Car Enthusiasts Name the Worst American Cars Ever Made

America's built some incredible cars over the years, but let's be honest - not everything that rolled off the assembly line was a winner. Some were downright terrible. Car enthusiasts were asked to name the worst American cars ever made, and boy, did they have opinions. Grab your coffee and let's dive into some automotive disasters.

Chevrolet Vega

One person still hasn't gotten over their dad's mistake: "Gotta be the Vega. It rusted early, drank oil like crazy, and had this stupid sealed air cleaner. I'm probably extra bitter because when the gas crisis hit, my dad traded in his '69 Chevelle SS 396 for one. I remember there being a case of oil in the back to top off the engine at every fuel stop."

That's the kind of trauma that sticks with you.

GM's 1980s Diesels

Someone nominated GM's diesel sedans from the 80s, along with their 4-6-8 V-8s and the Iron Duke four-cylinder. These engines made any car pretty miserable to own or drive. They're talking about cars like the fifth-gen Buick LeSabre, fourth-gen Chevy Malibu, and seventh-gen Pontiac Bonneville.

Dodge Dart (2010s Version)

The early 2010s Dodge Dart sounded good on paper after the FCA merger, but one person thinks the engineers must've been forced to work on it at gunpoint. The dealers wanted nothing to do with it either. The Dart only lasted three years in the U.S. before getting axed.

1946-1949 Crosley

The Crosley had an engine called the "CoBra" - named because it used stamped sheet metal that was copper brazed together instead of cast iron or aluminum. Cool idea, terrible execution. It suffered from severe corrosion and overheating. Crosley tried fixing it for years before giving up and switching to a traditional cast iron engine. The damage was done though, and the company folded a few years later.

Fun fact: Carroll Shelby had to petition for the rights to use "Cobra" for his legendary roadster because Crosley had already used it for these awful engines.

Ford Granada and Mercury Monarch

These were built on a 20-year-old platform dating back to the original Falcon. They rusted almost immediately, even in California. One enthusiast described them as driving "like an old pallet on top of a shopping cart" with absurdly cheap plastic interiors.

At least they were good for parts - classic Ford drivers loved finding them in the scrapyard for the front disc brake setup.

1969 Chevrolet Corvair

By 1969, Chevy had already given up on the Corvair but kept the factory running with whatever parts were lying around. A workforce that didn't care was building cars nobody wanted. The result? Terrible quality even by 1980 GM standards. As one person put it: "What, you mean a car made from 'whatever parts they had laying around' wasn't good? I'm shocked."

Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare

The '75 Aspen and Volare started rusting before they even hit showrooms. Nobody bought them because they wanted one - they bought them because they needed a car. Pretty tragic considering the Dart and Duster they replaced were actually pretty reliable for the time.

Ford Focus (The DCT Years)

One person nominated the generation of Ford Focus built with the self-destructive dual-clutch transmission. Is it the worst American car or just the worst American transmission? Either way, it earned a spot on this list.

Ford Model T (Controversial Pick)

Here's a spicy take: the Model T. Sure, it revolutionized car production and brought cars to the masses, but it was difficult to use and needed constant maintenance. Flat tires were common - like every 50 miles common. You also had to manufacture your own replacement parts or pay a shop to do it.

The less controversial pick from this person? Any late 70s, early 80s GM with the Oldsmobile 5.7 diesel. GM rushed to convert a gas engine to diesel and it couldn't handle the compression. A GM engineer admitted: "In test after test, we had broken crank shafts, broken blocks, leaking head gaskets and fuel pump problems." But they pushed it out anyway.

Tesla Cybertruck

One person's entire nomination: "From the design, towing, reliability, gimmick, safety, features and accessories to stan fanbois, cult and lastly CEO who lead the company."

Short and brutal.

1923 Copper-Cooled Chevrolet

This was the last air-cooled car Chevy made before the Corvair. It was so bad that GM had to recall all of them and then destroyed almost the entire run. That's how you know you really messed up.

Also nominated: the 1974-1979 big Fords (LTD, T-Bird, Torino) which were ugly, got maybe 10 mpg in real-world driving, and had hideous 5 mph bumpers. And the 1979-1981 Chrysler R-Bodies - cheaply built, unreliable, and hideously underpowered.

Fifth-Gen Camaro

"This thing was ugly, the best part of it is the rear quarter panels like the old, REAL Camaros."

Harsh, but everyone's entitled to their opinion.

AMC Pacer

One person's entire argument: "AMC Pacer. Boom! Mic drop."

Is it odd or is it bad? That's up for debate.

Ford Tempo

The original Ford Tempo was so bad that one person who traveled for work had to update their Hertz profile to specifically say "No Ford Tempos." Hertz had so many of them that sometimes they were still the only rental option at airports.

Imagine a car so terrible you have to put it in writing that you refuse to drive one.