Other than most of the Fords Ive owned, 85 Renault Fuego. Bad injectors and bad MT synchros. Handled good though.
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What is the worst vehicle you have owned and why?
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Originally Posted By: bigj_16
1980 Chevy Citation. Owned it from 1984-1986. Suspension issues, rusting, engine mounts, exhausts, carburetor, interior, shifter, cooling system.
1980 Olds Omega - light blue, vinyl half top, brougham upgrade, iron duke engine, automatic, am radio, no ac, ordered by my dad. I "think" it took 9 mos to deliver. The salesman said the first one caught on fire during assembly. Salesman was very nice, a bit older. Owned it from 1980 - 1992. Overall it was pretty decent but did need a new trans when it was around 8 yrs old. Cost about $1k to fix by a very good local trans shop. When brakes needed work dad took it to Sears auto and they wanted $1k for all the work. So huge rip off there. A hole in the driver's side floorboard happened. A body shop welded in a new thick piece of steel.
1980 Chevy Citation. Owned it from 1984-1986. Suspension issues, rusting, engine mounts, exhausts, carburetor, interior, shifter, cooling system.
1980 Olds Omega - light blue, vinyl half top, brougham upgrade, iron duke engine, automatic, am radio, no ac, ordered by my dad. I "think" it took 9 mos to deliver. The salesman said the first one caught on fire during assembly. Salesman was very nice, a bit older. Owned it from 1980 - 1992. Overall it was pretty decent but did need a new trans when it was around 8 yrs old. Cost about $1k to fix by a very good local trans shop. When brakes needed work dad took it to Sears auto and they wanted $1k for all the work. So huge rip off there. A hole in the driver's side floorboard happened. A body shop welded in a new thick piece of steel.
Only owned 4 cars in 30 years driving. Alll cars I have had were Honda products(accord, civic , now MDX) and great.
Between civic and Acura a 2004 Subaru WRX. Very reliable but a massive amount of turbo lag and then sling shot power. Around town and AC it was more anemic then previous 95 Civic until boost set on. The interior featured exposed screw heads when you pulled a cup holder out and ride was harsh.
The interior of 2004 car was worst then my 95 Civic. Subaru did dump this dreadful 2.0 for the 2.5 in 2006 and car was transformed. However clearly the $24k was spent on driveline not the car.
Between civic and Acura a 2004 Subaru WRX. Very reliable but a massive amount of turbo lag and then sling shot power. Around town and AC it was more anemic then previous 95 Civic until boost set on. The interior featured exposed screw heads when you pulled a cup holder out and ride was harsh.
The interior of 2004 car was worst then my 95 Civic. Subaru did dump this dreadful 2.0 for the 2.5 in 2006 and car was transformed. However clearly the $24k was spent on driveline not the car.
1976 was a bad year.....
My worst ever was a '76 Dodge Aspen 2-dr 318 auto.
I was ALWAYS fixing something! First the engine lost compression because the valves went bad (whistling exhaust) from their ABSOLUTELY STUPID "lean burn" system Chrysler came up with, Then the trans got a really weak 3rd gear, then the rearend blew. DAILY electrical problems!
Not one nice thing to say about it.
My worst ever was a '76 Dodge Aspen 2-dr 318 auto.
I was ALWAYS fixing something! First the engine lost compression because the valves went bad (whistling exhaust) from their ABSOLUTELY STUPID "lean burn" system Chrysler came up with, Then the trans got a really weak 3rd gear, then the rearend blew. DAILY electrical problems!
Not one nice thing to say about it.
1985 Subaru GL10 turbo wagon. The automatic transmission grenaded on the way home from the dealer the day I bought it! The dealer repaired it but it never was right after that. It used oil from day one and I traded it after only 2 years.
202 dodge dakota with the 4.7 auto. Only made it too 120k before it got traded in. Couple header bolts broke so it always had a header leak. Tranny was going out and it always threw itself in limp mode because of the tranny.
With the exception of my first vehicle ('88 F250) I can't complain about my vehicles. Granted, I absolutely hate the Monte Carlo, but mechanically it's been pretty solid. I've had to replace a wheel bearing, sway bar end links and tie rod ends but nothing else. For a car with almost 185k miles though, I can't say that it's unexpected nor unwarranted. Now the electrical issues I can certainly complain about, but I'd rather not go down that rabbit hole.
Worst though? My mom bought an '08 Sebring Convertible new. What a piece of doodoo. Check engine light would randomly come on, door hinge failed causing the door to loudly pop as you opened and closed it, rear windows decided to stop operating, suspension developed an insane clunk in under 20k miles which ended up being something with one of the springs, battery died in under two years, interior plastic trim started peeling on often touched surfaces (door handle, shifter, buttons on steering wheel), shifter switch needed to be replaced, etc.. It was just an absolute joke of a car. The car was traded in, in '13 with just under 50k miles on it. Every time I see I cringe when I see a Sebring/200 because of this vehicle. It's a shame, the convertibles are fairly good looking cars and performance isn't that bad, but I've seen the dark side and I just can't shake it.
Worst though? My mom bought an '08 Sebring Convertible new. What a piece of doodoo. Check engine light would randomly come on, door hinge failed causing the door to loudly pop as you opened and closed it, rear windows decided to stop operating, suspension developed an insane clunk in under 20k miles which ended up being something with one of the springs, battery died in under two years, interior plastic trim started peeling on often touched surfaces (door handle, shifter, buttons on steering wheel), shifter switch needed to be replaced, etc.. It was just an absolute joke of a car. The car was traded in, in '13 with just under 50k miles on it. Every time I see I cringe when I see a Sebring/200 because of this vehicle. It's a shame, the convertibles are fairly good looking cars and performance isn't that bad, but I've seen the dark side and I just can't shake it.
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Ruling out the plethora of older cars that I've owned, the worst car that I've owned has to be a 2014 Mazda 3. I rule out the older cars because I expect things to break or wear out on those, but I bought my Mazda 3 with 24k miles on the clock and after a trouble free 5k or so miles, the cheap parts started to show their true colors.
EVERYTHING in that car rattled, but the worst was in the dashboard. It sounded like a can of marbles was back there. Still under warranty, I took it into the dealership and they couldn't find anything even after taking apart the dash. They added a few foam pieces to some of the edges near the windshield and the A pillars and that seemingly helped for a bit, but by the the same time a week later, it was back to rattling. Apparently this is a pretty common issue with the Mazda 3 and there's not really any surefire fixes for it, so we got rid of it. Honestly, the car handled pretty well and looked great, but it was under-powered and the rattles were enough to drive us crazy.
EVERYTHING in that car rattled, but the worst was in the dashboard. It sounded like a can of marbles was back there. Still under warranty, I took it into the dealership and they couldn't find anything even after taking apart the dash. They added a few foam pieces to some of the edges near the windshield and the A pillars and that seemingly helped for a bit, but by the the same time a week later, it was back to rattling. Apparently this is a pretty common issue with the Mazda 3 and there's not really any surefire fixes for it, so we got rid of it. Honestly, the car handled pretty well and looked great, but it was under-powered and the rattles were enough to drive us crazy.
Originally Posted By: SevenBizzos
1979 Dodge Omni 024. I bought it in around 88 as my first car. I think it only had 60k on it. Everything broke. Suspension, transmission, brake line, and then finally the water pump went out and when it overheated it blew a head gasket. I put 2X as much money into repairs as I bought it for.
I had a '79 Plymouth Horizon 4-door, with the Volkswagen engine. Everything, and I mean everything except the engine broke on that car. The day my dad picked it up new from the Plymouth dealer there were several things inop or broken on it, I remember one of the HVAC levers broke while the salesman was trying to demo stuff to us. By far that was the most unreliable vehicle I have ever come into contact with.
The engine did have the leaking valve seal thing but when those got replaced it did OK from then on out. Finally I got rid of it around 1986, complete with a nasty water leak and a long list of nonfunctional accessories.
1979 Dodge Omni 024. I bought it in around 88 as my first car. I think it only had 60k on it. Everything broke. Suspension, transmission, brake line, and then finally the water pump went out and when it overheated it blew a head gasket. I put 2X as much money into repairs as I bought it for.
I had a '79 Plymouth Horizon 4-door, with the Volkswagen engine. Everything, and I mean everything except the engine broke on that car. The day my dad picked it up new from the Plymouth dealer there were several things inop or broken on it, I remember one of the HVAC levers broke while the salesman was trying to demo stuff to us. By far that was the most unreliable vehicle I have ever come into contact with.
The engine did have the leaking valve seal thing but when those got replaced it did OK from then on out. Finally I got rid of it around 1986, complete with a nasty water leak and a long list of nonfunctional accessories.
2000 Grand Cherokee. I did things to that pig that I swear I never even heard of before. I’ll list what worked and lasted, list is short. EVERYTHING ELSE is true garbage, broke, fell apart at least once
The interior
The aluminum wheels
The stereo
The Auto 4 wd system.
That’s it that’s ALL. PURE TRASH.
The interior
The aluminum wheels
The stereo
The Auto 4 wd system.
That’s it that’s ALL. PURE TRASH.
71 Chevy Vega used more oil than gas
Originally Posted By: Kira
Had a '76 Nova with the 250 myself. Purchased from a friend who owned it for 2 years after buying it from a neighbor who kept it in a barn for 7 years!
THEY COULDN'T SELL DEAD DAD'S CAR.
Tremendous car. Ex. color: Apricot Whip, Int. color: Darn near primary red vinyl w/black inserts, 25 gallon fuel tank, T-200 transmission (part of the BIG GM swapped parts/engine lawsuit),.....
Everyone made fun of it. Dogs they. I suppose it's not the car in this thread's title.
Oh, my family had worse cars than the Nova...dad owned two Comet/Mavericks of similar vintage when I graduated college and he gave me my choice of one of those or the Nova. Easy choice, Dad seemed to be out applying bondo to the Ford products every couple of weeks and the Chevy held up to Chicago winters very well by comparison. One of the Fords had manual steering and was a bear to drive, even for me and my dad (and he had massive hands along with forearms of steel)...my mother used to groan and scream as she fought that thing at low speeds.
It's just that the cars I've had since ('89 CRX, '96 Outback, '06 RAV6, and '14 FXT) have been largely trouble free and start just fine when it's below freezing! I know the latter issue is more or less just a carb thing...
Had a '76 Nova with the 250 myself. Purchased from a friend who owned it for 2 years after buying it from a neighbor who kept it in a barn for 7 years!
THEY COULDN'T SELL DEAD DAD'S CAR.
Tremendous car. Ex. color: Apricot Whip, Int. color: Darn near primary red vinyl w/black inserts, 25 gallon fuel tank, T-200 transmission (part of the BIG GM swapped parts/engine lawsuit),.....
Everyone made fun of it. Dogs they. I suppose it's not the car in this thread's title.
Oh, my family had worse cars than the Nova...dad owned two Comet/Mavericks of similar vintage when I graduated college and he gave me my choice of one of those or the Nova. Easy choice, Dad seemed to be out applying bondo to the Ford products every couple of weeks and the Chevy held up to Chicago winters very well by comparison. One of the Fords had manual steering and was a bear to drive, even for me and my dad (and he had massive hands along with forearms of steel)...my mother used to groan and scream as she fought that thing at low speeds.
It's just that the cars I've had since ('89 CRX, '96 Outback, '06 RAV6, and '14 FXT) have been largely trouble free and start just fine when it's below freezing! I know the latter issue is more or less just a carb thing...
1970 Dodge Van and a 70 Duster, with the gutless 225 Slant 6. I could never understand the fascination with that engine, or how great it was supposed to be. I'd have a Ford or GM I6 over it any day of the week. In two vehicles we had with that engine they both sucked. Time to hide. lol
2001 Pontiac Grand Am SE1 2 door with the 2.4 twin cam 4cyl....bought new in 2001, was in the shop the next day with standing water in the back seat from a faulty door seal. Car was full of electrical issues, the power windows wouldn't work reliably, the power mirror control fell into the door when I tried adjusting them leaving the dealership. The right headlight wasn't clipped in and fell out, transmission and motor replaced under warranty at 5500 miles. Driver door started leaking, ABS/Traction Control lights were constantly on, the PASSkey system would keep losing program causing a no start issue. The round AC vents would spin with the fan any speed over 3 on the dial. I had this car 18 months and it only had 9000 miles on it when I finally had enough and traded it for a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse. I spent more time driving in dealer loaner cars than I did driving my own car for those 18 months. The only thing nice about the Grand Am I can say was the air conditioning was the coldest of any car I have ever owned.
Originally Posted By: carguy996
2001 Pontiac Grand Am SE1 2 door with the 2.4 twin cam 4cyl.... The round AC vents would spin with the fan any speed over 3 on the dial.
....
The only thing nice about the Grand Am I can say was the air conditioning was the coldest of any car I have ever owned.
I'm surprised this technology hasn't caught on, with the spinning vents feature, no wonder the AC was so cold.
2001 Pontiac Grand Am SE1 2 door with the 2.4 twin cam 4cyl.... The round AC vents would spin with the fan any speed over 3 on the dial.
....
The only thing nice about the Grand Am I can say was the air conditioning was the coldest of any car I have ever owned.
I'm surprised this technology hasn't caught on, with the spinning vents feature, no wonder the AC was so cold.
The Mazda 626 in the 80's had vents that would oscillate back and forth so the conditioned air was distributed throughout the cabin.
Originally Posted By: zorobabel
Originally Posted By: carguy996
2001 Pontiac Grand Am SE1 2 door with the 2.4 twin cam 4cyl.... The round AC vents would spin with the fan any speed over 3 on the dial.
....
The only thing nice about the Grand Am I can say was the air conditioning was the coldest of any car I have ever owned.
I'm surprised this technology hasn't caught on, with the spinning vents feature, no wonder the AC was so cold.
Originally Posted By: zorobabel
Originally Posted By: carguy996
2001 Pontiac Grand Am SE1 2 door with the 2.4 twin cam 4cyl.... The round AC vents would spin with the fan any speed over 3 on the dial.
....
The only thing nice about the Grand Am I can say was the air conditioning was the coldest of any car I have ever owned.
I'm surprised this technology hasn't caught on, with the spinning vents feature, no wonder the AC was so cold.
late 90s Cadillac deville
when it idled it shook violently, the AC decided to die on the hottest part of the year (and a roadtrip)
Nobody could get it running right again....ever.
it was trash at 80,000 miles
it was so low to the ground I scraped the bottom no matter what.
The computers reset every time I started it so every time I turn it on the trunk and gas door open
(id tell the kids to stand outside while I turn on the car so they can quickly close everything, then get in)
it did haul [censored] though....
Northstar V8
but when premium was getting to be over $4 a gallon I got me a camry and never looked back.
when it idled it shook violently, the AC decided to die on the hottest part of the year (and a roadtrip)
Nobody could get it running right again....ever.
it was trash at 80,000 miles
it was so low to the ground I scraped the bottom no matter what.
The computers reset every time I started it so every time I turn it on the trunk and gas door open
(id tell the kids to stand outside while I turn on the car so they can quickly close everything, then get in)
it did haul [censored] though....
Northstar V8
but when premium was getting to be over $4 a gallon I got me a camry and never looked back.
2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS... purchased new.
On the day I purchased it, I put it up on my hoist and gave it a once over. Imagine my surprise when I found the bottom of the transmission coated in gear oil (manual transmision). I cleaned it off and went on my way. 1,000 miles later, at the first oil change, trans coated in gear oil again.
Turns out the transmission case was cracked. Repair under warranty. Somewhere along the line, a leaking shock was also repair under warranty.
After the warranty:
Clutch pedal would stick to the floor when hot. Replaced slave cylinder.
Evaporator would ice up on really humid days. There was a bulletin on this one specifying replacement of the TXV. Never repaired due to complexity (instrument panel removal).
The following one is what did it for me. The one issue that solidified it as the worst vehicle I ever owned: Rear wheel bearings.
See, in 2002 the Impreza utilized a cartridge-style bearing with a pair of ball bearings. That's right, ball bearings, just like a 1950's Chevrolet. In 2002, the Legacy used tapered roller bearings, which the Impreza also received in 2003. You see where this is going...
Subaru used ball bearings in the Impreza as a cost savings. The Legacy used tapered roller bearings, which were 100% interchangeable with the Impreza bearing, because it's a larger car. When Impreza bearings began failing, Subaru instructed in a TSB to replace the bearings with the Legacy's tapered roller bearing and made the change themselves for 2003 in the Impreza.
Subaru being cheap means I needed to replace rear wheel bearings at 65,000 miles. On top of that... they're fricking cartridge bearings! Disassemble rear suspension to remove knuckle, press out hub, press out outer bearing, press out inner bearing, press in inner bearing, press in outer bearing, press in hub, [censored]! forgot to get seals, order seals and wait for them to show up, tap in seals, reassemble rear suspension. I'm sure if Subaru was too cheap to install a proper tapered bearing, there was no way they're were going to installed a unit bearing.
I ended up selling the car to a co-worker's kid at about 100,000 miles. He drove it for another 20,000 miles before trading it in...
...because the head gaskets were leaking.
Of course they were!
Only in a Subaru.
On the day I purchased it, I put it up on my hoist and gave it a once over. Imagine my surprise when I found the bottom of the transmission coated in gear oil (manual transmision). I cleaned it off and went on my way. 1,000 miles later, at the first oil change, trans coated in gear oil again.
Turns out the transmission case was cracked. Repair under warranty. Somewhere along the line, a leaking shock was also repair under warranty.
After the warranty:
Clutch pedal would stick to the floor when hot. Replaced slave cylinder.
Evaporator would ice up on really humid days. There was a bulletin on this one specifying replacement of the TXV. Never repaired due to complexity (instrument panel removal).
The following one is what did it for me. The one issue that solidified it as the worst vehicle I ever owned: Rear wheel bearings.
See, in 2002 the Impreza utilized a cartridge-style bearing with a pair of ball bearings. That's right, ball bearings, just like a 1950's Chevrolet. In 2002, the Legacy used tapered roller bearings, which the Impreza also received in 2003. You see where this is going...
Subaru used ball bearings in the Impreza as a cost savings. The Legacy used tapered roller bearings, which were 100% interchangeable with the Impreza bearing, because it's a larger car. When Impreza bearings began failing, Subaru instructed in a TSB to replace the bearings with the Legacy's tapered roller bearing and made the change themselves for 2003 in the Impreza.
Subaru being cheap means I needed to replace rear wheel bearings at 65,000 miles. On top of that... they're fricking cartridge bearings! Disassemble rear suspension to remove knuckle, press out hub, press out outer bearing, press out inner bearing, press in inner bearing, press in outer bearing, press in hub, [censored]! forgot to get seals, order seals and wait for them to show up, tap in seals, reassemble rear suspension. I'm sure if Subaru was too cheap to install a proper tapered bearing, there was no way they're were going to installed a unit bearing.
I ended up selling the car to a co-worker's kid at about 100,000 miles. He drove it for another 20,000 miles before trading it in...
...because the head gaskets were leaking.
Of course they were!
Only in a Subaru.
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