Cars; you either love them, hate them, or think they’re OK. If you’re here, I assume your relationship swings wildly between intense love and crippling hate. But hey, we contain multitudes.
Here’s some of the worst cars you love. Hey, the heart wants what it wants, and apparently your hearts want Chevettes and pre-2000s BMWs. Afflicted with car madness, all of you.
First generation Neons. I’d look for them every time we rented a car (We lived in Manhattan). They look great, and they were fun to drive. Apparently it’s even better that I didn’t have to own one.
From XL500, ThatVanGuy and others
The popular consensus is that the old American Escort was bad. Maybe so, but my 1988 Escort GT was not bad, and I’d still have it if I didn’t wreck it at a track event back in the day.
From sounbwoy
1. Prowler. 250 horsepower in a pretty lightweight car and more power than the heavier V8 that was available at the time, and had pretty advanced construction and suspension for the time so it was actually a good handler. Only bad because people spout off the same idiotic nonsense about the fact that it didn’t have a Hemi that wasn’t even out yet.
A beater car. Or truck.
A good Point A to Point B vehicle will always have a place in my heart.
Dad retired early from Nabisco and bought a $200 pickup truck with rust and shag carpet from someone’s house on the cab floor. He was hauling stuff to the junkyard and a white Eldorado pulled alongside him at a stop light. Summer afternoon, guy had on a linen suit, gold watch and smoking a huge stogie.
Dad toots the horn and told the guy he loves his car and he’s looking good. Guy looks at my Dad and says, “I got a truck just like that! this is my wife’s car!”
From 900Turbo, others
The parents of my first post-HS girlfriend were relatively well-off (at least compared to my family) and for some reason not only trusted me with their lovely daughter, but on occasion their Lincoln Continental Mark V.
Granted the car was a few years old by then, but it was still probably worth more than I brought home in a year as a bar back.
The car was tremendous - I think the hood alone was nearly seven feet long; it was slow, handled like a garbage scow, sucked down fuel at the rate of 8-10 mpg and the interior was surprisingly tight for such a large car.
But, I fell in love with the Mark V the night my GF and I pulled up to the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill NJ, dressed to the nines for her 20th B-day dinner. The valet addressed me as sir and I felt like an real adult for the first time.
The rational part of my brain knows the car is a horrible vehicle, that won’t fit in my garage and would drive me to bankruptcy keeping the tank full, but every time I see one on CL or BaT, my mind does all sorts of mental calisthenics to justify buying it.
From Earthbound Misfit I, others
Fox bodies are crap. Spending thousands to make it a little less crap is the definition of insanity.
From DeWayneV8, others
The 1985 Cadillac Cimarron V6 I had for almost a year when I was 18. First car I owned myself as I couldn’t drive my mom’s car anymore after moving out. Objectively bad car as most know but the old V6 with rusty exhaust sounded kind of good to my teenage ears. Went from that to a 1996 Infiniti i30.
Alternatively, my grandma owned the ubiquitous PT Cruiser from the late 2000s until her passing. Outside of it being my grandma’s car and that sentimental value, I drove it a lot and it was not that bad for a FWD precursor to CUVs. Really quite good in snow with basic all seasons and pretty reliable. I don’t remember her ever needing major service.
From Voice of C. Montgomery Burns, others
Anything Renault from the ‘80's. I never drove a Fuego, but I was really tempted by a Le Car. Until it broke down on the test drive. Good sense/lack of money kept me from ever getting one, but I’m sure buying one of these would have made for some good stories once the pain wore off.
From dug deep, others
My parents (and mine) 1977 Dodge Aspen station wagon.
It has been called one of the worst cars every built, one of the most recalled in history, etc etc. My parents bought this new when I was just a baby. It was our family car until the 90s. So many road trips and memories in this car. I took it to college, and then it went back to my parents. I got it back again in the mid 2000s as a restoration/restomod project that fizzled out due to financial issues.
It finally retired in 2011 with 360K miles on it.
My mom’s Chevy Uplander. The car itself was ok for the most part kinda boring, lasted over 200K miles with no real major issues. But the car was so bad at 200K miles, I actually enjoyed driving it. It would burn a bit of rubber when you launched it, it had such a rolley polley suspension, felt like you were on the Black Pearl. I actually low key miss that car and it’s ugly interior.
From darthspartan117
Early 80's new gen F-bodies. Especially a Recaro edition Black and gold Trans Am, performance wise it was junk and most rusted away but I always thought beautiful cars to look at.
From shurkon93, others
From Bob, others
Objectively speaking? My C10s, both the pickup and the Suburban. They’re slow, loud, drink gas, have no crumple zones/airbags/etc, rattly, etc etc. Of course, all of that said, I wouldn’t trade them for anything!
From Sideways the Seven
One good thing about terrible cars is there’s zero guilt in hooning them. Chevettes were poorly built gutless rattletraps (and surprisingly thirsty with the automatic), but something gutless, RWD, and on cheap tires is begging to spend all winter sideways.
I also really liked the 90's Cavalier I spent a couple years driving in college. It was a perfectly servicable car for $700, it was reliable, got decent fuel economy, and just being a coupe with a sunroof and stick adds a bit more charisma than a Cavalier should have.
My Chrysler Crossfire. Though less a “bad” car, and more of an unpopular one.
It is literally a rebodied SLK320 (R170 series) Mercedes and was built in Germany. It’s a 2-door hatch, 2 seater, rear wheel drive, fully independent suspension, with a NA V6 and manual transmission, what’s not to like?
It’s honestly fun to drive, not in an dynamic E46 kinda of way, or even like an E90, but still enjoyable for what it is.
I bought it during the malaise Covid era to have a manual transmission again, but have grown to love the car. Honestly get a ton of positive responses from most people who see it.
Plus it’s easy to work on for DIY projects on the weekends and cruises through the canyon.
From Gerry197