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Detroit, 6:14 PM
Fri Dec 11
29 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of billybobster billybobster
    04:29 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    How about the 2005 E60 BMW - the first to be Bangleized. Oweee, it's ugly. Perhaps even more so because the E39 was/is such a beautiful car.And because it set upon the world the viral menace of "Flame Surfacing" - worst example to date outside of BMW is likely the latest Mazda 3.
     Reply
    Edited by billybobster at 12/11/09 4:30 PM billybobster was starred billybobster was unstarred
    Image of Maxichamp Maxichamp
    03:53 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    Gents, I think the fact that the last generation Sebring is built and sold in Russia now as the Volga Sibir speaks volumes about the car.
     Reply
    Maxichamp was starred Maxichamp was unstarred
    Image of bmoreDLJ bmoreDLJ
    03:34 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    Sebring...Patriot...Compass...Caliber...Commander...Routan...

    I'm seeing a trend here.

    Clearly Chrysler doesn't need to make better products. That isn't going to happen anyway.

    They should simply continue fragmenting their brands into smaller brands and making more incredibly pretentious commercials.
     Reply
    Edited by bmoreDLJ at 12/11/09 3:34 PM bmoreDLJ was starred bmoreDLJ was unstarred
    Image of bmoreDLJ bmoreDLJ
    02:24 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
     
     Reply
    bmoreDLJ was starred bmoreDLJ was unstarred
    Image of bmoreDLJ bmoreDLJ
    02:21 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    I can't argue with the Sebring, but the Saturn Ion was pretty god-awful. Like the Sebring, it was worse than the car it replaced, was a good nail in Saturn's coffin, and pretty much just sucked in every way imaginable, but a great deal of my dislike is it's overall chintziness and disjointed appearance. Then Nissan went and made their Sentra look like it for some reason!
     Reply
    Edited by bmoreDLJ at 12/11/09 2:24 PM bmoreDLJ was starred bmoreDLJ was unstarred
    Image of Mobius Mobius
    02:09 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    This is a very American blog, but nonetheless, I shall inject an international dimension to it. During my stay in Brunei, I encountered no shortage of Protons and Peroduas. I can bet the Sebring is more luxurious and faster than most of them. The Peroduas look comically small and fragile, and an SUV could probably eat it, or even burn it in the engine after the air filter failing to pick up something that small. A CD player is a luxury, and you wouldn't believe the quality, and the bass pumping from the speakers transplanted from a mobile phone linked to the optional CD player!

    That said, the Sebring is way uglier.
     Reply
    Mobius was starred Mobius was unstarred
    Image of Mad_Science Mad_Science
    01:52 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    Gotta be the Compass. It's arguably one of the worst cars even, but when a terrible car completely dilutes a brand, that's a big problem.
     Reply
    Mad_Science was starred Mad_Science was unstarred
    Image of tonyola tonyola
    01:49 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    I assume we're talking about car for the American market here. Otherwise, there are plenty of Chinese cars that would qualify as "worst".

    The Sebrings and Avengers were decidedly mediocre cars, but they fulfilled their roles as cheapo fleet specials for Chrysler. The Sebring convertible has been the darling of car rental agencies in Florida forever. They're not good cars, but there are worse...

    May I present the Kia Amanti. An ugly mish-mash of American and European styling cues with a soggy, marshmallow ride that makes my LeSabre seem athletic. Indeed, the Amanti is a weird Korean interpretation of a Buick - roomy, plush, smooth (as long as you don't try to push it), bland, and conservative. It's also devoid of charm and character. All this for the price of a loaded Accord EX (or a real Buick LeSabre, for that matter). I'm amazed these things sold at all.
     Reply
    tonyola was starred tonyola was unstarred
    Image of Timtoolman, sporadically speaking Timtoolman, sporadically speaking
    02:56 PM

    @tonyola: I was never sure what combination of vehicles this was supposed to represent. Looks like a poor man's Jag. And the name Amanti, looks and sounds so much like Armani, you almost feel rich.
     Reply
    tonyola promoted this comment Timtoolman, sporadically speaking was starred Timtoolman, sporadically speaking was unstarred
    Image of tonyola tonyola
    03:23 PM

    @Timtoolman, sporadically speaking: Yep, I see some Jaguar in the mix, along with some Bentley, Lincoln Town Car, and Buick. What a mess.
     Reply
    tonyola was starred tonyola was unstarred
    Image of bmoreDLJ bmoreDLJ
    03:38 PM

    @tonyola: For me, the absolutely ENORMOUS orange LED turn signals save the Amanti from worstdom, at least for me. It's pretty bad, though.
     Reply
    bmoreDLJ was starred bmoreDLJ was unstarred
    Image of Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est
    01:38 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    I was going to nominate the Oldsmobile Alero, but then I realized that I have nothing to compare with. So far I have not had the misfortune of driving the Ion, Caliber nor Sebring. Hell, maybe the Alero was even a good car by GM early 2000's standards?
     Reply
    Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est was starred Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est was unstarred
    Image of GreenN_Gold GreenN_Gold
    01:23 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    I only saw one brief mention of it, but I'll nominate the Uplander. It was already an outdated platform when it was horribly refreshed to be more SUV-like in appearance. I would rather drive a Sebring than the Uplander, even if I was stuck with the 4-banger/4-speed combo that the rentals are cursed with.
     Reply
    GreenN_Gold was starred GreenN_Gold was unstarred
    Image of carve carve
    01:46 PM

    @GreenN_Gold: Those always stimulate my gag reflex. Atrocious styling added to one of the worst minivans out there. It's like the guy who designed the front clip never got to see the rest of the car. I genuinely think these are uglier than the Aztek, and with less character to boot.
     Reply
    Tanshanomi promoted this comment carve was starred carve was unstarred
    Image of bmoreDLJ bmoreDLJ
    02:26 PM

    @GreenN_Gold: Well, they kinda had to give it a big nose like that...the Venture wasn't exactly passing crash tests...
     Reply
    bmoreDLJ was starred bmoreDLJ was unstarred
    Image of Tanshanomi Tanshanomi
    02:52 PM

    @carve: Agreed. The Aztek was a grand failure of a flawed vision. The Uplander was a total lack of vision run amok.
     Reply
    Tanshanomi was starred Tanshanomi was unstarred
    Image of P161911 probably shoudn't have P161911 probably shoudn't have
    01:18 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    As bad as the Sebring is the Dodge Caliber is even worse. For usually only about $1500 less than a Sebring you got a much smaller car that actually got WORSE gas milage. Of course by saving that $1500 you don't get such basic features as power windows or power locks (really, a hatchback without power locks?!?) and rear disc brakes. The Caliber has horrible outward visibility and manages to be even uglier than the Sebring. I was unfortunate enough to rent a Caliber last summer and my father has been cursed with a Caliber as a company car. Anytime I see someone in a Caliber that isn't obviously a fleet vehicle of some sort, my thought is:

    "You bought that ON PURPOSE?!?"
     Reply
    P161911 probably shoudn't have was starred P161911 probably shoudn't have was unstarred
    Image of UglyDuckCar UglyDuckCar
    01:53 PM

    @P161911 probably shoudn't have:
    Oh you witty star commenter. Along with everyone elses' cries for the: Sebring, Aveo, Aztec, and other basic point a to point b cars you must add your own original idea into the pile. Which is about as original as saying a toyota camry is an appliance with wheels.

    Despite my opening sentence, I don't hate you or the fact that you hate my car. I just can't help but not like the scene that I am seeing. If you ask me, the hate seems to be coming from the "non-conformist" crowd. You know, when a movie comes out that has initial universally positive reviews, they are the die hard nerds that argue about why it's so bad. They are the people who have 10,000 songs on their mp3 players with bands that no one has heard of, and god help you if you mention one band that you like that has been heard by another soul on this planet. They are the passionate type with the things they love. (which there is absolutely nothing wrong with) The problem is when they start to look down at all things that they don't consider to be original as themselves. I consider you fellow jalops to be passionate with your cars, but sometimes I get the feeling you guys also miss the point. Maybe I'm off here, but when I did the research on what is "Jalop" when I joined this community, I believed it was reference to a clunker, a beaten worn down car that nobody liked except the owner. I envisioned a guy working on his old beater to get her to work and be the car he always knew it could be. I believed that such an idea meant it didn't matter what you drove, as long as you took care of your car as much as you liked it you were welcome among a community. Perhaps it was too unreal of an expectation for a community, because all I see here are lines drawn. People who own regular cars couldn't POSSIBLY understand or appreciate the automotive experience. My car is a clunker right out of the damn box, and dammit that makes me feel just a bit more jalop than anyone else right now. So then maybe I should nominate my car...

    PS: Please never use the "rent a car" story. We all know rent a cars are absolute garbage. Even with full features, they are so dirty and awfully abused it's absurd to compare a well maintained car to a renter.
     Reply
    P161911 probably shoudn't have promoted this comment UglyDuckCar was starred UglyDuckCar was unstarred
    Image of Peugeot 504 - the Car for Nigeria Peugeot 504 - the Car for Nigeria
    01:58 PM

    @P161911 probably shoudn't have: A thousand times yes. I rented one of these earlier this year and it was slow, cramped, thirsty, numb and hideous.

    It can get worse, too. There's a headbanger dude I see regularly on my commuter who has a Caliber SRT, slammed, with tinted windows and faux-racing stickers, and I think to myself everytime I see him: "The amount of money you've spent on this could have bought a WRX, and instead you have THIS hideous piece of ass."
     Reply
    P161911 probably shoudn't have promoted this comment Peugeot 504 - the Car for Nigeria was starred Peugeot 504 - the Car for Nigeria was unstarred
    Image of P161911 probably shoudn't have P161911 probably shoudn't have
    02:13 PM

    @UglyDuckCar: My hatred of the Caliber is based on personal experience. The rental car I got was virtually new, less than 2,000 miles, and looked and smelled new. Given another 15-20 years a Caliber might be seen as a quirky Jalop, along the lines of a Pacer, Gremlin, or diesel Chevette, but right now, it is just a bad choice. I guess if you got a real steal on a Caliber SRT4 it might be OK, hard to argue with 285HP in a little car. There is a big difference in spending less than $5,000 on a odd "bad" car to be different and unique and spending $15,000 to $20,000 on a bad new car. You are more than welcome to stay, but there comes a point that you must admit that mistakes have been made. We have all made mistakes and sometimes the situation that we are in forces us to make the best of what we have. I like both the oddball and the mainstream too.
     Reply
    P161911 probably shoudn't have was starred P161911 probably shoudn't have was unstarred
    Image of nataku8_e30 nataku8_e30
    02:49 PM

    @UglyDuckCar: Besides levying a personal attack, you actually did nothing to defend your much beloved car or refute the negative claims against it. I would like to know why you think this car ISN'T absolutely terrible and what actually motivated you to purchase one.

    I am certainly not someone who cares about things like interior materials, panel gaps, exterior aesthetics, or even resale, but the things I do care about in a daily driver - ease of use, utility, economy - the Caliber fails at these as badly as anywhere else. Is there perhaps something magical about your head position or body shape that allows you to avoid the ridiculously huge blinds spots? Does yours manage to get better fuel efficiency than mid-20s mpg? Maybe if you have a manual equipped car, it's alright to drive, but with the CVT, the engine never seems to be able to stay in the powerband, it's impossible to even remotely control engine RPM and acceleration is slow and difficult to anticipate (and my "daily driver" has a 0-60 time in the 10 seconds range with a 4 speed auto). The car was downright dangerous to drive on TX freeways.

    See? I provided some actual criticism of the vehicle. Maybe yo could provide a counter-point with actual praise, rather than just saying that I'm not fit to judge your car.
     Reply
    P161911 probably shoudn't have promoted this comment nataku8_e30 was starred nataku8_e30 was unstarred
    Image of UglyDuckCar UglyDuckCar
    02:56 PM

    @P161911 probably shoudn't have:

    Nah no srt4 mate, didn't come out when I needed my first car. To be honest the reason we got it was because it was insanely low on insurance (lower than all the used cars we looked at) and we knew the dealer real well so we got it for his absolute lowest cost ($12k including all the other costs like delivery, for early 2007 this was considered impossible.) Well all the problems you spoke of like power windows/locks isn't a problem for me of course, and I keep my car in good order. She's just about 3 years old and got 45k+ miles on her but most people think she's new. And it's not some unique "I won't admit that I made the wrong purchase" kind of deal. I could complain about her all day long but damn do I love her. I've put her through hell and back, chasing after my friend's cooper on winding roads and she has still yet to fail me. Would I recommend this car for you older gents? Not a chance in hell. If I could go back in time and buy a different car as my first car, would I? Not a chance in hell.

    Admittedly, I won't be buying a dodge again, our dealer got booted from dodge. We know some Ford dealerships so that's what the next one looks like it's going to be.
     Reply
    UglyDuckCar was starred UglyDuckCar was unstarred
    Image of P161911 probably shoudn't have P161911 probably shoudn't have
    03:38 PM

    @UglyDuckCar: If this is your first car, that explains a lot. You have nothing to compare it to. Your first car will always have a special place in your heart, no matter how bad it is. I still have a fondness for Malaise era Buick Regals, since my first car was a 81 Regal Sport Coupe Turbo. Looking back, I realize that it really wasn't that good, but it was great for me at the time. I guess if you aren't paying (assumed from the "we" above) and you got a steal of a deal then you are excused. One day you will look back and realize how bad it really was.

    Insurance costs can be really crazy sometimes. Shortly after I got married I traded my Corvette in on a new Trailblazer for my wife, I got her 99 Honda Civic Coupe. That wouldn't do, sold it and got a 96 Camaro Z-28 convertible (the Camaro is probably the one car I DON'T regret getting rid of), the insurance went DOWN.
     Reply
    P161911 probably shoudn't have was starred P161911 probably shoudn't have was unstarred
    Image of FrankGrimes FrankGrimes
    12:56 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    Aztec.

    The Dodge Caliber sucks as well. My old 1961 Beetle was better driver and better NVH.
     Reply
    FrankGrimes was starred FrankGrimes was unstarred
    Image of Franzouse Franzouse
    12:51 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    The W211 E class Mercedes. For a substantial amount of dough you got a bloated, hyper fragile boring-mobile that kept breaking down and sucking the money out of its owner's pockets. This might be extreme but that car was such a disappointment and such a heresy with regard to what everyone wants from an E Class which is an indestructible velvet cruiser that starts out in the OC and ends up in Mali a million miles later. There are worse cars but in terms of the difference between expectations and reality, it was the worst.
     Reply
    Franzouse was starred Franzouse was unstarred
    Image of VeeArrrSix VeeArrrSix
    12:50 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    Mitsu Mirage. I had one as a rental while they fixed the Jetta.

    I have never driven a vehicle that felt so thin skinned and shaky. Underpowered, horrible brakes, and fit and finish? I couldn't even call it that as nothing fit and it didn't look finished.

    Utter crap.
     Reply
    Edited by VeeArrrSix at 12/11/09 12:56 PM VeeArrrSix was starred VeeArrrSix was unstarred
    Image of oddseth oddseth
    12:55 PM

    @VeeArrrSix: My driving instructor had one of these as his training car, although it was of mid-90's vintage. This was one of the shittiest cars I have ever driven (except for my friend's Geo Metro with manual steering). I remember the gas pedal had two settings - off or on and I feared for my life every time I got in for a lesson.
     Reply
    VeeArrrSix promoted this comment oddseth was starred oddseth was unstarred
    Image of VeeArrrSix VeeArrrSix
    01:03 PM

    @oddseth: Funny you bring up the Metro as that was the car they tried to give me at Enterprise. But at 6'5" I just did not fit, and they took pity on me and "upgraded" me to the Mirage.
     Reply
    VeeArrrSix was starred VeeArrrSix was unstarred
    Image of oddseth oddseth
    01:41 PM

    @VeeArrrSix: I wouldn't really call that an upgrade, more of a parrallel change. Its kind of like asking someone if they would rather be kicked in the nuts or punched in the nose. One might be a little worse than the other, but either way you are going to be fucked over.
     Reply
    oddseth was starred oddseth was unstarred
    Image of brandegee brandegee
    12:38 PM

    In reply to What's The Worst Car Of The Decade?
    That's it, then. My New Year's resolution is to physically destroy a Chrysler Sebring.

    Honorable mentions: Chevy Uplander, Buick Rendezvous, v6 Mustang, Daewoo anything, Chevy Aveo, PT Cruiser and Caliber, Jeep Patriot (arguably worse than a Compass b/c it pretends to be an actual Jeep).
     Reply
    brandegee was starred brandegee was unstarred
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