Crapiest modern car you've driven...

[A Horse With No Name]

For me, it's the Sentra I've got as a rental while the Miata is in the body shop.

Amazingly horrible suspension and handling, cheap, thin paint, not very impressive build quality, ugly as home made sin.

It is the one car on the planet not even Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear has enough sarcasm to diss.

Chris

[Z-06]

Nissan Sentra

Toyota Yaris

Hyundai Sonata

Chevrolet Aveo

All four are top notch in that respect.

[Robert Hall]

Hmmm..... the worst I've driven has probably been a '99 or so Neon (Thrifty) and an '02 Cavalier (Avis). The Neon must have been way out of alignment...had a horrible vibration through the steering column above 60 mph....made a 250 mile drive across Ohio very tiring. The Cavalier didn't drive that badly, but the horrific gray interior plastics and interior design were deeply depressing.

I rode in a coworker's rental Caliber last year--dreadful, depressing gray interior plastics, very limited visibility out of tiny windows w/ thick pillars. Similarily, rode in another coworker's rental HHR---same story--dreadful, depressing gray interior plastics, very limited visibility out of tiny windows w/ thick pillars.

The '08 Cobalt, on the other hand, was quite pleasant to drive, decent interior materials, though pretty loud under acceleration.

I guess I'm biased, but I generally hate small, cheap FWD cars with gray plastic interiors.

Rob

Edited August 18, 2009 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[A Horse With No Name]

Glad I've got someone to share some Sentra hate with.

Just a Godawful car.

Chris

[balthazar]

I will say this- the most uncomfortable car I've ever sat in, by far (and here I can willingly include the petrified, deteriorated seats inside junkyard cars) is an '80s BMW 3. Seats felt like thinly upholstered plywood boxes. They were SO wretched, in hindsight I have to believe they WERE thinly-upholstered plywood boxes.

[z28luvr01]

I haven't driven it, but I've been in a previous-gen (02-08) Corolla. What a pile. The doors felt tinny, the interior could only hope to be called "cheap", and the engine...oh that engine. It was loud and coarse, and that was before you hit the gas pedal.

[siegen]

Rental '05 Pontiac Grand Am.

[Intrepidation]

That first gen Neon which I later found out had caught fire...

[siegen]

I haven't driven it, but I've been in a previous-gen (02-08) Corolla. What a pile. The doors felt tinny, the interior could only hope to be called "cheap", and the engine...oh that engine. It was loud and coarse, and that was before you hit the gas pedal.

I drove a 5-speed one. It felt like a typical economy car and I wasn't impressed by any means. Shifter not as good as Honda's, nor is the engine; no surprises there. It delivers on the fuel mileage though.

[vonVeezelsnider]

Kia Rio

[FAPTurbo]

I want to say Ford Econoline, but they were producing it when FDR was elected, so Toyota Yaris it is.

[daves87rs]

Kia Rio

+1

[trinacriabob]

Nissan Sentra

Toyota Yaris

Hyundai Sonata

Chevrolet Aveo

Thank you. I've had all 4 as rentals.

Nissan Sentra - developed a nasty exhaust groan in the 106 summer heat in LV for which I returned it

Toyota Yaris - sounds like a lawn mower, but sips fuel like one, too, so not so bad

Hyandui Sonata - competent but really boring

Chevy Aveo - well, at $9999, it's a throw away, plus the 37 mpg is not good for that small of a car

I wanted to add the Chrysler Sebring convertible. Ergonomics and fit/finish in a new rental were inexcusable. The engine/trans calibration also sucked.

[Bimmer325]

'07 Grand Prix rental.

Hoary 3800 V-6, lazy 4-speed, playskool interior plastics, huge steering wheel, mushy brakes. Even without taking the driving experience into account, the chintzy materials and build quality inside and out make it seem like a cheap half-baked product. I wouldn't take one if it were given to me.

[PurdueGuy]

'07 Grand Prix rental.

Hoary 3800 V-6, lazy 4-speed, playskool interior plastics, huge steering wheel, mushy brakes. Even without taking the driving experience into account, the chintzy materials and build quality inside and out make it seem like a cheap half-baked product. I wouldn't take one if it were given to me.

If that's the worst modern car you've driven, you're spoiled.

[2005 EquinoxLS]

If that's the worst modern car you've driven, you're spoiled.

Isnt that the truth. I havent really ridden in any bad modern cars. I was not a fan of the 1995-2005 Cavalier.

[Drew Dowdell]

Current gen Sebring Convertible.

My BF's CRV has rather uncomfortable seats but is otherwise tolerable.

[Camino LS6]

What constitutes modern?

'85 Benz diesel wagon (turbo): Seats like concrete, numb handling, scary turbo lag, noise, smell, gutless - a true POS.

'86/87 Cavalier loaner - junk all around.

[Robert Hall]

'07 Grand Prix rental.

Hoary 3800 V-6, lazy 4-speed, playskool interior plastics, huge steering wheel, mushy brakes. Even without taking the driving experience into account, the chintzy materials and build quality inside and out make it seem like a cheap half-baked product. I wouldn't take one if it were given to me.

I've drive a couple of those, and the '00-04 Impalas as rentals. They were average and mediocre, but perfection compared to the Neon and Cavalier I drove. The GP and Impala seemed about par w/ the '00-05 Taurus rentals I've driven, definitely not as nice as the LHes of the same era I've rented, but not bottom of the barrel.

The current gen Sebring convertible was pretty awful also...forgot that one...that was last year in Florida. The interior plastics were so cheap and nasty, the release handle for the driver's seat back came off in my hand. Just so many things were bad--the trunk lid was huge and really high up, but the space inside w/ the cloth top down was ridiculously tiny, and the trunk area was full of cheap plastic.

I've driven a couple 1st and 2nd gen Sebring convertibles, and they were worlds better than this car inside and out.

Rob

Edited August 18, 2009 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Robert Hall]

What constitutes modern?

I don't know, maybe within the last 20, at most 25 years? Anything older than that seems like a truly old car to me.

(I started driving in 1986, my first new car was an '87, so that is my reality context).

Rob

Edited August 19, 2009 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[the_yellow_dart]

My mother's '97 Sebring convertible, what a pile.

The automatic transmission was so slow you got that negative-g feeling like you do when somebody doesn't know how to shift a manual and takes forever between gears.

[Paolino]

2004 Prius. I hate it.

Other than that, any modern cars I've driven all seem nice compared to my 94 Century.

[CaddyXLR-V]

97 Buick LeSabre. The best part about the car was the engine, and it was only a 3.8L.

[trinacriabob]

If that's the worst modern car you've driven, you're spoiled.

He might be. Very high standards...Westchester County, NY...

I've put about 10,000 miles on 10 to 20 04-08 Grand Prix rentals. They have their demerits (some cheap interior bits), but it's a competent car. Its powertrain will last for 300,000 miles, if minimally taken care of - something that most other American cars in that price range can't do. For a large car that can be had for $20K, it handles mountain roads, such as the ones up to Lake Tahoe, fairly well.

Edited August 18, 2009 by trinacriabob

[PurdueGuy]

He might be. Very high standards...Westchester County, NY...

I've put about 10,000 miles on 10 to 20 04-08 Grand Prix rentals. They have their demerits (some cheap interior bits), but it's a competent car. Its powertrain will last for 300,000 miles, if minimally taken care of - something that most other American cars in that price range can't do. For a large car that can be had for $20K, it handles mountain roads, such as the ones up to Lake Tahoe, fairly well.

Yup, it's pretty much like any other car in that family - all around decent, but very boring and unimpressive. Unimpressive doesn't automatically equal a bad car.

[Robert Hall]

He might be. Very high standards...Westchester County, NY...

I've put about 10,000 miles on 10 to 20 04-08 Grand Prix rentals.

That's a lot of rental car driving!

[trinacriabob]

That's a lot of rental car driving!

One rental alone from JAX out to the end of the Panhandle (Pensacola) to Atlanta and back down to JAX was about 1,500 to 2,000 miles. I liked the car just fine. It was easy to live with for that week.

[daves87rs]

Isnt that the truth. I havent really ridden in any bad modern cars. I was not a fan of the 1995-2005 Cavalier.

Yeah, the dash rattle in the wife's 03 is going to drive my nuts....

[frogger]

Of midsize rentals I've had int the last few years the GP was definitely the worst of the lot (compared to Sebring, Sonata, old Malibu, G6 rentals). Felt like a 10 year step back in time both times I had to drive one for a few days.

Haven't had to drive a lot of compact rentals but the Dodge Caliber was defintely a bad car IMO.

I hated driving every hybrid I've driven so far, from the Escalade, Malibu and Prius. Escalade not really because of its "hybrid" factor but just because its a behemoth with lipstick. Malibu was about as soft and detached in all ways I felt like I should pack dramamine. Prius was just awkward.

[Bimmer325]

If that's the worst modern car you've driven, you're spoiled.

Then I must be spoiled. Everyone who rode in it with me must be, too. They all agreed it was the biggest piece of $h! they'd been in. Embarrassing, actually.

And bob, there's a reason you've driven between 10 and 20 Grand Prix rentals. To describe it as competent is a joke. There really wasn't much worse you could spend your money on at the time.

I'll say it again: the Grand Prix is the biggest $h!pile modern car I've driven--worse than subcompacts I've been in--and one of the reasons Pontiac will soon no longer exist.

[toesuf94]

1988 Hyundai Excell...the only thing the Excell 'excelled' at would have to be the fact that something could fall off of it with nearly every drive it took. Even the WINDSHIELD managed to fall out one time after a hard stop.

You read that correctly.

And jumping in on the Grand Prix debate above - I have had a GXP rental and found it to be competent but B-O-R-I-N-G. Would not take one for free...unless my other choice was a Toyota Prius.

Edited August 18, 2009 by toesuf94

[Blake Noble]

See above.

1. The electronic steering was as numb, unresponsive, sloppy, and lose as Courtney Love.

2. It was always in the service department to have something to do with the steering or front suspension replaced, which made it a complete money pit.

3. The driving position was odd. Thankfully it wasn't too uncomfortable but something about it didn't feel right.

4. The interior had quite a few strange squeaks that I could never figure out the source of.

[regfootball]

Versa

XL7

Rav4.

the three test drives or rentals in my recent memory that led me to speak very negatively about the vehicle.

i wanted to gouge my eyeballs out after testing a toyota sienna once too.

subaru forester could possibly be the worst test drive ever........the suzuki forenza would be the next worst.

Edited August 19, 2009 by regfootball

[The O.C.]

Then I must be spoiled. Everyone who rode in it with me must be, too. They all agreed it was the biggest piece of $h! they'd been in. Embarrassing, actually.

And bob, there's a reason you've driven between 10 and 20 Grand Prix rentals. To describe it as competent is a joke. There really wasn't much worse you could spend your money on at the time.

I'll say it again: the Grand Prix is the biggest $h!pile modern car I've driven--worse than subcompacts I've been in--and one of the reasons Pontiac will soon no longer exist.

I totally agree.....I've resisted bitching about it too much, cause it can get old....but since you brought it up, I'll chime in. The '08 GP I had this last weekend as a loaner while the CTS was in for service WAS also the biggest pile of crap I've seen in a long time.

I'm SO glad GM is beginning to get their act together and not build cars like this anymore. I'll even go so far as to say the Hyundai Accent I had in Charlotte last year as a rental was, even though very basic, much more put together and competent as an automotive product than this Pontiac.

Awful fit-and-finish, inside and out. Body panels so misaligned, you wonder if they actually designed it that way for some perverted reason. (The "Grand Prix" badge on the decklid was also attached so crookedly, it was almost comical.)

Interior is a mess......cramped for how big the car is.......seats were very uncomfortable where the seatback meets the bottom cushion. The big steering wheel is also obnoxious. Pieces like the console were very loosely attached....and didn't even look like it was designed to meet up with the center stack. AND way too many squeaks, creaks, and rattles for a car with only 30K miles on it.

The suspension/chassis felt like one of the most unsophisticated I've felt in recent times. Constant jiggles on the freeway.....even on seemingly smooth pavement....yet a big floater when you hit dips and bumps. Like an old Buick that someone stiffened up the springs to make it feel "sporty."

Brakes were complete mush, and steering had no feel....so numb....yet again, the actual steering was quite quick....like someone sped it up to, again, make it feel "sporty." Problem is, that quick ratio with such numb steering forces you to make constant steering corrections.....especially going thru minor curves on the freeway.

Engine was much quieter at very light throttle....and the tranny shifted very smoothly. That's the only two good things I can say about the entire car.

However, even with the decent low-end torque, anything more than pulling away from the stoplight (like merging on the freeway) shows how little power this big V6 actually produces. Sluggish feeling, and that usual crude sound and feel as it gains revs. In fact, 4th on the feeway is so sluggish you find your self toeing into the throttle to kick it down (loudly and coarsely) to 3rd or 2nd just to gain speed. In contrast, my CTS in manual 6th gear has really decent power without having to necessarily downshift.

OK....my bitching is done. Getting back into my '07 CTS with 50K miles......really makes me appreciate how far GM has matured recently.....my car still feels as tight and rattle free as day one.....like it was engineered by a totally different company.

[PurdueGuy]

Well, part of the question is what the real time frame we are talking about is. Some people have been putting some 80's cars out there. Gobs of 80's cars worse than a last gen GP. Heck, I have a hard time believing the last gen GP is worse than an early KIA or a number of other early cheapie korean imports. I've driven a last gen GP and while I was unimpressed, it didn't strike me as a truely bad car. When the complaints are things like panel gaps, that's not really getting into things that make a car truly bad, IMO. That's just the picky crap that, while annoying, isn't really that big of a deal IMO.

[Bimmer325]

PG...I wasn't even alive for most of the 80s, so I answered this using a different time-frame for reference. I took "modern car" as stuff produced currently or during the last few years or so. Sorry if I reacted harshly, but I stand by my statement RE: the Grand Prix.

[trinacriabob]

Well, part of the question is what the real time frame we are talking about is. Some people have been putting some 80's cars out there. Gobs of 80's cars worse than a last gen GP. Heck, I have a hard time believing the last gen GP is worse than an early KIA or a number of other early cheapie korean imports. I've driven a last gen GP and while I was unimpressed, it didn't strike me as a truely bad car. When the complaints are things like panel gaps, that's not really getting into things that make a car truly bad, IMO. That's just the picky crap that, while annoying, isn't really that big of a deal IMO.

GP sits in the mid-size car line-up like a hotel does within a string of hotel chains.

GP is like the Holiday Inn. For some people, they have to stay at a Holiday Inn to be able to afford their vacation. You get better digs when you pay more, for a Hilton or an Intercontinental or a Ritz Carlton, with the latter being akin to BMW-Mercedes range.

There's a reason why there are price points. Some people can only spend so much and seek the best price/quality ratio they can. Since I still see tons of 97 GPs with either a 3.1 or a 3.8, and with over 200K, on the road, they can't be THAT bad. Also, when you pay $22.99 a day or $169.99 a week and they hand you keys to a GP, there's not much room to complain. In Europe, it's $269.99 a week for a Smart car, or other econobox.

At least it's not a Motel 6 (Aveo, Hyundai, etc.)

[PurdueGuy]

GP sits in the mid-size car line-up like a hotel does within a string of hotel chains.

GP is like the Holiday Inn. For some people, they have to stay at a Holiday Inn to be able to afford their vacation. You get better digs when you pay more, for a Hilton or an Intercontinental or a Ritz Carlton, with the latter being akin to BMW-Mercedes range.

There's a reason why there are price points. Some people can only spend so much and seek the best price/quality ratio they can. Since I still see tons of 97 GPs with either a 3.1 or a 3.8, and with over 200K, on the road, they can't be THAT bad. Also, when you pay $22.99 a day or $169.99 a week and they hand you keys to a GP, there's not much room to complain. In Europe, it's $269.99 a week for a Smart car, or other econobox.

At least it's not a Motel 6 (Aveo, Hyundai, etc.)

True, and I could understand an argument that the last gen GP is the worst at it's time and price point, but while it may be boring & have a lack of attention to detail, it's a solid car with a competent drivetrain. It may be the Holiday Inn of cars, but there is always that shady motel down the street that's cheaper, but you have to seriously question if you'll find a dead body in the bathroom. lol

[The O.C.]

True, and I could understand an argument that the last gen GP is the worst at it's time and price point, but while it may be boring & have a lack of attention to detail, it's a solid car with a competent drivetrain. It may be the Holiday Inn of cars, but there is always that shady motel down the street that's cheaper, but you have to seriously question if you'll find a dead body in the bathroom. lol

The one I had, an '08, didn't feel at all like a solid car....the chassis was so loose and the squeaks, creaks, and rattles inside.....EVEN FOR being a rental car.

Yes I know the 3800 is bulletproof.....and I appreciate that. But the car, overall, is appalling. I don't mean to offend ANYONE that has bought one in good faith, and enjoys their GP....but it just reminds me of the crap that GM built that offended so many consumers.

Like I said, if anything, my GP experience really makes me appreciate the strides that GM has made in the last few years.

[regfootball]

aura is a much nicer car even than the gp

[trinacriabob]

aura is a much nicer car even than the gp

The Aura felt small...it's related to the G6 and not the GP, right?

I like the grille and the taillamps on the Aura, and the corrugated applique on the dash insets...other than that, not much more.

I've never seen one in a rental fleet.

[Robert Hall]

The Aura felt small...it's related to the G6 and not the GP, right?

Ya, it's an Epsilon like the Malibu and G6.. I've never driven an Epsilon. My most recent GM rentals (last year) were a Cobalt and a Vibe, and a few years ago a Monte Carlo, a couple Impalas and a Grand Prix. Before that, Grand Ams and N-body Malibus.

Rob

[CaddyXLR-V]

The problem with Epsilon is that they feel smaller inside than they really are. I could never get the seating position quite right in my parents 04 Malibu, or the G6 rental I had a while ago. The brakes are very touchy on both too.

[mustang84]

I will say this- the most uncomfortable car I've ever sat in, by far (and here I can willingly include the petrified, deteriorated seats inside junkyard cars) is an '80s BMW 3. Seats felt like thinly upholstered plywood boxes. They were SO wretched, in hindsight I have to believe they WERE thinly-upholstered plywood boxes.

One of my classmates in college had an '84 318i. That car was completely gutless.

[mustang84]

The worst car I have ever driven was an '83 Dodge Aries. It had something like 85 hp and could barely putt up hills. The dash vibrated at highway speeds, the headliner looked like a big parachute, and it had no noise insulation left. This was also the two-door sporty model with bucket seats, but it still looked like it belonged in a nursing home parking lot.

Edited August 19, 2009 by mustang84

[daves87rs]

The worst car I have ever driven was an '83 Dodge Aries. It had something like 85 hp and could barely putt up hills. The dash vibrated at highway speeds, the headliner looked like a big parachute, and it had no noise insulation left. This was also the two-door sporty model with bucket seats, but it still looked like it belonged in a nursing home parking lot.

I remember those...very floaty...everywhere!

[aaaantoine]

Eh, my current car is a Grand Prix. I liked it enough on the test drive to go forward with it.

Now, out of all the cars that I've driven that were made since I was born (this is how I'm going to interpret modern for the purpose of this thread), I have to say my least favorite (to actually drive) was the 85 Seville. My main complaint: the steering had what felt like a 30 degree dead zone.

For general crappiness, I'll go with the Venture. It ties with the Achieva for overall feel, reliability, and performance, but takes the #1 spot for...

A. Being a van instead of a car.

B. Being a U-Body van.

PS: Incidentally, both the Achieva and the Venture have gone to the great junkyard in the sky. The Achieva for an engine fire, the Venture for frame rot.

Edited August 20, 2009 by aaaantoine

[trinacriabob]

Eh, my current car is a Grand Prix. I liked it enough on the test drive to go forward with it.

I am sure it will last a long time and you probably got it for a good (reasonable) price.

[regfootball]

The worst car I have ever driven was an '83 Dodge Aries. It had something like 85 hp and could barely putt up hills. The dash vibrated at highway speeds, the headliner looked like a big parachute, and it had no noise insulation left. This was also the two-door sporty model with bucket seats, but it still looked like it belonged in a nursing home parking lot.

wife had an OMNI. pile of crap! her citation and fairmont were not much better!

Edited August 20, 2009 by regfootball

[trinacriabob]

fairmont

I vaguely remember those. If a car is forgotten, that's not good. Nobody forgets a 70s/80s Cutlass or Grand Prix or Camaro or Firebird.

Wait. Isn't that the twin of the Mercury Zephyr at the time?