Results 1 to 9 of 9
Like Tree3Likes
  • 2 Post By Smokey
  • 1 Post By blackraven

Thread: Worst cars of the last four decades

  1. #1
    Suspended Smokey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Ozarks
    Posts
    3,959

    Worst cars of the last four decades

    They asked Motor Trend Magazine to pick worst cars of last four decades. Following are MT's editor's first picks.

    Not in any particular order:

    Pontiac G3: Pontiac G3 gets a nod here because it wasn't just bad, but an insult to the brand.


    1982-1988 Cadillac Cimarron: Memories of the Cimarron caused automakers to shy away from the entry-level luxury concept for years.


    Mitsubishi Mirage: lack of power contributes to less than favorable acceleration— especially on on-ramps and while passing. Narrow, low-rolling-resistance tires and vague steering feel make traveling any direction other than straight frustrating at best.


    Ford Excursion: With an overall length of almost 19 feet, it was a rare sighting to see a Ford Excursion parked inside a garage. It was a chore to drive and far from practical: Stopping from 60 mph exceeded the distance of half a football field and real-world mileage of about 10 mpg was the norm.


    Saturn Ion: Up until the Ion, Saturn customers ranked as among the most loyal in all of cardom. The Ion destroyed all that, as well as the several billion-dollar investment GM made when creating Saturn out of whole cloth.


    Ford Granada: What makes the Granada so ghastly in retrospect is how Ford marketed it as an alternative to a Mercedes, actually running ads comparing the Mercedes 450 SLC ($24,000) to the Granada Sports Coupe ($4,100).


    Dodge Caliber: On sale from 2007 to 2012, the Dodge Caliber represents everything wrong with the twilight of the DaimlerChrysler fiasco.


    Hyundai Accent GS: In 2009, Hyundai and Nissan battled to the bottom: to offer the least expensive new car on the market. In the Hyundai's case, gone went creature comforts including power windows, air-conditioning, and the radio. Safety features too; there was no ABS.


    Porsche 924: When Volkswagen ran out of money developing its top-of-the-line sports coupe in 1976, it handed over production and design of the so-called 924 to Porsche. Performance was dismal. Porsche took notice, and released a 924 Turbo in 1979, but it was too late. The damage was done.


    Yogu: Sold in the United States from 1985 to 1992, critics pointed to its use of old-generation Fiat technology and alleged issues with build quality and reliability. The Yugo was voted worst car of the millennium.


    Editors' picks: Horrible cars of the last four decades - MSN Autos
    Last edited by Smokey; 07-15-2014 at 08:05 PM.
    Mr Peabody and Feanor like this.

  2. #2
    Shostakovich fan Feanor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    London, Ontario
    Posts
    8,127
    Some pretty bad cars here, none worse than the Yugo, of course.

    A number of the cars on the list were pretty popular, though. A recent example was the Dodge Caliber. Really ugly first or all, and a Chrysler product with about the worse reliability in the industry. Yet suckers bought few, at least around here

  3. #3
    Charm Thai™
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    Cleveland, Ohio
    Posts
    867
    Oh lord the Yugo. For a whole year i dreaded driving to work because I never knew if there was going to a traffic jam on the highway completely out of the blue...why you ask? Because of that damn Yugo! Some guy had one and would not (possibly could not) drive faster than 45 mph so what would normally be typical morning work week traffic turned into a nightmare. Either you got stuck in the same lane as the Yugo or you almost got killed trying to pass him like everyone else.

  4. #4
    Forum Regular blackraven's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Posts
    5,421
    Chevy Citation, Ford Pinto, Chevy Vega, Geo Metro!
    Pass Labs X250 amp, BAT Vk-51se Preamp,
    Thorens TD-145 TT, Bellari phono preamp, Nagaoka MP-200 Cartridge
    Magnepan QR1.6 speakers
    Luxman DA-06 DAC
    Van Alstine Ultra Plus Hybrid Tube DAC
    Dual Martin Logan Original Dynamo Subs
    Parasound A21 amp
    Vintage Luxman T-110 tuner
    Magnepan MMG's, Grant Fidelity DAC-11, Class D CDA254 amp
    Monitor Audio S1 speakers, PSB B6 speakers
    Vintage Technic's Integrated amp
    Music Hall 25.2 CDP
    Adcom GFR 700 AVR
    Cables- Cardas, Silnote, BJC
    Velodyne CHT 8 sub

  5. #5
    Suspended Smokey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Ozarks
    Posts
    3,959
    Quote Originally Posted by blackraven View Post
    Chevy Citation, Ford Pinto, Chevy Vega, Geo Metro!
    I drove Chevy Vega for couple of years back in the early 80s, and really wasn't a bad car. The car was made so simple wih only an engine, carburetor, stick shift and four tires that even a shade tree mechanic could get it fixed up.

  6. #6
    Forum Regular blackraven's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Posts
    5,421
    Quote Originally Posted by Smokey View Post
    I drove Chevy Vega for couple of years back in the early 80s, and really wasn't a bad car. The car was made so simple wih only an engine, carburetor, stick shift and four tires that even a shade tree mechanic could get it fixed up.
    My dad had a Vega. It was loud, my dog could hear it coming from over a mile away. I would be out walking the dog and the dog would start getting all excited like he did when my dad came home from work. About 5-7 minutes later the my dad would pull up in the car. It did not matter what time of day or night it was. The dog could hear that car coming. My dad ended up selling the car and bought an MG which was a cool car but it was built like crap.


    I have to agree about the Saturn Ion. My daughter wanted to buy a used one from the local Saturn dealer until we drove one and saw how bad it was built and the crappy interior materials that were used.
    Last edited by blackraven; 07-20-2014 at 07:51 AM.
    Smokey likes this.
    Pass Labs X250 amp, BAT Vk-51se Preamp,
    Thorens TD-145 TT, Bellari phono preamp, Nagaoka MP-200 Cartridge
    Magnepan QR1.6 speakers
    Luxman DA-06 DAC
    Van Alstine Ultra Plus Hybrid Tube DAC
    Dual Martin Logan Original Dynamo Subs
    Parasound A21 amp
    Vintage Luxman T-110 tuner
    Magnepan MMG's, Grant Fidelity DAC-11, Class D CDA254 amp
    Monitor Audio S1 speakers, PSB B6 speakers
    Vintage Technic's Integrated amp
    Music Hall 25.2 CDP
    Adcom GFR 700 AVR
    Cables- Cardas, Silnote, BJC
    Velodyne CHT 8 sub

  7. #7
    Shostakovich fan Feanor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    London, Ontario
    Posts
    8,127
    Withal, the Saturn Ion, Chrysler Calibre, and Hyundai Accent were pretty popular in my neck of the woods, and you still see plenty of them on the road today.

  8. #8
    Suspended Smokey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Ozarks
    Posts
    3,959
    Quote Originally Posted by Feanor View Post
    Withal, the Saturn Ion, Chrysler Calibre, and Hyundai Accent were pretty popular in my neck of the woods, and you still see plenty of them on the road today.
    Maybe those vehicles are more reliable in colder climates

  9. #9
    Shostakovich fan Feanor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    London, Ontario
    Posts
    8,127
    Quote Originally Posted by Smokey View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Feanor View Post
    Withal, the Saturn Ion, Chrysler Calibre, and Hyundai Accent were pretty popular in my neck of the woods, and you still see plenty of them on the road today.
    Maybe those vehicles are more reliable in colder climates
    Hehe! It's not that they are more reliable in the cold, it's that they are cheaper models.

    It's fair to say that Canadians are cheap. But then cars tend to be significantly more expensive up here where prices and taxes are higher. Consequently for example the most popular car in the US (now or recently) is the Toyota Camry but in Canada it's the Corolla.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •