In 1986, I was looking for a new car, and found myself at a Yugo dealership.
The salesman was, of course, very cheerful, enthusiastic and helpful. He pointed out that each Yugo came with a *complete free tool kit!*My immediate thought was, “You know, selling a brand new car with a special tool kit specifically for that car is not a reassuring thing.”
As our conversation went on, I noted what appeared to me to be a sort of air of desperation about the salesman. I found this even less reassuring, and did not buy a Yugo, despite the very attractive price.
Since then, time and time again, as I hear more and more about Yugos, I’ve patted myself on the back for THAT one…
Yes. For better or for worse, yes we can. For example, I’ll be waiting for my friend to come and pick me up. I’ll be watching the intersection, waiting to see her car appear from behind the buildings. She drives a red '94 Mazda 323 sedan. suddenly, there it is! Oh wait, no… it’s a '94 Mazda 323 sedan, but it’s not red.
As far as the worst car in the world goes, maybe some of those three-wheelers that were around in the sixties. There was also a car manufactured at that time in Australia by a WASHING MACHINE COMPANY!!!111 Its engine could turn in two directions, so it had no reverse gear - rather you’d stop the engine, flick a reverse switch, and then start it again backwards. Yes, you’d have all four (or maybe it was only three) forward ratios available to you in reverse! You can just imagine a reverse park, stopping and starting the engine.
‘Red sedan’ plus a fragment of the licence plate can easily narrow it down to hundreds or even just dozens of cars - easy enough for the police to work their way through should the case warrant it. (I remember one real-life case I read about which was CSI-esque, because the paint fragments at the scene matched a paint only ever used on a few hundred cars. Work through each one, and you get the guy.)
OTOH, I’ve been driving BMWs for many years now, and they’ve all come with tool kits attached to the trunk lids. So far, I’ve only used the screwdrivers when it’s been time to change the license plates.
Well, it may not be production, but at least you never had to drive a Davis. And don’t even get me going on the MacDuff Aeropinion…
[courtesy of Uncle John…]
Actually, it is true; the Focus has had more recalls than any other car ever, and by modern standards it’s a lousy car.
However, bear in mind that a lot of cars 20-30 years ago probably should have been recalled dozens of times, and in the case of cars like the Yugo they should have been recalled once and then destroyed with dynamite. The Focus is recalled a lot in part because these days the big manufacturers are quicker to issue a recall.
And anyone who says “Fiat” is on my list!