WHAT'S THE WORST CAR OF THE MILLENIUM

Car Talk dot com ^ | unknown date | Staff

[jumpstartme]

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.

[two23]

I had a beater just like this one!

[Clintons Are White Trash]

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!

[small voice in the wilderness]

The AMC Gremlin

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

[Stentor]

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.

[Springman]

Bump for later.

[Doomonyou]

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.

[Freedom4US]

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.

[Freedom4US]

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.

[Dusty Rose]

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.

[blackbart.223]

"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.

[L.N. Smithee]

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.

---

[CWRWinger]

Worst car of the millenium?

Any car financed for 60 months.

[F.J. Mitchell]

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 ?

[BluesDuke]

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.

[BluesDuke]

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.

[BluesDuke]

I've always thought the Kharman Ghia was the ugliest car ever made.

You have obviously never seen the 1960-62 Dodge Lancer...