What is the worst vehicle you have owned and why?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
8,140
Location
Michigan
For me it was a Chevy Chevette.
It was a plain Jane stick with roll up windows. Also the floor boards totally rotted out!
 
Originally Posted By: ZZman
For me it was a Chevy Chevette.
It was a plain Jane stick with roll up windows. Also the floor boards totally rotted out!


I had one and it did rust bad. But it always started and ran.

Worst? Have to be 1998 Buick Lesabre POS edition. Something wrong with it constantly starting at 30k miles. Total pile.
 
GMC Terrain

Burned oil since it was new and had non-stop warranty work at the dealer for a number of other issues.
 
Not really owned by me, but it would be a toss up between the 1991 Pontiac Sunbird my ex-wife owned when we met and the 2001 Chevy Cavalier my mom owned.

Both had major issues before 100k miles. Mom is still in the Cavalier...

Who knows about the Sunbird. The crusher would be too good for it.

The Sunbird had two head gasket failures and needed transmission work before we finally got rid of it at ~70k miles. The Cavalier is just a penalty box all around.

See here for my 2009 long drive in the Cavalier
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/1562129/2001_Chevy_Cavalier_2_Door,_Bl#Post1562129
 
Last edited:
2002 Jetta TDI, purchased new. In 80,000 miles 2 sets of front wheel bearings, 4 neutral park safety switches, one transmission, interior flaking, 1 set of injectors, 2 injector wiring harnesses, one set of glow plugs, when it would rain the parking lights would come on, the dread carbon build up twice and some stuff I am forgetting.
 
1986 Dodge D50(Mitsubishi).Bought new. Too many problems to list. Here is a few. Leaked oil from everything. 5 transmissions during warranty. I bought the 6th and installed it myself. Frame broke. Body mounts broke by the driver and passengers feet.

Needed a valve job @35k. Rings went soon after.Crankshaft broke in 2 pieces @ 44k.

My dad insisted that we keep the truck so I put a low milage engine out of a wreck in it. I traded it to my dad. He drove it 2 weeks and decided to change the oil. He double gasketed the oil filter and burned that engine up.
 
'76 Chevy Nova with a "heavy duty" rear suspension that always caused trouble...my dad warned me about it when he gave it me and I wasn't surprised when I took a left in Dallas and the car suddenly lurched like I had been t-boned. Had to get that fixed twice in the two years I drove it, but I will say it took a rear end hit at about 50mph from a little Honda pretty good...I drove it away and the Honda was probably totaled. Bad news was that I had back trouble on and off, sometimes bad enough to go to the ER, for over 10 years after that...maybe a car that would have taken more of the impact would have shielded my body better. Back has been good for almost 20 years now, knock on wood...

The Nova also used oil and didn't like to start in the modestly cold Dallas winters...everything I've had since then has been fuel injected and relatively trouble free. It was fun to do "power" slide U-turns in the Nova, although I think that term might not be so applicable for a 105HP vehicle (250 straight six).
 
I purchased my 2011 Equinox with the 2.4l, AWD, and 58k miles in Nov of 2016.
It has been 1 year and 2 months since then.
This is what I know now that I wished I knew then.

There is a bright, shiny lining to this cloud. I learned how to work on my own vehicles. I learned a tremendous amount about how engines work. I learned that I really enjoy working on the cars. I learned that I should have been a mechanical engineer lol.

I also learned that just because there isn't a check engine light, doesn't mean there isn't a problem. Inspite what the service reps at the dealer tell you. They are either idiots or lying. Probably why they are reps and not mechanics....

My advice to you, if you are in the market for an Equinox, Terrain, etc, is to stay away from the 2.4l engine. Go for a 3.6l V6. You will probably have BETTER gas mileage with the V6! You will certainly have fewer headaches!

If you do get the 2.4l, have a leakdown test performed by a local shop first! Also purchase an extended warranty because you will use it.

Since purchase.....
Manual shifter cable replaced (done by selling dealer for free)
Replaced spark plugs, front o2 sensor, map sensor, and differential and transfer case fluid (nasty black) myself.
Had transmission fluid completely changed by pushing old fluid out with new fluid. (Again black and nasty)
Cleaned a very dirty throttle body. (Much better idle)
New pistons, rings, and timing chain (GM warranty)
Replaced thermostat when they had my engine torn apart. (My cost for part only. Opening too soon...but no check engine light lol)
Replaced catalytic converter (GM warranty)
Replaced cracked exhaust manifold (purchased warranty)
Replaced AC condenser (purchased warranty)

I am waiting for the transmission to fail soon. GM may or may not cough up for their mistake on that as well.
However, I have the purchased warranty that last 4 years or 48k which will pay for that monstrous bill if it does.

I am now looking into the possibility of a burnt exhaust valve. It has been giving me a low growl as I accelerate. Doing the dollar bill test on the exhaust pipe indicates that this is the case. I am now looking for a leak down test kit for cheap or free rental to make sure of this.
Then it goes back to the dealer that rebuilt the engine since they warranty their work for one year.

The oil burning destroyed the Catalytic converter, exhaust manifold, and O2 sensor due to the heat generated by the Catalytic converter. MHO
The carbon buildup in the cylinder from the oil burning will ruin the seals around the valves, causing the burnt valves and exhaust leakage. MHO

Edit: I did replace the tires, but that is normal maintenance. I do recomend the Michelin Defender ltx M/S. They did VERY well in tbe snow we just had. Good stopping and turning. Doeas very well on ice too. 70k warranty.
 
Mine wasn't just about the vehicle, it was the experience as well that made it bad!

Vehicle was a 1978 Ford F-150. It was 4x4, lifted, dark metallic green. Perfect for a naïve 17 year old
smirk.gif
I traded a '93 Ranger that needed a motor for it sight unseen. Well, they failed to show a photo of the right side of the truck..which looked like it was driven across a mountain. Literally the whole right side was mangled and awful looking. I still made the trade, as the Ranger was no gem itself and had no motor.

Truck ran ok on the way to my brothers house, which was maybe 20 miles. I started feeling really sick that night, slight fever as well. Next morning, I woke up feeling very sick and on top of that, the truck wouldn't start. Finally got it running after half a day and made the drive home, which was 80 miles. Once I was home I found out the reason I was so sick, I had a cyst that had gotten badly infected. The truck was still not running well, needed constant work over the next couple of weeks or so. Carb caught on fire a few times.

One day a few weeks into miserable ownership, I was pulling into a gas station and it stalled followed by some noises. Well the carb had caught fire again! I walked into the gas station and with an indifferent tone asked the cashier if I could use the fire extinguisher. Put the fire out, and got a few hundred dollars at a junkyard for it.

Long winded I know, but that was by far the worst vehicle ownership experience I've had.
 
'84 Jeep CJ-7. Bought new. Leaked oil from nearly every joint in the engine (4.2 straight six with the plastic valve cover). Two winters in Fairbanks, AK, and my experiments with Arco Graphite oil probably didn't help, though . . .
 
Last edited:
I think our current CRV has been the most annoying... I guess its getting old, but it seems to always need something and the mileage sucks. Drives very nice though, and engine and trans function like new, and its got a few dents so we wouldn't get much for it, so its hard to send it down the road...
 
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.
 
Originally Posted By: ZZman
For me it was a Chevy Chevette.
It was a plain Jane stick with roll up windows. Also the floor boards totally rotted out!


A used Chevette (Shoveit) was one of the best cars I ever owned. I taught 2 daughters how to drive in it and it never gave me any problems. Everything worked and nothing broke. The union workers must have built this one on a Monday. (lol) When I was done with it I gave it to a neighbor lady living on Social Security and taught her grandson how to change the oil.

I find it difficult to fault the Shoveit.

Now for the bad.

1984 Audi Quattro 4000 purchased new. The car was a self-propelled open circuit that cooked alternators and batteries and a short circuit that ate wiring. There were fuel pump failures. The engine ate water pumps. The front end needed constant attention for alignment. The sunroof failed too many times to count and was finally locked closed. The engine carbon fouled and there was a TSB for the 5000 but the factory would not cover the same exact engine in the 4000. On top of that Audi was going through unintended acceleration problems with the 5000. The factory response was that people were too stupid to own such a nice car. Dealers were dropping like flys and the resale value went down the toilet. Dealing with the factory for warranty problems was like going to war. If Audi had not reinvented themselves after the 80's and 90's they would not be in business today.

Because of that experience I have passed on several chances to buy a used Audi over the past 10 years or so that was a really good deal. One was an A3, a kind of station wagon that I really liked. It was a one owner maintained by a local German car speciality shop. After looking at the engine compartment and doing some research on flat rate hours for common maintenance that I always do I passed because I tend to keep a car I like a long time and I really liked this one. A couple of the maintenance items in the documentation were really expensive. My feelings for Audi as a manufacturer are still there.
 
Last edited:
Although all of my Chrysler products were the worst vehicles I've owned in terms of reliability(and I've owned 5 from '73-'97), this '84 Plymouth Turismo took the cake. It was a total pile and the Chrysler-Plymouth dealership nor Chrysler Corp were of any support. Now that FIAT owns them, they're even worse today and continue their horrible worldwide reputation of being the worst automaker...a fact! They are the world's worst automaker on every continent that they're sold in.

I think that there are other makes worldwide such as Skoda(VW), Holden(GM) and other makes that I've only heard of due to Youtube that may in fact have FCA beat however, they're not sold everywhere.
 
Last edited:
2006 VW Jetta TDI. 5-speed manual. Clutch started engaging very grabby after only ~1000 miles. Of course dealer insisted nothing was amiss. Read that there was a world-wide recall by VW everywhere EXCEPT North America, for the POS dual mass flywheel VW was using on their manual transmissions. Found a copy of the recall online and even brought it to the dealer who wouldn't acknowledge the issue.
Fixed the problem myself by replacing the dual-mass flywheel/clutch assembly with a solid flywheel/clutch from a VR6. The OEM dual mass flywheel had already begun to come apart; a major problem VW absolutely had to be aware of and chose to ignore for North American customers.

Fast forward about 20K miles, and read that the PD diesel 4-cylinder had a serious lubrication issue for the camshaft lobes, specifically the lobes that depressed the fuel injection plungers built into the cylinder head on the PD motors. Removed the valve cover to find significant galling on not only three of the injector lobes on the camshaft, but also on two of the lobes which depressed valves. Drove the car for another 20K miles, but before it began to run noticeably rough, traded it.

All the while the above was taking place, went thru 3 satellite radios which never would work for more than a few months, and the "memory" drivers seat which constantly lost it's memory, and would fold up tight every time the engine was shut off. Dealer could not isolate the problem. In frustration, just disconnected the connector to the seat after adjusting it.

Will never even glance at another VW/Audi POS again.
 
94 Ford Explorer (exploder) Eddie Bauer ed, not only the Firestone tires but interior was cheap (door handles broke, electrical issues, etc). The first and last Ford I owned
 
VW Vanagon air cooled engine, camper version. I think it was an 80 or 81, had 5K on it when I bought from the original owner. Gutless to the extreme, fuel inefficient to the extreme, and unreliable more extreme. Dangerous as well, unstable in wind and just an all around horrible vehicle. We went to the Grand Canyon and just on the roads getting there not hilly I had to downshift to third just to keep up to about 50 mph full throttle. The only vehicles slower I passed were the other older vw vans. All the while getting 15 mpg.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top