and got a 91 Civic Si and never looked back. Water pump went out just weeks after I got rid of it.
1976 Pinto station wagon. Bought it new. Rear end failed, motor finally died as they forgot to put oiling holes where they belonged (a common Pinto problem), and the top of the radiator blew off as it had never been soldered on correctly. Car was JUNK. Never bought another Ford, never will.
78 mustang turbo burnt 3 sets of pistons within 10k a 2001 dodge dakota whose v8 kept sharing coolant and oil and a 2017 elantra whose body is falling apart right now , cheap thin tin work
2010 Chevrolet Traverse. So many electrical problems, it made my MG look pretty reliable. Odometer display partially failed, window and mirror switches failed, radio speakers failed, wiring harnesses fell apart, brake pad parted ways once and started grinding the rotor, evap purge valve failed, and finally the dreaded check engine light for "camshaft position error" came up, signalling the semi-routine timing chain replacement. Decided then I'd had enough of that General Maintenance vehicle.
I can’t say my 71 Dodge Dart because technically it was my mom’s car, but it was a real piece of gar age with electrical and flooding issues. The 98 Chevy K1500 I inherited from my dad is probably it. It has an intermittent phantom electrical drain so occasionally it likes to empty the battery. It’s so bad I had to install a second battery with a cutoff to keep from being stranded. Add to that the wipers only work occasionally, the defective ABS, brake lines rusting thru…
2005 gmc canyon that i bought brand new. after 2 weeks owning it, they had to replace the entire exhaust system. i was at the repair shop every 2 months from 2005 to 2010. never went to the repair shop again since i bought my first made in japan mazda. i buy made in japan mazda vehicles excusively now.
1985 S-10 Blazer 4.3V6. Lots of little issues. Engine was OK, just under powered for CC. Trans was a complete mismatch. Plastic stuff just crumbled.
1996 Honda Accord. Car was a major water leaker. Never found all the leaks. Otherwise OK car. Took a lot of abuse.
2017 Honda CR-V Touring. Just a major disappointment. Mostly wiring issues.
1996 Honda Accord. Car was a major water leaker. Never found all the leaks. Otherwise OK car. Took a lot of abuse.
2017 Honda CR-V Touring. Just a major disappointment. Mostly wiring issues.
For used cars a tie goes to a 1962 Chevy Biscayne acquired in 1971 that only had 42,000 miles on it at the time, and a 1974 Fiat 128 acquired in 1976 that had fairly low mileage, I forget the number.
Something was always breaking on the Chevy, leaving me stranded a number of times culminating with a blown engine at around 70,000 miles. The Fiat had paint so bad that going to the $0.25 car wash usually ended with a few flakes of paint being blown off, And it had a leak somewhere that allowed rain water to flow in under the dash and pool in the passenger footwell. I solved that by drilling a hole in the floor for it to drain. One day the sending unit for oil pressure just blew right out of the engine block.
But the worst new car was a 1982 Chevy Camaro. It had an engine miss that was hard to diagnose and spent 30 days in the shop in the first year and a leak in the differential that cause oil to migrate to the rear brake on that side.This was all within the first two years. Plus it was gutless and had that stupid GM auto transmission that was supposed to lockup at a certain speed but always seemed to be locking and unlocking.Oh, and the power window on the driver's side failed in the down position in the middle of February.
That was the last American car for me.
Something was always breaking on the Chevy, leaving me stranded a number of times culminating with a blown engine at around 70,000 miles. The Fiat had paint so bad that going to the $0.25 car wash usually ended with a few flakes of paint being blown off, And it had a leak somewhere that allowed rain water to flow in under the dash and pool in the passenger footwell. I solved that by drilling a hole in the floor for it to drain. One day the sending unit for oil pressure just blew right out of the engine block.
But the worst new car was a 1982 Chevy Camaro. It had an engine miss that was hard to diagnose and spent 30 days in the shop in the first year and a leak in the differential that cause oil to migrate to the rear brake on that side.This was all within the first two years. Plus it was gutless and had that stupid GM auto transmission that was supposed to lockup at a certain speed but always seemed to be locking and unlocking.Oh, and the power window on the driver's side failed in the down position in the middle of February.
That was the last American car for me.
91 full size Bronco.
Rebuilt engine at 70k, what a pouch that 302 was. I had to replace the power door locks (drives side twice), drivers side window motor, that window constantly came out of the track. Had the A/C upgraded and nothing but issues after that, if fact the A/C didn't work for years before I sold it. Half the time the rear window wouldn't roll down from the cab. Was always hard to get it in to four wheel drive, the auto locking hubs never worked right, I ended up putting manual hubs on it.
Rebuilt engine at 70k, what a pouch that 302 was. I had to replace the power door locks (drives side twice), drivers side window motor, that window constantly came out of the track. Had the A/C upgraded and nothing but issues after that, if fact the A/C didn't work for years before I sold it. Half the time the rear window wouldn't roll down from the cab. Was always hard to get it in to four wheel drive, the auto locking hubs never worked right, I ended up putting manual hubs on it.
2001 Subaru Outback with 5-speed manual. We bought it new.
Multiple clutches were replaced because of chatter (flywheel was eventually recalled), bad wheel bearings, leaking head gaskets (Subaru's official fix was radiator stop leak), and rear lift gate electrical problems so severe they had to replace the wiring and entire tail light assemblies.
A total POS, the worst car of the 30 or so I've owned.
Scott
Multiple clutches were replaced because of chatter (flywheel was eventually recalled), bad wheel bearings, leaking head gaskets (Subaru's official fix was radiator stop leak), and rear lift gate electrical problems so severe they had to replace the wiring and entire tail light assemblies.
A total POS, the worst car of the 30 or so I've owned.
Scott
A tie...and they are both sort of related;
1999 Mercedes ML 320
Best qualities were driving, even off road, visibility, comfort and appearance. Reliability was awful; switches falling apart, interior stained easily (and I am obsessive about clean cars), and constant electrical glitches. The car had random issues such as the radio volume adjusting on its own, various controls being intermittent and this culminated with a stroke that shut the car down and locked it in gear on the highway. The main transmission harness shorted and took out the cluster, etc.
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
Pretty much as above, except for awful interior material quality with the "leather faced' seats cracking at 23K miles. Constant electrical and transmission glitches. Had the HVAC controls replaced and the same electrical burning smell was starting when I traded her in. The final straw was when I was shut the ignition off, finishing a call sitting in the car and the xfer case shifted itself into neutral uncommanded. As this car was also used by our Nanny, I was at the dealer the next morning. They took it in, said they never heard of this and gave me a loaner....the recall came out a few weeks later. I also had a WK GC Limited before this one and the two sold me on Range Rovers. I wanted one and figured if I was going to deal with this type of reliability, I would get what I really wanted....ironically, they have ben some of my best vehicles.
1999 Mercedes ML 320
Best qualities were driving, even off road, visibility, comfort and appearance. Reliability was awful; switches falling apart, interior stained easily (and I am obsessive about clean cars), and constant electrical glitches. The car had random issues such as the radio volume adjusting on its own, various controls being intermittent and this culminated with a stroke that shut the car down and locked it in gear on the highway. The main transmission harness shorted and took out the cluster, etc.
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
Pretty much as above, except for awful interior material quality with the "leather faced' seats cracking at 23K miles. Constant electrical and transmission glitches. Had the HVAC controls replaced and the same electrical burning smell was starting when I traded her in. The final straw was when I was shut the ignition off, finishing a call sitting in the car and the xfer case shifted itself into neutral uncommanded. As this car was also used by our Nanny, I was at the dealer the next morning. They took it in, said they never heard of this and gave me a loaner....the recall came out a few weeks later. I also had a WK GC Limited before this one and the two sold me on Range Rovers. I wanted one and figured if I was going to deal with this type of reliability, I would get what I really wanted....ironically, they have ben some of my best vehicles.
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