Your Painfully Tragic Stories Of The Worst Cars You've Ever Owned

[Jmac]

Worst I've had is our '09 Nissan Versa, which had front rotor issues for the first few years (before we ditched OEM for aftermarket) and then the front end needed to be replaced last fall to the tune of $2k.

Not really that bad compared to others. Learned Nissan dealerships suck shit on the island.

Real horror stories go to my brother, though, to be fair, with his choice of vehicles, it's mostly his own fault.

B5 Passat the usual issues with the B5 Passat
1st gen CTS-V constant drivetrain issues, especially with the transmission.
and, to top it all off, the worst of the worst,
L322 Range Rover just ... everything. And, when it goes to shit every 5-10k kms, it costs an arm and a leg.

He loves his money pits. He still has the RR, but it's currently parked indefinitely (when isn't it?). He now drives a POS Neon that he bought for $600 because it's more reliable.

[entrax]

02 bmw 325xi family car from 97k to 150k km.

- hood "kidneys" just broke from opening the hood
- 2x intake cam sensor
- exhaust cam sensor
- vanos
- valve cover gasket x2 in 40k km. some sort of heat issue?
- o2 sensor
- both front axles
- fuel pump
- oil leaking so bad my parents learned the schedule of when castrol goes on sale at canadian tire
- would blow a cloud of smoke randomly at stop lights
- PLASTIC coolant hose (from reservoir to tstat housing) cracked, overheated
- water pump bearings went, fan is attached to water pump pulley, fan self destructs, breaks shroud, hood, radiator, coolant reservoir (which has some plastic sensor that breaks upon removal).
- even the bmw logo was gone (the blue/black parts were gone, just the background silver left)

worst 50k km of any family car i've been in since I was born. thankfully they're now in a new toyota.

the new owner bought it from us dirt cheap, i contacted him about 6 months after because we got an airbag recall notice and we found the spare valet key for him. when he came and got it, i asked him hows the car, he replied back with "it started running on 4 cyl for a while and also it seized"

[entrax]

Originally Posted by mos_skeeto

so true. a close friend has this in the same exact color/body style
only repairs in 140k and some 16 years+

spark plugs x2
power steering pump
valve cover gasket
1 head light bulb
brakes, tires, oil change

a/c blows cold, rear drums are still factory, engine doesn't burn/leak/lose oil or coolant.

[Super Dipper]

I bought a 1980 Pontiac Acadian aka chevette back in my early 20s.. I paid 50 bucks for it. That was the worst 50 bucks I ever spent on a car.

[SpartanAir]

1990 Mercedes 300TE Wagon.

Such mixed memories;

Good: so well built, in terms of leather quality, interior panels, seat comfort, door slam feel, and overall tank-like structure. Thick gauge steel. Felt very safe. So quiet, even the power windows. TONS of room in the back, way longer than most wagons. M103 engine is highly regarded as one of Mercs best engines.

Bad: Fuel economy was shit, rear self-leveling suspension in cargo was shot and sagging so you faced up while driving, hydraulic door locks were leaking, hidden rust seized the brake bleed screws so you couldn't bleed them and needed to replace the calipers, and worst of all, the being one of the first cars with 4matic, was poorly designed and once it fails, and it will (mine did right after buying it), you have to remove it, ship it to the ONE place in Canada (Ontario) that rebuilds them for at least $3k plus removal, shipping 2 directions, and reinstallation.

Parts and labour were extremely expensive for this car. And they are not home-mechanic friendly. Mercedes would never reuse parts, like speedo cables for example. They would redesign parts every year, even half year, so nothing could be used from other cars. And things were designed and laid out without giving single fuck about having to pull everything apart to work on it.

I sold it and was looking at another one, a JDM import with lower km. Decent shape, on the outside. My gut told me to get a PPI, thank god I did. Tons of hidden issues like replacing the goddamn driveshaft. Took their advice and ran.

A real shame because they are a timeless design. I see them on the road every once in a while and covet them still. It's like an abusive relationship

There was a 300TD Diesel with manual tranny for sale years ago, they were asking $15k. The holy grail of the W124... sigh, someday I hope....

[ZN6]

My 1990 GT-Four RC caught fire on the highway just before Horseshoe bay. Just cruising to Squamish and then something popped most likely a fuel line and black smoke was billowing through the vents. The dash was lighting up like it was fuckin' Christmas. I pulled into horseshoe bay for help and that was dumb as I should have immediately got out of the car.

I owned the car for 5 years and put 25000km on it in that time. bought new main seals and a 3S-GTE rebuild kit. I miss it to this day.

[entrax]

Originally Posted by ZN6

My 1990 GT-Four RC caught fire on the highway just before Horseshoe bay. Just cruising to Squamish and then something popped most likely a fuel line and black smoke was billowing through the vents. The dash was lighting up like it was fuckin' Christmas. I pulled into horseshoe bay for help and that was dumb as I should have immediately got out of the car.

I owned the car for 5 years and put 25000km on it in that time. bought new main seals and a 3S-GTE rebuild kit. I miss it to this day.

hmm...was it this one?

[underscore]

^ was yours silver? The firefighters had to pop the hood with one of their hydraulic things since the hood release cable snapped from the fire or something?

[Harvey Specter]

Parents purchased a new Jeep GC Limited back in 1996 which I started driving after I graded HS in 98. Finally traded it in after 2 awful years of ownership.

Problems I had with the Jeep;
-the sunroof broke and cost almost $3,000 to fix.
-transmission blew which was rebuilt covered under warranty. The transmission never felt the same.
-cv joints leaked
-passenger side seat stop working
-radiator leaked, replaced twice under warranty.
-brake pads damaged the brake rotors, dealer claimed "dirt" got embedded in the brake pads.

[Inaii]

I own and daily an auto 2nd gen rx7 'nuff said, amirite?

[GS8]

Originally Posted by mos_skeeto

And in an alternate dimension, Corollas are sharing their painfully tragic stories of the worst owners they ever had.

Spoiler!

[westopher]

I owned a corrado VR6.
I feel like there is no need to elaborate.

[Lomac]

Originally Posted by westopher

I owned a corrado VR6.
I feel like there is no need to elaborate.

B3 Passat VR6.

Think I have ya beat.



Worst car I've ever had the pleasure of owning.

[westopher]

True. At least mine looked good.

[68style]

They should rename this thread "Stories from people who owned a VW" for the sake of accuracy.

[aztekd3]

my first car before i grad high school was a 90 ford tempo. if i wanted to drive it. i had to plan out every single gas station on the way to my destination. that way i can stop and cool the engine. sometimes dumping buckets of water to help it cool down quick.

[ZN6]

Originally Posted by entrax

hmm...was it this one?

Actually, yeah, I think it is. The hood was all ripped up because they took the jaws of life to it since the latch was impossible to get at. I have to dig up the old pics but I don't remember the hood vent being all smashed up like that. The rest of the car was mint because didn't drive it frequently . Curious, where was it that you took the picture? Mitchel Island?

[ZN6]

Originally Posted by underscore

^ was yours silver? The firefighters had to pop the hood with one of their hydraulic things since the hood release cable snapped from the fire or something?

Mine was that same color. God, I miss that car. Sold off all my gaskets and everything

Those clear corners were expensive. I still have the stupid amber ones to pass inspection somewhere.

That rear hatch rubber seal was also expensive and I JUST replaced it like 2 days before, I remember.

[underscore]

If my memory serves you posted up about the incident either on here or on alltrac.net, I wanted to come down and buy the car from you and save it but it was going to be a huge hassle on your side because it was already in an ICBC storage facility or something.

[ZN6]

Dat wheel gap and sunken look.

[ZN6]

Originally Posted by underscore

If my memory serves you posted up about the incident either on here or on alltrac.net, I wanted to come down and buy the car from you and save it but it was going to be a huge hassle on your side because it was already in an ICBC storage facility or something.

Yeah, it was on alltrac.net. ICBC gave me huge hassles about how it was handled for some reason. The adjuster told me if I wanted to sell it, i'd have buy it back and they would not store it for me. I remember him telling me that if I bought it back I would have to remove it from their premises immediately and I couldn't hold it there for more than a day. He really didn't want to deal with it so it's either take it or leave it kind of deal. I couldn't insure it as it was a write off and if anything happened to it, I would be out and wouldn't have any coverage then I'm SOL. Also had no where to store it at the time.

Can't remember the details but the logistics were a bit complex as I didn't have a garage to tow it to and my neighbors would not have liked a charred car sitting on the street.

[underscore]

Makes sense, if I lived a bit closer it might've been easier to make work. Is that Corey's narrowbody next to your car in that pic?

Next time I bring my car down I'll give you a shout in case you feel like taking one for a rip again.

[ZN6]

Originally Posted by underscore

Makes sense, if I lived a bit closer it might've been easier to make work. Is that Corey's narrowbody next to your car in that pic?

Next time I bring my car down I'll give you a shout in case you feel like taking one for a rip again.

Nope, I don't think Corey was there. He was on the island still at the time. It was my twin car that I think is still rolling around in Vancouver somewhere. I see it from time to time.

Yeah, sounds awesome. Take my FRS for a rip. I miss that turbo spool. The three inch turbo back was something amazing. I remember I had the berk 3" pipe, that one off company that made the 3" midpipe (I sold the cat to someone on alltrac.net) and the 3" exhaust I bought off Glenn with the Black RC.

I don't know where Glenn is anymore, I met up with him for coffee on Hastings across from Kensington Driving range at one point but haven't seen him since.

We all parked like douchebags that day with people hanging out along side the cars. Starting from my friend's white STi on the left.

[entrax]

Originally Posted by ZN6

Actually, yeah, I think it is. The hood was all ripped up because they took the jaws of life to it since the latch was impossible to get at. I have to dig up the old pics but I don't remember the hood vent being all smashed up like that. The rest of the car was mint because didn't drive it frequently . Curious, where was it that you took the picture? Mitchel Island?

Yes, this was over 3 years ago at Ralph's mitchell island, before they got bought by pick n pull.

[Cman333]

My nightmare experience was a 2000 ML430. Engine wise had no issues, but holy fuck did many things go wrong in the two years I had it. Vehicle had 60,000km when I picked it up, and was about 5/6 years old at the time.

So upon inspection everything seemed to check out, no accidents, drove fine, etc.

Within the first week the transmission died, had to be towed and the repair was about $2300.

Couple months after that the power window switch assembly stopped working (found a DIY fix) but replacement from dealer was $900.

Then couple months after that the Fuel gauge wouldn't work properly. Whenever the tank was full, it would show 100% empty. Then once you drive for half the tank it would work again. Didn't fix it because the gas needle worked below half and I couldn't find anything online about the issue.

About a year in the brakes were toast (basically every 20-30k kms need new brakes), found out the brakes suck because the rotors are small and car is heavy so chews through brakes quick.

Couple months after that the vehicle wouldn't start. 1.5 year old OEM battery was toast. Replaced.

Couple months after that car won't start again, but this time I don't hear the vehicle cranking and the battery was new. Towed it to general mechanic, couldn't figure it out. So towed to dealer, they wanted $9k to replace the alarm/immobilizer + main vehicle harness. FUCK THAT, brought to an independent Benz mechanic turned out to be a $250 ignition sensor for the immobilizer (full cost $700 + 2 tows @ $1xx ea tow)

Defective cat, there was a recall so I was covered by Benz. Luckily. Was a $1500 fix otherwise.

The rest was maintenance (tires, new suspension, oil change, brakes x3, and OEM headlight bulbs always seem to die)

High maintenance, horrible handling, horrible gas consumption, horrible electronics, V8 engine but was still a slug, expensive parts that die prematurely. By the time I hit 2 years, I figure get rid of it before more happens. Every time I fixed it I thought I might as well keep it awhile, each time I regretted it because something ALWAYS dies.

/Rant

Have had a few vehicles after with FAR less issues at higher mileage (BMW, Lexus, Infiniti). I've only heard nightmares about VW/Audi, definitely would never buy another Daimler/Chrysler generation Benz.