Simple Q: Most unreliable car you've ever had?

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Me: 1977 MGB. Love/Hate relationship

Learned how to drive a stick, beautiful engine.....electronics from [censored]. Got shocked when putting car into OD via a silly button on stick shift.
 
86 Dodge D50 pickup. Made by Mitsubishi for Dodge. Truck was cursed! Frame broke,body mounts broke,3 transmissions under warranty, 2 out of warranty,Ripped CV boots, Leaked oil from rear main and transfercase, needed a valve job @ 35K,The crankshaft broke @ 44k. Oh and the carburetor caught on fire which burned the paint off the hood.

I parked it after that. My dad wanted to drive it so we put a engine, trans and transfercase from a low mileage wreck in it. My dad double gasketed the oil filter a few weeks later and burned that engine up.
 
My Pontiac 6000 was always in need of something and liked to turn on the SES light if I idled too long. I chased that ghost problem and could never figure it out. It had the 4-Tech engine in it.

The other unreliable car I owned was an Austin Mini. That was British engineering at its finest, I leave it there.
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For new car:

1986 (IIRC) Ford Tempo was the worst new car ever. Ford had a warranty program that would fix anything taken to dealer after the first repair. Found out all sorts of different things could break once. Caught fire while trying to cross the Ambassador Bridge and get back into the U.S.
 
Ford Bronco II, 1989. Starting at about 50,000 miles, it was nothing but major repairs. Absolutely awful vehicle, but fun as can be to drive and returned excellent MPG.
 
1985 Ford Ranger with the 2.8 V6.

It never ran right when cold. Had it in to the dealer a few times early on for this. They couldn't find a problem. ECU went out in the first year, covered under warranty. Four years later it went out again. $500 for a new one.

Every six months or so a headlight went out. Eventually I kept a spare on hand.

One very cold night at work (well below zero F) the ECU went out again. Had it towed home at 3am and then to the dealer who put yet another unit in. Two weeks later it died again. That was it.

I had the patience of Job with this truck.
 
1976 Ford Pinto wagon. Bought it new/. A total disaster. Nuts missing on the bolts that held the rear leaf springs to the frame. Rear end self destructed at about 8000 miles. Entire TOP of the radiator blew off in a catastrophic steam explosion at speed. (As far as dealer could tell, the top of the radiator had never been soldered on, just held on with the paint and some goop. NEVER bought another Ford, never will.
 
I've never really had a majorly unreliable vehicle
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If I had to pick one it would probably be the very high mile 2000 328i we picked up for my wife. But it was an "as is" purchase that needed a few things and was eventually sorted.

Worst car was a 1986 Old Custom Cruiser wagon that was my parent's hand-me-down. It had a gutless 307 backed by a tranny that would shift late cold and insanely early once hot. When it was cold, the door latches would freeze and then the doors wouldn't close.
 
Originally Posted by csandste
For new car:

1986 (IIRC) Ford Tempo was the worst new car ever. Ford had a warranty program that would fix anything taken to dealer after the first repair. Found out all sorts of different things could break once. Caught fire while trying to cross the Ambassador Bridge and get back into the U.S.

My mom had an ‘81 Lynx (Mercury Escort) for a while that liked eating ignition switches-had it fixed at the local L-M dealer-again, and again, and again... They got tired of putting free ignition switches in it! My vote for most unreliable has to be any Escort, Lynx, or Tracer that had a FORD 4 cylinder engine in it-between lunching timing belts, bending valves, even cracking blocks due to losing the timing belt at speed on the interstate, and dropping valve seats out of their GARBAGE cylinder heads!
 
1969 Fiat 124 Spyder, radiator core was steel, not copper or brass, electrical system nightmare, fun to drive, handled and cornered really well because of the wide base.
 
A lot of '80s Fords here. I had an '87 Ranger I bought new that was the biggest POS ever. Never ran right and had electrical and assembly related issues. I swore off Ford after that for 29 years. Now I have 3 Mustangs in the household. How times change.
 
Originally Posted by JLawrence08648
1969 Fiat 124 Spyder, radiator core was steel, not copper or brass, electrical system nightmare, fun to drive, handled and cornered really well because of the wide base.


Forgot about my '69 Fiat 124 Coupe. Had some ongoing malady occurring at about 18,000 miles and asked the service writer "is this normal at 18,000?" His answer, "Don't know, never had anyone keep keep it that long". Traded it in on a Renault R16. What was I thinking?
 
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1976 Dodge Aspen, 2 door, 318, auto

Bought with 83,000

Ran OK for 2-3 months, then Electrical problems almost daily. Sometimes sparks would shower down over my feet when driving over a bump.

4 months after buying, the engine loses compression due to bad exhaust valves - but still run (barely)

Then 3rd gear dies in the trans, so it was just a "town car only" for 2 months - then the rear end exploded!

The only car I ever owned where it was "all done" by the time it was "DONE".... nothing was worth fixing on it anymore.


Then................

Mitsubishi Eclipse. Pure garbage.

Mitsubishi = NOT Honda or Toyota quality, AT ALL!!!!!!!!

Worst cars to ever come out of Japan, period.
 
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