It might be tricky to choose at times, but deep down we all have a favorite car. But if your top choice is something like a Mustang that spawned seven different generations over the years, can you honestly say that you love every one?
With this in mind, we wanted to uncover the unloveable iterations of your favorite cars. To do this, we asked you what the worst generation of your favorite car was.
These are some of the top responses we received.
“Though Wiki calls it a 3rd gen, I believe it’s actually a 5th gen Capri, but regardless, I hate this version from the early 90's.
“My first car was a 76 Capri V6. It eventually got really refined in Europe only but I still love the lines and the performance it had.”
The Capri was taken off sale in 1986, so I’m going to assume this poster is referencing the MKIII, which was developed on a shoestring budget and went on sale in 1978. It was pretty much a facelift on the MKII with revolutionary design flourishes like *checks notes* black trim.
Suggested by: ajr666
“Apologies to those that like them but I think my 2006 NC Miata was terrible compared to the NA, NB and ND Miatas that I own/have owned.
“Someone on the Miata forums summed it up this way: ‘It’s a great car but a lousy Miata’. A year later I replaced it with a Pontiac Solstice GXP Z0K which was a far better ‘Miata’ despite the name on the badge. Now I drive a ND RF and it is a great Miata.”
The answer is always Miata, so they say. Sadly, this time the answer is specifically the NC Miata, which was on sale for 10 years from 2005.
Suggested by: Alan Dahl (Facebook)
“As the owner of a 1968 Cutlass, I definitely have a thing for Oldsmobiles, and (surprisingly), almost all of the incarnations of the car had merit.
“Picking a least favorite will be controversial as I don’t totally hate the last gasp (you know, the Cutlibu), but instead it’s really hard to look at a Cutlass from 1978-82. The poor thing just didn’t know what it wanted to be. It was coming off still being shapely in the late ‘70's, but not quite as sporty as it would become in 1983. It was just an awkward looking, boxy, floaty thing.”
The fifth-generation Oldsmobile Cutlass could be ordered with everything from a Buick V6 to a Chevy V8 up front. But sadly, any of the big engines you could fit up front couldn’t make up for the car’s other shortcomings.
Suggested by: sidbridge
“The later model C3 Corvette. People love to hate on the C4, but it got better over time. Not only did emission regs choke the C3 engines, but the bubble hatch cars are a slap in the face to the chrome bumpers and flat rear glass of the OG C3.”
We can argue about what is and isn’t the worst Corvette till the cows come home, but @IAmGaroott was one of many people to suggest it might the C3, so here we are.
Suggested by: @IAmGaroott (Twitter)
“The original Ford Puma was one of the Ka/Puma/Fiesta sisters. All three were ace little rippers that were made of joy.
“This is one of those little cars that proved that you didn’t need loads of horsepower to have loads of fun and because it was nice and small, it behaved sensibly in very cramped cities.
“But the handling... WHOA! Ford played its small car trick again with a nice set of geometry that resulted in just enough stiffness and just enough give that to drive this was like driving on rails.
“I got excited when they told us that a new Puma was coming and then they gave us this.”
Having a sporty lil three-door revived as an oversized SUV is the automotive equivalent of your favorite musician being roped in to play on cruise ships. It’s just not something anyone wants to witness.
Suggested by: rollo75
“The 13-20 Pathfinder. Essentially a Murano with a third row seat and there’s not many redeeming things about it.”
While a third row is nice to have, it can’t make up for all this *gestures wildly around.*
Suggested by: Robert Davis III (Facebook)
“Current-gen BMW 3/4 series. Aside from its looks, the car’s handling dynamics are a long way from the days of the pre-sixth generation of The Ultimate Driving Machine.”
“Aside from its looks,” well I guess it’s nice that we’re done bickering about that awful front end. But still, it sounds like the latest raft of the 3 Series still doesn’t quite live up to the hype.
Suggested by: genialblackman
“Mustang II. The best generation was the SN95(1994-2004), everyone either wanted or owned that generation.”
The second-generation Mustang used the same platform as the Ford Pinto, which had a tendency to burst into flames. Not an ideal feature set for your lovely new American muscle car, right?
Suggested by: @TallMexican888 (Twitter)
ZBI Viper. Lost all the visual flair of the previous generation, lost a bit more of the insanity too.
The ZB I Viper hit the streets in 2003 and had a pretty good run. But, it’s “subdued” styling and distinct lack of the car’s hallmark American insanity means it’s not held in the same regard as other models.
Suggested by: ibelle42
“Seventh gen Honda Civic. Every Civic gen has been great at being ‘A car,’ meaning commuting, good fuel economy, safety generally speaking. However, the Civic always had a bit of a fun factor, for a daily.
“The seventh gen was a cost cutting measure at the time and it shows; things like the switch from double wishbone front suspension to (bad) strut suspension, far less enjoyable driving dynamics, and worse long term reliability compared to both the 6th and 8th gens. It’s still an alright car, but all the others are better.”
A bad Civic is still a fine automobile, but it’s not what you come to expect from Honda’s stellar reputation.
Suggested by: Erik Bourque (Facebook)
“The 2022 WRX. Now I know the whole ‘Grown Up’ buzz word people throw around when talking about these kind of cars. But the new one is literally a Crosstrek with extra steps.”
Released in 2021, the second-generation Subaru WRX was built around the Japanese company’s new modular platform. The new Crosstrek also uses that platform, but so too does the current Impreza.
Suggested by: darthspartan117
“My family had a 1st Gen Durango, loved everything about it. Styling was peak dodge truck. 2nd Gen Durango was an abomination.”
Premiered in 1997, the first generation Durango went on to sell more than 886,000 units in its Seven-year reign. Fun fact, of those just 376 were sold in Europe. When the second gen came out, not a single one was sold across the pond.
Suggested by: @dtros242424 (Twitter)
“Great car in many respects... and downright beautiful but got the MR2 formula completely wrong. It was a great car but a *bad* MR2.
“Why? Overly complex (driving), overly expensive, compromised handling, HEAVY, and ruined the expectations of what the MR2 *should* be in the chase for more boost. Why? Because the Supra was already there. The Celica GTS-4 was a better moar power option. The turbo completely compromised the dynamics (Supercharger would have been better).
“AW11 - Fun, light, cheap. MSRP of less than a GT86 intoday money.
“SW20 (turbo) MSRP of MORE than a Supra 6pot Turbo in today money.
“ZZW30 returned to the AW11 formula, did it cheaply, and did so within modern requirements (no more popups and crash safety concerns). It did everything better than the SW20 save for power and (issues with looks that have actually aged better than most everything else from the early 2000s) but because it was not the boosted moar turbo (that would make it overly expensive) it wasn’t as well received.
“The SW20 killed the affordable mid-engine sportscar.”
If you’re claiming it’s the reason we don’t get affordable mid-engined sports cars today, then I’m sure the SW20 deserves a spot on this list.
Suggested by: futuredoc
“I love all the air-cooled 911s, but if one stood out, it’s the Porsche 964. Unveiled in 1990 after the classic G-series 911 and just four short years before the release of the voluptuous 993.
“To me, the 964 will always be a stepping stone that didn’t go far enough in the direction of a modern styled and engineered 911. And then came along the 996.”
The 964 might not be good enough for Michael here, but did you know it served as a Formula 1 safety car in a past life?
Suggested by: Michael C. Wendling (Facebook)
“The Dodge Charger gets its shout-out for the worst with the 5th gen (1982-87) FWD 4-banger iteration.
“This one, Shelby-ized or not, is just a shovel-nosed joke compared to how the 2nd gen Chargers are literal classics. So how the mighty have fallen with Dodge putting lipstick on this compact car piglet.”
On sale for five years from 1982, the fifth-generation Dodge Charger saw the American muscle car transform into a front-wheel drive, subcompact coupe. That evolution wasn’t for everyone.
Suggested by: the1969dodgechargerguy