<p>Yes, the Windstar was bad, too. That was our first and last Ford.</p>
<p>My first car, a 1976 Chevrolet Chevette. What a piece of junk. The whole car shook if you drove over 40 mph. The bottom completely rusted out. While driving to work after a snow storm, snow pushed through the floor on the driver’s side. I couldn’t even reach the pedals with my own snow pile inside my car. I had to call my then BF, now DH, to come get me. He still thinks it was funny.</p>
<p>Another Ford Windstar vote here. Ours was a '95 (?), the first model year. Besides the recalls, we had so many other problems. Had to get a new car in 2000 because the cost to make the repairs to pass state inspection were more than what the van was worth. Now I advise everyone, DO NOT get a car the very first model year!!</p>
<p>Mine was an 85 Pontiac Sunbird. My first car. Would overheat on a bet. Overheated when I was stuck in traffic in a blizzard, ended up with a cracked head gasket (big buck$$$$$). Eventually the passenger side door rusted shut (it was a 2-door car) so the passenger had to go in and out thru the window (ala Dukes of Hazzard) or climb over the driver’s seat. </p>
<p>DH had a 1980 Datsun 210. Car ran great, but was made of tin. It rusted everywhere. Eventually the hole under the driver’s seat was so big we were convinced DH would be the first person in history to be run over by his own car while he was driving it. My dad took the seat out and installed a thick piece of plywood. It was nice not to be splashed when going over puddles any more. Also the heating system leaked antifreeze into the passenger-side floorboard. And the bottom of the doors rusted out, and they told us the car couldn’t pass inspection with holes like that. So DH went to Home Depot and bought flashing, and screwed it over the bottom of the doors. So then it was an armored car.</p>
<p>Funny story. DH had a co-worker who only asked him for a ride twice. The first time, DH had the Datsun, and the co-worker had to watch his feet as the anti-freeze on the floorboard sloshed around. The second time DH had the Sunbird, and the co-worker had to go in and out the window. Shockingly, the co-worker never asked for another ride…</p>
<p>Now we have 2 Camrys and a Honda Pilot. We have learned our lesson.</p>
<p>This is a very entertaining thread! I needed the laughs – thanks! And it brings back many memories.
My first car was a '78 Chevy Monza. I thought it was cool at the time, but the word “disposable” should have been in the sales literature.
My Dad had a yellow Ford Maverick 3-speed that he let a friend and me drive from Oregon to Colorado, and back, on vacation. That car was a gutless wonder. Mu friend had never driven a stick, and she nearly gave me heart failure passing on a 2-lane road without enough space and without enough power. Thought we were dead for sure. We drove the car all around Rocky Mountain National Park, which was like a Sunday stroll because at that altitude we could do 25 with the pedal floored.</p>
<p>1998 Volvo V70 wagon: had it 10 years, and after the warranty was up, I would take it in for all of the recommended dealer service. It would cost me at least 700-1000 every time I took it in. I guess that’s just how much a Volvo costs to own. I don’t think it ever actually broke on me - since everything in it was perpetually new.</p>
<p>However, the most interesting thing about it was that the squirrels liked to eat the fuel line. The first time, we didn’t know what had happened - just thought it was a rupture, and we got it fixed. It was just sort of a mystery. The second time, which was a mere 4 months later, they investigated and found the teeth marks. I had also seen one of the little buggers scurry out from under the hood one day, so I knew they were right. The third time, I had a mechanic do a cheap fix and I sold it at carmax a week later.</p>
<p>Replaced it with a '98 Camry. No problems so far. Squirrels must prefer German food to Japanese.</p>
<p>I have had several:</p>
<p>–A ford pinto with a rusted out floor, so if you drove through a deep puddle it would shoot up all over your legs. Very safe!</p>
<p>–An old chevy truck my husband had before we got married. It had an electrical short so any time you used the turn signal the horn would beep in time with it. I am not making that up either.</p>
<p>–An old volvo wagon that had a burnt out heater fan. The heat worked, it just didn’t come out. Add to this that we burnt out the motor of the windshield wipers because we left them turned on, not realizing they were frozen to the windshield. My husband tied a gasket to each wiper and then ran it through the car along the dash so we could manually operate the windshield wipers by him pulling one side and me pulling the other. The problem with this innovation is probably obvious–you had to have the windows down for it to work. Yes, we could see to drive, but we were also soaked. Without the fan blowing for defrost, we also had to use an ice scraper on the inside of the windshield in order to be able to see.</p>
<p>LOL Helenback and Lafalum!! </p>
<p>The Audi Fox that I had in grad school sometimes required the fuel pump to be hit with a hammer to work. One time we were driving with a car full of students during winter break. We had to take turns driving trading drivers like a chinese firedrill) to avoid turning the car off and rolled to our destination on fumes.</p>
<p>It seems that most of the worst car experiences are with domestic autos…wonder how much that has to do with the current mess with GM, Ford and Chrysler ?
I personally would not choose American cars</p>
<p>Well, to be fair, there are plenty of Volvos and Volkswagens mentioned in this thread. Our disasterous van was a Mazda, but the engine that went kaput was made by Ford.</p>
<p>I also had a Mazda MPV ( is that the one you are talking about ) didn’t like it at all. Volvo has been owned by Ford for a number of years…husband is a Swede who would never own a Saab or Volvo, much the same way I don’t have faith in American cars</p>
<p>I particularly like the memories of the '72 Vega. We had the station wagon. Woo-hoo. A beautiful harvest gold. At least it was until my mother had a few incidents with the garage door and my father replaced the doors with forest green ones. I had forgotten how the water sloshed all inside from where it rusted through by the clutch. </p>
<p>My dad got mad I was gas guzzling with his '71 Ford LTD, so he parked the Vega on a hill in town and told me it was time to learn how to drive a stick. I still think that was sort of cruel. Always glad I could drive a manual though.</p>
<p>My parents didn’t know the word airplane, but they were fearless travelers in that Vega. We are in midwest; went to Maine 2 times, Mexico 3 times and California. Burnt more oil than gas, but he got over 100,00 miles before he sold it.</p>
<p>My sister learned to drive in a Chevette. That car was even worse…</p>
<p>I remember rusted out floors from when I was a kid. We used to throw things down there like pennies.</p>
<p>My worst car by a mile…1991 Ford Explorer. What a tin can. My wife liked the Eddie Bauer tan/navy combo, I think that’s why we bought it, and SUVs were new, and cool on the soccer scene. On the way home from the dealership, I hit a bumpy stretch and almost went through the roof. First unplanned expense: new shocks. Every time to the dealer I had a list of at least ten things wrong with this monstrosity. Early on, I had to get all the leather seats reupholstered. I don’t know what kind of leather they used, maybe from very sick or weak animals, maybe it was some grade of cheap plastic, but it was flimsy to say the least. </p>
<p>Now, when I take the Accord (my second one since the Explorer) for maintenance its so great to say “absolutely nothing’s wrong”.</p>
<p>Ah yes…rusted out floors. I was with a friend on a trip in their family’s VW bug (late 60’s). We locked the keys in the car. We found a nice person who called the local police for us. While we were waiting, my friend “remembered” that the driver’s side floor was actually a piece of plywood his dad had put in the car. He stuck his hand under the car and pushed the plywood aside…and rolled down the window. We got in and drove away QUICKLY!!</p>
<p>Most cars from that era rusted out like crazy. Remember Rusty Jones (was that the name of the undercoating??).</p>
<p>have to agree with the two posters who mentioned Chevy Chevettes. Always needing repairs. I hated that car. Thought we got smart when we moved up to a Taurus station wagon. Had to replace the transmission at 30,000 miles. Hated that car, too. Last three purchases have been Japanese-made cars, and have not had any repair problems with any of them.</p>
<p>
That’s not a fair statement since most of the cars owned were/are domestic ones. Also, most of the cars in these posts are the lower end models from the companies.</p>
<p>A 1974 green Ford Pinto. Signals didn’t work often. It burned oil like crazy. And for awhile I couldn’t afford to fix the alternator, so it wouldn’t start like a normal car. I’d always have to find a hill to park it on. That way I could jump start it with the gears as it rolled down the hill. I got pretty good at that. Funny how you adapt to things.</p>
<p>Ford Windstar.</p>
<p>Dodge Caravan</p>
<p>1960-something used MG Midget. After about two months with this I was over my “sporty convertible” phase.</p>