Ten cars that should not hit the road

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"Ten cars that should not hit the road by one journalist who shouldn't be allowed to write." Did this guy simply copy/paste his Google results from every other copycat auto journalist out there? Hasn't this list, in slightly different incarnations, been in general circulation for well over 20 years?

Let's see someone write "Ten automotive publications that have significantly altered the public's perception of a car through bribes from the manufacturer." Now that would be new and interesting.

I'd dare any of these fools to try this list in public:

  • Volkswagen Type 1: Yes, the wildly successful People's Car is a tin deathtrap and its heater channels will rot out and gas you (literally). Need I mention the cylinder heads?
  • Mazda RX-2: So well designed that they forgot a rev limiter for the Wankel rotary engine. Then they put a rev limiter in it that would backfire a hole in the exhaust. Solution? Dual exhaust - one for the exhaust, the other for the backfire.
  • AMC (Renault) Alliance: Proof that Americans could build a French car just as bad as the French could.
  • 1970's Datsun anything, including the 240Z: Proof that the Japanese could make any car rust twice as fast as an AMC Alliance, and build it twice as flimsy.
  • Chrysler R-body: A lousy re-engineering of the B-body, coupled with heavily smogged powerplants ruined further with the ineffective Lean Burn system. A waste of money to buy one new.
  • Chevrolet Vega: Sometimes makes the top-ten lists when proper journalists are at the helm, but this one rightfully belongs there thanks to GM's self-grenading 4-banger.
  • Reliant Robin: Thank you Top Gear, you've actually brought an educational point to America.
  • P.T. Cruiser: Ever tried to do anything under the hood on one? These oversized Mattel Barbie toys should have been sold with a label: Non-serviceable unit.
  • Nissan Altima: It belongs here because of it's GOOD reputation. Why? It is ugly and everyone has one, thus it's the most visible ugly car in existence on America's roads today. I'm sick of seeing three in front of me and one in each rear view mirror - simultaneously - at any given time. Sometimes good is bad, and this is it.
  • Geo Metro: Because Geo Metro.


Honorable mention:

  • Honda Civic: It launched the whole ricer thing, which should be grounds for punishment as-is. And they're just as ugly as the Altima, regardless of generation.
  • Chevrolet Spark: It looks like a severely mutated insect that has just realized it's being *CENSORED*


-Kurt

 
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Rubbish: Most of those cars were decent vehicles.

The Pinto's flaw was that it's " gas tank was behind the rear bumper"? Really? I could swear all the Pinto's I have ever seen had the gas tank in FRONT of the rear bumper.

But history seems to have changed a bit, and now the Pinto is singled out as THE car with the gas tank mounted in this vulnerable spot, when in reality almost EVERY SINGLE CAR MADE back then had the gas tank located in the same spot. Like maybe....our beloved Mustangs, for another example?

The manufacturers each quietly and deliberately moved thier gas tanks to in front of the rear axles while keeping thier heads down and looking the other way whenever this subject comes up.

The Pinto was no worse overall than any other car of its size and price range during its run.

What about the horrific Vega and its sleeved aluminum engine? Decent car with a turd of a motor.

Or any Chrysler product with the crap-tastic gas-saving "lean burn" system? They saved a lot of gas because for the most part...they didn't run.

Or how about the Jeep Cherokee "Terminator" special editions? You know, the ones that would race forward uncontrollably after being put into gear, killing whoever might be standing in its way?

There have been a bunch of cars that were a hell of a lot worse than that list!

 
But history seems to have changed a bit' date=' and now the Pinto is singled out as THE car with the gas tank mounted in this vulnerable spot, when in reality almost EVERY SINGLE CAR MADE back then had the gas tank located in the same spot.[/quote']
1965-1973 Mustang, 1974-1978 Mustang II, Lincoln Continental Mark IV and Mark V, 1971-1997 Dodge Ram Van, Jeep Grand Cherokee...

...for starters.

Looks like we share quite the same list too. Vega, Lean Burn, etc...

-Kurt
Click to expand...
 
Some good choices in that list.

Here are a some of my most hated cars.

Austin Allegro (Aggro as it was known). It had a square steering wheel, was ugly and unreliable. A steaming pile of crap.

1975_austin_allegro-pic-34580.jpeg


Austin Princess. Not a hard challenge.

rprincess-2.jpg


AMC Gremlin. The names says it all.

gremlin-premier.jpg


Datsun 120Y. Ugly rust bucket.

1974-1977_Datsun_120Y_(B210)_sedan_01.jpg


Citroen 8. Yuk!

ugly-cars-500-6.jpg


Austin 1800. I'm going blind.

Austin_1800_Automatic_1969.jpg


 
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Whoops. Gremlin doesn't belong in any craptacular automobile list. Darn good little car; just happens to be ugly.

Oh, and it also has the gas tank where the Pinto has it rofl

-Kurt

 
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Most of these "worst cars of all time lists" are written by "journalists" who are simply regurgitating what they have heard over the years or recently "researched" on Google.

The difference for me is that as a life-long car guy and mechanic, I lived with, drove and worked on these cars over the years. Pintos, Gremlins, Pacers, K-Cars, Mustang IIs, etc...

All average-quality cars back in thier day. Certainly no worse than the rest of the mass-produced cars available at the time.

The sleeved Vega engine was junk, but GM shitcanned that motor within 18 months and the Vega and its offshoots ( Monza, Starfire, etc...) were all decent vehicles.

The Caddy V8-6-4 was a 1 year-only design, and worked well when tuned correctly. The system was just too finicky. Disconnect the pigtail...it ran like a nirmal dependable V8.

The Cimmaron? Decent little car, just horrible marketing.

Aztek? Same deal...good van, butt-ugly design.

No one ever mentions the Aspen/ Volare twins. Such crap that they were delivered to dealerships in non-running condituon in many instances. Fenders with rust boles in them before even being sold as new.

How about any Ford with the VVI-carb ( Variable Venturii Intake)? This thing was seemingly designed only to dramatically increase billable hours in Ford Service Departments.

And my personal most-hated? VW 4 cylinders. Noisy, underpowered and over-hyped. They don't burn much oil oce they have high mileage on them, unlike othsr typical engines. But that is only because most of the oul leaks out on VW 4 bangers before it has a chance too. And shitty-quality plastic connectors crumble away from age and heat, creating endless vacuum leaks that severely affect engine tune. I hate 'em.

 
I like the description of the Yugo. The gold standard of inferior craftsmanship that gave off the impression “of something assembled at gunpoint.”

 
The next person who puts an Edsel in a list of engineering flops deserves to be run over by one. It's the same underpinnings of any Lincoln or Mercury of the time. The build quality and sheet metal of any car from these three marquees, during that time, can put any Mustang to shame.

Heck, the '65-66 Mustang ought to make the list at #1. The tank is conveniently placed just ahead of the tin bumper (and doubles as the trunk floor), the base drivetrain is as exciting as dried paint, the build quality unimpressive, the rust chronic, the handling non-existent, the price more than a Falcon, and they were able to dupe over a million buyers into buying it because it looked "cool," and half of the current owners publicly shun '71-73 owners :p

How about any Ford with the VVI-carb ( Variable Venturii Intake)? This thing was seemingly designed only to dramatically increase billable hours in Ford Service Departments.
Click to expand...
Just replaced one today with a 2150 for a friend. First one I've ever seen in person, but I've been made well aware of its reputation.

Strangest choke I've witnessed in what I've fiddled with so far. Weird little thing.

This is one of my most hated cars there never should have been legal to have on the road, only because it is so ugly!! Something went totally wrong with the design.. :D

The car is a Fiat Multipla, just the name says everything.. :D
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A perfect example of what happens when you build a car to satisfy automotive journalists' requests for more interior space and ignore exterior styling considerations.

All things said though, the Aztek is still a stronger contender for sheer ugliness. The Multipla is ugly in a completely playful, toy-like way; it is not as offensive as it is childish and insect-like. The Pontiac Aztek, on the other hand, looks like it was designed in a funhouse mirror by people who were taking the task dead seriously.

-Kurt

 
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I personally don't get the slagging of cars off I like the diversity and find it offensive( all very Jeremy Clarkson) to those who own and restore them . I go to shows and am always glad to see people restoring cars that aren't popular.(I like multiplas a car that dared to be different and not bland like most people carriers out there)

 
I too think the Pinto was a decent car, considering its intended market and price.

I am also a fan of Mustang II...Lots of Pinto "DNA" in that car.

The "exploding Pinto" reputation was unfortunate for Pinto. All cars back then were built the same, but the poor Pinto took all the heat...no pun intended.

 

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