Hot! Worst cars of all time

[slicknick]

The BMW Z8.....Looked ultra cool in a retro sort of way, but it was genuinely one of the worst BMW's of all time...After dismal sales for 4 years, BMW pulled the plug...For good!!!

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BMW_Z8_-_Flickr_-_Alexandre_Prévot_(2)_(cropped).jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BMW_Z8_(4639731219).jpg

 

[slicknick]

The Chrysler 200...Discontinued last year, and in good stead to pass onto the history books as one of the very worst cars of the recent history...It is very nasty

 

[slicknick]

It’s become a bit of a joke, but the Dodge Dart is a compact car that gets dreadful marks right across the board. Everything from the engine’s power to the fuel economy to the comfort of the seats takes a critical beating. Consumer Reports gives the car an overall score of 53 out of 100 and a reliability score of -81 out of a possible +100. Other criticisms include a small interior, poor design, and cheap controls. Basically, the Dodge Dart is a last resort compact car; if you can buy any other compact car, you should. J.D. Power & Associates expects to lose 60 percent of its value in the first three years and 80 percent within five. Dodge executives and engineers should head back to the drawing board and rethink their approach to a compact car because the Dart is just not cutting it,

 

[slicknick]

And here is the absolute worst in production today, the Lada Granta!!!

"In 2011, at the launch of the Lada Granta, Vladimir Putin slid behind the wheel of the shiny new demonstrator and tried, without success, to start the engine – five times. Unfazed, the Russian leader then calmly climbed out of the car intent on opening its boot. He couldn't"

 

[slicknick]

The Alfa Romeo Arna....Born out of a joint venture between Alfa Romeo and Nissan, it had a Japanese design/flair and Italian build quality/reliability

 

[slicknick]

The BMW Z8.....Looked ultra cool in a retro sort of way, but it was genuinely one of the worst BMW's of all time...After dismal sales for 4 years, BMW pulled the plug...For good!!!

Even though I've bashed the Z8, no doubt that the Isetta would give it a run for its money

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[Matski]

@slicknick

I think without Jeremy Clarksons typical hyperbole when it came to the Z8, it wouldn't be remember so badly. He slated it as not being a sportscar, then they put the smaller engined, automatic Alpina Z8 around the track, and it was as fast as the Lamborghini Murcielago, which cost twice as much - so it was very capable - even if it wasn't the nicest to drive, and to be fair it didn't get great reviews - but it didn't get terrible reviews either. I think the harshest valid criticism is that it was disappointing, and I do blame BMW a bit for that - as with the 8 series, BMW were happy to let people think it was supposed to be a sportscar even though they'd never engineered it to be... but disappointing doesn't equal bad. Who here would honestly take the keys to a 2003 Z3 1.9, over a 2003 Z8?

So, having said that, in the interests of being fair... I'm not sure what car people wouldn't take the keys to an Isetta over.

.. however, if you were to judge the Z8 as a dismal failure based on its commercial success, then we have to consider the Isetta a monumental triumph, as without it there probably wouldn't be a BMW today. If one model was pivotal to the companies success, it was the Isetta for BMW in the 50's. Whatever the Isetta's shortcomings/features were, people bought them as cheap affordable transport and it help saved the company from bankruptcy - so yeah, a pretty bad car, but for what it's given us since, "worst" seems a bit unfair...

 

[slicknick]

@slicknick

I think without Jeremy Clarksons typical hyperbole when it came to the Z8, it wouldn't be remember so badly. He slated it as not being a sportscar, then they put the smaller engined, automatic Alpina Z8 around the track, and it was as fast as the Lamborghini Murcielago, which cost twice as much - so it was very capable - even if it wasn't the nicest to drive, and to be fair it didn't get great reviews - but it didn't get terrible reviews either. I think the harshest valid criticism is that it was disappointing, and I do blame BMW a bit for that - as with the 8 series, BMW were happy to let people think it was supposed to be a sportscar even though they'd never engineered it to be... but disappointing doesn't equal bad. Who here would honestly take the keys to a 2003 Z3 1.9, over a 2003 Z8?

So, having said that, in the interests of being fair... I'm not sure what car people wouldn't take the keys to an Isetta over.

.. however, if you were to judge the Z8 as a dismal failure based on its commercial success, then we have to consider the Isetta a monumental triumph, as without it there probably wouldn't be a BMW today. If one model was pivotal to the companies success, it was the Isetta for BMW in the 50's. Whatever the Isetta's shortcomings/features were, people bought them as cheap affordable transport and it help saved the company from bankruptcy - so yeah, a pretty bad car, but for what it's given us since, "worst" seems a bit unfair...

Fully agreed...Perhaps it wasn't God awful per se, but it was surely extremely disappointing, especially after BMW having promised so much about this car...That said, I've posted it here, I honestly think BMW is a company that should have known better

 

[Deleted member 1071]

"According to Edmund's, the 1974 base engine's 88 hp (66 kW; 89 PS) was "truly pathetic" and the optional V6's 105 hp (78 kW; 106 PS) was "underwhelming." (With the addition of mandatory catalytic converters in 1975 these outputs fell to 83 and 97 hp (72 kW) respectively.)[34] In 1976 the "standard four [-cylinder] swelled to a heady 92 hp (69 kW; 93 PS), the V6 increased to 102 hp (76 kW), and [sales were] a surprisingly stable 187,567 units—a mere 1,019 less than in '75." In 1977 the engines’ power outputs dropped again, to 89 and 93 hp (69 kW; 94 PS)respectively, and production dropped "about 18 percent to 153,117 cars."


Writers of today ignore the rave reviews of 1974–1976 models, and one even describes the Mustang II as "lamentable." The New York Times said in 2006 that defective steering, together with a fuel tank of the same design as in the Pinto, a car "forever infamous for exploding when struck in the rear," caused owners an anxiety that was "heightened by the fact that some Mustang IIs had Firestone 500 tires, notorious in the 70's for widespread failures." It continued: "Ford, not content to drag the revered Mustang name through the mud...added badges from Ghia, the venerable Italian studio that it had bought, to versions of the Mustang II with partial vinyl roofs and tacky opera windows.""

As of the 1973 model year, the quality (and hence desireabilty) of U.S. automobiles entered a very,very dark era. The first, albeit dim, glimpse of light may have come in the form of the C4 Corvette (introduction in 1984) and followed by the gen I Ford Taurus (an interesting car and unusually innovative. For a U.S. sedan, at least) in 1986.

 

[slicknick]

As of the 1973 model year, the quality (and hence desireabilty) of U.S. automobiles entered a very,very dark era. The first, albeit dim, glimpse of light may have come in the form of the C4 Corvette (introduction in 1984) and followed by the gen I Ford Taurus (an interesting car and unusually innovative. For a U.S. sedan, at least) in 1986.

See, I was reflecting on this for some time, and partially, the Oil Crisis of 1973 is to blame...But then, the European manufacturers did not have the fate of the American OEM's, so perhaps they got complacent? Or the people of America changed their habits? Really have no clue what caused that...As you have rightly pointed out, even though there have also been very bad cars to have come out of Europe at the same time, the American car industry simply decided sink into an abyss from the mid-70's all the way till around 2010 (when I think they started realizing the necessity of building better products after the global recession, and the Chapter 11 procedures surrounding GM and Chrysler)....So the question remains, what could have possibly caused it?

 

[Deleted member 1071]

See, I was reflecting on this for some time, and partially, the Oil Crisis of 1973 is to blame...But then, the European manufacturers did not have the fate of the American OEM's, so perhaps they got complacent? Or the people of America changed their habits? Really have no clue what caused that...As you have rightly pointed out, even though there have also been very bad cars to have come out of Europe at the same time, the American car industry simply decided sink into an abyss from the mid-70's all the way till around 2010 (when I think they started realizing the necessity of building better products after the global recession, and the Chapter 11 procedures surrounding GM and Chrysler)....So the question remains, what could have possibly caused it?

Many cooks concocted a diabolically vile homecooked shit stew.

The EPA (castrated engines), legislation pertaining to perceived motor vehicle safety (clownish bumpers), the winter 73/74 oil embargo, arrogant, delusional bean-counting accountants with little if any engineering and/or marketing backround holding prime decision-making positions at the "Big 3", what appeared to be design chiefs that were either 5 years old or failed cartoonists, pick-up trucks...

 

[Deleted member 1071]

@slicknick

I think without Jeremy Clarksons typical hyperbole when it came to the Z8, it wouldn't be remember so badly. He slated it as not being a sportscar, then they put the smaller engined, automatic Alpina Z8 around the track, and it was as fast as the Lamborghini Murcielago, which cost twice as much - so it was very capable - even if it wasn't the nicest to drive, and to be fair it didn't get great reviews - but it didn't get terrible reviews either. I think the harshest valid criticism is that it was disappointing, and I do blame BMW a bit for that - as with the 8 series, BMW were happy to let people think it was supposed to be a sportscar even though they'd never engineered it to be... but disappointing doesn't equal bad. Who here would honestly take the keys to a 2003 Z3 1.9, over a 2003 Z8?

So, having said that, in the interests of being fair... I'm not sure what car people wouldn't take the keys to an Isetta over.

.. however, if you were to judge the Z8 as a dismal failure based on its commercial success, then we have to consider the Isetta a monumental triumph, as without it there probably wouldn't be a BMW today. If one model was pivotal to the companies success, it was the Isetta for BMW in the 50's. Whatever the Isetta's shortcomings/features were, people bought them as cheap affordable transport and it help saved the company from bankruptcy - so yeah, a pretty bad car, but for what it's given us since, "worst" seems a bit unfair...

Certainly the keystone to BMWs' success of the past 50+ years was the 1500 sedan (Die neue Klasse) of 1962. And chief marketing executive Paul Hahnemanns' ("Nischen Paul" -or- "Niche Paul") keen understanding of what customers' desired.

 

[Giannis]

Cannot be worse than that Daihatsu you drove , come on

Not, it isn't even half as bad.

But the Cuore can actually be useful around town and doesn't show off as a proper car - it's more of a covered scooter with four wheels. The Cee'd, on the other hand, is supposed to be a proper full sized hatch, competing in the Golf category. It's by far the worst offering in the segment.

 

[Matski]

Certainly the keystone to BMWs' success of the past 50+ years was the 1500 sedan (Die neue Klasse) of 1962. And chief marketing executive Paul Hahnemanns' ("Nischen Paul" -or- "Niche Paul") keen understanding of what customers' desired.

The New Class shaped what BMW is today, but without Herbert Quandt's prior investment, and the Isetta and the 600 (BMW's own microcar) keeping the company afloat prior to that, it would probably just be a dormant brand within Daimler's portfolio, or at best Daimler's motorcycle brand.

From memory the 1959 sales figures showed BMW selling around 50,000 microcars, and only around 1500 of BMW's typical saloon and coupe range.

 

[Giannis]

A bit off topic, but many many years ago, someone on this forum, commented on the door of the Isetta, that stepping into an Isetta is like stepping into your fridge.

I still laugh to that quote up to this day!

 

[Kowalski]

Two despicable American deathtraps from the 1990's.

 

[CrunchSlaughtered]

Nothing can beat this:
Moskvitch 2142

 

[slicknick]

Two despicable American deathtraps from the 1990's.

That Chrysler/Dodge Neon was the absolue worst of America throughout the 90's

 

[Carnut]

The BMW X6 has to go on the list, it's simply the ugliest car ever made.

 

[DjordjeC63]

This thread is about worst cars, not ugliest.
Wartburg could find its place in this thread?