Some possible candidates:

Gremlin X
Maverick Grabber
Vega (with the ALL aluminum engine block)
AMC Pacer
AMC Javelin (javalina)
Falcon

ford edsel

I don't know, but the alchemist that tried to shove a truck body onto a car should be given a violent wedgie.

Quoted: ford edsel

For sure, the Edsel was a flop with the public, but I'm not so sure that it was a truly "bad" car.

mine

although i halfway tend to agree w/ Hokie.....i'm shocked to see that the Corvair did not make the list.

Pinto

Quoted: Pinto

+100

Chrysler Horizon.

Followed closely by the 1983 Ford Mustang.

The aptly-named Pontiac Fiero


Fire and plastic....not good bedfellows

Add to the list:

Chrysler K car
Chevy Vega
Pontiac Fiero

I think I gotta go with the Chevy Vega.
This was the car that had an ALL aluminum engine.  I mean, there were NO iron or steel cylinder sleeves.  The cast iron piston rings rode against a "specially treated" aluminum cylinder surface.  Of course, the engine wore out after approx. 15,000 miles.
Even the lowly Ford Pinto or AMC Pacer couldn't be accused of that.

Buick Somerset . This POS was made in the mid to late 80's. I had a 1986 model and it was an absolute POS. MAJOR electrical computer problems that the dealer could NEVER fix.

AMC Matador.

Hands down.

Quoted: I think I gotta go with the Chevy Vega. This was the car that had an ALL aluminum engine.  I mean, there were NO iron or steel cylinder sleeves.  The cast iron piston rings rode against a "specially treated" aluminum cylinder surface.  Of course, the engine wore out after approx. 15,000 miles. Even the lowly Ford Pinto or AMC Pacer couldn't be accused of that.

My parents got one.  Their first new car.  It had 236 miles on it when they were driving down the road and somoen yell at them that their car was on fire.

They pulled over and watched the damn thing burn to the ground.

The engine just spontaniously cought fire.

I recall reading an article once on the once popular Chevy Nova.

They tried selling them in Mexico because it was an affordable car and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.  They failed horribly and couldn't figure out why until they realized what Chevy "Nova" actually meant when translated into Spanish.

Why is the Maverick Grabber on your list? That was the sporty one with the 5.0L V-8. I wish I had one in good condition today...............

Mike

Anything that says "Ford" Except the 1969 Boss 429.  Rare as hell, made a lot of 428s though.

Quoted: I recall reading an article once on the once popular Chevy Nova. They tried selling them in Mexico because it was an affordable car and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.  They failed horribly and couldn't figure out why until they realized what Chevy "Nova" actually meant when translated into Spanish.

Which means what in spanish?

Quoted: I recall reading an article once on the once popular Chevy Nova. They tried selling them in Mexico because it was an affordable car and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.  They failed horribly and couldn't figure out why until they realized what Chevy "Nova" actually meant when translated into Spanish.

Yeah, I had heard that too.  Don't know if it's true or not, but I would shy away from something who's name means, "Doesn't go".  With that said, I want a matching #'s Nova SS, those were beauties.  MJD

Quoted: Quoted: I recall reading an article once on the once popular Chevy Nova. They tried selling them in Mexico because it was an affordable car and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.  They failed horribly and couldn't figure out why until they realized what Chevy "Nova" actually meant when translated into Spanish. Which means what in spanish?

"No" "Va"

=

"No" "Go"

GEEZUS...you guys are killing me......

i'd also like to add the Chevy Chevette as...i didnt notice it above anywhere....and nobody has even seconded the Corvair?  

i'd like to semi-quote.....

"Mr. Nader...how do you know the Corvair is the most unsafe car on the road"

"because I designed it"

Corvair

My vote goes to the Chevy Vega, as it is the only truly bad car my family ever owned. Ours was a GT model, and while it looked fairly cool at the time, it was impossible to keep running. My Dad ended up taking it to the junkyard.

Quoted: Corvair

THANK YOU!!

1975 Dodge Dart.

I still remember.....

Chevy Vega

With the aluminum block and steel oil pan and valve cover, the entire engine assembly expanded and contracted at different rates resulting in massive oil leaks.  The engines were pretty much guaranteed to wear out by 30,000 miles.  Buddy had one,  and towards the end he'd get about 100 miles to a quart -- engine oil that is!

Chevrolet Vega
by Bill Vance

The Chevrolet Vega was introduced during the second wave of the American auto industry's attempt to vanquish imported cars from North America. The first wave, which included the 1960 compact Ford Falcon, Chevrolet Corvair, and Chrysler Valiant had slowed the imports, but led by the VW Beetle they soon recovered.

The 1971 Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto, and the 1970-1/2 AMC Gremlin were the second wave of import fighters. Like the first, they would have mixed results.

While Ford's Pinto was quite conventional, as the Falcon had been, General Motors chose a bolder path with the Vega. It was like a repeat of the unusual Corvair philosophy, although not as daring. Thus, while Ford used its well-proved English 1.6 litre overhead valve, cast iron 4-cylinder engine as base power (a 2-litre overhead cam four was optional), the Vega got an all-new overhead cam, aluminum block four.

In an unusual move, the Vega's engine had its pistons running directly in the silicone impregnated aluminum cylinders, not in the iron sleeves normally used.

GM began promoting its new car in the fall of 1968 when it announced that in two years the corporation would introduce a small, economical car tailored to American tastes, one that would effectively compete with the imports. Unfortunately the optimism would turn out to be premature.

John DeLorean, Chevrolet Division's general manager when the Vega was introduced, was very candid in his book, On A Clear Day You Can See General Motors. He called the Vega a poor design engineered by the central corporate engineers, then foisted onto a disgruntled Chevrolet.

DeLorean called the engine "a relatively large, noisy, top-heavy combination of aluminum and iron which cost far too much to build, (and) looked like it had been taken off a 1920 farm tractor..." He said "Chevy engineers were ashamed of the engine."

When the first prototype Vega arrived at Chevrolet from the central staff, DeLorean had division engineers test it at GM's Milford, Mich., proving grounds. The results were devastating. "After eight miles, the front of the Vega broke off. The front end of the car separated from the rest of the vehicle," said DeLorean. "It must have set a record for the shortest time taken for a new car to fall apart." It was an inauspicious start for GM's new baby.

.......

Once in the hands of owners, the Vega did little to dispel its star-crossed birth. There was an early recall of 132,000 cars to correct a carburetor fire hazard. Aluminum cylinder blocks were subject to distortion due to overheating, cylinders were prone to premature wear causing high oil consumption, and the lightweight block caused noise and vibration. In addition to all this, the body proved vulnerable to rust.
........
Reflections on Automotive History by Bill Vance, Volumes I, II & III available through www.billvanceautohistory.ca


Actually makes the Pinto sound like a good thing!

First productions of the Fiero randomly caught on fire.  I know the engineer at the GM proving grounds that wouldn't sign off on it and got his bosses job when his boss signed off on it.

FORD PINTO!

Corvair!!!!

Quoted: Corvair!!!!

thats why youre my homie ....homie.

Pontiac Aztec.......

Quoted: Corvair!!!!

Actually, GM could have made that a great car.  It had the potential if they hadn't given up on it like they have on other stuff.

Quoted: First productions of the Fiero randomly caught on fire.  I know the engineer at the GM proving grounds that wouldn't sign off on it and got his bosses job when his boss signed off on it.

 mid and late 80s S series trucks and SUV's had the same "issue" lol

Quoted: Quoted: Corvair!!!! Actually, GM could have made that a great car.  It had the potential if they hadn't given up on it like they have on other stuff.

yup...but they did......horribly unsafe vehicle.  on another note....wasnt there actually a turbo version of it in 65 or so?

Dodge Omni.  Would get wet in the rain and stop running.

Anything with the GM 350 Diesel.

Just so happens there is a guy like 1 mile away from me that owns probably 10 Corvairs, and has his own 6 bay garage to put them in.

There's nothing wrong with the Corvair. You guy's saying that don't know WTF you're talking about.

Shit, I'd take a Corvair or an Edsel or a Maveric Grabber or a Dodge Dart over an embarrasing Scion.

Anyway, the worst American car is the Pontiac Aztek.

ETA: There isn't anything particularly unsafe about the Corvair. I've driven one and it handles quite good. And yes there was a Turbo version called the Monza Spyder, it had 180hp.

4 cylinder Ford Mustange II

Quoted: Quoted: Corvair!!!! thats why youre my homie ....homie.

straight up G!

Quoted: FORD PINTO!

Not really.  I had a '72 Runabout with the 2.3 German engine.  Put 150K on it with absolutely no problems.

The gas tank thinks was overblown, pun intended.

Quoted: Quoted: I think I gotta go with the Chevy Vega. This was the car that had an ALL aluminum engine.  I mean, there were NO iron or steel cylinder sleeves.  The cast iron piston rings rode against a "specially treated" aluminum cylinder surface.  Of course, the engine wore out after approx. 15,000 miles. Even the lowly Ford Pinto or AMC Pacer couldn't be accused of that. My parents got one.  Their first new car.  It had 236 miles on it when they were driving down the road and somoen yell at them that their car was on fire. They pulled over and watched the damn thing burn to the ground. The engine just spontaniously cought fire.

My mom's old Chevy Chevette did the same thing a long time ago

Chrysler K car.


Anything with a gay bowtie on it.

The AMC Pacer.

And I nominate the Renault Le Car for the foreign model.
Or "Le Can" as we called it.

Every single one from 1979 to the present with the exception of some of the rear-wheel drive vehicles of the present.

MT (highly opinionated today) Thompson

I saw a Vega on the road 2 weeks ago.  Not owned by a collector.  Just a beat up dirty Vega driven by a few dirty kids.  Surprised me.

Quoted: There's nothing wrong with the Corvair. You guy's saying that don't know WTF you're talking about. Shit, I'd take a Corvair or an Edsel or a Maveric Grabber or a Dodge Dart over an embarrasing Scion. Anyway, the worst American car is the Pontiac Aztek. ETA: There isn't anything particularly unsafe about the Corvair. I've driven one and it handles quite good. And yes there was a Turbo version called the Monza Spyder, it had 180hp.

the Corvair comes to mind because it is basically the car that sparked the gov. and industry to inforce stricter vehicle safety rules.....

The Scoop

Quoted: Chevy Vega With the aluminum block and steel oil pan and valve cover, the entire engine assembly expanded and contracted at different rates resulting in massive oil leaks.  The engines were pretty much guaranteed to wear out by 30,000 miles.  Buddy had one,  and towards the end he'd get about 100 miles to a quart -- engine oil that is! Chevrolet Vega by Bill Vance . Once in the hands of owners, the Vega did little to dispel its star-crossed birth. There was an early recall of 132,000 cars to correct a carburetor fire hazard. Aluminum cylinder blocks were subject to distortion due to overheating, cylinders were prone to premature wear causing high oil consumption, and the lightweight block caused noise and vibration. In addition to all this, the body proved vulnerable to rust.

And my post from page one:

Quoted: My parents got one.  Their first new car.  It had 236 miles on it when they were driving down the road and somoen yell at them that their car was on fire. They pulled over and watched the damn thing burn to the ground. The engine just spontaniously cought fire.

Quoted: Chrysler Horizon. Followed closely by the 1983 Ford Mustang.

I loved mine, but it is deffinatly more go-kart than car.

I've put 5 full size males in it too

Guys,
My original list was only a list of suggestions; something to get the discussion going.  For sure, it wasn't intended to be a comprehensive listing and perhaps some of the cars on that list weren't actually very bad cars.

I remember the first cross country road trip I ever made.  It was from eastern Pennsylvania to Sacramento, CA in 1967.  It was in my brother-in-law's well used, 1962 Chevy Nova.  The car performed well loaded with three people (he was going to drop his brother off at Stanford U.) and full luggage.
 We started out on Friday afternoon and arrived in Sarcamento on Sunday morning; continuously driving straight through the whole time.
Later, on the return trip, I ended up getting REALLY sick in that car after tanking up heavily (me, not the Nova) on Colt 45 Malt Liquor.