For You Car Nuts

[cabinetman]

I picked up a copy of The World's Worst Cars (320 pages). Usually the books about the best cars are interesting, but this one is very unique.

To give you an idea, the chapters are, Badly Built, Design Disasters, Financial Failures, Misplaced Marques, and Motoring Misfits. I don't get any kickbacks on sales...just thought it was a cool book. Lotsa pictures.
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[RayintheUK]

Over here, there's this book (with a very blunt title) on the worst places to live in the UK, which had to go into a second edition because there were complaints from a vast number of people that their town hadn't made the first book!

Ray

[jackellis]

Over here, there's this book (with a very blunt title) on the worst places to live in the UK, which had to go into a second edition because there were complaints from a vast number of people that their town hadn't made the first book!

Maybe I should buy a copy. In the course of a half dozen trips to the UK, I never ran across a city or town I didn't like. The Islington district of London, however, looks like it wasn't rehabilitated after the Blitz

Now Dublin was another story. For all the quaint buildings and the streets that changed names every block, I did not have a decent meal over the course of the two days I spent there more than 20 years ago. And Belfast was worse when it came to food. However all of the people were nice, even the ones that had guns trained on us at the border...

Worst place I ever visited in the US is probably Hammond, In. Sorry if that offends anyone. Second might be Anaconda, MT. Not much there but a pile of toxic waste. I used to think the same of Butte when I first set foot there.

[germdoc]

Well, if you want an abbreviated online version, there's this:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/20...658545,00.html

My friend drove in succession during the 70's a Chevy Vega, an AMC Gremlin and an AMC Pacer. Liked to live dangerously.

[JimD]

I'm not sure if it was a 1971, it might have been a 1972 but my late wife had a Pinto with the 1600 cc engine when we were married. I would agree it was a pretty bad car but I suspect my reasons are different. For instance, the oil filter vibrated itself tighter on this car, only one I have had that did that. I had to either use a cold chisel on the base of the filter or a pin punch through the filter to remove it - either is messy. If I used a wrench of any type on the can either the wrench broke or the can twisted off the filter. Another example is the time she called me from a filling station to let me know that she couldn't shift and was stalled in the middle of the intersection in downtown Kansas City Missouri. I was ~20 miles and ~45 minutes away so we discussed alternatives. She was pregnant and cute so I suggested she get guys from the gas station to push the car into their lot and try and jamb it in a gear so she could get home. It seems the gearshift had completely disconnected from the car and was in her hand when she called me. She wanted to be rescued but saw the logic in not waiting ~45 minutes and got help without difficulty (after all she was cute). I patched the gearshift back together when she got home.

Jim

[dbhost]

Well, if you want an abbreviated online version, there's this:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/20...658545,00.html

My friend drove in succession during the 70's a Chevy Vega, an AMC Gremlin and an AMC Pacer. Liked to live dangerously.

That Time article is WAY off base... The criteria seems to be political correctness and not reliability, safety, or consumer desireability...

And I quote...

"How could the best-selling passenger vehicle in America 14 years running, the mother of all mom-mobiles, the beloved suburban schlepper of millions, wind up on this list? Forget about the whole Firestone tire controversy. In its very success, the Ford Explorer is responsible for setting this country on the spiral of vehicular obesity that we are still contending with today. People, particularly women drivers, discovered that they liked sitting up high. Even though more fuel-efficient minivans do the kid- and cargo-hauling duties better, people came to prefer the outdoorsy, go-anywhere image of SUVs. In other words, people became addicted to the pose. And, as vehicles got bigger and heavier, buyers sought out even bigger vehicles to make themselves feel safe. Helloooo Hummer. All of that we can lay at the overachieving feet of the Explorer."

This sort of garbage reporting makes it hard to take anything in print there with anything less than a pound of suspicion...

On the subject of the Chevrolet Vega. I had a 1972 Vega GT outfitted by Yenko with the 327 CID 2/4bbl 4 speed. That was NOT a bad car... Wish I hadn't gotten rid of it...

[crokett]

The Plymouth Horizon Turismo is not on any of those lists and it should be. That was my first car and it was terrible. This line from the writeup on the Camaro Iron Duke is an apt description of my car.

"So equipped, the Iron Duke Camaro had 0-60 mph acceleration of around 20 seconds, which left Camaro owners to drum their fingers while school buses rocketed past in a blur of yellow"

[cabinetman]

On the subject of the Chevrolet Vega. I had a 1972 Vega GT outfitted by Yenko with the 327 CID 2/4bbl 4 speed. That was NOT a bad car... Wish I hadn't gotten rid of it...

I'll bet it had some power, but the factory suspension, brakes, and handling left a lot to be desired.
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[dbhost]

I'll bet it had some power, but the factory suspension, brakes, and handling left a lot to be desired.
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I am assuming you missed the part of it being a Yenko equipped Vega...

All the components in the drivetrain and suspension were heavily upgraded. The brakes were from a Camaro, at least that was the pads and shoes I had to use, the springs bushings, and sway bars were Yenko specific... It went like a rocket and handled like a slot car...

I bet the Yenko specific parts are hard as sin to get these days...

I do agree though, the base Vega with the 2.3L iron sleeve aluminum head I-4, squishy springs, and tiny brakes had to make for some pucker factor on the morning commute... And the body work on those was ultra prone to rust... Then again, anything GM from that era was particularly bad for rust...

I also had the Gremlin's big brother, the Hornet, and it was actually a very reliable car that got pretty decent gas mileage. Not exactly a luxury car, but it went from point a to point B for a very long time, braking was good for the type of car it was, and it was fitted with the AMC 304 V-8 which gave it plenty of power... Handling wasn't great, but considering it competed with the Ford Maverick, Chevrolet Nova, Dodge Dart and their corporate siblings, the Hornet wasn't bad... It just wasn't a sports car...

[cabinetman]

I am assuming you missed the part of it being a Yenko equipped Vega...

All the components in the drivetrain and suspension were heavily upgraded. The brakes were from a Camaro, at least that was the pads and shoes I had to use, the springs bushings, and sway bars were Yenko specific... It went like a rocket and handled like a slot car...

I was referring to "factory" parts. I am somewhat familiar with Yenko setups. I had a Yenko "Stinger" Corvair for a very short time. It would have impressed Ralph Nader.
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[dbhost]

I was referring to "factory" parts. I am somewhat familiar with Yenko setups. I had a Yenko "Stinger" Corvair for a very short time. It would have impressed Ralph Nader.
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Now THOSE were cool... No radiators to boil over...

Ever seen a Fitch Sprint? Another pretty heavily modified Corvair...

And the import car kids seem to think they started the whole "tuner" thing...

[annunaki]

GM Holden EFIJY

http://www.seriouswheels.com/cars/to...ncept.htm:eek:

[annunaki]

GM Holden EFIJY

http://www.seriouswheels.com/cars/to...jy-Concept.htm

[sparkeyjames]

The Plymouth Horizon Turismo is not on any of those lists and it should be. That was my first car and it was terrible.

I had the Dodge version of that the 024. It was black with tan interior and no air conditioning (what a sweat box). It was my 3rd car. The one just before it was a Dodge police interceptor with a 440 engine. Compared to that the 024 could not get out of it's own way. The 024 was ok for point A to point B transport. It was my first and last car with a stick. At about 65000 miles the troubles started. Alternators, shocks, starter, a ball bearing race in the trans disintegrated but was easily fixed, windshield wiper switch and steering unit (manual no power assist) all of which I repaired myself with the steering unit being the hardest to repair. Sold it to my brother in law. He gave it to his number one son who promptly burned up the clutch.


For ugly I gotta go with a first place tie between the AMC pacer and the Chevy Aztec.

[cabinetman]

http://www.seriouswheels.com/cars/to...ncept.htm:eek:

Is that one you like or dislike? Kinda reminds me of my first car. A '51 Chevy 2dr sedan, upgraded with a 265 CI Chevy V8, LaSalle 3 SP truck transmission, a real sleeper.
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