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COMMENT FROM AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE 50 WORST CARS =
I was in the audience at the Detroit auto show the day GM unveiled the Pontiac Aztek and I will never forget the gasp that audience made. Holy hell! This car could not have been more instantly hated if it had a Swastika tattoo on its forehead. In later interviews with GM designers — who, for decency’s sake, will remain unnamed — it emerged that the Aztek design had been fiddled with, fussed over, cost-shaved and otherwise compromised until the tough, cool-looking concept had been reduced to a bulky, plastic-clad mess. A classic case of losing the plot. The Aztek violates one of the principal rules of car design: We like cars that look like us. With its multiple eyes and supernumerary nostrils, the Aztek looks deformed and scary, something that dogs bark at and cathedrals employ to ring bells (cf., Fiat Multipla). The shame is, under all that ugliness, there was a useful, competent crossover.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1658545_1658544_1658540,00.html #ixzz1xh3n8hhB
What? No Omni, Gremlin or Pacer?
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I can’t believe that the Gremlin didn’t make the list.
Where is the AMC Gremlin? The Chevy Chevette?
The 1960 Pontiac Tempest station wagon should be in the top 100 worst. Faulty clutch design. My parents must have had it replaced a half dozen times.
I had a used Vega - the oil fell out of the engine. The author is right, I have never owned another GM vehicle.
I predict that the Government Motors Chevy Volt will be vying for a spot on this list.
I remember my mom having an AMC Gremlin, an AMC Pacer (front doors massively heavy), and a Chevy Vega. I do remember she blew the engine on the Vega.
I’m surprised the explode-on-contact Ford Pinto wasn’t in the line up.
The Trabant in the photo kinda reminds me of the Nash Metropolitan. Weird Al had a Metropolitan featured in his music video, “It’s All About The Pentiums.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpMvS1Q1sos
I think those that see them as a blight on the Mustang name (which they are performance wise) will look at them and despise them for what they were, but had their performance been up to par, I don't think people would be criticizing the way they look..at least the notchback. The fastback did admittedly, look like a glorified Pinto.
Chrysler’s K Car?
How about the Ford Tempo?
The Reliant Robin and the Alfasud didn’t make the list?
Isn’t it interesting how American cars totally dominate the list of the worst? If any country should KNOW what works, and what doesn’t; shouldn’t the largest car companies in the world have a good grasp on this? It’s quite apparent that Detroit just doesn’t care - unload crap on the American consumer, weasel out of new car warranties after taking taxpayer bail-outs - no thought to the damage they have done to their reputation. Short-sighted business practices.
My last American car was the Chevy Monza. I made the mistake of buying this when I was in college. I babied that car, because I was poor; yet 2 engines, 2 transmissions, and re-hanging the doors 4x still wasn’t enough ... and I finally abandoned it when I left college with 85,000 miles on it.
Since then, I’ve had Toyota’s and Honda’s and have never had a single problem. My Lexus had 312K before I traded it in, my ‘93 Toyota pickup has 317K and is still going, and I drive a Tacoma with 117K - still runs like new.
And, one doesn’t have to review the Cars issue of Consumer Reports to see that American cars remain inferior to the Japanese cars. When one typically takes a loan out for 4-5 yrs to buy a car; it’s not outrageous to expect that car to last well beyond the last car payment.
I will likely buy several more cars before I die; and I can promise you that not one will ever be American. My wife knows that the quickest way to get a divorce will be to bring an American car home. It’s personal. When I could least afford it, American car manufacturers gave it to me, and now I’ll enjoy my revenge for the remainder of my life. I don’t care what the cost is ... I will never buy another American car.
I remember when I saw my first Cadillac Cimarron. I thought some one with a great sense of humor had put a Cadillac emblem on a Chevy. ...And they had!
MFLR
Oh come on, Doug. 50 yrs ago I owned what was not only the worst, but the most dangerous car ever made, the Chevy Corvair...........and it’s nowhere on your list.
I think it was the government that made Chevy pull it from the market........although they didn’t do a buy back.
I had(emphsis HAD) one of these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Fairmont and it SUCKED like a (weak) vacuum cleaner! Feces like this (and the Pinto) ALMOST sank FoMoCo!
It was better looking than nearly all of it's competition:
Ford Pinto, AMC Pacer & Gremlin, Pontiac...
The Mercury Capris was as good looking and it had the much better Ford 4 cyl.
and they all rusted badly.
Best car I ever owned was a 1972 Chevy Vega. Drove back and froth from WI to San Francisco 4 times with no problems. I suppose if you park your Vega in salt water up to the floorboards, it would rust through over time...
Worst car for me was a 1974 AMC Matador...