The Worst 20 Cars Ever Made Will Make You Rethink Your Buying Options

Everyone hates driving lemons. You know how when you buy a car, something breaks as soon as you kick it out of the car? Brake failure or engine failure. In the worst-case scenario, you will incur a huge financial loss.

How can you prevent that? Avoiding poorly made cars from the start is one of the simplest things to do. To keep you from trying to turn lemons into lemonade, this list will feature some of the worst cars ever produced.

The “car of the future” that was meant to be coming up has a propensity to explode, though!

“Continue reading. On the next page, you will find out about the worst cars ever produced, which may make you reconsider your buying options.”

1. 2004 Chevrolet SSR

The letter SSR in “Chevy SSR” stands for “Super Sport Roadster.” Consumers quickly understood that this vehicle wasn’t a super-sporty roadster once it was released. Instead, it was a bright, retro-designed car that failed slowly and with great weight.

If only Chevy had given as much consideration to the engine as they did to the exterior. Because the car’s body was too heavy for its engine, it performed slowly, which many reviewers characterized as lazy. It was put to rest just as swiftly as this car was set free.

One of Pontiac’s most highly hated vehicles is up next.

2. The Pontiac Aztek

The Pontiac Aztek was universally despised by auto enthusiasts as soon as it was unveiled. Critics argued that the car’s overall design, particularly its oddly formed front end, was absurd. The fact that the body was composed of plastic rather than anything more secure didn’t help.

The crossover was doomed as soon as Pontiac revealed the amenities that would be included with the Aztek and the price that customers would have to pay. Simply put, lackluster performance and unimpressive design weren’t worth the price.

3. the mustang ii

Nobody could have predicted how enthusiastically Ford embraced the Pinto concept. Pinto’s concept served as the foundation for the Mustang II. It was intended to be a coupe that handled like a roadster.

Similar to the Pinto, the Mustang II had several catastrophic problems, such as a generally unimpressive performance. When it was first introduced, reviewers referred to it as the inferior AMC Gremlin, a vehicle with superior performance. Unpopularity was also a problem for the Gremlin, so perhaps it wasn’t a good thing.

Next, do you recall when Lincoln attempted to enter the pick-up truck industry?

4. The Lincoln Blackwood

If you can recall the Lincoln Blackwood, raise your hand. The Lincoln and Ford crossover project, which was unveiled in 2002, represented an odd attempt to design a posh pickup truck. Customers completely rejected it because it was so bizarre, and Lincoln and Ford stopped selling it in less than a year.

The automobile was in perfect working order; it was simply that everything Lincoln tried, from the rear-wheel drive to the opulent interior, appeared inappropriate for a car.

5. The Lamborghini LM002

The first error Lamborghini made when developing and releasing the LM002 was assuming that their target market would be interested in off-road driving. Lamborghini advertised the LM002 to the American military with its “Cheetah” prototype before it was made available to the general public.

However, we don’t believe anyone purchases a Lamborghini to go play in the muck. Between 1986 and 1993, Lamborghini produced 382 of these off-road super-luxury vehicles as a testament to their convictions. The Lamborghini truck was the name given to it.

6. The 1975 AMC Pacer

The 1975 AMC Pacer did little to improve the American Motor Company’s dire circumstances. When it came to size and fuel efficiency, the Pacer, which was introduced at the height of the 1970s compact vehicle mania, reigned supreme.

But getting behind the wheel of one proved to be pretty risky. Critics were eager to point out how poorly the Pacer performed and handled. In other words, while the car may have been entertaining for race car drivers, it wasn’t for regular consumers who just wanted a safe way to commute to and from work.

The vehicle that compelled Maserati to withdraw from the American market is up next.

7. The Maserati Biturbo

Early in the 1980s, Maserati was owned by new people who wanted to use the brand name for a “more affordable” sports car. The outcome was the Biturbo, a vehicle that many attributes to Maserati’s decision to leave the American market in 1991.

Unexpectedly, Maserati continued to produce Biturbos overseas until 1997. The brand ultimately made a comeback to America in 2002. With almost 800 orders placed (high for a luxury model) before it was even shipped, the Maserati Spyder, priced at $89,000, helped the firm regain its status.

8. The Cadillac Fleetwood

The Cadillac Fleetwood we’re talking about was produced from 1976 to 1996 but never achieved commercial success. The car had a horrible reputation for stopping, jerking, and producing strange noises even though it lasted for 20 years.

Cadillac had been prefixing its models with the name “Fleetwood” since 1935. In comparison to the DeVille and Series 62 Models, it spoke of vehicles with longer wheelbases. Cadillac produced only 15,109 units in 1996, the final year of production, which is less than half of the output in 1993.

9. The Ferrari Mondial 8

Beginning in 1980, the Ferrari Mondial 8 was built for two years. There was a story going around at the time that every single model’s system had failed. That is how unfavorable its reputation was. The Mondial QV was introduced in its place in 1983.

The Mondial 8 didn’t receive the worst reviews when it was first released. It received the designations “impressive” and “respectable.” The facts didn’t surface until the car had been driving for almost a year. Time Magazine ranked it as the ninth worst car ever in a retrospective.

10. The Cadillac Cimarron

The Cimarron was unveiled to the world by Cadillac in 1982. The car was a total mess because of the tart. Instead of almost completely discontinuing the brand, GM sought to transfer Cadillac into a lesser market.

Cadillac is undoubtedly still in business today, but it doesn’t change the fact that GM nearly discontinued the brand in the 1980s. It’s all due to the Cimarron. Few vehicles in history have been so awful that brands have threatened to disappear. Thank goodness GM avoided doing the unthinkable.

11. The Iconic Chevy Bel Air

Here’s a contentious viewpoint: The venerable Chevy Bel Air is actually among the worst automobiles ever created. However, we’re only talking about the 1955–1957 model of the Bel Air. Chevy undoubtedly wishes those three years’ worth of automobiles didn’t exist!

The Bel Air has difficulty in that it is not unique. Chevrolet mass-produced the most basic automobile design they could find from the 1950s. Perhaps people thought more highly of it than they ought to have because it bore the Chevy logo. The car itself, though, drove perfectly.

12. The Trabant

Germany was split into West Germany and East Germany after the construction of the Berlin Wall. In the West, Volkswagon was well-known and enjoying great success thanks to the Beetle. East Germany developed the Trabant after refusing to purchase automobiles from the West.

The Trabant had too many characteristics lacking for it to be worth driving, which was an issue. There were no seat belts, the gas tank had to be topped off under the hood, and there was no tachometer or fuel gauge inside. Yikes!

13. The Ford Pinto

If you don’t remember the Ford Pinto, consider yourself lucky. The Pinto, often recognized as one of the worst vehicles ever produced, was a nightmare for Ford. The Pinto was advertised as the tiny automobile of the future and had respectable performance and good fuel efficiency. Its propensity to blow up was a problem.

That’s also not being exaggerated. Following its introduction, the Pinto gained notoriety for exploding when colliding with another car. Ford declined to address the issue, choosing instead to compensate any victims, er, purchasers, and stop making the car.

14. The Morgan Plus 8

The Morgan Plus 8—produced by British company Morgan—is credited with salvaging the business. That does not imply, however, that the car was faultless. The car was modified expressly for the United States to operate on propane since at the time, that was the only way it could pass emissions tests.

What effects did using propane instead of conventional fuel have on the car? A speed of 30 mph seemed to move at 60 mph due to the slowness.

15. The Smart Fortwo

Smart Cars are very well-liked in large cities with scarce parking. They are extremely fuel-efficient and can fit in almost any place. However, that does not imply that they are at ease. The Smart Fortwo is the prime illustration.

It’s simple to roast your passengers on a hot summer day because the cooling system is in the front and the engine is in the back. Sales fell and the brand came dangerously close to going out of business because the heating and cooling issue proved to be too much for casual customers.

16. The Peel Trident

What may be said regarding the Peel Trident? At the British Motorcycle Show in 1964, it was introduced and advertised as an “occasional two-seater.” The Peel Engineering Company stopped making the odd tiny automobile in 1966.

Even though the Trident is no longer there, the legend endures. Jesse James obtained one and attempted to modify it by installing a motorbike engine and a new frame on Monster Garage. James destroyed the car for his television viewers to watch after the experiment went wrong.

17. The Chevy Vega

When it was first released, the Chevy Vega garnered a great deal of interest and admiration. Even more, it won the title of 1971 Motor Trend Car of the Year! The 1971 Vega was rife with issues, though, and that stellar reputation swiftly fell apart. The car was a total failure due to its propensity for rust, lack of dependability, and engineering and engine issues.

Even though GM underwent several design revisions and recalls, the car was still too big of a stain on the brand, and the manufacturer ceased with the 1977 model.

18. The Triumph TR7

The Triumph TR7 ruled the roads of the United States and the United Kingdom from 1974 until 1981. It was planned to be released in 1974, but because of manufacturing issues, it wasn’t until 1975 in the United States and 1976 in the United Kingdom. This was the first indication that something was wrong.

Early models had a ton of maintenance issues, which made owning a sports car one of the more expensive types of transportation. Many of these problems had been resolved by the 1980 redesign, and auto enthusiasts were beginning to accept it, but it was too late for the general public to take notice.

19. The Chevrolet Chevette

The Chevrolet Chevette was in perfect condition underneath. Americans were energy conscious at the time Chevy ordered the sub-compact automobile, favoring smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. But by the time the car did come out, big trucks were coming back.

Initially, Chevrolet expected to sell 275,000 Chevettes, including 150,000 through import sales. These same projections had been reduced in half by 1976. Unfortunately, the Chevette’s success as the best-selling small car in America by the end of the 1970s wasn’t enough to save it.

20. The Ford Edsel

Underpromise and overdeliver is a marketing maxim that you are likely familiar with. Unfortunately for Ford, when they advertised their Edsel sedan as the “car of the future,” the exact opposite happened. The Edsel was unimpressive and pricey in the eyes of consumers. Whoops.

The term “Edsel” today is used to describe “commercial failure.” Particularly considering that Edsel B. Ford, the son of business pioneer Henry Ford, was honored with the name. The only years that Edsels were produced were 1958 through 1960.