Worst car you have ever driven?

"Trevor Slattery, ACTOR" (anacostiabikecompany) 11/13/2014 at 12:56 • Filed to: None

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The questionable Car of the Year winners got me thinking about some of the awful cars I have driven.

What cars have you been behind the wheel of only to get out and say to yourself, "DAYUM, that car sucks!"

Girlfriend in college had a Ford Tempo. You have never heard of one (or its sibling, the Mercury Topaz) for a reason. Just terrible.

Another girlfriend had a V6 Camaro. Just a terrible handling car on anything other than smooth dry pavement. Totally frightening in the wet and rode as hard as a race car.

TheHondaBro > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:00

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2015 Hond Fit EX.

Cheap interior.
Engine too weak for anything; always sounds like it's struggling.
Half-assed electronic locks.
Infotainment system doesn't work well with an iPhone.
Gigantic windshield that's difficult to clean.

EL_ULY > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:01

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none, because walking is for..... walkers lol. Thoug, my lower back and right foot was not too fond of a 2013 Kia Rio sedan. But from Atlanta to Columbia SC, it used pretty much zero fuel on eco mode. Way too awesome

OPPOsaurus WRX > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:02

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i never got to drive it but my cousin had some special anniversary edition V8 Camaro in that body style. It was great cruising around with the T-tops but damn it was slow. It was weak as shit but its only driving option in the wet was spin the tires everywhere no matter what. I think my v6 explorer was faster than that thing.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:02

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My sister had a 5-speed tempo just like that but metallic dark red. She had "RARY" in mailbox letters to the right of the tempo badge.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > TheHondaBro 11/13/2014 at 13:02

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I agree with the Fit's suckiness in general. I drove my SIL's and was SHOCKED at how middling it was at everything.

RazoE > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:03

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Mother-in-law's Exporer Sport. The interior was just so raggedy. Gigantic plastic pieces cut out roughly. If you put your finger on the edge of the window, you can feel where they just cut the fabric from the headliner. She took incredible care of it, though (as she does with all her cars), but it was sh*t from the beginning.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:03

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It's very close between this:

and this:

Although the Renault was pretty worn out when I drove it (it was scrapped within the next year) and the Nissan was in good condition, so the Nissan is probably the worst car overall.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > TheHondaBro 11/13/2014 at 13:04

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You must have driven a lot of pretty decent cars in your time.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:04

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In college a friend had a Geo Metro. It did have the 1.3L four (instead of the 1.0L three), but it was saddled with the automatic...a three speed which barely got it to 32 mpg on the highway. A wretched, wretched car.

Textured Soy Protein > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:05

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I had a 2008 Chrysler Sebring as a rental car once.

In its defense, it is in fact a car with wheels and seats that is capable of being used as a car.

On the downside, it looks hideous and the interior is equally garbage-looking.

The steering was so vague, I had trouble staying in my lane on the highway with the slightest change of road camber, or heaven forbid a bend in the road.

Alfalfa > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:05

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At my wife's request, we test drove a Caliber while car shopping. Not only was the engine sad and anemic, the steering was so dull it made the vehicle feel about twice as large as it was. Ugh. I may as well have been driving a passenger van.

TheHondaBro > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 11/13/2014 at 13:06

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I can still tell if a car is bad, because this one was just a disappointment.

Big Bubba Ray > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:06

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My grandmother's 2013 SRX. Bear with me here.

The transmission is a joke. Like an absolute joke. It never knows what gear it's supposed to be in and just gently rolling on the throttle will send the RPM SHOOTING up to redline.

The car has upwards of 300 horsepower (totally unnecessary for an 84 year old person) but it feels more like 150. The engine feels anemic at best.

The ride isn't that comfortable and you feel nearly every single bump in the road. Road noise is off the charts as well. On the highway going 70 is nearly as loud as my Datsun at the same speed. I'm not kidding.

Visibility is nonexistent. Blind spots are off the charts. You can't see anything out of the rearview mirror. Need to change lanes on the highway? Check your blindspot. Realize you can't see anything in your blindspot because of the C-pillar. Floor it and hope nobody is there. The sloping and pointy front of the car makes pulling into parking spots a gamble.

The whole interior feels cheap. Bose speakers are all over the car but the audio quality is terrible. Everything has a plastic feel to it and the buttons on the steering wheel creak when depressed.

The brakes are awful. Handles like a boat.

THIS CAR is why I don't believe that Cadillac holds a candle to the Germans. I despise this car.

*flamesuit on*

claramag, Mustaco Master > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:06

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Mercedes W123 diesel. My old landlord used to buy multiple W123 diesels in some twisted love affair. The turbo'd models weren't quite as bad, but the NA was loathsomely slow and reliably ran like shit. Useless in the corners, crappy interior quality, and I swear every single example he had smelled like emotional death and decay (although that could've just been him...). There are far better eternal diesels out there, why people hold the W123 Ds so high is beyond me

Still can't believe the W123 beat the Foxbody on the beater showoff...

duurtlang > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:07

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Toyota Corolla. Easily the worst car I've ever driven. Numb, disconnected, soulless.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:11

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It remains my personal definition of automotive suck. Specific model was a 3-door van with a 1.7-litre turbodiesel. Horrible in all aspects except resistance to rust, which is odd for a Fiat.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 11/13/2014 at 13:16

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I find it impressive how they got such a tiny amount of power from a turbo diesel. I think the 1.7 non turbo diesel corsa gets a similar amount of power.

jariten1781 > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:16

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I drove a Chevette Scooter in the late 90s (long after most had died) which, unbeknownst to me had carpet hot glued over the rear floor which was swiss cheesed with rust. Went through a benign puddle the first day I had it and the carpet got soaked. Pulled it up and the whole thing was covered with mold. Engine wouldn't hold idle, but loved to diesel for multiple minutes after shutdown. The chassis/body was so floppy that when crossing railroad tracks the whole thing would pick up a resonant vibration like a tuning fork that was completely separate from the pogoing of the suspension. Had to pop start it about 50% of the time. Had the radiator detonate for no particular reason. The gas tank developed a pinhole leak which just happened to spray straight at the exhaust which also cracked while I had it.

I only drove it for two weeks too (let a lady I knew borrow my car to visit her kid at college since she didn't think that her car would make it).

Looked pretty much like this but with more rust:

jaan > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:16

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1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass. I went from a 1970 Oldsmobile Delta 88 with the virtually indestructible 350 Rocket and TH400, to that POS with the tin foil 3.8L V6. I blew up 3 of them before I got wise.

I had a Ford Tempo...it actually wasn't that bad. It was tough and built like a bumper car (it got hit 2 or 3 times hard and just shrugged it off) and always ran decent although the tranny had a problem sticking too long in second gear. As long as you had a lead foot it wasn't a problem. That, and the rocker switch headlights were in just the right place to turn them on with your knee getting out of the car. I just carried jumper cables. I had that car as a second car from 1986 to 2000. Oh yeah, and the push button urn signal horn that made me break the stalk when someone cut me off....still, it always got me hone.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > claramag, Mustaco Master 11/13/2014 at 13:17

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I'd have placed interior quality (initial) at "very high" - but the things have the tendency to continue on as the undead long enough for legions of ain't-give-a-shit owners to wreck them on the inside. Some brittle plastic involved, W114/115s are better on that count.

Loathesomely slow, agreed wholeheartedly. I'd still rank it well over two other popular eternal diesels, the VW Golf diesel and the Volvo 240 diesel. We've had multiples of each over very long periods: currently we have three W123s. One turbo five, and two NA fours, one each in stick and auto.

Two Drink Minimum > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:17

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Outstanding. I owned a red 1988 Ford Tempo GL (I think), 2-door, 5-speed manual. I actually chose this car. Still, it was better than the beaten Buick I had before it.

functionoverfashion > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:19

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Had to take hands off the wheel to reach the turn signal stalk. Downhill from there.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Big Bubba Ray 11/13/2014 at 13:19

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They ruined the 3.6 when the shoved the torque peak so far up the rev range. In my mom's Vue, it's 248 at 2100 RPM. In the current 3.6 its a little higher number at over 4000 RPM I think. It ruined it I think. Sounds like the transmission is better sorted as well in the Vue.

Really though, I've sat in multiple SRX and my mom's car from a company known for cheap shitboxes in nicer I think. Which is why whenever she says she wants to upgrade to an SRX, I shoot the idea down instantly.

It doesn't help that it isn't that attractive and leads to those horrible blind spots.

As someone who is a major fan of GM, even I hate this thing.

Two Drink Minimum > TheHondaBro 11/13/2014 at 13:20

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But worst car you've ever driven? The Fit is loud, underpowered, ungainly looking, and cheap on the inside. But it's good on gas, will go 300,000 miles without drama, and can fit an entire campsite worth of gear in that ridiculous back seat/hatch. I just don't see it being that bad. Certainly not while there are still Chevy Aveos on the road.

Jedidiah > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:22

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A tie between these two.

2008 Focus.

Boring. Slow. Numb. It gave me a headache. HATED every second of driving it — nothing about the car made any sense.

Hyundai XG350

The front control arms rusted off the car, but it wasn't covered under warranty because we didn't live up north. We would up taking the POS to a scrap yard.

BoulderZ > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:23

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It's a close race to the bottom between a Dodge Caliber and a Hyundai Elantra. Both were new, low-mileage rentals. Both had weak engines that made awful, struggling noises if you gave them more than half throttle. Both had uncomfortable, bland, depressing, forgettable interiors. Both had body "designs" that were thoughtless, thrown together collections of panels whose sole design requirement was a low cost of manufacturing.

In the end, though, I have to award the Dodge the trophy for "Worst Car I Have Ever Driven", because while the Hyundai had a disappointing slushbox, the Dodge had a CVT. We were on vacation, driving around on Hawaii, and it was still a soul-killing excuse for a vehicle. You know it's a remarkably bad car that can intrude on a vacation like that, where you can be absolutely happy and in what easily qualifies as paradise, and you still find yourself saying at some point, "Wow, I can not believe what an absolute turd this car is." It's a good thing it was such an amazing trip, because I suspect driving it anywhere else would have made me stab myself in the head with a spoon. Driving up the long grade from Hilo to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, we were laughing at how bad the car was and flooring it to try and stay with traffic while the engine and CVT produced awful struggling sounds. We fully expected a valve to shoot through the hood, or maybe a rod out through the block. It would have been a merciful end to that abomination on wheels. One upside: at least we didn't feel bad about throwing all the salty, sandy gear in it from snorkeling, beaches, and hiking.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:24

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My own van.

It has 160 horsepower and weighs 6,000 lbs and the only reason it's livable is because of the torque the motor makes. It's tall and upright and very tippy. The steering gets so light at highway speeds you can breathe on it wrong and turn it. Everything rattles and squeaks. It's horrible piece of 80s GM engineering that wasn't changed until halfway through the 90s.

Oh yeah, and I've driven a Dodge Avenger R/T. It's light years ahead of what I drive.

T5Killer > RazoE 11/13/2014 at 13:27

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What body style? My mom has a '99 and I always thought it was ok interior but a bit too plastic.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 11/13/2014 at 13:27

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It was down by two horsepower and 30 Nm of torque. Which gives me one more reason to detest it.

Slave2anMG > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:29

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Pontiac Aztek as a rental car. It was appalling.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:36

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Another GF of mine had a Hyundai Excel. Maybe better tires would have helped but the car was a hot mess on the road. The engine was ok, I will admit that. But everything attached to it was awful.

RazoE > T5Killer 11/13/2014 at 13:36

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Looked just like this one.

I hate the interiors of turn of the century american cars. It's like they weren't even trying. It honestly pisses me off sitting in my co-worker's 05 Impala. Just the shape of the buttons and the ugliness. AAAHHHHH WARBLE GARBLEHAHAHALFKFKDASL

There is no excuse for this hazard switch! Look at the shape and placement. The vents are just cut out of the dash.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 11/13/2014 at 13:37

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Sounds terrible. I know someone who had a small petrol engined punto of the same era. They liked it, but their car knowledge was extremely poor, so I don't exactly trust them. They took 6 driving tests to pass (including one where they hit the inside of a roundabout) and crashed the punto into a wall on her first day of driving, smashing off the mirror.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:40

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Define worst. Worst because the car has been beaten to death or worst because if lousy design/engineering/quality?

fhrblig > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:41

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This, the early 2000's LR Discovery. I worked for a rental agency, and I had to move one a few hundred feet. In those few hundred feet, I developed an intense burning hatred for it. None of the controls or layout made any sense at all. It had the turning circle of a garbage barge, and when it came time to get out of it, I could not find the door handle. I was actually angry when I got out. Oh yeah, and a co-worker got locked in one with the alarm blaring and could not get out.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 11/13/2014 at 13:42

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All these cars I am referring to were in relatively good nick when I drove them, so I am talking about cars that were just bad because they were bad. My Alfa was a rusty piece of shit when I had it, but is still performed like the car it actually was.

T5Killer > RazoE 11/13/2014 at 13:42

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Looks fine to me except for the hazard button does look like an afterthought. I guess I am used to bad interiors driving in old '80s and '90s American cars LOL.

thebigbossyboss > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:45

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Last time this was asked my current car was put as the lead picture. This time it was asked my former car was put as the lead picture.

I am the bigbossyboss and I cannot into good cars.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > thebigbossyboss 11/13/2014 at 13:49

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Sorry my man! lol!

RazoE > T5Killer 11/13/2014 at 13:51

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I LOVE American engines and to an extent American styling (2002 Camaro SS, mmhhhmmm...), but the interiors are just horrid.

McMike > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:56

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I know someone that still has the Tempo they bought new.

It was their wife's daily driver, then it went to their son. The car got their son through high-school, college, and a little further. Once the son got his own car, the poor tempo retired, and sadly sits broken at the end of my street.

Parts were cheap, parts were available, and dad kept fixing the car. Occasionally, he would borrow a tool or a helping hand. Occasionally, I would walk down with a beer to give him a break from the impossible steering pump (or AC compressor, I can't remember which one was underneath the engine) he was working on.

Tempo, may you parts eventually find their way to someone that can use them.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:57

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That being the case, The Suzuki Esteem. It's almost as if the entire car were engineered specifically to piss me off. And I know you guys like the Kizashi, but after spending a month in one, I just hated it more and more every day that I had to drive it.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 13:59

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A 14 year old Pontiac Sunfire coupe 2.2L Auto with 125000 miles. It was a ticking time bomb. It is by far the most unreliable vehicle I have ever personally driven.

Tohru > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 14:01

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1994 Dodge Shadow ES.

I've never driven a car where the steering rack almost fell out before, and I wish to not have that experience again.

Big Bubba Ray > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 11/13/2014 at 14:06

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Im glad im not alone in my hatred for this car. Dont get me wrong, i do love cadillac, but theyve got a LONG way to go to be competetive with the germans.

Like you mentioned, i think the drivetrain is the worst part of this car. Why does the peak torque need to be so high?? Thats what causes rpm to skyrocket if you so much as look at the gas pedal. For a "luxury car" that needs smooth acceleration, it should be far lower in the rev range.

Dont let your mom get an SRX haha

For the price? Get an Acura. Shit, get something German cause theyre better, in my opinion.

shop-teacher > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 14:07

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The evil torture chamber that is the Lumina APV. I've had to drive a couple of these in the past, and they are wretched in every way. Literally every single thing about them is horrible. They're ugly, unreliable, horribly uncomfortable, slow, ill-handling, terrible quality, plastics that make an S-10 seem high end, etc, etc. Just awful vehicles in every way, shape, and form. If somebody tried to give me one of these, I wouldn't take it. The drive to the junkyard would be too long.

shop-teacher > thebigbossyboss 11/13/2014 at 14:10

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You lead a charmed life! I still say the Cavalier hate is way overblown. Is it a NICE car? No, but it'll get you there, and cheaply.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 14:12

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I know Hyundai has come a long way and has done it very quickly.

But when I took an Accent around a very easy oval test track up to 70 mph I thought I was going to DIE

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Big Bubba Ray 11/13/2014 at 14:12

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The CTS and ATS are the closest they've gotten. Which is in fact pretty close, but I agree, there's still a bit to go.

I have no idea why and how it got that high, because like I said, 248 ft-lbs of torque at 2100 RPM on the same motor in the Vue. That's better than my Safari's truck motor. Then once the torque finally starts to fall, the 257 horsepower comes in and keeps it moving. They're doing whatever they can to get horsepower up to brag, which is making torque go up the RPM band too. And it's not just GM doing it either. Pitiful.

She's getting a 2nd gen CTS like she wants, not an SRX like she thinks she needs.

shop-teacher > Textured Soy Protein 11/13/2014 at 14:15

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My brother in law, who could not care less about cars, had one for a very short time. It handled and steered so poorly, that he didn't feel safe in it, so he got rid of it. This is a guy who once towed a u-haul trailer cross-country in a clapped out Saturn, but the 2-year old Chrysler with 32k miles on it, THAT felt unsafe.

JEM > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 14:15

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Toss up between the original Dodge minivan:

And any 1980s (prob 90s too) Ford Escort:

Both were dreadfully slow. And just all around awful.

shop-teacher > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 11/13/2014 at 14:17

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I'm actually kind of impressed that breathing on the steering wheel makes it turn. Usually they're so worn out you could saw the wheel back and forth at highway speed, and it won't do a thing.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > JEM 11/13/2014 at 14:27

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One of my roommates in college had an Escort. It was terrible. Horrible car to drive or be driven in.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 14:29

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'91 Chevy Corsica - my then girlfriend's (now my wife). Ugh. Flashbacks...

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > shop-teacher 11/13/2014 at 14:53

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That might have been a bit of an exaggeration.. but it doesn't take any effort at all.

I can do that at any speed. It leans side to side a bit, but there's not much in the way of turning.

TexMex > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 15:14

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Last-gen Chrysler 200 rental car. I've never driven a car that tried so hard to be upmarket while still remaining utter shit in every regard.

The Real Unsharer > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 15:18

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I once had the displeasure of having Chevy Aveo on the PCH. Horrific handling (taking the curves at the posted speed limit would result in slides) and the radio and ignition freaked out twice in 5 days. Never again.

Party-vi > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 15:56

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Mid-2000s PT Cruiser. Had it as a rental and it was f-ing terrible. Close-second goes to my fiancee's Honda Insight, but it is fun to fling around backroads.

BZiel > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 16:05

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Hyundai Excel.

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/you-had-to-act…

RockRam > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 16:20

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2001 Suburban 2500. Company car. Thing has problem after problem.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > BZiel 11/13/2014 at 16:29

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Wow! 130 miles and KABOOM? Jesus!

BZiel > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 17:09

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It's true. They didn't fill it with oil from the factory.

I'm surprised it made it that far.

ranwhenparked > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/13/2014 at 20:46

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Its a tie between a friend's 1996 Beretta I borrowed in high school when my car got blocked in in the parking lot and a late '90s Malibu I got from one of those cheapo car rental places that hire out used vehicles.

Both had the same sort of buckboard ride, ass flat on the floor seating position, loose steering, and all sorts of creaks and rattles coming from all over the place. Didn't help that the Malibu was really high mileage and actually had metal wire poking up through the driver's seat.

tapzz > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/14/2014 at 19:01

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Opel Corsa A

Within the first few hundred meters of driving it, I pulled off the road to check whether the front suspension was collapsing. Nope; that's just the way they were made.

Not GM Europe's finest hour.

Coachrotte33 > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/15/2014 at 11:16

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Used 2006 Ford Fusion. Felt like a Pontiac and drove like a Chevette

Evil-B > tapzz 12/17/2014 at 16:33

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The SR models were cool though, barebones stock nova's were crap

Evil-B > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 12/17/2014 at 17:00

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My wife's 2001 Kia Rio Cinco (that's right a kia rio motherfuggin wagon) the body work is flimsy as fuck, Filthy (because my wife never took care of it), went through pads, rotors and calipers like it was going out of style, If you farted near it would dent. The piece of shit is currently rotting in my back yard.

Interestingly enough engine and transmission wise it ran like champ even when my wife was running it without oil and not telling me it was running rough.

In all fairness my wife abused the living hell out of that car.

tapzz > Evil-B 12/17/2014 at 18:00

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I'll take your word for it.

Vauxhall must have done a hell of a job with the SR's suspension, then, because of all the '80s superminis I've driven, the Corsa was just shocking in its floppy looseness.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > Evil-B 12/18/2014 at 12:28

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The way the average woman ignores and abuses their car is just shocking man. It is a terrible thing.