The Worst American Cars - POLL

Forbes ^ | 10.21.02 | Michael Frank

[Hacksaw]

Hahahahaha!!! I had a good friend in HS who had a Gremlin - he was teased mercilessly about it, yet he insisted it was a great car.

I am sure he paid twice in parts for it than the price he bought it used.

He had bad luck with cars - his next was a buick regal which he had to replace the engine not once but twice.

[PoorMuttly]

Another HIDEOUS MANIFESTATION was tuning that charming Oldsmobile, since the manifolds and exhaust pipe lengths were so different, side to side.

You had to have been there. Be Veewwwwyyyy Affwaaiidd...

[singletrack]

I've got a 2002 Aztec and so far love it. With rebates and etc you can get one for about 18K.Its NOT a real off road machine but has the room of a mini van, with taller wheels.I'll drive an ugly truck before ANY mini vans.Pussy wagons, every one. V6, auto, air, abs,cd all standard (and ALL options on the Saturn VUE, my other choice).Just the most truck out there for the money.GM has hacked the price just to get people to LOOK at them.I did place a nice large laser cut NASA logo on the back.Martian firetruck is the family nickname so far..

[Gil4]

What, no Mercury Comet?

It's in there - the Ford Maverick has a note about it being the same as the Comet

[CWRWinger]

Ford Tempo(It costs more to tow than you get in salvage)

That's because you had an automatic and never changed the oil.

[pollwatcher]

Whatta great topic! I instantly recognized the Aztec as simply a Gremlin on steroids. The Hideous Gremlin seemed to be the number one College-kid First-Car in the tacky 70's (then succeeded by the Chevelle and the Omni). But "Wayne's World" did a good job on the Pacer!

But I loved the old Corvairs - my aunt used to drive one.

Here is my original vote - I once had a loaner car called the "Magnum." One over-scaled, heavy-metal, Sinkeroo Car!

[pollwatcher]

You'll notice that discounts and specials are popping up on Aztecs. Also, they're the prizes in contests. This is what happened to the Edsel - most of the later owners didn't buy one, they won them!

Maybe they actually run well and are versatile, but I wouldn't want to be seen in one. Ever.

[Solson]

Can I place a vote for ALL american cars? :)

[doodad]

I'm with you. GM killed the camaro and kept the Aztec. Stupid looking vehicle. And its new baby brother whatever that thing is called.

[GBA]

"Sometimes had to start it by setting fire to paper on top of carb."

Oh man, that's funny! hahahaha!!

[GBA]

If you've got the money, look for a Toyota 4Runner.

[MoralSense]

Actually, I think the current Eldos look great. They aren't the classic, I'll give you that, but hey, I love Caddies. Except that squat-backed Seville. Love the line about "the way a dog looks taking a crap." To me, it looked like an alligator dragging its tail.

[lmr]

Best car I have ever owned: '99 Chevy Suburban (Still own, love it!) I am also partial to my '91 Buick Century, it has been (so far) the most reliable. Worst car I have ever owned: '70 Pontiac Excecutive, I called it the "green beast"

[nomoreheroes]

Haven't seen my first car yet on this list: The Renault LeCar. http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/048a.jpg

[Hank Rearden]

I have never been able to figure out why anyone would buy this vehicle over something else.

The AztecO'Crap is obviously designed by morons, and is targeted at fellow morons for whom this would be their first vehicle after their skateboard.

The Rad Dudes. You may know them as . . . . . morons. They also star in Mountain Dew commercials.

[EngineerDaddio]

I can not believe that 42 years after the Edsel disappeared, we are still using that as an example of the biggest "DUD" of all time. Especially since the poll was supposed to cover all post-war cars, and I believe that would cover from 1945 through 2003 automobiles! In fact the only cars mentioned prior to 1960 were the Edsel and Corvair, how predictable!

While it is true that the 1958 Edsel's cutting edge features had many bugs that should have been worked out prior to market release, it certainly is not alone in this mistake. Detroit's rush to be first in the market with new features, has often produced new features that were not adequately test before introduction. The only difference between Edsel and all the other marquees is that Edsel was dropped after one bad year (the 1960 models never had a chance and was considered a great car at the time of its introduction) and all the others were continued to be produced while the "bugs" were worked out.

For my money, I would proudly own an Edsel or Corvair over most of what is being offered today. I think its is time that America picks another whipping dog and gives the Edsel a break.

[Vermont Lt]

What was it with Dusters? I must have known ten girls with these cars and they ALL had little dents in the middle of the trunk.

Obviously, all of these girls either backed into something or got bumped...could you not see out them or what?

Anyway, I owed a 70 Maverick when I was in school. I had to stop every hour and fill the radiator with water, which was OK in the fall and spring...The good thing about cars that age is that you could actually work on them without a computer degree.

[iceskater]

Pontiac Aztec 2002

It reminds me of a CRX on steroids....

[iceskater]

Taste somehow died during the 1970's.

Well, that explains the clothes, then.