Jeep. All of them. Rickety. Not built well. Terrible gas mileage. Bad on highways. Bad on city streets. I literally got bruises on my butt on an off road trail in one of them. Just absolute shit cars.
They’re terrible street cars but offroad there’s really nothing more capable unless you plan to custom build a rig. If you want a smooth ride offroad it will be way to soft for on the road and vice versa. Jeeps from the factory are designed on a compromise between the two so they’re not really good at either. The build quality on modern jeeps is absolutely terrible though and the majority of jeep owners never use them for what they’re intended for so I generally agree with you. But ride in a jeep that’s properly setup for strictly offroad driving and you’d be amazed.
Are Land Cruisers not a thing in the USA? Because they are the ultimate off-road vehicle.
I’m sure you have the Hilux and there is no place where I’d choose to take a Jeep over a Hilux.
I don’t think they are available in the US but the Suzuki Jimny is the perfect off-road vehicle for me.
It’s an extremely fun vehicle to drive!
We call that car the “Sierra” in Australia. Perfect beach/dune car. Not ideal for rougher terrain, though. In fairness, the biggest thing it has going against it is the narrow wheelbase. It doesn’t fit right on the tracks made by all the other 4x4’s. If all those tracks had instead been made by narrower vehicles, it might not be so bad.
A coworker bought a Jeep and I said “Oh wow, Jeeps are great vehicles! …unless you drive them on roads.”
Nothing more capable provided it’s a Wrangler and one of the newer higher spec ones where they actually give you functional equipment like 37" tires and lockers. The old ones were build with crappy parts that needed to be swapped out before they could be truly capable and the entire rest of their lineup is pure garbage both on and offroad.
The only selling feature of any Jeep vehicle is the classic round front lights and the grill design … it’s like owning an Apple product, people just want to be seen in one.
1994 Ford Taurus.
I went over a speed hump at 5mph and the whole engine fell out of the front.
Apparently it’s not supposed to do that.
I knew what video that was going to be before I even clicked on it
Thank you, I needed that
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
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Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
I had a 92 Taurus that made a loud crack when I turned left. Mechanic said engine was about to fall out. Left it parked in front of my house and a cement mixer backed into it and crumpled the front end. Got about 2000 bucks out of a car we were going to scrap.
Smart car 2 seater. Drove it for work for about 6 months. You’re a target for bullies, the wind is scary, lorries sometimes can’t see you and they can get to 90, which is interesting.
I can live with all that, I’ve driven vans and lorries that were in much worse condition. I had a Morris van that was so crap it’s engine seized trying to do 50.
No, the Smart car was the worst car mainly because I’m 6 6. It was like being a sardine driving it’s can. I could do it, but it was not a pleasant experience.
The transmission in those things is an amazing level of suck, too. It’s this bizarre automatic manual thing that’s just awful to drive.
Porsche measures their automatic gear changes in milliseconds. Smart measures them in geologic time scales.
I truly don’t understand why they didn’t put a CVT in those 2nd generation cars (the ones sold in North America). It’s the perfect application! Small car, not a lot of power, efficiency minded.
If the smart car was made today it probably would have a cvt. But an extremely budget car back then, cvts weren’t as common.
They’re not so bad if you drive one often enough. I had one for five-six years and drove it only in tiptronic, shifting while lifting off the gas. In automatic mode yeah it’s dog.
This was the gas version that needed premium fuel. I drove it daily on the 401 for awhile. Was the first car I had that absolutely required winter tires, was undrivable in snow/ice without.
I thought it was a decent enough car, got it barely used very cheap due to it’s wild depreciation which was a good thing, until it started needing serious work that made no sense to do. At the end it was worth as much as a new set of tires for it, as in nothing.
Chrysler 200 as a rental after someone smoked my Civic, and I waited to get a new one.
The car was… Jiggly? Like the suspension was unsettling, the brakes needed getting acquainted with lest you rear-end someone, and the steering had too much play. It wasn’t enough play to convince me something was wrong, it was just shit quality.
No power. At all. Getting on the freeway was an adventure in noise and hope. Everything lagged. Fuel economy was garbage too.
Looked stupid. And my Civic si that replaced it, the econobox with a hot engine, had a luxury interior in comparison, which is saying something.
Horrible car to add to a horrible week.
I had a Lincoln mkz for a week after someone hit my car in a parking lot, insurance said I was covered for a premium sedan.
Worst car I’ve ever driven. Handled like a boat, was all flash but everything felt cheap and “jiggly” when I touched it.
Learning at the time (2012) that this was a 35k luxury car was mind-blowing. You couldn’t PAY me to drive that car again. My 20k Prius blew it out of the water in everything but acceleration, and even then it wasn’t behind by much…
I once had a loaner from a dealer that was a Dodge Caliber. Ugly as sin and the transmission was definitely on its way out. That car was just a struggle. It was a reminder why I will never buy a Chrysler product.
I am not defending that car.
Not good practice to use a loaner or rental as a reference. People drive those like they are trying to break them. And dealers will use a shitbox as a loaner because it is a shitbox
This was an unofficial loaner that was for sale as a used car by the dealer…so they were actively trying to sell it.
Like i said im not defending that car, was meant to be general advice.
I work for an autoparts company processing returned parts. Im the guy that inspects and rejects (if thats even worth noting).
If they were willing to use it at all as a loaner, it was probably a problematic vehicle. Even the highest quality vehicle will have some units that someone didnt put together well. Dodge is not a top quality builder to start.
But that all aside im very happy to hear you wont be buying one anytime soon
I got a 2008 Dodge Avenger when it was new and immediately hated it. Everything felt cheap, it had absolutely no ability to get up to speed, and felt all around sluggish.
Everything I hated about that Avenger for the 8 years I drove it were nothing compared to the two Dodge Calibers I got to drive in that time. Every bad feature for a car dialed up to 11. Felt like it was built so cheap it could fall apart on the road. My parents and my partner both got one. They were both so, so very bad. It’s unreal that car ever got sold.
The CVT in the Caliber is crap even when it’s brand new
I test drove one when they first came out. The salesperson was telling me about the continuously variable transmission, and how revolutionary it was.
“It’s a new technology? From an American car company? In it’s first model year? Ok, no thank you.”
“New technology” is just asking for trouble. Always wait till 3rd or 4th gen if you want all the kinks worked out, especially if it is something expensive like a car.
A Ford Expedition from a car rental place. It felt like driving around a ten ton brick through molasses. It was the least responsive and awkward shit box I’ve ever had the displeasure of piloting. It was so bad I literally drove to the nearest rental place to exchange it for a smaller car.
This was my first car. Iirc it had a 5.2L engine with ~160hp.
The brakes were so squishy I thought they were out when I drove it first.
I sold it for $300 when it needed a $1200 tune up.
Chevy Malibu I got at a rental place because they didn’t have the type of car I requested months ahead of time. Neither my partner nor I could figure out how the fuck to set the cruise control, which had “get up to speed then step on the brake” as one of the instructions. We’re also not frequent drivers.
Fuck that car, driving it gave me a panic attack
We had a brace of rented Nissan cargo vans at work, the small ones. Those were truly terrible. They had CVT transmissions that just would not hook up. I’d get to the top of an SF hill at a stop sign and just sit there with my foot planted, waiting.
We replaced them with Ford Transits. The CVT in that model is only slightly more usable, but we all still fight over who gets the older model, with the torque converter.
I’m currently driving a Toyota for work. I hate CVT, the whine is headache inducing.
I used to be very anti CVT. Then I bought a 3.6R Subaru Outback. I pull a 5x8 enclosed trailer with it and the biggest giveaway that you’re hauling anything is the gas mileage. So they ain’t all bad.
Pulled a 6x12 twin axle with a 2.4l turboed engine about 800 miles. Outback was totally fine, though we definitely overloaded the trailer. Got the car checked by a local mechanic and they said it was all good, though we did a fluid flush early just to be on the safe side. I don’t mind the CVT, just wish the software in the 2021’s was better.
That’s fair, and tbh the Toyota is great to drive. It’s a bit sluggish overtaking but from stopped it’s like firing a gun and it’s got a great chassis. The electric motor gives it the kick and actually does sound really cool.
It’s the petrol revving that drives me nuts, up and down all the time. I use cruise control a lot but it still does it. On a long drive it gets annoying. I listen to audio books which helps but I can’t take much more, I’m starting to think of ways to kill it.
A fleet/company car. A Chevette. I pressed the accelerator to the floor, the engine went “huh? you want what?”
At least you could brag to people that you drive a 'vette.
Two I can think of. The van we had to take as teenagers to work at the flea market. Long ass shifter that started at the floor of the car, so hard to drive and had to do precision driving through skinny aisles between tents.
The truck of my FIL, I had to literally stand up on the pedal , ass off the seat, to get the clutch to engage.
Also had a 1967 mustang that broke often enough I had to learn to fix it and believe me, this is not something that comes naturally to me, nor do I enjoy it. It was interesting in a way, had to do things like get the flywheel machined. But when you need a car for transportation and are poor as heck that is scary and uncomfortable.
Chrysler grand voyager. It was relatively new, but omg it felt borderline dangerous. It was actually funny for the first 10 mins but I had to deliver this POS few hours away. On a straight smooth road it was like driving a sofa, comfy and soft. Once it entered a corner it turned into a boat, and stopping hard twice in a row had limited success. I asked the dealer where I delivered it too about how it handled. Apparently this is standard behaviour for Cryslers, and in the US it is fine (straight roads, limited hard breaking) and they love soft cars. In the UK we expect cars to stop and go round corners so we notice just how bad the Grand voyager is.
I won’t drive a Crysler again.
The US has limited hard braking? What city do they live in?
A 1980 MGB.
The fuel gauge was only loosely related to the fuel level, I ran out repeatedly before learning to use the odometer instead.
The dashboard switches would sometimes disintegrate, springs fly out, when you flipped them.
The electric radiator fan was controlled by a relay that melted if the fan ran too much, and the engine would overheat. I lived in Arizona at the time.
The brake system totally failed in traffic and I had to stop from 40 MPH using the emergency brake. I think that was the most scared I have ever been in a car.
The supposed catalytic converter was an empty shell (I bought the car used, I did not do this) so once a year I would take it to the mechanic, who would tune it to pass emissions, get it tested, and immediately take it back to the mechanic to make it drivable again. The statute of limitations has run out so I can admit that.
Finally, the water pump failed in an incontinent way when I tried to sell it, the buyer had second thoughts after that and I had to fix it and start over selling.
It was cute, cheap, and drove well, but a creation of Hell.Chrysler Sebring. Fucking battery.
Mid 80’s Bronco. My ex insisted that she had to have a bronco. It had a 302 in it, but holy hell. I am sure it was the fact that they were still trying out emissions schemes but I bet it had less than a hundred hp. It would barely move out of it’s own way, and if you got about 6mpg you considered yourself lucky. Toss in an oil leak and it was like driving the Exxon Valdez. I can’t decide if the best day of my life was getting rid of the bronco, or her…
Narrator: Both…
I’m pretty sure you could buy one of those with a straight six, I bet they’re even more of a dog!
I had an '86 with a straight six that was phenomenal.12 mpg and would go anywhere. It’s the only car I hate I sold.
Ooh man, I’ve driven a lot of rentals for work…
I hated hated hated the Nissan Cube. Thankfully the check engine light came on within two hours of me picking it up so I got to swap it.
But I think the one that takes the cake is actually a vacation rental car. My husband and I rented a car when we went to Belgium. It was an Opel Corsa. It struggled to even reach the speed limit on highways and definitely couldn’t go above it. The funniest thing was that all the Audis and BMWs in Belgium didn’t even bother to tailgate us; they saw us ahead of them and moved over to pass well before they got to us. They knew. That thing was hilariously bad at being a car. I was also a new stick shift driver and it was very difficult. We then went to Switzerland where we got a VW Polo and suddenly I got a whole lot better at driving stick, lol.
Why would they tailgate you at all if they could pass you? Is this common somewhere?
I guess what I meant was, they were so aware that we were lamely going as fast as we could (not very) in the slow lane that they managed to move over in plenty of time even when they were going way (way) faster than us and had to merge into other traffic. No one ever seemed to get stuck behind us unable to pass. I chalked it up to their very high awareness of our very shitty car, lol.
Ah haha I see
Some people just like being a dick instead of getting on with their lives. My answer to those people is to slow down until they pass, and it’s fairly common that I get under 10mph and think I’m actually going to have to stop before they get the hint.
