worst car you have ever been in?

[AJA]

1984 VW Rabbit. It was always broke down! That’s how we got it, our neighbor GAVE it to my dad when he moved…..because it wouldn’t run and he couldn’t take it with him

 

[RUDisney]

Speaking of uncomfortable cars... my DH brought home a BMW X4 a few years ago. He wouldn't let anyone drive his Audi in the winter, so he thought this was a good idea for us all to share. I had my own car, but the kids didn't at that point. Instead of having the kids take the BMW, I would drive it and let them take my car. Every time I would get home, I would complain about how hard it was to get into it, out of it and how uncomfortable it was. The back window was a porthole and there was no side view from the back windows. My DH got rid of it in a matter of 6-months. He was sick of me complaining about it.

 

[bcla]

The thing I don't get is, all the Dodge/Chrysler/Ram dealers here dropped Fiat. They won't even work on them.

It's considered a separate brand though. If a dealership doesn't think it provides value, they can dump it as a brand. I only remember one Fiat dealer around here that was also combined with an Alfa dealer. As far as I can recall, the only passenger Fiat sold in the US in years has been versions of the Fiat 500. Fiat vans have been sold in the US as variations of the Ram ProMaster.

 

[bcla]

1984 VW Rabbit. It was always broke down! That’s how we got it, our neighbor GAVE it to my dad when he moved…..because it wouldn’t run and he couldn’t take it with him

You should have seen the diesel version. Yeah it got 55 MPG highway. That was about the extent of its positives.

 

[goofyernmost]

I wouldn't say that I have had a car that I felt was terrible, I had a major one that was extremely disappointing and toward the end, did breakdown a lot.

A few years before I retired I made a major, for me, purchase of a Cadillac Deville DHS. It was pristine, and had every whistle and bell that Cadillac could find to put on a car. New it was $56K in 2005. I bought it in 2008 when it had 21000 miles on it, with a 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. I thought that after I retired I wouldn't be using it to commute and basically it was be the last car I would need to buy. I think if anyone made the effort to think about it the day after the warranty expired things started to go bad on it. And NOTHING on the car cost less than $600.00. I kept hoping there was a limit, but I spent over $11K just on repairs before it started overheating. A Cadillac isn't a car that mechanics like to work on, but the dealership pretty much had too. I took it in and they diagnosed it to be two, yes both head gaskets had given out and the cost to repair was $6000.00. At the time the Blue Book listed it, even in the pristine condition I kept it in to be around $900.00. I gave up and leased a new car and sold my favorite car for $1000.00 to a guy that sounded like he would be able to do the head gaskets himself. He couldn't and it became the worlds most beautiful vehicular lawn ornament. That was seven years ago and to this day it is still sitting in the same spot where he left it. It doesn't look anywhere near as pretty now though.
It was identical to the picture.

This is the one I have now. I like it but I do miss my Cady.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

A 1969 Ford Torino that I inherited from a friend of my brother’s.
Major rust bucket. We called it The Cockroach.

One night I was on a dark road out of state going camping. I went to put the high beams on (which used to be on the floor) - my foot went through the floorboard and the lights went out. Got pulled over, forgot to pay the fine, never made it to court, last I knew I wasn’t supposed to drive in that state! (Not sure how long these things last, lol.)

 

[jtopp]

Gremlin. Our first family trip to Disney in '76 my dad rented this for our family of 5, plus luggage. Ugliest green color imaginable. Still have nightmares about it. Modern day, would have to say the smartcar. Like driving a gocart on the interstate.

 

[ElevationNotice]

I don't even know.

 

[tvguy]

Gremlin. Our first family trip to Disney in '76 my dad rented this for our family of 5, plus luggage. Ugliest green color imaginable. Still have nightmares about it. Modern day, would have to say the smartcar. Like driving a gocart on the interstate.

Yeah, renting what was really a 2 passenger car with back seat designed only for occasional use by 2 kids probably was the issue. Those Gremlins were bullet proof though. And a friend's parents had a 1974 with a 304 V-8, the car was scary fast......as he, his mom and his dad all got speeding tickets in it.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

I wouldn't say that I have had a car that I felt was terrible, I had a major one that was extremely disappointing and toward the end, did breakdown a lot.

A few years before I retired I made a major, for me, purchase of a Cadillac Deville DHS. It was pristine, and had every whistle and bell that Cadillac could find to put on a car. New it was $56K in 2005. I bought it in 2008 when it had 21000 miles on it, with a 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. I thought that after I retired I wouldn't be using it to commute and basically it was be the last car I would need to buy. I think if anyone made the effort to think about it the day after the warranty expired things started to go bad on it. And NOTHING on the car cost less than $600.00. I kept hoping there was a limit, but I spent over $11K just on repairs before it started overheating. A Cadillac isn't a car that mechanics like to work on, but the dealership pretty much had too. I took it in and they diagnosed it to be two, yes both head gaskets had given out and the cost to repair was $6000.00. At the time the Blue Book listed it, even in the pristine condition I kept it in to be around $900.00. I gave up and leased a new car and sold my favorite car for $1000.00 to a guy that sounded like he would be able to do the head gaskets himself. He couldn't and it became the worlds most beautiful vehicular lawn ornament. That was seven years ago and to this day it is still sitting in the same spot where he left it. It doesn't look anywhere near as pretty now though.
View attachment 822448 It was identical to the picture.

This is the one I have now. I like it but I do miss my Cady.
View attachment 822449

I never owned a Caddy as I worked for GM and we knew better. However, I had a friend who was testing the CTS-V and he let me take it out on the tracks for a test drive. WHOA! I got that mofo up to 115 mph on the circular track at the proving ground and it rode like a Benz, smooth as silk. Now that was a fun car to drive so I understand your nostalgia.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

Gremlin. Our first family trip to Disney in '76 my dad rented this for our family of 5, plus luggage. Ugliest green color imaginable. Still have nightmares about it. Modern day, would have to say the smartcar. Like driving a gocart on the interstate.

I see SmartCars all over Orlando which shocks me given how crazy it is to drive there. If I ever live in Central Florida again, I'm buying a tank for I-4. I do also see them in Europe all the time but that makes a little more sense.

 

[tvguy]

I see SmartCars all over Orlando which shocks me given how crazy it is to drive there. If I ever live in Central Florida again, I'm buying a tank for I-4. I do also see them in Europe all the time but that makes a little more sense.

That is interesting as Mercedes stopped selling SMART cars in the U.S. 6 years ago due to poor sales. However, those cars in Florida may belong to Cars2Go, the car sharing service owned by Mercedes

 

[AussieFan8]

1984 Ford Tempo. Biggest piece of crap I've ever owned; never owned another American car again.

The first car I got to drive was an 86 Tempo, which was my parents' car. Then they got me my own car - a 1980 Ford Pinto wagon with wood grain sides. I got to drive that beauty to college and everyone knew it was me when I drove past. Needless to say, I missed the crappy Tempo!

ETA: By the time I drove the Pinto home from grad school in 1995, I was flooring it to go up hills and was going about 40mph when I crested the hills on the highway. I barely got that thing to the dealership to buy my first car. They actually gave me $500 for trade in which I was happy with. My college friends had talked about cutting the top off of it and driving around the city for fun, but I needed the $500 lol.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

The first car I got to drive was an 86 Tempo, which was my parents' car. Then they got me my own car - a 1980 Ford Pinto wagon with wood grain sides. I got to drive that beauty to college and everyone knew it was me when I drove past. Needless to say, I missed the crappy Tempo!

ETA: By the time I drove the Pinto home from grad school in 1995, I was flooring it to go up hills and was going about 40mph when I crested the hills on the highway. I barely got that thing to the dealership to buy my first car. They actually gave me $500 for trade in which I was happy with. My college friends had talked about cutting the top off of it and driving around the city for fun, but I needed the $500 lol.

I see your parents didn't love you either.

 

[tvguy]

The first car I got to drive was an 86 Tempo, which was my parents' car. Then they got me my own car - a 1980 Ford Pinto wagon with wood grain sides. I got to drive that beauty to college and everyone knew it was me when I drove past. Needless to say, I missed the crappy Tempo!

ETA: By the time I drove the Pinto home from grad school in 1995, I was flooring it to go up hills and was going about 40mph when I crested the hills on the highway. I barely got that thing to the dealership to buy my first car. They actually gave me $500 for trade in which I was happy with. My college friends had talked about cutting the top off of it and driving around the city for fun, but I needed the $500 lol.

Like I mentioned, I got a 1974 Pinto new my senior year of high school and kept it 16 years. I put up with all the Pinto jokes in college, which I reminded those folks of when they called asking to bum a ride home with me over school breaks. First year out of college I worked as a TV news photographer, and we didn't have company cars yet so we had to use our personal cars. While I was the least experienced photographer on the staff, I was a popular choice of reporters on a 110 degree day because my Pinto had AC, and it WORKED unlike some of the other folks with BMWs, Datsuns, Hondas, Toyotas, Chevy's and even a couple of fancier Ford products.

 

[AussieFan8]

Like I mentioned, I got a 1974 Pinto new my senior year of high school and kept it 16 years. I put up with all the Pinto jokes in college, which I reminded those folks of when they called asking to bum a ride home with me over school breaks. First year out of college I worked as a TV news photographer, and we didn't have company cars yet so we had to use our personal cars. While I was the least experienced photographer on the staff, I was a popular choice of reporters on a 110 degree day because my Pinto had AC, and it WORKED unlike some of the other folks with BMWs, Datsuns, Hondas, Toyotas, Chevy's and even a couple of fancier Ford products.

I'm glad your Pinto experience was good! My Pinto did make it to 15 years...barely.

 

[tvguy]

I'm glad your Pinto experience was good! My Pinto did make it to 15 years...barely.

My mom's made it 27 years. After years of driving Buicks, that 1976 Pinto was her favorite car. Everyone told her it was a sharp looking car. Had every option except wood paneling, sunroof and tape deck.