The Worst Car You Have Ever Owned

"Matthew Keyser" (teisco15) 03/28/2014 at 23:01 • Filed to: None

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People here like to compare and share stories about the best, fastest, and most exciting or memorable cars in their lifetime. Car culture is stooped in history and sentimental value which means that sharing car stories can provide hours of entertainment for the normal car enthusiast. But there are always low points. In a history stooped in supermodels, everyone has had a Susan Boyle at some point or another.

I personally have only owned one car. My best and my worst all in one package, but I have lived through many god awful cars in my time. My family has had bad cars come and go for as long as i can remember. My oldest sister for example owned a Geo Tracker that ate through 6 transmissions. My dad daily drove a "fill up the oil and check the gas" Toyota Pickup for 11 years before he finally decided he didn't want to have it any more.

Bad cars are the basis on which nice car ownership is created. I would happily daily drive an old pickup if it means I can have a Porsche 911 Turbo for the weekends, and many other people feel this way such as our family friend that does exactly that.

So what are some of the worst cars from your past or current fleet? Can they top the cog hungry Geo? Let me know in the comments below!

Agrajag > Matthew Keyser 03/28/2014 at 23:06

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I've owned about 10 or so cars. I've always found something to love about each one of them.(miss you Chevy Celebrity) But the only one that had absolutely no redeeming qualities was my 1991 Dodge Spirit.

marvthegrate > Matthew Keyser 03/28/2014 at 23:12

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I've had some good, some bad, some memorable and some downright boring cars. The worst was one of my first though. A 1983 Chevy Cavalier. The *only* good thing about it was that it was a manual.

thedevilinside > Matthew Keyser 03/28/2014 at 23:15

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2006 GTO, I've only had 3 cars but it was the worst. It had the most potential and was great when I wasn't hoping it would get stolen, but it gave me so many problems that it wasn't worth it. the 7 months I had it were terrible.

lone_liberal > Matthew Keyser 03/28/2014 at 23:19

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Objectively the worst car I've owned was a 96 Windstar minivan, but I still have a fond place for it in my heart. That POS moved all of my shit to a couple of different times, never got stuck in winter and never left me stranded. The 3.8 V6 even had enough torque so that it wasn't boring. My current DD, on the other hand, a Mercury Mariner, leaves me with absolutely no emotions. It is beige personified.

jariten1781 > Matthew Keyser 03/28/2014 at 23:22

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91 Cavalier RS... Smelled like cat piss, Windows constantly fell down and broke in the door, had a hilarious electrical flaw where the radio switched to random presets every time the brake was pressed, climate control blower caught on fire, constantly shut off at speed (I should sue GM!), radiator blew up 3 times, and every piece of interior trim was taped in with duct tape.

I drove it for a little under two years and just gifted it to my brother on his 16th birthday since no one would buy it even when I had it listed in the classifieds for 200 bucks. Less than a month after he had it the brakes went out and he totaled it by ramming it into the side of a train that was stopped on the tracks.

It was an evil vehicle.

All Motor Is Best Motor > thedevilinside 03/28/2014 at 23:22

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Did you buy it new, or was it used, and if so how many miles were on it?

GoliathRex > Matthew Keyser 03/28/2014 at 23:24

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1999 VW New Beetle. @100k miles in 2008.

broken window regulators (both), all cup holders broken, door lock switches fell out, fusable link caught fire , water pump disintegrated , power steering pump died , headliner came unglued, starter motor clutch died, driver door latch failed, rear hatch latch failed, has cap solenoid died, glove box latch failed, HVAC switch interittent.... and on and on...

terrible hateful car. Worst of all- it never stopped running.

thedevilinside > All Motor Is Best Motor 03/28/2014 at 23:25

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I had it May-October last year. Bought w/ 37k miles, 6 speed. Sold w/ 49k miles. I had been wanting one since '09 and was really excited to get it and it went terribly. Really was a car enthusiasm crushing experience.

All Motor Is Best Motor > thedevilinside 03/28/2014 at 23:27

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That really sucks. It's never fun to get a lemon, especially when you have high hopes going into it.

Party-vi > Matthew Keyser 03/28/2014 at 23:30

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2002 BMW 330Ci. Spent $2k on maintenance after I bought it last year, and just spent almost $1,400 a week ago on more maintenance. It's a great car but damn is it expensive to maintain.

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > Matthew Keyser 03/28/2014 at 23:31

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'87 Volvo 240GL.

It wasn't bad in any way and was a pretty good car. Just like others better. Only had it running a week before someone gave me $1500 for it.

thedevilinside > All Motor Is Best Motor 03/28/2014 at 23:39

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Ya it does. It won between V70R, 05/06 STi, S60R, Gen 1 CTS-V, and 9-2X Aero. Wish I had gotten any of the others. Now I have seen a lot about Forester XT Sports on Oppo, that would have been awesome. But now I decided to go with something new with a warranty for a few years. My Focus ST has been awesome for 5 months.

BeaterGT > thedevilinside 03/28/2014 at 23:48

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Surprised to say the least, what kinda problems did you have? Good thing you didn't get the Gen 1 CTS V! They might as well be made of glass.

BeaterGT > Matthew Keyser 03/28/2014 at 23:51

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Probably my 1995 Firebird due to the T-tops leaking and the engine fan not working leading to some fun head gasket issues. It had a 9 ball for a shifter though so no complaints on that end.

thedevilinside > BeaterGT 03/28/2014 at 23:52

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CTSV wasn't in the cards for too long. I had a dying/dead diff and a water leak from underneath the car that could not be found as my main issues. Which is pretty big problems. I had trouble even finding a reputable place to work on the diff. I had the rear suspension sag that almost all of them do, but that was a fairly simple $700 fix I did myself.

BeaterGT > thedevilinside 03/28/2014 at 23:56

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Ah doesn't sound too bad. Hell my LGT has already surpassed that in problems. When you can't find a good place to get things fixed though, that is what tips the scales in my opinion. What color did you have? I'd like a Spice Red 05/06 myself.

thedevilinside > BeaterGT 03/29/2014 at 00:08

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I had Spice Red. Nice color. It isn't bad until you are near missing trips for working at races etc b/c of it. And spending a ton of money trying to get it fixed unsuccessfully, and I tore out the whole interior myself twice. All in 5 months those happened. The seats splitting open also happened but I didn't really care about that so much. It was bad I just am not good at explaining. I guess the hopeless feeling was just as bad as the issues themselves.

Frosted > Matthew Keyser 03/29/2014 at 00:16

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1. 2005 Dodge Dakota Laramie 4x4 v6

2. 2000 Volvo v40

3. 2004 Scion xB

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > GoliathRex 03/29/2014 at 00:22

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For one week, and one week only, I owned an Austin Maxi automatic. Cost me 50 pounds, and I bought it as disposable transport between selling my "real" car and leaving the UK. In that time it earned the nickname "Queen Mary", because you had to dial down to the engine room for full steam ahead about an hour before you needed to go anywhere, and instruct the helmsman to apply rudder about a mile before you actually wanted to turn. Literally, in the case of the engine room - the transmission (which shares the engine oil in these, just like a Mini) was so f***ked that it wouldn't actually generate any forward motion at all until the car was fully warmed up, and even then 0-30mph took about a minute, screaming all the while at about 4000rpm.

Truly, truly terrible car.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > Matthew Keyser 03/29/2014 at 00:49

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2004 BMW X5 4.8is.

First the good: it was a total hoot to drive, unbelievably stable and quick for its size. Seats were great, and when the panoramic sunroof worked, it was really cool.

The worse: it broke. All. The. Time. Not like "oh, you didn't maintain it" stuff, just stuff that would stop working. Like the panoramic sunroof. Or the brake lights. Or the navigation. Or other random electrical gremlins. It didn't help that my local BMW dealer is at best indifferent—they seem to figure most people are leasing them anyway, so they'll just roll into a newer model shortly. No need to actually diagnose anything.

It was a maddening car, because I enjoyed driving it so much, but owning it was awful, all in all.

GoliathRex > thedevilinside 03/29/2014 at 02:20

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why was it bad? vague.

CiiNubbin > Matthew Keyser 03/29/2014 at 02:30

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I had a GOVERNMENT SURPLUS Dodge Omni. Just imagine all those words together....

Ohhh, and it was baby metallic blue. Exterior AND interior.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Matthew Keyser 03/29/2014 at 08:52

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Financial troubles will lead you to extreme measures. At least it was a manual. I had it for six months then I had 2 choices: get rid of it or drive it off a cliff.

LongbowMkII > Matthew Keyser 03/29/2014 at 09:00

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Worst car was an 89 beretta gt.

Had a lock up torque converter that wouldnt unlock. Had one speaker that played static. Saggy headliner, smelled like mold.

Had a good death however. I had already paid for an autox intending to use my supra which blew a coolant line* so I decided what the hell, beater, and ran the beretta. By the 2nd run it was down on power. By the 3rd run something was clearly, probably terminally wrong and I stopped for the day. I was about 45 minutes from home. After a few hours working the course I was hoping that the drivetrain fixed itself. It didnt. I stumbled onto the interstate, accelerating up to 60... then 55... full throttle... 50... hazards, pull onto shoulder 45... 40... cutting out... 30 taking exit... cursing uphill off ramps...

Dying at the intersection at the top. Having just enough to restart and point downhill (thankfully) at the gas station. Called my dad for a ride and never saw it again.

coolest part was the digital dash and mileage calculator. 32mpg highway out of a 80's gm v6 wasnt too bad.

*this wasn't a standard radiator line, it was a line to warm up the intake manifold for cold starts. it snaked behind the thermostat under the intake manifold squeezed between the motor mount and steering shaft and what ever emissions controls they could think of. There were about 3 replacement hoses in toyota's warehouses that needed "customizing" to fit anyways. got to the point where I was deliberating pulling the motor for access to cursed line. It began leaking again a month later due to poor installation. Replaced it with standard rubber hosing and it worked until the end.

therevengeofthesaab (really likes pre-2005 hondas right now) > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 03/29/2014 at 11:25

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Or put SRT-4 badges and body kits on it and have a false sense of hope

hethoughtofcars > Frosted 03/29/2014 at 15:03

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2004 Scion makes the list? I had a '05 xB which I disliked because I had to trade in my e46 for it, but that wasn't its fault. It was a bit tinny for a modern car and could definitely use a 6th gear, but otherwise it was far from worst.

Frosted > hethoughtofcars 03/29/2014 at 15:18

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Mine was a courier car for some guy who went to NY every day. Post 70k, they seem to fall apart.

Rory > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 03/29/2014 at 20:02

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2002 Opel Astra Bertone Convertible.
I Had it for 5 months. The electrics were shot, The ECU somehow died, The brakes failed on a corner at 80kmph which resulted in a panic manoeuvre and lower front lip coming off, The wiring harness for the radio never worked, there was severe knocking from the suspension and I found mould in the trunk.

I hated this car so so much.
Now I drive a car from the Late nineties which has been professionally restored and resprayed. It is so nice to have a reliable car.

BeaterGT > thedevilinside 03/30/2014 at 20:32

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Cheer up mate! Just save up for a Gen2 CTSV and all will be well in the world :)

thedevilinside > BeaterGT 03/30/2014 at 21:39

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My Focus ST does the job cheering me up. :-). A bit painful buying it, but I'm keeping it stock minus wheels and driving it for a long time.

BeaterGT > thedevilinside 03/30/2014 at 21:50

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Good plan. I'm doing the same with my Legacy GT although I would like to put up a fight against a Focus ST one of these days.

thedevilinside > BeaterGT 03/30/2014 at 21:54

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I'd bet on the LGT I think, it'd be close.

Mike_Smith > Matthew Keyser 04/02/2014 at 16:37

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Not the '80 Plymouth Arrow 1.6, that car weighed nothing and so was all kinds of fun right up until I smacked it into that guardrail. Not the '75 Monte, with a whopping 145 hp pushing over two tons - nope, that car was big enough to literally throw parties in at college and that redeemed it. Not even the '85 Buick Somerset with the digital dash that burned so much juice the alternator practically couldn't keep up, and the crappy non-standard stereo you couldn't replace. Nope, it would have to be the '84 Plymouth Sapporo, in turd brown, with a shifter that felt like its linkage had bungee cords in it, a massive 114 hp from 2.6 liters, wallowed around like jello, and eventually stranded me on the Interstate with a blown head gasket. Car, you were bad, and you should feel bad, except that I'm sure you died a well-deserved death a long time ago.

MotoArigato > Matthew Keyser 04/03/2014 at 11:39

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I wrote about mine on Oppo about a year ago: The Worst Car I Ever Owned Was a Jaguar XJ6

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ThatGuyConnery > Matthew Keyser 04/07/2014 at 07:04

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Well lets see. I replaced my 1989 Isuzu Trooper II with a 2002 Land Rover Discovery II. I thought the Trooper was bad, I replaced a slave cylinder, a clutch, a transmission, just a little bit of everything. The thing was held together by the chrome trim there was so much rust. 4 cylinder with a 5 speed. I loved that car. But I hated it enough to get rid of it for something newer. So then the Land Rover came into play. Never, have I had so many little problems with a vehicle. I miss my Trooper so much, yet I love my Rover so much. I have yet to figure out what attracts me to defunct SUV's.

merkyg > Matthew Keyser 04/08/2014 at 19:36

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1996 Renault Clio 1.2 - horrible clutch, horrible gearbox, worst stereo ever. Good seats though!

SolomonNycteus > Matthew Keyser 04/26/2014 at 22:35

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1984 Ford Tempo. It came as part of my wife's dowry. Poor mileage, handled like a shopping cart, wonky transmission, small and uncomfortable, trunk wouldn't open. Parked in front of house under tree where birds shit on it for a month then it got an orange sticker to move it or else so I had it towed to the dealer for yet another repair and it went down the street in an acrid cloud of smoke because the rear brakes had rusted in place. They freed up after a couple of hundred yards. It was the only patch that car ever laid. Sold it to some high school kid for $250 and he could not have been happier, he stopped by every week for a month to pay us another $50 on the price, gleaming with pride.