Edmunds Inside Line Lists 100 Worst Cars of All Time With One of The Worst Lists Ever
XT - Atom - 914 - Cimarron. Awesomeness or awesome mess?
In a bid to outdo Time Magazine’s relatively recent 50 Worst Cars of All Time list, Edmunds Inside Line decided to go big or go home and doubled that number. With that, they pretty unfairly clumped in a sizeable amount of perhaps weird but undeniably awesome cars. Add in some hastily Googled, often mis-tagged photos and the stew is complete.
Let me pick out some of the most offending put-downs.
94. 1996 Ariel Atom: “Its nickname is the “woman repellent.” Perfect for the track, utter misery on any road. A helmet isn’t just for safety; it’s the driver’s roof, windshield and HVAC system. Helmet also keeps anyone you know from seeing you drive it.”
Seriously, whoever has seen that Darth-Vader-driving-the-Atom photo knows the Atom just can’t be ridiculed. It has no bodywork for the chucked sh*t to stick on. And if you’ve using the Atom to impress a girl and fail, you’ve got to be looking at the wrong girl. Photo shows a limited-edition 2011 one.
91. 1978 Dodge Challenger: “A Mitsubishi Galant coupe wears the name of a muscle car legend. The top engine? A 2.6-liter four making — GACK! — 105 hp. The base 2.0-liter puked out only 77 ponies.”
Fair enough, the name might’ve not been right for the car. But what it really was, was a Mitsubishi Sapporo, and no-one mocks those on my watch – especially when the pioneeringly balanced Silent Shaft Astron engine is in question. Those power figures don’t seem quite right to me either. Maybe he was thinking of the 1983-87 Charger.
87. 1989 Geo Metro: “Suzuki-made, three-cylinder icon of economic marginalization. Tonight’s pizza will be delivered in one. It was even worse as a soggy-chassis convertible.”
The Metro might’ve been about the bare necessities of driving, but it’s still a gutsy little beater of a car that’ll get the mileage you require from it. An auto version is deathly slow, of course, but that’s beside the point. Photo shows a second-generation Metro.
83. 1978 Volvo 262C: “Italy’s Bertone turns Volvo’s boxy 260 Series into a two-door coupe only Stockholm’s dumbest pimp could love.”
The 262C is a chopped Volvo coupe with a vinyl roof. Your argument is invalid. The 262C is a classic Todd Rundgren album of a Volvo; it’s got a lot of stuff stacked on it that goes in every possible direction, but the end result will blow your mind (think International Feel, in here with a 412). And it’s got buttoned leather.
65. 1985 Subaru XT: “Subaru at its weirdest. Styled with a cleaver, inside the XT featured a wacky steering wheel with one horizontal and one vertical spoke and controls in pods behind it. Then it got weirder.”
The Alcyone/XT is all the ’80s technology you can cram into a doorstop. That means it’s awesome, not awful – and despite pointing out the star fighter controls, no mention is made of the joystick gearshift.
45. 1969 Porsche 914: “Originally designed as a VW, this midengine, four-cylinder breadbox was never a “real Porsche” to the hard-core. OK, even the medium-core didn’t think it was a real Porsche.”
In my mind, the 914 is a Boxster blueprint with the engine in the right place and the centre of gravity where it counts. Of course, it’s got Volkswagen written all over it, but all the talk about “Real Porsches” just means to me that there probably are two-three cars that the purists will actually approve of. Yeah, I like the 924 too.
You get the point. Peruse over the list, make note of the lazily crucified cars, and comment below. I’m not trying to pretend the Cimarron is an underrated classic (of course it’s on the list. And so are the Aztek and SSR – we’re not exactly talking groundbreaking journalism here), but at least half of the cars on the list deserve some dislike but are definitely not the biggest offenders you can imagine. The DeLorean surprisingly didn’t make the list – I was expecting the usual John Z coke jokes and something Douvrin something Belfast.
Any of your personal favorites on the list? Check here.
Headline photo credits: Car Lust Blog, Hugo90/Flickr, Garage Woolery, TopSpeed.com. / Article photos culled from the original Inside Line article.
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These lists eternally piss me off.
I can't decide whether to read it or not. I'll probably spend all my clicks on the 'verse and look at everyone else's rants.
My blood was boiling about mid list. I only went through the rest of the list to see if they totally missed the Aztek. It was last.
you mean FIRST!
But to me, even the Aztek isn't horrible. "Questionable" styling and era-appropriate GM reliability and materials, but at least it was interesting and dared to be a little different. The people I have known who owned one generally really liked them.
agreed, there isn't really anything wrong with them, there just isn't anything right.
The put the Atom at #94. My blood was boiling on the first page. Anyone who puts the Atom on a list of "worst cars" is a sissy and an idiot.
Personally, I'm watching for the Hyundai Excel. I'm betting they missed it.
Did they find the most non-car person at Inside Line to write that? "Hey, Stephanie the receptionist! We need you to put together a list of the 100 worst cars. Here's Google."
Seriously, there are a few in there, but for ever bad car (Nubira) there are 10 that are just quirky or, in many cases, downright awesome. Sure, the Porsche Club people may not like the 914, but put a flat six in it and car guys all over are drooling and imagine tossing it around a track. Then they throw the Corvair on there and just spew hack media boilerplate idiocy.
There's a reason why Inside Line isn't on my news reader. This is it.
Porsche club members usually have no interest in cars or think that all progress should have ended with a high performance beetle.
The 914 is awesome.
I'd argue that the Porsche Club not liking something is a point in its favor.
That usually makes me pay more attention to it!
Would a Corvair drive train fit in a 914?
Half of the cars are listed because they're quirky, the rest are either very low hanging fruit or just low on power.
What a surprise, a mainstream auto "journalist" phones in an article about "terrible" cars and doesn't list anything new that might offend companies trying to protect resale value. The last gen Camry was the most offensive car I've ever driven. You'll never see it on a list though.
I guess that's why I'm here though.
Ugh…even this Camry is anti-fun.
I've honestly never been in a car as bad as the brand new rentals we got when that generation came out. Intermittent electronics, no drive feel and horrible quality interior. Yet that was the best selling car in the world. It was absolutely pathetic.
I've never had a car so actively fight me when trying to take an on-ramp at 15 over the suggested speed. Until I drove a Camry. Seriously, my first car was a 1984 Mercury Topaz and it was more fun to drive than the 2009 Camry.
It really is a shame, because I do have a secret love affair with Toyota engines. Smooth and with decent power. It's just the rest of the car that makes me want to throw myself in front of a train.
Hey, the Topaz has Jackie Stewart's endorsement, what Toyota can claim that?
I said it when the new Camry came out in 2006. My quote, Toyota has been making deposits with previous Camrys, now they are working on withdrawals.
The interior was the worst I had seen in a mass-market Toyota, ever. And the driving feel and 4-cyl model highway float was just unbearable. And yet I couldn't help but sell 15 a month just myself.
I was thankful that the Toyota buyers were blindly loyal, it made all of the difference.
Worst rental ever was a Mitsu Diamante. So much crap fell off it 500 miles that Hertz tried to say I vandalized the car:
–3 of 4 hub covers gone forever
–the dome light assembly
–steering column housing
–driver's head rest–literally fell off the posts while driving down a silky smooth interstate highway
–*both* rear door panels popped off and were held in place only by the bit that goes down the window slot, even though I hadn't opened either rear door. . .
Sounds like the Sebring we had that lasted a whole 12k before being retired to local use only.
I totally agree with that statement, I let someone convince me to buy a 2011 Camry a couple months ago… I literally gave it to my dad it offended my sensibilities so much. As a completely average, vanilla, bland, totally intolerable, horrid, plasticky, Asian-values-pleasing car it is absolutely brilliant. But anyone who actually likes cars will kill themselves after a month. Good thing someone took the knife from me.
My issue is, if you need an average daily driver there are cars that do it better with less issues. Oh well.
What kind of candy ass pussy wrote this list? Oh no! I need a helmet to drive this car! It might mess up my hair! They undoubtedly drive some white bread piece of generic crap and like it because it is the perfect shade of gold and has nice frosty a/c. There isn't anything wrong with that, but when such a person criticizes the Atom because it doesn't have a roof, they really really aren't qualified to make a list like this for publication.
Stop writing articles, and go back to gossiping at the hair salon, John Pearley Huffman, you wuss.
Edit: Make sure to visit the site, if only to rate the article one star.
Don't visit the site, they get paid for it as soon as you click.
Good point…. However, if you already clicked it by the time you read this, please make sure to vote! Your vote matters!
At least… that's what they keep telling me…
Yeah, that's the spirit.
If your a hoon, this list is just trolling.
Yeah! How dare they insult the glory that is the 1974 Ford Gran Torino Elite!
They listed the Atom in there? I didn't click the article. I just guessed it was 25 Porches, 25 Ferrari's, 25 GM cars and 25 Fords.
However, I am seriously thinking about contacting 4chan for a DoS attack on Admunds.
Edit: Admunds was a typo, but now that I look at it, maybe not so much.
Best. Freudian. Ever.
That one star click was for saying anything bad about the AMC I6. No don't go look. They called the I6 in the Pacer and Gremlin "ancient" and "archaic".
Any list that puts the Ariel Atom on the list of worst cars has no validity. None I say! But then they put the Lamborghini Espada at #14, which made it even worse.
Yet, it was in fact a car I don't like that made me angriest of all. The Aztek at #1 is possibly the laziest selection for a "worst of" list. Yes, it's ugly, we get it. But honestly, the joke stopped being funny 5 years ago, and now Walter White drives one so it's at least part of a brilliant TV series. It might be awful, it might have stupid seat fabric and be incredibly goofy looking and combining a tent and epic depreciation might make it into some kind of bizarre strategy for housing the homeless. That's fine, but putting it at number one says you have no imagination. That's a huge problem if you're trying to make a 100 spot worst of, and it's reflected in the rest of the choices, which are largely lazy and predictable, recycling the same old jokes and same tired references to the same old cars.
Also, Gack? Was this list written by Cathy?
"Lazy" really defines the article. I'm fairly certain it was constructed by Google searching "worst cars" and simply plagiarizing other lists while adding his own commentary so as to justify his journalism degree.
"Oh no! The C3 in the mid 70's didn't have power!"
Because there is no way to get power out of a Corvette and it is impossible to swap in a new engine.
I noticed a bunch of the cars are mid-70s and a bunch of the complaints are about power. Uh…maybe he should have just lumped a bunch together and put it under "EPA".
And ignore the almost 300 ft.lbs of torque or the fact the only thing quicker in the mid-1970s was either mid-engined and Italian or German and rear engined with a turbo. I still don't get why everybody loves the Datsun 240-300ZX , the RX-7, early Supras, NA 911, and BMW coupes, but hates C3 Corvettes, which were faster in a straight line AND around a road course than any of the others. Maybe it is just that the Corvette had fallen so far from what it once was. Sure the Japanese cars might have been a little cheaper, but still…
I think it is because they were all making rather large strides forward with each step where the Vette seemed to be either stepping backward or no where at all. I personally dig the C3's style but I do prefer just about every car you listed. Especially VG30DETT 300's.
Every car listed in this post is a favorite of mine. I still drive a Metro and will continue repairing it until the body somehow fails catastrophically. I will own someday a 914. I pass a yard-rotting late 70s Challenger every day on the way to work and dream of rescuing it. I'm considering an XT for a LeMons car right this instant. The 262 is one of the weirdest and coolest products of a company that put out nothing but weird, cool shit.
And the Atom. Any automotive journalist that writes that about the Atom is in the automotive sector of journalism because he can't find a job anywhere else. Any car writer who writes that crap about one of the most fantastic cars ever designed is no lover of cars or motoring.
And the Metro is the greatest econobox that ever was. You know why your pizza's coming in one of these? Because a car with a KBB value of under $100 still runs and gets better mileage than a Prius, jackass.
Also, Edmunds moron, that picture is of a 95 or newer Metro.
/end rant
/sorry
There's going to be much, much more ranting to come. Don't worry.
The Metro is impressively durable, since they're all driven by high school students and high school students are morons. They've held up way better than a lot of the cars from that era.
I resemble those remarks! My rust free 1991 Metro cost me $250 and it is simply the best car I have ever used for pizza delivery. I get anywhere from 37-49 mpg in city traffic (depending on fuel and driving style) and the thing is dead reliable. I simply love it and can't think of another car that could ever replace it in this business.
As for the Atom, it goes without saying. I would take one over just about any other car ever made as nothing else has it's level of purity. It may not have the (irrelevant) top speed of a Veyron but it will wipe the track with it on a track day. Plus, if a woman doesn't want to ride in it, I don't want her anyways. A woman worth my time would love both my Metros and the Atom. (Perhaps this is why I am still single?)
Jim-Bob! Long time, no see amigo!
Glad to hear your Metro's doing well for you. Currently have the engine out of mine to swap in on I got from a junkyard with only 25k miles on it. Waiting on funds for a clutch right now, and am riding a motorcycle (the only thing around with comparable mileage) in the danged freezing weather until after Christmas. Seriously, I plan to keep this car as long as it's fixable. Even after I'm rich enough to afford an Atom.
"34. 1950 Crosley Hotshot… The 750cc engine's block wasn't cast, but welded together from various pieces…."
Nope. The CoBra (copper brazed) engine was discontinued shortly before the beginning of Hotshot production in 1949. They were instead equipped with the CIBA (cast iron block assembly) engine which was, as it turns out, cast. Out of iron. As a block assembly.
A fine car.
A careless list.
Are you suggesting this list is misinformed? I say sir, how could you possibly found such a baseless accusation!?
That's easy: I read it.
I'm sorry.
You know… that you read it…
…in case that part wasn't clear.
That's what I was apologizing for.
You know, like, sarcasm.
…and stuff…
That's all.
I'll leave now.
Regardless, no Crosley vehicle deserves to be here.
Agreed, but even making allowances for opinion, it would nonetheless be nice for the author to get the facts straight.
Oh, and while I'm on that subject, brazing isn't welding.
Nope, it's not. And how. I wish I'd known that before I built that hang-glider.
Actually, they did list the Aztec as number 1. WHO THE BLOODY F**K WROTE THIS LIST‽
Because the Aztec, a darn ugly but incredibly functional car is the punchline for everyone's joke. Seriously, if a car could be the embodiment of Carrot Top, this is it.
But do you know what Carrot Top is doing right now? Six girls. At the same time. At the Bunny ranch, with your money.
Bronco II? Whatever those are awesome little trucks!
I take issue with the Samurai too, I would gladly own either of these for commuter duty.
I'm sure most of the third world would take issue with the Samurai. Brilliant little thing if you live in a land without much in the way of decent roads.
I can actually see where that one could make the cut. A company I worked for in college used them as company cars (WTF, I know). It was way too easy to put them up on two wheels.
what fun is a vehicle if it isn't trying to kill you on regular basis?
Yes! Thank you! That's all I've been trying to say for years now.
Meh, if we use that logic, the original Explorer should be on the list too (also, for the way it caused a seismic shift towards SUVs).
I was prepared to write this off as yet another example of list based trolling……..then he went and defamed the Lamborghini Espada.
[youtube akAj-TWUq0E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akAj-TWUq0E youtube]
I'd upvote that 1,000 times if I could, just because Bugs is in it.
Talking smack about the sweet little Geo Metro Convertible? That, my friend, is a line that you just don't cross. Edmunds, it's on.
[youtube cGF1NP-FrCU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGF1NP-FrCU youtube]
The line must be drawn HERE!
"soggy-chassis convertible"
Written like someone who never drove one. What would he say about any classic Brit roadster? The Spitfire? MGB? The Sprite? The Metro was one of the stiffest cheap convertibles I've ever driven.
Well, now people in my office are wondering why I'm cursing and shaking my fist at my monitor. Luckily for me, I work in Systems Admin now, and that kind of behavior is acceptable.
4 Renaults in that list. Really ? These are weird cars, not bad ones …
Metropolitan……Edsel……
Edmund's can pound sand. John Pearly Huffman best not wander into my neighborhood. Well, I doubt he would, we don't have mass transit in these parts. It is obvious from his list the man has never experienced true driving or love of a automobile.
If nothing else good comes from this idiot's list, at least I know his name now, and shall use that knowledge to avoid him in the future.
What the…. I don't even.
It's like they came here to Hooniverse. picked the last 100 whacky car specific articles and reprinted it as a list of the worst cars.
I heard Wert works for Edmunds now….. Nah… that can't be his list, not enough non-car stuff in the list to make that theory work.
Couldn't be Wert, the article didn't start with "I'm a Jewish New Yorker from Detroit."
We got it. Just like the Italian guy in the Laser with seventeen Italian flags on it. We got it.
I'm thinking they are using the awesomness manifesto at Edmunds
I re-read that last week, just before I went wandering and found this place. That site has become, once again, everything he apologized for.
If I were managing the process, you would get kicked off the team for even suggesting several cars that made Edmund's final cut. In addition to the Atom and the 914…
Solstice
Fiat 124 Coupe
Vector
VW Fox
Mazda Rotary Pickup
Bronco II
1953 Corvette
Corvair
308 GT4
Maser Biturbo (to be fair, it may belong on the list but I still like it)
Dodge La Femme
Mercedes 300SD
Bristol 412
Triumph Stag
Crosley Hotshot
Nash Metropolitan
Cadillac Allante
AMC Gremlin
Espada
Trabant
Isetta
No, the Trabant was a hilariously terrible car…
…but it was far superior to, say, a bicycle or a pair of boots if you needed to get somewhere distant in inclement weather.
Considering the circumstances, then hey, not terrible at all.
The Trabant was terrible but if you're only going to put one eastern bloc representative on the list, why that one?
<img src="http://troll.me/images/y-u-no-guy/internet-trolls-y-u-no-go-away.jpg" width=550>
Fuck them, anyhow. I ain't gonna click over and give them no page hits. Trolls be trollin.
Edmunds.. What are you thinking?
95. The Pontiac Grand Prix GXP: Come on, the Chevrolet Impala SS was worse. The Pontiac could actually, you know, handle.
I find your implication that they were thinking to be quite humorous.
One of them is a functioning brand whose resale values (that is a huge buying point now) could be affected by their statements and might be less inclined to advertise with them.
Hell, I don't even have a problem with the Impala, having never gone in with the impression that it was anything other than a highway-bound middle-manager express. It gets around corners as well as it needs to, does all the other dull Impala things, and sounds half-decent.
The S7 won its class at Le Mans in 2010, and competed successfully in FIA GT, ALMS, Grand AM, and BGT for a decade before that. Add a leather and aluminum interior, and you have a GT1 prototype racer you can drive to the supermarket on Saturday and the nearest road course on Sunday.
Yeah, sounds like a really terrible car that I would never want to own… and obviously wouldn't have multiple scale models of…
yeah the list is almost as bad as Time's worst car list.
But some of the cars i would own on the list
Nash Metropolitan
BMW Isetta
Mustang II (probably the only one that would drive a mustang II but i would drive a pinto too)
And I'm considering buying a geo metro of course i'm looking at a 1997 (like pictured) not an 89 (like wrote about)
I find it to be worse than Time's list since Time doesn't promote itself as an automotive news outlet.
I guess, but Time's list had a lot of cars that where bad because they where popular, this list atleast says they where bad while being popular. I'm still trying to figure out how a car is bad because it sold well.
I would also like to add that i loved my Bronco II and think it is a shame to be on the list.
You are not the only one who would drive a Mustang II. Putting the Mustang II at the top ahead of any number of significantly worse cars angered me.
'Course were I to ever buy one, I'd resto-mod it. (At this point, I don't see myself buying one in the foreseeable future.)
Honestly, I see most Mustang II criticism as a bunch of internet troglodytes yelling "Y NO V8!", completely missing that it was the right car for the right time, and flawed as it may have been, being Pinto-based makes sense for a car that originated as Falcon-based.
How about the fact the King Cobra had a V8, sure it wasn't a power house but nothing was at that point.
The Pontiac Grand Prix GXP did suck. I sat next to the chassis engineer for it, and she could do nothing but talk about how awesome it was that the front wheels were wider than the back. Truly a mark of everything wrong with "old GM".
Mazda Repu had a 1400 lb payload. That's significantly more than a shopping cart.
I survived a head on collision in a Renault Alliance. Best car ever made.
I suspect the Hoons would have a very hard time agreeing on such a list, we have such a crush on misfit cars. It would probably be filled with very bland, generally successful mainstream vehicles. My first nomination is the contemporary Toyota Corolla. Anyone else?
Camry
Our list wouldn't be worst cars because there are no worse cars, just cars that don't excite us. As you put, generally successful mainstream vehicles.
My wifes Impala would be on it.
I can't hate on cars that work well for non-enthusiasts. That car makes sense for someone out there. It's actually hard to find ANY brand new car that deserves to be on such a list…
and with our love for all things automotive here at Hooniverse, it would be hard to make a list, period. We're contemplating it though…
The Corolla is weird, the platform has the potential to be good, since I have a Matrix and like it lots, but something happened on the way to the forum. The engine sounds like a distressed cow, the interior materials are kind of terrible and the whole thing feels loose and weird. Not sure it's entirely bad though, just vaguely unpleasant when it should be sort of enjoyable. Like a sex scene in a Uwe Boll movie.
Otherwise, I can think of precisely two cars that I'd put on a worst ever list. The Chevrolet Aveo and the Dodge Caliber. I've even mellowed on my old pet hate, the Pontiac Sunfire, which might be terrible but at least gives teenage girls something to bang up while they learn how to drive.
Pretty good start. I'd add Olds Achieva to it.
If the N-body must be included, it would have to be represented by the Grand Am, which once tried to kill me. Seriously, middle of a dark stretch of highway, headlights decided to not work. Pitch black, driving back to town on hazards, not fun.
My personal 'it tried to kill me' hated car is the
CutlassCiera, in this case a '96 wagon. Brake line failure during a snowstorm.The Grand Am is worse, considering the higher expectations implied by its decade-newer design.
I drove an Aveo with a 5 speed and I wouldn't consider it a bad car, it's ok for what it is. Same with the Caliber, put 500 miles on a rental once and had no real beefs other than it's boring and answers a question nobody asked in the first place, much like the PT Cruiser and the HHR.
Based on my rental experience, I would absolutely put the Caliber on the list. Terrible ergonomics, engine that sounded like a washing machine, poor handling.
I gotta side with Jo. It is unoffensive to me outside of being a bit dull. My aunt bought one because it was a year old and cheap as hell and had enough space for her trash can to get brought down to the end of the driveway. Eh, it is harsh and flavorless, but all in all, I've driven worse.
Couldn't disagree with you more on the Aveo. It was, far and away, the worst car offered in that class. Uncomfortable, loose and broken feeling controls, terrible steering, ludicrously unreliable – former roommate had one, but she seemed to need a courtesy car every other week – and the one I drove squeaked every time you turned the wheel. It was a horrible thing.
The Caliber gets mention because the interior was chintzy, the transmission felt like it was broken and my dad one day said "What's that small Dodge? Now that's a terrible car" apropos of nothing.
The Caliber? Definitely. What the hell is it, anyway? It's ugly, it's not a car, it's not a crossover… And now, Sergio Marchionne is going to drive Chrysler off the cliff, it's only a matter of time.
Considering that my current benchmark for vehicular excellence is a sub-100hp rustheap that sometimes stalls, has no working defroster, and a heater that can only be operated by adjusting levers underneath the dashboard, I'll just recuse myself from this committee right now.
Mine randomly forgets that it has more than three gears, wears windshield wipers from the Bush administration (I'm not sure which), has a blower motor that dims the headlights and sounds like an elephant being shredded and one taillight with disco fever, and recently recorded 17.5 MPG from four cylinders. Oh, and I have to roll down my windows partially to ward off asphyxiation by exhaust fumes.
Also, I nearly forgot that one or both – probably both – front rotors are badly warped, meaning that I shift more often than I brake, and the left rear caliper randomly sticks.
Not a bad car, really, now that its oil consumption has fallen to reasonable levels (from a prior 0.04 quarts per mile).
Ah, see, at least I get 30-40 MPG from mine, depending on the gas blend. Also I put a bitchin' adjustable coilover setup on it, so you know I've got my priorities straight.
I nominate anything Daewoo.
Also the Infiniti i35. That car… is still have nightmares about working on that bastard.
I'm sitting here, avoiding work, and thinking, "I wonder if we're just hating on this list because we, as a group, are lovers of the unloved."
But that's not it. Any gear head, whether they be into lowriders or supercars, can take exception to at least half this list.
I think (along with this being a [REDACTED] page view milking) they have a problem differentiating a bad car from a car that's bad. No one expects a Geo Metro to handle greatly, be fast or luxurious. Doesn't mean the car is bad. I consider the Quattroporte a bad car: other than design there's not a single thing the competition can't do much better.
Very, very good point, and I do believe that is what happened here.
"Worst car" should be defined by being bad at what it was intended to accomplish. A car that I have no personal use for doesn't make a car bad. For example, I have no use for a pickup. Using the same methods as this article, I could make my own article saying that all pickups are the worst vehicular transportation ever made.
Yeah, they managed to Troll everybody.
<img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4010/4650036068_5166e58c98.jpg">
Besmirching the likes of the Atom and the Espada is bad enough, but putting the W116 300SD at #43? You leave me no choice but to defend the honor of my fellow diesel Benz owners and their cars, Mr. Pearly Huffman.
CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON, SUH!
<img src="http://www.strangecosmos.com/images/content/135567.jpg">
No offense, but do you know how to load such a weapon? And make it go boom? I volunteer to take John's place. (I'm a better shot and dueling is still legal here in SC.) I'm a righty but I'll shoot left handed.
Here's something I wrote to really hate on: "Beyond 'The Worst 100 Cars of All Times." http://www.realcarguys.com/post/Beyond-the-100-Wo…
The mere fact that they bring Horsepower and acceleration into this is ridiculous. If there is no historical context like, 'But in the Malaise Era, these numbers were actually top of it's class.' we may as well put the Ford Model T and the Pierce Arrow in there complaining that they don't hold up at Highway speeds.
I'll even defend the Echo. It was exactly what old people wanted. Great mileage, a never fail drivetrain, and so much head room it was silly. Yes it was cheap, but at least it was cheap to match.
Suprised they left all of the Hummers off of the list. The H1 has to be the dumbest vehicle for the regular consumer. No interior space, no visibility, no reliability, costs surpassing $1/mile to keep on the road. Just insane.
This list is garbage.
How was the Vector W8 outdated at its release? That car was bat shit insane. What other car in 1989 had over 600 hp and was built like a freaking fighter jet?
Hey now, leave the H1 out of this. You can pick on the H2 all you want though.
Read it again. "The H1 has to be the dumbest vehicle for the regular consumer."
I sold them. i drove them. i loved them. But they were terrible for regular road use.
Not until they got it right with the Alpha edition with the Duramax and Allison transmission was it even close to worthwhile.
As fun of a "Fuck You" vehicle as they are, it is an absolutely terrible vehicle for everyday.
The H2 and H3 were easier to live with and easier to own and afford. Though the only difference they had over their GM brethren was they were breathed on by Indiana air in Mishuwaka, and their styling left the packaging boxes on, they were at least affordable to operate.
(I sold hummers for three years. and have been around H1s since 2002)
But being a "regular" consumer is wrong anyway. So it's wrong for being wrong, I guess.
Thank you sir, for all the above.
Don't forget that piece of shit Mephistopheles that only got 14 horse per liter though.
This. All of it.
This list is lame! I am proud to say that I own a DeLorean and my first car was a 1982 Plymouth Sapporo (which in retrospect I wish I had kept instead of trading in on a Z24). Would love to find a mint XT6 someday also. Did anyone notice that he had an E-Type on the list also? Unbelievable!
I bet he drives a Camry with curb feelers………
Seriously? Saleen S7? What a bunch of crack heads.
WHUUTT?
<img src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTpICZ1MlM8Gf2UUKaVAPK2C8Tdo19py9xQI14DKd–zEc2bIeimv2mPUHF" />
/Just don't look.
Ok, the Toyota Echo is an anti-car around here, but is it really worse than the Excel? Really? The Excel was truly horrible. I'd say top 10-20 material. As is the Stirling, which was ranked more favorably than the Iron Duke Camaro (yeah, those were bad, but worse than the Excel and the Stirling? Seriously?).
I think they managed to screw this up as much as humanly possible. Even when they managed to put in a truly bad car, one that we can all agree on, they put it in the wrong spot, and thereby slander a whole host of other cars. This is incredible.
I imagine that just about everything I've owned is on that list. I'm sure the Corvair and Vega are on it, and it wouldn't surprise me if the Audi Fox and Ford F-150 were on it.
I'm not going to even go look. I'm pretty sure they would name nearly every vehicle I've ever owned and loved.
But you know what was a truly horrible car? The only vehicle that made me physically angry for it even existing?!?
2008 Ford Explorer. <—HUGE piece of shit. Worst rental in my entire 2 decade long Hertz-thrashing career.
It's not on the list. No Explorers anywhere to be seen. But they trashed on the Bronco II, which is actually a pretty decent little truck.
If you haven't looked, you'll be better off if you don't.
Comically they trash the Bronco II and then state, "Replaced by the massively popular, four-door Explorer."
And there we have the gist of the list. Popularity = Good.
…the hell…? Is this the same guy? http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-pearley-huffman/…
He used to write for Car Craft back in the early 90s??? I don't remember reading anything this misinformed in Car Craft. Then again, I don't think I started reading car magazines until my mid teens, which would be shortly after his time there…
Yes, I worked at Car Craft in the 1990s. I'm currently a Contributing Editor to Car and Driver, Contributing Editor to Popular Mechanics, regular contributor to The New York Times Automobiles section and official whipping boy at Inside Line.,
Since you're here, let me ask: Who were you tailoring this list to? Who was your intended audience? Obviously you have some background writing from the perspective of an automotive enthusiast. Car Craft wasn't exactly known for f*cking around. (Haven't read them for years, so I can't comment on more recent times…) How did you think this would be received? Especially when including cars that are lauded and loved by many car fanatics. I'll avoid further attacking you for some insight as to how such a list is created. And why…
#86: The Lumina Van. No one will argue that it looks cool (ok, this is hooniverse, so someone will, and I welcome their argument). But, they write, and I quote, "…were so stupid-looking…" Best critique you can come up with is stupid-looking? Automotive journalism at it's finest, here…
It looks cool.
They didn't even get the part of the Lumina Van that was bad, which is that early models were really underpowered. Putting the 3.1 in a big van does that, though later models had reasonable power. The second bad part of the Lumina van was the weird positioning of the pillars, which you probably could get used to but I always hated when I drove one. Also unmentioned.
I suppose they used up too much space trashing all the other cars that were underpowered but otherwise OK, and had to find something else to pick at there.
I'm not even sure the lack of power is all that much of a big deal – Chrysler went several years offering nothing bigger than a 3.3 (hell, it was still the base engine up until this year), and none of the early Japanese vans were powerhouses (Toyota Previa, I'm looking in your space-restricted direction).
The 3.1 was not a good match for that van, I think it had only 120 hp and that engine was a dog at the best of times. When they realized this and put the 3.8 in there as an option things improved drastically, though it still had those really annoying pillars.
Agreed. It's the Cadillac of Minivans. And everyone should want to drive something that looks like a Space Shuttle.
Oh, great! Now see what you've done? You've made the poor XT cry!
…What kind of horrible monster are you?
Truth, I had to look that one up. And I am a better person for it now.
Edmund: I was just hoping you might give me some insight into the failure of the Edsel. My contention is that, by cheaply sharing the Mercury body shell, Ford cynically attempted to match the GM portfolio more directly.
Hoon: Of course that's your contention. You're a press-release journalist; you took a quick look at Wikipedia, maybe one of the citations. You're gonna be convinced of that 'till the Edsel is the first article you pick on AteUpWithMotor. Then you're going to be talking about how the Ford's real motivation was to compete by expanding its dealer base. That's gonna last until next year; you're gonna be in here regurgitating old or new party lines about the Fed and interest rates around 1957.
Edmund: Well, as a matter of fact, I won't, because the cars of the time show people at the time were undoubtedly in the mood to spend lavishly, but the Jonesmanship of the…
Hoon: "The Jonesmanship of the early 1950s had taken subtle turns. People no longer spoke merely of status; each now cultivated his image."? You got that from Setright's "Drive On," page 105, right? Yeah, I read that too. Were you gonna plagiarize the whole thing for us? Do you have any thoughts of your own on this matter? Or do you, is that your thing, you write a piece, read some obscure passage and then pretend – you pawn it off as your own, as your own idea just to gain some clicks, embarrass my friends?
…
Hoon: See, the sad thing about a guy like you is, in 50 years you're gonna start doin' some thinkin' on your own and you're going to come up with the fact that there are two certainties in life: one, don't do that, and two, you spent a lot of time slaving over copy when a copy-paste would have fooled all the same people.
Edmund: Yeah, but I will have press cars. And you'll be out on the fringe trying to start some worthless heap.
Hoon: That may be, but at least I won't be unoriginal. But I mean, if you have a problem with that, I mean, we could just step outside – we could figure it out.
Edmund: No, man, there's no problem. It's cool.
You like apples?
Was this some other website, I'd nominate that for the daily recognition of excellence.
Ditto.
<img src="http://www.dragtimes.com/images/13009-1987-Suzuki-Samurai.jpg" width="500">
"My honour will be restored"
These lists are always a way to throw monkey poo at the cars history has forgotten.
If you think about it, there's something to hate about all cars.
911s suffer from oversteer…put it on the worst cars list.
Hummers have a big center hump and are noisy…put it on the worst cars list.
Veyrons are expensive as hell…put 'em on the worst cars list.
You get my point…
See, this is why regular people find car people (or any other type of enthusiast) boring. We fly off the handle over nonsense like this. "Someone insulted my favorite '80s Gutless Crapbox and/or '70s Rolling Bordello. To the internet to register my disgust!"
Whatever. Most of these cars really were crap in one for another. Maybe they were engineered by a moron. Or assembled by someone who didn't care. Or maybe the company who sold them didn't know the first thing about selling cars to actual people. Perhaps it was a combination of the three.
The Solstice was all hype and halfassed execution. The MN12 Thundercougarfalconbird? Great car that was simultaneously gauche for the 6-Series buyers it was aimed at and to sophisticated for the couch potatoes and geezers that normally bought T-Birds. The Grand Prix GXP? The ancient W-body with a transverse small block? Well that was just pants-on-head stupid.
I can go on.
All I hear anymore on any give car site is the constant whining about how people don't buy station wagons with diesel engines and manual transmissions. The instance that, say, that car X would have been great if only Y had/hadn't happened. The constant sniping at Detroit or Japan, depending where one's braindead loyalties/prejudices lie. All the lamenting about how things ain't the way they used to be.
I find myself commenting less and less on auto forums. I've practically lived and breathed cars my whole life, but listening to the same tired attitudes and knee-jerk responses is just…boring. Maybe it's because I'm still smarting from the Eurodouche on [REDACTED] who accused me of not being a "true car guy" because I drive a beater econocar with a slushbox. Or maybe it's just that, unlike the rest of the internet, I'm not 14 anymore.
The problem here is that it is a list titled the "100 worst cars of all time." That is a huge claim to make, and one hell of a title to hold. As a simple example; how is the fastest car to ever lap the Top Gear test track one of the worst cars of all time? How is a car like the Metro, that gets great gas mileage and does exactly what it was designed to do for a really long service life, one of the worst cars of all time?
Yeah, there is a lot of hate here. But most of the people are making very sound and well reasoned arguments as a rebuttal. It's what [REDACTED] used to be, and what this place always was and still is. I remember the exact example you are referring to on [REDACTED] and completely agree with you. That's why I am here now.
I should say that my rant really wasn't directed this site. Hooniverse just happened to be the 3rd or 4th site I've seen complaining about this list and I stumbled in the middle of that funny post-work, pre-beer time where I'm most likely to rant.
This place is usually a beacon of sanity in the car blog world, and it was easier to post this rant here rather than elsewhere.
And, yeah, it's a crap list.
I just realized something. This is the only general car site I go on anymore… Everything else is brand or model specific forums. It's probably why I ranted harder than most, since it's my only outlet.
I hear ya though. I just wandered over to the site that should not be named and saw the same thing. It's all predictable, but there is a basis to it. When something that someone feels passionately about gets bashed, then it becomes personal…
We've grown accustomed to inverting every intention with irony. The give and take of reality seems to back this up. It's tough not to become more pessimistic if any action, in some small way, will always have an opposite result. We face eternal disappointment.. But there is a greater risk to this fatalism: if we take only the flaws of our world to heart, we will miss out on many things that are still wonderful, however imperfect. I am not prepared to accept the worst possibilities as inevitable. Instead, I will celebrate baby steps, and the redemption of maligned missteps. Sometimes I'll just be spinning my wheels. But I'm not going to lift.
/Sorry, that wound up having nothing to do with anything. You just happened to be standing there when some dominoes that had been lining up in my head for a few days got knocked over, and I'm shouting into the air.
If anything, I find these sorts of lists frustrating given how they treat anything oddball as a failure, which renders basically the only thing treated with any respect as your dull (relatively, at least) luxury and supercars, out of reach of the average person.
Sure, it's fair to take an honest look at a car, but taking aim at something just because there's not a major enthusiast following behind it feels sort of lame.
Well said. You could have added ",,,not 14 and hiding behind a false name." People can be real tough guys when disguised in a mob. If you argue about the 100 Worst Cars for more than an hour, you just might be a, not a redneck, they're a better class of folks.
Every year the lists start pooping out. Every year car websites show a link and say, "What were they thinking!" Every year the people on the car sites go and look and say, "What were they thinking? Assclown." So, either every year we start offing the lister or start offing the reblog of a crappy assignment to a crap "journalist" who needs some xmas monies. I've been told the Earl of List is the one who came up with these shenanigans, maybe we should go dig him up and ride him around town.
There's a lot I take issue with – the Eagle Premier (since it was streets ahead of the Die-Nasty, and lead to the LH, and if you draw things to an absurd conclusion, we can thank it for the new Challenger). The Lotus Elan was a pretty sweet little car for being FWD. I like the bustleback Sevilles. A lot. And you don't take issue with the 300SD for being slow, since it'll just keep going long after you remembered that being a complaint. Plus, you know, everything else mentioned here.
But insult the SD1? I will have my satisfaction.
[youtube zv-bPeyrdHA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv-bPeyrdHA youtube]
To those who hatin' on John's cleverly written piece, give him a rest and start hatin' on me:
Read "Beyond 'The 100 Worst Cars of All TIme'." http://www.realcarguys.com/post/Beyond-the-100-Wo…
Here's MY list of some more of the World's Worst:
Ferrari 348, F355, and 512TR.
Shelby Series 1
original Cobra
Cobra replicas
"97 Porsche Turbo
'08 BMW M3
BMW X6
Pre '94 Toyota MR2
Mercedes R class
'90 Diablo
Every Saleen Mustang
Lotus Esprit S4
(Note: I've driven them all. Several tried to kill me. And nope I'm not a hack driver: ran NASCAR Southwest Tour, Daytona 24 Hours and won five 24-races.)
And I'm so entertained by those who defend cars they've never seen, much less driven.
—Mac Demere
I think Bush said it best: "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."
I'm not clicking on two troll articles in one day.
Try again tomorrow or something…
Friend, I was just trying to take some heat off a friend. I'll avoid Hooterville from now on. Tell Mr. Haney, I said "Hey." And, unlike you welcoming fellows, I don't hide behind a pseudonym. It's real easy to take cheap shots while wearing a mask, Flick.
I, for one, enjoyed your article there.
What? Seriously, your second two sentences missed the target there.
Anyway, whatever your intent was, I had had plenty of the subject for one day. I wasn't about to go into another article I'd potentially get into a debate over. I very well may check it out tomorrow.
I honestly don't pay that much attention to who writes articles generally, with a few notable exceptions, so forgive me if I didn't recognize you or your friend. Looking into it, your friend has quite an admirable history of writing. Which actually confuses me even more in regards to this dreck. I guess we all have to do things in our career we don't want to do in order to pay the bills from time to time…
By the way, those who stick around here long enough know where to find me. I'm not going to give out my name that easily, but most people know enough on the forums I post on just how to track me down. I have no reason to hide. Hell, if you're in the area, I'd probably even buy you a beer to sit around and shoot the shit.
What's your impression of the R Class? Why what? I don't own one–just interested in hauling up to five kids around in something without a sliding door.
I see no purpose for it. It's not a minivan, not a crossover, not a sedan. MB has several vehicles that better fit whatever the R-Class does.
Eh, whatever it is, it's roomier than an E-Class wagon (good luck fitting adults in the third row of one of those), and the GL is exclusively for 5-foot tall (artificially) blonde women who want you to think they're perpetually 29, nevermind the need for a 7-seat vehicle.
I think you just nailed the niche. It isn't an impractical sedan and doesn't have the stigma of a minivan. Unlike most mid size SUVs and crossovers, the third row of the R is actually useful when car seats are in the second row. I know my interest is in the minority and sales figures reflect it.
Well, congratulations to you (seriously) for being able to drive cars that I know I can only dream of doing. Not so much the R Class or the Mister Twos, but that might have been obvious.
I will, however, not congratulate you on the tone you take in your post here. Sure, we may be the quintessential ne'er-do-wells of this here internets machine, but given the hastiness in which your dear friend's article seems to have been written, we do not need to have driven any of these cars; I am quite sure the author himself hasn't. I feel that his better-than-thou attitude used and the lack of good research are absolutely open to scrutiny; so many similar articles have been done before, it's time someone took a different approach.
Mac, you seem like an interesting fellow, I hope you stay.
-Jordan Rimpela
Hey, I'm Irish. There's a reason Notre Dame's mascot is a leprechaun with his fists up. Without the Scots-Irish ready-to-fight spirit, George Washington would've lost and we'd be Canadians, eh. I apologize for being, uh, aggressive. I'll come back!
I'm just totally fed up with the very concept of worst lists. It's all just based on the opinion of one guy, anyway.
When I write, I try to write about what makes a car interesting, not just concentrate on the highs and lows. Finding merits and demerits is childs play. Seeing through them takes more practice.
I can say one positive thing about this list: At least they don't force you to click through 100 images to see it, it's right there on the first page. Forbes could take note for the next time they
feel like picking on Chrysler for Daimler's mistakespublish a bad cars list of their own.I was mad by #100. #69 did it for me… It's true that the MN12 program missed its targets, but the result was not a bad car.
"…something Douvrin something Belfast."
Hey, anyone who thinks that an engine designed jointly by three automakers – two French and one Swedish – and eventually abandoned outright by the Swedes can possibly be anything but laughable…
…is pretty much my hero. Also a lunatic.
i was over it when I saw the atom was on the list.
I haven't seen the full list and I heard the bronco II made it. That just shows how awesome it is. Who ever made this list must have seen one on the commute to work other wise they would have never thought of it. Or they owned one and lacked the ability to shift a transfer case or change a starter that falls out with 2 bolts. This sort of list is a bad idea. Be careful little eyes what you see be careful little ears what you hear…..
Just checked the list in person say rotary pickup now I want to punch this person in the mouth I don't care if she's a girl.
Having been acquainted with the work of John Pearley Huffman for a LONG time (ever heard of Hot Rod?), I'm a bit surprised at his list. He's clearly not writing for the enthusiast crowd. Normally I enjoy his work quite a bit.
If you read a lot of automotive print media, you've probably read his work. Then again, maybe I'm the only 30+ Luddite hanging around here.
err, no. According to the stats, the average visitor here is above 40. Of course, that could be only because The Professor checks in periodically.
Oh, sure, I'm not surprised the average age is 40+. I just don't know how many of those folks still read print media.
They say "any press is good press"…. I doubt the amount of negative publicity this list created for Edmunds is going to be good for them….
Or maybe the group of hoons that got upset from this list is still too small to make a real difference in the big picture? I certainly hope not! I at least didn't waste any of my precious clicks on the Edmunds list!
Owned a 2001 Suzuki Swift with the automatic which is pretty much the same as the Metro except with 4 cylinder vs the 3 in the Geo.
First off Edmunds is full of #*(@
Yes the car was slow but it was also fun to drive albeit embarrassing to be seen in at times
The best part was that even with the automatic AND driving with supreme leadfoot I was averaging 36 mpg city (Ridiculous Mpg highway). If I featherfoot it I would average well over 40 mpg city.
I only had to fill up the tiny 9 gallon tank ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS! Now that the economy has tanked I really miss that the most.
Im dropping over 50 bucks a week in Premium for my Maxima (which is falling apart)
4 super cheap Primewell 13" = $200 including the mounting and balacing
a complete catback exhaust system with install and labor = just a tad over 200 bucks
VS
2000 Nissan Maxima GLE – paid off in 2008
(Dealer Rape) New starter and MAF replacement – $1100
(Dealer Rape) Alternator and ignition coil – $1200
(Dealer Rape) New strut and flush and brakes – $1000
(my mechanic) new radiator – $650
(my mechanic) new A/C clutch – $450
(my mechanic) fix cracked manifold – $650 (have to do this after the holidays for obvious reasons)
OHH did I mention this is all in the past 2 years?!?!
Yes I will have to dump the Maxima soon but only after I get a new commuter car to replace the Suzuki we sold last year and have that paid off. I will probably get a Sienna to transport my growing family to replace the Maxima
I love my 2000 Maxima SE, I've replaced many of those same items in my driveway. I guess I agree to disagree. I find it to be reliable and have a low cost of ownership. How many miles are on it? Maybe I'll make it my 3rd Maxima…
Fuck you Edmunds. Putting the 914, the Corvair and the Atom on the list? Them's fightin' words.