What Is The Worst Car You Ever Owned?

[danefx]

Without a doubt, it was a 1997 Mercedes S500.I had the car from 2004 until 2007. Three and a half years cost me $14,000 in repairs and maintenence. As the car was just over ten years old with 112,000 miles, it was starting to cost too much too often. There were certin issues that most of these cars had that were very expensice to repair.

I was lucky enough not to run into these problems. So it was like a sword hanging over my head, knowing that the very expensive issues were soon to come.

The last straw came when I had zero oil pressure on the guage at idle when the car was hot. My mechanic could not get my pressure up to the old reading, even after $1,700 in repairs. Many people at the mercedes boards say that these mercedes have low oil pressure at idle, and it's normal. but I don't know why my mechanic couldn't get the pressure back up to the old levels.

So after $14,000 and seeing the value of the vehicle drop to under $10,000, I decided it was time to let it go and get something much more dependable.

Enter my 2004 LS430 which I purchased as a cpo car last week.

[JIBBBY]

I've heard alot of horror stories of the newer Merc's and AMG's having problems.... Infact, just recently in Beverly Hills, Ca. there was an attorney whom bought a new Merc and it gave him so much constant trouble he decided to park it in front of the dealership and posted a big sign in the car window which read "Big LEMON and this dealer won't honor a good faith return"... The dealership would not take back the car apparently and neither the attorney nor dealership could legally enforce there demands and wants..

In the end the Merc was parked in front of that dealership for several months legally...Finally the dealership worked out the differences with the owner of that lemon because they were losing new car sales.....

It was actually a brilliant plan by the guy to get what he wanted out of the dealership that sold him this serious lemon...

I was impressed with the results.....

[cowbobdog]

THe worse car we ever had was the 2007 Jaguar station wagon that we only kept for 5000 miles and traded in on the Lexus RX 350 which we love.

It was the most uncomfortable car I have ever ridden in (well second most uncomfortable my 2000 Honda S-2000 is the most uncomfortable but way fun).

Also the Jaguar had a vapor type smell if the heating or cooling was on..I have asthma and it literally took my breath away...everyone could smell it..but they couldnt find anything "wrong"

well you can only drive so much in Washington state with your window down and your air system off so we traded it in at 4 months.

[smooth1]

Iv'e actually heard of that problem before. they said it was the "glues" used in the ABS air ducts were routed to close to the fire wall. When the motor gets warm it turns the glue to a gummy vapor, which is why you get that smell. I thought they had a TSB out on that problem, and the answer was to move the lower air ducts away and wrap them in a heat sheild blanket or something. Anyway, Ford is trying to dump Jaguar because sales just plane suck. Their whole future seems to rest on 1 or 2 new models coming out. It's really to bad. They are nice looking,( Not my taste), but atleast they break out of the homogenized mold of car design.

Welcome to the LOC btw. Atleast you traded it in for one of the best......

[Brendon Bosy]

I've only owned 3 cars in my short lifetime; a 98' Corolla (still own), a 92' SC400 (bought at 220k miles, died at 280k), and my current 97' SC400. All were reliable so for the most unreliable car my family ever owned; my Mom's 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. That thing cost $30k brand new and my parents probably dumped just as much in repairs over the short 5 years and 90k miles they owned it. It constantly had problems with the braking system, even though my Mom drives like a snail. Brake pads wore out nearly as much as the oil was changed. Rotors constantly had to be reground. The car also had significant problems electrically. After just 2 years, the factory battery stopped holding a charge in spite of the fact the car was even heated garage kept. By the end of the car's tenure, the entire air conditioning system had died and it would have cost $1200 to replace.

[90LS400Lexus]

Worst car.... hmm. A 1982 BMW 733i, but I am not sure it was really the cars fault. I only paid $700 for it (this was about 7 years ago) to use as a work car. It had seen some abuse and I later found out that the original 3.3L had been removed and a 2.8L out of a 5-series installed. It was a good driving car and was still fast, even with the smaller engine, but it had electrical problems galore and it had starting issues. I was even afraid to even get out in it.

Other than that, out of all of the cars I have owned (which has been like 60 different cars), all were decent at worst. Most were good cars and all were used. I personally have never owned a brand new car and never have owned one newer than a 2000 model @ this point.

The two best cars I have ever owned were Toyota Camrys and a Honda Accord... a 1987 base sedan and a 1993 LE V6 sedan. The Accord was a LX 4dr, 1991. I had a little 1984 Toyota truck that was pretty amazing also. I never had a minutes trouble from it. Both of my Lexus' have proved to be great cars too. Well over 200K and never no majpr problems.

[90LS400Lexus]

Oh yes... my aunt in South Carolina has a 1995 Mercedes S500 and it had problems too. Its a beautiful car, but it had a dreadful A/C problem... seems to be a common problem on these cars, especially the 1992-94 models.... I thought my 95-99 that this problem was pretty much cured, but I guess not. Yes, these are very costly to repair. I had considered buying one before my Lexus, but steered clear.

She had it repaired ($4000) and uses it occasionally, but she decided she wanted another money pit and purchased a 2006 Mercedes ML SUV. So far, its give no troubles. The S-Class was given to her by her father in law, because when he went to buy a new S500 in 2005, they offered very little trade-in value on the 95 S500. She cannot complain about the price anyway. :P

Without a doubt, it was a 1997 Mercedes S500.I had the car from 2004 until 2007. Three and a half years cost me $14,000 in repairs and maintenence. As the car was just over ten years old with 112,000 miles, it was starting to cost too much too often. There were certin issues that most of these cars had that were very expensice to repair.

[Lexusfreak]

I honestly don't think I've ever owned a 'worst' car.....all my rides have been pretty nice & reliable, although somewhat different. Worst car for visibility though has to go to my 1991 Buick Riviera......but a pretty reliable car overall beleive it or not. :)

[Leadfoot]

Without a doubt my previous car, the 1978 MGBGT. I fixed that damn thing every weekend for 2 years, then my wife got in the family way and I went and bought my first LS. After that I started actually enjoying motoring again, rather than listening with intense paranoia for the slightest thing that sounded wrong. It was a lot more fun through central London traffic than the LS though!

[is350gn]

The worste car I have ever owned had to be a 98 Pontiac Chicken. I hated that car it had 70,000 miles on it and the transmission already leaked and had problems going into drive. I had that thing in the shop more than I drove it.

[eatingupblacktop]

I've probably owned 40 or 50 cars in my life. Lost count long ago. C.R.S. disease <_<

But by far, the worst was a '86 Audi 5000. I owned it for about 2 months, and dumped it! Was one thing after another. And it wasn't my first Audi. I had 3 or 4 before it, and loved 'em.

I remember Gus, the service mgr at a vw stealership who was the best mgr I've ever known. Used to save me a bundle on my scirocco. Anyway, the owner of the dealership was driving a brand new 5000 that came with gremlins. The techs couldn't solve the problems. By the time they turned it over to Gus, they had replaced just about everything in it. There were lineups of 5000 owners for problems with that car. He spent about a month working on that car, then quit the dealership and went to bmw. Last thing I remember him saying about the 5000 was "they have to re-engineer it and find better parts".

[johnhoward]

Saw this old post - laughed all the way through...

My worst cars:

1994 Ford Taurus - POS! - frustrating coolant smell from head gasket, transmission shudder - spent a ton on new struts, motor mounts, new tune up, AC problems (leaks)... Biggest POS ever...

1984 Ford Mustank GT - Caught on fire on the highway.... Hood started bubbling... Carb was leaking gas on the mainifold...

- watched the car burn to the ground while fire dept arrived... Strange tires P220 only made by Michelin

-heater core failed, gear shift broke, reverse gear broke (had to replace with a new rear end)

- Caliper broke and repaired @ 450$...

2000 Ford Taurus - (you'd thought I'd learned my lesson) - in the first year of ownership:

- engine immoblizer had to be replaced, both door handles broke in the winter

- new hood struts - replaced

- new blower motor for A/C - Heat

- Firestone tires (in the years that they blew out on Ford owners) - my front right lost it's whole tread while

driving along...

Ford = never again.....

[eatingupblacktop]

I heard that Ford was hard to quit, but you must have had a bulls eye on your forehead or Murphy's Law stuck to your gas pedal....and I thought I had some problems

[90LS400Lexus]

Thankfully, I think Ford has improved since the 2000 Taurus. I nearly bought a 2005 Ford Five-Hundred (now called Taurus again) and it seemed to be a well-built solid car... time will tell. I passed because of the dreadful resell value, but it only had 8000 miles and was $9500 (stickered for $21,000). It had minor damage to both of the driverside doors.

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

Chevy Vega...aluminum engine crapped out at 30,000 miles.

Tom

30K ?? Wow! That's probably a world record :P Consider youself lucky. Our '72 only made it to 13,500 miles ... right after the warranty died. They were the Yugo of GM ... makes some of their other cheezy stuff look light years better.

[90LS400Lexus]

OMG... I remember my grandpa had a 1977 Vega when I was a young lad in the early 80s and my grandmother had a 1974 Oldsmobile Toronado, which was Oldsmobiles luxury coupe, with a huge, smooth 455 V8- worlds apart from the Vega. I remember when I would leave with them I dreaded to go in the Vega because we always went so slow... especially on the freeway! Even as a small child I had a feeling we were going to get ran over, but never did thankfully! I think he sold it in 1983. I think it was still going well though.

I remember back in the 80s, I had a cousin that had a 76' Vega Estate wagon. It was a cool looking car. Looked like a little Nomad wagon. It was bright orange with woodgrain!

Chevy Vega...aluminum engine crapped out at 30,000 miles.

Tom

30K ?? Wow! That's probably a world record :P Consider youself lucky. Our '72 only made it to 13,500 miles ... right after the warranty died. They were the Yugo of GM ... makes some of their other cheezy stuff look light years better.

[Tigris]

That has to be my old 1989 ford mustang 2.3L. It ran ok with just minor stuff, but everything else about it made me hate driving.

[kivettlexuslover]

In high school, my parents gave me to drive a few cars, all of which were POS: 94 Ford Taurus, 81 Olds Delta 88 Royale, and 84 Chevy Caprice; Next drove a 96 Geo Metro...scary driving a lawn mower engine down the interstate at 70mph...oh wait, I was being blown away by 70 mph semis, trying to max out at 60mph. Then I bought a 96 Olds Cutlass Supreme Int'l...what a POS electrical mess. Then I went foreign, and bought a 98 Honda Accord Coupe. Awesome car...until I bought my GMC Yukon Denali. That has been my favorite so far. Now I'm hunting for an RX400h to make a permanent switch to the Int'l auto market. Domestic market sucks!

[WHATCAR]

After a divorce in 1991 I had to sell my nice truck, snowmobile and get a beater. I bought a 1980 AMC Concord which was a constant nightmare. Everything broke except the 4.2 liter straight 6. I had it for 2 years until the hood opened at 65mph. That was the last straw. I then bought a new 1993 Saturn which was nice until I bought a new Toyota Tacoma pickup. Since then I have only owned Toyota's, Honda's and Acura's. I had a few problems with the Saturn and no problems with the Toy's, Honda's.

[CanTex]

1972 Volvo 144 automatic 4-door sedan in light green. This came after I had to sell my "chick magnet" '70 Barracuda (picked up the chick, married the chick, still married after 37 years) because my better half fried the clutch in the course of half an hour trying to get through a country stop sign on an uphill slope. (Training session) The replacement clutch was never right and she insisted on having something to drive. Being poor and just married, well, it was an automatic or else in our only vehicle.

The Volvo? Serious POS. The '71 and '73 were much better cars. Mention "SU carburetors" and watch me cringe into a little ball in the corner. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and often.

Best car? '66 Corvair Corsa with Pirellis, Konis, better anti-roll bars, better front air dam, some fancy air cleaner, and many mods by John Fitch's garage in CT. This puppy could only match a Mustang through 2nd gear, but I had them on the first curve. Sunbeam Alpines and MGBs as well.

[93LSOwner]

1992 Acura Legend LS. Know other three family and friends with the 92' Legends, which have the same problems. Problems that have resulted in classifying at least the 1992 models as pos.