The worst sports cars, what's your opinion

In My Humble Opinion
1

there’s a '06 Mustang GT parked outside work, and it looks nice, but it’s got a sludgebox tranny, somehow this got me thinking as to what i consider the “worst” sports cars, here’s my list…

Ford Mustang (redesigned), yes, it’s very nice and retro-looking, problem is, it’s a ford, and my experience with ford products has been less than stellar, very unreliable, falls to peices if you look at it funny, i want to like the 'Stang, really i do, i’ts got a long, rich history as a good sports car, but the fact remains that it’s a ford, and in my mind, ford is synonymous with Ebola-ridden monkey excrement, the words “ford” and “quality” do not go together unless the words “has absolutely no” appear between them

i’m not willing to take the chance on a very expensive vehicle being crap, i will say this in it’s favor, at least ford gives you the option of a MANUAL tranny in all trimlines, as opposed to my next “worst” sports car…

the redesigned Dodge Charger, i have two problems with the Charger, first off, it’s a 4-door sedan, and secondly, it’s only available with a sludgebox, there is no manual transmission option, that takes it right off my list, if there’s no option for a manual (and no, “autostick” manumatics do not qualify as a manual, it has to have a foot-operated clutch pedal to be a true manual)

actually, any vehicle which does not have a manual tranny option is immediately removed from my list of contenders, if it’s got a sludgebox, it’s disqualified, no appeals

dear Og, i never thought i’d see the day i liked a ford product over a Dodge, but DallmerChrysler’s shortsighted decision to not have a manual available as even an option is unfathomable…

what do you consider the worst sportscars?

2

I heard there were plans for a 2007 Charger coupe with a real tranny. Hope it’s true.

3

Regarding automobiles, I’ll never take seriously the opinion of someone who uses the word “tranny.”

Anyway, my suggestion: 1972 Fiat 850 Spider.

Just to provide some perspective.

:smiley:

4

I wouldn’t think of either the Mustang or the Charger to really be sports car. A sports car, in my mind, should be designed not just with power but with superior handling added in. Both the Charger and Mustang are more pure-acceleration muscle cars than sports cars.

5

What are all these American cars doing in a thread about sports cars? :slight_smile:

Anyway, all the ones mentioned in the OP qualify. I hear the new Corvette is supposed to be a good ride, though.

As far as European exotics go, the older Lamborghinis always catch a lot of criticism for being impossible to drive. Heavy, twitchy, unrefined. Things have changed since Audi took over, however.

I hereby nominate any front-wheel drive car that claims to be a “sports car”. There’s nothing wrong with FWD (my own car has it too), but a true sports car has RWD. And a manual transmission. We can debate over the engine location. :slight_smile:

6

because the OP is from America, m’kay :wink:

yes, even this FWD econobox driver agrees, true sports cars have to have a true manual transmission (happy now, Knorf :wink: )rear-wheel drive or AWD, and as far as engine/drivetrain layout goes, i’m partial to front engine/rear drive, or mid-engine rear drive myself…

7

Me too, but I wouldn’t kick a 911 GT3 to the curb either. :smiley:

8

HEY! I resemble that remark!

As far as I can tell, there are two front-wheel-drive sports cars worthy of the name. They are the Honda CRX and the M100 Lotus Elan. The CRX is an interesting, lighter, faster, more energy-efficient Miatalternative. The Elan was banned outright from stock-class autocross for being too fast. Have you driven either?

9

And I think I would also have to add the Integra Type R to the list of FF sports cars. Worst? Hmm. I’d LIKE to nominate all those little, underpowered British roadsters of the 60s, because I don’t understand how anything so slow can be sporty, but people will probably throw things at me if I do that. :slight_smile:

10

Beaten to the punch -

The Fiat Spider

I’m guessing an Alfa Romeo should be included as well.

11

Why?

12

Haven’t driven an Elan (although the Elise is kick-ass - but RWD), although I’ve driven a few CRX’es back in the day. Fantastic fun, but I’d qualify them as excellent hot hatches rather than sports cars.

Perhaps it’s semantics, but I equate “sports car” with a little more than a hatchback derivative. No offense taken if you do otherwise, of course. The CRX is an excellent car in its own right. Although 10 years after, the Ricer brigade seems to have taken it over completely, alas.

Honda Type R’s, same reasoning. Great cars, but not sports cars, IMHO.

The Miata (or MX5 in Europe) is a perfect example of what a sports car needs to be: light, great handling, RWD, manual. What did they say again - “the MGB that works”? That’s exactly what it is.

I guess since I haven’t driven an Elan, and it is definitely not just a spiced up hatchback, I can’t really comment on it.

13

The old (RWD) Spiders come to mind, then. Although they’re not necissarily great handlers, mind you.

14

Oh, crap, look at me mocking it all up. Reverse that. I suppose the post-1997 Spider and GTV would qualify as bad Alfa sports cars, as they are FWD. Thing is, they’re also pretty damn GOOD, so I wouldn’t call them bad, or sports cars. :smiley:

15

Borrow one for a weekend, then.

They’re fun because there’s so little interfering between the driver/road interface, in both senses of the word. You feel like whatever happens at the tires happens at the wheel. It’s a lot like an early Miata. They also make it feel like you’re going fast even when you’re traveling slowly - a 35 MPH go-kart is mind-scramblingly fast on the right track.

I’d actually put two constraints on what qualifies as a sports car.

  1. You can show up to an autocross and not get laughed at. A Subaru Legacy Station Wagon will elicit points, stares, and general mirth even if you win a trophy with it. Even the slowest ol’ dog of a Spitfire won’t even if you’re ten seconds behind the second-slowest car in H-Stock.

  2. The driver finds himself voluntarily just going out for drives on the back roads, taking the long way home just for fun, or putting up with the inconvenience on weekdays for what happens on weekends.

16

I got one. Controversial, and not from first-hand experience.

TVR’s. Terrifying cars with fantastic power, take great skill to drive normally let alone on edge, horrible build quality, and no safety features standard. That means that your average 2005 TVR has no airbags or ABS.

Of course, one could argue that all of that makes them FANTASTIC sports cars. :smiley:

17

Yes, they are fantastic, and primarily because they’ve got to be absolutely terrifying to drive. Not only do they have no airbags or ABS, they have 350+ HP engines, sub-2400 lb curb weights, 7" wide rear tires, and no traction control aside from that provided by the driver’s right foot.

18

As for slushboxes, I think a foot-operated clutch and gear lever are requirements for a car, let alone a sports car. Slushmatic-equipped vehicles fall under the categories of “off-roader”, “boring, inefficient transportation appliance” if it’s otherwise a normal car, “a shame” if it would otherwise be a sports car, and “socially irresponsible”* if it’s a small economy car.
*Serious automatic transmission problems START at $1000 to fix. A manufacturer has got to keep in mind that the third or fourth owners of an economy car are probably going to be as poor as church mice.

19

Just for the record, Hyundai has better quality quality marks than does Chrysler, and that was before Hyundai’s recent quality-through-the-roof ratings they’ve gotten up to the last couple of years. Through 2004 model year, the Mustang (and I’m not saying this applies to all Fords here, just the Mustang) was always a quality built product. That happens with old platforms. Starting in 2005, it’s an entirely whole new animal, though, so there’s some reason to be concerned. Luckily, that car’s built alongside the Mazda J56 in a Mazda plant by Mazda employees. Well, they’re not Mazda employees nor Ford Employees, and it’s a complex affair, but the point is they use Mazda processes and systems, so the chances of quality problems is very, very low. Ford’s changed a lot in the last few years – you’ve just got to let the bad stuff get out of the system…
Also, Mustangs aren’t expensive! That’s the whole point!
Finally, I just rented a V6 2005 model last weekend. It was no GT, it was an automatic, but it was a fun ride.

20

Triumph TR-7. Live rear axle (its predecessor had independent suspension), gutless engine, and to top it off, stone-ugly bodywork.