What was the worst car you ever had?

[debm55]

[Walleye]

1. Purple Plymouth Duster no power

[debm55]

2. Thank you very much. When we met my husband had a Duster. You are correct.

[bottomofthehill]

69. I loved my Duster

Slant 6/225. It had plenty of power for me. I was not walking any more. I had a 74 Duster that I bought in 83. It was an ugly 2 tone faded blue with some rust as the base of the rear quarter panels. The best part about it was that you could lay the rear seat flat so my skis and or my hockey equipment fit easily in the trunk.

[bottomofthehill]

70. I paid 600 bucks for that beauty

[brush]

127. I had a '75 Dodge Dart with the slant 6 engine. That engine is one of the best prodeuced ever in America.

I ran with hardly no maintenance. In fact, I live in NY then with it's harsh winters with snow and slush and highway crews speading salt on the roads.

My car ran so well, but the rocker panels and sheet metal of the body gave out to the salt and rust. I drove it to the junk yard with the engine still running like a top and left the key in it.

[XanaDUer2]

163. First car 74 dodge dart swinger

Leaked bad when it rained. Didn't run like a dream. Smelled. A weird mutant SOMETHING grew out of the musty cardboard behind the rear seats.

[debm55]

165. hahahah. I sorry XanaDUer2. I had to laugh at the mutant something growing from behind the rear seats of the POS car.

[XanaDUer2]

168. Totally true

I parked, went in to classes, it poured, i came out and noticed this brown "vine" growing and to this day i will nvr know or understand what it was and how it "grew" in a few hrs. Its one of those mysterious things that happen. I pulled it out and threw it away freaked out

[debm55]

169. Love you.

[XanaDUer2]

170. U2

[Woodwizard]

185. I had a 67 valiant.

I got it while stationed in HI it was literally beat to hell by 1984, passenger front door top hinge rusted out the doot just flopped rear passenger door permanently attached from side impact.

But it had a slant 6 225 it was so smooth people in the car would think it stalled when sitting still.

Bought it for 100 from another soldier sold it for the same when I moved on.

[debm55]

188. Thank you Woodwizard.

[Earl_from_PA]

109. I owned 2 Dusters

Both had a V8. One a 318 the other 340. Both had lots of power.

[debm55]

166. Thank you Earl _from_PA

[bullimiami]

126. The dodge/plymouth slant 6 is virtually indestructible.

No power and usually in some pretty dumpy cars but muy robusto!!

[debm55]

167. Thank you bullimiami for your POC post.

[SheltieLover]

3. Fiat Spider. Biggest pos ever

Not mine, but ex's.

[debm55]

8. Thank you SheltieLover.

[CrispyQ]

12. I have a story about a Lancia, down below. I thought they were the same company so I looked it up.

from Google:

Is Lancia the same as Fiat?

Over the years Fiat has acquired numerous other automakers: it acquired Lancia in 1968, became a shareholder of Ferrari in 1969, took control of Alfa Romeo from the Italian government in 1986, purchased Maserati in 1993, and became the full owner of Chrysler Group LLC in 2014.

I had no idea they'd acquired Chrysler.

[SheltieLover]

23. Yup.

That's why Chryslers suck nowadays.

[boonecreek]

35. What?

Chryslers don't have that legendary FIAT reliability?
Seriously, I wouldn't buy anything from Stellantis.

[SheltieLover]

37. Me either.

My ex did decades ago, the Fiat. Pos. He took it back & handed them the keys & told them to stick it where the sun doesn't shine. (They refused a warranty repair, back in the late '70s.)

Absolute junk imo & a shame Chrysler sold their soul to them.

Gs's friend's wife has a Ram pick-up. Very few miles on it & trans going out.

Wtf are they thinking with these vehicles that you can't even shift beyond PRND? Absolute fucking junk.

[VMA131Marine]

63. Fiat and Chrysler are now run by Stellantis

Stellantis also owns French PSA group, which owns Peugeot and Citroen.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellantis

[we can do it]

4. 96 Chevy Blazer, piece of junk.

[debm55]

9. Thank you very much we can do it.

[Lasher]

186. I had a 77 Blazer.

It was fun but yeah, a piece of junk.

[debm55]

189. Thank you Lasher for you post

[Nittersing]

5. This one's easy. '73 Chevy Vega

This car had a cracked engine block and smoked horribly. I got three tickets. The third ticket required a court appearance.

Taking a suggestion from the firefighter I was dating at the time, when the court date arrived, I handed the judge a letter from a lieutenant in the fire department stating that the car had since been destroyed during an auto extrication class.

Judge laughed. Ticket dismissed.

[debm55]

11. I agree I had a 73 Chevy Vega. My engine smoked too. Was afraid to drive it. It was second hand though.

[hlthe2b]

18. Yup... Me too. It was "cute" (at first) but oil-burning aluminum block with no cylinder liners...

At least it didn't self-ignite like the Ford Pinto of a similar period.

[rzemanfl]

152. I had one too, I bought it new and the engine

was repaired under the warranty, but I replaced it with a Plymouth Duster that was a really good car. Slant six with a floor shift and overdrive.

[rzemanfl]

153. I had one I bought new, the engine was

was repaired under the warranty, but I replaced it with a Plymouth Duster that was a really good car. Slant six with a floor shift and overdrive.

[hlthe2b]

154. I replaced mine with a used Datsun 240-Z with a Holly 4-barrel carburetor that I put on 200K miles and it drove

like it was brand new--until a moron t-boned me and totaled it. I still over that--even though I was lucky not to have been hurt. But, while I was never nutsy in my driving, boy could that car GO!!!

[debm55]

157. Thank you hithe2b. Glad you are okay.

[catbyte]

6. A 1982 red Volkswagen Rabbit

I hated the clutch; we'd freeze in winter and swelter in summer. And the diesel engine couldn't handle the Rocky Mountains very well either, lol. We traded it in for a Subaru and never looked back.

[debm55]

14. When I was growing up we had a VW bug, During the winter we would take blankets in the car. Never saw a car with windows

that froze from the inside. Had a VW Rabbit factory in New Stanton , PA near me. Didn't last long.

[coprolite]

66. My father tells a story of living in Fairbanks

Alaska with a VW bug. When the winter temps fell to 20 to 60 below he would drain the hot old from the engine, keep it warm in the house and refill the engine when he was ready to venture out for the day.

[debm55]

68. My dad used to pull the car out of the garage and put the engine in the garage one VERY cold winter in PA. The street

had a slight tilt to it. To get the BUG started he would start it and push it down the hill withe the door open and jump in when it would start moving on its own.

[Topomi]

7. S-10 pickup

Two fuel pumps,heater motor 3-4 sets of brakes, among other things including rust city got rid of as soon as paid off

[debm55]

16. Thank you Topomi. My car, can't remember the make, blew an engine. I still owed 4,000 to the credit Union for it. It was

a Japanese model that when you bought it all the employees would come out and clap and cheer. Had to have it towed to the Subaru dealership. to buy an Imprezza. First car was not a Subaru.

[Topomi]

73. Thx

[debm55]

104. It was a Saturn.

[CrispyQ]

10. A Lancia.

It may not be the car's fault entirely. It had a ton of miles on a dirt mountain road & the undercarriage was a wreck. I wondered at the time why it was so cheap but this was during the S&L crisis & we were in a bad spot with hardly any cash & a house we couldn't unload. One of the happiest days of my life was when we got rid of that car!! This was back when they offered drag, pull, or tow your car in & we'll give you $1500 trade-in for it. I didn't see deals like that when we were car shopping last year.

[debm55]

17. I had that deal on my car---was towed to a different dealearship. Still owed 4,000 dollars on that piece of junk when it

blew the engine. We have stayed with Subaru ever since.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

13. Never had a bad car in the dozen or so I've owned in the past 60 years.

Perhaps because I never purchased a POS car like the ones named so far. My current ride is a 2017 Honda Fit, standard transmission, that I bought used, just barely, in 2018.

It's getting impossible to find a decent small car with a stick, and I despise automatics. Take my foot off the break and it immediately starts moving? How is that safe?

[debm55]

19. Thank you PoindexterOglethorpe. You lucked out. Yes , it is getting harder to find stick. I prefer the automatic. For me

I have never driven a stick. Even my Jeep Liberty was automatic.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

88. l don't even bother to lock my car these days.

The kids can't drive a stick.

But more to the point, I never bought any of the crappy American cars that are almost every bad car listed here.

For me a car was always something will four wheels to get me from place to place. So long as it ran reliably, I didn't care what it looked like.

[debm55]

94. Thank you very much, PoindexterOglethorpe.

[PeterIsMyBrother]

15. 1980 Chevy Citation

bought used when it was over 15 years old. Only drove it to work and night classes, both within 10 miles of my home. Huge gaps in the body panels and pulled to the side under hard acceleration

[debm55]

20. Thank you PeterIsMyBrother. I had a Citation. Advertised as the first front wheel drive. A lot of hills around here in

SW PA. In that car I used to go down the hills side ways. Going up the hills was no problems.Always hoped going down the hill in the morning that there was no car in the other lane as it it would fishtail and go sideways.

[Delarage]

129. 1980 Citation as well

They were supposed to be groundbreaking...but were not good, unfortunately. I do remember it was surprisingly spacious, though.

[debm55]

130. Yes, but they were a POC driving downhill. Okay going up. Later after going sideways down.I would stop at the crest of

the and put the car in neutral. I had automatic

[PeterIsMyBrother]

137. The layout was nice

my older cousin, who knew a lot about cars, explained to me that many of the RWD sedans in the 70s had less passenger and cargo room despite being bigger on the outside. Unfortunately, the Citation was unreliable.

[CanonRay]

21. A Datsun 1200

1975 I think. So slow and underpowered it couldn't beat a loaded cement truck at a light.

[debm55]

22. That's funny but sad.

[mwmisses4289]

24. 1972 Chevy station wagon.

Dad bought it for a cross country trip, within 6 months the engine had died. Our family has never knowingly bought a Chevy since.

[debm55]

41. Thank you very much mwmisswa4289, My dad always bought a Chevy. My very first car was a 65 Chevy Impala- a big tank of a

car. Steering wheel was crap. ate gasoling.

[Silent Type]

25. VW Sirocco. From a driving standpoint, it was great. But I spent a ton of money-- Like completely rewiring twice,

water pump, that stranded me in Milledgeville, Georgia for several days, etc.

Finally found a dealer that would give me $400. Drove 35 miles, sold it. Pulled my bicycle out of back and road home. My bike was worth much more than the car.

[debm55]

43. HAHAHAHAHAH. that is funny. Thank you Silent Type.

[Ritabert]

26. A Fiat. Used to break down all the time.

Best car....a Toyota Sequoia by far.

[debm55]

44. Thank you very much, Ritabert. I am glad a more reliable car.

[Aristus]

27. A 1976 Datsun B-210.

The first car I ever owned. I bought it in 1988 for $500. It had had four previous owners, and a had been trashed up one side and down the other. The body paneling by that point was mostly Bondo.

It was a piece of shit.

Its only good feature was its transmission. Datsun/Nissan did make excellent manual transmissions. Shifting was nice and smooth. No problems there. But it didn’t make up for the car’s many faults.

I had for about a year and a half, then sold it at a loss. The loss was worth it just to get rid of the thing.

The very next vehicle I drove after that was an M1 Abrams-series tank.

[debm55]

45. Thank you very much, Aristus. I am glad you got rid of it.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

171. How much did you pay to buy and how much did you sell it for?

After a year and a half, I doubt you really sold it for a loss, just less than you paid.

[Aristus]

179. Bought it for $500. Sold it for $400.

I used the cash to buy everyone in my family going-away presents, since I was going into the Army.

[Ocelot II]

28. A very used Datsun, '70s vintage.

It regularly malfunctioned in a variety of disturbing ways, though I learned a lot about how cars worked from having to deal with it. One of its particularly annoying habits was to just stop running. I figured out that this was because the air intake valve on top of the carburetor would randomly snap shut for no apparent reason, and the car would drift to a stop (sometimes on the interstate, which was particularly inconvenient). So I'd have to take off the air filter and prop the intake valve open with a screwdriver. Then there was the time the throttle stuck open because the throttle cable had jammed somehow - I was hurtling down an alley and couldn't stop the damn thing until I turned off the ignition. Then I couldn't drive it until I fiddled with and unstuck the throttle cable. I think this was also the same car whose timing belt broke.

Fun times, fun times.

[debm55]

47. Oh my, What a pos car. I would be afraid. I bought a Rambler from a friend . The distributor cap got stuck and the roads

a bridge and very other places. I could tell because the car would veer to the side. If I was lucky enough, I would stop and restart the car, If not I would call my husband or AAA

[genxlib]

29. My parents had two different Buicks in the early eighties

Man those things were awful. The station wagon in particular was a menace. It had an early form of electronic control that tried to predict what you wanted and on multiple occasions it tried to accelerate while I was trying to brake. It was also ass-heavy and had terrible tracking so it would spin at the drop of a hat. I spun that thing twice within a few thousand miles of driving and have never had another in what has to be approaching a million miles.

But personally, the worst car I have ever owned was a mid-90s Saturn. It was a cheap underpowered plastic car. Buying cars was so unpleasant at the time, people were willing to do anything to avoid it. They managed to catch a certain zeitgeist in the marketing of those things. Just the idea of not negotiating the price made people overpay for a bad car.

[Shermann]

32. See post #31! nt

[debm55]

48. You named the car I hadthe Saturn. The engine blew. out and I stilled owed 4000 to the credit union. Had to have it

towed to the Saturn dealership. a POS car. SO I was baying off the Credit Union and the new car Imprezza at the same time. I agree with all you said.

[debm55]

62. Thank you genxlib. I had that POS Saturn too.

[lastlib]

30. My grandparents gave me their 1965 Chevy BelAir.....

to drive to college. It had 165,000 miles on it (when 100,000 was a pretty long life for a car), and a hole in the gas tank; I could only fill it half full. It was when the song "Wildfire" was popular, so I nicknamed the car "Wildfire". But pretty soon, I had to change the name to "Backfire," because that's what it mostly did. It stranded me more than once. I was kinda glad to get rid of it.

[debm55]

61. My dad gave me the POS Chevy Impala when he bought the Chevy BelAir, The Impala sat in the back yard for five years .

I never drove the BelAir But the POS Impala "gift" was horrible. He bought nothing but Chevys during his life.

[Shermann]

31. 89 Buick Century

The ECU crapped out for no reason, there were water leaks which made the carpets wet and moldy, and the transmission blew out and had to be replaced. Eventually the wiring spontaneously combusted in the engine bay, and that got fixed as well. The muffler fell off on the highway one day. The starter and power windows failed. It was only 10 years old and had less than 100,000 miles when I finally got rid of it.

[debm55]

64. Thank you very much for your POS car post.I wonder if they deliberately make them bad.

[Backseat Driver]

33. '81 Pontiac Phoenix

[WestMichRad]

38. An '80 Phoenix here

[debm55]

65. Thank you Backseat Driver.

[Bo Zarts]

34. Simca (Ca 1965)

Total POS!

[debm55]

67. Thank you very much Bo Zarts. for your post.

[waterwatcher123]

139. My father bought a Simca too (totaled by Honda Motorcycle).

[FullySupportDems]

36. A Dodge Dynasty

Funny thing about it was the key had to go in teeth side up. And if you put the key in wrongly, it stuck. Then it broke off. I fished it out with creative use of superglue and a tiny stick. Then it happened again and I left it that way. I had two half keys. Then it got to where it started without the key, well without the half key. And it was an oil burner with head gasket problems. I traded it in. For a minivan, of course.

[debm55]

71. Thank you very much FullySupportDems. for POS car story.

[sorcrow]

133. I did a drive away with a Dynasty

Drive aways are a way to get a car from point A to point B. You pick up a car and drive it where it needs to be. You only have to pay for gas and get the car there within the agreed time frame. The Dynasty was a repo that needed to get from San Francisco to Seattle.

We were moving from Monterey CA to Seattle. I picked up the car, loaded it and our car and off we went.

Here's the interesting part. The car was relatively fine, but it had ROACHES. It was long drive.

Regards,
Sorghum Crow

[FullySupportDems]

134. That's interesting

I never heard of Drive Away, that's neat. All except for the roaches. I live by woods and I'm quite used to bugs. But not in the car. Ugh! I'm glad u made it.

I needed that Dynasty to fit 3 car seats in the back seat. Not all cars had the room for 3. It was a boat.

[debm55]

158. That is so gross.

[GP6971]

39. 74 Ford Pinto. Disaster all around.

[debm55]

72. Agree GP6971 and Ford knew about it before they were sold.

[boonecreek]

40. '86 Renault Alliance

No power and it would randomly stop running. My neighbors across the street
bought it for $300. Tried to tell them it wasn't worth that much.

Best? '01 Acura 3.2 CL Type S. Bought in August of '01 and still have it.

[debm55]

42. Great and thank you boonecreek the Acura sounds like a great car.

[WCIL]

174. I had one too!

My dad made me buy it brand new because it was "car of the year". It smelled like rotten eggs from the get go, and the electrical system was shit. Dodge bought it back from me in the mid '90s - I still had it because I couldn't afford anything else.

My husband and I had a 2004 Chevy Venture Van that would stop running if it went through a puddle, and the sliding door opened up as we were driving down the freeway in Chattanooga, TN. Yikes!

[boonecreek]

175. Oh yeah, "The Car of the Year".

The Chevy Vega was a car of the year and we know how that worked out.
Eventually not even salvage yards wanted them.

[debm55]

176. Thank you very much WCIL for your POS car stories. Chevy Venture Van sounds dangerous. with the door opening.

[alittlelark]

177. 1984 Renault Alliance for me - puke green

[debm55]

178. Thank you very much alittlelark. The color is really off putting.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

46. 1984 Oldsmobile Omega.

I knew it was a bad car immediately, from the vibration sounds of various loose connections to the poor mating of the doors to the frame.

However, it was the only car on the used car lot that my father was willing to co-sign for financing... since I was still in high school at that time.

I can no longer remember all of the major repairs needed to keep it running, but I'm pretty sure the automatic transmission and the power train in general were the biggest ones.

I got rid of that junk car in less than two years, replacing it with a used Toyota Corolla against my Dad's wishes. Like Cosumer Reports indicated back then, the Corolla was much more reliable and hassle-free!

[debm55]

55. Thank you very much Buckeye-Democrat for your POS car post.

[flvegan]

49. Jaguar XJ6

Circa 1986. Was practically brand new when I bought it, only 20k miles. Beautiful car for its day, very comfortable. Sadly, it was the true stereotype of British automotive excellence at the time. That meant none of the electrics worked on any given day. Acceleration was a suggestion, not a demand. It had two gas tanks, which was wonderful, mostly because inevitably one of the filler cap releases was always on the fritz. The radio had two volumes, off and speaker buzzing loud. Once, the horn started blaring constantly. The only way to shut it off was to pull the fuse. "Hood open with my head shaking" would have been the theme those couple years. Yeah, it was a pretty short term relationship.

It did make for great conversation at the time. My best friend had a Renault Alliance, and we'd sit and compare our current automotive dilemmas over beers. "Yeah, but at least your car..." was a common phrase between us.

[debm55]

83. HAHAHAH. Thank you very much for your POS car story with us, fivegan.

[marble falls]

50. '72 Mustang or '75 Cougar. Both absolute total rust buckets I bought from body shops. I got stories ...

... about both of them, let me tell ya.

They both looked beautiful. Perfect interiors. One I got free and one I paid $50.00 for.

The Cougar had a bent, broken and rusted out front frame, including the A-frame itself. The car had been aligned completely been played out and it would eat a front passenger tire out in 50 miles. I only used it in town and i knew every gas station where I could get a used and mounted for $15.00.

Once I could only get a snow tire. I stopped at a gas station that used attendants to pump gas, saw the snow tire on a front rim and asked, "When did Ford go to front wheel drive?"

I should have said, "It's a rare experimental model, wanna buy it? $55.00."

Shoulda, but didn't. Just looked sheepish.


One day I went to drive it somewhere and I just did not want to risk it. I called a tow company and they gave me $50.00 and I gave them the title. When the operator tried to lift the front end the car, the front end broke off the unibody and was only held to the chassis by the drive shaft.

Which at least demonstrated that a '75 Cougar was indeed rear wheel drive.

The driver knocked on my door and asked what should he do. I told him I didn't know but that he needed to get his '75 Cougar out of my driveway. They had to drag it up a flat bed. It looked like a terrible wreck with the windshield busted out from the first attempt.

[debm55]

53. Thank you very much marble falls. I am staying with Subaru. after my experiences. Happy anniversary

[marble falls]

56. Other than the $1,100 CV joint, we loved our Brat, and then we got pregnant. The cop was not pleased with ...

... the baby seat in the bed passenger chairs (a joke). Our other car at that time was a '49 Willys Jeepster Overland.

Next came the Volvos - highly recommend those.

[redstatebluegirl]

51. 1967 VW Bug.

No heat, floor boards were rotten I put a piece of cardboard down to cover the holes. The transmission was iffy at best .

On night I blew off some frat boys who tried to pick me up. I came out of the bar to find my bug on the sidewalk.

[marble falls]

58. It was the floor board on the rear passenger side from someone not securing the battery and it tippped ...

... the traffic signs with a white background fit very well over the hole as well as strengthen the chassis if screwed in correctly. '67 V-dubs were easy to work on!

[redstatebluegirl]

77. They were easy to work on!

My brother kept it on the road for me!

[debm55]

84. Thank you very much for your POS car story. redstateblue girl.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

172. Those old Bugs were the most basic car

imaginable, and almost every Boomer (I'm one) had one. Or more. I personally owned two Bug early in my driving career.

[kimbutgar]

52. 79 orange Plymouth arrow

I sold my 66 mustang that I drove all 4 years of college for more than I paid for it ( should have been a clue that I should have kept it) And they had this cute commercial on tv me and my my arrow. Sold it to my neighbor who liked the orange color! But the worst was a Nissan Sentra. It was gutless and not a great drive. Sold it after 1 year!

[debm55]

96. Thank you kimbutgar for you POS car story.

[sinkingfeeling]

54. '83 Mazda 626

[debm55]

97. Thank you sinkingfeeling.

[Innocent Smith]

57. Ford Pinto

[debm55]

98. Thank you Innocent Smith.

[Comrade Citizen]

59. My first car, a cheap used 1979 Chevette

Kept burning through alternators and water pumps because the belt and pulleys weren't aligned.

[debm55]

99. Thank you very much Comrade Citizen.

[The Madcap]

60. 89 Taurus

Went through front ball joints like crazy. Two radiators. Slippy transmission. Bent the cruise control button mounts within a month of buying it. So many other issues. Was enough to scare me from American carmakers.

[debm55]

92. Thank you for you POS car post. That is one reason we stopped with the American made and buy Subarus

[VMA131Marine]

74. Cars I have owned

1974 Mustang II Mach I - honestly I loved this car but I spent more time working on it than driving it probably. I leaked oil and transmission fluid in copious amounts and it ate water pumps but I learned a lot about fixing things on it.

1981 Plymouth Turismo 2.2 - the “sporty” hatchback version of the Dodge Omni. It was a stick shift and in 114,000 miles it went through two timing belts and a clutch and then a blown head gasket. It never really worked properly after that.

1984 Dodge Daytona with the standard 4 cylinder engine - this actually turned out to be a really reliable car for the most part. It did leave me stranded on the PA turnpike one snowy Thanksgiving weekend when the O2 sensor failed but other than that it was good up to about 176,000 miles when the head gasket failed ( that’s definitely a theme with Chryslers). It wasn’t the same after it was fixed.

1996 Mercury Sable this should have been a better car than it was. It had engine oil leaks that progressively got worse. The fuel pump failed, the transmission started having issues and the A/C failed all by 125,000 miles. I traded it in for

2006 Honda Accord Hybrid which I still have. It has 175,000 miles on it and the engine and transmission have been rock solid. I had to replaced the A/C compressor when the clutch went bad and I also replaced the NiMH battery after 160,000 miles which cost $1800. Other than that it’s really only had routine maintenance.

2007 Honda Odyssey EX-L RES - Great car has 131,000 miles on it will do at least that many more.

Honorable mention: just drove a Polestar 2 that I rented from Hertz on a work trip. OMG is that awesome. I’m definitely considering getting one. I liked it much more than the Tesla Model 3 I rented through Hertz last year.

[debm55]

82. Thank you very much VMA131Marine. Great POS car post.

[Mad_Dem_X]

75. 1989 Ford Escort

My first new car. I had problems with it almost from Day One. I can't even tell you how much money I spent on the various repairs.

[debm55]

79. Thank you very much for you POS car post Mad_Dem_X . I agree ------

[no_hypocrisy]

102. I had a 1986 Escort.

Only made it to 125 miles before I had to get rid of it.

[debm55]

106. Oh wow. Thank you , no_hypocrisy for posting your POS car post.

[Dorothy V]

76. A '75 Dodge Dart.

It spent more time in the shop than it did at my place. Then it threw a rod. Wasn't two years old yet when it croaked.

[debm55]

78. Oh my . That's terrrible. Thank you for your POS car story. Dorothy V

[spooky3]

80. 1974 Fix Or Repair Daily Mustang

And I overpaid for it, too. Dumb!

[debm55]

91. Bummer, Thank you, spooky3 for POS car post.

[spooky3]

100. It's sad that there are so many stories!

[lisa58]

81. Used Pontiac Vega...

I loved it, but it was a fill the oil, check the gas situation

[debm55]

90. Thank you lisa58 for POS car post.

[yourout]

85. VW TDI Jetta.... Money pit.

Last edited Sun Feb 23, 2025, 04:57 PM - Edit history (1)

$500 after $500 after $500.

[debm55]

89. Thank you , yourour for your POS car post.

[Ziggysmom]

86. 76 Chevy Chevette

The Roller Skate car. Would never hold an alignment. Big POS lemon.

[debm55]

87. Thank you very much, Ziggysmom, for your POS car post.

[waterwatcher123]

93. GEO Metro - three cylinder jewel

I should have known it was going to be a problem given that the owner had an engine sitting in the middle of his living room. The Metro seized up and I had to rebuild it shortly after purchase. Of course, I did not replace the oil pump thinking what could go wrong with a metal oil pump (the car did not get much use afterward because it had an oil limiter that was not reinstalled after the rebuild (became a smoke machine afterward). Word-to-the wise is never rebuild an engine and fail to replace the oil pump with a new one (penny-wise, pound foolish).

[debm55]

95. Thank you so much for posting your POS car story and a word to the wise for all of us.

[beemerphill]

101. Jeep Liberty

This jinx tried to kill me three times in one year. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough. It had an invisible target on it and every car on the road aimed for it. I took a bath trading it in less than a year, but self-preservation was more important than dollars.

[debm55]

149. Oh I loved my Jeep Liberty. Only had two problems, It was so high that it hardly fit in the garage. and second on windy

as I drove along the river it would shake because of the height of the Liberty . I had a bright red one and most cars didn;t mess with me.

[Chipper Chat]

103. AMC PACER

1984 to 1990.
Multiple breakdowns. Once in Buda Texas on I-35 at midnight. Cost a king's ransom for a taxi into San Antonio.

[debm55]

107. Thank you so much for your POS car story. Chipper Chat.

[chowmama]

105. Olds Delta 88

Given (well, sold) by my father when he got a new one.

MPG was crap. It had a habit of suddenly dying on the highway and being able to be re-started in about 5 minutes. Eventually, the electrical system crapped out and we came out of a store to find the windows going up and down and the doors locking and unlocking. I still remember having to keep trying to get in the car to pull the fuse. It was like Whack-A-Mole with the additional benefit of getting shocked at the end.

We drove it without the fuse connected for a while because we were broke. But if it hit a pothole, it nearly shook itself apart for a mile or two till the wheels realigned.

Its name was Big Bertha. In the end, it was acting more like Christine.

[debm55]

110. Great POS car post, chowmama, That car was really a POS

[UpInArms]

108. 1973 Chevrolet monte carlo

It was an unmitigated dog

[debm55]

111. Thank you for your POS car post, UpinArms.

[customerserviceguy]

112. My 1976 Gremlin

And it had the little gremlin logo on the back, on a decal that was much bigger than the little silvery thing that came out when they first introduced the car. It made my grandmother ask why I had a picture of the devil on my car!

[debm55]

113. HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAH. Thank you very much customerserviceguy.for posting about the POS Gremlin. What your grandmother said

made me laught

[customerserviceguy]

198. Yeah

It really was a POS, worked fine for the first two years, it was the two years after that that made up for it. I ended up trading it in on a 1982 Pontiac Phoenix. That was toast by 1986. Since then, I've stuck with Asian nameplate cars, and been happy with them.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

114. My first car was a Ford Pinto

We got it after the recalls and after the fixed the gas tank

[debm55]

115. Thank you very much LetMyPeople Vote

[Thunderbeast]

116. 1994 Volvo 940

4 cylinder Turbo. Got 13 miles per gallon. Cost 30 cents per mile in repairs. Oil leaked from EVERYWHERE! Had to pull engine to change every gasket. Had to rebuild transmission.

Terrible car!

[debm55]

118. Thank you very much Thunderbeast. for your POS car post.

[pdxflyboy]

117. 1977 Chevrolet Chevette.

It died at 55,000 miles.

[debm55]

119. Thank you pdxflyboy for posting about your POS car.

[danieljsf]

120. 1984 Ford Tiempo

Constant starter problems, engine problems. Couldn't wait to rid myself of that hunk of junk.

[debm55]

122. Thank you very much danieljsf for your POS car post.

[OldBaldy1701E]

121. 1979 Ford Fairmont

It had some weird carburetor because of the energy crisis, and it was a piece of crap. The car was okay, it was just that stupid carb that was a junker and only that one would fit on the car. I got that car in 1987, and I got rid of it in 1988. It sat in my driveway for about three months before I was able to get it towed away.

[debm55]

123. Thank you very much OldBaldy1701E for your POS car post. I had to call AAA to tow my POS Saturn and I still owed 4000

Last edited Sun Feb 23, 2025, 11:14 PM - Edit history (1)

on it. Had to pay that off to the credit union and pay on my Imprezza. They were not from the same company.

[OldBaldy1701E]

124. That must have sucked.

Yeah, that lawn ornament sat there for a while and I managed to get a 1975 Buick Skylark. The thing was shaped like an arrowhead! But backwards!

[debm55]

131. Thank you OldBaldy1701E Yes, I cried. That POS car was the Saturn

[Mosby]

125. 1976 AMC Hornet hatchback

It was my first car. Complete POS. I was in an accident with it and moved up to a Chevy Citation, another complete POS.

[debm55]

132. Yep The Chevy Citation was a POS. It was the last Chevy we ever bought.

[Eugene]

194. Mine was a used 1976 Hornet wagon.

First car. Broke down regularly, but it was a learning experience.

[debm55]

195. Thank you very much Eugene.

[Lotusflower70]

128. Lol

I had a Chevy Celebrity that I had to use a wrench to shut off the battery for a while.

I had a Toyota Corolla that I limped home with, I swear I felt something drop. I got in the driveway and turns out the front axle split.

I had a Hyundai that wouldn't accelerate on the highway, turns out my alternator went out. I got stuck on an exit ramp.

Fun times

[debm55]

148. Thank you very much Lotusflower70 for sharing your POS car stories with us.

[Charlie Chapulin]

135. 2000 VW Golf

Total lemon.

[debm55]

146. Thank you very much for sharing your POS car post with usl

[doc03]

136. A new 1977 Chevy Blazer it rusted through in

18 months and mechanicly self destructed in the 3 years owned it. A pos.

[debm55]

173. Thank you doc03 for your POS car story.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

138. Am I the only person who is noticing that

every single POS car is an American one?

Every single one. Hmmmm. How bizarre is that?

I have only ever owned German or Japanese cars. My current vehicle is a 2017 Honda Fit and is a stick. I think it's the last year they made one. I totally despise automatics, and will not drive one, so this may well be my last car.

Oh, and I've stopped bothering to lock my car. I mean, what kid can possibly drive a stick, right? Even if I left it running and with the key on, I'd probably be safe.

[MichMan]

142. People have posted Datsun, Fiat, VW, Renault, Volvo and Jaguar

Also Mercury Tracer (Mazda) Plymouth Arrow (Mitsubishi) and Geo Metro (Suzuki)

[ProfessorGAC]

143. Nice Catch

I was actually expecting this topic to get noted, and there it was.
And like you, I saw Japanese & European cars prominently listed.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

182. Hmmm.

Guess I should be glad that I never personally owned any of those cars.

VW Bugs, Toyota Camry, Honda Civic. My current car is a 2017 Honda Civic, purchased in 2018. It had been a fleet car for some local company, and I suppose the fact that it's a stick is why I could purchase it cheaply a year later.

I will say that I'm astonished more people don't actually purchase reliable cars.

[MichMan]

183. Most people are talking about cars they had 40 years ago

Most bought used

[debm55]

161. Thank you for your POS car story

[LudwigPastorius]

140. '85 Chevy Blazer

They were notorious for self-destructing rear main seals and transmissions (which were cast aluminum).

My transmission gave out at about 17,000 miles, so I had another one put in.

Then, I ended up rolling the engine when the real main seal blew, because the oil pressure idiot light didn't come on (there was no gauge, just a light). By the time I figured out what was happening, I couldn't get off the freeway fast enough to prevent engine damage.

One rebuilt engine later, after a few thousand miles, the new transmission crapped out. At that point, I sold it...cheap, just to get it out of my life.

[debm55]

156. Thank you for your POS car post LudwigPastouius. I bought my Saturn new. Engine blew a year later. Still owed 4000 on it

to the Credit Union . Bought a Subaru new. Stayed with Subaru. Was paying 4000 on a car that had to be towed and the new car to get to work.

[LudwigPastorius]

159. Ouch!

Yeah, paying for major repairs while you're still making payments is heinous.

That pretty much put me off buying another GM product for life.

[debm55]

164. Yes, I think the Saturn was a Japanese make as they used the Japanese method for marketing the POS car

[MissMillie]

141. 1989 Mercury Tracer

I bought it brand new.

After 3 years it was looking for a 3rd engine.

[debm55]

151. Wow, thank you for that POS and really mean POS car story.

[justaprogressive]

144. 1989 Ford Tempo what a POS!

After 6 months I wanted to roll it off a cliff! It only cost me $1 but I feel
like I was overcharged!

[debm55]

150. HAHAHAHAHHAHH. Thank you very much justaprogressive. for sharing your POS car story.

[TommieMommy]

145. We had a few. A Pinto. An old 55 Chevy that couldn't get out of its own way. An old Dodge pickup

That had a gremlin in the engine with a hammer. An old Ford pickup with holes in the floor. Fun times when you look back at the crazy stuff you got past.

[debm55]

147. Thank you TommieMommy for sharing your POS car stories with us. Rich had a Mustang with a whole in the passager side.

Last edited Mon Feb 24, 2025, 03:08 PM - Edit history (1)

floor. We called it the Flintstone mobile.

[TommieMommy]

160. That's funny 😁

[AllaN01Bear]

155. my late mom had a datsun b210. major junk. eeeeek .run away, run away.

[debm55]

162. I am so sorry about your late mom and thank you for your Piece of Junk car post..

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

180. I am still astonished, although not amazed,

that the vast majority of crap cars are from American manufacturers.

[debm55]

190. Thank you PoindexterOglethorpe. My POS car, the Saturn was a Japanese make.

[Emile]

181. 1961 Corvair, drank more oil than gas.

[debm55]

191. Thank you Emile for your POS car post.

[AmBlue]

184. 1997 Volvo 850

Bought into all the "safety" BS advertising about Volvos when I was pregnant with our first child. That damned car locked my infant son inside, strapped into his carseat in the 85 degree Florida morning heat. I nearly had a heart attack while we waited on the emergency squad and the locksmith!!

There were other issues with that car I won't go into, even tho I bought it brand new!! Never again will I buy another Volvo.

[debm55]

192. Wow. That could have been very dangerous for your son.I wouldn't buy the POS Volvo either. Glad things worked out for

you and your son.

[LogDog75]

187. '96 Chrysler LHS was the worst

Ive owned 12 cars in my lifetime. Ten of them were used cars mainly because I was in the AF and I usually stayed only two or three years so I bought used cars. I was stationed in Sacramento in the late 90s and the car I was driving was totaled so I bought a used '96 Chrysler LHS. I learned it was originally owned by the state legislature as part of their fleet of cars so I figured it was well taken care of. The car ran well for a couple of years until I drove to my new base in Florida. As I pulled into a K-Mart parking lot in Sidell, Louisiana, something in the steering wheel gear box broke and the steering wheel just spun without turning the wheels. I got that fixed and the car ran well for three more years. After that, the head gasket went out three times after I returned to California. I finally traded the car in for a 2007 Honda CR-V which has turned out to be the best car I ever owned.

[debm55]

193. Thank you very much for you POS car story. I am glad you have found a car you like.

[Wicked Blue]

196. Dodge Caravan

Damn thing blew five transmissions.

[debm55]

197. Thank you Wicked Blue for your POS car story.