Worst vehicle you ever owned

[DanD]

Been working on cars for the last 45 years and all I can say is that there are no bad cars; it's just that some are just more challenging then others. Like what I say to a customer when they're complaining about their vehicle. I didn't build it, I didn't buy it, I didn't break it; I'm only here to fix it. LOL

Even my 1950 Chevy Styleline Deluxe was way under powered; but I fixed that with a Vortec 4800. Nice step up from the 92hp six cylinder to the 280hp V8 of this injected motor.

Having the body restored and hope to have her back on the road this spring.

Dan.

[lew]

18 minutes ago, Mrphotoman said:

😝 What a money pit.

Nobody ever said Pinto's were a good investment LOL

[mdfa.ca]

Ford Contour (never again, Ford 🤣).  Circa 1997 (can't remember). Got it used and it was ok as long as the warranty lasted. Got to the end of the 5 year and.... basically started falling apart weekly. Got me stranded on the highway once with two small kids, going up north.

[Lape0019]

1 hour ago, mdfa.ca said:

Ford Contour (never again, Ford 🤣).  Circa 1997 (can't remember). Got it used and it was ok as long as the warranty lasted. Got to the end of the 5 year and.... basically started falling apart weekly. Got me stranded on the highway once with two small kids, going up north.

Friend of mine had a Mercury Mystique (same car) and they had 3 transmissions put in it under warranty. They were not too happy with theirs either.

[captpierre]

I drive a 4Runner now for 6 yrs. So far so good. Before that I put 400k kms each on 3 Safari vans. Minimal problems. Brakes went 120k kms. Take 8 people, gear and tow 5000lb. I’d have bought a 4th but they stopped making them. Toaster on wheels. 

Edited January 11, 2020 by captpierre

[lew]

16 minutes ago, captpierre said:

I drive a 4Runner now for 6 yrs. So far so good. Before that I put 400k kms on 3 Safari vans. Minimal problems. Brakes went 120k kms. Take 8 people, gear and tow 5000lb. I’d have bought a 4th but they stopped making them. Toaster on wheels. 

The Safari's were nice vehicles and very comfortable to drive.

I bought a new one in '96 and drove it for 5 years then ventured over to the dark side and bought a 2001 Dodge pick-up. Only kept that one for 3 years and went back to GMC and bought a new '05 Safari. 

Yup, really nice vans and I never had a single issue with either one.

[NILS Master Lures]

The Chrysler Cavalier was probably the worst. I was young and it was cheap so we were both inexperienced. Ha!

[captpierre]

Wasn’t the Cavalier  a Chevy? 🤔

[NILS Master Lures]

Just now, captpierre said:

Wasn’t the Cavalier  a Chevy? 🤔

Yep, I stand corrected. See what happens when I try to drug up bad memories? Probably wouldn't buy a Chrysler either these days....just sayin'

[Old Ironmaker]

On 12/30/2019 at 3:46 PM, Fisherman said:

  Mfgrs make most of their money from repairs.

Some make all of their money from repairs. A GM dealer once told me he loses money selling new cars and trucks. I told him "Then you must have sold that mansion with the guest house bigger than the shack I live in along with the 100 grand boat you were bragging about." Idiot. I may have even said idiot inside the quotation marks. We don't like each other. We sit on the same board and I have to put up with him once a month. 

[SirCranksalot]

I have stayed away from dealers since my local GM dealer tried to rip me off for tranny repairs many years ago. 

[NILS Master Lures]

I think many have love/hate relationships with dealers. Personally, we have a local garage here that does honest, reliable service and I'd much rather support his business than a dealership.

[Old Ironmaker]

When the Silverado was brand new my wife had it and the low tire pressure light came on. There is a sticker on the window that says the tires have Nitrogen and stop in at any GM dealer to get them topped up free of charge. She did just that and they laughed at her, they don't have nitrogen there. They have a fancy customer waiting room complete with bug screen TV's that tell you where your vehicle is and how long left to service and WiFi with  4 service people sitting at their  fancy desks but zero nitrogen. I was getting all my warranty service done there that GM pays them for as well as oil service at 90 bucks a pop. I went in and waved them bye, bye. The service manager couldn't apologize enough but I never went back. They sent me multiple requests to go back with some deals, too late John Bear Hamilton Mountain. That's how you show displeasure at a dealer, take their money away. 

[AKRISONER]

On 2/22/2020 at 6:26 PM, Old Ironmaker said:

When the Silverado was brand new my wife had it and the low tire pressure light came on. There is a sticker on the window that says the tires have Nitrogen and stop in at any GM dealer to get them topped up free of charge. She did just that and they laughed at her, they don't have nitrogen there. They have a fancy customer waiting room complete with bug screen TV's that tell you where your vehicle is and how long left to service and WiFi with  4 service people sitting at their  fancy desks but zero nitrogen. I was getting all my warranty service done there that GM pays them for as well as oil service at 90 bucks a pop. I went in and waved them bye, bye. The service manager couldn't apologize enough but I never went back. They sent me multiple requests to go back with some deals, too late John Bear Hamilton Mountain. That's how you show displeasure at a dealer, take their money away. 

i remember when i bought my truck, the guy was trying to sell me on their "oil change package" because they were going to give me a discount? The dealership literally charges $320 to do an oil change on an eco diesel...and trust me ive done the oil changes on every single vehicle ive ever owned. There is absolutely 0 difference between a diesel oil change and a regular oil change aside from the fact that the oil filter is in a housing which screws off just like regular car oil filter and its an element style filter instead of one with steel housing.

I just bought 19 litres of rotella T6 for $130 at canadian tire. The truck takes 10 Litres. and a filter for $30 (still insane)...so please explain Mr. Stealership where the other $210 comes from...because "diesel oil changes are complicated" Im still waiting on the class action suit to go through like it did in the states for their emissions cheating scandal. I dont want to wish the canadian employees of Dodge out of their jobs (I dont even think they do any canadian manufacturing here anymore anyways?) but seriously, i wouldnt mind if this law suit buried them, they friggin deserve it.

[Old Ironmaker]

20 minutes ago, AKRISONER said:

i remember when i bought my truck, the guy was trying to sell me on their "oil change package" because they were going to give me a discount? The dealership literally charges $320 to do an oil change on an eco diesel...and trust me ive done the oil changes on every single vehicle ive ever owned. There is absolutely 0 difference between a diesel oil change and a regular oil change aside from the fact that the oil filter is in a housing which screws off just like regular car oil filter and its an element style filter instead of one with steel housing.

I just bought 19 litres of rotella T6 for $130 at canadian tire. The truck takes 10 Litres. and a filter for $30 (still insane)...so please explain Mr. Stealership where the other $210 comes from...because "diesel oil changes are complicated" Im still waiting on the class action suit to go through like it did in the states for their emissions cheating scandal. I dont want to wish the canadian employees of Dodge out of their jobs (I dont even think they do any canadian manufacturing here anymore anyways?) but seriously, i wouldnt mind if this law suit buried them, they friggin deserve it.

I have come to learn all the service guys doing the work at a Chrysler dealership are sub contractors not Chrysler employees per say and not unionized. Chrysler pays them X number of dollars for Y amount of time they say it takes to do the job and they get paid for that time only whether it takes longer or not. Same goes if it takes them less time, that creates a problem when a tech flies through a job. That price for an oil change is unbelievable. That extra 210 bucks is for the 4 big screen TV's, WiFi and the fancy desks 4 service people sit at as well as the big fancy showrooms with marble countertops and porcelain flooring. Think that stuff is free? 

Any warranty is voided if you change the oil  yourself unless you are a certified tech. 

Edited February 24, 2020 by Old Ironmaker

[AKRISONER]

19 minutes ago, Old Ironmaker said:

Any warranty is voided if you change the oil  yourself unless you are a certified tech. 

Not the case...they cant legally require you to do that. Itd be like saying your warranty is voided if you use a saw and you are a tradesman carpenter. The reason I know? I have had far far too much warranty work done on the very truck that I do my own changes on since new. I do know that they have the ability to see that the oil changes were done in timely fashion without going over the appropriate intervals.

Edited February 24, 2020 by AKRISONER

[Old Ironmaker]

I don't know about Chrysler but my GM warranty specifically states a qualified tech that GM recognizes, not necessarily GM,  must do all the service on the vehicle while it's under warranty. 

[Woodsman]

Can't say any of my vehicles were bad. 

Biggest problem I had was with my first vehicle a 1972 Ford Cortina. A British built Ford which for a while was sold here.

The problem was getting parts other than the basics.

Had to have an accelerator cable sent from England.

[Old Ironmaker]

Come to think of it one of the worse cars was one of my favorites if that's possible. Bought a 1979 Audi 5000S with less than 10,000 miles on it early in January 1980. Managers car so they said. I think I paid for the car twice after all that went wrong with it. Timing chain or belt went and threw a rod, frame cracked at the rear wheel well. That's when I saw my 1st ever car without a frame, unibody. I went through alternators and starters like eating peanuts, same as struts and CV joints. I eventually found out from a honest mechanic many VW parts fit that Audi at less than 1/2 the price of Audi's parts.. A man that worked for me son was his apprentice and told his dad to tell me the mechanic cleaned up my starter and sold it to me for full hop Audi part price. 1 wire was loose. That pr*(K. He got what was coming to him believe me. It was one of the 1st front wheel drives available. It sucked up the road like a Hoover, handling and top end speed was phenomenal, 5 cylinder engine. Even heated seats in 79', unheard of then. Back in those days you would find a good guy and they were good and honest for a while then they ripped you off. Those guys didn't last long, no internet but it was a small town in the big city. News travelled fast. 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Old Ironmaker

[Crimsongulf]

On 1/8/2020 at 7:50 AM, DanD said:

Been working on cars for the last 45 years and all I can say is that there are no bad cars; it's just that some are just more challenging then others. Like what I say to a customer when they're complaining about their vehicle. I didn't build it, I didn't buy it, I didn't break it; I'm only here to fix it. LOL

Even my 1950 Chevy Styleline Deluxe was way under powered; but I fixed that with a Vortec 4800. Nice step up from the 92hp six cylinder to the 280hp V8 of this injected motor.

Having the body restored and hope to have her back on the road this spring.

Dan.

I was in the automotive repair and tire business for 42 years.  My take was............................

 

 

Some are way more profitable than others.