95 GMC Suburban with the 6.5 turbo diesel. Truck was ok, except GM built it without front axle seals (!) . It was the turd of engineering that GM used for a fuel system on the pig. First and last diesel I'll ever own for a personal vehicle.
95 GMC Suburban with the 6.5 turbo diesel. Truck was ok, except GM built it without front axle seals (!) . It was the turd of engineering that GM used for a fuel system on the pig. First and last diesel I'll ever own for a personal vehicle.
I worked for a guy who bought a new GMC pickup. After a few months, I noticed that it had 2500 badges on one side and 3500 badges on the other.
I always wondered if it had Heavy Duty Left Suspension.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:I worked for a guy who bought a new GMC pickup. After a few months, I noticed that it had 2500 badges on one side and 3500 badges on the other.
I always wondered if it had Heavy Duty Left Suspension.
Tip your server ...next show at 11:00
Seems like if you DO see the older cars in this thread like the 914 and Rabbit out there competing today they are 80% aftermarket and fabbed parts.
wae said:Honda Odyssey. Those jackwads knew that transmission was nothing but a time bomb and yet they kept selling them. And don't get me started with the stupid power sliding doors. And the dumb-assed navigation system that only knew how to give one direction: "make a U-turn if possible"
Ours didn't have transmission problems, but I will never forgive some of the engineering issues on that vehicle. It was a pain to work on, repair parts were astronomically priced, and overall I just never enjoyed driving it, parking it, fueling it... really anything about it.
On the time-bomb note... Subaru 2.5L EJ motors were headgasket time-bombs from day one, the entire duration of their run and Subaru never really did anything to fix it.
21 Nissan Sentra. I'm known for low class garbage. The nicest car in my home is an 8 year old Nissan versa note (not even the regular versa) with a stick and crank windows. No power locks, nothing. It's not great but it's cheap to run.
Had the Sentra as a rental last week in Minneapolis. Initial impression was actually good. Seat was decent (if a bit narrow in the side bolsters) plenty of people room, etc. Giant berkeleying blind spot in the middle of the windshield between the stupid infotainment screen and the rearview mirror that was inexplicably designed to be dead center of said window. I seriously lost cars in front of me unless i was sitting on the floor. Step in height was low, but that was fixed with a quick seat adjustment. The infotainment thing worked about 80% of the time, but it may have been user error because I've been actively avoiding options on cars for about 15 years now. I don't want a fix it.
The unforgivable part though- stupid stupid CVT. I don't know whose idea it was to design a transmission that could somehow feel like a constantly slipping clutch AND an auto that can't find the right gear at the same time, but (insert Jeff goldblum voice here) they uh...found a way. It was awful.
Practically any American car from the 70s that I can think of. Chevettes, Pintos, Mustang IIs were just so...wrong. It was an offense to the concept of intelligent design and execution. And that's just the smaller ones. Anything large was practically vomit inducing.
Also Ford e-series vans early years with the DOHC V8s and the spindly spark plugs that would break off in the heads. The next three vans that I bought were GMs over that one issue.
In reply to Mndsm :
Oh, if we are allowed rentals, 2000 something, something Chevy Spark. The most intrusive traction control I ever had the displeasure of encountering. Any amount of spin would cut power to 20%. Fine in everyday circumstances. Deadly in snow. Like I almost got creamed. Pulled out with a fair distance to the incoming traffic, give it the business, and PHuuuuuuuhhhhhh. Nothing. Spin. Cut out. Spin. Cut out. Holy crap. Get going you berkeleying piece of E36 M3! GO-GO-GO!
I swore an oath to never set foot in another. Berk it, I'll walk.
Ford Focus. Should have been a fun and acceptable appliance. Twasn't.
The Zetec made it passable. The Lowe's "built to a price" construction quality made it a car I'd rather not revisit.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:I worked for a guy who bought a new GMC pickup. After a few months, I noticed that it had 2500 badges on one side and 3500 badges on the other.
My father had self-serve carwashes as a side hustle. One day a customer came in with a brand new Pontiac T-1000. It still had cardboard tags on it.
When you walked around front, though, it was a Chevette.
ProDarwin said:On the time-bomb note... Subaru 2.5L EJ motors were headgasket time-bombs from day one, the entire duration of their run and Subaru never really did anything to fix it.
Meanwhile the Chrysler 420A engine (Neon, base cloud cars, etc) had infamous head gasket issues that are legendary monuments to Chrysler's poor quality.
Despite the fact that Chrysler:
And that's not to mention the fact that most Neons with the bad head gasket would basically just weep oil down the back of the block and would run forever as long as you kept on top of the oil loss.
But Subaru is the most reliable brand in public opinion.
My friends Fiat 128 coupe, one year in and I jacked it up to change a tire and the jack went through the rusted out jack point. Fiat bought it back. My brother's Austin Marina with the backwards camshaft and my Plymouth with push button shifting that spontaneously went into neutral at whim. Never ever thought about buying a Chrysler product again.
Duke said:But Subaru is the most reliable brand in public opinion.
I'm quite pleased to see the Subaru hatred in this thread as I've been advocating for it for many years.
Toyota.
I've had two and had two bad experiences. Maybe they're well built, reliable cars, but mine weren't. And though my Volkswagen's were more troublesome, one car easily being the worst car I've ever owned, at least they rewarded you with an enjoyable driving experience, and their shortcomings were easily addressed.
Duke said:But Subaru is the most reliable brand in public opinion.
I never have understood that. I guess it goes to show that you can put anything in print, and some significant percentage of idiots will believe it.
Appleseed said:In reply to Mndsm :
Oh, if we are allowed rentals, 2000 something, something Chevy Spark. The most intrusive traction control I ever had the displeasure of encountering. Any amount of spin would cut power to 20%. Fine in everyday circumstances. Deadly in snow. Like I almost got creamed. Pulled out with a fair distance to the incoming traffic, give it the business, and PHuuuuuuuhhhhhh. Nothing. Spin. Cut out. Spin. Cut out. Holy crap. Get going you berkeleying piece of E36 M3! GO-GO-GO!
I swore an oath to never set foot in another. Berk it, I'll walk.
Chevy spark...cuts power to 20%....what is that like, 1.5 paralyzed hamster power?
Antihero said:Also.....02 Explorer. Literally the worst car ever according to some and the SOHCv6 is a godawful engine
I literally wouldn't accept one for free, and I'd consider the person attempting to give it to me a mortal enemy
I have PTSD from working on some 02-05 Explorers during my Ford tenure. Just an abysmal pile of garbage.
Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique is another that i would go back in time to erase from history by murdering all of the engineers, designers and builders before they dreamed up the "devils testicle" of a car.
Finally....my 2017 Colorado 2.8 Duramax. My 2nd GM owned and my last GM ill ever own. Just an abysmal ownership experience.
Any GM car, but specifically a Chevy Volt. I was so excited to own my first PiH, and that thing left me stranded on the side of I4 for no reason. GM refused to honor the warranty on the part that would have fixed it. Berkeley those guys.
I like cars and can generally find something kind to say about any car...except this one. It begins when you open the door, the sound is off-putting. Is it breaking? Does it need lubrication? Is there something loose in there? And it shuts with a clunk that makes you wince. Starting it up makes you realize how the iron duke 4cyl is the most meh engine ever made. (ingore the 3.0 pictured, most had the E36 M3ty base motor). It's grinds for a while, then wheezes to life and settles into a rough, irregular idle. Wrestle the column shifter into D with another bad clunk, wait 2 seconds for fluid to pressurize inside the slushbox 4 speed, then you can mash the gas pedal to the floor. Revs will gradually climb and the car will start to creak and groan on its blown-out shocks and start to roll forward. The ride is sloppy, the car is noisy, everything creaks and groans, the seats are uncomfortable, the radio sucks and then the transmission starts to slip and the weak brakes don't slow you down well and the body wallows and flops through turns then the transmission grenades itself. Then the bumper falls off. That's how most people experienced driving them off the dealer's lot new in the 1980s.
^I seem to recall someone else at the GRM office really liking his Volt. So there is disagreement within the ranks. Is it the same exact car?
In reply to Mndsm :
When you need 4 squirrels and she gives you a hamster and a half, you'll understand .
I can't forgive my first SVX:
It's what got me started with GRM, and NOW look what I've become!!
In reply to GCrites80s :
Might be the same car, I don't remember anybody else here having one. I really liked it right up until it started being terrible and GM refused to honor the warranty.
Duke said:But Subaru is the most reliable brand in public opinion.
It was enough to get my mom to co-sign the loan for my WRX 
As far as cars I can't forgive, it is this VERY specific 1994 Nissan 300ZX slicktop. It was the one I owned. It was a crack pipe from day one and the "holy E36 M3 cool sports car" glasses really hid that from me. Constantly needing fixes, highway MPG at 15MPG at best, timing belt was a horror, always something wrong with it every month, lethargic at autox, girlfriend constantly complained about how dangerous it felt on the highway. Eventually I crashed it because it couldn't keep alignment so going 35 MPH around a 35MPH bend meant spinning out. So, I can never forgive it. Would I get another one? No, the only good thing about the 300ZX was the design. The Z34.2 brings back some of the Z32's design cues so I might look at one of those.
2000 SAAB 9-3 and 2001 SAAB 9-5 Aero
I replaced engine mounts, dampers, power seat computers, ABS units, intake manifold gaskets, bypass valves, direct ignition cassettes, alternators, heater cores, speakers, coolant temp sensors
Between both cars, I may have driven 60k miles and both were acquired with under 100k on the clock. Never again, even if the boost and quirky personalities were fun.
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