What's the Most Embarrassing Car You Can Buy?

"Jay Lauer" (thefaultinourcars) 01/20/2014 at 21:36 • Filed to: None

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Embarrassment is always relative. One man's cool is another man's horror. But simply put, I want to ask the question: What is the most embarrassing car one can buy today?

I nominate the Chrylser PT Loser Convertible. The man with no awareness, Michael Scott, drove one, which should make a case for itself. Alongside the fact that it's a terrible car underneath the skin, the stigma has always been that PT Cruisers are not cool. Chop the top, and everyone can see you in your PT. Pity.

A couple ground rules:

-Any car, new or used

-Only stock cars.

-That's it. It's your time to vent.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 21:37

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Miata!

bob and john > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 21:37

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Nissan murano cab.

or a smart.

Jay Lauer > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/20/2014 at 21:38

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It's always the answer.

Jayhawk Jake > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 21:39

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A smart car, especially the cabriolet

Alternatively, Scion iQ

Bandit > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 21:39

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Chrysler Sebring Convertible. I had a friend who bought one and she thought it was the best car in the world. I didn't have the heart to tell her it was complete shit. They just reek of rental car to me and I would be ashamed to own one.

Jay Lauer > Bandit 01/20/2014 at 21:41

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You must watch The Office...

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 21:41

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Most Korean things, but the 2000 Hyundai Accent takes the cake.

EL_ULY > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 21:41

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A convertible with the top down and the windows up. Especially hardtop retractable German cars.

imo

AthomSfere > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 21:42

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I mean... What were you thinking?

Brian Silvestro > EL_ULY 01/20/2014 at 21:45

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This. It's the stupidest thing anyone can ever do while driving a convertible.

Jay Lauer > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis 01/20/2014 at 21:47

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That actually doesn't look too embarrassing to non car-people. It just looks like any small econobox

offroadkarter > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 21:48

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you can buy almost any car today, the PT cruiser isn't made anymore.

Shouldn't this be filtered by what new car that you can buy today?

Agrajag > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 21:48

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Just saw one of these yesterday. Always amazed to still see them on the road.

offroadkarter > Jayhawk Jake 01/20/2014 at 21:49

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what about the cygnet?

I know they stopped making it, but since the OP is factoring in any car that we can buy today...

PushToStart > Jayhawk Jake 01/20/2014 at 21:49

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Yup, the Scion iQ is bad. Worse is the Aston version of it, because that means someone paid wayyyy too much for a Scion iQ.

lucky's pepper > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 21:49

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A picture says a thousand words.

PushToStart > offroadkarter 01/20/2014 at 21:51

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We said the same basic thing at the exact same time, lol

Jay Lauer > offroadkarter 01/20/2014 at 21:51

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Oh no, I mean every car you could buy.

I just didn't want anybody putting in wildly custom crapjobs.

Jayhawk Jake > offroadkarter 01/20/2014 at 21:54

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It's embarrassing among those who know what it is.

In the general public it's far less embarrassing than the other two. I think it's attractive for a city car, even if it's retarded and expensive.

EL_ULY > Brian Silvestro 01/20/2014 at 21:59

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Exacto Knife.
"But my hair goes all over the place" WELLTHENFUCKINGCLOSETHEFUCKINGROOFDUMBASSAAAHHHRRRGGGROOOOAAARRR!!!!!!

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 21:59

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Daewoo Lanos

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 22:00

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Any K car, the cygnet, every grand caravan (and siblings), the new corolla, a truck that is lifted so high it won't pass German safety regulation (doesn't count but whatever), the pt cruiser, a yugo, any car with a CVT, the new civic excluding the one with the biggest engine and tweaked suspension, the Scion TC (why not just buy a fucking FRS?) , the new corolla that has the paddle shifters with the CVT, the avenger, the jeep liberty,

Jay Lauer > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/20/2014 at 22:00

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You may have won..

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 22:01

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Motherfucker.

syaieya > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 22:02

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An argument for the PT Cruiser.

The GT model had the sister motor to the SRT 4.

That said, My vote is for the Suzuki X90.

It shared a base with the sidekick and replaced the samurai. I can't imagine that anyone who bought or received this car for anything other than to get a reaction out of someone did not infact get the car they really wanted.

deekster_caddy > Agrajag 01/20/2014 at 22:04

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All the cool stuff!

Brian Silvestro > EL_ULY 01/20/2014 at 22:04

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But I wanna show off my hair to all the hot guys!!!!!

deadlypixels > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 22:07

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A Prius. A sure sign that you have given up on life.

Jay Lauer > deadlypixels 01/20/2014 at 22:10

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Eh, I'm not sure.

I know a guy that has a Prius and a Hemi 'Cuda and another who owns a Prius and a 308 GTB

Agrajag > deekster_caddy 01/20/2014 at 22:10

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Hahahahaha. Starting at $200, lol. Don't know how I haven't seen that before.

Justin Young > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis 01/20/2014 at 22:12

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More like the Hyundai ACCIDENT!

Flat Six > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 22:23

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The most embarrassing car is the one that is being towed away because of something stupid you did. As I experienced tonight.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 22:26

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Acura CSX

Jay Lauer > Flat Six 01/20/2014 at 22:28

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Do explain.

Jay Lauer > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 01/20/2014 at 22:29

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Rebadged Civic?

Flat Six > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 22:30

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Gas in a diesel tank :(

sellphones2493 > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 22:34

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After a few months working at Carmax, it wasn't too hard getting people into very undesirable, ugly cars (ie. Sold a Smart Fortwo to a person with a Dodge Charger R/T, sold a Grand Cherokee V8 to a Prius Owner). However, I could never convince someone to get one of these:

Bandit > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) 01/20/2014 at 22:40

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Hey now, I would totally drive a Yugo.

Zoom > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) 01/20/2014 at 22:43

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Why not an FR-S? Cuz dog on the street.

I have a winterbeater minivan that will eat one.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > Jay Lauer 01/20/2014 at 22:53

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Yep

Dsscats > AthomSfere 01/20/2014 at 22:55

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Omg is soooooooooooo cute and I can pack my 3 girlfriends in and we can all go to the beach

EL_ULY > Brian Silvestro 01/20/2014 at 23:10

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..said the straight guy driving unfortunately.
What's wrong with dudes nowadays. They'd rather be in a yellow A4 cabriolet fist pumping to Pitbull in Miami than in a C5 Z06 or 964 turbo bashing at a track. But that's ok, people can do what they want here in Murica. Take that communist Sweden!
lol :]

EL_ULY > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 01/20/2014 at 23:11

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That's a thing? Had no clue lol

Brian Silvestro > EL_ULY 01/20/2014 at 23:14

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I think it's good that people like that are allowed to do what they want so they'll stay off the track so that people like us can have more room.

deadlypixels > deadlypixels 01/20/2014 at 23:29

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You make an excellent point. Those are some proper cars for sure! I guess that I can't understand why you would choose a Prius as an economy car. There are other choices that are more involving, higher quality, etc...

Orange Exige > Flat Six 01/20/2014 at 23:32

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Oh sh*t!

I thought you were gonna say you crashed it because I was about to say

Because I did that a couple weeks ago :(
Not full-on stupid, but looking back it wasn't the wisest type of driving...

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > EL_ULY 01/20/2014 at 23:52

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Yep. It's basically a euro spec civic with Acura Badges sold in Canada.

Now its sold in the US as the Acura ILX.

Orange Exige > Jayhawk Jake 01/20/2014 at 23:52

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The Smart cabby I can totally agree with but I can't agree with the iQ.
For some reason I think it seems pretty decent, maybe even a little cool looking - kinda like a tinier Yaris.
I have a weird sympathy (?) for the Yaris (last bodystyle) because I think it's actually a good looking 3 door hatch - almost unheard of in the US. I have sympathy because I see potential in it - the only reason I can't develop an actual affection for it is because Toyota never made a sporty version (boo!).

But anyway, given these two I wouldn't buy either, but I would actively avoid Smartcars. If given the opportunity (or given for free), I would totally drive the iQ.

Ultimately, what the iQ says to me is that you want a car to get you places (respectable in its own rights) at a low cost - both upfront and gas-wise - (respectable) and you aren't afraid of driving a(n actually* ) small car (most respectable imo)... but you have decent taste and wouldn't touch a Smartcar with a ten-foot pole.

*American "compact" cars = joke

edit: almost become an actual supporter of the iQ when I read on wiki that a 5- (or 6!) speed manual was the standard gearbox but then I checked Scion's site and saw that it's not even available in the US as a manual *facepalm* sigh...

Vandelay Industries > Jay Lauer 01/21/2014 at 00:29

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The PT loser is the worst car you can buy period.

Or an H2 hummer

Fookin' Prawns > Flat Six 01/21/2014 at 04:31

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Lol, I know that feeling. I think I caused a leak in the hydraulic linkage between my clutch pedal and the pressure plate, and couldn't even shift into gear. Had to be towed out of my uni's crowded barking garage...at peak traffic. That was fun.

Fookin' Prawns > EL_ULY 01/21/2014 at 04:42

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Fucking bingo. The other day I saw two guys in a Mustang vert with the top down, but the back two windows up-you know, the little triangle windows.

So you put the top down, rolled up the windows...and rolled down the driver and passenger windows? HHHHNNNGGGGGG

JoelA237 > Jay Lauer 01/21/2014 at 04:47

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This.. in an automatic.

EL_ULY > Fookin' Prawns 01/21/2014 at 09:19

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lol yup, that looks even extra dumb.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > syaieya 01/21/2014 at 09:51

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I kinda like these. Just for their quirkiness.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Jay Lauer 01/21/2014 at 10:03

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As a Wisconsin resident, anything that is more than 10% rust. No, you know what driving anything with any visible rust . Driving a rusty car is a clear sign that you give exactly not one shit about what you drive. Either you bought a rusty car b/c that is all you can afford, and haven't bothered to fix the rust, or you bought a nice car and didn't bother to keep it looking nice by repairing the rust when it was still just a few bubbles on your rear fender. Of course there may be a few exceptions to this like say your 87 Toyota pick up w 31" mud tires, but in general the rule works.

Korea Miéville > Jay Lauer 01/21/2014 at 12:00

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PT Cruiser...ugh. Yeah, that would have to top my list.

Second for me would have to be the Dodge Magnum. I know this thing had mad power under the hood, especially the SRT-8, and it looks great to me right up to the rear doors, but then it suddenly becomes a station wagon and you've lost me. I love muscle cars and I don't hate station wagons, but the combination just strikes me as ridiculous. It may as well come with the words "I Actually Wanted a Challenger, But The Wife Vetoed Me" etched on the hood. And the Magnum name I associate with the brand plus-sized condoms that are conspicuously purchased by insecure dudes who don't actually need the extra room. The whole thing just tells a sad story to me.

Korea Miéville > EL_ULY 01/21/2014 at 12:06

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I'll cop to doing this, but only in the winter, on days when it's sunny and I want the top down, but don't want to get blasted with freezing air. It looks dumb, but I drive a convertible for my own enjoyment, not any dubious coolness factor, so I don't care (much)!

Volksandmopar > Jay Lauer 01/28/2014 at 05:45

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A Jaguar that looks just like an Aston, because your going to love your new car until you see an Aston somewhere, and then your just going to cry. Also, no one will be able to tell its a Jaguar because it looks like every other Aston made since the early 2000s.

marshknute > EL_ULY 01/28/2014 at 17:40

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Sadly, the window motors in my old Miata were busted. I was that guy.

TheNeonDriver - Now with More BMW! > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 01/28/2014 at 18:58

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When the Jersey Show was on TV, I used to see young bros driving these things all over the GTA. What a POS, it's like an expensive lux'ed out civic.

Jay Lauer > Volksandmopar 01/28/2014 at 22:51

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I think that may be the exact opposite of embarrasing.

I could buy a car that looks like an Aston, keep a lot of money, have people think I own an Aston, and only feel bad on the rare opportunity that I see an Aston Martin?

Sign me up.

Volksandmopar > Jay Lauer 01/29/2014 at 00:15

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Except then something even worse happens. One day, you wake up and realize that you own a Jaguar...and with that some money could have had a Viper or any number of fun older cars.

Jay Lauer > Volksandmopar 01/29/2014 at 00:52

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Well unless it's a 90s Viper, I think it'd be more expensive.

The biggest problem with the Jag is it's British-ness. You'll wake up and the Check Engine light will be on, and you'll wake up the next day and the door handle will fall off. For the money of the Jag, you could've bought a 911.

cluelessk > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 01/29/2014 at 13:49

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It's actually pretty nice. Can be had with the same engine as the Si and a leather interior. Which the Civic doesn't get. More sound deadening.

It's pretty nice car but yes it's just a nicer Civic.

Also it was Acuras best selling car in Canada.