"Worstest" car you ever owned?

[Knox in Box]

Steverino's thread had me going with some of the stories.

So what was the absolute worst shape, rust bucket, unsafe death traps you ever drove?

I once bought a 1977 Audi 100 for 600 bucks that was covered with Moss but seemed solid enough, washed it off with a pressure hose and I swear, the moss was keeping that thing from rusting. The very next day the exhaust ripped off before the first resonator and sounded like an army deuce and a half driving through town. The sunroof got stuck in the open position a week later and one of the front brakes seized up while open which made hard braking situations a hairy situation. The carburator also had a penchent for getting stuck at high throttle towards the end. We owned it for about six months and before it was over I couldn't wait to get it to the junk yard.

Or Renault 25 also had a problem with the suspension that when I would brake hard with my wife in the passenger seat it would jump on that side as if the brake rotor was warped. Never did it with any mechanic or myself there, only my wife which made getting it fixed damn near impossible. We tried new rotors, New shocks, nothing worked. I had a fire when something behind the dash shorted out but it quit burning on its own and never came back, and we had to drive around with a second distributor cap because it would gather condensation and get fouled up every two weeks our so depending on the humidity level. All of a sudden you'd be driving, any time of the day and it would start sputtering and spitting and I'd have to jump out with a screw driver and change it out, take the old one home dry it out and clean it up.

So what about you guys?

 

[Mark Wein]

1984 Mustang LX. It was my dads car and he gave it to me when I turned 18 to go to college. NOT a good year for Ford.

 

[Lerxst]

Same as the ulgiest; 78 sunbird.
Everything about it was horribly designed and constructed. Under-powered, overweight, under-suspended and generally unpleasant to drive. Thankfully I only owned it briefly to cover a temp gap between vehicles.

 

[gtrjunior]

I had an '85 T-Bird. The previous ovner had sweet rims and a fresh paint job on it. But everything else was junk....man, I replaced everything from the brakes and suspension to the rear end and the entire motor.....dumb shit you do at 22yo....lol

 

[OGG]

I "rescued" a dead 1978 FIAT X1/9 from a date with the crusher. Thought for sure I could "save" it. It was 15 years old at the time, which in classsic FIAT/Alfa/Lancia years is like 150.

Towed it to the ONE local FIAT specialist to have him get it running. The body and interior were solid (so it seemed).

Got the car for free.

Tow bill $125

Diagnostic $100

Miscellaneous electrical work, new timing and accessory belts, new fuel lines, complete tune-up (cap, rotor, points, condenser, wires, plugs), new oil pan gasket, new valve cover gasket, carb adjustment (dual double barrel downdraft Webbers), new Heater core, new Radiator and hoses, new thermostat, replace ALL fluids... $1,600

New tires, front pads and rotors, new rear calipers, pads and rotors $1,200

Complete interior/exterior detail $200

It drove, looked and ran great for two days before it broke a motor mount which caused it to get stuck in 2nd gear.

$300


A week later, the battery died... ok, new battery $90

Turned out the battery wasn't the problem... new Alternator $275

Turned out the alternator wasn't the problem either, it was the external voltage regulator. $100

A few days later, hood latch cable... $80

It finally settled in for a few weeks before I noticed all the new cancer bubbles popping up all around the windshield... bad seal had let water get trapped beneath it.

New windscreen seal, body work to remove the rust and match the rest of the car $500

Two weeks. Two weeks later, that brand new timing belt lost the tensioner and jumped enough teeth at freeway speed to catastrophically destroy the head (interference motor).

Diagnostic $100

Tow bill to wrecking yard $250


Top that bitchez!

 

[Lerxst]

My biggest money pit? 1998 Dodge Ram 2500.
Bought it when it was a couple years old lease turn-in when they were still in high demand w/ great resale.
In the handful of years I owned it: 3 transmission failures, horribly unreliable electronics & a complete dry fist-fucking from a dealer on some misquoted repairs. The horrible hit on resale was the cherry on top.

 

[gtrjunior]

I "rescued" a dead 1978 FIAT X1/9 from a date with the crusher. Thought for sure I could "save" it. It was 15 years old at the time, which in classsic FIAT/Alfa/Lancia years is like 150.

Towed it to the ONE local FIAT specialist to have him get it running. The body and interior were solid (so it seemed).

Got the car for free.

Tow bill $125

Diagnostic $100

Miscellaneous electrical work, new timing and accessory belts, new fuel lines, complete tune-up (cap, rotor, points, condenser, wires, plugs), new oil pan gasket, new valve cover gasket, carb adjustment (dual double barrel downdraft Webbers), new Heater core, new Radiator and hoses, new thermostat, replace ALL fluids... $1,600

New tires, front pads and rotors, new rear calipers, pads and rotors $1,200

Complete interior/exterior detail $200

It drove, looked and ran great for two days before it broke a motor mount which caused it to get stuck in 2nd gear.

$300


A week later, the battery died... ok, new battery $90

Turned out the battery wasn't the problem... new Alternator $275

Turned out the alternator wasn't the problem either, it was the external voltage regulator. $100

A few days later, hood latch cable... $80

It finally settled in for a few weeks before I noticed all the new cancer bubbles popping up all around the windshield... bad seal had let water get trapped beneath it.

New windscreen seal, body work to remove the rust and match the rest of the car $500

Two weeks. Two weeks later, that brand new timing belt lost the tensioner and jumped enough teeth at freeway speed to catastrophically destroy the head (interference motor).

Diagnostic $100

Tow bill to wrecking yard $250


Top that bitchez!

Damn....
That about all I got for you...

 

[Coralkong]

My wife had a 1988 Chevrolet Z24 when we met, and man.....that was an absolute POS.

It had the elctronic dashboard, which had caught on fire.......never to work again. You couldn't tell how fast you were going.
The shifter (center console) was also electronic also shorted out, and melted the plastic trim, turning it brown.
The driver's side seat had a hole in it where a spring would stick you in the ass.

If you had the heat on, it would start to smell like burning plastic after awhile.

It had all the handling characteristics of a Sherman tank. Probably got about the same mileage, too.

THAT might be the biggest POS I have ever owned/been in.

 

[Steverino]

I won't count beaters I bought just for parts. Those weren't DDs.

It had to be this lump o'crap.

1981 Mercury Cougar. Fox body, 302V8 stuffed in there so tight you couldn't work on it. When the starter quit, it took hours to get it out. I figured since I didn't want to do that again (and not knowing at the time I wouldn't own it much longer) I opted for the best, most expensive starter they had. Turns out it was a tad smaller in diameter and it bolted right up.

Power windows were intermittent, hell all the electronics were. Handled like a log truck, uncomfortable, gas-guzzler. Hated it, so when the ex and I split, I gave it to her. Her new BF cursed me, I'm sure.

 

[mikesr1963]

My brother accepted partial payment of a car for a painting job he did once sometime in 89 or 90 and he had it towed to my dad's shop where it was still sitting in 92 when I got home. A 74 Buick Century, sporty looking car right? Sorta looked like the car below in a light golden yellow color and rust. Rust all over. It had sat for who knows how long with the windows down. Mold was growing on the outside and inside of it. Interior I scrubbed with a brush and soapy bleach water. Rusted rear quarters, doors, front fenders some to. Rear window seal rusted and water leaked in the trunk as well. Windshield was cracked too and when it rained it dripped water in your crotch. I had just gotten out of the service and got a job to bring in some money but wasn't much. I ask what he was gonna do with the car and he said I could have it. I pulled it to the front of the shop with a garden tractor and put a quick charge on the battery. 20 minutes later I got it started using a gas bottle squirting gas down the carb. I pushed it in the shop and dried it out inside and outside. Changed the fluids. Took silicon and filled the leaks and riveted sheet metal over the major holes and sprayed undercoating on them. Drained the gas tank and put fresh gas in it along with a new gas filter. Managed to get it inspected even with the windshield cracked. Brakes, brakes were spongy entire time I had it but it always stopped. I drove back and forth to work for 8 months then sold it as is for $300. I gave guy the car's entire story with me and told him be gentle with it and you'll have a car for a couple years. A couple weeks later I watched him doing burn outs in the local stop and rob parking lot. A little while later I saw him and he said that he' had blown the motor in it. Over all I spent about a hundred dollars on the car.

 

[jelloman]

1981 Volkswagen Rabbit pickup...diesel...would not run below 20 degrees, blew the head gasket once a year...and very very slow...

 

[Steverino]

My brother accepted partial payment of a car for a painting job he did once sometime in 89 or 90 and he had it towed to my dad's shop where it was still sitting in 92 when I got home. A 74 Buick Century, sporty looking car right? Sorta looked like the car below in a light golden yellow color and rust. Rust all over. It had sat for who knows how long with the windows down. Mold was growing on the outside and inside of it. Interior I scrubbed with a brush and soapy bleach water. Rusted rear quarters, doors, front fenders some to. Rear window seal rusted and water leaked in the trunk as well. Windshield was cracked too and when it rained it dripped water in your crotch. I had just gotten out of the service and got a job to bring in some money but wasn't much. I ask what he was gonna do with the car and he said I could have it. I pulled it to the front of the shop with a garden tractor and put a quick charge on the battery. 20 minutes later I got it started using a gas bottle squirting gas down the carb. I pushed it in the shop and dried it out inside and outside. Changed the fluids. Took silicon and filled the leaks and riveted sheet metal over the major holes and sprayed undercoating on them. Drained the gas tank and put fresh gas in it along with a new gas filter. Managed to get it inspected even with the windshield cracked. Brakes, brakes were spongy entire time I had it but it always stopped. I drove back and forth to work for 8 months then sold it as is for $300. I gave guy the car's entire story with me and told him be gentle with it and you'll have a car for a couple years. A couple weeks later I watched him doing burn outs in the local stop and rob parking lot. A little while later I saw him and he said that he' had blown the motor in it. Over all I spent about a hundred dollars on the car.

I had a buddy with the '73 Buick Century "Regal", same car. His had the 455. Sure, it had balls (for a de-tuned 455 anyway) and he kept it sharp. But the rust just would not be controlled. By the time he turned it over to me (I had my bodyshop at the time), the deck lid was eaten up, the lower rear quarters too, the roof in front of the "opera windows" and along the back under the rear glass. I lost money on it. I had stripped the hood to the bare metal, and left it that way at the end of the workday. When I returned the next morning, it had turned bright orange with rust. I've seen bare metal rust up quickly, but never like that. I painted it and he sold it. I saw it for years afterward, lumbering around town, looking worse and worse every time I saw it.

 

[mikesr1963]

I had a buddy with the '73 Buick Century "Regal", same car. His had the 455. Sure, it had balls (for a de-tuned 455 anyway) and he kept it sharp. But the rust just would not be controlled. By the time he turned it over to me (I had my bodyshop at the time), the deck lid was eaten up, the lower rear quarters too, the roof in front of the "opera windows" and along the back under the rear glass. I lost money on it. I had stripped the hood to the bare metal, and left it that way at the end of the workday. When I returned the next morning, it had turned bright orange with rust. I've seen bare metal rust up quickly, but never like that. I painted it and he sold it. I saw it for years afterward, lumbering around town, looking worse and worse every time I saw it.

Truth there, I swear I could hear it rusting when I got in to start it each morning. I left out the suspension part. It was damn near a low rider when I got it so I bought some of those cheap things you screw up in the coil springs to give it a couple inches of lift. When I pulled the wheels off the damn thing already had some in it. Hell, I added two more to all four springs and drove on. That was without a doubt the most glued and stapled together car I'd ever seen much less driven.

 

[Steverino]

Truth there, I swear I could hear it rusting when I got in to start it each morning. I left out the suspension part. It was damn near a low rider when I got it so I bought some of those cheap things you screw up in the coil springs to give it a couple inches of lift. When I pulled the wheels off the damn thing already had some in it. Hell, I added two more to all four springs and drove on. That was without a doubt the most glued and stapled together car I'd ever seen much less driven.

LOL I had some of those, popped 'em in. Next day I flew over the railroad tracks and they all popped out, rolling across the road in the rearview mirror

 

[mongooz]

the worst is the one i own now. jeep patriot. godamn sensors going out, no more 4x4 because of the sensors. the crank sensor needs replaced, but the fucking brilliant chrysler engineers placed it so you have to remove the fucking transmission to get at it. i hate this car.
(i've got 3 mores years on the car loan.)

 

[Knox in Box]

the worst is the one i won now. jeep patriot. godamn sensors going out, no more 4x4 because of the sensors. the crank sensor needs replaced, but the fucking brilliant chrysler engineers placed it so you have to remove the fucking transmission to get at it. i hate this car.
(i've got 3 mores years on the car loan.)

mojo

 

[Rick 381]

Shortly after I moved here I bought an old Ford F-150, late 70's. It ran well. The second day I had it I loaded all the gear for the Little League team I was coaching and headed for a game. On the way I got pulled over by the local PD. They didn't like my lack of plates. Then they didn't like the rest of the truck. After giving it a look over she told me she didn't feel like writing all the tickets that thing had coming and she was going to escort me home and warned me she better not EVER see that truck on the road again. I looked at what it would cost to fix everything and no one ever saw that truck on the road again unless they saw it on it's way to the scrapyard.

 

[Scott Powell]

1979 Chevette. I was young broke and poor and i drove it from t0 1985-1989. to say it was a POS is to be too kind

 

[mongooz]

the worst is the one i own now. jeep patriot. godamn sensors going out, no more 4x4 because of the sensors. the crank sensor needs replaced, but the fucking brilliant chrysler engineers placed it so you have to remove the fucking transmission to get at it. i hate this car.
(i've got 3 mores years on the car loan.)

so on the way to work this morning, the abs decided that it needed to slam on the brakes.....at 40 mph. i had to limp this fucking piece of shit the rest of the way to work. looked up on line how to disable the abs, and i found which fuse runs it. so at lunch the abs is getting disabled.
FUCK a car that just decides to slam on the brakes when it wants to. looked on line and it's very common for patriots to do this shit.
i learned to drive in 1972 in the winter, in the mountains of Pa. in a '68 Ford Fairlane GT. i don't need any fucking abs.

(sorry @dodgechargerfan ) but fuck chrysler and every thing they fucking make.

 

[Coralkong]

so on the way to work this morning, the abs decided that it needed to slam on the brakes.....at 40 mph. i had to limp this fucking piece of shit the rest of the way to work. looked up on line how to disable the abs, and i found which fuse runs it. so at lunch the abs is getting disabled.
FUCK a car that just decides to slam on the brakes when it wants to. looked on line and it's very common for patriots to do this shit.
i learned to drive in 1972 in the winter, in the mountains of Pa. in a '68 Ford Fairlane GT. i don't need any fucking abs.

(sorry @dodgechargerfan ) but fuck chrysler and every thing they fucking make.

Yeah, dude....that's rough. Unfortunately, I think Chrysler is kind of famous for this kind of shit....piss poor quality control/design. I think the newer Jeeps are better than the older ones, but apparently not too much if you still have 3 years left on it. What year is it?

We drove one of the new "Baby Jeeps" with the stupid looking cross tail-lights (Renegade, maybe?) up to Quebec City in October. It was a rental we got while my truck was in the shop due to some fucktard backing into it in a parking lot. Anyway, brand new. 2400 miles on it. Let me just say I wasn't real impressed. I shit you not, on the highway, with the windows closed, you could hear the wind whistle through the window seals. Squeaks all over the place, rattles, just lots of shit that should not happen to a car with 2400 miles on it. It was actually pretty comical. I said to my wife during the trip "Who would buy one of these pieces of shit?"