What's the worst car you ever owned?

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

And as much as people rave about "German Engineering"

I've owned a couple VWs and a German-built Ford, and I've worked for a German microphone company. I don't rave about "German engineering" (or other marketing phrases, either).

 

[Atshen]

I'll never buy another Saturn.

Seems unlikely, indeed.

 

[Stinsok]

I had a VW Rabbit pickup that was pretty crappy. In spite of its engineering heritage it was awful. 70mph was top speed. Wouldn't pull your hat off your head.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

'95 Saturn SC2. Burned oil. The engine went on it and you can't get a rebuilt one, you can only get one out of another wreck. So, the first replacement lasted about 2 weeks (it burned oil like it was going out of style too), the next one lasted about a year. Total junk. I'll never buy another Saturn.

I think Saturn had some issue with the rings.

 

[warwick.hoy]

I think Saturn had some issue with the rings.

Wakka Wakka

RE: German engineering. The Germans gave us the Beetle. C'mon now. I know the Beetle has a cult following but how that was acquired is perplexing. Slow, clunky, uncomfortable and uninspiring.

Isn't it pretty well recognized that current Mercedes quality is a shadow of what it used to be too? Seems very Un-German.

 

[Einherjar]

Wakka Wakka

RE: German engineering. The Germans gave us the Beetle. C'mon now. I know the Beetle has a cult following but how that was acquired is perplexing. Slow, clunky, uncomfortable and uninspiring.

Isn't it pretty well recognized that current Mercedes quality is a shadow of what it used to be too? Seems very Un-German.

Yeah... My boss is obsessed with Mercedes still despite the lowered quality. He's been through three of them in the last year. Lol.

 

[m0nst3r]

Mine was a 1992 Ford Taurus. That was a complete POS! I was surprised when I saw the speedometer only went to 80 mph, epecially since it had a 3.0L V6! At about 86K miles it blew a head gasket, and I pretty much gave that thing away to a wrecker to get it out of my sight.

 

[Joebarnes]

Worst car? 1988 Honda Accord. Went through 3 trannies in less than 1 year, and the thing had less than 130,000 km's on it, and most of those 130,000 km's were when my grandmother owned the car (oh, and she had a tranny replaced under warranty in it). Never will purchase another Honda in my life.

Second worst? My Wife's Geo Storm (Aka Suzuki). timing belt destroyed the whole engine and crap was constantly falling off.

Alternatively, I've never been stranded by a domestic. Retired my 1993 Jimmy with 475,000 km's and it was still going strong when I replaced it with my 1998 GMC Sierra, now with 350,000km's and going strong.

 

[Nedmundo]

And as much as people rave about "German Engineering" we've had more than a few VW's represented here too.

Yes, and I've noticed that several of them, like mine, were from the mid 1990's. IIRC, that's when Volkswagen began making several models for the US market in Mexico, including our 1995 Jetta, and they were plagued with problems. I'm not sure I've ever seen a Jetta from that era that didn't lose at least one door molding. They were simply glued on, and could easily peel off just from gravity. I eventually gave up, and replaced them with black duct tape!

I replaced the Jetta with a 2001 Saab 9-5 Aero, which was not exactly a paragon of reliability, but at least its basic structure was rock solid after eight years and over 130,000 miles.

 

[Personatech]

In defense of VW, my '99 New Beetle TDI had a rock-solid engine and tranny for the 9 years and 155,000 miles I owned it (not to mention the very real 47MPG average!). The electricals were another matter, with one relay, one window regulator, and a couple of headlights having to be replaced, but those are minor matters. I sold it to buy a 2008 Honda Accord which has to be the most reliable car I've ever owned, although it might be the most soul-less. Only thing to go wrong over 5 years (paid off next month!) and 138K miles with it is that the CD player is hit-and-miss (but since I usually just use XM or plug in my iPod, that's no big deal). I plan to hold on to the Honda for at least another 1-2 years but already have my eye on the forthcoming Mazda6 with Skyactiv-D diesel. Really hoping that ride will bring the best of all worlds together: reliability, fuel economy, and fun-to-drive quotient.

 

[iamlowsound]

My 1997 VW Golf was rock solid for 205k until it got rolled a few times, still ran and drove after that, but was about a foot shorter and didn't have any glass.

lowsound

 

[Mike N]

Worst car was a '71 Oldsmobile Delta 88.

The engine (a straight-6) ran well, but the transmission was a TWO speed.

And thats pretty much how you had to drive it. 28 mph or 61 mph. wasnt much in between.

Imagine a 5 speed tranny with no 1st, 3rd or 5th gear. Yah, kinda like that.

How that thing ever made it past the engineer's desk is beyond me.

and for the record: I didnt buy it... it was a hand-me-down from an older cousin. Hey, ya dont look a gift horse in the mouth, right?

I don't recall the straight 6/Powerglide being available in a B body in 1971. GM didn't interchange engines between divisions until the late 70's and I can't remember Olds having a straight 6 during that time. A 350 Olds V8 should have been standard in that car with a TH400 trans. The 455 Olds V8 was the optional engine, for the base models, it would have been standard in the wagon.

If you really had an 88 with the 6/'Glide combo is likely that someone else swapped it in after the car left the assembly line.

 

[fourstringdrums]

1987 Lebaron, beatiful car , very comfy but a real POS

Was it owned by Jon Voight?

 

[fourstringdrums]

2000 Subaru Outback Sport. In that time the seals around the windows broke down (found that out the hard way while going through a car wash), the side support padding in the seats all broke down so whenever I'd go around a corner I'd get the bar in my ribs. The visor mirror covers fell off, the labels on the radio buttons wore off, after two years I had no hubcaps left because the clips all snapped off..the car was sound mechanically but the inside was a complete POS. I eventually traded it in with $8,000 still left on it and got a 2002 version of the same car. That car held up much better and now I have 140,000 on it almost. It's starting to rust over the wheel wells a bit and I feel like I'm fixing it every 4 months, but it's pretty much routine maintenance stuff. I'm replacing it next year but I'm going to go with a Toyota.

 

[fourstringdrums]

Every time someone mentions the Ford Tempo I think of the one my parent's had. That lived up to the term POS. Eventually it was put out of its misery when it got totaled by a snow plow.

 

[David Jayne]

My 1997 VW Golf was rock solid for 205k until it got rolled a few times, still ran and drove after that, but was about a foot shorter and didn't have any glass.

lowsound

Lol!!!

 

[Papersen]

This

Link Removed

1994 Renault 9

 

[yodedude2]

I don't recall the straight 6/Powerglide being available in a B body in 1971. GM didn't interchange engines between divisions until the late 70's and I can't remember Olds having a straight 6 during that time. A 350 Olds V8 should have been standard in that car with a TH400 trans. The 455 Olds V8 was the optional engine, for the base models, it would have been standard in the wagon.

If you really had an 88 with the 6/'Glide combo is likely that someone else swapped it in after the car left the assembly line.

maybe it was a cutlass (f-85 a-body) and not a delta 88? looks like it was available with the chevy straight 6. some of the pontiac tempest models in the 60s offered bored-out chevy straight 6s until their ohc6 came out.

 

[busmandan]

1984 Ponitac Fiero...total POS....

I had one of those steaming piles, too. The best thing that ever happened to that car was the day my wife's brother wrapped it around a telephone pole.

 

[Munjibunga]

Chevy Vega. "Get a Vega before one gets you."