Question of the Day: What’s the Least Reliable Car You’ve Ever Owned?

BWJones March 2nd, 2008 6:30 PM Link

Unfortunately, the least reliable car I ever owned was a brand new Dodge Ram pickup truck. I wrote about the experiencehere

Josh March 2nd, 2008 6:36 PM Link

2000 Nissan Xterra. Technically, my wife owned it but I did the work on it. SO glad I got her to sell it.

dante March 2nd, 2008 6:41 PM Link

1974 Datsun 260Z. I think I drove the car twice without an electrical or carb-related problem/break down. At least it wasn’t rotted, though.

pjstevens77 March 2nd, 2008 6:45 PM Link

88 Ford Ranger 4cy pick/up. What a horrible motor, it felt like a 5HP Briggs & Stratton.

Never again will I buy a Ford, never

Bob Martel March 2nd, 2008 6:57 PM Link

A 1985 Merkur XR4Ti. It died on the way to the dealer were I was going to trade it in for a Cougar. The Cougar was totaled in a head on collision by the young man whose mother bought it from me (he turned out to be unhurt.)

Michael March 2nd, 2008 7:08 PM Link

My 1996 Chrysler Concorde LXi. The electrical system didn’t always want to work and there were some other issues that just couldn’t get worked out. So glad to have gotten rid of that car! Don’t miss it at all.

TB March 2nd, 2008 7:10 PM Link

Well, I grew up in a British car family in the 60s, so take your pick …

Sean March 2nd, 2008 7:14 PM Link

1997 Saab 900S

One thing after another.

Jeff Pollak March 2nd, 2008 7:28 PM Link

1979 Fiat Strada…couldn’t keep it on the road!

Garfield134 March 2nd, 2008 7:37 PM Link

1997 Ford Contour V-6. 66k miles, after stranding me on the road twice and having the same repair made more than once, I dumped it and bought a Honda Accord. I was a Ford fan forever. Now have 5 Hondas in my driveway when everyone is home.

M. Dillon March 2nd, 2008 7:40 PM Link

The Chevy Monza,2-door,black exterior,with red interior.

Every time I fixed/replace something,another part breaks down. The only thing good about it,was that it looked good while sitting in the parking lot.

The Chevy Monza. What a P.O.S. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DieRobotDie March 2nd, 2008 7:43 PM Link

Aside from my Alfa Romeo ownership, which is more a passion than any form of sense. The most unreliable car I have ever run was my 1992 Honda Civic, it was near new when I brought it and it was just not that good.

Tony D March 2nd, 2008 7:46 PM Link

1987 Ford Mustang GT convertible. One thing after another. The headlights went out and 1500 dollars later came back on. Sold it two months after buying it because of how unreliable it was. But then, I was spoiled because I’d had a Honda CR-X Si before, so I was used to bulletproof reliability.

Steven J. Ewing March 2nd, 2008 7:59 PM Link

Ugh! 1998 Ford Escort ZX2 Sport. I got the car when it had 120,000 miles on it and went through TWO clutches before it even hit 160k. Awful.

Wes March 2nd, 2008 8:12 PM Link

80’s Mazda light duty pickup truck. P.O.S. That and a 80’s Subaru GL Wagon, “The Dumpster,” which was an appropriate name because that’s where it belonged.

Ducati Minor March 2nd, 2008 8:28 PM Link

My Alfa Spider Veloce. It was an eye-catcher, but everytime I fixed something, another problem came up. Alfas aren’t as bad as people think if you maintain them properly; most owners didn’t and I went against my instinct and bought it. I spent as much fixing it as I did buying it. The day I sold it was the happiest in my adult life.

Rusty429 March 2nd, 2008 8:31 PM Link

I win!

I not only owned a Ford Ranger, but also a 87 Muatang GT

the fog-lites never worked from new. there was a tsb that required a rewire of the headlamp unit. unless our friend above had the leaking headlite problem *the sealed beams leaked and the bulbs would shatter first sign of moisture…..* I personally put four t-5’s in it, but…no that wasnt it

my least reliable car was my 1984 fiero…lets see.

Cracked Head, Check
Engine Fire, Check
Overheat, Check
Leaking Coolant tubes, Check
Leaking Sunroof, Check,
Bad Water Pumps, Three, Check
Thieving F’in Dealership, Check (actually got my stereo stolen by their staff…and got it back after a meltdown in the showroom….

So much warranty work that when I sued under the lemon law, the dealership defaulted and I got a check from the dealership (as they never showed at their own court date)

and it was so bad that they gave up, cut me a check.

I gave up, and gave away the car at 24000 miles.

phd_engineer March 2nd, 2008 8:39 PM Link

1975 Jaguar XJ6. Beautiful car, but by god it was terrible to live with. Lucas Electrics eventually caused a riproaring fire in the high school parking lot. The Price of Darkness eventually yielded to bright light

Michael B. March 2nd, 2008 8:43 PM Link

a 1977 Mercury Grand Marquis!

I use to joke that if I flipped a coin, heads it wouldn’t make it there, tails it wouldn’t make it back.

In the 4 years that I owned it, (note, I was the second owner, the original owner worked for Ford) I spent $6,000 on a $2,000 car and put on 10,000 miles on it. And 6 months of that time it sat while I tried to find an engine !

I replaced:

Engine
Transmission
Radiator (twice)
Exhaust (countless times due to backfires)
Carburator (several times due to backfires)
Heads and head gaskets
Alternator (twice)
Tires (twice)
COMPELTE brakes (rotors, Drums and calipers)
Countless electrical problems with power accessories
complete rebuild of A/C system
three complete sets of motor mounts
Quite a few towing expenses….

It got so bad that I refused to drive it and drove other family member’s cars. And before you ask WHY did I keep it, other family members as well as friends each felt that the last problem HAD to be it and the car would run fine afterwards.

I finally reached critical mass when the car wouldn’t even drive me to school and back (about 15 miles) without problems (overheating, not starting, etc). I was lucky to get about 6mpg with the 460 engine.

I happly sold it, finally for $600…..

Mark March 2nd, 2008 8:56 PM Link

Another XR4Ti (or as I named it, The Merkur of Death) story.

The car wasn’t just unreliable, it always knew when the worst time to break down was. Such as the time it blew a head gasket in the middle of nowhere on a trip to Oregon. Or when it decided to stop running on a highway 10 miles from the nearest phone booth. After my girlfriend broke up with me. In the middle of the night. While it was raining.

And, just like the poster above, it died on the way to the dealer to trade it in. Perfect timing.

Why Ford replaced a fairly reliable v6 from Europe with a turbocharged Pinto engine, I’ll never know …

seeker March 2nd, 2008 9:24 PM Link

Thankfully I have been unscathed by such bad luck until…my girlfriend bought a ‘92 Ford Explorer - two door. We married/co-habitated/made babies. The piece of @#%^ Explorer was now “OURS”. This truck had a four litre aluminum anchor disguising itself as an engine. One system after another. Finally when things were under control, my mechanic suggested using Premium Fuel to stop pings. Well that just borke my back. Putting Premium fuel in a car that sips fuel is just fine. Filling an SUV with Premium Fuel is completely bonkers. It’s like leaving a limb behind every time you get gas. What a *@#^box. Thank god for an eager Honda dealership that took it for trade on an Accord.

dieselhead March 2nd, 2008 9:25 PM Link

2000 Mercedes Benz S500. Electro dash simply shut down mid-drive (sans lighting there are no instruments in this design). Car died (wouldn’t start) in a parking lot, and then the SOS button failed to make the call for the car to be towed. Air suspension died in the rear: instant low-rider!

selrahc1963 March 2nd, 2008 9:26 PM Link

1988 Ford Ranger for me…The A4LD Transmission was the major problem. Mine pooped it cookies three times.

Dave March 2nd, 2008 10:06 PM Link

Toss up between the 95 Contour LS or the 98 Explorer XLT which replaced it…

Second owner on both, Contour actually ran most of the time, but required work every 300 miles, not 3000.

And the Explorer, yeesh…

NOTHING worked. 6 disk CD player, worked OK as long as the vehicle was idling in park. Integrated ‘hands free’ phone? Would call people if you raised your voice, and wouldn’t even call the people whose name sounded vaguely familiar…

“G*d D@M^ it, Jim!”

“bzzz, Dialing ‘Sarah’, bzzz”

And talk about ‘roll over’. My kid could breathe on it parked and it would fall over like the Flinstone’s car with a rack of Brontosaurus ribs…

Tom Cryer March 2nd, 2008 10:19 PM Link

My least reliable car was a 1976 Saab 99 four door. It stranded me three times, and on the fourth time, I traded it in. I’ve had much greater success since then….tc

X3 SoB March 2nd, 2008 10:21 PM Link

Way back when, I had a Fiat Strata which lived up to the reputation of “Fix It Again Tony”. A well designed car poorly executed. Really though, the predictability of the Questions is unfortunate and kind of pathetic.

Spud NV March 2nd, 2008 11:29 PM Link

My current 2002 Audi A4 Avant 6 cyl. 131,000+ right now but had new cat converter; $5,000 for entire new A/C system; couple grand for several oxy sensors; couple of brake jobs; normal timing belt; glove box door broke and cost $300 then dealer said they don’t install that; lots of other stuff.

Probably $10K + for a 6 yr old vehicle on top of the $33 purchase price is $600 per month and doesn’t include standard oil changes, etc.

Would you buy another one? I don’t think so…

I owned a Sterling that was much more reliable than the Audi.

Dustin B. March 3rd, 2008 12:04 AM Link

2002 Dodge Neon SE (wife’s previous car)

*$3500 in total parts/labor before it hit 45,000 miles, when we got rid of that P.O.S.*

To name what I can remember right off the top:
-3 new batteries
-alternator went bad
-starter went out
-4 to 5 bad sensors (twice the O-2 sensor went bad)
-battery cables melted
-transmission issues

*Let me also say that I was/am very religious with my auto maintenance routine and upkeep of my automobiles….this is the only one to ever give me any real headaches…guess we got a lemon. I should’ve trusted my gut when buying it, but we needed something cheap to drive for 3 years and sell(I was stationed in Hawaii when I was in the military).

George K March 3rd, 2008 12:25 AM Link

1972 Corvette 454 cu in. I special ordered.
(my dream car turn into a nightmare)
Could not drive it in traffic with the AC on it would overheat.(Factory Rep, comments “don’t drive with the AC
on in traffic”). Rear wheel bearings went out at 6000 miles.
Rear spring had to be replaced due shagging.
Water leaks rear window and T-top. The dealer could not fix the water leaks. When the first engine went out at 12000 miles, they replaced the crankshaft, that only lasted 100 miles. After they replaced the motor.
THIS CAR SPENT MORE TIME IN SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEN BEING DRIVEN.
I was so glad to trade this turd off. This was the happiest day to get rid of such a lemon. No more Corvettes, no matter how nice they are now.

Peter March 3rd, 2008 12:26 AM Link

1975 Chevy Vega

David Smith March 3rd, 2008 12:42 AM Link

1990 Ford Escort, brand new. It was anemic and clumsy, and even though I took exceptional care of it, it did me dirty. By the time it reached 37000 miles of pampered premium fueled existence, it had thrown a fuel pump, a water pump, two sets of belts and get this… all four door seals. No lie, I still have nightmares about the time it stranded me in Tennessee. That little monster poisoned me to Fords for life.

Leo H March 3rd, 2008 12:56 AM Link

Landrover Freelander ! Loved it BUT then it started with its problems !!!!

Bob K March 3rd, 2008 1:02 AM Link

‘85 Chrysler Lebaron GTS. Every bit a K-car under that streamlined body. The transmission failed spectacularly 30 miles from home, and leaked like a sieve after the warranty on the rebuild ran out. I put in, and lost, a quart of tranny fluid the day I traded it in.

Hassan March 3rd, 2008 3:28 AM Link

A 1996 Dodge Stratus went 2 months
and after that it was in the garage 3 days of 1 week..

Bald-win March 3rd, 2008 7:39 AM Link

‘88 Mini. Riddled with problems, but still remains one of my favourite cars.

BillyBob March 3rd, 2008 7:52 AM Link

1977 Ford Thunderbird, bought it new, and it “fell apart”…kept it only six months…and that’s when I bought my first foreign car, a 1978 Toyota Celica. Did not own another “american” car until the ’90’s.

In Need of MPGs March 3rd, 2008 8:26 AM Link

2001 Chevrolet S10 Crew Cab. On top of 13 miles per gallon average, I have had to have the 4 wheel drive system fixed 3 times, the last consisting of completely replacing the entire electrical system, the main head gasket (it is leaking again), and the lower control arm bumper. IT ONLY HAS 65,000 MILES ON IT!!!!!!

dave March 3rd, 2008 8:41 AM Link

1959 Ford Falcon - what a piece of trash - if your drove over 45 MPH your next stop was the repair shop. And just try to start it when the temp was below 35.

dulcamara March 3rd, 2008 8:48 AM Link

78 VW Rabbit. I called it “Hitler’s revenge”.

Jeb March 3rd, 2008 8:56 AM Link

Probably my 1995 Contour LX V6. I bought it relatively cheap from what I thought was the second owner, but all I know for sure is that it had been a “city car” for British embassy staff in DC. Lord knows how much beating it had taken over those roads. I had kind of planned on doing some tuning on it anyway, but I ended up replacing brakes, springs & struts, an engine mount, alternator, IAC (three times…NEVER buy a K&N filter, the oil kept fouling my IAC), both headlights, and I was on track to replace the transmission when a repair shop accidentally holed it while they were replacing the front control arms; I got a free new transmission out of that one. It never stranded me, but the rate of repair on it was pretty high. I still loved it, though.

Oollyoumn March 3rd, 2008 8:58 AM Link

The weirdest and most frequent problems came from a Rabbit, but the most serious problems came to me via a Toyota truck. Three major transmission repairs and many gallons of burnt oil, I finally ditched it at about 75,000 miles.

Jim March 3rd, 2008 9:04 AM Link

1974 Fiat 128, a Consumer Reports’ ‘Best Buy’ selection that year if I remember correctly. Ran great for a year then Tony was always fixing it.

-Wouldn’t start when the temp dropped below freezing, so I finally drilled a hole in the top of the air cleaner so I could inject starter fluid.
-Clutch was shot at 65K
-Noticeably burned oil at 50K
-Brake calipers pistons rusted in place.
-Fuel pump failed
-Leaked oil
-Looking at it was enough to knock the wheels out of alignment

It did get good gas mileage and the front seats reclined enough to make the interior a reasonable place to set up light house keeping.

Dane March 3rd, 2008 9:05 AM Link

Toyota…… Never ever again!!!!!!!!!!

When it wasn’t in the shop, It was in the driveway… Was too boring of car!!!!

iSpec March 3rd, 2008 9:34 AM Link

3 Hyundai Sonata’s were bargains and durable easily exceeding 100,000 miles each.

2 Nissan Maxima’s were nearly perfect

2 Honda Pilots were perfect (2nd one so far)

Robert C. March 3rd, 2008 9:39 AM Link

The most unreliable car I owned was a Volvo S80 (2001), with 145,000 miles on the clock. I had to spend the best part of 3,000 Euro (about $4,500) to get it road worthy, replacing windscreen, headlight, turbo return pipe, fuel filter and various suspension parts, as well as three new tyres. It cost me 7,000 to buy ($10,600) but at Irish car prices it’s still worth about 9,000 Euro.

Plus, there is the not inconsiderable fact that it goes like ^*@# off a shovel and has a massive leather-clad interior, air-con, cruise-con and every gadget I could wish for. I love it.

JN March 3rd, 2008 9:52 AM Link

87 Toyota MR2

Fun to drive, but slow and unreliable.

RB March 3rd, 2008 10:23 AM Link

Worst by far was the Ford Aero Star, next, Volvo 544 and 2002 MINI Cooper S.

I sold the Aero Star within 8 months of ownership, had the Volvo for a year, did enjoy driving it though, and replaced the 2002 MINI after 1.5 years with a 2004 MINI which has been mostly good.

Best vehicle I ever owned, as far as reliability, 1997 Toyota 4Runner!

SKCKR1 March 3rd, 2008 12:23 PM Link

1: 1991 Jeep Wrangler…starter, alternator, clutch, 4wd sensor all within 1 year and 10k miles of ownership.

2: 1996 Plymouth Voyager SE………..3 trans in 100k miles

3: 1995 Chrylser Lebaron ………. 3 O2 sensors, 2 transmissions, and many many other parts, only thing that worked consistently was the convertible top.

4: 2003 Ford Explorer XLS 4×4……..POS…more problems than I can count.

I own 2 GM cars now (Trailblazer LS and Monte Carlo SS), and both have been mostly trouble free.

I am done with Chrylser Products.

stu March 3rd, 2008 1:19 PM Link

A first year Ford Focus, 2001 I believe. Owned by my dad.

The 16v motor was pretty good, peppy and rev happy and all but the suspension and other handling components (tie-rods, bearings)needed to be replaced annually and its not because it went rally racing.

Then the electronics were pretty shoddy. The electronics kept switching the engine over to safe mode because a sensor somewhere told it to and the car burnt thru headlights like the were free and no amount of testing was able to find a ground or a short anywhere.

It was a lemon and we tried to do something about it under the lemon law but according to Ford this car was not a lemon. I’d hate to hear what they do consider a lemon.

Brian March 3rd, 2008 2:35 PM Link

Without a doubt, the worst vehicle I even had the displeasure of owning was my 1993 Chevy S10, purchased new in 1993. It practically LIVED at the dealership, making 36 visits to the dealer in the 24 months/35,000 miles that I owned it.

If if had a wire attached to it, it failed at least once…or in the case of the power windows, they failed almost once a month. The alternator went out at about 20k miles, the horn flashed the headlights when I drove it off the lot, the fan shroud fell into the engine and got caught in the belts, and the crowning touch came at 35,000 miles when the entire transmission needed replacement.

The worst part about owning the car wasn’t so much the fact that it was a total piece of crap — it was the fact that the dealer’s attitude was always so casual about the repeated failures. “It’s not uncommon” was always their response. The two Chevy dealers I dealt with couldn’t care less about the fact that the truck was a total lemon, but sometimes they at least feigned surprise when I’d show up in the service bay, having just been there a few days before.

When the auto transmission self destructed at 35,000 miles, I dropped it off for service and walked to the Mazda dealer next door and traded it in…the Mazda dealer appraised the truck while it was up on the lift across the street. What a hideous, awful GM experience. I swore then and there I would never buy another vehicle from GM — no matter how much they say they’ve improved.

Dan March 3rd, 2008 3:33 PM Link

2000 VW Golf 1.8T 4-door. What a great car when it worked properly. Lot of fun to drive w/ plenty of power and all the torque available at low RPMs.

Unfortunately, after 1 week it needed to be brought to the dealer for an airbag issue. Two sensors for the driver’s and passenger’s side replaced but out-of-commission for 5 days.

2 months later the airbag light came on again. For a second time the sensors were replaced (this was for the side airbags).

After 6 months of ownership, the mass air flow sensor went kaput. 5 days of not having the car again.

1 month later, the O2 sensor went out. Replaced while I waited.

Approx 3 months later the mass air flow sensor went-out again. Replaced in 2 days if memory serves me right.

After 12 months of ownership, the driver’s side window regulator broke as I was driving down I-90 in Idaho in 35 degree temps. This meant that the window fell all the way down the door, leaving me to drive in traffic with the window open. Thankfully the dealership let me drop off the car (even though the service center had been closed for 2 hours) and got me a rental. Car out of comission for 3 days.

About 3 months later the O2 sensor quit again. At the same time the check engine light came on, and the fuel cap had lost its seal for some inexplicable reason.

After 24 months of ownership and 7 trips to the service center I was very upset with the car. In addition to mechanical issues, I’d broken two windshields. After 10 years of driving in Alaska on gravel roads and in awful conditions, I’d never broken a windshield but in 2 years in WA state, I’d gone through two! I blamed VW for whichever supplier did their windshields b/c I never drove on gravel roads with my VW.

Them, with the warrant expired (this was when VW had a 24mos/24k mile warranty) the exhaust manifold cracked. The dealership (Appleway VW in Spokane, WA) was very good to me and they got VW to pay for the parts and service to fix the manifold.

That was the final straw. I sold my VW and bought a Dakota which, four and half years later, has had only 1 trip to get something fixed.

Dustin B. March 3rd, 2008 5:13 PM Link

The trend I see here are obvious:

FORD and CHRYSLER/DODGE products have the longest common history of unreliability.

indi March 3rd, 2008 6:28 PM Link

1966 VW Type 3 Squareback, aka “the Deahthmobile”

This poor car was a mongrel creation of several junkyard dog type 3s, built by some young Mexican shade tree mechanics in Silverlake.
She was primer grey with a thoroughly trashed black leatherette interior which nevertheless sported one of those dark red velour headliners with the little dangly balls fringe all around the perimeter, a cheesy small diameter 3-spoke steering wheel, which along with the radically lowered front axle made it harder to steer than a 1950s Mack truck, and a Scat Dragfast shifter that gave an awful workout in LA driving. The engine and transaxle were always fine, those kids did a great job building the 1776 (with dual Baby Dellortos and a knee-killer racing clutch!). But the electrical system of that car, as well as all the vacuum lines, brake hoses, fuel lines, fuse box, instruments, lights, and brakes meant I had to repair it about every other time I drove it. It caught fire once at the voltage regulator, stranded me with no brakes during rush hour on the 405, and forced me to improvise repairs on the slim shoulder of freeways at least six times in the year or so I drove it. I bought it for $400 hoping to remake it as a more tastefully-appointed resto-custom driver, but I was always going broke just trying to keep it on the road. Sadly, I finally gave up and sold it — for $400 to a kid with stars in his eyes…

Will March 3rd, 2008 7:09 PM Link

1995 Dodge Intrepid. The worst

Mike P March 3rd, 2008 10:23 PM Link

1978 Lancia Beta Coupe

It was my second car in 1984 and I bought it with 40K miles. At the time I signed the sales contract the passenger power window did not work. I drove it home and my dad wanted to check the lights. So after pulling into the garage I turn the lights on on the steering wheel stock and I immediately had an electrical fire. The dealer fixed at no charge and then five days later when I’m ready to do a cross country trip, the starter goes out.

Until I got ride of it in 1986 I had breaks go bad, A/C went out, dual over-head cams froze, driver’s side power window went out, radio quit, water pump pulley broke and I acqired a bent rim.

Right after I sold it, the new owner experienced another overhead cam failure and said he wanted to kill me. Oh, did I forget to mention I used duct tape to hold the exhaust together until I got it sold? What a clunker!

Gary March 4th, 2008 2:43 AM Link

1989 Jeep Cherokee. It was at the mechanic at least once a month. But hey, at least I got to drive my dad’s SHO during those times…

c4 March 4th, 2008 3:10 AM Link

89′ Saab 900s

james March 25th, 2008 9:09 AM Link

A 2001 vw jetta.Two engine mount bolts fell out.

donahl April 30th, 2008 11:38 PM Link

I need to change thr water pump on a 99 stratus car
is fine oyher wise. any poblems i am up against any ideas. tjank you for toyr time