That dash looks too much like the dash from a 1986 Camaro..
Poll; Worst car by Detroit
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My first car was a 1986 Omni:
Electrical issues:
The alternator died.
Engine issues:
It was SLOW. Supposedly it had 90HP...but an 88HP
Ford Escort with an automatic accelerated faster. Maybe I wasn't shifting it right, but that would be because the stupid thing had no tach.
It also refused to start on cold mornings without all kinds of finessing...I think this is normal for carbureted vehicles though.
Transmission issues:
I destroyed the clutch. At the end, it was slipping so bad that it would no go faster than 45MPH up the slight hills on I66 just east of the Fairfax County Parkway. I stayed in the right lane and got the clutch fixed that day..
Appearance issues:
It was Chrysler yellow.
I ended up donating it to charity..it still ran, but the parking brake cable would stick if you used it, requiring you to crawl under the back of the car and yank on the cable to unstick it (you put it in 1st and hoped it held).
U mispilled Cadaver
The last of the Imperials, an unreliable electronic dash, wire wheels, and a high price, tacked on to a basic K-car.
Had a Maverick. If you liked the Mustang, then no reason for you not to like the Mav ... mechanically identical. Slow steering, poor brakes, but that little 200-cid L6 kept on and on, as did the C4. And, with 80 hp on tap, you had better learn how to time all accelerations to start at precise moments.
Gotta agree that the Matador was ugly, but then, so was the Marlin. But ugly isn't relevant to "worst".
Have heard too many bad things about all brands. Best indicator is how many on road just 7-8 years later. GM X-cars disappeared, Renault, etc, were pretty well relegated to the back woods early on. Etc.
Gotta agree that the Matador was ugly, but then, so was the Marlin. But ugly isn't relevant to "worst".
Have heard too many bad things about all brands. Best indicator is how many on road just 7-8 years later. GM X-cars disappeared, Renault, etc, were pretty well relegated to the back woods early on. Etc.
Wait was that cimmarron a "D'oro" edition, looking at that dash i think it may be.
International Scout II. While it was a great 4X4 vehicle, after the first four years my parents owned it I think half of the body was bondo.
AMC Eagle with the lovely wood grain. Yuk.
AMC Eagle with the lovely wood grain. Yuk.
Wasn't part of the Scout's transmission a belt/chain?
Tosh ragged on the Renault Alliance and I wonder why?
I've owned 4 of them and they were great and fairly reliable if you knew their quirks.
Engine overheating due to faulty electric fan thermostatic switch. This caused many blown gaskets by idiot drivers who never watched their temp gauge. 3 of mine had the switch replaced with an aftermarket one. My 4th one had a manual fan switch installed that was turned on whenever I was in traffic or idling at a light. Minor problem
I forgot the name of the sensor but it was like a MAF sensor and it failed about every 40k miles. I carried a spare in my glove box but never had to use it after I replaced it once. This failed sensor allowed me to buy these cars for CHEAP. I recall buying two of them with low miles in the early 90's for 800 bucks. I installed two new sensors and sold each of them for 1500 apiece.
Yes, 1.4 liter engine size with 52 HP was not much but the engine was bulletproof and we easily got over 200,000 miles out of two of the ones we kept. 40-45 mpg on the highway was great.
If I could find one with low miles and in good condition, I'd buy it in a heart beat.
I've owned 4 of them and they were great and fairly reliable if you knew their quirks.
Engine overheating due to faulty electric fan thermostatic switch. This caused many blown gaskets by idiot drivers who never watched their temp gauge. 3 of mine had the switch replaced with an aftermarket one. My 4th one had a manual fan switch installed that was turned on whenever I was in traffic or idling at a light. Minor problem
I forgot the name of the sensor but it was like a MAF sensor and it failed about every 40k miles. I carried a spare in my glove box but never had to use it after I replaced it once. This failed sensor allowed me to buy these cars for CHEAP. I recall buying two of them with low miles in the early 90's for 800 bucks. I installed two new sensors and sold each of them for 1500 apiece.
Yes, 1.4 liter engine size with 52 HP was not much but the engine was bulletproof and we easily got over 200,000 miles out of two of the ones we kept. 40-45 mpg on the highway was great.
If I could find one with low miles and in good condition, I'd buy it in a heart beat.
Plymouth Volare, circa 1976. Same as Dodge Aspen.
First year model had 4 recalls, and numerous "quiet" ones. One of which it would die out making a left turn. Could not be properly aligned. Still, had a great ride, sitting in the driveway. I had the 318 V8, which was a nice engine.
First year model had 4 recalls, and numerous "quiet" ones. One of which it would die out making a left turn. Could not be properly aligned. Still, had a great ride, sitting in the driveway. I had the 318 V8, which was a nice engine.
1983 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer 4x4. 2.8L V6. Engine let go at 6k. Transmission at 10k. Caught fire at 10.5K. Was in the shop 3mos. the first year of ownership. Dealer bought back vehicle, it was that bad.
The story is that the Volare was originally designed with a coil spring front suspension. Then upper mangement declared that it had to have torsion bars because that was the way Crhysler Corp did suspension. So, they kludged a torsion bar suspension system into a car layed out for a coil spring suspension system.
If only the suits realized that coil springs are torsion bars.
Chevrolet chevett
ugly inside and out, but fun to beat on.
the distributer broke and I super gluded it together
never did replace it.
ugly inside and out, but fun to beat on.
the distributer broke and I super gluded it together
never did replace it.
Cadillac's "displacement on demand" (DOD) V8-6-4 attempt in the early 80s, more like DUD.
Someone mentioned the Corvair. They weren't so bad from 1964 on when Chevy got rid of the rear swing axles and got fully independant rear axles. I had a '65 140 HP with the 4 1-barrel carbs and progressive linkage. It served me well (except for the leaky pushrod tube O-rings and the heater design). I live to tell about it!
Someone mentioned the Corvair. They weren't so bad from 1964 on when Chevy got rid of the rear swing axles and got fully independant rear axles. I had a '65 140 HP with the 4 1-barrel carbs and progressive linkage. It served me well (except for the leaky pushrod tube O-rings and the heater design). I live to tell about it!
I had a Ford Tempo for a few months. I bought it and sold it after I repaired it. It only had 70k miles on it. It had a carburation problem that I traced to a warped carb bowl (vacuum leaks). It was an automatic that never shifted correctly (even after the vacuum leak was fixed)...harsh at times, slippery at other times. The headliner had fallen off the cardboard carrier. The exhaust pipe fell off the at the converter coupling (broken bolt and lost the spring).
I used to help my Dad at his garage after school. I had just finished a tune-up on a 2.3L Pinto and was out for a road test. When the auto would shift into second, the engine would bog down. Pressing the accelerator further would make it bog even more. After a few hours of scratching my head, Dad comes over to see why I'm taking all day on a tune-up. I tell him what's going on. His reply, "Oh, yeah. That car has always done that since it was new." Sheeez.
A few months after the Pinto fiasco, I replaced a leaking clutch slave cylinder on an AMC Eagle. When I went to fill the clutch master cylinder, I couldn't find one. Instead of a reservoir, I found a clear, plastic tube (like large diameter aquarium tubing) attached to the pedal cylinder. On the side of the tube it was marked "FULL" with a line. The tube wasn't even capped. It was opened to the atmosphere.
The Matador....I remember an episode of Adam-12. The Pete Malloy charater just bought a new Matador and all the other cops were green with envy. IIRC, someone side-swiped it while it was parked...LOL. BOO-HOO....
In defense of 80's GM cars, I bought an '82 Bonneville that jumped its timing chain and the owner then let it sit for 5 years. I bought it for $200 and replaced the chain. It had 108k miles and I put another 100k on it with a nasty rod knock before I donated it. It was dented and the vinyl top would peel off as I drove down the road. The interior was perfect but it had that nasty GM BO smell. Everything worked...A/C, power antenna, etc. Even the trunk was cherry.
I used to help my Dad at his garage after school. I had just finished a tune-up on a 2.3L Pinto and was out for a road test. When the auto would shift into second, the engine would bog down. Pressing the accelerator further would make it bog even more. After a few hours of scratching my head, Dad comes over to see why I'm taking all day on a tune-up. I tell him what's going on. His reply, "Oh, yeah. That car has always done that since it was new." Sheeez.
A few months after the Pinto fiasco, I replaced a leaking clutch slave cylinder on an AMC Eagle. When I went to fill the clutch master cylinder, I couldn't find one. Instead of a reservoir, I found a clear, plastic tube (like large diameter aquarium tubing) attached to the pedal cylinder. On the side of the tube it was marked "FULL" with a line. The tube wasn't even capped. It was opened to the atmosphere.
The Matador....I remember an episode of Adam-12. The Pete Malloy charater just bought a new Matador and all the other cops were green with envy. IIRC, someone side-swiped it while it was parked...LOL. BOO-HOO....
In defense of 80's GM cars, I bought an '82 Bonneville that jumped its timing chain and the owner then let it sit for 5 years. I bought it for $200 and replaced the chain. It had 108k miles and I put another 100k on it with a nasty rod knock before I donated it. It was dented and the vinyl top would peel off as I drove down the road. The interior was perfect but it had that nasty GM BO smell. Everything worked...A/C, power antenna, etc. Even the trunk was cherry.
I don't remember. I think my parents had it in the body shop more than the repair shop.
My dad also had one of those, a dark brown wagon. I learned quite a few 'colorful metaphors' during that period of ownership. I think that was the last Chrysler product he bought.
You didn't mention rust. My dad had one with the 6 and a manual transmission. Meanest piece of junk I ever tried to drive. My 68 Chevelle with 3 on the tree and the 307 was much friendlier.
My dad went back to AMC.
Two VERY bad ideas from Dodge that immediately come to mind:
THE ST. REGIS cir.1980 - This was the California Highway Patrol's replacement for the Monaco's and Fury's of yore. It made every officer in CA curse the name of Chrysler for decades to come.
The mid 80's hatchback CHARGERS! - This was even more mind-bogglingly bad of a choice than the whole Pinto/Mustang II fiasco over at Ford. Can you imagine the conference meeting that took place on this? " I propose we take a once-legendary nameplate and stick it on an Omni. I know Chargers were famous for agressively fast motors, so we'll stick a massive mitsu/K-car 2.2 liter powerplant underneath that rust bucket hood.
We'll sell millions!"
What's even sadder was that somebody DID buy them.
My best friend had an 86. He loved telling girls he drove a Charger. When he pulled up they'd ask him where it was, and he'd say he was in it. Then they'd walk away.
THE ST. REGIS cir.1980 - This was the California Highway Patrol's replacement for the Monaco's and Fury's of yore. It made every officer in CA curse the name of Chrysler for decades to come.
The mid 80's hatchback CHARGERS! - This was even more mind-bogglingly bad of a choice than the whole Pinto/Mustang II fiasco over at Ford. Can you imagine the conference meeting that took place on this? " I propose we take a once-legendary nameplate and stick it on an Omni. I know Chargers were famous for agressively fast motors, so we'll stick a massive mitsu/K-car 2.2 liter powerplant underneath that rust bucket hood.
We'll sell millions!"
What's even sadder was that somebody DID buy them.
My best friend had an 86. He loved telling girls he drove a Charger. When he pulled up they'd ask him where it was, and he'd say he was in it. Then they'd walk away.
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