1961 Chevy Corvair
While some cars are bought specifically for their rear-wheel drive, the Chevy Corvair wasn’t one of them. When people buy a Chevy, they’re mostly looking for features like reliable and safe, and since this is not a BMW, the American carmaker couldn’t pull off the appeal for owning a car that could easily spin you out of control into oblivion (or the nearest curb).
The Corvair was mired in controversies and legal problems due to an accusation of poor handling ability. The car was heavily scrutinized in Ralph Nader’s 1965 book “Unsafe at Any Speed”. It was eventually found in 1972 that the Corvair wasn’t any less safe than other contemporary cars of the same type, but the damage was already done and the vehicle wouldn’t survive to see itself produced past the ’60s.
1978 FSO Polonez
While many people complained about the extremely boxy and jaggy look of the FSO Polonez, the main problem we have with the car is its unreliability. Legend has it that by the time you left the dealership with your brand new FSO Polonez, you’d be driving to a car shop to get something fixed.
One owner seems to have summarized our complaints with the car perfectly with the following review: “Built by communists out of steel so thin you could use it as a neck curtain, it is as reliable and long-lasting as a pensioner’s erection.” That doesn't sound like it can get much worse. In case you’re interested in seeing this lackluster car in action, you can visit YouTube for some hilarious videos of drunk Russians drifting the car before it breaks to bits.
1974 Bricklin SV-1
When the designers of the Bricklin SV-1 thought “You know what would be cool? Imagine a car with vertical doors!” They were definitely on the right train of thought. Unfortunately, the rest of the car did not hold up to the vision they had. Among the factors blamed for the car's ultimate demise were ongoing quality control problems, supplier shortages, worker absenteeism and a series of price increases that more than doubled the price of the car in two years. The Bricklin SV-1 was ultimately a huge failure, with only 3,000 of these ever in production.
Critiques were somewhat divided about the look of the car. On one hand, it had the potential to remind you of the futuristic DeLorean, but it might also remind you of a lime-green hedgehog. Consumers were also disappointed by the interior build quality of the car. The gull-wing doors being the main attraction of the car, but the power button that opened the door mechanism was very slow and would often break down and trap people in the car. It seems that just like the DeLorean, this car is more akin to a really cool life-sized toy car than an actual Corvette or Lamborghini.
Toyota C-HR
Edmunds didn't give a favorable review for the 2019 Toyota C-HR, with a disappointing combination of a lethargic and downright sleep-inducing acceleration coupled with pervasive road and engine noises. This Nissan doesn't stand well on its own wheels when compared to the much better Honda HR-V or the Mazda CX-3. While we bashed Consumer Reports for being a bit on the negative side, we can’t blame them for putting this one on their 2019 “least satisfying” list.
One of the main complaints this car received was not having an all-wheel-drive option, which is standard practice in the car’s category. It was also berated for having “horrendous” rear and side visibility. Edmunds took offense to the car’s super-slow acceleration, saying that “Acceleration is characterized by a long hesitation between a pedal stomp and any forward motion. This is true whether you're stopped or trying to pass slower traffic on the highway.”
1982 Cadillac Cimarron
Everyone loved 1982. Michael Jackson was ruling the music scene and radio with 'Thriller', which became the best-selling album of all time. We got to see E.T.'s phone home, and the first CD player was released by Sony! One thing that wasn't so great, was the Cadillac Cimarron. To this day, this car is considered the absolute lowest point in the company’s history, due to its low sales, poor performance, and ill-conceived badge engineering.
It was quickly discovered that the Cimarron was just a refurbished version of the Chevrolet Cavalier, with worse performance and a hideous all-around build. The car was quickly scratched and taken off production. But not before almost ruining the entire company’s brand, which had already established itself as one of America's premier luxury carmakers. I'd call that a fluke.