Have You Ever Owned Any of these Worst Cars?

The worst cars that most people have driven didn’t seem all that bad at the time, but they have become nothing but junk.

In some cases, the cars on this list started out pretty junky, and we somehow got swindled into buying them anyway. Some are modern cars; others are older vehicles. You’ll see some regular cars and some luxury cars on this list. The cars that hit the bottom of the barrel don’t seem to be as discerning as you might expect.
Here are ten of the worst cars that many of us have owned at some point in our lives.

Ford Escort

The Ford Escort is the quintessential 1980s car. If you think about that particular decade, very few cars stand out as desirable and impressive. Unfortunately, the Ford Escort was among these cars. Some have loved their Escorts for a long time, while others have left them on the side of the road because they just wouldn’t drive right. The 1980s was a time between being abandoned and thinking reliability has something to do with the infotainment system. The Escort was stuck in this middle area.

Tesla Model S

The Plaid trim of this Tesla sedan should be exceptional and a lot of fun to drive. This car is a high-priced and high-powered vehicle that costs a lot. With that in mind, some consumers don’t realize how far Tesla has gone to create an environment different from what we’re used to. Some complaints involve the yoke steering apparatus, dumb turn signal placement, and strange horn button. It can be hard to get used to a car that changes the ergonomics so much. Typically the Model S wouldn’t hit this list, but it’s one of the worst cars for its strange placement of different items.

Chevy Vega Wagon

The 1970s was a time when wagons were starting to leave the market. Strangely, station wagons made it into the 1990s before crossover SUVs and minivans pushed them out. The Chevy Vega Wagon of the 1970s could be described as one of the most difficult cars to get used to. This car was too heavy for the small engine and had several issues that made it a car that made some drivers turn away from Chevy for good.

Dodge Neon

The only people that should ever get stuck driving a Dodge Neon are high-school students that paid for this car with their own money. This is one of the worst cars ever made that many people drive because it was affordable and efficient. Still, this car had uncomfortable seats, numb steering, a difficult manual transmission, and a terrible suspension. Toss in the fact that this car was loud, and you’ve got a truly awful machine to drive. For the most part, once the Neon hits 80,000 miles it begins to fall apart.

Mazda Protégé

We’re still unsure what the Protégé was supposed to follow and succeed because it couldn’t succeed on its own merits. This car had nothing that most people wanted. Almost everything was manually operated, from the window cranks and door locks to the manual transmission. This affordable car was great for young drivers, but those who were used to more features and an automatic transmission should have avoided it at all costs. The only redeeming qualities of the Mazda Protégé are that it was reliable and got great gas mileage.

Honda Ridgeline

The first generation of the Honda Ridgeline is such a down-the-middle truck that it’s one of the worst cars ever offered. You can enjoy the drive, which is boring and uneventful, but if you want to take this truck out on the trails for some fun or tow a heavy load, you can’t do that at all. Many vehicle reviewers love the Ridgeline, and most owners do too, but it just doesn’t find any way to give you anything fun and exciting to enjoy in this midsize truck.

Ford Festiva

Ford has always wanted to have a party in its lineup, at least until recently. The Festiva cam before the Fiesta, giving us the small Ford hatchback that was the life of the party in the 1990s. This car was bad because it was prone to rusting in some of the worst places. One of those bad spots is in the fuel line, which means some owners couldn’t fill the fuel tank the way they wanted to.

AMC Rambler Wagon

AMC was a relatively popular and respected brand in the 1960s, at a time when wagon versions of most cars were extremely popular. Still, the AMC Rambler Wagon was one of the worst cars made during that time. Some people like this car for its size and comfort, but it became the car of “no” for others. This car was often found with no heat, no A/C, no wipers, no rear window, no high beams, and no exhaust, and it might catch fire. Of course, the drivers that were missing all of those items should have had the car sent to the junkyard long before it ever caught fire.

Volkswagen Golf GTI

Most of us think of the Golf GTI as the original hot hatch and one of the most fun cars to drive in the entire world. That said, like some cars, this model was prone to some issues that even VW couldn’t figure out. Some drivers have reported issues with the throttle body and wiring, which cause the car to be limp, slow, and inactive. Unfortunately, this could happen at the worst possible time.

Chevy Blazer

The early Blazers were awesome, and the modern models are impressive and sporty. In between, the Blazer took some heat and had some issues. This could be considered one of the worst cars that lots of people loved to drive because the 4WD system was prone to acting up and failing when it shouldn’t This system could suck the transfer case dry, which meant the differentials had to be replaced. Other issues occurred, but overall, the Blazer doesn’t have the most stellar reputation and history.

These are just ten of the worst cars that many people drove. Of course, not all versions of these cars had these problems, but some did, and those are the ones you want to watch out for.