# Stupidest NAME for any Car **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 21, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331 "2003-12-21T17:31:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/21 "2003-12-22T00:09:55Z")
Who was it that made the “Le Car”? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/22 "2003-12-22T00:20:18Z")
What? No mention of [Le Car](http://leroux.andre.free.fr/repe14.htm)? A car so bad, Renault had to tell people what it was. (Strangely enough, even though the car was sold in the States, I can’t find any 'Merkin sites devoted to it.) ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/23 "2003-12-22T00:25:51Z")
Isn’t picking imaginary words (Acura Integra owner here 😉 ) kinda taking a cheap shot? The reason companies pick those names is because they’re desperate to avoid a _real_ word and the luggage associated with it. In that vein, the Toyota **Sequoia** strikes me as wrong. Sure, it’s as huge as a tree, but with the mileage it gets, it’s certainly not as environmentally-friendly as the real thing… Runner-up goes to the Toyota **Highlander,** if only because every time I hear the name I think, “There can be only _one!_” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/24 "2003-12-22T00:58:27Z")
The Nissan Cedric always makes me laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/25 "2003-12-22T01:08:19Z")
Mazda: Bongo Friendee Daihatsu: Naked Mitsubishi: Toppo BJ ---
**Author:** ![legalsnugs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@legalsnugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/legalsnugs)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/26 "2003-12-22T01:44:29Z")
Pontiac Banshee ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/27 "2003-12-22T01:55:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Colibri \* > \*\*Well, in Spanish, it has to be the Mitsubishu _Pajero_ - which means masturbator. This explains why the car is marketed as the Montero in many areas . . . \*\* Similar to the Mazda Laputa: to the Japanese, it’s the name of a Hayao Miyazaki movie. To the Spanish-speaking world, “la puta” means “the whore.” According to Mazda, “Laputa is designed to deliver maximum utility in a minimum space while providing a smooth, comfortable ride.” This causes some of my friends no end of amusement. ---
**Author:** ![boofy\_bloke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@boofy\_bloke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boofy_bloke)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/28 "2003-12-22T01:55:57Z")
I, too, vote for the Nisan Cedric! ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/29 "2003-12-22T02:08:24Z")
These may be more suitable for “Engrish” threads, but anyway… [**Honda That’s**](http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/thats/) (Just crying out for an Abbott & Costello moment) [**Mitsubishi Mirage Dingo**](http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/docs6/history/html/dingo.htm) (An imaginary Australian dog?) [**Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear**](http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/PRODUCTSS/delicas.html) (mmmmm… space gear…) ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/30 "2003-12-22T02:40:37Z")
_Ford Aspire_. It isn’t really a car, it just aspires to car-ness. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/31 "2003-12-22T05:28:32Z")
The all time gaffe, or plain ol’ UL - the Chevy “It doesn’t go” Nova. Is it an exploding star, or “Mi coche no va.” ---
**Author:** ![torie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@torie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torie)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/32 "2003-12-22T05:53:07Z")
According to Snopes, the Nova story is an [urban legend](http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Harlow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Harlow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harlow)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/33 "2003-12-22T11:07:28Z")
Dodge Shadow Ford Tempo (is it a temporary car because someone I know owns one and it breaks down a lot) Chevy Aveo and Ford Festiva have got to be the ugliest cars on earth. They are not even cars. They’re buckets with wheels. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/34 "2003-12-22T11:13:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scr4 \* > \*\*[**Mitsubishi Mirage Dingo**](http://www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp/docs6/history/html/dingo.htm) (An imaginary Australian dog?) > \*\* That car looks like an updated version of the Family Truckster, what with those double headlights. Eew. ---
**Author:** ![Chavardz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@Chavardz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chavardz)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/35 "2003-12-22T11:22:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gotpasswords \* > \*\*The all time gaffe, or plain ol’ UL - the Chevy “It doesn’t go” Nova. > > Is it an exploding star, or “Mi coche no va.” \*\* Well, we might think of it as an exploding car, but nova usually makes us think of something new. In fact, for about 10 years, our premium gasoline was called Nova. Certainly no one associated that gasoline with not going. As for the Toronado. Yeah BullSwim. Which means nothing to us. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/36 "2003-12-22T11:49:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by legalsnugs \* > \*\*Pontiac Banshee \*\* Ford was going to name a car the “Banshee,” too…they decided to go with “Thunderbird” instead. I guess Detroit happened to have a copy of the “Big Book of Mythology” handy. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/37 "2003-12-22T12:47:07Z")
Let’s not forget the _Daihatsu Charade_, which only pretends to be a car. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/38 "2003-12-22T13:08:55Z")
The Aztec. Once a group of Native Americans living peacefully with nature in the southwest… Now a gas guzzling SUV. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/39 "2003-12-22T13:22:39Z")
The VW “Thing.” What a terrible idea. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331/40 "2003-12-22T13:23:55Z")
What about the Suburu Brat? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-name-for-any-car/220331.md?page=3)