That's too easy; The Yugo. Never had one, but a guy in my Army unit bought one. Engine blew before it hit 5k, and the dealer wouldn't fix it. Even the JAG office couldn't help. May not have been as bad a car as the Hoffman, but this was 35-odd years later.
Personally, I've never had a car that didn't go 200k without a major repair (except the one that got demolished by a drunk and a bus). Bonus of being a backyard mechanic.
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Can't believe you guys are ragging on Yugos. Most people don't know this but the Yugo was the first car to have airbags.....The hands down winner has to be the Yugo, aka the Mona Lisa of horrible cars.
The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History by Jason Vuic | Librarypoint
Has its consumer advocates though: general tenor, sure it falls apart, but when it works it is fun to drive. 1990 Yugo GV Consumer Reviews
It was actually a clone of a 11-12 year old Fiat car, built to the abysmal standards of communist manufacturing.
1977 Chevy Nova with column shift.
My husband bought me a TR3', by this time we had 3 kids. We were in the process of building a house in another town so I drove the guys to the new school every day. Now the car had plastic Windows and a lousy heater. My 3 year old laid on the floor by the passenger seat to be closer to the heater. When the wind blew it took my breath away it was so darn cold.
When we were moving to the new house we put up for sale a fiber glass body that he was going to put on the TR frame., decided too much work. Too in trade a VW bug with wide fenders and tires. That car would run on 3 cylinders and go in the snow, but no heat, had to scrape the inside of the window every couple of minutes. Went to pick up a Christmas tree with 3 kids and a St Bernard. Bought a 10' tree which was tied on the roof by the door handles. What sight going down the road. Got home, found ourselves locked in the car , pushed one of the kids out the window to cut the rope.
I also had one. First new car. Lasted about 8 years. Took me across the country about 1.5 times, including through western deserts during the summer with no a/c. Thank God for my 8-track.Worst ever probably include Yugo and Trabants. But my personal worst was my 1971 Chevy Vega. My first brand new car...$48 per month to GMAC ! At about 35,000 miles on the odometer the aluminum engine compononents began to melt and warp.
Sold it to my girlfriend's brother who never gassed up without buying a couple of cans of oil....and kept it going for at least another year or two. Told me he just waited for the engine oil light to come on and then just pulled over and dumped a quart in. Over time the hood, the driver side door, steering wheel, radio knobs, etc. all got smeared with oil.
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Ah, Lucas, the Prince of Darkness.Had an interesting experience with a TR4. (a car I loved to drive.) Was in Autlan, Mexico, when, for some reason, the electrical system burned down. Somehow or other, within a day, the mechanic had located a Lucas voltage regulator and alternater and I was on my way back to Dallas. (All I could understand of what he told me was something about a tractor.) All the panel instruments ran backwards, (empty to full, etc.) but what the hell. I think it cost around $30. Of course, this was around 1960 or so. One of my favorite cars was a Renault 4cv. Weighed in at 1100 lbs. Used to commute from Dallas to Arlington for night classes. Could park in amazingly tight places. Would back it in and then my buddy and I would get out, pick up the front end and muscle it over to the curb. Top speed on a level run of about 45mph.
You're a riot!Can't believe you guys are ragging on Yugos. Most people don't know this but the Yugo was the first car to have airbags.....
granted you had to blow them up yourself.
You want to know how bad Yugo's were? Not only do they not exist anymore, Yugoslavia does not exist anymore.
(I'm around all week. )
Yeah, but you could always brag to the ladies that you drove a 'vette! Just don't offer drive them, anywhere.Nothing is worse than all year models of the "built for economy not speed" Cheverolet Chevette. Worst ever...
Actually- if I remember correctly, the duel carbs were really easy to adjust. You could adjust them by sight. They had pistons that regulated the air flow and all you needed to do is match up the spaces created as the engine was running. You could see that easily by taking off the air filters. A friend of mine had a TR4 and I had a Spitfire. The carbs worked on the same principle. We just measured the space and adjusted them so that they were the same on both carbs.Had a TR4 bought it at Uconn and sold it at Uconn (poor guy). Fun car--but the carbs would not stay tuned and I wasn't up to the job --apparently it required a "tuned ear". Owned it 2 months--happy to buy it, happier to sell it!.
As the man said --too little Much Much Much too late---Actually- if I remember correctly, the duel carbs were really easy to adjust. You could adjust them by sight. They had pistons that regulated the air flow and all you needed to do is match up the spaces created as the engine was running. You could see that easily by taking off the air filters. A friend of mine had a TR4 and I had a Spitfire. The carbs worked on the same principle. We just measured the space and adjusted them so that they were the same on both carbs.