Least liked vehicle(s) you've ever owned? And why.

[Benzadmiral]

A 1984 Ford Escort 4-door. White, grey plaid cloth and vinyl interior, utterly insipid 4-cyl engine (it helped going up hills if you turned off the A/C). It stranded me or developed a major problem every year that I owned it. Timing belt broke at 2 am one cold Sunday morning, for instance; I was always buying batteries at Sears (which might have been part of the problem); something in the ignition system went out on a hot afternoon in traffic; etc. As soon as I could afford it I traded for a solid Olds Cutlass coupe and never looked back.

And to nominate it as the worst car is saying something, as its predecessor was a 1975 (?) Volvo 164 sedan that caught fire while I was driving it and burned end to end in a few minutes. That one I only drove for a month or two. The Escort hung around my neck for 6.5 years.

 

[ackvil]

1966 VW Beetle. My ex wanted this car but I ended up with it because she could never figure out to drive a stick. Just some of the problems with the car:

• The VW did not have any fan and the only airflow you got when was when the auto was moving. As a result, you needed a paper towel or diaper to clear the window. That's how your defroster worked!
• The "heater" worked by cables that were under the carriage of the auto. In the winter the cables would freeze and you had to go under the auto and manually shut them down when it got warmer. In the winter, you better dress warm because it took a long time to get some heat into the cabin.
• The VW did not have an oil filter. You had to change the oil every 3,000 miles and clean out the screen that acted as a filter. It was a messy job.
• For some reason, my VW was very finicky to start. On some colder mornings, the battery would not turn the engine over. I learned to park on a hill so I could pop the clutch to start it.
• The windshield wipers were small and poorly constructed. It was essential to carry spares in the trunk because when it froze they would separate and if you didn't change them you would scratch the windshield.
• Supposedly in 1962 all VWs came with a gas gauge. However, mine was not accurate. I would have to jot down the mileage and fill up the tank after you drove a certain amount of miles. I had the gauge replaced three times but they never lasted beyond 60 days. Naturally, the warranty was good for only 30 days.
• Finally, for some reason if you could get the VW up to 80 miles an hour, the engine would shudder and die. The mechanics could never find out why this happened.

The good thing about this auto, it got 35 to 40 mpg.

 

[H4nk]

1970 Plymouth Valiant. My parents wanted to make sure I stayed a virgin.
19xx Olds Omega. Everything was bad about the car.

 

[les24preludes]

1960s mini van, green like the picture. Ugly and a van. I was 18 and it was my first vehicle. It cost £350 new, since there was no tax on vans then. Anyone could break into it just by forcing the window. Once someone broke into it just to take a sandwich that was on the front seat.

 

[Luecke2326]

2009 Chevy Cobalt.......... I was just out of college and thought I should buy a new car! It was the wrong car..... I traded in a working 92 Silverado (Had a ton of miles and Major Accident damage) during the Cash for Clunkers promotion..... I never should have done it. The Colbalt had a myriad of problems, the ignition locked up on me not once but twice, the airbag had to be replaced, the back seat latch stopped working after two weeks, so it wouldn't stay shut, there were a bunch of recalls on it too. All told, I think I had it in the shop for defects 16 times before 60K miles. I was done with it, so I traded it for a 2012 Mazda 3 which I still have today and is a wonderful car. The Mazda 3 has never been in the shop for anything but oil changes and tire rotations, I'm beyond impressed.

 

[les24preludes]

I traded it for a 2012 Mazda 3 which I still have today and is a wonderful car. The Mazda 3 has never been in the shop for anything but oil changes and tire rotations, I'm beyond impressed.

My Saab 9-3 dates from 1999. 20 years, no problems. Just one of those lucky "good cars".

 

[Cricket1]

My worst car was a 1997 Mercury Sable. First Automatic tranny car I had, and it drove me nuts. Never shifted when you wanted/ expected, then would upshift at weird times. Rest of the car was fine, but my next car was a 2001 Nissan Maxima SE 5speed manual, huge improvement.

"I was done with it, so I traded it for a 2012 Mazda 3 which I still have today and is a wonderful car. The Mazda 3 has never been in the shop for anything but oil changes and tire rotations, I'm beyond impressed."

In 2008 I bought a new Mazda3S, 5 speed, and loved it. Amazing car, great handling. Brake and steering feel was almost telepathic. Drove it until 2016, traded it for a new 2016 Mazda 6. Your experience with the Cobalt vs the Mazda3 is telling. Note Chevy is not going to be producing or selling the Cobalt in the US anymore. Mazda continues with the 3.

Sad thing is so many Americans are so totally clueless to any hint of driving dynamics and the benefits of low weight/ low center of gravity. Instead it seems all people want today is a giant cocoon for transportation. Actual driving dynamics is going the way of the dinosaur..... makes this 1970's motorhead sad.

 

[Badgerstate36]

I cant say that I ever disliked any of the vehicles Ive ever owned. If I were to pick 1 though, it would probably be the '99 Ford F-150. I actually loved the truck but it seems like it required pretty frequent repairs, mostly little annoying problems with the electronics.

 

[oc_in_fw]

1960s mini van, green like the picture. Ugly and a van. I was 18 and it was my first vehicle. It cost £350 new, since there was no tax on vans then. Anyone could break into it just by forcing the window. Once someone broke into it just to take a sandwich that was on the front seat.

View attachment 946666

What kind of sandwich?

My worst car was a 1997 Mercury Sable. First Automatic tranny car I had, and it drove me nuts. Never shifted when you wanted/ expected, then would upshift at weird times. Rest of the car was fine, but my next car was a 2001 Nissan Maxima SE 5speed manual, huge improvement.

"I was done with it, so I traded it for a 2012 Mazda 3 which I still have today and is a wonderful car. The Mazda 3 has never been in the shop for anything but oil changes and tire rotations, I'm beyond impressed."

In 2008 I bought a new Mazda3S, 5 speed, and loved it. Amazing car, great handling. Brake and steering feel was almost telepathic. Drove it until 2016, traded it for a new 2016 Mazda 6. Your experience with the Cobalt vs the Mazda3 is telling. Note Chevy is not going to be producing or selling the Cobalt in the US anymore. Mazda continues with the 3.

Sad thing is so many Americans are so totally clueless to any hint of driving dynamics and the benefits of low weight/ low center of gravity. Instead it seems all people want today is a giant cocoon for transportation. Actual driving dynamics is going the way of the dinosaur..... makes this 1970's motorhead sad.

I have been driving an F150 since 2005. The last few weeks I have been driving the wife's Mini because she can't drive right now, and my truck needed a new EGR valve, and I just haven't had time to do it. I love driving the Mini, and wish it was a stick. Now that the house is paid off, and the Mini almost is, I am seriously contemplating one of the most impractical cars in the world- a Porsche Boxster (manual, of course). I have wanted a two door convertible since 1976, when I neighbor had a TR7, and I thought it was the coolest car in the world (I didn't realize how much work goes into keeping old British iron running).

 

[preidy]

Traded a 1978 VW Scirocco (great car) for a new 1980 Jetta when my son was born. It was a major lemon and alway in the shop and just started falling apart. Try to trade it in at 15,000 miles at various dealers in Omaha and no one wanted it because the word was out. Ended up taking a major bath just to dump it. I was so upside down had to trade for a used Chevy Monte Carlo.

 

[Sousy]

Odd thing: the car I liked the least was a Toyota Camry we kept to “drive into the ground”. Perfectly reliable, never had an issue until electrical system started having issues. Just very “meh”.

On the flip side, I owned an S 10 Chevy Blazer that I _loved_. It had drive train issues later in its life and a bunch of other problems that in retrospect I spent stupid money on to keep driving it, but I still miss the damn thing.

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

The two most agonizing, toxic cars I've ever had were both Jeeps; an 88 Wrangler and an 01 Cherokee. The engines are bulletproof, too bad nothing else was. They both would just have mysterious issues no one could seem to figure out, namely overheating. Fellow Jeep owners were none too helpful, usually just commenting, "ya, it's a Jeep"

 

[Macfrommichigan]

The best of times, the worst of times. I had a 1976 Triumph TR6. Classic British sports car in terms of reliability and durability, and in seeing more of your mechanic than your girlfriend. Electric system by Lucas, Prince of Darkness. Fun car when the streets were dry. Any wetness and the rear end tried to come up around to the front and the stopping distant long and not straight line. Leaked all over the place in the rain. Great car to drive to the beach except the drive train hump got unbearably hot and the driving position was so stretched out my legs went to sleep. Started rusting out, along the seams along the top of the trunk! I flipped on the left turn and the lever fell to the floor. I cranked the driver-side window and the crank came off in my hand. I essentially put the car fully functioning into a garage. Six months later when I went to sell it, it needed a valve job. Crappy radio. Cracking dash. Parked on the street parts would get stolen off of it. The clutch was stiff to the point of pain and grabby. For a car that weighed nothing but had a six-cylinder, it was not quick. I think the version sold in England had 50% more horsepower.

All of that said, it had its charms.

Ah, gee. Forgot about the Brits. Owned a 64 and a 67 MGB. I was young and stupid and a slow learner.

 

[les24preludes]

The two most agonizing, toxic cars I've ever had were both Jeeps; an 88 Wrangler and an 01 Cherokee. The engines are bulletproof, too bad nothing else was. They both would just have mysterious issues no one could seem to figure out, namely overheating. Fellow Jeep owners were none too helpful, usually just commenting, "ya, it's a Jeep"

Have you ever read some of those hilarious travelogues from Land Rover Owner - they go something like

"then the engine seized up in the desert in Libya, but fortunately a nomad called Mohammed turned up with 2 wives and 3 camels and we managed to tow the car to his village where his friend Abdul repaired it using washing machine parts..."

 

[joeyboy]

I had a 1974 Dodge Duster with a slant 6. It had a top speed of 81 mph, until it through a rod going 81 mph.

I did drive a Dodge van with a 318 and 3 speed on the column I absolutely loved. It was a blast.

 

[Shaving like a boss]

I have a tie. 1987 Ford T-bird Turbo Coupe and a 1991 3000gt. The Ford had constant problems. The radiator fans might or might not work, the fuel gauge might or might not work, the door latch assembly springs would break and were also next to impossible to find new. I was told by the Ford dealership that I got my last one from that it was THE last one period. The list goes on and on. The only good thing about it was that the little 2.3 turbo engine had plenty of poop AFTER the turbo spooled up. The 3000gt was just plain expensive. The computer went out, the fuel pump died, the radio would just turn itself up, down or off. The AC might or might not work. Just to get the plugs changed was 600 dollars because you had to take the entire intake off of the car. The clutch decided to just disassemble itself while cruising down the hiway...total *** car.

 

[The Knize]

I had a 1974 Dodge Duster with a slant 6. It had a top speed of 81 mph, until it through a rod going 81 mph.

I did drive a Dodge van with a 318 and 3 speed on the column I absolutely loved. It was a blast.

I had a 1972 Plymouth Duster (the equivalent Dodge would have been a Dart). 225 slant six. That engine is generally thought of as one of the most durable ever produced. I did everything I could to kill that car and it kept ticking!

 

[joeyboy]

I had a 1972 Plymouth Duster (the equivalent Dodge would have been a Dart). 225 slant six. That engine is generally thought of as one of the most durable ever produced. I did everything I could to kill that car and it kept ticking!

I guess that one went faster than 81 mph. They did tick.

 

[AZBronco]

Dodge Caravan. I didn't want it when my wife and I bought it, but it was practical for a young, growing family and cheap. When we did the test drive, the salesman looked at me and said, "Is it everything you wanted?" My response was, "no--this is not like anything I ever wanted."

To be honest, it was pretty reliable for a while but started falling apart around 75k - 80k, which to me isn't very good. Eventually we traded it in for my wife's dream car--a Ford Expedition. It's been pretty good and has 9 years and 110k miles on it. My wife is hoping to drive it to at least 200k (which is probably another 10 years based on the number of miles she puts on it now).

 

[The Knize]

I guess that one went faster than 81 mph. They did tick.

I had it over 100 mph from time to time as I recall, so I guess not. I did not think of it as underpowered or particularly slow. I think the top speed limit during the times I owned the car was 70, so 81 would have been a sort of self-imposed top. I do not remember it straining to get there.

Fairly light car. How come yours did not go more than 81?