Car Horror Stories

So rather then posting something new. I was wondering about peoples horror stories. What's the worst car you have ever owned? What was painful about it?

I'll start off.

The most painful car I have ever owned was a 1986 Ford Thunderbird Elan. Mechanically it was bullet proof, it was a very reliable car. And as far as comfort went it was fully loaded, it had a digital dash, full power seats/windows, a high end audio system (for the year) and its ride was so soft it felt like it weighed in at 6000+ lbs. Surprisingly however it only weighed in at about 3200lbs.

The only option it didn't have was the efi 5.0L V8. That means I was stuck with the efi 3.8L V6 pumping out a whopping 120hp... in a way this does contribute to how it feels like it weighs 6000lbs. But between the lack of power and a 3 speed automatic that was geared for low revs/high speeds, it would not chirp a tire if a passenger was in the car. The other painful part of this car was its fuel economy. Part of the digital dash board was a fuel economy gauge. Right before I sold the car it was clocking in some 7mpg.

Now I am wondering what kind of horror stories do you have?

Shredmo - 10/8/2009 9:54:56 AM

+1 Boost

When I was a kid, my dad purchased a brand new Buick "Estate" wagon with a diesel. I think it was a 1981 or '82. God, that was a piece. It was a seafoam green w/wood paneling! My dad is sort of a car nut, having owned 50+ new cars through his years. I like to bring up that purchase on occasion, just to give him a hard time.

B7FAN - 10/8/2009 2:33:09 PM

+4 Boost

iN 199 I PURCHASED A 1987 FORD TAURUS.......NEED I SAY MORE!!!!!!!

B7FAN - 10/8/2009 2:33:42 PM

+3 Boost

i MEANT TO SAY "IN 1999"

Joe_Limon - 10/8/2009 2:57:32 PM

+3 Boost

Haha ouch! How long did that last you?

B7FAN - 10/8/2009 4:57:41 PM

+2 Boost

all of 6 months

Shredmo - 10/8/2009 4:54:18 PM

+4 Boost

You had a '91 'Nasty?
LOL!

M35MT - 10/8/2009 4:33:50 PM

+1 Boost

2001 Isuzu Trooper

Actually, a good, capable, underappreciated and reliable SUV. However, it was BUTT ugly and was a 5-speed manual, so it felt like I was driving around in an International Flat-Bed. Dumped it after 5 months and got a Mazdaspeed3...wow, what a difference.

tango - 10/8/2009 5:59:05 PM

+3 Boost

2002 Toyota Corolla. That car was fairly reliable and fairly good with the fuel economy. But it was cheaply made and was not very refined. It was also very poorly insulated from noise and it was just all-round not worth what I was paying for it. Over-rated piece of shit. My 1993 Suzuki Swift GTI was a little bullet, but it was the worst built car I ever owned. Everything rattled and it was just all-round garbage. My 1987 Hyundai Excel was another crappy car. It was old when I bought it so I really can't say that anything was inherently bad about it. My favourite car continues to be my 1995 Daewoo Cielo GLE. That car was all me. I really do miss it, but it was time to move on.

MSP6 - 10/8/2009 8:55:03 PM

+3 Boost

2006 Mazdaspeed6 GT.
It spent 3 months in the shop out of my 40 months ownership (about 2 in the first year).
Everything went wrong on that car, and each and every parts been replaced except the cigarette lighter which I never used. This is assuming it was actually working.


1986 Porsche 944 Turbo
The original rubber-center clutch fell apart, and since the tranny is rear mounted, you basically need to remove everything under the car to get there. The clutch itself was not too expensive, but the labor was...

1997 Chevy Cavalier
OMG... complete POS.

MSP6 - 10/9/2009 10:32:59 AM

+1 Boost

I had a SantaFe as a replacement car for two weeks when my speed6 was having all the wiring and antennas needed for the failing "intelligent keyless entry system" replaced for the third time...

Altough anything WENT wrong on the SantaFe, everything WAS wrong.

The steering was wrong, the brakes where worse than those in a base Camry, the auto transmission was working like shit, the engine was weak and noisy, seats where awfully unsupportive and uncomfortable and the car handling was so bad that I felt unsecure.

This thing was less than a year and had 3500KM on it.
Complete POS + Ugly as hell.

Not thanks hyundaismoke, tell "Hyuney" I won't be visiting the dealership where he works.

Joe_Limon - 10/9/2009 1:47:10 AM

+2 Boost

Ya, my 02 grand prix is a fairly softly sprung car, but it is light years away from how that old ford rode.

M53R - 10/9/2009 2:28:23 AM

+1 Boost

4 years ago, I was stupid enough to buy a used 1995 BMW 850CSi. It was so unreliable, from the electronics to every single part of the car, yet I loved it. I still think the 8 series is one of the best looking BMW ever made. I bought it as a 2nd car at the time.

truckman - 10/9/2009 5:42:32 AM

+1 Boost

My highly modified 1976 Ford Bronco was a love hate relationship. I owned this when I was in high school.I was always ahead of my mechanics class because my truck would break at least a week ahead of the subject we were to study. I broke everything, inner axles, axle housings, many U-joints,drive shafts,engines,cracked steel rims, holes in the header, coil,carb problems, broken rear spring pack pin, two transmissions (3 speed) Part of the problems was a result of my ultra aggressive driving style, eg, I would do wheelies,jumps... The guy that originally built my truck is the guy that built the first monster truck, Big Foot. In the end a carb fire wrote it off and I bought a 1987 Toyota 4x4, In comparison the toyota was like driving a car off road because of the pathetic IFS. I didn't have to fix the Toy as much but I couldn't do the same things as the solid axle Bronco.

truckman - 10/12/2009 4:47:29 AM

+1 Boost

Name a race that doesn't have trash.

ItsMi - 10/12/2009 9:41:26 AM

+1 Boost

My BMW X3 '07 has the worst auto transmission anyone can find. Almost 3 years and 10 software updates it still jerks, burps, surges, pauses, limps... no lemon law in my country so life goes on with this.