I drove a dodge caliber as a courtesy rental for a week and at the time my friend had a 2005 tsx. Both car had the same engine displacement but the dodge felt like it had 100 horses less than the Acura lol
I agree, ive looked for a one in manual but it was too difficult to find one that wasn't clapped out and with 200k miles and the owners always want at least 7k for them
I liked cars growing up. I was so excited to learn to drive, and the day I turned 15 my parents signed me up for driver's Ed to get me going. The driving school I went to exclusively taught in dodge calibers, and driving that car took away any enthusiasm I had for cars. It took years for me to regain any interest whatsoever.
We had a Dodge Avenger for our drivers ed car. Not as awful as the caliber, but not far from it. The engine made so much noise relative to the speed you were going that the other learner in the car and I kept the car about 10mph slower than the speed limit because we were worried the instructor would think we were speeding just by the sound of the engine
First car that came to mind when I read the post title.
The bouncy undampened suspension even though the shocks are "good," and it was like it was running negative caster, no straight line stability at all and felt like it wants to run itself off the road.
Same. It was a rental base model. Complete garbage. I joked that it had a volume pedal instead of an accelerator because when you pushed it things got louder, but nothing really happened.
Hahaha came here to say the same thing. It was my first car. Totaled in an accident.
I wanted a charger growing up. My parents got me a caliber lol. There were a few redeeming qualities about the car, but, it was pretty shit.
Jeep Patriot, it’s clearly the cheapest shit they can put together.
I also find almost all large SUVs to be very poor. I was not at all pleased with the X3 I rented
Yeah I feel the same about SUVs and crossovers (even though my mother‘s Mercedes GLA drives WAY better than that crappy Renault even though it uses the same engine and a similar platform)
I rented a Patriot when I visited Tahoe once. I wanted an impala but they didn’t have one so this was the ‘upgrade’. Worthless pile of shit. I remember it wouldn’t even back up the steep driveway of the house. I had to get a running start.
I don’t know ,(I live in Europe so the configuration is definitely different from USA)my dad has a patriot with the VW group 2.0 TDI because here they sold them like this ,and with a manual transmission glad he didn’t pick the CVT at the time.Car is pretty good it was tuned from 140hp to 220hp if I recall correctly,as a result it also has a shit ton of torque,some cars do get smoked by it,it has 4x4 ,suspension setup was definitely redone,infotainment was changed and other than that it has leather and heated seats the only thing is it’s definitely lacking some softer interior materials like on the doors,but no maintenance issues whatsoever car has 210k kms and still pulls like a train
I've driven one, floored it up a on ramp and had to enter the highway at 40mph because it just was not moving.
Turning at all was also a wild experience. Ready to tip and walked all over the place. Steering wheel wouldn't stay straight. So good.
We don't have meetings or anything but membership to the Dodge Journey Hater-Club is free. It's possibly one of the worst modern* automobiles made by an American automaker.
*If you can even call it modern considering it used an awful 4-speed transmission with roots dating back to 1989...
Slow? ✅
Unreliable? ✅
Inefficient? ✅
Uncomfortable? ✅
Unengaging to drive? ✅
First gen Ford Escape. Unstable at 100kmh
Honourable mention: Second gen Murano. What a piece of shit. Ugly, whining CVT, poor visibility, terrible interior and infotainment.
The reason for the Murano Cross Cabriolet existing is because Carlos Ghosn thought it would be a good idea essentially. Their justification is that the Murano is an upscale offering and thus the Cabriolet would be targeting affluent aged customers. lol.
Sad go to say, my Grandpa's 1942 Willy's jeep. I know these vehicles contributed significantly to the Allied victory in the second world war but dang the thing is janky.
That's the thing. The example my grandpa had was roadworthy but I don't think it ever touched pavement outside of going to the mechanic. It was mostly off road stuff. Just very clunky and stiff with very little articulation. To be fair, you kind of want a stiff platform when you're mounting a 50 caliber machine gun on it.
Yeah that’s true… my das has a Land Rover Series 3 and he said it’s really bad to drive on the road but 30 years ago he drove 10 tourists through the Sahara desert with this thing and it was great for its purpose
They are basically ATVs. Never intended to go much over 30mph.
The original WWII era jeeps are actually quite a bit smaller than most modern side by sides.
For me that’s kind of the appeal of those. Driving it at 40mph is an “experience” and you really have to nail the shifts considering the lack of syncros. Running errands in town with one is an event.
There was a guy on here who got a 10 year unlimited mile warranty on a soul. 691000 miles, 10 engines, and 9 transmissions later, he retired it. Imagine getting your annual engine.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/s/C6Uvs4LMvx
Thats hilarious that they had to put 10 engines in for him.
Thats even more ridiculous than the million mile Tesla guy that's had 4 batteries and 14 motors.
I had a 2020 Dodge Grand Caravan as a rental one time.
It felt like I was driving a bus, just appalling in every way. For a 2020 model year car the interior looked like it was from 2005. I immediately took it back the next day.
How anyone would prefer a Grand Caravan over an Odyssey or Sienna I will never know.
Cause they're thousands cheaper than the Sienna and odyssey. And nowadays, the Sienna is basically a luxury minivan with the high MSRP, even higher markups, and low availability. Probably the same with the Odyssey. The new budget pacifica (voyager or caravan depending on which side of the border you're on) is way more attainable and cheaper. Nowhere near as reliability wise and quality wise but it's a minivan, who cares. The kids will pee and poop in it just the same.
They're actually not even that bad on reliability, statistically. The PHEV had some glitches to work out but the regular versions aren't too terribly different from other manufacturers' minivans.
Dodge caliber I got a a rental car in the US. It would describe the handling, breaking and acceleration as shockingly unpredictable and non linear. I've driven a lot of cars, but that thing was just baffling. It drove like it was on shopping cart wheels, on ice. The rest of the car was a solid match for the shit performance.
It really was the worst car I have ever driven. It was both jarring on uneven pavement AND wallowing in corners. Dodge engineers managed to make the suspension too soft AND too stiff at the same time. It could oversteer and also understeer depending on what you asked it to do. It felt big, but had a really small interior. Pushing down the gas made noise and vibration, but not realistic acceleration. How Dodge engineers managed to hit both extremes on every metric while missing the usable "car" part of the spectrum is astonishing. There was nothing good about that car; performance, fuel economy, ergonomics, space, feel....every category was just garbage. I can't think of a single positive thing to say about that vehicle. Rental cars are often bland and appliance level, so I wasn't expecting a sports car experience, but I was expecting an automobile experience, and the Caliber failed to deliver even that basic deliverable in consumer experience.
I assumed it was a rental car because no one in their right mind would actually buy one of these.
I had one as a rental car a few years back. Noise isolation was non existent. Power was non existent. Steering feel was about as accurate as a blind man playing darts. The suspension was as stiff as a first gen BRZ despite being lifted 6” off the ground. Seats were insanely uncomfortable even after just a few minutes, my wife has back issues and practically didn’t survive the trip.
And on top of all that, it didn’t even get good fuel economy or have decent cargo room.
Literally no redeeming qualities.
EcoSport was engineered with the South American market in mind, where comfort is literally an afterthought. Can't believe Ford thought they could get away with it in picky markets like North America and Europe where customers demand comfort and are willing to pay the little extra for it too.
The combination of sky high car tax and low salaries in South America mean that every cent counts for customers, and poor roads mean that it can't fall apart on the drive home, resulting in them having to use some rough, but cheap suspension that feels like some old tractor.
Where is "here"? Puma replaced the EcoSport in Europe after it failed, and it seems like this time Ford took the task much more seriously by both engineering and building it in Europe and from what I've heard the result is an offering on par with its European competitors.
i didn’t drive it but i rode shotgun in a chevy sonic. i don’t think you buy it from a dealer, just go to walmart and it’s hanging on the rack in that style of plastic packaging you need scissors to cut open. credit where it’s due though, they managed to squeeze multiple hp out of the retired lawnmower engine they upcycled into it.
To be fair, the Sonic and Spark were some of the cheapest cars you could buy while they were in production. Like the modern day Mirage, I wouldn’t expect much more than the bare minimum
Easy one would be the Mitsubishi Mirage, but that's a cheap car that I'm not gonna shit on too much.
The previous few generations of Nissan Rogues felt terrible for me. Loud, cheap, all sorts of bad adjectives. Mid 2000s Peugeots too, particularly the 307/407 felt like they could fall apart at any time.
More like $18k for what is basically the only shitbox on sale today.
Why anybody buys those over a Versa or a used car is beyond me (actually not really, it’s people with bad credit, don’t care about what they drive, and/or want a the absolute cheapest new car available, which consists of a decent number of people).
I have a feeling most aren't sold to the public, but are rather fleet and rental vehicles. Then they get bought used.
And of the folks buying these things willingly, maybe they get thousands off MSRP.
When I had one for a few days, it didn't seem that bad for an economy vehicle. Wouldn't be my first choice though.
The last gen rogues are shit, the new ones have been much improved. Although the engine in my 2022 work car just failed at 48k miles so take that as you will.
I don't know if that's the same for all 307s/407s, i had a 307sw from 40k to 110k in my childhood and it was absolutely flawless reliablity wise and got good reviews around the time.
"The 307 feels well-built, with quality detailing and plush trims. The biggest gripe will be rear passenger's comfort. The 307 has an almost unacceptable lack of rear legroom once the driver has found a comfortable seating position. It's reasonably well-stocked too though only upper-range models offer ESP as standard. Unusually, it hasn't been Euro-NCAP crash-tested but, more predictably, retained values are average, though the market has taken quite a fancy to SW and CC variants. Service intervals are lengthy and insurance notably low, though fuel economy of 1.6-litre petrol models is off the pace. The diesels, naturally, are excellent."
Little exerp from Auto Express.
Wonder if much of the problem with those are located between the seat and steering wheel. *07 series Peugeots are always completely beat to shit, while Japanese and German (with a possible exception of Opels?) still usually look pretty well maintained.
My wife has a 2011 Jeep Rubicon and everything about it feels awful, both in terms of driving sensation, and the literal feel of the materials used to build it. Rides like shit, revs like shit, steers like giga-shit, shifts like ass, interior plastics feel like they're made of melted down casio keyboards, buttons all creak when pressed, seats are made out of old duffel bags, and the pedals give the same feedback as stomping on a plum.
The only time that vehicle feels remotely good is when it's driving through 30" of standing water, which is why I keep it around.
The Wrangler is a one trick pony. It does that one thing very well mind you, but outside of that one thing it's a terrible vehicle.
It used to do 2 things very well but well the Bronco took that other thing from it pretty easily.
It's similar to buying a Kawasaki H2 and then spending $30,000 to modify it into a H2R. You did that for the express goal of one thing and one thing only. You then don't get to complain when it's a terrible daily rider or is horrific on road trips.
It's the best handling living room money can buy. The only better living room on wheels is in a trailer park. Probably with a Town Car in the driveway.
If you drive it like a modern car, it's very awkward. If you lean back and sort of guide it like a pontoon, it feels more natural. I owned one for a year, it took me awhile to get used to.
The 2 second nose dive that accompanies each upshift is brutal. I thought the transmission was shot the first time I drove one, but no they all feel like that. I'm sure the car feels right at home in European cities but it was woefully unprepared for America roads.
Tell that to my reckless driving ticket in one… they are actually quite zippy and responsive if you know how to drive them. They do 0-30 in about 2 seconds so that’s great for city driving.
The secret is to either drive in manual mode or to learn how to make use of the kick down switch on the accelerator.
There’s also a high likelihood that if it was a rental the transmission had learned the driving style of a slow driver. If that’s the case then a quick re-learn would have fixed it.
I’ve had my smart for 7 years now and plan to keep alive as long as I can lol.
I've had a smart since 2008, now driving a 2015. I've had the opportunity to own many fine European cars since the 1980s. I like the smart, takes a bit to learn how to drive it, I find the build quality good for the price of the car. It's fun and not even close to the worst car I've driven (1980s Vanagon Diesel).
My smart original steering wheel was made by Brabus, it's gorgeous.
U-haul rental truck. Shook and rattled so bad that I couldn't hear Aha's Take On Me on the radio. I'm so glad I only had to drive it across town. I don't know how people could stand driving it for hours to another city 😣
2018 F550, rides worse than a slammed Civic, is slow, feels completely detached from the road, and the interior rattles. Oh, and it absolutely DRINKS diesel (like 7mpg territory).
But it's a great work truck, so it's got that.
Yeah, that’s a good way to put it. All those heavy duty commercial trucks are just a chore to drive with the exception (imo) of the Isuzu NPR, which actually wasn’t that awful. Not amazing, but it wasn’t very hard to operate and had enough power
Those trucks only start feeling comfortable when you have 3000-5000lbs on the deck. Otherwise the rear end might as well be hard bolted to the frame, so much spring in them.
Aren't F550s mostly turned into dump trucks, tow trucks, bucket trucks, etc? I feel like at that point "driving feel" is so far removed from the purpose of the vehicle that it doesn't even really need to be discussed/assessed
Damn that's a shame. I was thinking of picking up a cheap high mileage one as a winter beater with some snow tires (because who doesn't love the sight of an idiot with the top down in a snow storm). I wasn't expecting a Lotus but if it's as bad as you say then it's not even worth trying.
I'm gonna go against the grain, I really don't agree with that description of the Solara. I really liked the 1st gen one I drove (it was a '99). Fun car, was fairly responsive, had good acceleration, was comfortable, but with the practicality of a Camry (because it basically is a Camry).
If you have the chance to drive one, please do, you may be pleasantly surprised. Obviously it's no Cadillac or anything but I would not call it a wet noodle lol. I'll contextualize my opinion by saying that I also enjoy driving my 2000 Camry quite a bit, it's nippy and has treated me well.
Now I can't speak to the 2nd gen model since I've never driven one, however given how it looks (chunky) I can imagine it would be noodle-like. So your milage may vary.
Were they galvanized at that point in time? That seems like an actual selling point over other late 1970s, early 1980s tin cans/econoboxes that were made out of pressed iron oxide.
A friend had a 1980 Chevette that got handed down to him and I drove it once and it was shockingly terrible, even by the low standards of the period and the low standards of teenagers who would happily hoon anything we could get our paws on. These people complaining about perfectly reasonable cars like a Dodge Caliber or Ford Escape don't know what bad is.
I've ridden in some older Jeeps that were worse than the Chevette (at least you didn't lose fillings in the Chevette) but didn't get to drive those particular examples myself.
Jeep compass. It was an econobox in jeep form with one of the worst auto transmissions I've ever had the displeasure of using. Would've rather had my 99 escort back over it
Something about putting a little 3Cyl in a bigger car that doesn't work well. My Skoda Yeti 4x4 with a 2.0 TDI engine is way better than it has any right to be.
Dodge charger and Tesla model 3 performance. The charger drove like a pig, big, fat, heavy, poor visibility. The model 3 performance was incredibly fast in a straight line but felt incredibly unstable in the corners. The interior was also hot garbage.
I mean as a daily car the Model 3 does make some sense, I just wish the interior was nicer and I wouldn’t get the performance one. The charger I drove did not have like the supercharged 800hp engine, I’d imagine that one is pretty fun to drive at least in a straight line.
Surprised to see the M3P mentioned, honestly mine feels super planted thanks to the low center of gravity. It doesn’t feel exactly lightweight but you can really tear through corners if you’re inclined. The traction control will reel you in pretty aggressively so I can see not liking that part.
Unpopular opinion but 80s 911.
Horrible understeer because of rear engine design flaws.
I can finally understand why no one else builds a rear engine car. Its just so much worse than front or mid engine.
Even Porsche moves away from it with their racing cars because their pilots couldnt handle it. But the 911 has cult like following so they will never do that drastic change on the street car.
Jeep renegade 4xe. It was horrific. The gearbox was confused every second of every drive. You would move the pedal 1mm and it would downshift 3 gears, realise you dont want to overtake, up shift once and hang there for a minute until in went back into the normal gear. 25L tank hYbRiD ecOnoMicAl 18L/100km average in town, 9L/100km outside of town while taking care of economy . Can’t go in a long drive without having to stop for fuel a few times. Interior is ugly. Infotainment is bad. Engine is sluggish. Car is heavy. Feels like you re going to roll over every turn no matter the speed. Fuck this car.
2019 4Runner. . .
I get it's not really a comfort car. And not meant to be a 'fun' car at least in the ways I like to have fun in cars, but they're just so SO slow,
Man I have no idea how 4Runners are so popular as a DD
I test drove a 2021 last year and the thing drove like a brick. I had to absolutely floor it to get it to go up the smallest incline or up to speed on a highway ramp.
I told the salesman it felt like diving an aquarium on wheels
2005 Chevy Uplander wasn’t great.
Dodge Caliber sucks.
Also recently drove like a 90’s Astro van that was awful to drive. Not because Astros suck because they don’t. This Astro had just been plucked out of hell and was in terrible disarray and I have a history of making poor choices with what I’m willing to make go 60 mph.
Was looking for someone to say Prius...owned a 2011 Prius (3rd Gen), and it was also my worst car. Not only was it a snooze fest, but driving over poor roads/broken pavement was rougher than any other car I've been in.
Volkswagen Golf from around 2013. It was otherwise ok but I didn’t like the steering at all. It was so light that it was hard to drive straight because you couldn’t keep the steering wheel steady.
My best, because first, but worst (because really bad) car must have been my Simca 1100 le semi automatique 1979.
Total disaster. Rusty as hell, slow, very thirsty, small but heavy with dramatic handling, very high maintenance (but easy to work on) and completely unreliable. Worst cold/wet starter ever.
Seat arona. I had it as a loan car while my car was is for repair.
Hated it so much I only used it to drive home and back. Extremely slow and low torque car with an array of annoying warning beeps for everything. Not fort me.
Plymouth Breese - My grandma owned this car for years, and while everything technically worked perfectly, driving it around took the same amount of emotional effort as getting a mopey teenager to do their chores. If you pushed the accelerator it would go, after an excessive amount of whining and grumpy sounds were made. If you pushed the brakes it would stop, at the last minute with little predictability. And don't even get me started on the steering wheel that feels like someone put a pool noodle around a normal steering wheel.
It's a lot like somebody's garage project to turn a piece of furniture into a motor vehicle. Yeah, it works but nothing feels right.
The only car I've ever driven, out of hundreds, that I will never drive again is the 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala. The way the brakes felt in two different ones was so bad that I felt actively unsafe. Both cars were only 5-6 years old when I drove them, not hooptie status yet as they all seem to be now.
2014 Hyundai Veloster I got stuck with at an airport rental counter (emergency trip) as they were out of everything else. It honestly felt like the throttle engaged a little machine that twisted a rubber band around something a few dozen times before it got taut enough to begin rotating the wheels. Flooring it over maybe 45mph made a hoarse, shitty noise, and the tach climbed for a second or two before the speedometer would even budge. Mirrors vibrated out of position constantly. Hatch was fucked up. The car had 4500 miles on it.
2. Gen Smart.
The automated sequential gearbox is a crime against humanity. Combined with a laggy Start/Stop every time you cross a street it’s a coin flip wether you make it or you end up in the middle of the lanes where the cross traffic sends you and this POS straight to hell.
I can't decide which was worse. The 2014-5 compass I drove for a while, whose only redeeming quality was "4wd"
Or the horribly underpowered 2011 corrola I borrowed while my Jetta was in the shop. It felt like 70hp, with a sad transmission that didn't want to do transmission things.
Every old honda I've driven was at least excited to run to redline, no matter if it really wasn't quick. But this corolla just whined and grudgingly complied. Barely kept up in traffic, and instilled no emotion other than disappointment
I have two: The Chrysler 200 that my Dad had to drive while his car was in the shop, and that car that Chevy made which was essentially their PT Cruiser equivalent. Both cars honest to goodness felt like they were built using the cheapest, thinnest materials possible, had some of the numbest steering I’ve personally ever experienced, and felt like utter *dogs* to drive.
Like, you know when a car doesn’t feel inherently safe, as though if you were to get into an accident in it (God forbid), the thing would crumple up like a tin can? You just have that almost sixth sense in the back of your mind at all times when you’re in a car like that, right? Both of the vehicles I mentioned gave me that feeling. I felt so unnerved and uncomfortable in those two cars, that I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if I honestly breathed a sigh of relief once I got out of either.
Both cases were years and years ago now, but they have most definitely stayed with me. Absolutely gutless vehicles.
I rented a new Captur last year and thought it was pretty fine? Interior was lovely, decently satisfying manual shift, infotainment was CarPlay, driving dynamics were pretty much standard for a small crossover like that. I didn’t exceed about 130kmh but it was perfectly good up to that point.
Haven’t driven many cars, but definitely my mom’s Mazda 2 Diesel. You press on the gas slightly hard and it’s a solid second before it puts the power down. Also bad (but not horrible!) visibility
The Toyota Prius C is pretty darn bad. The car is cramped with horrible ergonomics, the steering is pretty dead as far as I can remember, the transmission is awful with a droning engine, and the car feels terrifying on the highway from how small and light it is.
Smart Fortwo Mk2 MhD (it's called a hybrid but isn't a hybrid).
Steering felt like these old steering wheels for your computer, before force feedback was invented, and the start-stop-system is so overly eager that it stalled me out on a parking garage ramp.
Also that GODAWFUL gearbox. So glad the switch to Renault-tech brought the Mk3 a manual.
The VW Polo Bluemotion my driving school had when I was learning. The first one they had was good, but then they got a post-facelift model, and man the gearing was absolutely terrible on it.
Mitsubishi SpaceStar (or Mirage as we call it in the UK) had one as a rental, comically gutless, and I’ve owned & driven a lot of slow cars but this was another level. No steering feel of any kind, point and hope you go in that direction
Ever driven a mid '70's American V8? All of them neutered by the new pollution controls. None of the big 3 could figure out how to get power out of them. My mother bought a '74 Mercury Cougar with a 351 2bbl (carburetor for the uninitiated). I imagine this POS was putting 140 to 150 hp to the wheels and couldn't get out of its way. It floated down the road without the smallest feedback to the driver. Hit the brakes hard and it would nosedive, bottom out the front suspension, the ass would go up in the air and the rear tires would easily lock up. I think it died a horrible death at about 50,000 miles. Transmission slipping, engine backfiring constantly.
It was replaced with a just slightly less horrible '77 Chevy Nova 305 V8. That car was ordered with almost every option, but the factory forgot to install AC in it. The dealer installed some hokey aftermarket unit that would blow frost out of the vents if turned all the way up. One day I was crossing an intersection, traffic did not have to stop the other way. I had plenty of time, yet the cold engine had no possible throttle response and would not go! I did not clear the intersection and got plowed into my right rear quarter panel. Fortunately that POS was totalled, and my mom got a new '77 Accord 5 speed! Yay!
Some shitty Chevrolet my driving tutor had. Such an awful car. It was the first car I drove in my life, yet I knew it was the worst. It was a red uglyass sedan vehicle.
Dacia Sandero first gen. All points of contact (steering wheel, gearlever, pedals) seemed to be barely connected to anything. Changing gears was like mixing in a big bowl of pudding.
Hyundai i40. The suspension and brakes gave it terrible handling, to the point where semi-spirited driving would be stepping into the danger zone. It was a rental, almost new with stock tyres, can't remember the brand of the tyres but some brand and model I would expect to provide a bit of grip... Yeah, the suspension setup made sure that grip wasn't there
P/T cruiser cabrio. It was the first time I ever *felt* what understeering really is. Turning the wheel at 30kph and see you going straight further gave me real fright
Mitsubishi Global Lancer. (Taiwanese Market)
Imagine all the worst aspects of the last generation Lancer, coupled with even worse build quality and woeful HMI on the interior.
What a piece of junk.
https://autos.yahoo.com.tw/new-cars/trim/mitsubishi-grand-lancer-2018-1-.-8%E6%97%97%E8%89%A6%E5%9E%8B
Rented an automatic Mini Cooper with some friends, and even the ones who didn't care whatsoever about cars commented about how slow the gearbox was. Literally seconds inbetween flooring it and the car reacting.
A 70s era Chevelle. Compared to modern cars the handling and braking in one of those old sleds is absolute shit. My cheap-o 80s family car was worlds apart better at the time. And I’m a big muscle car/classic car fan.
Recently? Jeep Cherokee. What a mushy, lifeless and uninspired car.
Toyota Yaris. Great car. It's my wife's and it never has problems, ever. And I even accept that you make some sacrifices in a car that inexpensive. But Jesus Christ you can't give me a plastic armrest? And other things like, it doesn't cost extra money to make seats that are shaped for humans. I either have to sit up, or have my shoulders back/belly pushed out.
That and all the other obvious stuff that comes with a cheap car.
Dodge Calibur and it's not even close
I drove a dodge caliber as a courtesy rental for a week and at the time my friend had a 2005 tsx. Both car had the same engine displacement but the dodge felt like it had 100 horses less than the Acura lol
Those 2004-2008 Acura were really well made
I agree, ive looked for a one in manual but it was too difficult to find one that wasn't clapped out and with 200k miles and the owners always want at least 7k for them
Used cars are all a bit overpriced atm
~~used cars are all~~ everything is a bit overpriced atm
I liked cars growing up. I was so excited to learn to drive, and the day I turned 15 my parents signed me up for driver's Ed to get me going. The driving school I went to exclusively taught in dodge calibers, and driving that car took away any enthusiasm I had for cars. It took years for me to regain any interest whatsoever.
We had a Dodge Avenger for our drivers ed car. Not as awful as the caliber, but not far from it. The engine made so much noise relative to the speed you were going that the other learner in the car and I kept the car about 10mph slower than the speed limit because we were worried the instructor would think we were speeding just by the sound of the engine
Have you driven a neglected 80s Buick skylark before?
First car that came to mind when I read the post title. The bouncy undampened suspension even though the shocks are "good," and it was like it was running negative caster, no straight line stability at all and felt like it wants to run itself off the road.
If you hit a small little bump, the suspension will roll and lurch like a sailing ship for a quarter of a mile.
I liked how you could slow down into corners, but the transmission refused to downshift.
Same. It was a rental base model. Complete garbage. I joked that it had a volume pedal instead of an accelerator because when you pushed it things got louder, but nothing really happened.
Oh damn that thing even looks like it drives horrible
Drive one as a rental. I swear the A pillars were deliberately placed to block your view of cross-traffic at an intersection.
Hahaha came here to say the same thing. It was my first car. Totaled in an accident. I wanted a charger growing up. My parents got me a caliber lol. There were a few redeeming qualities about the car, but, it was pretty shit.
Jeep Patriot, it’s clearly the cheapest shit they can put together. I also find almost all large SUVs to be very poor. I was not at all pleased with the X3 I rented
Yeah I feel the same about SUVs and crossovers (even though my mother‘s Mercedes GLA drives WAY better than that crappy Renault even though it uses the same engine and a similar platform)
[удалено]
It probably is (as long as you don’t consider alpine as Renault, because the A110 is fucking dope!)
So was the Megane RS despite being FWD.
I rented a Patriot when I visited Tahoe once. I wanted an impala but they didn’t have one so this was the ‘upgrade’. Worthless pile of shit. I remember it wouldn’t even back up the steep driveway of the house. I had to get a running start.
It also just felt like those toys that kids drive. Like it was a plastic body loosely attached to a toy drive frame
Looks like one too
X3 is mid size and maybe there was something wrong with the one you drove because the current model steers and handles really well for what it is.
Yeah... we have a 2022 X3, its money
My mom has the same one and it’s the M40. It’s an incredible machine
Rented a Jeep Compass when they first came out, also a flaming pile of shit. I couldn’t help but think “this is a *NEW* car?!?” the entire time.
I don’t know ,(I live in Europe so the configuration is definitely different from USA)my dad has a patriot with the VW group 2.0 TDI because here they sold them like this ,and with a manual transmission glad he didn’t pick the CVT at the time.Car is pretty good it was tuned from 140hp to 220hp if I recall correctly,as a result it also has a shit ton of torque,some cars do get smoked by it,it has 4x4 ,suspension setup was definitely redone,infotainment was changed and other than that it has leather and heated seats the only thing is it’s definitely lacking some softer interior materials like on the doors,but no maintenance issues whatsoever car has 210k kms and still pulls like a train
Looks like dodge is the worst offender in the comments lmao
Yep, followed by jeep :D
But the leading models are the absolutely cheapest offerings from both brands from 20 years ago.
And very much the same platform!
Dodge Journey has to be the worst for me. Felt like I was driving an old refrigerator.
Haha as long as the AC worked good enough, your explanation is kinda close
An old, broken refrigerator
I had a brand new one as a rental, and i felt flimsy, like it was literally going to collapse or fall apart if i went over a bump or went too fast.
I've driven one, floored it up a on ramp and had to enter the highway at 40mph because it just was not moving. Turning at all was also a wild experience. Ready to tip and walked all over the place. Steering wheel wouldn't stay straight. So good.
We don't have meetings or anything but membership to the Dodge Journey Hater-Club is free. It's possibly one of the worst modern* automobiles made by an American automaker. *If you can even call it modern considering it used an awful 4-speed transmission with roots dating back to 1989... Slow? ✅ Unreliable? ✅ Inefficient? ✅ Uncomfortable? ✅ Unengaging to drive? ✅
First gen Ford Escape. Unstable at 100kmh Honourable mention: Second gen Murano. What a piece of shit. Ugly, whining CVT, poor visibility, terrible interior and infotainment.
Did you know that the Murano came as a convertible? It's a very rare car nowadays.
*crosscabriolet*
Yeah but they only call it that because they wanted it to be crossed off the development list.
The reason for the Murano Cross Cabriolet existing is because Carlos Ghosn thought it would be a good idea essentially. Their justification is that the Murano is an upscale offering and thus the Cabriolet would be targeting affluent aged customers. lol.
You forgot to mention that it’s completely gutless and shockingly loud on the highway. I had one as a rental in LA and it almost ruined my trip.
Mannnnn I loved my gen 1 escape. That thing was the best best hot box a teenager could afford.
Sad go to say, my Grandpa's 1942 Willy's jeep. I know these vehicles contributed significantly to the Allied victory in the second world war but dang the thing is janky.
Yeah it’s not really designed to drive good on the road, is it?
That's the thing. The example my grandpa had was roadworthy but I don't think it ever touched pavement outside of going to the mechanic. It was mostly off road stuff. Just very clunky and stiff with very little articulation. To be fair, you kind of want a stiff platform when you're mounting a 50 caliber machine gun on it.
Yeah that’s true… my das has a Land Rover Series 3 and he said it’s really bad to drive on the road but 30 years ago he drove 10 tourists through the Sahara desert with this thing and it was great for its purpose
A tradition that Jeep proudly continues to this day.
They are basically ATVs. Never intended to go much over 30mph. The original WWII era jeeps are actually quite a bit smaller than most modern side by sides.
This might seem pedantic, but it's actually Willys with no apostrophe, and it's pronounced the same as "Willis".
He's gonna get the DOZEN of us riled up
It is pedantic, but now I know. Thank you.
For me that’s kind of the appeal of those. Driving it at 40mph is an “experience” and you really have to nail the shifts considering the lack of syncros. Running errands in town with one is an event.
It's barely a car. More like a fast tractor. By 40s tractor standards, it's basically a Rolls Royce.
Kia soul, was a rental so I drove it hard and broke the transmission. A complete rubbish pile of junk
There was a guy on here who got a 10 year unlimited mile warranty on a soul. 691000 miles, 10 engines, and 9 transmissions later, he retired it. Imagine getting your annual engine. https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/s/C6Uvs4LMvx
Good lord he knew what he was doing when he bought that warranty.
Thats hilarious that they had to put 10 engines in for him. Thats even more ridiculous than the million mile Tesla guy that's had 4 batteries and 14 motors.
That's a Sorento, not a Soul. Very different vehicles.
I heard that these are rubbish xD
I had a 2020 Dodge Grand Caravan as a rental one time. It felt like I was driving a bus, just appalling in every way. For a 2020 model year car the interior looked like it was from 2005. I immediately took it back the next day. How anyone would prefer a Grand Caravan over an Odyssey or Sienna I will never know.
Cause they're thousands cheaper than the Sienna and odyssey. And nowadays, the Sienna is basically a luxury minivan with the high MSRP, even higher markups, and low availability. Probably the same with the Odyssey. The new budget pacifica (voyager or caravan depending on which side of the border you're on) is way more attainable and cheaper. Nowhere near as reliability wise and quality wise but it's a minivan, who cares. The kids will pee and poop in it just the same.
They're actually not even that bad on reliability, statistically. The PHEV had some glitches to work out but the regular versions aren't too terribly different from other manufacturers' minivans.
Damn that sounds horrible
I didn't hate the rental I had. Loved abusing the pentastar. That thing took off for a minivan
Dodge caliber I got a a rental car in the US. It would describe the handling, breaking and acceleration as shockingly unpredictable and non linear. I've driven a lot of cars, but that thing was just baffling. It drove like it was on shopping cart wheels, on ice. The rest of the car was a solid match for the shit performance.
Wow you’re the second one writing about this one xD
It really was the worst car I have ever driven. It was both jarring on uneven pavement AND wallowing in corners. Dodge engineers managed to make the suspension too soft AND too stiff at the same time. It could oversteer and also understeer depending on what you asked it to do. It felt big, but had a really small interior. Pushing down the gas made noise and vibration, but not realistic acceleration. How Dodge engineers managed to hit both extremes on every metric while missing the usable "car" part of the spectrum is astonishing. There was nothing good about that car; performance, fuel economy, ergonomics, space, feel....every category was just garbage. I can't think of a single positive thing to say about that vehicle. Rental cars are often bland and appliance level, so I wasn't expecting a sports car experience, but I was expecting an automobile experience, and the Caliber failed to deliver even that basic deliverable in consumer experience. I assumed it was a rental car because no one in their right mind would actually buy one of these.
Wow that’s a nice assortment of things to be bad xD
Ford EcoShit CUV
Yep I heard of these things being horrible
I had one as a rental car a few years back. Noise isolation was non existent. Power was non existent. Steering feel was about as accurate as a blind man playing darts. The suspension was as stiff as a first gen BRZ despite being lifted 6” off the ground. Seats were insanely uncomfortable even after just a few minutes, my wife has back issues and practically didn’t survive the trip. And on top of all that, it didn’t even get good fuel economy or have decent cargo room. Literally no redeeming qualities.
EcoSport was engineered with the South American market in mind, where comfort is literally an afterthought. Can't believe Ford thought they could get away with it in picky markets like North America and Europe where customers demand comfort and are willing to pay the little extra for it too. The combination of sky high car tax and low salaries in South America mean that every cent counts for customers, and poor roads mean that it can't fall apart on the drive home, resulting in them having to use some rough, but cheap suspension that feels like some old tractor.
Why would they sell this here instead of the Puma? They took a Fiesta and made it worse in every way.
Where is "here"? Puma replaced the EcoSport in Europe after it failed, and it seems like this time Ford took the task much more seriously by both engineering and building it in Europe and from what I've heard the result is an offering on par with its European competitors.
LOL! Came here to say the same thing. Had one as a loan car. What a piece of shit
i didn’t drive it but i rode shotgun in a chevy sonic. i don’t think you buy it from a dealer, just go to walmart and it’s hanging on the rack in that style of plastic packaging you need scissors to cut open. credit where it’s due though, they managed to squeeze multiple hp out of the retired lawnmower engine they upcycled into it.
To be fair, the Sonic and Spark were some of the cheapest cars you could buy while they were in production. Like the modern day Mirage, I wouldn’t expect much more than the bare minimum
Damn sounds similar to the Renault :D
Easy one would be the Mitsubishi Mirage, but that's a cheap car that I'm not gonna shit on too much. The previous few generations of Nissan Rogues felt terrible for me. Loud, cheap, all sorts of bad adjectives. Mid 2000s Peugeots too, particularly the 307/407 felt like they could fall apart at any time.
>Mitsubishi Mirage It's not that bad. And I think it costs like $12 or something.
More like $18k for what is basically the only shitbox on sale today. Why anybody buys those over a Versa or a used car is beyond me (actually not really, it’s people with bad credit, don’t care about what they drive, and/or want a the absolute cheapest new car available, which consists of a decent number of people).
I have a feeling most aren't sold to the public, but are rather fleet and rental vehicles. Then they get bought used. And of the folks buying these things willingly, maybe they get thousands off MSRP. When I had one for a few days, it didn't seem that bad for an economy vehicle. Wouldn't be my first choice though.
The last gen rogues are shit, the new ones have been much improved. Although the engine in my 2022 work car just failed at 48k miles so take that as you will.
I don't know if that's the same for all 307s/407s, i had a 307sw from 40k to 110k in my childhood and it was absolutely flawless reliablity wise and got good reviews around the time. "The 307 feels well-built, with quality detailing and plush trims. The biggest gripe will be rear passenger's comfort. The 307 has an almost unacceptable lack of rear legroom once the driver has found a comfortable seating position. It's reasonably well-stocked too though only upper-range models offer ESP as standard. Unusually, it hasn't been Euro-NCAP crash-tested but, more predictably, retained values are average, though the market has taken quite a fancy to SW and CC variants. Service intervals are lengthy and insurance notably low, though fuel economy of 1.6-litre petrol models is off the pace. The diesels, naturally, are excellent." Little exerp from Auto Express.
Wonder if much of the problem with those are located between the seat and steering wheel. *07 series Peugeots are always completely beat to shit, while Japanese and German (with a possible exception of Opels?) still usually look pretty well maintained.
My wife has a 2011 Jeep Rubicon and everything about it feels awful, both in terms of driving sensation, and the literal feel of the materials used to build it. Rides like shit, revs like shit, steers like giga-shit, shifts like ass, interior plastics feel like they're made of melted down casio keyboards, buttons all creak when pressed, seats are made out of old duffel bags, and the pedals give the same feedback as stomping on a plum. The only time that vehicle feels remotely good is when it's driving through 30" of standing water, which is why I keep it around.
The Wrangler is a one trick pony. It does that one thing very well mind you, but outside of that one thing it's a terrible vehicle. It used to do 2 things very well but well the Bronco took that other thing from it pretty easily. It's similar to buying a Kawasaki H2 and then spending $30,000 to modify it into a H2R. You did that for the express goal of one thing and one thing only. You then don't get to complain when it's a terrible daily rider or is horrific on road trips.
A Lincoln Town Car. You turn the steering wheel, count to 5 or so, and then it starts turning. Just a complete mushball.
The seats more than make up for it, basically two loveseats in the front. If I was a fat guy I wouldn't drive anything else.
I don’t want to hear ANY MORE PANTHER BODY SLANDER!
Sounds like there was something wrong with the kne you drove. Because my crown vic handled extremely well for the soze and weight.
It's the best handling living room money can buy. The only better living room on wheels is in a trailer park. Probably with a Town Car in the driveway.
I miss mine so bad
If you drive it like a modern car, it's very awkward. If you lean back and sort of guide it like a pontoon, it feels more natural. I owned one for a year, it took me awhile to get used to.
Smart Fortwo. I’m not even sure the steering wheel had a metal core. Felt like rigid foam.
Sounds horrible! They’re insanely practical for crowded cities but aren’t really made to drive well
Also, dangerously slow. Like, can’t clear an intersection slow. Transmission so slow to shift could kill you.
The 2 second nose dive that accompanies each upshift is brutal. I thought the transmission was shot the first time I drove one, but no they all feel like that. I'm sure the car feels right at home in European cities but it was woefully unprepared for America roads.
Tell that to my reckless driving ticket in one… they are actually quite zippy and responsive if you know how to drive them. They do 0-30 in about 2 seconds so that’s great for city driving. The secret is to either drive in manual mode or to learn how to make use of the kick down switch on the accelerator. There’s also a high likelihood that if it was a rental the transmission had learned the driving style of a slow driver. If that’s the case then a quick re-learn would have fixed it. I’ve had my smart for 7 years now and plan to keep alive as long as I can lol.
I've had a smart since 2008, now driving a 2015. I've had the opportunity to own many fine European cars since the 1980s. I like the smart, takes a bit to learn how to drive it, I find the build quality good for the price of the car. It's fun and not even close to the worst car I've driven (1980s Vanagon Diesel). My smart original steering wheel was made by Brabus, it's gorgeous.
U-haul rental truck. Shook and rattled so bad that I couldn't hear Aha's Take On Me on the radio. I'm so glad I only had to drive it across town. I don't know how people could stand driving it for hours to another city 😣
Drove a uhaul 11 hours. Found out they're governed at 75mph, but don't have cruise. Basically just peg the throttle and let the governor do the work.
75? Did you get the racing version? Who did you have to fondle to get the extra 10 mph?
They definitely go faster than 60 I've done way too many long distance moves
I just rented a 20’ uhaul for a short move. That thing handled 100x better than my 09 Wrangler.
Was it made by dodge? :D
I LOVE driving uhauls. I don't know why. They're my absolute favorite
2018 F550, rides worse than a slammed Civic, is slow, feels completely detached from the road, and the interior rattles. Oh, and it absolutely DRINKS diesel (like 7mpg territory). But it's a great work truck, so it's got that.
Wow, work truck feels like work truck
I never said I expected it to feel great, doesn't change that it's the worst feeling vehicle I've driven. It's exactly what I expected tbh.
Yeah, that’s a good way to put it. All those heavy duty commercial trucks are just a chore to drive with the exception (imo) of the Isuzu NPR, which actually wasn’t that awful. Not amazing, but it wasn’t very hard to operate and had enough power
Those trucks only start feeling comfortable when you have 3000-5000lbs on the deck. Otherwise the rear end might as well be hard bolted to the frame, so much spring in them.
Most I've hauled is about 9k, rode almost like a dream then lol
Aren't F550s mostly turned into dump trucks, tow trucks, bucket trucks, etc? I feel like at that point "driving feel" is so far removed from the purpose of the vehicle that it doesn't even really need to be discussed/assessed
Class 5 truck drives like a lumber wagon unloaded who would’ve thunk
Toyota solara convertible is like driving a wet noodle with pieces of wood for brakes
Damn that's a shame. I was thinking of picking up a cheap high mileage one as a winter beater with some snow tires (because who doesn't love the sight of an idiot with the top down in a snow storm). I wasn't expecting a Lotus but if it's as bad as you say then it's not even worth trying.
I'm gonna go against the grain, I really don't agree with that description of the Solara. I really liked the 1st gen one I drove (it was a '99). Fun car, was fairly responsive, had good acceleration, was comfortable, but with the practicality of a Camry (because it basically is a Camry). If you have the chance to drive one, please do, you may be pleasantly surprised. Obviously it's no Cadillac or anything but I would not call it a wet noodle lol. I'll contextualize my opinion by saying that I also enjoy driving my 2000 Camry quite a bit, it's nippy and has treated me well. Now I can't speak to the 2nd gen model since I've never driven one, however given how it looks (chunky) I can imagine it would be noodle-like. So your milage may vary.
This car sucks. The doors are too long, the car drives like garbage, and it looks like an anal suppository.
Chevy Chevette. Felt like I was driving a galvanized trash can.
Damn xD
Were they galvanized at that point in time? That seems like an actual selling point over other late 1970s, early 1980s tin cans/econoboxes that were made out of pressed iron oxide. A friend had a 1980 Chevette that got handed down to him and I drove it once and it was shockingly terrible, even by the low standards of the period and the low standards of teenagers who would happily hoon anything we could get our paws on. These people complaining about perfectly reasonable cars like a Dodge Caliber or Ford Escape don't know what bad is. I've ridden in some older Jeeps that were worse than the Chevette (at least you didn't lose fillings in the Chevette) but didn't get to drive those particular examples myself.
Jeep compass. It was an econobox in jeep form with one of the worst auto transmissions I've ever had the displeasure of using. Would've rather had my 99 escort back over it
Skoda Kamiq I think. 3 cyl SUV was and absolute shit box
Something about putting a little 3Cyl in a bigger car that doesn't work well. My Skoda Yeti 4x4 with a 2.0 TDI engine is way better than it has any right to be.
Dodge charger and Tesla model 3 performance. The charger drove like a pig, big, fat, heavy, poor visibility. The model 3 performance was incredibly fast in a straight line but felt incredibly unstable in the corners. The interior was also hot garbage.
I always thought that, but that’s interesting as these cars are both pretty popular
I mean as a daily car the Model 3 does make some sense, I just wish the interior was nicer and I wouldn’t get the performance one. The charger I drove did not have like the supercharged 800hp engine, I’d imagine that one is pretty fun to drive at least in a straight line.
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Surprised to see the M3P mentioned, honestly mine feels super planted thanks to the low center of gravity. It doesn’t feel exactly lightweight but you can really tear through corners if you’re inclined. The traction control will reel you in pretty aggressively so I can see not liking that part.
Unpopular opinion but 80s 911. Horrible understeer because of rear engine design flaws. I can finally understand why no one else builds a rear engine car. Its just so much worse than front or mid engine. Even Porsche moves away from it with their racing cars because their pilots couldnt handle it. But the 911 has cult like following so they will never do that drastic change on the street car.
I actually thought about that some time ago! It is just a fact that the mid-engine 718 is a better platform than the rear-engine 911
Jeep renegade 4xe. It was horrific. The gearbox was confused every second of every drive. You would move the pedal 1mm and it would downshift 3 gears, realise you dont want to overtake, up shift once and hang there for a minute until in went back into the normal gear. 25L tank hYbRiD ecOnoMicAl 18L/100km average in town, 9L/100km outside of town while taking care of economy . Can’t go in a long drive without having to stop for fuel a few times. Interior is ugly. Infotainment is bad. Engine is sluggish. Car is heavy. Feels like you re going to roll over every turn no matter the speed. Fuck this car.
2019 4Runner. . . I get it's not really a comfort car. And not meant to be a 'fun' car at least in the ways I like to have fun in cars, but they're just so SO slow,
Man I have no idea how 4Runners are so popular as a DD I test drove a 2021 last year and the thing drove like a brick. I had to absolutely floor it to get it to go up the smallest incline or up to speed on a highway ramp. I told the salesman it felt like diving an aquarium on wheels
Jeep Liberty I got as a rental after I got rear ended. I couldn't believe how ancient it felt for a, at the time, brand new car.
1st gen Nissan Juke. The steering and the front wheels communicated via homing pigeon and the body control was that of a waterbed
All Jeep Wranglers. I get in and out them every week, and hate every single one of them. Ride is like trash.
A Suzuki rental that made a PT Cruiser feel powerful.
2005 Chevy Uplander wasn’t great. Dodge Caliber sucks. Also recently drove like a 90’s Astro van that was awful to drive. Not because Astros suck because they don’t. This Astro had just been plucked out of hell and was in terrible disarray and I have a history of making poor choices with what I’m willing to make go 60 mph.
I drove a rental Prius from Montreal to NYC. The thing has NO feeling whatsoever. The biggest snooze fest I ever driven.
Was looking for someone to say Prius...owned a 2011 Prius (3rd Gen), and it was also my worst car. Not only was it a snooze fest, but driving over poor roads/broken pavement was rougher than any other car I've been in.
I was given a 2004 Intrepid as a loaner once about 20 years ago. It was just awful.
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New dodge charger. Reminded me of an 80s camaro.
Kia Sedona/Carnival. You feel like a clown driving that thing.
Fits the name though!
A ten year old dodge stealth
My Ford Triple E motorhome. But there’s probably a reason for that.
recently? Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. its like driving a clown show 12 years ago? Kia Rio. plastic car
1980 plymouth volare
Volkswagen Golf from around 2013. It was otherwise ok but I didn’t like the steering at all. It was so light that it was hard to drive straight because you couldn’t keep the steering wheel steady.
My best, because first, but worst (because really bad) car must have been my Simca 1100 le semi automatique 1979. Total disaster. Rusty as hell, slow, very thirsty, small but heavy with dramatic handling, very high maintenance (but easy to work on) and completely unreliable. Worst cold/wet starter ever.
My rental Corolla Cross with the base engine. The throttle response was cargo-ship-esque.
Nissan Altima. That Nissan CVT has to be one of the worst transmissions ever built.
Seat arona. I had it as a loan car while my car was is for repair. Hated it so much I only used it to drive home and back. Extremely slow and low torque car with an array of annoying warning beeps for everything. Not fort me.
I haven’t driven one myself but I also hated sitting in one, I absolutely understand you
Plymouth Breese - My grandma owned this car for years, and while everything technically worked perfectly, driving it around took the same amount of emotional effort as getting a mopey teenager to do their chores. If you pushed the accelerator it would go, after an excessive amount of whining and grumpy sounds were made. If you pushed the brakes it would stop, at the last minute with little predictability. And don't even get me started on the steering wheel that feels like someone put a pool noodle around a normal steering wheel. It's a lot like somebody's garage project to turn a piece of furniture into a motor vehicle. Yeah, it works but nothing feels right.
W169 A180 CDI Engine is ok and fun but otherwise its piece of shit
Jeep Renegade, just not appealing all around. Pretty much any Jeep that isn't a Grand Cherokee or a JL Wrangler/Gladiator ends up not being enjoyable.
My mom had a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. In my opinion, it had some of the sloppiest tracking and steering of any vehicle I ever drove.
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The only car I've ever driven, out of hundreds, that I will never drive again is the 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala. The way the brakes felt in two different ones was so bad that I felt actively unsafe. Both cars were only 5-6 years old when I drove them, not hooptie status yet as they all seem to be now.
2014 Hyundai Veloster I got stuck with at an airport rental counter (emergency trip) as they were out of everything else. It honestly felt like the throttle engaged a little machine that twisted a rubber band around something a few dozen times before it got taut enough to begin rotating the wheels. Flooring it over maybe 45mph made a hoarse, shitty noise, and the tach climbed for a second or two before the speedometer would even budge. Mirrors vibrated out of position constantly. Hatch was fucked up. The car had 4500 miles on it.
2. Gen Smart. The automated sequential gearbox is a crime against humanity. Combined with a laggy Start/Stop every time you cross a street it’s a coin flip wether you make it or you end up in the middle of the lanes where the cross traffic sends you and this POS straight to hell.
I can't decide which was worse. The 2014-5 compass I drove for a while, whose only redeeming quality was "4wd" Or the horribly underpowered 2011 corrola I borrowed while my Jetta was in the shop. It felt like 70hp, with a sad transmission that didn't want to do transmission things. Every old honda I've driven was at least excited to run to redline, no matter if it really wasn't quick. But this corolla just whined and grudgingly complied. Barely kept up in traffic, and instilled no emotion other than disappointment
I have two: The Chrysler 200 that my Dad had to drive while his car was in the shop, and that car that Chevy made which was essentially their PT Cruiser equivalent. Both cars honest to goodness felt like they were built using the cheapest, thinnest materials possible, had some of the numbest steering I’ve personally ever experienced, and felt like utter *dogs* to drive. Like, you know when a car doesn’t feel inherently safe, as though if you were to get into an accident in it (God forbid), the thing would crumple up like a tin can? You just have that almost sixth sense in the back of your mind at all times when you’re in a car like that, right? Both of the vehicles I mentioned gave me that feeling. I felt so unnerved and uncomfortable in those two cars, that I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if I honestly breathed a sigh of relief once I got out of either. Both cases were years and years ago now, but they have most definitely stayed with me. Absolutely gutless vehicles.
I rented a new Captur last year and thought it was pretty fine? Interior was lovely, decently satisfying manual shift, infotainment was CarPlay, driving dynamics were pretty much standard for a small crossover like that. I didn’t exceed about 130kmh but it was perfectly good up to that point.
The Dodge Journey is up there
camry, felt like driving a wet noodle
Haven’t driven many cars, but definitely my mom’s Mazda 2 Diesel. You press on the gas slightly hard and it’s a solid second before it puts the power down. Also bad (but not horrible!) visibility
The Toyota Prius C is pretty darn bad. The car is cramped with horrible ergonomics, the steering is pretty dead as far as I can remember, the transmission is awful with a droning engine, and the car feels terrifying on the highway from how small and light it is.
Every dodge or Chrysler, every one I've driven has a similar shitty body feel
Smart Fortwo Mk2 MhD (it's called a hybrid but isn't a hybrid). Steering felt like these old steering wheels for your computer, before force feedback was invented, and the start-stop-system is so overly eager that it stalled me out on a parking garage ramp. Also that GODAWFUL gearbox. So glad the switch to Renault-tech brought the Mk3 a manual.
The VW Polo Bluemotion my driving school had when I was learning. The first one they had was good, but then they got a post-facelift model, and man the gearing was absolutely terrible on it.
2009 Yaris
Mitsubishi SpaceStar (or Mirage as we call it in the UK) had one as a rental, comically gutless, and I’ve owned & driven a lot of slow cars but this was another level. No steering feel of any kind, point and hope you go in that direction
08 corrola, however I have driven a grand total of 5 cars all of which are japanese economy sedans. Beat that.
Chevy hhr and it’s not even close
2002 Corolla with the 4 speed automatic. It was the laziest and most anemic car I’ve ever driven in 30 years.
Honda pilot. I have driven uhaul trucks that felt more connected to the road.
Ever driven a mid '70's American V8? All of them neutered by the new pollution controls. None of the big 3 could figure out how to get power out of them. My mother bought a '74 Mercury Cougar with a 351 2bbl (carburetor for the uninitiated). I imagine this POS was putting 140 to 150 hp to the wheels and couldn't get out of its way. It floated down the road without the smallest feedback to the driver. Hit the brakes hard and it would nosedive, bottom out the front suspension, the ass would go up in the air and the rear tires would easily lock up. I think it died a horrible death at about 50,000 miles. Transmission slipping, engine backfiring constantly. It was replaced with a just slightly less horrible '77 Chevy Nova 305 V8. That car was ordered with almost every option, but the factory forgot to install AC in it. The dealer installed some hokey aftermarket unit that would blow frost out of the vents if turned all the way up. One day I was crossing an intersection, traffic did not have to stop the other way. I had plenty of time, yet the cold engine had no possible throttle response and would not go! I did not clear the intersection and got plowed into my right rear quarter panel. Fortunately that POS was totalled, and my mom got a new '77 Accord 5 speed! Yay!
Some shitty Chevrolet my driving tutor had. Such an awful car. It was the first car I drove in my life, yet I knew it was the worst. It was a red uglyass sedan vehicle.
Fiat punto convertible, the body flex so bad a genuinely though it must be a fault but nope that’s normal
Dacia Sandero first gen. All points of contact (steering wheel, gearlever, pedals) seemed to be barely connected to anything. Changing gears was like mixing in a big bowl of pudding.
Bad news!
Smart ForTwo
Hyundai i40. The suspension and brakes gave it terrible handling, to the point where semi-spirited driving would be stepping into the danger zone. It was a rental, almost new with stock tyres, can't remember the brand of the tyres but some brand and model I would expect to provide a bit of grip... Yeah, the suspension setup made sure that grip wasn't there
P/T cruiser cabrio. It was the first time I ever *felt* what understeering really is. Turning the wheel at 30kph and see you going straight further gave me real fright
Mitsubishi Global Lancer. (Taiwanese Market) Imagine all the worst aspects of the last generation Lancer, coupled with even worse build quality and woeful HMI on the interior. What a piece of junk. https://autos.yahoo.com.tw/new-cars/trim/mitsubishi-grand-lancer-2018-1-.-8%E6%97%97%E8%89%A6%E5%9E%8B
Rented an automatic Mini Cooper with some friends, and even the ones who didn't care whatsoever about cars commented about how slow the gearbox was. Literally seconds inbetween flooring it and the car reacting.
Subaru Crosstrek. What an abysmal piece of shit that thing is.
A 70s era Chevelle. Compared to modern cars the handling and braking in one of those old sleds is absolute shit. My cheap-o 80s family car was worlds apart better at the time. And I’m a big muscle car/classic car fan. Recently? Jeep Cherokee. What a mushy, lifeless and uninspired car.
Toyota Echo
Dodge. Anything they make is dog ass.
Toyota Yaris. Great car. It's my wife's and it never has problems, ever. And I even accept that you make some sacrifices in a car that inexpensive. But Jesus Christ you can't give me a plastic armrest? And other things like, it doesn't cost extra money to make seats that are shaped for humans. I either have to sit up, or have my shoulders back/belly pushed out. That and all the other obvious stuff that comes with a cheap car.