What was the worst car you ever owned?

**Edwina's Secretary** · 04-06-2008, 01:00 PM

I also would have to say a Renault...it was called an Alliant or Alliance...something like that. "Reverse" went out. I had to push it to go backwards so I could only park it where I could get out going forward.

Those were the "dark days" for me and cars. I also had a Honda Civic that was like a tin can with doors during that time. It is not good when the guys at the dealership know you by name. I also remember having to push that one in the pakring garage at O'Hare and then jump into while it was moving and pop the clutch to get it started.

**lizbud** · 04-06-2008, 01:49 PM

All of the worst cars I have ever owned, were Fords. Last one was a
Ford Escort. It was black & looked good, but was a total mechanical
nightmare. Broke down every month.

By far the best cars I believe are Hondas & Toyotas.

**moosmom** · 04-06-2008, 02:04 PM

Mine was a 74 Volkswagen Bug that I bought used after my divorce. The woman who sold it to me failed to tell me it was in a car accident. Wasn't aware that the frame was bent. It had no heater coil so when winter came, I not only had to scrape the OUTSIDE of the windshield, but the INSIDE as well!!!!

**Pam** · 04-06-2008, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by Edwina's Secretary

I also would have to say a Renault...it was called an Alliant or Alliance...something like that. "Reverse" went out. I had to push it to go backwards so I could only park it where I could get out going forward.

Sara, I am sorry to admit this but I am laughing at the mental picture I am getting right now.

Hubby and I had a Chevrolet Corvair when we were first married. Probably half of you don't even know what a Corvair is.

Ralph Nader wrote a book about the Corvair - I believe it was called Unsafe at any Speed. Anyway, smoke occasionally would come out from under the dashboard as we were driving. It didn't happen every time and we never did find out where it was coming from.

**Kirsten** · 04-06-2008, 02:17 PM

My silver-colored '93 Ford Fiesta, always had problems with it, and I hated it. I drove it from 2003 - 2006. It eventually died when it was running out of oil on the autobahn - killed the engine for good.

Kirsten

**DJFyrewolf36** · 04-06-2008, 04:21 PM

Hey now with all this Ford bashing I have to point out that Ford made one good car...

MINE lol

My car has been through the ringer several times and she keeps on going.
Pam, the Corvairs had really really BAD exhaust routing. What made them unsafe really was that the fuel line was routed way too close to the exhaust manifold. What you probibly experenced was ether fuel dripping on the exhaust or oil and the smoke getting through the heating system. Or something was cooking electrically. Either way...NOT GOOD! Hubby had a corvair burn to the ground on him on the highway, Im glad that didn't happen to you!

**kitten645** · 04-06-2008, 04:38 PM

Thankfully I didn't own it but it was a rental. It was a 2006 KIA. I feared for my life getting on a freeway. Went from 20 to 50 in about twenty minutes! People on skateboards were passing me by!!

Claudia

**Rachel** · 04-06-2008, 06:14 PM

It was a 68 Olds Cutlas and had been a demo. The claimed the warranty was in the glove compartment. It wasn't. The engine would stall as I was driving it. I'd have to coast to the side of the road and wait until I could restart it. I get it *fixed* and the same thing would keep happening. They would put in a part and the next guy would take out that part. Both were supposed to be solutions to the problem. I finally traded it in on a stick shift Plymouth Duster, probably before it was even paid off.

**lizbud** · 04-06-2008, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by kitten645

It was a 2006 KIA. I feared for my life getting on a freeway. Went from 20 to 50 in about twenty minutes!
Claudia

LOL

I can just see it. happened to me before too.

**Jessika** · 04-06-2008, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by kitten645

It was a 2006 KIA. I feared for my life getting on a freeway.

Hehehehe this reminds me of the KIA acronym... killed in action.

**Taz_Zoee** · 04-06-2008, 08:04 PM

My worst car was probably my first car. It was a 74 Mercury Capri. It was originally my sisters first car and then handed down to me. (Hmm...my brothers first car was my dad's Corvette and then a brand new truck)
Anyway, the Capri did not have radio or heat/ac. However, when you stepped on the gas pedal that thing would sh!# and get!!!
One windy February morning when I was still in high school I had gone out to warm up my car. While I'm sitting in it I began to smell smoke. I looked around and saw flames coming up near the passenger side front tire. I quickly tried to unbuckle my seat belt, which occasionally got stuck. Oh, I panicked but finally got out of the seat belt and ran inside to wake up my parents. My dad had it out before the volunteer firefighters arrived. We lived out in the country, only volunteer manned stations. What happened was the plastic gas line broke and leaked gas on the flattened cardboard boxes someone had placed in my parking spot.

So then I drove it around for about another year with a huge burn mark on the side.

**cassiesmom** · 04-06-2008, 09:05 PM

Knock wood, I've never had a problem car. I had a Toyota Tercel, replaced it with a Saturn, and replaced that with a second Saturn, which is what I have now ('02 SL1). My brother had a Ford Escort that he drove until it wouldn't go another inch -- I guess his was the second good Ford after DJFyrewolf's. He and my sister-in-law have a Volkswagen now and it has had one problem on top of another, but they had a Volkswagen Rabbit when their kids were little that never gave them trouble. They drove the Rabbit until it would absolutely go no further. I have a friend who had a Nissan Sentra that was in the shop very often -- he got rid of it, and now has a Nissan Altima that is very dependable.

**Scooter's Mom** · 04-06-2008, 09:58 PM

I also had a GOOD ford. It was my first ever car. A 1990 Ford Escort. I loved that little car. It went and went and went. Even after I bought my Cougar (Mercury, but sort of a Ford product) I kept the Escort. Loved my Cougar more than ANY other car I've ever had. Only reason I sold it was because it was in mine and my ex-husbands name and when I was marrying my current husband he didn't really like that idea... and that's when we got our Lemon/Intrepid.

November 29, 1990 - Bought my Ford Escort
Sept 19, 1995 - Bought my Cougar
February 12, 2000 - Bought the Intrepid
May 15, 2004 - Bought the Ford Mustang we have now (love it)
February 14, 2007 - Bought my Chevy Impala *used*

The Fords and the Cougar were all really nice cars - and I love my Impala.

**DJFyrewolf36** · 04-07-2008, 02:30 PM

I notice with Fords that if they've been driven a cirtian way they last forever but if you sell them off (or buy them from someone) they tend to explode! Not that there is any evedence to support my theory but I think they get "used" to being driven one way and get pi$$y if they experence change. The Pill gets really weird and drives like crud if I let someone else borrow it for even an hour.

**RICHARD** · 04-07-2008, 06:04 PM

The Corvair also had a really funny fan belt.

It ran from the side of the engine up and across the top, back down again, Did anyone mention the engine in the rear?

--------

My worst "car" was a motorcycle. It was a piece of shiat, but I had tons' o fun on it and was able to work in it ever single time it needed service.

It was my second Honda, A twin 350 that I bought new because they had done a complete mod job on it, turned it into a road racer. It was coal black, giant 6 gallon tank, fairing and low handlebars.

It was a love/hate relationship. The radio, heater, a/c and windshield wipers didn't work, either.