worst vehicle ever?

[wiredgeorge]

Most folks have had a bad car or truck or bike. Mine was a early 80s Mercury Ghia Z7 Zephyr. We spent quite a few years overseas and when I came back, our dear Vega wagon had been dropped from a cargo ship and rattled BAD. I sold it and had saved some money to buy a brand new car. I went into the Chevy dealer on US1 south of College Park. Told him I wanted to buy a new Chevy and he asked me how much I could spend. I told him $4k. He stared at me for awhile and asked if I had been doing time. Well, the price of cars had gone up a bit since we had been overseas through 3 tours with the flubbermint.



I was now looking at used. They had a beautiful Zephyr on the lot for $4k. It was an early 80s model... can't recall which year but it was built during some sort of gas crisis. Was a fairly roomy family mobile in copper color with cloth seats and a vinyl top. Sharp. Drove it around the block. It was a 4 speed but my wife and I were used to that.



Got it home and loaded the tribe in the new car and went for a ride. Found the car was not fond of even modest hills and was a bit under powered. The 4 speed was really three speed and an overdrive for fuel economy. Later found that when we drove the PA Turnpike to Ohio to visit my missus's parents we had stay in the truck (semi) lane going up hills. The engine was a TINY 4 cylinder.



The worst of the car was it would just stop running for no apparent reason. After many repair shops found there was a switch in the gas tank to turn the fuel off if you rolled over. My switch was confused. Nothing like being on a rural road with three little gals and the somewhat irritated missus and the car would just STOP running. Got it fixed and my wife drove me to the bike shop at Peace Cross where I got some steering head bearings pressed into my Honda. We had some coffee at Dunkin Donuts right outside the Chevy dealer. My wife took me by the hand and the Zepher was no more... brand new 85 Caprice Classic tudor V8/Auto with A/C and phony wire wheels. Good by Zephyr!

[vampress_me]

Ours was either the ‘96 Grand Am GT or the ‘99 Dodge 2500 Cummins. It was sad, because we loved both vehicles.

The Grand Am was the first new vehicle we ever bought. Heck, first new vehicle either of us ever owned. But, in its first year it spent more time at the dealer getting “fixed” than it ever was by us. It had a nasty habit of just arbitrarily deciding to die while driving. Middle of town at a stoplight - die in the intersection when light turned green. Driving down the road in town - die so have to coast to curb. Driving down the interstate - die while cruising along. Every time it went back to the dealer they swore they fixed it. So, we would drive it until it happened again. Then, one trip to see friends in Kalispell, MT from Laramie, WY for the weekend. MT freeways were reasonable and prudent for speed limit during the day - translation was if safely able to do it, go at least 100 mph. But, when going around any curves, there was a funky “thunk” sound from under the hood, every time. Couldn’t figure it out until we took it back to the dealer for another round since it had died while we were in Kalispell. Discovered they didn’t tighten the engine bolts the last time they had it. So, engine was moving on the loose bolts on every curve we took on that trip. Soon after, Pontiac bought that car back under the lemon law.

The Dodge. Well, that was just an issue with a cracked engine block, that Dodge knew was an issue with those engines even before we had bought the truck. And, when ours finally cracked on the trip we were moving our horses to MN from MT on a frigid winter trip, Dodge would not honor their own warranty and repair it. And, having just moved from MT to MN we didn’t exactly have any spare money to pay for a new engine for our truck. Luckily for us, Cummins stepped up and gave me a new block, even though they did not have to, and I sure did not ask them to. I had only asked them if they had any leverage I could use to make Dodge honor their warranty. Cummins went so far above and beyond for me with that whole issue, I will be grateful to them the rest of my life.

[Northofu1]

By far Fords.
2 Mustangs, 3 Taurus', 2 escorts, Then I learned my lesson. I know, slow learner.
The 1973 Mustang I loved, it was a good car. The 1987 Taurus MT5 ( Manual Trans 5 speed) wasn't the worst, but!!!
I was driving the 70 kms to work one morning, I hit the off ramp from the highway, stopped, and when the light turned green it was stuck in 3rd. The shifter cable had a nylon ball that fit into a metal socket on the trans gear selector. Limped it to work, crawled underneath and used bailing wire to keep it in place. Hit the dealership the next day and when I told the parts guy what I wanted, he had the nerve to tell me
" Hey there young fella that car is a collectors item, they only made 2,000 of them!"

I gave him a look and said "Oh you're rich, the only people that collect them are junk yards. Now stop trying to be funny and order the $@& damned part."

It wasn't the worst car I owned, that went to a 1998 Taurus, I saw less lights on a pinball machine than the dash of that car.

Owned 5 VW's, 4 of them made in Germany, no issues, just used to death. Last one was mexican didn't own it long.

[sourdough]

Worst vehicle ever? Boy, that's something to think about. I think mine had to be a Volkswagen Rabbit (no laughing!) circa 1972-5? From a sponge gear shifter to peeling seat covers (at 9 mos) to an engine that needed help to pull a watermelon. Dropped it at 10 mos.

Never had a front wheel drive vehicle and found that it actually works better than rear wheel drive when driving "off road". Unfortunately it was just junk....sort of like my 1974 Mustang II.

[travelin texans]

We had an '06 Jeep Commander that was the nicest most optioned vehicle we had ever owned, but from about 20k mile mark was riddled with electrical issues that Jeep could never figure out til our daughter got T-boned totaling it. Forgot to mention it got 12 mpg with the little V8.

Then there's about 15 different Ford company trucks from 1978 to 2012 that all but the '08 & '12 models left me stranded more than once & at trade time were hauled off rather than driven with 80-100k miles in about 30 months. The Dodges the company got in the early to mid '80s were even a bigger POS than the Fords. Had 3 Chevys ('81, '94 & '06) for the same amount of miles, months & roads, all were running strong at trade time.

As for ugly, I thought the Vega & Corvair were great looking vehicles compared to the current Prius & most any Nissan.

[Stumpy75]

I owned a 1983 Datsun Pickup. What a piece of junk! Lightweight, no power rattletrap. And the engine had multiple head problems. Started to rust after just 3 years. Fixed up the rust after the third winter and sold it in the late spring. I have not owned another Datsun or Toyota since.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by Stumpy75

I owned a 1983 Datsun Pickup. What a piece of junk! Lightweight, no power rattletrap. And the engine had multiple head problems. Started to rust after just 3 years. Fixed up the rust after the third winter and sold it in the late spring. I have not owned another Datsun or Toyota since.

Datsun turned into Nissan I believe. I did own a 60s vintage Datsun Sunny while in the service in Okinawa in the early 70s. The reason it was called a Sunny is that it only ran when it was sunny. I remember because I had to take my missus to the Army hospital in my Okinawan landlord's car because it was raining and I could get the Sunny to start.

[gearhead]

Worst? A VW Jetta. Must have been one of the gas crisis years. I traded a mint 1979 TransAm for it. We needed more room anyway with 2 kids. The Jetta would decide to just die at the worst possible moment. Like leaving the grocery store and pulling onto a busy street. Dealer always said it was electrical. I was on first name basis with the VW dealer's wrecker driver. I finally traded it on a slightly used Buick station wagon with plywood on the sides. That thing was huge. Kinda pretty for a wagon...sage green with same color interior. Loaded with all options and very reliable.
Other memorables...first year Ford Taurus that would die in the worst possible places, like Arches NP in Utah, just before sunset. Latest one was a recent Jeep Grand Cherokee. With no warning ALL the dash lights would start flashing. Dealer couldn't find it. That will be my last Jeep. Traded on a Chevy Traverse that might be a keeper.

[gearhead]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Datsun turned into Nissan I believe. I did own a 60s vintage Datsun Sunny while in the service in Okinawa in the early 70s. The reason it was called a Sunny is that it only ran when it was sunny. I remember because I had to take my missus to the Army hospital in my Okinawan landlord's car because it was raining and I could get the Sunny to start.

I almost bought an almost new Datsun 2000 Roadster. Wish I had.

[Badbart56]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Datsun turned into Nissan I believe. I did own a 60s vintage Datsun Sunny while in the service in Okinawa in the early 70s. The reason it was called a Sunny is that it only ran when it was sunny. I remember because I had to take my missus to the Army hospital in my Okinawan landlord's car because it was raining and I could get the Sunny to start.

I was deployed to Kadena AFB in 77-78 and on one day they sent me to pick up an associate who lived off base. The duty vehicle was a Chevy 3/4 ton long bed and I couldn't make the turn into his neighborhood as the streets were too narrow and lined with cars.

Also, yes, Datsun became Nissan. They had 240Z's there on Okinawa but the ones there were called Bluebirds.

[Lee]

Early 90's Chevy Lumina (Lemon-ina)

When accelerating (auto trans) would shift from 2nd gear to neutral!!!! Tranny shop never could figure out why.

Fuel pressure regulator failed causing the air filter box to fill up with fuel!!!!!

Went to open the drivers door and the pop metal handle broke off in my hand.

Driving down the road with the A/C on and blowing out the vents and when going up a hill, A/C would start blowing out the heater vents, ... back on flat road blows out the correct vents.

Final straw was an anti-lock brake problem. Car started eating Alternators. Watching the volt meter in the dash, when coming to a stop, the instant the tires stopped turning the voltmeter would bottom out. This would eventually destroy the Alternator. If I stopped by using just the emergency brake it operated normally. After 3 Alternators I traded that POS off.

All of these problem before 40,000 miles.

This car swore me off of Chevrolet products,... have never owned one since.

[jsb5717]

One of the GM Olds Delta 88 diesels. You know, the ones where GM modified a gas motor to be a diesel. Awful, awful motor. The car was a nice ride...when it wasn't in the shop. Finally dumped it

[Badbart56]

Originally Posted by jsb5717

One of the GM Olds Delta 88 diesels. You know, the ones where GM modified a gas motor to be a diesel. Awful, awful motor. The car was a nice ride...when it wasn't in the shop. Finally dumped it

We had a 79 Olds 98 with the 5.7 diesel that my wife drove between Florida and North Carolina years ago. Beautiful car and excellent ride. Got 27 mpg and she ran 85-95 mph on the interstates but later on head gaskets were a problem.

[dutchmensport]

I've never had a bad car. I suppose I selected them wisely and always had a good eye, good common sense, lots of patients, avoided compulsive buying, and had good success, new or used. I'm now 66 (plus) years old, been driving since I was 15. FYI, ... I've ben a GM guy all my life. The only time I broke away from GM was when I was in College and ended up with a $500 Volkswagon bug. Great little car, 6 volt battery system, and I ran that poor little car into the ground. When I got out of college, I sold it for $100. Got a 1968 Chevy Nova then!

[flybouy]

I've owned a bunch of vehicles of just about every flavor over the years. Can't really say I have ever owned a "bad" one. Some were better than others, and some were not. I think the biggest thing was recognizing what the vehicle was built for and not expecting more of it or abusing it.

Two of the better vehicles I bought were used and I was told by the original owner that they were lemons. One guy I worked with years ago had a Datsun PU, 1970 something. He had it in the shop constantly and said it just wouldn't stay running. It would stall out at highway speeds and refused to run if raining. He had a valve job done and still had the same issues. He was going to trade it in and the trade in the dealer offered was very little. I offered to buy it for what the dealer offered.

I spent about $6 (back in the 1980's) on a coil and ran that truck for 10 years without an issue. Yes it rattled. Yes it wouldn't go over 60 mph in fourth gear without sounding like the engine was coming out. But for what it was built for, it work great.

I bought a 1999 Dodge Durango RT from a fellow who said he had nothing but problems with it. I bought it and ran it for 5 years without a single problem before someone ran into it and totaled it. Maybe he had all the "gremlins" fixed, I don't know.

One of the most problematic vehichle I ever owned was a 2002 Chevy S10 crew cab PU. Fortunately it was covered under warranty and the dealer never gave me any issue in fixing it. In 2009 the front diff wore out. The transfer case was about shot as well. Out of warranty with about 100K on the odometer. This time it was on my dime. GM said no parts available. What happened to the "manf must build parts for 10 years"? GM said tough you know what. That's when GM took the gov bail out money and the rules were thrown out. That's when I bought the 2009 F150 King Ranch.

Maybe I've been lucky but I haven't had a "lemon" yet.

[dutchmensport]

Originally Posted by flybouy

...

One of the most problematic vehichle I ever owned was a 2002 Chevy S10 crew cab PU.....

Ah, this brings back some really great memories. In 1985, my brand new bride and I bought our first new vehicle. It was a 1985 Chevy S-10. I had that truck for 10 years. 5 speed manual transmission, no air conditioning, no carpet, AM radio only, no power windows. All it came with was power steering, power brakes, and an AM radio. It was a bare bones truck, but one really great truck. It towed our first (rented) pop-up. This photo was taken at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 1986, when my wife and little boy and I were living in "Lewis Heights" section of the post (Army). I literally drove that truck to death. 10 years later, it completely died in a Wall Mart Parking lot in Carmel, Indiana. The body was rusted completely out, the doors were rusted completely out. The engine had almost 200,000 miles on it. I just put new tires on it and new battery when a rod blew the engine side apart. A junk yard operation came and took the truck. Paid me $100, and I gave them the title. It was such as sad day, because I really loved tha truck, even though it was falling apart with rust.

[flybouy]

My first car was a used 1964 Ford Falcon. 1443 cid IL6 with I think 85 hp when new. It looked great for it's age. Has a 2 speed automatic IIRC and was maybe 1/2 that when I got it. It never left me stranded but it used equal amounts of oil, antifreeze, and gas. Somebody pulled out from a parallel parking space and hit the right rear quarter panel and caught the rear bumper pulling it off from the little bit of rust that was holding it on. You see where the guy hit me from the big pile of bondo that landed on the street.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by gearhead

Worst? A VW Jetta. Must have been one of the gas crisis years. I traded a mint 1979 TransAm for it. We needed more room anyway with 2 kids. The Jetta would decide to just die at the worst possible moment. Like leaving the grocery store and pulling onto a busy street. Dealer always said it was electrical. I was on first name basis with the VW dealer's wrecker driver. I finally traded it on a slightly used Buick station wagon with plywood on the sides. That thing was huge. Kinda pretty for a wagon...sage green with same color interior. Loaded with all options and very reliable.
Other memorables...first year Ford Taurus that would die in the worst possible places, like Arches NP in Utah, just before sunset. Latest one was a recent Jeep Grand Cherokee. With no warning ALL the dash lights would start flashing. Dealer couldn't find it. That will be my last Jeep. Traded on a Chevy Traverse that might be a keeper.

Bought both of my kids their first vehicle when they got their learners permit…figured it would be better for them to learn to drive and have experience with the car they would eventually be driving all the time..had them save up $3000 a piece towards the car and I paid for the rest.
Both had jeep libertys ..my daughters was a 2004 and it was perfect and no problems..my Sons was a 2008 and it looked brand new but had the electrical gremlins you described..he only had it for 3 months before I traded it for a Ram 1500 that I still have.
Just like yours all the lights would start flashing but the horn would also honk constantly …lol ..it turns out there was a service bulletin on the power module fuse box that was back ordered for about a year …I bought a used module on eBay and didn’t have luck but I did tell the salesman the issue when I traded it to my regular local dealer.
My other jeep that I still own ( 97 tj) is close to the worst..lol
Frame has been welded so many times and the dash gauges all stop working periodically…bad grounds or intermittent shorts somewhere I guess..I use it like a golf cart for running around the neighborhood and going to Walmart so doesn’t bother me much

[German Shepherd Guy]

Worst Vehicle Ever?
For us it was a 1978 or 79 Ford F150. Our first BRAND NEW vehicle. Bought during the period they were trying to make vehicles much more fuel efficient. Had a four speed/ only it wasn't. Was a 3 speed with overdrive transmission they took from a MUSTANG! Engine was the old Ford straight 6. Two wheel drive. No lockers. On it's best day it would get 13 MPG. but average was way below that. Because of the tranny it was no good for towing our horses. Thought we had ordered and were getting a 4 speed with a granny gear. NOT!! Drove it for less than 6,000 miles and traded it in. Tried Fords one more time in '85 before saying "never again."

[Stumpy75]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Datsun turned into Nissan I believe.

Yes, you are correct. And I have not had a Nissan since then either!