# Worst production car ever offered to the public? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533 "2004-11-18T20:32:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/21 "2004-11-19T01:56:30Z")
> [@LMM](#): > > …the camshafts weren’t properly heat-treated, so that they wore down to a circular profile from the normal egg-shape very quickly. I _hate_ when that happens. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/22 "2004-11-19T02:01:10Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > I never knew this, but I Googled it and got [url=http://www.microcarmuseum.com/tour/subaru360.html]this - there was a guy who had a car like this that we used to laugh at on our way to school when we were six! It was wonderful - he could park in the small spaces nobody could get into, but then couldn’t get any of his stuff out of the back! > > To be fair, Subaru have made a few improvements to their output over the years (North Yorks Police even have a rally-spec Impreza, for high-speed pursuit). Indeed - Consumer Reports has been swearing by Subaru, rightly I might add, for several years now. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/23 "2004-11-19T02:44:12Z")
I knew an ace mechanic that only worked on European cars. He told be certain Alfa Romeo models were the most difficult engines to work on. FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/24 "2004-11-19T02:57:01Z")
What about the Pintos that would explode upon impact? If the rumors were true, Ford knew about the fault and decided the cost of lawsuits would be less than recalling the cars to make them safe. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/25 "2004-11-19T03:00:15Z")
I’ve actually ridden in a Dacia, Lada (Russian), and a Trablant. When I visited Romania in 1995, all of the licensed cabs were Dacias or Mercedes Benzes. I did, however, take advantage of some gypsy cabs as well. One was a Lada, another a Trablant. I have never in my life been in anything so worthless as the Trablant. This one had an old-style two stroke engine, and left a cloud of blue smoke behind us. You lubricated it by mixing gas with oil, same as your lawn mower. The Lada, while perfectly crappy, was a limo compared to the Trablant. ---
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/26 "2004-11-19T03:13:48Z")
That’s Trabant. I guess there is no such thing as a car without its adherents. This guy in Great Britain owns [fifty.](http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=100782) His callous village is making him sell his cars. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/27 "2004-11-19T03:35:49Z")
I believe I can speak with some authority, as my poor beknighted father ended up purchasing several of the miserable excuses for vehicles already mentioned, including varius crap Chevys in flavors Vega, Chevette (both in yellow, yet) and Citation, a FIAT 850 Spyder, which self-destructed within three months of (admittedly used) purchase, and an '87, K-car based Chrysler LeBaron, which, while adequately durable, fairly screamed “cheap yet pretentious”. Meanwhile, I must confess to having purchased with my own good money a '72 Pinto wagon, 1 year from new, which deteriorated faster than an ice cube in a warm rain. I also once test-drove a brand new Rover SD1 sedan which demonstrated its ineffably British build quality by shedding bits from under the dash every time I made a turn or accelerated. I passed on that one. But the all-time worst of our sorry lot was a 1967 Renault Dauphine that my Dad bought brand new because according to him, it was just like a Volkswagen Beetle but a lot cheaper. Was it ever. In the four years we had that hangar queen, it ate clutch bearings like popcorn. About the fifth time that happened, my Dad simply didn’t have the money or will to get it fixed again, so it sat forlornly in our garage for two years. One day I opened the front lid for some reason, only to find that the whole thing came off in my hand: the hinges, and much of the bodywork, had simply rusted away. While the car, I remind you had been sitting in a fully-enclosed garage. We finally trhrew in the towel and paid someone to haul the poxy thing off for scrap. Total miles: 22,000. ---
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/28 "2004-11-19T03:52:11Z")
I don’t know if it’s 100% true or not, but isn’t the Ford Focus the most-recalled car in history? Around 13 or 14? ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/29 "2004-11-19T03:53:08Z")
I’ve owned two Peugeot 505s and several Fiats. Basically: I knew it was a snake when I picked it up. We have a Corvair in the driveway right now (67). I can speak from authority about crappy cars… (the Corvair is a dream, much nicer and better-built than our 66 Mustang). 1. (already mentioned): Ford Fairmont. No redeeming value. Haven’t seen one in 15 years (a bad sign, if you’re a car) 2. K-cars. Total unmitigated crapmobiles. 3. Maverick 4. Vega (already mentioned) Just a really bad idea. My 2 cents. I was going to mention the Edsel, but those are so cool now that they really don’t fit the bill. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/30 "2004-11-19T04:27:17Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > The Yugo is generally considered the bottom of the barrell, at least for cars ever sold in the U.S. However, I distinctly remember that in the early 70s, Consumer Reports labeled a Japanese model (I just can’t remember whether it was a Subaru or a Suzuki) “Not Acceptable” because it was badly assembled, had terrible brakes and a host of other problems… As noted, the early 70s one was a Subie, but IIRC, they also did rate a Suzuki as Not Acceptable. Maybe it was the late '80s? It was the Samurai, and it rolled over way too easily. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/31 "2004-11-19T05:40:09Z")
What about that three-wheeled car that’s always rolling onto its side in “Mr. Bean”? Was that a production car or something somebody built in his spare time from an old Beetle? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/32 "2004-11-19T06:07:24Z")
I know nothing about cars (You know on those cop shows where people go “It was a red 2003 Toyota Corolla” after seeing it for one second? Can people really do that? I’d be like, “It was a red… car. What’s the kind with the sticky-up thing in the middle? A sedan? It was a red sedan.”) but I remember seeing a picture of a car which had no doors on its side. The door was on the FRONT. With the steering column fastened to it. That was alarming. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/33 "2004-11-19T10:12:22Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > What about that three-wheeled car that’s always rolling onto its side in “Mr. Bean”? Was that a production car or something somebody built in his spare time from an old Beetle? A Reliant Robin. Yes, they were production cars, and something of a joke {and by the standards of British car manufacturing, that’s saying something} - somewhere in England they have an annual stock-car race in which you can only enter Robins, the aim being to batter them to destruction: only having fibreglass bodies, this doesn’t take long. Personally, I hated my old Mini: the distributor was placed right up against the grille, so everytime it rained heavily the water would leak in and the car would stop. The solution? Bolt on a metal guard which would block protect the distributor - of course, this would block off half the air intake, so the engine would overheat and the car would break down. I used to leave that thing unlocked with the windows down in supermarket carparks, but nobody ever stole it. Eventually, after the exhaust pipe had rusted in half and I had “repaired” it with a pair of pliers, an old coffee can and a length of coat-hanger wire, I sold it cheap to some kid, and have bought Japanese ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/34 "2004-11-19T11:07:45Z")
I’ll put in a vote for the [Morris Marina](http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/_/viewer.aspx?path=8/86/&name=Morris.marina.arp.750pix.jpg). My parents had one all through my childhood. Actually, they had two. The first was almost identical to the one in the pic - same lovely rust colour. Then they switched to a [“Mark III”](http://www.morrismarina.co.uk/markthree1.htm) version, in blue, with a funky black vinyl roof. This was even worse, and bits kept on breaking and falling off. They were going to buy a new car around the time I passed my test and offered it to me for free. I refused. They ended up having to pay £50 to someone to come and take it away. In retrospect I should have kept it and thrashed it to death, but hey. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/35 "2004-11-19T11:11:57Z")
> [@Middlecase](#): > > …in England they have an annual stock-car race in which you can only enter Robins, the aim being to batter them to destruction: only having fibreglass bodies, this doesn’t take long. Yep: [http://www.btinternet.com/~wastedmc/formulae.htm](http://www.btinternet.com/~wastedmc/formulae.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/36 "2004-11-19T14:54:17Z")
> [@LMM](#): > > A good friend of mine is a mechanic, currently the service manager at a Volkswagen dealership. Years ago, he was a mechanic at another dealership that also carried the Yugo. > > He swears it’s the worst piece of crap ever sold to the American public. He told me that every car the dealership ever sold came back for warranty work within a month of being purchased. And not just small stuff. > > Two things I remember him saying: First, the camshafts weren’t properly heat-treated, so that they wore down to a circular profile from the normal egg-shape very quickly. This, of course, caused the valves to stop opening and closing, which in turn cased the car to stop running completely. > > Second, the manufacturing tolerances were so bad that the cylinder bores were extremely inconsistent. Not from car to car, but from cylinder to cylinder in the same engine. So one car might have four different-sized pistons. And the cylinder walls wore so quickly that top-end rebuilds were frequent (ever hear of a decent car needing a top end while still in warranty?). The dealership had to keep a whole range of piston sizes, and the matching rings, in stock. Never owned a Yugo, however I did own a used Fiat 128 wagon that was a major hunk of junk. The local Fiat dealership knew me by name by the time I got rid of that thing. It was a gift from my parents, my senior year in college: they thought it’d be helpful, and they had friends who were selling theirs, and … well, it’s over 20 years later and I’ve finally forgiven the 'rents 😃 Anyway: a Yugo was manufactured on equipment sold to Yugoslavia by the Fiat company. Somehow this seemed less than comforting to me and I was never tempted to purchase one. Consumer Reports wrote an article about them in which they said “these cars would be better off squeezed into a glass of iced tea than driven on the roads”. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/37 "2004-11-19T18:39:27Z")
> [@Mama Zappa](#): > > Never owned a Yugo, however I did own a used Fiat 128 wagon that was a major hunk of junk. One of my sisters had a 128 sedan when I was a kid. Typical “rolls-canardly” car. You know, a month after she managed to sell it, I saw it sitting in someone’s yard. With a “for sale” sign! ---
**Author:** ![TheInterruptingCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9c0ed/32.png) [@TheInterruptingCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheInterruptingCow)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/38 "2004-11-19T22:22:44Z")
> [@Boyo Jim](#): > > Anybody remember something called the Datsun Honey Bee? This would have been somewhere in the 80’s. Hey…I had one of those! Personally, I thought it was a great car (and I’m a bit of a car nut). It ran great, never quit, ran forever, and was hands-down the best “snow car” I’ve ever owned. Those skinny little tires just cut right through the stuff. Only downside was that the interior was really, really cheap. It was eventually handed down to my sister. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/39 "2004-11-19T22:28:19Z")
This may have just been car-dealer BS, but a couple years ago when I bought my Hyundai, I was asking the salesman how it compared to other South Korean makes like the Kia. The salesman told me that Kia basically uses parts that aren’t good enough to pass QC at Hyundai. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533/40 "2004-11-19T23:04:17Z")
**Shoeless** , have you seen _Remo Williams_? Chun says, “In Korea, door handles do not break.” Reports are that Kia has been proving him wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-production-car-ever-offered-to-the-public/275533.md?page=3)