This one was mine, a 1998 Mercedes W208. The nice things about it were the cool Mono-Wiper, the engine (supercharged 2,3L M111) and the seats that were perfect for my height. It had a terrible ASR system but came with a LSD, so it was lots of fun in the winter.
The not-so-nice things about it were that the ignition randomly would not recognize the key, a missing catalytic converter, two fist sized rust holes in the front control arms, rust all over the underbody and the absolute worst 6-speed manual transmission I have ever used.
It also had multiple alignments but it didn’t take long for the steering-wheel to be off-center again. You could see the tail end “crabbing” in the rear view mirror. There was something very wrong with it, which can probably be attributed to one of the 7 previous owners.
This isn’t even counting all minor annoyances like the frameless windows not lowering themselves when you open the doors (that was only a thing after the 1999 model year), the wind noise, the awful interior materials, the broken seat latch in the rear, the trunk lock not working… I could go on for an hour like this.
So anyways, what is the worst car YOU have ever owned?
2003 Chevrolet Cavalier. For non-Americans, this car was not available outside the USA.
What worked great: The engine (Ecotec L61)
What didn’t: everything else
Fiat panda, it is literally a cardboard box with wheels.
i owned a very abused 09 civic si sedan.
it was obviously in a front end collision on the driver’s side that was covered up by the previous owner. i know this because the headlight mounts on that side were busted and that light pointed way up into the sky. it also darted all over the road because the front wheels were pointed towards eachother. it was so bad that it wore through the rubber down to the metal belts so i had sharp wires sticking out of tires and i cut myself taking the wheels off:(
it had trouble starting because the starter motor was barely holding on by 1/3 bolts and it was for a different model civic. when i got it home i wiggled the starter motor and a bolt fell out.
the clutch master failed while i was on a road trip. i heard a loud ping like a bolt snapped and was bouncing around my engine bay then the clutch pedal went to the floor and i couldn’t put it in gear.
everything the previous owner said he fixed on the car failed within a year of me owning the car because he did a lousy job and bought the cheapest no-name parts.
oh and the rear sway bar was fully disconnected and doing nothing.
Jeep Wrangler 4 cylinder. Something major broke every single month. I didn’t even drive it the last 6 months I owned it, because I was terrified of yet another major thing breaking.
It was probably still worth what you bought it for. Those things hold their value forever, despite bring notorious for being unreliable.
I had a 93’ with absolutely no features others than 4WD. No cruise, AC, nothing. It was worth about the same as my 05’ accord with pretty much every feature.
The clutch died three times in 30k miles on my Wrangler. The local shop, a Jeep dealer, and a Wrangler specialty shop couldn’t figure out why. I finally found the answer in a forum. Basically the brake lines shared fluid with the clutch and there was a small leak. The clutch always failed first so no one ever found the leak.
Also, the Wrangler is the only vehicle I’ve ever spun out on the highway, and it happened more than once.
Mid 80’s Ford Bronco. My ex insisted she had to have this thing. It leaked oil, was the most anemic thing I have ever owned and got maybe 4 or 5 mpg. We had no money to begin with, and she also insisted that we spend our tax refund on a set of rims. So at some point it had rims on it worth more than the truck, in my opinion. She spent sooo much money on gas. It was by far the worst car I have ever owned.
