I had a Saab Turbo as well... '93 I think. It was a giant, steaming crapheap that was costing me ~$800/month in repairs toward the end, mostly in transmission.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
I had an old non-turbo 1973 99. Loved the handling (I was coming from a Volvo...) but hated the mechanic of the month club. It took quite a while to figure out that the best Saab mechanic didn't work at the Saab dealership and that the worst Saab mechanic did.
Followed that up with an 80 made in Pennsylvania VW Rabbit. Talk about a car that was fun when it ran but that wasn't very often!
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
I'd have to say that the worst car I've ever owned is a '95 Olds Aurora. While it may be beautiful aesthetically and very comfortable to drive, underneath the car is a nightmare. If something can go wrong with this car it will. I bought this car in 2000 for $10000. Since then I've spent about that much keeping the car repaired. I'm so far in debt on this car I can't afford to get rid of it. On top of that, "Mr Goodwrench" at the local Cadillac dealership is incompetent. It took them 4 1/2 months to install a transmission in my car only to find out that it was the computer was defective. Because of this I will never own another GM product.
I'd have to say that the worst car I've ever owned is a '95 Olds Aurora. While it may be beautiful aesthetically and very comfortable to drive, underneath the car is a nightmare. If something can go wrong with this car it will.
Yeah, I've heard those first-gen Auroras can do that to people. The styling on them is downright seductive, and has probably lured many an unsuspecting buyer to their financial doom. There's some module in the transmission that, when it goes bad, is like a $1000+ repair, and it tends to be a common failure. I've also heard a/c problems are common. And for some reason, everything that breaks on the car is like twice as expensive as it would be on any other GM car. :sick:
To a degree, it's always perplexed me, as the Olds Aurora 4.0 V-8 is just a version of the Cadillac Northstar. And the tranny is the tried-and-true GM 4-speed automatic. So what is it, about the Aurora, that makes them so danged troublesome? I've always been tempted by the style, but have heard enough horror stories to stay away.
was my 1982 Mercury LN7 two-seater. Truly a POS, but was my first and thus-far only manual transmission car. After the head gasket blew, plus the constant stream of power steering fluid on the ground, a car payment was going to be less expensive than keeping it.
Worst car I ever had that I hated was my late '70s Ford Granada coupe. It was bought in a rush because of a car accident that wiped out my beloved first car, '73 Maverick, and I had to have something quick. Mother said she'd help me if I didn't buy another Maverick, she liked the Granada, and I've hated the car and her ever since. It, too, had a leaking power steering unit, come to think of it, must have been a Ford thing back in the day. My last two cars, both Toyota-made, had no such problem.
Was the second-generation Aurora as bad? I almost got a 2001 Aurora before I got my 2002 Cadillac Seville STS. Did I dodge a huge bullet or was the second-gen Aurora better although its styling wasn't as distinctive?
I had a 2001 with the short star v-6 and did not have any problems with it. I sold it with 61k miles. It was very nice riding cars with every option(I loved the rain sensing wipers). It was just too big a car for my tastes,my wife said I looked 10 years older driving it.
I bought it when Olds was closing ther doors and got a great deal on it used.
I'm lucky that I've never owned a really dreadful car, but I still have memories of the truly horrible 1964 Pontiac Catalina wagon my parents bought new when I was 8. At that age I didn't necessarily know all the different mechanical problems it had, but I remember the damn thing stranded us several times, that it rattled unbelievably almost from the day we brought it home, and that at about 50,000 miles it got so that it couldn't go over 65 MPH or so without shaking so much you almost couldn't drive the thing.
It was such a miserable POS that my parents took to recalling an old Pontiac commercial from the '50s, in which their Native American mascot said, "Pontiac: Heap fine car" -- and changed it to "Pontiac: Heap!" The thing met its end at the hands of a drunk driver (fortunately it was parked and unoccupied, and no one was hurt), and my parents were delighted to have it out of their lives.
The Ford Taurus was used as the police interceptor in the movie, due to its then-futuristic design.
The Taurus's main competitor at the time, the Pontiac 6000, is parodied in the movie as the "6000 SUX". The 6000 SUX itself was based on a 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass with extensive bodywork. Commercials advertise the SUX as "an American tradition" with a fuel efficiency of 8.2 miles per gallon.
I think I read somewhere that they used a Cutlass because of the roofline. The '73-77 A-body sedan's roof was rounded, curvy, and had generous glass area, and lent itself to serving as the basis for a futuristic car better than any other hulk of the 70's probably could have.
I have a '76 LeMans, and while I've been able to break down into single digits, I haven't achieved 8.2 mpg with it yet! :P
my worst car was a Nissan/Datsun B-210 I remembered I did have one other car that stood out as a true POS. I had a Nissan Pulser. I goes to show I am willing to give a company a second chance. It was only my second Nissan but it proved to be my last. Though I have been tempted by the Murano. I have had two Toyotas one Good and one not so good. the 1981 Toyota Pickup with the 22-R had a great little motor but the rest of the truck was pretty lightweight. I could however see myself getting another Toyota if they made something I wanted. The only vehicles I would have a hard time trusting again are made by Nissan and VW. VW has had three shots at me and they won't get a 4th. Nissan has only had two so who knows?
Well in my case the B-210 never ran "right" and the Pulser would have felt at home with a VW when it came to repairs. Believe it or not I traded the Pulser in for a much more dependable Suzuki Sammy.
Believe it or not, the car I always wanted as a teen was a '92 Geo Tracker. :confuse:
I still like the looks of them; I am not sure if they had reliability problems or not. Interestingly, about 3 weeks ago I spotted a pair of pickups hauling a pair of Trackers on trailers, all puffed up as off-road hunting rigs (big tires, etc) just south of Prince George, BC. We were on our way back to Alaska at the tail end of a long trip, though, so no stopping to chat!
Anyway, I ended up inheriting my father's old '71 Econoline van and have never regretted it.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
You can hardly go wrong with a full sized van or pickup. I had an old Dodge Tradesman I drove for years. and it never left me stranded. It was the last Van with a stick I ever drove.
Yeah, they can work for a long time. I am not sure how many miles are on mine due to the 100,000 limit in the odometers and the current "frankenstein" status of my now "69" van. I will guess there are somewhere between 200 and 300 thousand on the body. The engine has somewhere north of 100,000; I know my dad replaced the engine in his '71 van somewhere in the late 70s, and the original engine had about 150,000 on it. It is not a manual though. As a van, I do not mind it much for some reason. I guess it could have been a "3 on the tree", but otherwise a shifter would be awkward in there considering how far the dog house protrudes into the interior.
I learned to drive manual on farm tractors initially, then later with a '79 F150. I expect that my son will learn to drive stick with the '69 Chevy, though considering it will be more than 50 years old at that point, there is no way he will get solo outings in it as a teen. :P Oh, actually, I suppose I will teach my daughter to drive it, too! I almost forgot about her - she is a recent addition (2 months old)!
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Believe it or not, the car I always wanted as a teen was a '92 Geo Tracker.
One of my friends had a 1998 Tracker convertible, that he bought new. Traded it back in May of 2006 with about 134,000 miles on it, for a new Xterra. As I recall, the two most persistent problems he had were the transmission, and some problem with the EGR valve that would randomly trigger the check engine light.
It had a 60,000 mile powertrain warranty on it, and like clockwork, that tranny failed around 20K, 40K, and thankfully, just before the 60K mile warranty was up. I'm convinced to this day the the dealer just did the bare minimum to get him through the warranty period, to where it wasn't their problem anymore. Still, I saw the paperwork, and it would be worded as "Transmission Overhaul", which while maybe not as intensive as a rebuild/replacement, I'm sure is more than just a drain & fill!
It failed again, around 86,000 miles. I had him take it to a local tranny place I had used before, and they got it running again for about 60 bucks. But warned him that it was on its last legs, and the next time it failed, that would probably be it. Next time came up at 93,000. The dealer beat around the bush and quoted $1-3K. The transmission place didn't even want to try messing with it again.
I called around and found a wrecking yard that had a wrecked 1996 Sidekick with 55K miles on it and a good transmission, and a place just down the hill from them that would put it in. I think it was around $650 for the tranny, $400 to put it in. And then, almost immediately, the check engine light came on. :surprise: Turns out the torque converter wasn't locking up, and that triggered it. It was covered for free under the tranny's warranty...but get this. We took it back to the place that sold us the tranny. They sent it up to the local transmission shop to get it fixed. The transmission shop that, a few weeks before, didn't want to mess with the thing! :confuse:
Anyway, after that, he never had a bit of transmission trouble and it was still running fine with 134K on it. It still had plenty of life left in it, although the convertible top was getting ratty and it had some hail damage on the hood. And the check engine light kept coming on, indicating the EGR valve. The mechanic checked it out though, and said it was fine. Turned off the light, and eventually it came back on. Finally my friend just bought a code reader and started turning it off himself whenever it came on!
...about designing a car in the 1970s in the latest issue (February 2008) of Collectible Automobile. Designers interviewed in the article said designing a car during the Seventies was "sheer hell."
My father bought it in China in april 2004 for 60000 RMB (about 7500 USD at that time)
While it seems to have been doing Ok for the first year, issues piled up when I drove this car in the few last months of 2005. The car needed to go to the shop as much as once a week.
When new, this car looked pretty promising with features found in European cars.
The Engine was very coarse though and any run above 70 mph was welcomed by a tiring engine whine. The road handling was simply frightening, the Engine lacked torque but was pretty thirsty (30 MPG). Briefly speaking, zero pleasure to drive.
My back was hurting after more than one hour drive. I later found a way to increase the lumbar support by sliding a piece of carton from a folded crate between my back and the seat which helped a lot.
The design of the QQ was shamelessly lifted from the CHevrolet/Daewoo Matiz, with only a few details changed to comply with the very relax chinese copyright laws (forbid only 100% similar products, so changing a door handle will do the job) . Chery is know for lifting their design from many manufacturers very aggressively.
I can't list all the problems, but I remember being stranded on the motorway with wife and kids, having to call the highway rescue to have the car lifted away for a hefty amount.
Alternator, battery, power steering, Fan, cooling system, starter, starter wheel, front Lights, Mirrors, Fuel trap, ignition and many other items failed, sometimes many times.
I managed to hate this car, with its belt screetching when cold, its high MPG after a few months of slow drivers (this car was in many hands before I took it in 2005 and was recording 21 MPG at worst)
This car was involved in a collision with the roof on the passenger side bumping into a trailer. The car should have been written off as its structure integrity was compromised, but I don't know why, a workshop did a bad job repairing it and back to the road.
We tried to sell this car but nobody wanted it. We gave it and it was returned back to us. Everyone complained about the various problems showing up here and there. Eventually I drove it for 500 miles for its last stretch to throw it away properly. The Engine would stall randomly on the highway, with the Check Engine light on, restarting after many tries. a real wreck and a nightmare.
Switching to the Fit was for me like going from darkness to light.
Interestingly enough, that was one of my BEST cars. I drove one from 1979 - 1989, about 130K. It provided excellent service, minimum problems, and got around 23 MPG.
The '78 Fairmont tended to be a very inconsistent car. They were really popular that first year out, and Ford was struggling to keep up with demand. As a result, they might have been slamming them together faster than is recommended. They were also plagued with a lot of recalls that year, although they were better than, say, a 1976 Aspen/Volare or a 1980 Citation.
The vast majority of them had 200 straight-sixes. That was actually a pretty durable engine. Cheap to maintain, simple to build, dating back to the 1960 Ford Falcon's 144 unit. The 2.3 OHC 4-cyl also used in the Pinto was actually the base engine. The 302, while optional, I don't think was all that popular as Ford tended to push the Fairmont as an economical car.
I think inconsistency was a big problem back in the 70's, though. I swear they could build one car that would go a quarter-million miles without any trouble, yet the next one off the assembly line would be cursed from day one!
I imagine with the 302, the lightweight Fairmont was a pretty quick car.
My worst car, without a doubt, was a 1973 Escort 1300L 2-door - which I got in 1976, and sold (gratefully) in 1978, after it had tried several times to kill me... It was only fitted with drum brakes - no discs on the front - they were still an option on that model here until 1975. My first indication the car was really bad was when I braked slightly, slowing at the point where the M1 motorway then ended in north London, and one of the front brakes completely seized on, so I found myself facing oncoming traffic in the fast lane, having spun 180 degrees without any warning - I was only expecting to slow from 75 to about 65 mph, so a locked wheel was a bit of a surprise... It also had a habit of breaking engine mounts every 500 miles, the exhaust pipe constantly moved as a result, banging against the outrigger to the side of the engine bay, and a couple of the tyres would go bald after about 2000 miles. Turned out one of the previous owners had taken a fairly large hit amidships in the thing and basically the entire bodyshell was out of alignment, so it really wasn't roadworthy. It was beyond my means to fix it- and I sold it to a dealer - for very little, because it had also acquired a couple of dents and a cracked back window (that was vandalism, not the cars fault). If anyone out there ever owned or encountered MTX 404L after me I am truly sorry - it really should have been scrapped. My next car was my first Mini 1000 - and that was probably a wreck, but at least it was only tatty - it did at least go around corners (like a roller skate) and I felt safe driving it (even if my passengers didn't )
Comments
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
Followed that up with an 80 made in Pennsylvania VW Rabbit. Talk about a car that was fun when it ran but that wasn't very often!
Yeah, I've heard those first-gen Auroras can do that to people. The styling on them is downright seductive, and has probably lured many an unsuspecting buyer to their financial doom. There's some module in the transmission that, when it goes bad, is like a $1000+ repair, and it tends to be a common failure. I've also heard a/c problems are common. And for some reason, everything that breaks on the car is like twice as expensive as it would be on any other GM car. :sick:
To a degree, it's always perplexed me, as the Olds Aurora 4.0 V-8 is just a version of the Cadillac Northstar. And the tranny is the tried-and-true GM 4-speed automatic. So what is it, about the Aurora, that makes them so danged troublesome? I've always been tempted by the style, but have heard enough horror stories to stay away.
Worst car I ever had that I hated was my late '70s Ford Granada coupe. It was bought in a rush because of a car accident that wiped out my beloved first car, '73 Maverick, and I had to have something quick. Mother said she'd help me if I didn't buy another Maverick, she liked the Granada, and I've hated the car and her ever since. It, too, had a leaking power steering unit, come to think of it, must have been a Ford thing back in the day. My last two cars, both Toyota-made, had no such problem.
I bought it when Olds was closing ther doors and got a great deal on it used.
It was such a miserable POS that my parents took to recalling an old Pontiac commercial from the '50s, in which their Native American mascot said, "Pontiac: Heap fine car" -- and changed it to "Pontiac: Heap!" The thing met its end at the hands of a drunk driver (fortunately it was parked and unoccupied, and no one was hurt), and my parents were delighted to have it out of their lives.
The Ford Taurus was used as the police interceptor in the movie, due to its then-futuristic design.
The Taurus's main competitor at the time, the Pontiac 6000, is parodied in the movie as the "6000 SUX". The 6000 SUX itself was based on a 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass with extensive bodywork. Commercials advertise the SUX as "an American tradition" with a fuel efficiency of 8.2 miles per gallon.
link title
I have a '76 LeMans, and while I've been able to break down into single digits, I haven't achieved 8.2 mpg with it yet! :P
Just ride around with it in L1 all day.
I still like the looks of them; I am not sure if they had reliability problems or not. Interestingly, about 3 weeks ago I spotted a pair of pickups hauling a pair of Trackers on trailers, all puffed up as off-road hunting rigs (big tires, etc) just south of Prince George, BC. We were on our way back to Alaska at the tail end of a long trip, though, so no stopping to chat!
Anyway, I ended up inheriting my father's old '71 Econoline van and have never regretted it.
Of course, they all had over 250K miles...
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
I learned to drive manual on farm tractors initially, then later with a '79 F150. I expect that my son will learn to drive stick with the '69 Chevy, though considering it will be more than 50 years old at that point, there is no way he will get solo outings in it as a teen. :P Oh, actually, I suppose I will teach my daughter to drive it, too! I almost forgot about her - she is a recent addition (2 months old)!
One of my friends had a 1998 Tracker convertible, that he bought new. Traded it back in May of 2006 with about 134,000 miles on it, for a new Xterra. As I recall, the two most persistent problems he had were the transmission, and some problem with the EGR valve that would randomly trigger the check engine light.
It had a 60,000 mile powertrain warranty on it, and like clockwork, that tranny failed around 20K, 40K, and thankfully, just before the 60K mile warranty was up. I'm convinced to this day the the dealer just did the bare minimum to get him through the warranty period, to where it wasn't their problem anymore. Still, I saw the paperwork, and it would be worded as "Transmission Overhaul", which while maybe not as intensive as a rebuild/replacement, I'm sure is more than just a drain & fill!
It failed again, around 86,000 miles. I had him take it to a local tranny place I had used before, and they got it running again for about 60 bucks. But warned him that it was on its last legs, and the next time it failed, that would probably be it. Next time came up at 93,000. The dealer beat around the bush and quoted $1-3K. The transmission place didn't even want to try messing with it again.
I called around and found a wrecking yard that had a wrecked 1996 Sidekick with 55K miles on it and a good transmission, and a place just down the hill from them that would put it in. I think it was around $650 for the tranny, $400 to put it in. And then, almost immediately, the check engine light came on. :surprise: Turns out the torque converter wasn't locking up, and that triggered it. It was covered for free under the tranny's warranty...but get this. We took it back to the place that sold us the tranny. They sent it up to the local transmission shop to get it fixed. The transmission shop that, a few weeks before, didn't want to mess with the thing! :confuse:
Anyway, after that, he never had a bit of transmission trouble and it was still running fine with 134K on it. It still had plenty of life left in it, although the convertible top was getting ratty and it had some hail damage on the hood. And the check engine light kept coming on, indicating the EGR valve. The mechanic checked it out though, and said it was fine. Turned off the light, and eventually it came back on. Finally my friend just bought a code reader and started turning it off himself whenever it came on!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chery_QQ
My father bought it in China in april 2004 for 60000 RMB (about 7500 USD at that time)
While it seems to have been doing Ok for the first year, issues piled up when I drove this car in the few last months of 2005. The car needed to go to the shop as much as once a week.
When new, this car looked pretty promising with features found in European cars.
The Engine was very coarse though and any run above 70 mph was welcomed by a tiring engine whine. The road handling was simply frightening, the Engine lacked torque but was pretty thirsty (30 MPG). Briefly speaking, zero pleasure to drive.
My back was hurting after more than one hour drive. I later found a way to increase the lumbar support by sliding a piece of carton from a folded crate between my back and the seat which helped a lot.
The design of the QQ was shamelessly lifted from the CHevrolet/Daewoo Matiz, with only a few details changed to comply with the very relax chinese copyright laws (forbid only 100% similar products, so changing a door handle will do the job)
. Chery is know for lifting their design from many manufacturers very aggressively.
I can't list all the problems, but I remember being stranded on the motorway with wife and kids, having to call the highway rescue to have the car lifted away for a hefty amount.
Alternator, battery, power steering, Fan, cooling system, starter, starter wheel, front Lights, Mirrors, Fuel trap, ignition and many other items failed, sometimes many times.
I managed to hate this car, with its belt screetching when cold, its high MPG after a few months of slow drivers (this car was in many hands before I took it in 2005 and was recording 21 MPG at worst)
This car was involved in a collision with the roof on the passenger side bumping into a trailer. The car should have been written off as its structure integrity was compromised, but I don't know why, a workshop did a bad job repairing it and back to the road.
We tried to sell this car but nobody wanted it. We gave it and it was returned back to us. Everyone complained about the various problems showing up here and there.
Eventually I drove it for 500 miles for its last stretch to throw it away properly. The Engine would stall randomly on the highway, with the Check Engine light on, restarting after many tries. a real wreck and a nightmare.
Switching to the Fit was for me like going from darkness to light.
1978 Ford Fairmont "
Interestingly enough, that was one of my BEST cars. I drove one from 1979 - 1989, about 130K. It provided excellent service, minimum problems, and got around 23 MPG.
I had the 302 V8, did you have a smaller engine?
The vast majority of them had 200 straight-sixes. That was actually a pretty durable engine. Cheap to maintain, simple to build, dating back to the 1960 Ford Falcon's 144 unit. The 2.3 OHC 4-cyl also used in the Pinto was actually the base engine. The 302, while optional, I don't think was all that popular as Ford tended to push the Fairmont as an economical car.
I think inconsistency was a big problem back in the 70's, though. I swear they could build one car that would go a quarter-million miles without any trouble, yet the next one off the assembly line would be cursed from day one!
I imagine with the 302, the lightweight Fairmont was a pretty quick car.
It was only fitted with drum brakes - no discs on the front - they were still an option on that model here until 1975. My first indication the car was really bad was when I braked slightly, slowing at the point where the M1 motorway then ended in north London, and one of the front brakes completely seized on, so I found myself facing oncoming traffic in the fast lane, having spun 180 degrees without any warning - I was only expecting to slow from 75 to about 65 mph, so a locked wheel was a bit of a surprise...
It also had a habit of breaking engine mounts every 500 miles, the exhaust pipe constantly moved as a result, banging against the outrigger to the side of the engine bay, and a couple of the tyres would go bald after about 2000 miles.
Turned out one of the previous owners had taken a fairly large hit amidships in the thing and basically the entire bodyshell was out of alignment, so it really wasn't roadworthy.
It was beyond my means to fix it- and I sold it to a dealer - for very little, because it had also acquired a couple of dents and a cracked back window (that was vandalism, not the cars fault).
If anyone out there ever owned or encountered MTX 404L after me I am truly sorry - it really should have been scrapped.
My next car was my first Mini 1000 - and that was probably a wreck, but at least it was only tatty - it did at least go around corners (like a roller skate) and I felt safe driving it (even if my passengers didn't )