Worst Cars Of The Decade

[WriteDown]

10. Pontiac Aztek
2001-2005
The Aztek was criticized for the duration of its life for its ghastly styling. Design is subjective, so what do you think of the Aztek shown here? Were the critics wrong? Yeah, we didn't think so.

9. Daewoo Anything
1999-2002
We had just tested a Suzuki Esteem and marveled at how competent even the cheapest little econoboxes had become when a leather-lined Leganza midsize sedan showed up — the best Daewoo had to offer. We mused over which would kill us first: the toxic gases from the cheap interior or the recalcitrant transmission and inconsistent acceleration. Three days into the loan, the first Daewoo crash tests in U.S. history came out, and we called Daewoo and told them to come pick up the car. We'd never done that before, and we haven't since.

8. Isuzu VehiCROSS
1999-2002
The outrageous Isuzu VehiCROSS two-door SUV, whose extreme styling drew varied reactions, lasted from 1999 to 2001, and even that's surprising. The fanglike grille uprights made it look like it would eat you, which was scary mainly because inside the VehiCROSS was a place no one wanted to be. Headroom was minimal, and the low roof blocked even shorter drivers' view. If the noisy cabin didn't get to you, the punishing ride would. Isuzu deserved credit for taking a chance then on a design likely to find more admirers now, and it deserved scorn for a 2001 sticker price that would be just as preposterous in the current market. The VehiCROSS cost $30,350 by the time it fired up its interplanetary drive and went back where it belonged......

I knew the Aztec would be on here.

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/1071/worst-cars-of-the-2000s/

[wtmusic]

1. Well SOMEONE has to carry the torch for American Motors.

[WriteDown]

2. But the Eagle was great....

Wish I could find one. :)

[seemunkee]

20. Javelin

and specifically the Mark Donahue Javelin

[WriteDown]

22. That is TOO sweet! nt

[and-justice-for-all]

40. That car is hot! nt

[Captain Hilts]

39. You just couldn't kill a Hornet Sportabout. God knows, I tried. Ran on 5 cylinders.

NOT mine -

[Submariner]

6. Hey, do you wanna drag race?

:rofl:

[wtmusic]

11. M-mm, HER man drives a Gremlin

:rofl: :thumbsup:

[WriteDown]

12. Even that girl can't make it look more appealing. nt

[Xipe Totec]

3. I must admit, the Pontiac Asstick deserves the #1 spot n/t

[WriteDown]

5. I don't know...

Some of those other models were pretty awful.

[EOTE]

13. I think the Aztek is a great car.

Sure, it looks ugly as hell, but it's built like a rock and is incredibly utilitarian. I picked one out for my mom and got a great deal on it. It was loaded with AWD and just about every option imaginable for about 15k with around 30k miles on it. It's now got 120k on it and still runs like new. The V6 is smooth and torquey and it rides very similarly to the Lexus RX. It's still getting around 26mpg and aside from the LCD display for the stereo, nothing has ever broken on it. I think the Aztek is maligned for nothing more than its looks (the Buick Rendezvous sold for a good deal more and was the same car with different panels and it was never lambasted like the Aztek). I didn't mind so much that it got such a bad reputation because it allowed us to get the car for a steal. Ask people who have spent a good amount of time with the car and you'll get a far different story.

[conscious evolution]

41. I agree

I had to drive one as a rental for a couple of weeks on a business trip.It really surprised me with how well it drove.

Too bad it is such a butt ugly vehicle.

[GoCubsGo]

52. When I see an Azteck, I can't help but think of...

The Wagon Queen Family Truckster:



I have heard that the Azteck was a very well-engineered vehicle. I just have to wonder what the hell they were thinking when they designed the body.

[EOTE]

60. You mean you didn't order the Metallic Pea?

No! I distinctly ordered the Antarctic Blue!

[Lerkfish]

4. had to laugh at the fortwo, since I have seen them puttering by and thought what a mistake

[WriteDown]

10. I have been scared for the drivers of those that I see on the

highway. At least the coffin expense is reduced.

[MineralMan]

16. My sister and her husband have a fortwo.

My BiL picked me up at LAX and we drove about an hour to my parents' home. Aside from quite a harsh ride on the uneven LA freeways, you couldn't really tell you were in a microcar while you were in it. It was the first car I've been in that got looks from almost everyone you passed.

They're planning a cross-country trip next Spring in it. From CA to MA, then a stop on the way back in Minnesota for some fishing. I can see it, although they'll have to pack a little lighter than they usually do. You can get a couple of good-sized suitcases in its cargo area, though.

I'm not sure how it would do in a Minnesota winter...

[Lerkfish]

23. I"m 6'4" and 300 lbs. doubt I could fit in one....or two.

:)

[MineralMan]

24. Actually, you'd be wrong,. I'm 6'2" as is my BiL.

Plenty of head and leg room. You'd fit right into it. It's pretty surprising, but not that much. It only has two seats, and is designed to hold adults. It's a tall car, and the cockpit area is as wide as it needs to be for two people to sit comfortably.

[WriteDown]

25. That accounts for why it has so many problems with rollover.

High center of gravity.

[MineralMan]

27. That certainly could be true.

You'd certainly have to be aware of the nature of the car. That's pretty much true of all cars, though. Knowing the handling characteristics of whatever vehicle you're driving seems pretty basic to me. That lets you drive it in a way that prevents those characteristics from getting you in trouble.

It's sort of like learning to drive an old Porsche 356 aggressively. You had to learn how to control its tendency for oversteer. Switching from an understeering car like an MGA to the Porsche required compensating for their wildly different handling characteristics.

No doubt the Smart Car, with it's tall profile, is more prone to a rollover in extreme conditions than some other type of vehicle. Knowing that lets you drive the care in an appropriate way.

[WriteDown]

29. They said the same thing about the Suzuki Samurai. nt

[MineralMan]

45. True, and you could roll one of those if you were an idiot.

Otherwise, they worked just fine. Myself, I liked the X-90, a two seater coupe version of the Samurai. Only about 2500 of them came into the US.

[WriteDown]

47. The X90?

I always thought it was designed by elves given its miniscule interior. I thought the original manufacturer may have been Keebler.

[brendan120678]

31. I absolutely agree. And I used to drive a VW New Beetle!

I don't think there is really anything smart about the Smart ForTwo.
It looks like the most unsafe vehicle on the road today.

[MineralMan]

46. Oddly enough, it got the highest crash test rating

of any of the dinky cars recently.

[WriteDown]

48. Front crash...

but did not do too well in side crash tests.

[Yuugal]

7. My Echo rocks!

Fits 4 comfortably and gets 40mpg. My 2001 has never needed anything other than an oil change and a set of brake pads.

[WriteDown]

9. And its one of the worst cars of the decade!

Congrats! :)

[EOTE]

17. I think this is a very poorly made list.

I've spent time in the Jag X-Type, the Toyota Echo and the Pontiac Aztek and I'd say that all three are good cars for the money. Sure, some of them may depreciate quickly, but that just means you'll get an even better deal on the used car market. It seems to me that the bulk of the criticisms are due to styling which is rather subjective. I'm still failing to see the issue they had with the X-Type, sure it doesn't rise to the level of quality you'd expect to find in a Jag (although the interior is very nice, even for cars in its price range), but then again, it's rare to see a Jag base at around 30k. The 2.5 certainly lacks low end torque, but once it's moving, the midrange and top end is nice. The 3.0 liter is more of an enthusiast's choice. And the fact that you could get the 3 liter and a manual with AWD made it a rather fun car for its segment. I'd take one over a similarly priced Acura TL any day.

[COLGATE4]

32. I agree on the Jag X type

While it's not the quality you may typically think of with the Jag brand, I have a 2006 3.0 which has given me nothing but pleasure. It's a nice riding, nice handling little 4 person sedan with a very nice interior and about normal to a little better than normal acceleration. The handling is not up to a BMW 300 series but with the AWD it's very competent in the snow and ice too. I think it's very underrated.

[merh]

8. Today's worst autos make tomorrow's collectibles.

eom.

[wtmusic]

14. This is true

All it takes is storing that rusty Corvair in your garage for thirty years....

[Norrin Radd]

59. I met a guy who was looking to get rid of his '67 Corvair that he had

stored away for thirty years, for cheap, except he had lovingly tended to it along with some other cars, so it was still cherry. His daughter convinced him that his jerkwad son in law should have it, though he wanted to sell it to me.

[MercutioATC]

18. So it's time to take my AMC Pacer out of storage?

Sometimes, bad is just bad.

[merh]

26. LOL - you might be surprised at the price you could get for it today.

:hi:

[MercutioATC]

30. Mint condition, $4k=$6k...

3.8l V6 with only 95hp, a top speed around 90mph, and a little over 18mpg?

[merh]

38. I guess you have to give it another 20 years

Look at the price one can get for the Edsel today.

[DBoon]

19. and these people agree

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-garage25aug25,1,7703492,full.story

[Tommy_Carcetti]

15. You just got killed by a Daewoo Lanos, motherf----er!

Sorry, that's all I could think about when I heard Daewoo.

[LTR]

34. (noting "Pineapple Express" reference)

:rofl:

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

21. I remember first seeing the Daewoos and thinking...

Wow only $10k for a new car. Looks pretty nice for $10k.
I wonder if that's the Same Daewoo that makes my VHS player?
It's a nice VHS player... maybe that means they make good cars.

[louis-t]

28. I remember leaving an office party once with a friend.

There was an Aztec parked on the street. I said "That's the ugliest car I've ever seen." He said "That's MY car, I just bought it."
Oops.

[EOTE]

51. Cars have inner beauty too :)

I prefer to drive more attractive cars myself, but once you get past the looks, there's an awful lot to like about the car. And after using it and seeing it so often (I typically select cars for my folks), I've gotten used to the looks and even think it's kind of cute. The one problem I can find with it is that its rear spoiler obstructs the view a bit. Other than that, it's got a glass smooth ride. Handles well and takes speed bumps and other obstructions well. It's got a nice V6 and an AWD system that simply works and is never intrusive. I really think it can be best compared to the Lexus RX300. It doesn't have leather seats or some of the other niceties of the RX, but I picked up an Aztek for my mom that was less than half the price of the RX. At the time, they were an absolute steal.

[LTR]

33. Why no love for the Sebring?

Granted, it's a Chrysler, but I've driven quite a few (along with sibling Dodge Stratus - old style, though) and thought it was a nice sedan. The interior was comfy (not so for the 2-door, though), it rode nice and it's better looking than some of its rivals.

The Sebring never got any love.

[WriteDown]

35. Probably because of the sebring convertible...

otherwise known as the wet noodle car. Chrysler basically just sawed off the top and did not reinforce the frame so you could literally feel the frame bending and twisting as you drove it. Not unlike driving a wet noodle.

[EOTE]

49. And it's ungodly underpowered.

Even with the 6 cylinder, the thing had no power anywhere. I drove one with the older 2.5 and I found myself using the shift gate to keep it in a lower gear just so I'd have a bit more power on tap. Less than 170hp and similar torque is not sufficient for a two ton convertible. And yes, what a terrible chassis. I can only imagine that people bought the Sebring convertible who wanted to go rather slowly in a straight line. The new model appears to be somewhat of an improvement, but I think it's actually uglier than past generations. At least there's more adequate power with the new 3.5 liter six (though why they didn't use the 3.5 from the Charger/300 is beyond me, it's been used in FWD applications in the past).

[WriteDown]

63. Ah...

Nice to talk to someone who's been through the horrors of driving a Sebring.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

36. I actually considered buying a Sebring.

Not a bad looking car.

[WriteDown]

43. See post 35. nt

[snooper2]

44. Because it's a piece of shit...

nt

[YOY]

37. Pontiac Sunfire???

I know one (96) that is still running like a flippin' top.

[LTR]

42. Probably due to Pontiac's love of excessive plastic trim

The body cladding and interiors on some of those cars are quite over the top.

The Sunfire/Cavalier both have the Ecotec motor. A bit loud and obnoxious sounding, but very durable. And allow higher horsepower with okay mileage.

[thelordofhell]

50. Pontiac Aztek is the son of the VW Thing

[Stevenmarc]

53. ROFLMAO "The Caddy That Zigs," When that ad campaign came out I shot off an email to them

and their response was that is tested well, I wrote back and wondered who they tested it on because this was not the way to attract an entry level luxury car buyer and perhaps they should chuck their duck for Uncle $crooge McDuck, after all he was a more luxury minded duck with his spats and top hat.

[bullwinkle428]

56. How could Cadillac pass up the chance to make something so pathetic

that people might actually forget about the Cimarron?

[flvegan]

54. Sorry, but you can't cut Daewoo off at 2002.

Just because they put a "Chevrolet" badge on that Pacific Rim shit doesn't change anything. The Kalos nee Chevy Aveo is a more godawful example of rental upgrades than the Sunfire could ever hope to be.

[Liberal_in_LA]

55. never heard of the aztek

[XemaSab]

58. This be it:

[Liberal_in_LA]

64. cute

[Codeine]

57. The Isuzu VehiCross was amazing.

I thought it was beautiful and hoped it would influence a whole range of styles, but no luck. :(

[EOTE]

61. I thought it was pretty cool too.

But they were right in that it was very overpriced. Even though it was a good car, Isuzu seemed to have forgotten that it was an Isuzu that it was selling. When Hyundai started making more competitive vehicles with the intro of the 2005 Sonata, they still priced the car competitively so that you could buy one for thousands less than a Camry or Accord. With the Vehicross, you could spend a few more grand and get a Lexus RX or you could spend far, far less and get something like a Tracker that, while with less power, has a lot more utility. It was a cool concept for a car, but it was priced outrageously.

[WriteDown]

62. It had a gorgeous exterior.....

And nothing else looked like it, but the price was just outrageous.