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Classic Cars 50 Worst Cars of All Time
298 messages, Last post on May 11, 2009 at 1:53 PM
You are in the Classic Cars Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Dec 10, 2008 9:24 am)
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Dec 10, 2008 11:06 am) |
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I had a neighbor who had issues with his Datsun F-10, and I've read other complaints, but I thought the B-210, which I believe was the RWD predecessor to the FWD F-10, was a good little car.
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Dec 10, 2008 5:35 pm) |
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I know one of the more rust-prone spots of the Vega, at least the earlier ones, is the base of the A-pillar. And in the past, I'd always heard that once the rust gets in there, the car is done. However, yesterday I was at my mechanic's place, as he wanted me to see the progress on my '67 Catalina. He does body work as well, and had fixed the rust at the base of the windshield. While I was there, I noticed a Mini (the "real" one from the 60's) in his shop, that had recent weld work done at the base of both A-pillars. That got me thinking about the Vega, so I asked him how hard it would be to fix one. And he said, "No big deal". And then a second later, he got this confused look on his face, and said, "You have a VEGA?!" I replied something like "Oh GOD no!", but that I had been talking about them with some friends, and was curious as to how fatal it really is once those A-pillars start to go. I also used to wonder why the things would start to rust at the base of the A-pillar, as that just seems an odd spot. Usually cars rust down at the lower parts first. But, when I saw how bad my Catalina looked with the windshield out, it was obvious. That base part where the windshield sets in is shaped like a little trough, almost like it was designed to hold water. So once the seal starts to go, it's easy for water to get trapped down in there and do its damage. And I guess it's really easy for it to accumulate in the corners of the windshield, at the A-pillar base.
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Replying to: andre1969 (Dec 11, 2008 5:37 am) If they are all "perished" as the Brits say, it is a major undertaking to replace all that, and definitely not in the "deferred maintenance" category. So I give a major knock on points to a car with totally wiped out door and window seals. That could drop a pretty car from a #2 to a #3. Lots of labor to do doors, door windows, vent windows (especially), and both windshields!! You have to work slowly so you don't damage irreplaceable trim parts.
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Dec 11, 2008 10:13 am) I had my mechanic replace the window seals in the door of my '85 Silverado when he did the power window motor. Part of the process of changing the motors in that truck involves taking the window out anyway, so they were easy to get to. I figured while he was in there, no harm in replacing them. I had been griping about that truck, and how hard it is to get to the motor, and having to remove the window. But I guess that worked out in my favor, making it simple to replace the window trim. |
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I'd like to shift the discussion a bit..to ask: REALLY bad cars-didn't they all disappear? For example, the maligned VEGA-they still sold them in fairly large numbers..what about: -Daihatsu (Charade?): that name still gives me chuckles! I remember them advertising..but never actually saw one! They must have been pretty awful cars! -DAEWOO Leganza: now and then, you see one ..rusted out and blowing blue smoke..the poor owner is wondering how long his heap will last..and paying $75 for an air filter (airlifted from Korea)! -LADA (Canada): do our friends in Canada regret buying these POSs? -RENAULT (all models),nuff said! -Cadillac CATERA (WHO dreamed up that awful name?):a few oldtimers in Florida bought them.
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Replying to: martian (Apr 30, 2009 10:08 pm) I believe that Daihatsu is owned by Toyota. Although I'm not very knowledgeable about this brand, I think the main problem with the Charade in the U.S. was a combination of a lot of competition, coupled with too little marketing support. I remember speaking with one owner who had racked up close to 200,000 miles, and raved about his car. Of course, a sample of one isn't statistically meaningful, but how many Vega, Pinto or Yugo owners could sing similar praises. Don't know much about the Leganza, but that suggests that it may not have been one the the worst cars on the market. The fact that it became an orphan soon after it was introduced in the U.S. made life difficult for this model. Orphaned cars soon tend to be regarded as throwaways by their owners. Their rapid decline in resale value, plus the additional difficulty and expense of obtaining spare parts and service, conspire against proper maintenance. How many orphans are meticulously maintained? The Catera was a disappointment. Good intentions, poor results. This American version of the Opel model on which it was based not only added 500 pounds before it crossed the Atlantic, thereby negatively affecting handling and fuel economy, but it also had reliability problems. Cadillac dealers generally didn't like Cateras. |
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Replying to: hpmctorque (May 01, 2009 4:49 am) Like you mentioned, HP, it probably wasn't a horrible car per se, but just had a poor dealer network with people who didn't know how to work on them. Plus, like you say, as cars become worthless orphans with little resale value, they tend to be viewed at as throwaway cars, and therefore don't get the maintenance they need. Charade is a poor choice in a name, but I can think of a few others...such as the Suzuki Esteem and Ford Aspire. So while one was charading as a car, yet another had self worth issues, while the Ford aspired to one day be a "real" car? As for the Caddy that Zigs, at least it was a better effort than the Cimarron! It probably would have been held in higher regard, if the Lincoln LS hadn't come out around the same time. I remember the LS being a big deal at the time, although I didn't last. A guy at work had one, and it's the main reason he drives Acuras today.  I wonder if the Catera would have worked better as a Saturn model? It could have slotted in as their top model and given them the illusion of a full roundup with small cars (S-series and then the Ion), medium (L-series), and large-ish (Catera). Although maybe the Catera really wasn't much larger than the L-series? I cant' remember now.
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