No one wants to drive a lemon. You know, the car you buy, then as soon as you take it off the lot something fails. The engine goes kaput, or the brakes don’t work. The worst thing that could happen goes wrong, and you’re left with a huge monetary loss. How do you avoid this? One of the easiest things to do is to avoid cars that were made poorly to begin with. This list will show you some of the worst cars ever made, so you don’t end up trying to make lemonade out of a lemon.
The 2004 Chevy SSR Was All For Show
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The SSR in Chevy SSR stands for “Super Sport Roadster.” Upon release, consumers realized this car was anything but a super, sporty roadster. Instead, it was a heavy and slow failure of a car with shiny retro design.
If only Chevy had cared as much about what was under the hood as they cared about what it looked like. The car’s body was too heavy for its engine, resulting in a sluggish performance that many critics described as lazy. Just as quickly as this car was released, it was put to rest.
No One Liked The Pontiac Aztek
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As soon as the Pontiac Aztek was announced, it was universally hated by car lovers. Critics claimed the design of the car itself made no sense, especially its oddly-shaped front end. It didn’t help that the body was made of plastic instead of something safer.
When Pontiac announced the features that would come with the Aztek and the price tag they would have to pay, it became clear the crossover was doomed. People just weren’t willing to pay for unimpressive performance and underwhelming design.
The Mustang II Was A Major Mistake
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Ford bought into the idea of Pinto like no one could have expected. The Mustang II was based on the same idea as the Pinto. It was designed as a coupe that was supposed to drive like a roadster.
Like the Pinto, the Mustang II suffered from several fatal flaws, including a generally underwhelming performance. Upon its release, critics called it the poor man’s AMC Gremlin, a similar car which offered better performance. Of course, the Gremlin wasn’t popular either, so maybe that wasn’t a good thing.
The Lincoln Blackwood Vanished In Less Than One Year
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Raise your hand if you remember the Lincoln Blackwood. Released in 2002, the crossover project between Lincoln and Ford was a strange attempt to create a luxury pick up truck. It was so strange that consumers rejected it entirely, and Lincoln and Ford pulled the plug in less than one year.
In reality, there was nothing wrong with the car, it was just that everything Lincoln tried, from rear wheel drive to the luxury trimmed interior, seemed out of place in a truck.
The Lamborghini LM002 Made Zero Sense
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Lamborghini’s first mistake in designing and releasing the LM002 was thinking their consumer base wanted to take their car off roading. Before being released to the public, Lamborghini marketed the LM002 to the American military with their “Cheetah” prototype.
We don’t think anyone buys a Lamborghini to go play in the mud, though. Lamborghini stuck by their beliefs, producing 382 of these off road super luxury vehicles between 1986 and 1993. It became known as the Lamborghini truck.
The 1975 AMC Pacer Was Great For Professional Drivers
The 1975 AMC Pacer did not help reverse the poor fortunes of the American Motor Company. Released at the height of the ’70s compact car craze, the Pacer was the king of the hill when it came to size and fuel economy.
Getting behind the wheel of one, however, turned out to be pretty dangerous. Critics were quick to point out the Pacer’s poor performance and difficult handling. In other words, the car might have been fun for race car drivers, but not consumers who just wanted to get to and from work safely.
The Maserati Biturbo Ruined The Brand's Reputation
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In the early ’80s, Maserati was under new ownership who wanted to released a “more affordable” sports car under the brand name. The result was the Biturbo, a car which many blame for Maserati leaving the American market in 1991.
Surprisingly, Maserati kept making Biturbos overseas until 1997. In 2002, the brand finally returned to the United States. The Maserati Spyder, priced at $89,000, helped the company return to prominence, with over 800 orders placed (high for a luxury model) before it was even shipped.
The Cadillac Fleetwood Was The King Of Awkward
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The Cadillac Fleetwood that we’re referring to was manufactured from 1976 until 1996 and never found stable footing in the market. Even though it lasted for 20 years, the car had a bad reputation for stalling, jerking, and making awkward noises.
The name “Fleetwood” had been used as a pre-fix by Cadillac since 1935. It described cars with longer wheelbases than the DeVille and Series 62 Models. In 1996, the final year of the production, only 15,109 units were produced by Cadillac, less than half of the 1993 production number.
The Ferrari Mondial 8 Was Never Meant For Greatness
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The Ferrari Mondial 8 was produced for two years starting in 1980. In that time there was a rumor that every single model’s system failed. That’s how bad this car’s reputation was. It was replaced in 1983 by the Mondial QV.
At the time of its release, the Mondial 8 wasn’t met with the worst reviews. It was called “impressive” and “respectable.” It was only after the car was on the road for about a year that the truth came out. In a retrospective, Time Magazine listed it as the eighth worst car of all-time.
The Cadillac Cimarron Nearly Ruined The Auto Maker
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In 1982, Cadillac introduced the world to the Cimarron. The car was a disaster from the tart. GM wanted to move Cadillac into a smaller market, not nearly end the brand forever.
Obviously, Cadillac is still around today, but that doesn’t change the fact that GM almost cut the chord in the ’80s. All because of the Cimarron. Few cars in history have been so bad, they threatened to end brands. Thankfully, GM didn’t do the unthinkable.
The Iconic Chevy Bel Air Is Actually A Dud
Here’s a controversial opinion; the iconic Chevy Bel Air is actually one of the worst cars ever made. We’re not talking about every Bel Air made, however, just the 1955-57 model. That’s three years worth of cars Chevy probably wishes didn’t exist!
The problem is there’s nothing original about the Bel Air. Chevrolet took the most generic 1950s car design they could and mass-produced it. Maybe because it had the Chevy logo people thought more highly about it then they should have? On the bright side, the car itself drove fine.
The Trabant Was East Germany's Answer To Volkswagen's Beetle
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When the Berlin Wall went up, Germany was divided into West Germany and East Germany. Volkswagon existed in the west and was flying high on the success of the Beetle. East Germany refused to buy cars from the west and came up with the Trabant.
The problem was too many features were missing from the Trabant to make it worth driving. There were no seat belts, the hood needed to be opened to refill its gas tank, and there was no fuel gauge or tachometer on the inside. Yikes!
The Ford Pinto Is Legendarily Bad
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Be happy if you’re too young to remember the Ford Pinto. Widely regarded as one of, if not the worst car ever made, the Pinto was a nightmare for Ford. Marketed as the future of compact cars, the Pinto offered decent performance and good fuel economy. The problem was it had a tendency to explode.
That’s not an over-exaggeration, either. The Pinto became notorious after its release for exploding when hit by another vehicle. Ford refused to fix the problem, instead preferring to pay any victims, we mean buyers, and end production of the vehicle.
he Morgan Plus 8 Ran On Propane
Made by British manufacturer Morgan, the Morgan Plus 8 is credited with saving the company. That doesn’t mean the car was without any quirks, though. In the United States specifically, the car was fitted to run off of propane, the only way it could pass emissions tests at the time.
So what were the results of running the car on propane instead of traditional fuel? It felt sluggish, making 30 miles per hour feel like 60 miles per hours.
The Smart Fortwo Was Too Hot To Handle
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In a big city where parking is limited, Smart Cars are immensely popular. They can fit just about anywhere, and have incredible fuel efficiency. That doesn’t mean they’re comfortable, though. The Smart Fortwo is the best example.
Built with its engine in the back and cooling system in the front, it’s easy to cook your passengers on a warm summer day. The heating and cooling problem proved to be too much for casual consumers, causing sales to plummet and almost bankrupting the brand.
The Peel Trident Speaks For Itself
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What is there to say about the Peel Trident? It was launched in 1964 at the British Motorcycle Show and was intended to be used as an “occasional two-seater.” By 1966, the Peel Engineering Company ended production on the strange little car.
The Trident might be gone, but the legend lives on. On Monster Garage, Jesse James got his hands on one and tried to fit it with a motorcycle engine and new frame. The experiment failed and James destroyed the car for his television audience to see.
The Chevy Vega Was Named 'Car Of The Year' Before Its Many Defects Became Known
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The Chevy Vega received plenty of attention and praise when it was first introduced. It was even named the 1971 Motor Trend Car of the Year! That good reputation quickly unraveled though, as the 1971 Vega was riddled with problems. From a tendency to rust, to being unreliable, to engineering and engine problems, the car was a disaster.
Even though GM put the vehicle through a slew of design upgrades and recalls, it was just too much of a stain on the company’s reputation and production ended with the 1977 model.
The Triumph TR7 Was A Maintenance Nightmare
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From 1974 until 1981, the Triumph TR7 haunted roads in the Unites States and the United Kingdom. Well, it was supposed to come out in 1974, but production delays pushed back its actual release to 1975 (United States) and 1976 (United Kingdom), which was the first sign of trouble.
Early models were littered with maintenance problem, turning the sports car into one of the more expensive vehicles to own. By 1980’s redesign, a lot of these issues were gone and car enthusiasts were starting to come around, but it was too late for the general public to care.
The Chevrolet Chevette Was Too Late To The Party
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Under the hood, there was nothing wrong with the Chevrolet Chevette. At the time Chevy commissioned the sub-compact car to be made, Americans were energy conscious, preferring fuel efficient and smaller cars. By the time the car finally came out, however, big trucks were making a comeback.
Chevrolet initially predicted that 275,000 Chevettes would be sold, including 150,000 from import sales. By 1976, those same predictions were cut in half. By the end of the ’70s, the Chevette became the best selling small car in America, which sadly wasn’t enough to save it.
The Ford Edsel Was Grossly Overpromised
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You know what they say in marketing: under promise and over deliver. Unfortunately for Ford, the exact opposite is what happened with its Edsel sedan when they presented it as the “car of the future.” Consumers found the Edsel to be underwhelming and overpriced. Whoops.
Today, the name “Edsel” is synonymous with “commercial failure.” Especially since it was named in honor of Edsel B. Ford, the son of company founder Henry Ford. Edsels were only manufactured from 1958 through 1960.
Don't Let The Movie Fool You: The DeLorean DMC-12 Was A Failure
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The DeLorean DMC-12 is synonymous with the 1985 film Back to the Future, which is where many people were introduced to the iconic car. But don’t let its fame or impressive appearance fool you: DeLoreans are often called expensive failures.
Deloreans are known to have many issues with their electrical systems, which leads to general reliability problems. Additionally, the cars are underpowered and have poor build quality. There’s still a huge demand for the, though. In 2016 DMC in Texas announced that it was making 300 replica models.
Don't Let The Movie Fool You: The DeLorean DMC-12 Was A Failure
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The Saturn ION was sold by Saturn under the GM Delta platform from 2003 and 2007. Its automatic transmission was problematic because of a “shift flare” which was a disorienting shift pattern that ended up scaring some drivers. When the transmission downshifted on a downward incline, as the driver released the gas pedal, it created a lurching sensation.
The ION also had trouble with transmission failures, with keys becoming stuck in the ignition, and with a problem where the engine wouldn’t shut off. No big deal, right? GM ended production of the ION in 2007.
