A well-made car is a thing of beauty. These 20 cars are neither well-made nor beautiful. Sure, the benefit of some of them may be that they’re cheap, but you get what you pay for. And honestly, some of these cars you couldn’t get rid of if you were giving them away.
These vehicles aren’t winning any prizes, besides maybe Worst Car Ever Made. They’re ready for the demolition derby about ten minutes after leaving the assembly line. Check out these 20 rust buckets and be glad you’re planted firmly in front of a computer and not behind the steering wheel of an ugly deathtrap.
1
Subaru 360
The North American version of the Subaru 360 failed impressively. In testing, it took 37.5 seconds to go from zero to 60 and it performed terribly in a 30 mile per hour crash test with another car. It’s surprising the 360 didn’t doom Subaru in America forever.
2
AMC Pacer
No other car defines the 70s as perfectly as the Pacer. If it’s good enough for Wayne and Garth, it shouldn’t be good enough for you.
3
Bricklin SV-1
This thing was ugly, poorly designed, and painfully slow. It was supposed to exemplify the ‘safer’ cars of the future. It succeeds in one respect, because if I owned one of these, I’d never even be getting behind the wheel in the first place.
4
Reliant Robin
Three-wheeled cars became popular in the UK due to a loophole that allowed them to be taxed as motorcycles. This mutant monstrosity is a great choice if you like rolling over on a routine right turn.
5
Austin Allegro
This lemon earned its bad reputation fair and square. Speaking of square, that was the shape of its steering wheel. Whose idea was that!?
6
Morris Marina
The Morris Marina has caught flack for its styling, handling, performance, and build quality. You know, everything.
7
Lancia Beta
If you looked away from this car for more than 30 seconds, when you looked back it would just be one big pile of rust.
8
Eagle Premier
The Eagle Premier was basically a generic fake car from a video game. You wouldn’t even bother stealing this one in GTA.
9
AMC Gremlin
A shortened version of the AMC Hornet with bizarre styling, bad handling, and vacuum-powered windshield wipers. Not fun to drive or to look at.
10
VAZ-2101
This Russian version of the Fiat 124 has been declared by many to be the worst car in the world. It has become a symbol for the decline of the automotive industry of Russia.
11
Trabant
The Trabant was made from 1957 to 1991 in East Germany. Some people like to say it was the only car worth less than the value of the raw materials used to make it.
12
Hillman Imp
The Hillman Imp was rushed through production with an underdeveloped design, and it really showed. It was such a piece of junk that it bankrupted its manufacturer.
13
Nash Metropolitan
The Nash Metropolitan was an attempt to design a car “which would be mainly used as a second car.” Not the most lofty of goals, and they failed at even that.
14
Chevy Vega
The Chevy Vega was one of General Motors’ worst cars. If you want to own a car where the engine can melt and the gas tank is prone to catching fire, this one’s for you.
15
Ford Pinto
You couldn’t make this list without the inclusion of the infamous Ford Pinto. It did one of the only things that a car isn’t supposed to do, which is explode when rear ended.
16
PT Cruiser
The PT Cruiser checked off all columns. It was slow, handled poorly, heavy, cheap, had awful fuel economy, unreliable, and just plain ugly. The one positive is that they discontinued it.
17
Ford Aerostar
Ford Aerostars look cool and were popular in their time, but they have not aged well. Engine leaks, transmission problems, and a huge amount of rust make them a whole lot less appealing than other options.
18
Chevy Equinox
Electrical failures, water pump failures, engine issues and more make this an unreliable car that’s not worth it even brand new.
19
Hyundai Pony
The Hyundai Pony was cheap, but you get what you pay for. This thing had a lifespan of about five years before rusting over and pretty much self-destructing. Not to mention it was unbelievably slow. Zero to 60 in about 15 seconds. Oof.
20
Yugo
What do you call a Yugo with twin tailpipes? A wheelbarrow. No joke, you could lift this thing off the ground with your bare hands. You couldn’t pay people to drive a Yugo.
