The 50 Worst Cars of All Time

time.com ^ | Dan Neil,

[ReleaseTheHounds]

To your point, this was the last stupid remark I saw in this "piece" that makes this point referring to the Hummer H2:

It all contributed to GM's emerging image as the Dick Cheney of car companies.

You might think that Time-CNN would be careful to not make itself into a complete farce with frivolous and gratuitous throw-aways like this, but I guess they just can't help themselves. And they wonder why their audiences are running away in droves. I wonder if they realize that they are possible future candidates for "Worst 50" articles...

[Kenny Bunk]

Chad, you can blame the few FIATS which struggled to our shores on the Model T.

THe Italians at the time thought Americans were still in the home mnechanic mode, and could handle cleaning carb jets, using the choke and throttle separately, and knowing all the good old American odds and ends that kept Model T's on the road.

In short, their marketing department though that we were still "Tony." Not the effete hydramatic wimps we have become, most of whom do not know a clutch from a Clinton.

THink, FIATS were unreliable? In Germany they had a better reliability rating than BMW. And of course, a Renault would make them look dependable indeed. Historically speaking, the 124 series especially were a fabulous accomplishment and are still in production around the world.

At a cocktail party, it is OK to complain about your Audi, or Volvo, both of which are shop queens, not to mention the Land Rover. But the cheap FIAT, who cares? A great car of the world, except for Americans.

[TWohlford]

“Yes, but intentional pushing of a vehicle off the bridge doesn’t count. Pushing a Yugo off a high bridge into a deep river or lake should merit a special award for service to mankind.”

(grins)

No, the lady got scared (my wife gets scared on that bridge too — it’s fun to say, “Hey hon, look at that little boat down there!”), hit the rail, and hit the gas instead of the brake. It climbed right over the curb, over the walkway, and over the rail (wind assisted, of course).

[Eye of Unk]

Being a mechanic most of my life I offer a list of the worst from the most often needing repairs and being either poorly designed with inherent flaws or the frequency of needing to be repaired. Most are from vehicles in the 1970-1990 era including heavy equipment.
!.American Motors cars like the Pacer with excessive emissions controls that often required replacing, poor quality engines and drivetrain.
2.Dodge electrical issues that were frustratingly difficult to diagnose because of a departure from other current designs. Every Dodge truck I have seen has a poorly designed grounding system and also the charging system.
3.Ford products that often went through major changes midway through a production season that made part swapping a nightmare for backyard mechanics. Three different 351 engines, Windsor, Cleveland and the M engine, and almost impossible to interchange parts.Variable ventouri carbs that were not repairable, electronics that were unreliable and expensive to replace.
4.General Motors and Chevrolet trucks that years later show abnormal amount of rust damage from poorly treated metal as a way to cut costs but instead gave the consumers vehicles that were rolling blocks of swiss cheese pieces of metal held together by paint alone.
5.RV’s that are slow, unstable rolling outhouses or behemoths that are being driven by the retired that require the skill of a professional big rig truck driver because of the size and the need to control it in a safe manner.
6.Oversized tired vehicles borne from monster truck shows that sit so high the driver cannot safely see around or under it, does not need to be on the highway throwing debris at other cars windshields.
7.Elderly drivers that cannot keep up the pace with todays high speed traffic or cannot control a vehicle safely or in a defensive manner. Vehicle registration centers should have simulators of all class of vehicles from motorcycles to large motorhomes that simulate as realistic as an aircraft simulator the skills required to driven in adverse weather like ice and snow, emergency situations like panic stopping plus intances of equipment failure such as braking.
8.More inspections needed to keep off the road vehicles unsafe such as bad brakes, tires, lighting and the ability to drive at normal speeds controllably.More efforts to keep drunk drivers off the road permanently for repeat offenders.
9.Abolish speed limits on rural interste highways for vehicles using alternative power sources like hydrogen or electrics.Mark special lanes and create laws similar to the Autobahn in Germany.
10.Last but not the least and related directly to cars is using advanced technology to create a longer lasting more durable road surface not having to rely on fossil fuels.

This did not turn out as a 10 worst vehicle list but rather my view on the 10 worst factors of our transportation system.

[Surtur]

Any list of the worst cars without the Vega shouldn’t be taken seriously. Those cars were made of compressed rust just waiting for the paint to fall off.

Amen, and Amen. Still, I loved mine. I bought it as a beater to knock around in on gravel/dirt roads while going fishing and hunting, and it only let me down twice in the 140K+ mile I had it. Once when the timing belt broke, and when it finally died after holing a piston. By that time, the body had basically disintegrated, and I paid to have it hauled off.

[willk]

No Chevy Vega ???????

[TWohlford]

“M engine”....

Oh wow... what a bad karma flashback... the Ford 351 M motor!

Ford decided that it couldn’t sell a car with a big block, so what did they do? They cobbled up their big block motors w/ a tiny little crankshaft, and a cam that barely opened (for emissions). The net was a heavy motor that had no horsepower, got worse fuel mileage than the higher displacement versions, and spun bearings at 100k miles like clockwork.

I bought a ‘78 LTD station wagon with such a motor from a Ford exec, but only AFTER he’d gotten Ford to put in an updated short block. The thing handled like the Queen Mary, drank gas like the Space Shuttle, but literally ran until the body was so rusted that my mechanic refused to get under the car for fear it would collapse on him (true story!).

It would haul a whole Brownie troop too....

[zeebee]

Re: The Model T:

” A century later, the consequences of putting every living soul on gas-powered wheels are piling up, from the air over our cities to the sand under our soldiers’ boots. “

Wacko.

[Eye of Unk]

The Vega had the worst engine design I ever saw, the Volkswagon Rabbit the worst with its clutch.

[Jeffrey_D.]

Dan Neil’s one intelligent statement:

“The SSR also violated a principle of hotrodding. Hotrods are homemade subversions of the existing order, mechanical folk art. There is no such thing as a factory hotrod. Seems obvious, in retrospect.”

[zeebee]

More left-wing nut-talk:

“The Bi-Autogo does enjoy the historical distinction of being the first V8-powered vehicle ever built in Detroit, so you could argue it is the beginning of an even greater folly.”

I love driving my V-8!

[Eye of Unk]

The SSR is the ugliest attempt of selling something unique as I have ever seen. I prefer to custom create my vehicle and not having to see the exact same thing every other mile on the highway.

[Charles Martel]

Renault LeCar has to be in that list somewhere.

A co-worker of mine bought one of those horrid things. It broke down so often that he got some spray paint and masking tape and changed the "Le Car" lettering to read "Le Carcass".

[HungarianGypsy]

No Coronet? My dad said that was the worst car he ever had. I saw the pictures and it sure did look pretty, though.

[TWohlford]

“There is no such thing as a factory hotrod. Seems obvious, in retrospect.”

It also explains the Prowler’s problems.

It you want a Lotus 7 clone (Caterham, Westfield, locost, etc) then you can easily enough build one. Why DCX thought that we needed a factory Seven, one that is slower, heavier, and uglier, is beyond me.

[TWohlford]

“The Vega had the worst engine design I ever saw, the Volkswagon Rabbit the worst with its clutch.”

The clutch just backwards is all.... I’ve replaced a few of them, and I’d do those clutches all day long. However, I’ve done one Japanese FWD car’s clutch, and I’ll never do another.

[Charles Martel]

So the 1995 Ford Explorer is a worst car because it made SUV’s popular with soccer Moms? And if there were fewer of them, it would be a great car?

That's incorrect any way you slice it; if any one vehicle is to "blame" for the SUV craze, it's the 4-door version of the Jeep Cherokee (early '90s). Ford was a few years behind in responding to the popularity of that vehicle. GM was even slower to roll out a 4-door baby Blazer, IIRC.

[Eye of Unk]

Many people from this generation fail to see the fact that we won WW2 on all those Model T’s and A’s being melted down into tanks and liberty ships. Think about that.

[oh8eleven]

At a used car lot on the edge of town
A liberal guy and a liberal gal
Buy a Yugo
And they drive with pride

Cause if there’s one thing that this world needs
It’s environmental friends who’ll take the lead
In a Yugo

They say, “People don’t you understand?
Those Suburbans are ruining the land!”
But they’ll wish they had a full-size van one day
They’re pointing fingers at you and me
They say we’re too blind to see
But do we simply use our heads
And choose a better way
As those small wheels turn

Fifty miles to the gallon and their knees on their chests
They’re gonna save a lot of gas for all the rest
In a Yugo

Then one day on the interstate
They suddenly lose control
They swerve to miss a baby duck
And are squashed by an SUV—they’re out of luck
But they drove with pride

And as the crowds drive past the little flat car
You know they saved a lot of gas but they didn’t get far
In a Yugo
And as they’re trapped inside

At a used car lot on the other side of town
A liberal guy and a liberal gal
Buy a Yugo
And they drive with pride

Paul Shanklin

[Eye of Unk]

I worked at a repair shop in Houston TX next to the airport and the three major car rental agencies from 1981-1983 and I probably replaced several hundred Rabbit clutches, we used the slightly large diesel plate and the heavier pressure plate, I did make a ton of money as the flat rate time allowed was 5.5 hours for the R&R and I tuned that down to 90 minutes per car doing three a day but making 16.5 hours of flat rate or shop time while my actual labor time a lot less.