have a new automobile can be such a joyous social occasion . You woolgather about the weekend road trips you ’ll take , showing it off to your friends , and learning about all the new features that will make your life well-to-do while driving .
Unfortunately , it does n’t always lick out that way .
Sometimes manufactures have make a " maize " . Automotive lemons are car that have so many problems with them that they have been labeled as such . These railway car can be a actual pain to own and drive , often requiring overweening repairs and costing more in the long run than other comparable vehicle on the market place .
Here are eight of the most ill-famed self-propelled lemon of all metre .
1. 1958-1960 Edsel
Perhaps the most illustrious automotive bust , theEdsel , was n’t a truly bad auto . From an engineering standpoint , it was in step with most otherbrands of the late 1950s . alas , its wide - at - the - top , narrow-minded - at - the - bottom erect grille resemble a collar used to harness draught horse , give it a controversial look .
It also had the tough luck of hitting the market in September 1957 as an economic recession was brewing , slowing down sale of medium - priced cars . Then , too , advancement for the Edsel made it sound as if the railcar would revolutionize the industry when , automatically , it really was n’t much different from otherFordsandMercurys . Ford stopped farm Edsels in November 1959 .
2. 1962 Plymouth and Dodge
About 15 year before " downsizing " became the rage in Detroit , Chryslertried it on its two lowest - price shuffling . Unfortunately , this was still the era of " big is better . "
Chrysler exec William Newberg mistakenly believedChevroletwas going smaller for 1962 and ordered main stylist Virgil Exner to trim the size of the 1962 Plymouths and Dodges under development . However , surmount them down from the freehanded railroad car they were intended to be ruined their proportions , and Exner was dismiss when the cable car flopped .
3. 1975-1980 AMC Pacer
Had this discotheque - era compact come with the still , lightweight , GM - builtrotary enginethat was project , perhaps the Pacer hatchback ’s styling would have seemed befittingly adventurous . But with a conventional powertrain , the Pacer was just plain curious . " America ’s first wide little railcar " guide a six - piston chamber engine – and shortly a V8 – after GM canceled its rotary program when the locomotive engine would n’t take on emanation and fuel - mileage target .
It was roomy inside , but with its rounded body , large window , hatchback , and no discernible trunk , the Pacer resemble a " fishbowl on wheels , " making it the butt of many put-on .
4. 1981-1982 DeLorean DMC-12
When flamboyant John Z.DeLoreanleft General Motors in 1973 , he did so intending to set out a company to build an " ethical"sports car . He wound up with a picture show property and a world of financial trouble . The car was celebrated for its stainless - sword organic structure and soft touch - wing doors – hinge at the top rather than the sides , resembling a gull in flight when open.
5. 1986-1991 Yugo GV
The Yugo originated from a flora that had been makingFiat - based cars since 1954 . The GV , which reached America in mid-1985 , was bill as the cheap car on the marketplace with a starting price of $ 3,990 , equate to $ 5,340 for aChevrolet Chevette , the low-pitched starting price for a domesticated car .
Soon owners know why : footling might , shoddy quality and reliability , and scary crashworthiness . The fiddling hatchback was later join by a convertible , but bankruptcy in the United States and civic strife back home in a disintegrating Yugoslavia end things .
6. 1996-1998 Suzuki X-90
This little two - seater try out to make a sport car out of the Suzuki Sidekick . But the X-90 would have seem more at home in a carnival , disgorging a steady stream of clowns .
The compact SUV had a petite 86.6 - inch wheelbase and a 95 - horsepowerfour - piston chamber locomotive . Noisy at highway f number , the X-90 also had a bouncy ride , minimal cargo outer space , and petite radio buttons that were closely impossible to use in the nighttime .
7. 1996-2003 General Motors EV1
After talk of choice to the crude internal - burning engine set out gaining momentum in the eighties , General Motors plugged in to the pursuit ofelectric applied science . The EV1 was the result , and it was rent through certainSaturndealers .
However , it was a two - bottom saving car with a luxury - gondola price , and it had limited range before it necessitate to be charged . ( Range was gravely confine in colder climate , which made the EV1 even more Laputan in those areas . ) Some lessees want to bribe their EV1s , but GM , suspicious of succeeding indebtedness concerns , would n’t sell .
8. 2001-2005 Pontiac Aztek
This wasPontiac’sfirst stab at a " crossing over " vehicle , a mix of car and sportsman - utility vehicle that was a new market segment at the rootage of the twenty-first century . Derived from Pontiac ’s Montana minivan platform , theAzteksuffered from tongue-tied , angular styling that was roundly criticized .
From the rear , it look tall , minute , and ungainly . Off - route capability was circumscribe in all - wheel - thrust role model , and interior materials and stopping point leave alone something to be desired .
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:
Helen Davies , Marjorie Dorfman , Mary Fons , Deborah Hawkins , Martin Hintz , Linnea Lundgren , David Priess , Julia Clark Robinson , Paul Seaburn , Heidi Stevens , and Steve Theunissen
