Buying an 83 Renault Fuego, NEW. No explanation needed there; at least it handled great. The unexpected one was a 90 civic base model bought new for the then new wife(fabrique au Canada)? Thing wouldnt start when wet due to poorly designed coil in cap distributer, clutch was abrupt, rear axle had fixed toe in and howled and wore out tires fast, engine Rocker arms wore out at pivot and couldnt be adjusted. The Hard starting issue finally melted down the cat converter. All before 50K miles. I still have the "TEC" brand factory dist cap with cracks all around the terminal new from factory. They were all made poorly.
Your worst car decision ever.
- Thread starter Spyder7
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Traded an almost brand new 2007 Mazdaspeed3 GT:
For a 2005 Honda S2000, which I ended up selling a year later because it was horrible as an only car:
For a 2005 Honda S2000, which I ended up selling a year later because it was horrible as an only car:
Buying other people's unfinished projects.
My first unfinished project was a '74 Celica with a '78 Pickup's 20R and 5 speed. The previous owner had done a pretty good job. I had to get a JC Whitney header, pay a shop to make an exhaust, pick through wrecking yards for various bits but it turned out to be a good car.
...my success there led me to buy another project car:
I got a MustangII that had a 351M or (the owner said) 400. The engine was so heavy that it was twisting the front subframe so much that the front tires were out of camber. Doesn't matter. You could only drive it for a few minutes. The exhaust manifold was so close to the master cylinder that it would boil the brake fluid. And it was slow! The engine had a lot of off-idle torque but would fall on it's face at 3000 rpm.
I couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy a 1976 Jaguar XJ6 with a "350" conversion. The car was gorgeous. Very good aftermarket paint job. I wasn't a big fan of the wire wheels...but they grew on me.
It wasn't a 350. It was a 267.
The tail housing on the transmission came apart. Usually a TH250C is an okay transmission. I still can't explain why it happened but there was a big "BANG" under the floor of the car and when I looked under, the tailhousing was missing a big chunk. Fluid bleeding out everywhere.
The electrical system was a nightmare. I don't know how much was Lucas' typical garbage and how much was the previous owner's incompetence. it was a rat's nest.
Bought a Alfa Romeo Spyder cheap. Barely ran. Wouldn't ever really run right. #3 cylinder would coat the plug with oil immediately and I never could figure out the Spica Fuel Injection.
3 Fiats...the latter two for parts for the first.
My first unfinished project was a '74 Celica with a '78 Pickup's 20R and 5 speed. The previous owner had done a pretty good job. I had to get a JC Whitney header, pay a shop to make an exhaust, pick through wrecking yards for various bits but it turned out to be a good car.
...my success there led me to buy another project car:
I got a MustangII that had a 351M or (the owner said) 400. The engine was so heavy that it was twisting the front subframe so much that the front tires were out of camber. Doesn't matter. You could only drive it for a few minutes. The exhaust manifold was so close to the master cylinder that it would boil the brake fluid. And it was slow! The engine had a lot of off-idle torque but would fall on it's face at 3000 rpm.
I couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy a 1976 Jaguar XJ6 with a "350" conversion. The car was gorgeous. Very good aftermarket paint job. I wasn't a big fan of the wire wheels...but they grew on me.
It wasn't a 350. It was a 267.
The tail housing on the transmission came apart. Usually a TH250C is an okay transmission. I still can't explain why it happened but there was a big "BANG" under the floor of the car and when I looked under, the tailhousing was missing a big chunk. Fluid bleeding out everywhere.
The electrical system was a nightmare. I don't know how much was Lucas' typical garbage and how much was the previous owner's incompetence. it was a rat's nest.
Bought a Alfa Romeo Spyder cheap. Barely ran. Wouldn't ever really run right. #3 cylinder would coat the plug with oil immediately and I never could figure out the Spica Fuel Injection.
3 Fiats...the latter two for parts for the first.
1970 Ford Maverick.
Boy, does this thread ring a bell for me.
In the summer of 1970, I took a summer job at Peter H. Gregg's Mercedes store in Jacksonville. I wanted to work with Jack Atkinson, Gregg's Porsche crew chief, and I figured this was one way to get into the organization.
At the time, I was dating a young woman I'd met while I was a student at the University of SC. She wanted a Volvo, and the Mercedes store also had that franchise. I was thus able to buy one for her, a two-door 142S, at cost. (Actually, I was able to buy it for less than cost because PHG was giving up the Volvo franchise, and the store wanted to "move the metal.")
I offer that background in mitigation of my stupidity for becoming involved with both the girl and the Volvo 142S I bought for her.
The car was junk from Day One. In 1969, Volvo had switched from S.U. carburetors to Stromberg carburetors in order to meet the changing exhaust emissions requirements. Unhappily for all concerned, the Strombergs were manufactured to run exceptionally lean. The result was the cars ran very poorly and very hot. To compensate for this, unbeknown to buyers (including me)(and the federal govt), the dealers began drilling out the jets to flow more fuel. That wouldn't have been a problem in itself, but to speed the pre-delivery process, those preparing the cars stopped removing the jets to drill them out and, instead, left them in place in the carburetors, which allowed the brass filings to fall into the float bowls. This created all sorts of problems down the road (so to speak) when the filings became jammed in the jets preventing the needles from closing when the gas pedal was lifted. The engine then flooded and stalled, and the car couldn't be re-stated. This happened to me at 11 p.m on Highway A1A thiry miles south of Jacksonville, and in the days long before cell phones, I ended up sitting by the side of the road for eight hours. I didn't want to leave the car unattended because it was new, and it had all of 320 miles on the odometer. It marked the beginning of a miserable period of ownership.
Quality control on the car was simply terrible. Switch gear failed regularly, windshield wipers stopped in the rain, lights and fuses burned out constantly. The second month I owned the car, the window on the driver's side fell off the track and dropped to be bottom of the door, shattering. A month later, the latch mechanism on the same door fell off, and it too dropped to the bottom of the door. This meant that to drive the car I had to hold the door closed with one hand while trying to steer and shift gears with the other.
Frustration with the car was unending. It always ran hot, making it impossible to run the A/C for more than a few minutes or in any sort of traffic. An A/C hose literally exploded taking with it the third replacement A/C belt. Owing to the Rube Goldberg emissions "fix," the car dieseled on whenever the engine was turn off. The only way to stop the engine from dieseling was to put the car in gear and let out the clutch. Rated for regular gas, the car often wouldn't start when hot if it wasn't fueled with 94 octane gas.
I also soon discovered that the front valance didn't extend far enough below the front bumper to protect the bottom of the front crankshaft pulley from road debris or rain. The result was that whenever the car was driven in the rain, the belts got wet, began slipping, and screeched constantly. The generator was marginal to begin with, so the lights dimmed in the rain. The generator soon gave up the ghost, but that was my fault: I overtighten the belt thinking I could stop it from slipping, and that ruined the generator bushings.
The deficiencies and failures I experienced could be traced ultimately to poor engineering and Volvo's abysmal quality control during that period. Moreover, based on countless discussions with mechanics (many of whom I came to know on a first-name basis) and Volvo representatives, it didn't take me long to realize I was one of hundreds of very unhappy Volvo owners.
Need I say that I sold the car? Fortunately, I have not experienced anything as frustrating as that period of Volvo ownership since. There were no Lemon Laws in those days, but I was able to convince the new owner of the Volvo dealership and a regional representative that it would be best for all concerned if they would buy the car from me, and we worked out a deal within a few hundred dollars of what I had paid for it nine months earlier. Despite this, even after all these years (and as silly or irrational as it may seem), I still hate the brand and I will dance in the street when Volvo eventually goes bankrupt.
In the summer of 1970, I took a summer job at Peter H. Gregg's Mercedes store in Jacksonville. I wanted to work with Jack Atkinson, Gregg's Porsche crew chief, and I figured this was one way to get into the organization.
At the time, I was dating a young woman I'd met while I was a student at the University of SC. She wanted a Volvo, and the Mercedes store also had that franchise. I was thus able to buy one for her, a two-door 142S, at cost. (Actually, I was able to buy it for less than cost because PHG was giving up the Volvo franchise, and the store wanted to "move the metal.")
I offer that background in mitigation of my stupidity for becoming involved with both the girl and the Volvo 142S I bought for her.
The car was junk from Day One. In 1969, Volvo had switched from S.U. carburetors to Stromberg carburetors in order to meet the changing exhaust emissions requirements. Unhappily for all concerned, the Strombergs were manufactured to run exceptionally lean. The result was the cars ran very poorly and very hot. To compensate for this, unbeknown to buyers (including me)(and the federal govt), the dealers began drilling out the jets to flow more fuel. That wouldn't have been a problem in itself, but to speed the pre-delivery process, those preparing the cars stopped removing the jets to drill them out and, instead, left them in place in the carburetors, which allowed the brass filings to fall into the float bowls. This created all sorts of problems down the road (so to speak) when the filings became jammed in the jets preventing the needles from closing when the gas pedal was lifted. The engine then flooded and stalled, and the car couldn't be re-stated. This happened to me at 11 p.m on Highway A1A thiry miles south of Jacksonville, and in the days long before cell phones, I ended up sitting by the side of the road for eight hours. I didn't want to leave the car unattended because it was new, and it had all of 320 miles on the odometer. It marked the beginning of a miserable period of ownership.
Quality control on the car was simply terrible. Switch gear failed regularly, windshield wipers stopped in the rain, lights and fuses burned out constantly. The second month I owned the car, the window on the driver's side fell off the track and dropped to be bottom of the door, shattering. A month later, the latch mechanism on the same door fell off, and it too dropped to the bottom of the door. This meant that to drive the car I had to hold the door closed with one hand while trying to steer and shift gears with the other.
Frustration with the car was unending. It always ran hot, making it impossible to run the A/C for more than a few minutes or in any sort of traffic. An A/C hose literally exploded taking with it the third replacement A/C belt. Owing to the Rube Goldberg emissions "fix," the car dieseled on whenever the engine was turn off. The only way to stop the engine from dieseling was to put the car in gear and let out the clutch. Rated for regular gas, the car often wouldn't start when hot if it wasn't fueled with 94 octane gas.
I also soon discovered that the front valance didn't extend far enough below the front bumper to protect the bottom of the front crankshaft pulley from road debris or rain. The result was that whenever the car was driven in the rain, the belts got wet, began slipping, and screeched constantly. The generator was marginal to begin with, so the lights dimmed in the rain. The generator soon gave up the ghost, but that was my fault: I overtighten the belt thinking I could stop it from slipping, and that ruined the generator bushings.
The deficiencies and failures I experienced could be traced ultimately to poor engineering and Volvo's abysmal quality control during that period. Moreover, based on countless discussions with mechanics (many of whom I came to know on a first-name basis) and Volvo representatives, it didn't take me long to realize I was one of hundreds of very unhappy Volvo owners.
Need I say that I sold the car? Fortunately, I have not experienced anything as frustrating as that period of Volvo ownership since. There were no Lemon Laws in those days, but I was able to convince the new owner of the Volvo dealership and a regional representative that it would be best for all concerned if they would buy the car from me, and we worked out a deal within a few hundred dollars of what I had paid for it nine months earlier. Despite this, even after all these years (and as silly or irrational as it may seem), I still hate the brand and I will dance in the street when Volvo eventually goes bankrupt.
I bet this thread will add entries faster than I can read them, lol.
1978 Triumph Spitfire... the car wasn't terrible, but for me I tried to make it a daily driver. THAT was the mistake.
Back about 5 years ago when gas started to get expensive again, I let a 98 Mustang GT convertible go in trade for a Jetta 1.8T. But in the long run, the super-reliable Mustang would have been much cheaper than the troublesome Jetta.
1978 Triumph Spitfire... the car wasn't terrible, but for me I tried to make it a daily driver. THAT was the mistake.
Back about 5 years ago when gas started to get expensive again, I let a 98 Mustang GT convertible go in trade for a Jetta 1.8T. But in the long run, the super-reliable Mustang would have been much cheaper than the troublesome Jetta.
I had a wonderful 03 Chevy Avalanche. The gas prices were later rising to around $4 (the time before this). Out of fear I traded for a new Toyota Tacoma. It was a 4cyl. 5 speed for beter MPG. What a piece of you know what that thing was! Very cheaply built and it cost about $20,000 so it was not cheap to buy. More like a rip off. I traded it after only 6,000 miles. The trans would almost not go into fist gear. The rear springs made a lot of noise and they could not get that fixed. Almost no equipment for that price. I bought a new 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 four door with a Hemi and lots of equipment for only $23,000. It's a great truck. The Hemi's best MPG highway is about 20 and the Tacoma 4cly was about 24. Not worth it!
1988 Daihatsu Charade, 3cyl 1.0liter, 50HP@5600rpm, 56lb-ft@3200rpm, 1732lbs.
The car itself was very good build quality, light, EPA claimed 44MPG, was
fun to put gas in but *never* could buy 8 gallons to get the reduced-price
car wash combo.
The bad thing is it didn't have road visibility, or rather, had the road
visibility of a very small car. At that time here people had become fed-up with
small cars and were starting their bulk switch to SUVs and minivans (remember
how popular the Ford Explorer and Chrysler minivans were?).
Two things would kill me:
1) Everyone would putt-putt through freeway onramps then floor it on the straight.
I had to carry a lot of speed through the onramp or I couldn't get up enough
speed to safely merge with traffic. One day some lady decided after she got
through the curve to stop *dead* on the straight. After she finally got the
courage to merge I was left with trying to do a 0-60 into traffic moving 70-plus
with maybe 500 feet of lane.
Sadly, that wasn't the last time that happened to me.
2) Over and over on surface streets if I tried to drive the speed limit (say 45)
in the right lane people in SUVs and minivans would fly past me on the left, cut
in front of me, slam on the brakes, and turn into a minimall driveway. Every
frigging block it would repeat. I'd have to nail my brakes every time to keep
from rear-ending them, lose speed, take time and go through the stick to regain
it, just to have it happen again. Eventually I had to drive about 10 over the limit
so the SUVs and minivans wouldn't pass; they'd still try but realize they weren't
going to make it, nail their brakes and cut off whoever was behind me to make
their precious driveway. That made me warp the rotors in less than 20k miles
and drop the gas mileage to 24MPG (due to the driving style).
Finally I rear-ended a car when I was in rush-hour traffic on surface streets,
trying to switch from the #3 to #2 lane, checking my blind spot and praying for
speed to build when the car in front of me stopped dead.
She had no damage; my hood and front-end was bent.
Very bad Chevrolet dealer/repair shop held my car for 2 months and one fired
manager before I got it back. I sold it through a middleman at a $3k loss
in mid-89 and bought a 1990 Acura Integra 4 cyl 1.8 liter, which had
enough road presence that SUVs and minivans no longer cut me off
to make their driveway. I could drive slower on the surface streets,
and the gas mileage was 26MPG.
I had to hound the person I sold the car to (I was actually still
the owner of the car, I made payments to my bank for my loan, and another
party made payments to me but was always 5+ days late) for another 12 months
until they offered to buy it outright, then had to close out my loan and sign
over the pink slip to them.
Looking back on it I'd guess dealerships had missed the boat on VW, missed
the second boat on Toyota/Honda/Datsun, thankfully passed on Yugo, and were
looking to catch the 3rd boat on Daihatsu. One dealership sold Buicks and
Chevys (Monday morning waiting in the service line were all the comebacks from
the weekend. I was proud to only need something minor instead of a
transmission.) Another dealer sold Cadillacs.
Daihatsu exited the country in 1991, a victim of bad market timing.
Several years ago Toyota bought them, and Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear still
admires them for building high-quality cars for a decent price.
The car itself was very good build quality, light, EPA claimed 44MPG, was
fun to put gas in but *never* could buy 8 gallons to get the reduced-price
car wash combo.
The bad thing is it didn't have road visibility, or rather, had the road
visibility of a very small car. At that time here people had become fed-up with
small cars and were starting their bulk switch to SUVs and minivans (remember
how popular the Ford Explorer and Chrysler minivans were?).
Two things would kill me:
1) Everyone would putt-putt through freeway onramps then floor it on the straight.
I had to carry a lot of speed through the onramp or I couldn't get up enough
speed to safely merge with traffic. One day some lady decided after she got
through the curve to stop *dead* on the straight. After she finally got the
courage to merge I was left with trying to do a 0-60 into traffic moving 70-plus
with maybe 500 feet of lane.
Sadly, that wasn't the last time that happened to me.
2) Over and over on surface streets if I tried to drive the speed limit (say 45)
in the right lane people in SUVs and minivans would fly past me on the left, cut
in front of me, slam on the brakes, and turn into a minimall driveway. Every
frigging block it would repeat. I'd have to nail my brakes every time to keep
from rear-ending them, lose speed, take time and go through the stick to regain
it, just to have it happen again. Eventually I had to drive about 10 over the limit
so the SUVs and minivans wouldn't pass; they'd still try but realize they weren't
going to make it, nail their brakes and cut off whoever was behind me to make
their precious driveway. That made me warp the rotors in less than 20k miles
and drop the gas mileage to 24MPG (due to the driving style).
Finally I rear-ended a car when I was in rush-hour traffic on surface streets,
trying to switch from the #3 to #2 lane, checking my blind spot and praying for
speed to build when the car in front of me stopped dead.
She had no damage; my hood and front-end was bent.
Very bad Chevrolet dealer/repair shop held my car for 2 months and one fired
manager before I got it back. I sold it through a middleman at a $3k loss
in mid-89 and bought a 1990 Acura Integra 4 cyl 1.8 liter, which had
enough road presence that SUVs and minivans no longer cut me off
to make their driveway. I could drive slower on the surface streets,
and the gas mileage was 26MPG.
I had to hound the person I sold the car to (I was actually still
the owner of the car, I made payments to my bank for my loan, and another
party made payments to me but was always 5+ days late) for another 12 months
until they offered to buy it outright, then had to close out my loan and sign
over the pink slip to them.
Looking back on it I'd guess dealerships had missed the boat on VW, missed
the second boat on Toyota/Honda/Datsun, thankfully passed on Yugo, and were
looking to catch the 3rd boat on Daihatsu. One dealership sold Buicks and
Chevys (Monday morning waiting in the service line were all the comebacks from
the weekend. I was proud to only need something minor instead of a
transmission.) Another dealer sold Cadillacs.
Daihatsu exited the country in 1991, a victim of bad market timing.
Several years ago Toyota bought them, and Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear still
admires them for building high-quality cars for a decent price.
A '53 Chevrolet PU. I bought it as a project. It ran and drove fine but I went to inspect it in the rain. Did not crawl under. The bed, fenders and cab corners were 2 inch thick Bondo and rust. The frame was a welded together mess. Sold at a $500 loss but I told the new owner every thing I knew. He took it home, pulled the engine and trans and droped into a '52 Chevrolet coupe and never looked back. I would like to say I learned my lesson but this story could have several more chapters, not to mention a motorcycle sequel.
Deciding to put an exhaust and cold air intake on my old 1999 Hyundai Elantra. The intake's filter fell off due to the location, so the engine sucked in raw air for 100 miles before I could get a new one. The exhaust was awfully loud, enough so where a new muffler was installed to quiet the noise. Plus that exhaust clanked and rattled, making the driving experience decidedly not pleasant.
I learned from that experience about unintended consequences, and researching a modification before doing it. I still get the "mod bug", but it's directed into other, far more useful mods like improved headlights and getting better MPG.
I learned from that experience about unintended consequences, and researching a modification before doing it. I still get the "mod bug", but it's directed into other, far more useful mods like improved headlights and getting better MPG.
No real regrets, but I probably shouldn't have bought the datsun roadster.
The last 2 sr5 corollas were kinda losers too, ended up ditching them before I could convert them to GTS.
The last 2 sr5 corollas were kinda losers too, ended up ditching them before I could convert them to GTS.
My worst was a '79 Blazer (full size). I didn't have, or at least didn't think I had, enough cash for a nice example which were running $5-6K.
Finally found one for about $4,000. I knew it needed tires and front end work. Oddly, it had plain steel wheels (and hubcaps), not the stock Rally ones. No problem, all stuff I could take care of. I didn't really "like" the truck, but I thought it was a reasonable deal.
I noticed as I drove out the seller's driveway to take it home that he had an older Chevy pickup, with Rally wheels. I didn't think much of it.
Over time I discovered that this truck with reasonable mileage had a cheaply rebuilt and already worn-out transmission. Odd! A few months later I discovered that the engine had also already been rebuilt once, cheaply, and was already worn out also.
All of this was on a vehicle which was not one of Chevy's best quality pieces. One quarter panel was welded on visibly crooked, the doors didn't align right, etc. It quickly became a rust bucket in relatively dry South Texas.
You probably see my conclusion - the seller swapped the driveline between his old pickup and the newer Blazer. I eventually put a 454/400 into it, which made it a little more bearable, but it was always a pile. I definitely should have spent more to buy a nicer truck that I felt good about.
Finally found one for about $4,000. I knew it needed tires and front end work. Oddly, it had plain steel wheels (and hubcaps), not the stock Rally ones. No problem, all stuff I could take care of. I didn't really "like" the truck, but I thought it was a reasonable deal.
I noticed as I drove out the seller's driveway to take it home that he had an older Chevy pickup, with Rally wheels. I didn't think much of it.
Over time I discovered that this truck with reasonable mileage had a cheaply rebuilt and already worn-out transmission. Odd! A few months later I discovered that the engine had also already been rebuilt once, cheaply, and was already worn out also.
All of this was on a vehicle which was not one of Chevy's best quality pieces. One quarter panel was welded on visibly crooked, the doors didn't align right, etc. It quickly became a rust bucket in relatively dry South Texas.
You probably see my conclusion - the seller swapped the driveline between his old pickup and the newer Blazer. I eventually put a 454/400 into it, which made it a little more bearable, but it was always a pile. I definitely should have spent more to buy a nicer truck that I felt good about.
Originally Posted By: Russell
1974 VW Dasher automatic I purchased new during a gas crisis. Never ran good (carb not fuel injection) and still did not get very good milage. Very noisy at highways speeds. We got rid of a perfectly good olds Cutlass for that piece of junk.
We drove it for 4 years and got a buick wagon for the family car.
Forgot -it was also yellow, the color of a lemon!
1974 VW Dasher automatic I purchased new during a gas crisis. Never ran good (carb not fuel injection) and still did not get very good milage. Very noisy at highways speeds. We got rid of a perfectly good olds Cutlass for that piece of junk.
We drove it for 4 years and got a buick wagon for the family car.
Forgot -it was also yellow, the color of a lemon!
Originally Posted By: glum
1997 BMW (Big Money Waster) 528i
* Horrific Euro-oriented shops and dealers.
* Vastly overpriced parts.
* Overheated more times than I can remember, for various reasons.
* If it was electrical, it broke.
Not a suprise. This was first year of a new model.
Yes BMW dealers are Horrific. However there are good independent BMW shops, yet still are expensive.
parts are too expensive, yet so are other cars, even Ford.
Cooling system on BMWs are [censored]. I have proof
electrical problems on the the 97s are well known. Newer E39s were better.
In spite of all I still love my e34.
1997 BMW (Big Money Waster) 528i
* Horrific Euro-oriented shops and dealers.
* Vastly overpriced parts.
* Overheated more times than I can remember, for various reasons.
* If it was electrical, it broke.
Not a suprise. This was first year of a new model.
Yes BMW dealers are Horrific. However there are good independent BMW shops, yet still are expensive.
parts are too expensive, yet so are other cars, even Ford.
Cooling system on BMWs are [censored]. I have proof
electrical problems on the the 97s are well known. Newer E39s were better.
In spite of all I still love my e34.
Not really "bad" or "worst", but my biggest regret is trading my my '08 Sport Trac V8 (bought new -- most versatile vehicle I've ever had), for a new '10 Focus SES. We had a good reason at the time: wife was looking for a job so both kids could attend private church school. We downsized to save $ in payment + gas. Of course shortly after, wifey found a job. Oh well....
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Buying an 83 Renault Fuego, NEW.
LOL Back in 1984 I bought a rusted-out 1971 Nova from an old lady who had just purchased a brand-new Renault Encore. The Nova was a pile but it was simple and reliable and I drove it for years and years after she dumped the Renault. Evidently the Renault had troubles with its transmission, wiring harnesses, cooling system, suspension... I felt bad for her.
Originally Posted By: spackard
Over and over on surface streets if I tried to drive the speed limit (say 45)
in the right lane people in SUVs and minivans would fly past me on the left, cut
in front of me, slam on the brakes, and turn into a minimall driveway. Every
frigging block it would repeat. I'd have to nail my brakes every time to keep
from rear-ending them, lose speed, take time and go through the stick to regain
it, just to have it happen again.
I had an S-10 truck like that; it had the 2.8 engine and a 5-speed and took forever to get to speed. All that lost momentum everytime someone stops in front of me! The TBI engine was reliable as a hammer but it was frustrating to drive in traffic since it was hard to keep up with everyone else.
Buying an 83 Renault Fuego, NEW.
LOL Back in 1984 I bought a rusted-out 1971 Nova from an old lady who had just purchased a brand-new Renault Encore. The Nova was a pile but it was simple and reliable and I drove it for years and years after she dumped the Renault. Evidently the Renault had troubles with its transmission, wiring harnesses, cooling system, suspension... I felt bad for her.
Originally Posted By: spackard
Over and over on surface streets if I tried to drive the speed limit (say 45)
in the right lane people in SUVs and minivans would fly past me on the left, cut
in front of me, slam on the brakes, and turn into a minimall driveway. Every
frigging block it would repeat. I'd have to nail my brakes every time to keep
from rear-ending them, lose speed, take time and go through the stick to regain
it, just to have it happen again.
I had an S-10 truck like that; it had the 2.8 engine and a 5-speed and took forever to get to speed. All that lost momentum everytime someone stops in front of me! The TBI engine was reliable as a hammer but it was frustrating to drive in traffic since it was hard to keep up with everyone else.
Renault !!!
Sold a perfectly good 1975 Firebird, and purchased a new 1979 Honda Prelude during my second year of college. Because there was a gas "crisis" at the time, gas being almost a dollar a gallon, I stupidly paid a premium for the Honda because it was touted as a gas saver.
If it could rust, rot, rip, bend, break, bind, jam, leak, rattle, squeal, short, strip, or just plain fall off, it pretty much did. By about 70,000 miles it smoked like a mosquito fogger and barely had enough compression to start. It was gouge your eyes out ugly, drove like a radio flyer wagon missing one wheel and the rubber strip from the other three, and was powered by the gutless CVCC wheezer engine.
I can't think of a single good thing to say about that car. I would have gladly traded it for a Vega.
If it could rust, rot, rip, bend, break, bind, jam, leak, rattle, squeal, short, strip, or just plain fall off, it pretty much did. By about 70,000 miles it smoked like a mosquito fogger and barely had enough compression to start. It was gouge your eyes out ugly, drove like a radio flyer wagon missing one wheel and the rubber strip from the other three, and was powered by the gutless CVCC wheezer engine.
I can't think of a single good thing to say about that car. I would have gladly traded it for a Vega.
I made a HUGE mistake and panicked when gas prices spiked after hurricane Katrina in 2005. I ran out and sold my 2004 Dodge Ram( Quad Cab 4WD HEMI )and downsized to a 2005 Toyota Tacoma( Double Cab 4WD 4.0L V6 )as I needed a truck but wanted better MPG. Worst vehicle buying decision I have ever made!
I am not going into great detail on all of the problems with that turd of a vehicle but let us just say it was everything from engine problems, to noises, to paint issues, to brake issues, to the composite bed cracking, and just on and on. More problems with that one vehicle than I have had with every other vehicle I have owned, new and used combined, in total and that is not an exaggeration. 100% truth.
I bit the bullet and sold it just 7 months after purchase. The depreciation hit was worth every penny I lost to get away from that lemon. The dealer base here for Toyota stinks and Toyota itself was no help either. Wouldn't stand behind any of the issues. I will never buy another Toyota even though I know they are all not as bad as that Tacoma was. Just such a nightmare I will never do it again.
It was also not that much better than the Ram on gas( average driving - highway it was decent )and was literally only half the truck yet it cost me $3K more than the Ram did new.
Very bad move by me.
I am not going into great detail on all of the problems with that turd of a vehicle but let us just say it was everything from engine problems, to noises, to paint issues, to brake issues, to the composite bed cracking, and just on and on. More problems with that one vehicle than I have had with every other vehicle I have owned, new and used combined, in total and that is not an exaggeration. 100% truth.
I bit the bullet and sold it just 7 months after purchase. The depreciation hit was worth every penny I lost to get away from that lemon. The dealer base here for Toyota stinks and Toyota itself was no help either. Wouldn't stand behind any of the issues. I will never buy another Toyota even though I know they are all not as bad as that Tacoma was. Just such a nightmare I will never do it again.
It was also not that much better than the Ram on gas( average driving - highway it was decent )and was literally only half the truck yet it cost me $3K more than the Ram did new.
Very bad move by me.
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Originally Posted By: Russell
Originally Posted By: glum
1997 BMW (Big Money Waster) 528i
* Horrific Euro-oriented shops and dealers.
* Vastly overpriced parts.
Not a suprise. This was first year of a new model.
Yes BMW dealers are Horrific. However there are good independent BMW shops, yet still are expensive.
First year or not, doesn't make me hate that vehicle any less. Handing the keys to that thing over was like being released from prison.
I went to just about every indy shop in my area. Came to distrust and/or dislike them all.
But I may have spoke too soon. I forgot my '83 Camaro, which as a stupid young kid, I dumped about $5,000 into, reworking the stock 305 V8, removing the emissions garbage, adding a 600-CFM Holley carb, replacing the rear end with a 12-bolt, adding N2O, an accelerometer, ad nauseum. Idiot. Wish I could have that $5K (and all those hours on the freezing garage floor) back.
Originally Posted By: glum
1997 BMW (Big Money Waster) 528i
* Horrific Euro-oriented shops and dealers.
* Vastly overpriced parts.
Not a suprise. This was first year of a new model.
Yes BMW dealers are Horrific. However there are good independent BMW shops, yet still are expensive.
First year or not, doesn't make me hate that vehicle any less. Handing the keys to that thing over was like being released from prison.
I went to just about every indy shop in my area. Came to distrust and/or dislike them all.
But I may have spoke too soon. I forgot my '83 Camaro, which as a stupid young kid, I dumped about $5,000 into, reworking the stock 305 V8, removing the emissions garbage, adding a 600-CFM Holley carb, replacing the rear end with a 12-bolt, adding N2O, an accelerometer, ad nauseum. Idiot. Wish I could have that $5K (and all those hours on the freezing garage floor) back.
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