# Modern day awful cars **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 20, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691 "2016-04-20T00:47:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/41 "2016-04-20T19:48:03Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Very few mass-market cars are built with any substantial amount of composites. They’re still usually going to be steel bodies, or aluminum in mid- to high-end vehicles. They’re protected from corrosion by galvanization and other processes. Regardless, it’s not at all uncommon to see 10-12 year old cars that never saw a wax job in their lives tooling along with shiny factory paint jobs where water still beads up. That was my point- you used to be able to tell the vintage of a car by the sheen of the paint, more or less, as older cars were less dull because the paint would weather over time, which seems to be a problem that’s been predominantly solved. Same with body panel corrosion. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/42 "2016-04-20T22:21:12Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > 11.5 years?!?!? That can’t be right. I doubt I see more than one or two cars that old on a day-to-day basis. I drove my first Honda for 17 years before replacing it nearly 9 years ago. And you could not tell how old my current one is. Cars, nearly alone among consumer goods have vastly improved over the years, both in reliability and life span, not to mention safety (although the latter was government mandated). The first car I drove, a '49 Chevvy, was a wreck at 12 years and it was always chancy whether it would start in the winter. My '55 Ford lost its engine at 13 years (the frame rusted out and the engine ended up on a city street). My '70 Volvo was falling apart at 13 years. But now? Cars seem to go on forever. I expect my Honda to outlive me. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/43 "2016-04-21T00:28:49Z")
Unless you are a real petro-head, you may not realize how old a car is. I recently bought a used 2002 Mercedes SLK 230 roadster. That’s 14 years old! One of my co-workers saw it in the parking garage and assumed it was brand new. It is in great shape, but anyone who is a car enthusiast would know it is not the current generation body style, but to the average guy, it looks current. He was stunned to find out my “new” convertible is actually 3 years older than his Nissan XTerra. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/44 "2016-04-21T00:31:43Z")
Scions. Ugliest car I’ve ever seen; a box on wheels. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/45 "2016-04-21T00:48:36Z")
> [@Sterling\_Archer](#): > > This review of the 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage is what you’re looking for. And Hilarious! > > [http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-mitsubishi-mirage-es-test-review](http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2014-mitsubishi-mirage-es-test-review) I had the misfortune of being given one of these as a rental car when I had to make a quick drive over the Rockies to Grand Junction and my personal vehicle was in the shop. I had serious doubts that I was going to be able to make it over the summit. I think I was hitting about 12-15 mph with the pedal floored when I finally crested. There were no pelotons around, but I was neatly passed up by a Smart car. God what an awful vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/46 "2016-04-21T01:05:19Z")
Landrover has to take the cake. There are lots of poorly made cars out there, but few that retail for $80,000. Yeah, I’m sure it’s very nice inside, but when you’re at the very bottom of reliability rankings… > [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Scions. Ugliest car I’ve ever seen; a box on wheels. You do know they make (well, made, RIP) more than one model right? That’s like complaining about how those Fords only come in black. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/47 "2016-04-21T03:53:32Z")
While not really “awful” cars in the manner the OP asks about, I wonder if the VW “cheating diesel” models will live in infamy as examples of corporate malfeasance for years to come… (In today’s news, [Mitsubishi](http://www.bbc.com/news/business-36089558) admitted to fudging their fuel economy numbers for some of their Japanese models.) ---
**Author:** ![Oglomott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oglomott/32/3543_2.png) [@Oglomott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oglomott)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/48 "2016-04-21T10:35:08Z")
Modern day bad paint jobs? I see a lot of newer cars where the clear coat has failed, and it has that white, hazy look in spots, usually the hood, roof, and trunk. I don’t remember seeing that on older cars. And, I see a lot of white Chevy vans that have large sections of the paint peeled off right down to the bare metal. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/49 "2016-04-21T13:23:09Z")
> [@Oglomott](#): > > Modern day bad paint jobs? I see a lot of newer cars where the clear coat has failed, and it has that white, hazy look in spots, usually the hood, roof, and trunk. I don’t remember seeing that on older cars. > > And, I see a lot of white Chevy vans that have large sections of the paint peeled off right down to the bare metal. The ones I see with those problems are actually 10-20 years old. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/50 "2016-04-21T14:41:25Z")
there was a spike in paint de-lamination across the industry in the '90s. as a movement to reduce/eliminate emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) the industry transitioned to water-borne paints. Many hadn’t worked out paint-primer compatibility completely. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/51 "2016-04-21T14:52:50Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Well, they _were_ heavy. More folksy BS posing as knowledge. Reposted from a [different thread about land yachts](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=775503), where I compared a Cadillac Brougham to a 7-series: > [@](#): > > One neat thing you may notice about the old land yachts is that their curb weights will be much lower than you may expect. There was a lot of empty space in them. > A new 7 series BMW has about 22" less body length than the Caddy mentioned above, but (depending on trim and engine) could weigh as much as 1,000 lbs more than the Caddy. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/52 "2016-04-21T15:56:08Z")
That’s true, the old cars were very big but alot of that was empty and wasted space. The engine compartment had lots of open space (granted that made them easier to work on. The trunks were huge but did you really need all that trunk space? As were the interiors but often like today people would be driving alone and didnt need all that space. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/53 "2016-04-21T16:40:29Z")
> [@](#): > > granted that made them easier to work on because people _had to._ not because they _wanted_ to. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/54 "2016-04-24T11:01:30Z")
Problems today are like not getting the onboard dvd system to work right. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/55 "2016-04-24T11:26:53Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > 11.5 years?!?!? That can’t be right. I doubt I see more than one or two cars that old on a day-to-day basis. I drive one older than that. I have a 1996 Ford Contour. That’s 20 years old. I bought it used in 1997. It’s been reliable, never has given me a bit of trouble. I’ve only replaced things such as tires and batteries, things that normally wear out, a couple of timing belts and the air conditioner compressor. Outside of those, I replaced the stereo a few years ago. I replaced the factory cassette deck with an aftermarket CD player. It only has about 85k miles on it, so I expect it to keep going for years to come. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/56 "2016-04-26T02:06:23Z")
If you want to talk about modern-day awful cars, you can’t forget the Mitsubishi i-Miev. It’s the cheapest electric car available in the US, and it is the quintessential compliance vehicle. It has a pathetic 60-mile range (in a time when electric cars are expected to have a 200-mile range), and it is so underpowered that taking it onto the freeway is… ill-advised. Also, it’s a rather ugly little subcompact. They don’t advertise it at all, and they literally only sell a few of them per month in this country. It’s screamingly obvious that the Mitsubishi execs said, “OK, State of California, we need to have an alternative-fuel vehicle? OK, fine, _here’s_ our fucking alt-fuel car.” ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/57 "2016-04-27T23:08:48Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > even if we take that at face value, if everyone around you always has a new car, the cars they’re replacing have to go somewhere. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > True. But a lot of them could be going to the scrapyard. Most of 'em are coming to my house. Bought a 90 Jeep just last week. I call it “Old Number 13”. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/58 "2016-04-28T21:12:42Z")
My history de auto: -My 1977 Ford Courier truck (thirdhand) = spectacular blow-up at 78k -The 1985 Ford Mustang = everything but the wheels fell off or blew up by 61k -1988 Nissan Econobox = cheapy everything, but never a glitch in six years -1994 Suzuki Sidekick = cheapy, but fun and never a glitch (I had two in succession) -1998 Nissan pickup = same -2001 Nissan Altima = same -2003 Jeep Wrangler = no mechanical issues, but an unexciting 4-cyl hamster engine -2005 Nissan X-terra = gave up the ghost at 92k, as did my brother’s -2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee = still running strong at 91k, no issues -2002 BMW 530i = put a lot of money into her after rescue from previous abuse owner; now running like a clock at 151k Goodness, I’ve had a lot of cars! We had a lot of shitty Big Boat American cars while growing up. Something was _always_ wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/59 "2016-04-28T21:16:01Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Unless you are a real petro-head, you may not realize how old a car is. I recently bought a used 2002 Mercedes SLK 230 roadster. That’s 14 years old! One of my co-workers saw it in the parking garage and assumed it was brand new. It is in great shape, but anyone who is a car enthusiast would know it is not the current generation body style, but to the average guy, it looks current. > > He was stunned to find out my “new” convertible is actually 3 years older than his Nissan XTerra. Same with my '02 BMW – many of my co-workers think it’s new or of recent vintage. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691/60 "2016-04-28T22:59:43Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I regularly see Saturns and Pontiacs and Olds Aleros out on the road that still seem to be in pretty good shape, and how long has it been since they quit making those? My SO drives pretty a Saturn SC2 made in 2002 or so. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-day-awful-cars/752691.md?page=2)