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The absolute worst car you ever owned

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by 2many projects, Aug 30, 2008.

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  1. gashog
    Joined: Dec 9, 2005
    Posts: 984

    gashog
    Member

    79 Corvette, hands down the worst car I've ever owned. Nothing at all like the midyears or C5's I've had. That late shark looked great, but was poorly designed and cheaply constructed. I've never had a car that broke so easily or had so many design flaws I had to reengineer to fix.
     
  2. 1964 Falcon Sprint, started life with a 260 and 4 speed, I eventually went to a bored out 289 and C4. It was my daily driver for about 4 years, and gave true meaning to the phrase "Fix Or Repair Daily"
     
  3. curtiswyant
    Joined: Feb 6, 2005
    Posts: 461

    curtiswyant
    Member

    I went and looked at an '86 Honda Civic for a friend of mine a few years ago. I had heard they were really reliable cars and this one even had a new motor. We went at night so we didn't see the huge rust holes in the hatch and lower fenders. When we started it up, it idled at about 2000rpm. No problem, it's got a carb so it should be an easy fix. Also had to fiddle with the headlight switch to get it to work. It was cheap so she bought it.
    A few days later, the e-brake starts sticking bad. Like screeching and dragging. Apparently the headlight switch issue was killing the battery, so I went over and put a new battery in. The car was parked outside in the rain so the engine bay got wet and the car wouldn't start after that! So I put in new plugs, wires, cap and rotor and was lucky to get it started. Of course, the battery was still dying. The final straw was about a week later when we couldn't get the hood open. The release cable had broken or something. So we couldn't even get to the battery without disassembling the grille/hood latch so we sent 'er to the junkyard. My friend had the car for about three weeks total. Also turns out the motor was eating a quart of oil every 25 miles or so!

    The moral here is never trust a company or model's reputation. If the car looks like a piece of shit, it probably is! :mad:
     
  4. Rusty Kustoms
    Joined: Feb 5, 2006
    Posts: 238

    Rusty Kustoms
    Member

    67 dart, bought it from my little brother. It was his first car, he drove it for about 3 months and put in 5 starters, then a school bus pulled out in front of him and he wedged it underneath. couple weeks later my truck spun a bearing and the dodge was just sitting in the driveway, I pulled the fenders away from the doors with a crowbar and drove it for almost a year. I went through about 20 starters, towards the end they would rattle themselves loose and fall out, you could be driving down the road dragging the starter. The heater core got plugged, the trans would slip BAD when it wanted to, but only occasionally. It had a blown head gasket and would also burn massive amounts of the anti freeze/oil mixture. I would just put a few gallons of diesel drain oil in it every week. This may have been the worst car I have ever owned but in a way it was also the best, towards the end I beat this car hard, I would leave it in low and stand on it crank the wheel and try to get the rear to break loose, back up to curbs and smoke the tires, we even jumped an island at the grocery store and landed on a cart, but the damn car just would not die
     
  5. rusty48
    Joined: Jan 8, 2007
    Posts: 467

    rusty48
    Member

    80 something Jeep Cherokee,and 3 Dodge Caravans,will never own another Chrysler.
     
  6. srdart67
    Joined: Feb 3, 2008
    Posts: 357

    srdart67
    Member
    from Sharon, Wi

    i had an 81 mustang coupe 2.3 turbo pissing head gasket 7 starters and 2 alternators in 4 months burned 2 quarts of oil every fill up with 55000 on it. bought it from a 70 year old lady. 4 speed ground into every gear. while pumping gas the interior burst into flames thanks to some electrical gremlins. fabbed up a bigger turbo pullin 26lb boost and blew the trans to pieces 83 holes in the tranny pan. best thing i ever did with that car sold it the next day.
     
  7. srdart67
    Joined: Feb 3, 2008
    Posts: 357

    srdart67
    Member
    from Sharon, Wi

    this car wasnt that bad i drove it for more than three months and the worst thing about the car was being stranded without a starter the auto parts store didnt like all the abused starters coming back on warranty but i just started carrying a spare and 3 wrenches got good at it could take one out and replace it in under 2 minutes . bought the car for 125 drove it like a stole it crashed it and sold it to him for 300 whose the sucker now haha. thanks big brother
     
  8. Humboldt Cat
    Joined: Feb 20, 2003
    Posts: 2,235

    Humboldt Cat
    Member
    from Eureka, CA

    '87 Escort EXP. At least I bought it from a co-worker with fair warning for a hunnert bucks. He was gonna junk it, or raise funds for public bashing @ the university quad. It ran... yeah, it ran. Bitch gave me a massive back ache once, on a clutch start.
     
  9. Mr Haney
    Joined: Jul 17, 2008
    Posts: 1,000

    Mr Haney
    Member

    this 29 ford was so butchered trunk welded shut, a-arm front suspention, sbc, auto trans.



    wife called it " THE CLOWN CAR " would not ride in it

    revised 11- 28-08 Not bashing you rat rod guys, reason i hated this car it was poorly engineered, a rat rod that is built safe, well sorted out I have no problem with. I am not a snobby bastard

    ANY PORT IN THE STORM
     

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  10. punkabilly1306
    Joined: Aug 22, 2005
    Posts: 2,655

    punkabilly1306
    Member
    from ohio

    '91 grand prix 3.7, everything about that car sucked. The alternator took a shit and the only options you have are a) pull the whole right drive side apart b) pull the motor....god i still hate that car, glad i sold it
     
  11. evil dead
    Joined: Apr 10, 2008
    Posts: 39

    evil dead
    Member
    from canada

    My dad lent me a 1988 pontiac 6000 wagon with the 2 point hate v6 when my car calved. I had it a less than a week before changing a fuel filter in the rain in the bar parking lot, I had to undo the top motor mount and put a jack under the oil pan to change the rear middle plug and after the first week, the tranny loses 2nd gear. that would be enough, but I change the tranny and the motor self immolates then My dad tells me that he's taking my '74 fj40 land cruiser, complete with fresh 350,4.10s and 4speed tranny, to pay him for the car. so I have a 3 speed auto with a 4speed shifter and the IAC goes and the TPS is done I fix the wrong one and it costs me 20 bucks to drive two blocks to work. I punhed out the dash and my wife kicks in the door (separate occasions...stranded both times) the grill is broken and theres knuckle marks in the hood(ouch by the way)

    I give the car away, they put in a new TPS... for a 350 no less, the car runs great and he sells it for 600 bucks
     
  12. notrod13
    Joined: Dec 13, 2005
    Posts: 1,020

    notrod13
    Member
    from long beach

    1965 t bird .. its a thorn in my side .... like an old shoe it just keeps comming back !!!!
     
  13. Unibodyguy
    Joined: Dec 23, 2007
    Posts: 403

    Unibodyguy
    Member

    1985 Chev C 1500 4X2, Ordered the damn thing and in 14 months did the following;

    used a qt. of oil every 400-500 miles, that included the 2nd "new motor" to. Said it would go away when the motor got broke in!

    3 transmissions

    2 sets of front brakes and one rear set

    1 rebuilt rear end

    all the paint came off of the hood and roof

    and all of this within 22,000 miles of being new. Had a 350 with AOD. Best I ever got with it to was 12 mpg. And would never start if it got to 5 above zero or colder which was a daily occurance in Wisconsin.
     
  14. You believed Hot Rod Magazine. How sad.
     
  15. ramzoom
    Joined: Apr 25, 2008
    Posts: 382

    ramzoom
    Member
    from California

    So far it would have to be the 1981 Delorean I owned about 3 years ago. I loved that piece of junk but what a money pit! I spent over 6500 dollars to "update" the car..I mean everything that was important and lots of time fixing stuff on my own..
    The day I bought it it overheated because it lost the temp sensor in the lower cooling pipe. The sensor is located on the bottom of the return pipe thus my coolant went flowing out onto the ground..I pulled over to shut her down and the drivers door wouldnt open..I climbed over the center console got out the pass. door..rigged the sensor back in with tie straps and drove home. Towed the car to the DMC shop and 6500+ later I drove her home..a few months later the trans stopped shifting so I reseated the all the fuses and relays and the problem went away thank goodness..The guy that bought it from me was going around 85 mph up past Bakersfield Ca when the ground wire for the auto trans simply disintegrated causing the trans to drop into 1st gear..He had to tow it home some 300 miles up north..All I could think was welcome to Delorean ownership..That car was a love/ hate relationship..That car owned you not the other way.
     
  16. edgeabilly
    Joined: Dec 10, 2006
    Posts: 735

    edgeabilly
    Member

    I never had a bad one. The worst was a 68 Volvo and the coolest one: what can I say it was my first So Cal car!!!
     
  17. Fermiumhalo
    Joined: Jul 27, 2007
    Posts: 156

    Fermiumhalo
    Member
    from Japan

    Ford Tempo died in intersections only! EVERYtime!!! Death trap that car.
     
  18. JamesG
    Joined: Nov 5, 2003
    Posts: 5,249

    JamesG
    Member

    Dodge Stratus!
     
  19. bfink55
    Joined: May 31, 2007
    Posts: 247

    bfink55
    Member
    from Turlock CA

    87 S-10 2wd blazer , 2.8 auto.......had to turn the a/c off just to get up a freeway onramp if i had more than one passenger . then the crank snapped in two , which i guess is pretty common in these , got it fixed and traded it for a 67 chevelle , definatly a good trade for me
    FINK
     
  20. customcory
    Joined: Apr 25, 2007
    Posts: 1,831

    customcory
    Member

    I had a 80 something Volvo 4 door , what a pos, the carb caught fire one day and I just pushed it out in the road and let it burn. Vey satisfying.:D
     
  21. krooser
    Joined: Jul 25, 2004
    Posts: 4,584

    krooser
    Member

    '92 Mercury Capri convertible... Aussie-built, Jap designed ...everything broke... had three parts cars available for spares.

    '75 Opel... bought new...couldn't keep the rear gear from breaking... put three duifferent r&p's in it in the first 12,000 miles. German engineering at it's finest.

    '71 Toyota Corona MKII... bought new...had a/c but not enough HP to run it. Parts were so expensive you needed a loan for an exhaust system. It DID last 170,000 miles but so did my '78 Ford Fairmont.

    '72 BMW Bavaria ... bought one year old. Bad electrics, bad oil consumption, troublesome brakes and more. Couldn't wait to sell it...
     
  22. oilslinger53
    Joined: Apr 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,500

    oilslinger53
    Member
    from covina CA

    the worst car i ever had was the "le car"... why would i buy a le car you ask? well lets just say it was $50, and it kinda ran...
     
  23. propwash
    Joined: Jul 25, 2005
    Posts: 3,857

    propwash
    Member
    from Las Vegas

    53 Stude Commander coupe with transplanted 374 Packard - had a lopey cam of some kind, and Thomas Magnesium rocker arms that would break with great regularity - I was in N Dakota (Minot AFB) at the time and one of the guys at the base hobby shop modified some Chev six-cylinder rockers as a repair. This thing was amazing - it had a 3spd OD trans feeding through a 2.86 ± rear end (auto trans, I guess), it would do about 120 in second/over - but the odrive solenoid made the floorshifter weird - one selector had to stay pointed up and the other pointed down - so first was where in should be (as was reverse), but you came out of first across the neutral gate and then pulled it back down for second and then straight to the dashboard for third. No quarter windows (this was NOT my daily driver - it was given to me), only one operable wiper, and a bucket seat off of a Clark forklift I think. I finally gave up on the thing and 'paid it forward' to the next hapless unsuspecting dude. I imagine it finally wound up in the local boneyard. While I had it, it was known as the STUpidityBAKER.

    "...well, it's one..two...kick off your shoes, three...four...get out on the floor, five...six...come get yer kicks, down the corner of Lincoln and 46th...."

    dj
     
  24. NOT_SO_FAST
    Joined: Oct 25, 2008
    Posts: 228

    NOT_SO_FAST
    Member
    from IL

    I didn't hate it,but the vehicle I had the most problems with was a '85 El Camino,went through two junkyard transmissions,the roof leaked pretty bad (had a crappy sunroof that someone siliconed over),wiring problems,rusted body mounts,you name it. But it ran good and i only paid $500 for it,had the 305 and it ran awesome.
     
  25. BLUDICE
    Joined: Jun 23, 2006
    Posts: 1,512

    BLUDICE
    Member

    In 1974 I traded a loaded out 1973 GTO for a 1973 Vega GT station wagon (green no less) and had to give the dealer money to boot - talking about being a El Dumb O, but that's some of the stupid things we did during the gas crisis at that time. I had a Harley chopper at the same time which was the AMF version ( parts fell off, leaked oil, missing some parts) but I loved it until I passed a car at 80 mph and it decided to make a left turn when I got right next to it - now that was REAL fun!!
     
  26. Dick Dake
    Joined: Sep 14, 2006
    Posts: 788

    Dick Dake
    Member

    DeLorean, Jaguar, LeCar, some of these are just too funny. I had an 82 El Dorado that was poop. The electronic temperature control would jam and you would have to pull over, turn the car off, and turn it back on to reset change the temp.
     
  27. EDSROD
    Joined: Nov 29, 2008
    Posts: 9

    EDSROD
    Member

    mid 80's chevy pick up!!!!!! a > better than nothing < truck . needed a 'tetanus shot' when you rode in it , or a shower cap for your feet when it rained!!!!!
     
  28. wildmanwillys
    Joined: Sep 14, 2008
    Posts: 11

    wildmanwillys
    Member

    I have never owned a Ford, so I have not had a "worst car".

    Sorry, I had to do it, and so you know, I would take an OLD Ford anyday, just not this new shit. I would love a 29 to 32...or a 40

    Jason
     
  29. Cosmo49
    Joined: Jan 15, 2007
    Posts: 1,555

    Cosmo49
    Member

    '92 Ford Taurus Wagon, actually rode real well, multiple transmission problems interspersed with head gasket blow-outs.
     
  30. theHIGHLANDER
    Joined: Jun 3, 2005
    Posts: 10,263

    theHIGHLANDER
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    66 Nova 2dr HT. Yes, a Nova HT. Ex late nite street racer, cobbled pile of mis-matched shit. 327 with a cam (whatever), but later model front cover, wrong oil pan, junk B&M shifter, mini spool, 4.56 gears. No seats, just a plastic bucket. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING was right with this pile of shit. Tried to make it respectable and re-sell it. Coulda been one of the best based on solid sheet metal, but I hated it so much I had to just dump it. I actually hate "box" Novas, and maybe I shoulda passed on that one because of that. Lesson learned...stick with what ya like, even for re-sale.
     
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