Over the years, American car manufacturers gained a reputation for producing plenty of good-looking and reliable cars. Today, the demand for these classic cars is at an all-time high worldwide. From the iconic Ford GT40, the Shelby Cobra Daytona, and the Pontiac GTO Judge to the 90s Dodge Viper, everyone wants a taste of the best American classics.
Unfortunately, among all the marvels from American automakers, there is also an equal share of duds. And as much as classics are desirable, good-looking, and expensive in the modern world, they are old and, in most cases, already worn out. In their day, some had terrible reliability and almost killed their respective brands.
No matter how good a classic car looks, some will trouble you with horrendous dependability. That’s the price you pay for buying the wrong old car. To save you such troubles, we reveal 10 American classics that will bankrupt you with maintenance and repair bills.
10 Chevrolet Corvair
Designed to rival the iconic Volkswagen Beetle, the Corvair adopted a rear-engine concept, becoming the only mass-produced American car with an air-cooled rear-mounted engine. While it now has a cult-like following, the Corvair suffered from tons of problems.
The car was prone to accidents due to poor handling caused by the rear-mounted engine. Other problems included engine overheating due to inadequate cooling. Built as an economy cars, many Corvairs are in poor shape today as they were not well-maintained. Body parts have dried up, making replacement pretty costly. Again, you’ll need a handy mechanic to work on your Corvair, and chances are that only a dozen Chevy Corvair specialists are available today.
9 1980 Chevrolet Corvette C3
Produced from 1968 to 1982, the third generation Corvette (C3) adopted the previous generation’s engine and chassis but got a new body design and interior. The 1979 model car became an instant hit that it broke the Corvette’s previous sales records, leaving the 1980 Corvette with big shoes to fill.
In 1980, the engineering department faced an uphill task in an attempt to add some efficiency to the old clunker. The result was a lazy engine, poor build quality, squeaky doors, and shaky suspension. Given its age, the 1980 Corvette needs special care today, which is expensive considering the fact that its body parts are longer in production.
8 Oldsmobile Jetfire
As other American automakers battled to produce smaller fuel-efficient engines during the 60s, Oldsmobile figured out a way to keep its big V8 engine, turbocharging it. The Jetfire became one of the world’s first two turbocharged production cars, alongside the 1962 Corvair Monza Spyder. Rated at 215hp and 300lb-ft of torque, Oldsmobile dubbed it the Turbo-Rocket engine, thanks to the Garrett AiResearch turbocharger.
Unfortunately, the Jetfire was troublesome to its owners. Its suspension was uncomfortable, unresponsive, wobbly, and downright unstable. Additionally, the turbo setup demanded a special solution to prevent engine knock and detonation. This proved quite troublesome, and scores of owners returned their cars to the dealers citing loss of power. Oldsmobile ultimately killed the turbo technology as well as the car after two years.
7 Cadillac Cimarron
While it’s common for luxury brands to downsize and offer affordable compact versions of their otherwise big sedans today, this move was something unheard of during the early 80s. So, Cadillac introduced a small entry-level luxury car (the Cadillac Cimarron) in an attempt to reinvent the company and attract more customers.
Instead, the Cimarron became a laughing stock and remains a case example of downsizing gone wrong. Automotive journalist Dan Neil named it one of the worst cars of all time, further adding that it nearly destroyed Cadillac. The optional 2.8-liter V6 engine was prone to overheating, the three-speed automatic transmission was horrendous, and just everything around the car might come loose or stop working at any time.
6 Chevrolet Vega
When Chevrolet introduced the Vega in the fall of 1970, the car was sleek, good-looking, affordable, and conventional in many ways. As a result, it gained praise and awards initially, but its success was a harbinger of everything that troubled the car and GM years later.
The Vega was a rust bucket, the engine suffered from reliability problems and was prone to fuel tank fires. Therefore, the automaker issued three mass recalls in 1972, the biggest one covering half a million Vegas. Today, enthusiasts remember the Chevy Vega for all the wrong reasons and the car that nearly destroyed General Motors.
5 DeLorean DMC 12
The Delorean DMC stood out for its gull-wing doors, mid-mounted V6 engine, modern wedge-shaped design, and stainless-steel body, but it lacked the power and performance to match its looks and price tag. Its popularity was further boosted after featuring in the Back to the future films, despite its reputation for poor build quality, mechanical issues, and a disappointing driving experience.
Other quality problems affected the front suspension, brake rotors, clutch pedal, power door locks, speedometer, and weak alternators. Earlier models also suffered from poor wheel alignment that caused premature tire wear.
4 Chevrolet Citation
Produced between 1980 and 1985, the Citation was the first front-wheel-drive Chevrolet car and the answer to other Japanese four-cylinder sedans. This was GM’s first effort to develop such a type of car, and it quickly turned into a mess. The automaker tightened the development time, trying to catch up with the high-flying cars from Toyota and Nissan.
Like every other X-car, the Chevrolet Citation was so terrible that it nearly destroyed GM’s reputation. Just within 1980, the cars started rusting, the transmission failed, and engines literally shook themselves to death. But the worst problem was the rear tire lock-up issue under normal braking that caused a dozen accidents. The Citation developed a reputation for poor quality control and multiple recalls. It was so horrible that it actually attracted a lawsuit from the U.S. Justice Department
3 Ford Pinto
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The Ford Pinto was a 70s icon, but not because it was a great car. Far from that. The Pinto developed a reputation for mechanical problems that were so severe that they caused fatal accidents. For one thing, Ford rushed the car through production, trying to catch up with the competition. The Pinto took 25 months in the production line, whereas most cars took 45 months.
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The Pinto’s fuel tank design attracted government and media scrutiny after a series of accident-related fires from rear-end collisions. It turned out that Ford engineers “forgot” to add fuel-tank protection to the earlier models. The automaker recalled 1.5 million Ford cars, including the Pinto – the largest recall in history at the time.
2 1981 Cadillac Seville
During the early 80s, GM banked on an engine technology that proved to be way ahead of its time. As automakers raced to produce the most economical and fuel-efficient engines, Cadillac stuffed a 4-6-8 cylinder deactivation V8 engine in all its V8-powered Cadillac cars.
Not long after owners purchased a few examples, these problems started. The electronic deactivation system proved insufficient and troublesome. Drivers complained of lag, surging, and stumbling that further compounded drivability. The automaker tried fixing the problem with software updates. Their efforts proved futile, and they discontinued the engine. Today, you’d better steer clear of the 1981 Cadillac Seville as the 6.0L L62 V8-6-4 V8 engine made it into our worst American engines list.
1 Pontiac Fiero
Many 70s and 80s cars get a bad reputation for either being slow, unreliable, or just plain ugly, but rarely do you hear of a car that hits all three circles. Well, that’s the Fiero for you. It was also expensive to maintain due to the complicated independent suspension and the capricious cooling system.
Safety issues also escalated since, by 1987, the fire count for the 1984 models hit a record 20 fires per month. This is a rate of one fire count for every 508 cars sold. Today, almost every Fiero needs an interior restoration, which takes due diligence. It also suffers from rust and exhaust leaks. Parts are rarely available since the Pontiac produced them in small numbers
