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WHAT'S THE WORST CAR OF THE MILLENIUM
Car Talk dot com ^ | unknown date | Staff

Posted on 07/29/2002 10:41:16 PM PDT by doug from upland

CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE AND ALL 10 OF THE DISHONORED PIECES OF JUNK

No. 10 - VW Bus

"If everyone had to own one of these as a first car as I did, there would be no traffic jams anywhere. At least half of us would be so turned off by the experience of owning a car, that we would seek alternate means of transportation."

"There was no heat--unless, that is, the auxiliary gas heater caught fire."

"The flower stickers were the only things that held the car together."

"The bus had no heat, blew over in the wind and used the driver's legs as its first line of defense in an accident."

"It was a death trap on the highway-you could never go fast enough. The chances were good that you'd be hit from the rear."

No. 9 - Renault Dauphine

"Truly unencumbered by the engineering process."

"At the time, it cost about half the price of a Volkswagen... which was half the price of everything else. How could Renault do this? Simple. It had half as many parts."

"This car topped out at 45 mph. Since the minimum speed on the Florida Turnpike is 40, patrol cars would follow me, waiting for me to hit a hill so they could ticket me."

"From a historical perspective, it's a shame that the French spent their Marshall Plan dollars on automaking."

"A side impact by a bicycle totaled my Dauphine after only one year."

No. 8 - Cadillac Cimarron

"GM thought they could take a Chevy Cavalier, slap some Cadillac stuff on it, add an extra $5,000.00 and sell a bundle. Tragically enough, they pulled it off-for a while."

"Hands down, worst car for the money spent. Yugos were junk, but at least they were cheap. This heap had a Caddy price tag!"

"A stupid marketing ploy. Nothing more than a Chevrolet Cavalier, which Roger Smith gussied up and called a Cadillac."

"When we traded it in my wife was upset because we didn't keep it long enough for her to buy a gun and shoot it."

No. 7 - Dodge Aspen/Plymouth Volare

"This car began to rust while it was still in the showroom."

"The stalling problem was so bad that I had to take a clockwise route to work so I could make all right turns, and not risk stalling on a left turn in front of oncoming traffic."

"After the floor boards rusted out in the rear, they would fill up with water and freeze. I ended up putting soda crates on the floor in the back to keep people from falling under the car."

"The only useful purpose this car served was as the model for the car used in National Lampoon's Vacation."

"Owning a Volare was total ego death--the theme song, the vinyl Landau roof, the inability to pass another car on the highway."

Nol 6 - Renault Le Car

"I'm convinced that the body metal for this car was supplied by Reynold's Aluminum."

"Like any French restaurant in America, it was overpriced, noisy, moody, and would put you in mortal danger if you had an accident with anything larger than a croissant."

"Our Le Car couldn't climb a hill fully loaded, so the passengers had to get out and walk up."

"I left it unlocked overnight, and it was finally stolen. The insurance check paid for a textbook."


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: autoshop; car; junk; morejunk
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To: Labyrinthos
The wife bought a Mitsubishi Tredia (POS) in the mid-80's. When it was 2 weeks old, the engine blew.

The dealer refused to do anything for us, despite an angry and threatening customer in his face. We nailed the SOB with a letter to the editor of our paper. And, put it up for sale, detailing the problem, the dealer and what he wouldn't do to make it right. We actually sold it to someone who wanted to replace the engine.

2 years later, that dealer was out of bus.

They all make crap models and good models. But, once burned twice shy. I haven't bought any Japanese car since.

I've had 3 Fords. We also now have a 98 Explorer. 60,000 miles; no problems.
101 posted on 07/30/2002 3:31:00 PM PDT by jumpstartme
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To: doug from upland

I had a beater just like this one!

102 posted on 07/30/2002 3:36:31 PM PDT by two23
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To: metalurgist
ROFL on your vivid description!!

I had a LeCar for a while - absolutely loved it. It "fit me" as 5'2" 110 lbs. it was nice to have a car that felt close - luckily I never had an accident in the thing, sounds scary!
103 posted on 07/30/2002 3:39:45 PM PDT by Clintons Are White Trash
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To: mlibertarianj
The AMC Gremlin

..I..had...one..Denim seats. Levi's style. I have never been so happy to get rid of an automobile!

104 posted on 07/30/2002 3:39:58 PM PDT by small voice in the wilderness
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To: Buzzcook
As for other cars i've had the Chevy Citation needs special notice.

Had an 80 Citation. The first time I braked hard in the rain the tendency for the brakes to lock and the tires to hydroplane took me for a couple hundred yard terrifying ride of my life. It did stay straight though.

105 posted on 07/30/2002 4:06:33 PM PDT by Stentor
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To: doug from upland
Bump for later.
106 posted on 07/30/2002 4:11:24 PM PDT by Springman
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To: jumpstartme
The wife bought a Mitsubishi Tredia (POS) in the mid-80's.

My wife had one of those things when we met. What a piece of crap that car was, you had to drop the skid plate just to get to the oil filter. I hated that car. But not bad enough to not let my sister buy it.

She's over it now.

107 posted on 07/30/2002 4:21:01 PM PDT by Doomonyou
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To: BlazingArizona
I got to see a "Trabbie" up close and ride in one. They are as bad as you've heard. When the wall fell, everyone drove them over and abandoned them in 'west' germany, which didn't help their reputation.

The body is of a compressed wool and resin mixture, and the engine is a three cylinder two-strok abomination. It sounds, and smells, like a lawn mower. Not too hard to figure out how communism is evil when you see the cars they produced. What's esp. damning is that if you wanted one, it was best to have your father request one when you were born. That way, by the time you were 18 or so, you might have a decent shot at getting one. That's right - they had a waiting list for this wonderful creation.

108 posted on 07/30/2002 4:24:14 PM PDT by Freedom4US
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To: Stentor
The Chevy Citation esp. the 1980 model has a (probably) deserved bad reputation. But, I had an 82 with a V6 that I put a couple hundred thousand miles on, only thing I had t change out was a fuel pump. It never failed to start even in the coldest weather. It also had excellent fuel mileage, I was upset when I traded it in for a four-banger expecting to burn even less fuel. Didn't work out that way. The Chevy had a transaxle which really sipped the fuel at highway speeds.
109 posted on 07/30/2002 4:30:56 PM PDT by Freedom4US
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To: DB
Fiat... One of the crappest cars I've come into contact with...

I drove a '74 Fiatsco. It burst into flames while I was driving it, and it had less than 20,000 miles on it. The only decent thing I can say about that car is that I could park it anywhere, it was so small. Another odd thing about that car was that the spare tire was up front, right next to the engine. I had it stolen once and didn't know it until I checked the oil.

110 posted on 07/30/2002 4:43:14 PM PDT by Dusty Rose
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To: doug from upland
"I once test drove a Yugo, during which the radio fell out, the gear shift knob came off in my hand, and I saw daylight through the strip around the windshield."

Wow! I trust you didn't buy it.

111 posted on 07/30/2002 5:58:26 PM PDT by blackbart.223
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To: newgeezer
Oh, sure, that and some 20 other 1975 GM models.

From a Mercury Capri enthusiast page:


The Chevrolet Monza and its stablemates were introduced in 1975. Once again, GM had a good idea, then implemented it badly. Probably the best thing about these cars was the nice body styling. Initially, they were only available as a handsome fastback/hatchback, with the first rectangular headlights legal in the US.

112 posted on 07/30/2002 7:06:34 PM PDT by L.N. Smithee
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Comment #113 Removed by Moderator

Comment #114 Removed by Moderator

Comment #115 Removed by Moderator

To: doug from upland
Worst car of the millenium?

Any car financed for 60 months.

116 posted on 07/30/2002 7:22:20 PM PDT by CWRWinger
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To: doug from upland
Right after WWII, Crosley, an appliance company, put out a teennie weenie car called the crosley. I never owned one, never knew anyone who did, but I looked at one in the show room one time. I believe the design was the model for the Yugo, only yugo improved on it. There was no uphostlery except for a cardboard headliner as best I can recall and it had two front seats-not bucket seats by any stretch of the imagination, and a bench type back seat, with about one inch of padding, just like the front seats. I was too young to concern myself with such things as horsepower and such-but I would bet that the engine was the same as was used on Crosley's old pre-rural electrification, washing machine motors.

I thought it was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. I also wanted to pick it up, because it looked like I could have. Never tried it though, but I still bet I could have.

Does anyone else remember those Crosleys ?
117 posted on 07/30/2002 7:31:06 PM PDT by F.J. Mitchell
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To: morjon
Half the cars you mention, I'd give a left testicle for...any of the business coups, any Hudson or any Falcon V8.

You can have 'em.
118 posted on 07/30/2002 9:50:13 PM PDT by BluesDuke
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To: capt. norm
I thought the Pinto got a bum rap.

Seems appropriate, since it was a bum car (and not because of those overblown, overhyped, phonier-than-a-Clinton-oath gas tank collisions - of course your gas tank is going to blow if you get plowed from behind by something going 50 mph or better and the tank is no bigger than a vacuum cleaner!). On the other hand, the Maverick was an even worse excuse for a compact car.
119 posted on 07/30/2002 9:52:57 PM PDT by BluesDuke
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To: absinthe
I've always thought the Kharman Ghia was the ugliest car ever made.

You have obviously never seen the 1960-62 Dodge Lancer...
120 posted on 07/30/2002 9:57:03 PM PDT by BluesDuke
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