Hahaha, funny thing is, I got more back for that car from the fire insurance than what I paid for the car....and besides all that, the Saturn was still the worse car.
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What's the worst car you ever owned?
- Thread starter xXxTWO FACExXx
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Hahaha, funny thing is, I got more back for that car from the fire insurance than what I paid for the car....and besides all that, the Saturn was still the worse car.
Probably something British or Italian. Triumph? Fiat?Thinking back, the one make of cars with BY FAR the most problems has also been the best for fun-factor (when they work right).
Care to guess the brand?
I've owned a lot of cars. Probably 25-30. I can't even count them all. Thinking back, the one make of cars with BY FAR the most problems has also been the best for fun-factor (when they work right).
Care to guess the brand?
VW
My experience is that when they work right, they are pretty exciting cars to wheel around. Trouble is they don't work right enough of the time.
FWIW, the most exciting car I ever drove was an MGB, a notorious problem child of an automobile. Fortunately for me, it wasn't mine.
Yep, 72 Vega. Aluminum Powerglide 2 speed tranny, and not enough power to get out of its own way.
That was if the Aluminum head didn't melt.
The vega had a cast iron head. It was the Aluminum cylinder walls that were a problem! Original Vegas had aluminum engine blocks with NO STEEL SLEEVE. Pistons rode directly on aluminum. Cylinders wore out in 30,000 miles. Clearly it was socially acceptable for GM engineers to drink heavily on the job. How did THAT bad idea actually go into production?
Yeah, two speed auto transmissions!
I had a close ratio 4 speed manual. This close ratio meant that first gear was too tall to get a good launch, and fourth gear was so low that the engine was spinning its brains out on the highway.
And the rust, I live in an area that rarely snows. The roads are not salty. Cars don't rust here. Yet that Vega had aggressive and determined rusting going on. Perhaps GM thought no one would notice the disposable engine if the body evaporated first.
^^
For me, the litmus test of a reliable car is how many old ones you see. You see ZERO Vegas, Pintos, Gremlins, Pacers, Corvairs, etc. on the road in ANY capacity. Considering how many of them were made and sold, you see very few VW Beetles, and the ones you see are rarely stock. This was true back when they were in production: 5-6-year-old Beetles were not common. A cheap car is simply not made for the long term. All kinds of corners are cut in the quest for that low price point.
For me, the litmus test of a reliable car is how many old ones you see. You see ZERO Vegas, Pintos, Gremlins, Pacers, Corvairs, etc. on the road in ANY capacity. Considering how many of them were made and sold, you see very few VW Beetles, and the ones you see are rarely stock. This was true back when they were in production: 5-6-year-old Beetles were not common. A cheap car is simply not made for the long term. All kinds of corners are cut in the quest for that low price point.
I'm surprised to see such disappointment with VW. I'm driving an '03 TDI beetle 5 speed with 190K showing. It was 15 grand out the door brand new. Almost zero trouble. Just a couple things I'd consider odd- it's eaten three or four wheel bearings and a couple of tie rod ends.
Other than that, just normal wear and tear items-struts, brakes, a couple of glow plugs, timing belt. Still starts right up in any weather, gets 50 mpg and doesn't leak a drop of oil. Maybe I got lucky.
Other than that, just normal wear and tear items-struts, brakes, a couple of glow plugs, timing belt. Still starts right up in any weather, gets 50 mpg and doesn't leak a drop of oil. Maybe I got lucky.
I have never heard of anyone complain about a TDI, I have heard several complaints about the gas ones.
lowsound
The disappointment is that it ought to be so much better than it is. All the ingredients are there for a great car, but for most people the reliability is substandard and the upkeep is financially bruising. Aesthetically, I love them and always have.
D
I respectfully disagree with putting the Taurus on this list. My stepdaughter had a Taurus that she had constant problems with. She bought it used, and I don't think it was properly maintained, or PM'ed at all.
From 95-2005 I was in outside sales covering 5 states, and the company car was a Taurus wagon. Once I got a Sable. I had exactly one problem in ten years of taking them from 0-100,000 miles in the span of about a year to fourteen months, then getting a new one. They were incredibly problem free.
Almost everyone I've talked to who has a Taurus horror story bought it used and it's maintenance history was questionable or unknown, and some have had the mindset that you check the oil only when you start noticing problems. That's the way my older sister approaches car maintenance and every car she's ever owned was basically destroyed by neglect. That doesn't make them bad cars.
Again, not my experience. I'm surprised. I'd go so far as to say it's possibly the best car I've owned. Love my TDI.
I agree with your take on things. It's easy to buy a car used, start having problems with it, and call it a piece of crap. A lot of people aren't very on top of vehicle maintenance, and even many of those who are neglect things like air filters, spark plugs, transmission fluid and filter service, etc.
When I got my truck, a 2000 Dodge Dakota, it started having a ton of problems and needed lots of money in parts and labor. It would have been so easy to say, "Oh, this truck is such a huge POS, I'll never buy another Dodge again", etc. I've had it a year now and there's very little work left that it needs. It's reliable, starts up every time, rides and drives well, runs well, and doesn't regularly break parts. It's got about 150,000 miles now.
Mine was a '77 ( or '78? ) Chrysler Cordoba.....it had a nightmare called the "lean burn " ignition system that was constantly creating problems for me....aside from that it did have 'rich Corinthian leather'.....and aside from the engine problems , it would have been 'surprisingly affordable ' !
