Worst Vehicle Ever Built

[gorcorps]

In all my 54 years I have only needed three cars because I read the Consumer Reports April Auto Issue of the most reliable cars. Why don't people do research before plunking down $20+K? If you don't want to subscribe, get it at the library (like I do)

Without knowing what you spent on maintenance, owning few cars over your life doesn't necessarily mean you got the most reliable ones. You can make a terrible car last forever if you're willing to repair everything that goes wrong.

 

[Zivic]

In all my 54 years I have only needed three cars because I read the Consumer Reports April Auto Issue of the most reliable cars. Why don't people do research before plunking down $20+K? If you don't want to subscribe, get it at the library (like I do)

please list those 3 cars

 

[bradly1101]

Without knowing what you spent on maintenance, owning few cars over your life doesn't necessarily mean you got the most reliable ones. You can make a terrible car last forever if you're willing to repair everything that goes wrong.

Over the three cars:

2 starters
1 radiator (my fault)
2 water pumps
1 EGR scrub

brakes, oil changes, spark plugs, oh and windshield wipers

They're Toyotas, what can I say?

 

[bradly1101]

please list those 3 cars

-1980 Toyota Corolla 1.8 5 sp. Still ran great when I traded it in at 353K miles.

-1989 Toyota Camry DLX 5 sp. Still ran great when I sold it to my brother at around 300K miles.

-1992 Toyota Previa LE (current car) She's quiet (I stripped the interior and did extra sound insulation) and very smooth riding. I installed a Blaupunkt/Alpine/Kenwood sound system.

 

[Zivic]

-1980 Toyota Corolla 1.8 5 sp. Still ran great when I traded it in at 353K miles.

-1989 Toyota Camry DLX 5 sp. Still ran great when I sold it to my brother at around 300K miles.

-1992 Toyota Previa LE (current car) She's quiet (I stripped the interior and did extra sound insulation) and very smooth riding. I installed a Blaupunkt/Alpine/Kenwood sound system.

you literally bought appliances.... was hoping you had at least one fun or unique vehicle in the group. at least you had a couple standard transmissions.

 

[BurnItDwn]

you literally bought appliances.... was hoping you had at least one fun or unique vehicle in the group. at least you had a couple standard transmissions.

Maybe he isn't a "car enthusiast" and he just wants reliable, cost effective transportation. Nothing wrong with that at all. Even if it's "tame" when a car does it's job well, and for such a long time, that in itself makes a car interesting.

 

[NutBucket]

The Previa was available with a 5MT...not sure if the poster has one.

 

[Zivic]

Maybe he isn't a "car enthusiast" and he just wants reliable, cost effective transportation. Nothing wrong with that at all. Even if it's "tame" when a car does it's job well, and for such a long time, that in itself makes a car interesting.

if maintained properly lots of cars would provide similar longevity... some would do it with a little more driver enjoyment

 

[JulesMaximus]

WINNER!!

i fucking hate working on isuzu vehicles. such stupid things. we wont even take them at the shop anymore, even isuzu service manager has sent customers to us with bad issues in their big v6 motors. hate em! soft cams, high pressure fuel pumps that take out said soft cams, stupid timing, everything.

Thankfully I only paid around $2k for it. It lasted for about 2 years before the oil pressure dropped so low that the light stayed on all the time. It needed a new engine at 76,000 miles. Lack of maintenance by the previous owner probably contributed but it didn't really do much of anything well and it was just an inefficient piece of crap.

When I got it the vehicle needed new tires, brakes, a full service, O2 sensors replaced, a passenger door mirror, front and rear shocks and a good clean and polish. I did most of the work myself so it didn't cost me much so that was one saving grace.

Oh, and it leaked oil the entire time I owned it so I couldn't park it in my driveway.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Worst car I've ever owned without a doubt is a 2004 Acura TL 6MT. From day 5 I couldn't wait to get rid of it. Traded it in on a 2007 Lexus IS350 which is the best car I've owned as far as reliability is concerned. It's seen over 20 track days and has probably gone 10,000 miles WOT. 150k on the ticker now and is as strong as ever. Love it and still beats a ton of unsuspecting V8 cars. Only problem with this car is it's appetite for tires and brakes....and an encrypted ECU that severely limits the aftermarket. Damn lawyers.

Have a 2013 Camaro SS vert. I don't drive it as much, but it has 25,000 miles trouble free with some go-fast goodies installed and an aggressive trans tune. Love the camaro as much as the Lexus. Built like a tank. Solid and badass so far.

We owned a 2006 IS250. Can't say that car was exactly trouble free though. They replaced the pistons under warranty and at around 110k miles the transmission went out. It went through tires and brakes like crazy too. Struts started leaking around 90k miles.

 

[bradly1101]

The Previa was available with a 5MT...not sure if the poster has one.

No the Previa is an auto. With its mid-engine it handles a bit better than your average mini-van, so a 5 speed would be interesting. I bought it used in '01 for $5K. The thing won't stop.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I guess some people have never heard of the Yugo.

So crappy that a woman died when her Yugo was blown off a bridge.

When I was in college, I worked with a guy that owned a Yugo. It was a piece of junk, but I think he drove it just because it was a piece of junk...

As for the GM hate...and Chevy hate. I'm all about forgiveness between car manufacturers. What I believe though is you should only buy models that have been in production a few years and research the track record of those engines. My last few vehicles have stayed away from bleeding edge tech and I've had some pretty good reliability. (JD Power rates reliability too after revisiting brands that have been on the market...this is way better than initial quality ratings because it tells you the bigger stuff that breaks)

Sorry to hear you've got a bad car. At some point, it's more cost effective to punt and move on. My daily driver is still a 2003 Buick with 148k on it....I'm holding out, but will soon replace it with something cleaner/newer since I've driven it 13 years now.