Most Disappointing Cars of the Decade.

I'm disappointed with new cars in general. :p Cars (and trucks), despite other improvements, just get bigger and heavier every year. (Except the 370Z; I couldn't believe a manufacturer actually made a car smaller.) Such a waste.

This.

I was mildly disappointed by the somewhat dopey styling of the 3rd Gen Miata (although the new "smiling" one is good).

But mostly, the above. Because of safety, complex electronic systems to do things that are either not necessary or that the driver could do themselves, and far more proprietary and less user-friendly setups, there have been very few cars that even try to adhere to the old "add simplicity and lightness" school of thought.
 
The Citro?n C6. Simply because nobody bought any, which means PSA probably won't build another one. A shame - the world would be a poorer place without stupid big Citro?ns.
 
Since the new Toyota coupe is not out, I'm disappointed by Toyota in general this decade.

I mean, Honda had the S2000 and has the Si. Mitsubishi and Subaru have the EVO and WRX. Mazda has the RX8 and the MX5. Nissan has the Z.

Toyota though, killed the MR2, the Supra and the Celica.

Also, Pontiac. Not because the car (G8) was bad, but because it never got a chance.
 
Yep...Toyota dropped the ball.
Honda as well. WTF is with all the ultra ugly acura's?

OH AND I ALMOST FORGOT, GM.
I miss Oldsmobile...:cry:
 
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The Vectra, because it was quite a let down.

Dont get me wrong, there was nothing horribly wrong with it, when it came out it was exciting and my father nearly bought one. But looking at it now it is quite... Dull? It got better with the 05' Facelift.

Never the less it was a huge dissapontment for Opel itself, as the sales dropped, especially for the Signum,
but since its out of production, they're real bargins, so its not an dissapointment in case of the secondhand market. ;)

Another Car:
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With it is nothings wrong too, its well made, its spacecious, in essance a good car. But would you admit that when you look at it that its HORRIBLY WRONG, and MONSTROUSLY ugly?

It just doesnt worth the 4 Rings, I guess the designer took LSD when he drew it.
 
The DB9, it's a great looking car, it's a very good GT car, but it's never even come close to being the 911-killer it keeps saying it is. Perhaps it's just over-hyped by Clarkson.

it has nothing to do with 911.. :confused:
 
it has nothing to do with 911.. :confused:
I guess the V8 Vantage is more in line with the base 911, but the DB9 competes directly with the 911 Turbo and other, better cars.

I guess I was hoping new owners, and Prodrive's involvement would lead to a class-leading sports car, but it always seems to fall terribly short on the performance department. It's like the 911 is Natalie Portman, pretty, smart, and good at what she does. The DB9 is Miss California, very, very sexy, but you'd get more lively conversation from a toothbrush, less bigoted too.
 
I was disappointed by the Renault Twingo.

Not by its carness, by all accounts it's a pretty solid small car. But as a huge fan of the looks of the original Twingo, it's just a bit disappointing to find the replacement looks like "5 foot of Renault". It's lost its unique looks and happy exterior.
 
In my opinion, based on cars available in the U.S:

Most fail-tastic subcompact:

Chevrolet Aveo - because stupid people buy them because it's a "real American compact" without realizing that it's actually a Daewoo with some Chevy badges plastered on. Build quality is horrible and, based on my time working at a GM dealership, they are horrendously unreliable. It's on the cheap side, but is that really worth it considering that I've seen a few being pushed back to the service department with less than a thousand miles?

The Pontiac G3 is even worse, if only because of the badge-whoring. Driving excitement my ass.

Most fail-tastic compact:

Chrysler PT Cruiser - because it had so much potential but it was left to rot on the vine. Another vehicle that I have seen with countless quality issues as well. Could have continued thriving but Chrysler insisted instead on making special editions rather than actually updating the car. These include the Touring Signature Series, Street Cruiser, Walter P. Edition, Limited Edition Platinum Series, and Dream Cruiser.

However, it does have a nifty shift knob.

Most fail-tastic mid-size sedan:

Chrysler Sebring - Sure, the latest generation does not have the Handgrenade V6, but it's still a terrible car. Those stupid ribs on the hood don't help either. Everything's plastic and everything's dull and cheap. It sin't even well designed - the battery is located in the wheel well for Christ sake. Reliability issues abound and terrible fuel mileage.

Most fail-tastic SUV/Crossover:

ANY L-Platform GM product - Yes, that's the GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse. The Saturn Outlook is also included but that one was literally an Acadia with Saturn badges. Consumer satisfaction on all of these are below average, despite GM's advertisements stating otherwise. L-Platform GM crossovers do absolutely nothing right.

They aren't well built. I used to work at a GM dealership and every day (I stress that bit) there was at least one Acadia with its entire interior torn out. The problem? Either squeaks and rattles or severe water leaks. The interiors are cheap in appearance and the fit and finish of everything is what we have come to expect from GM.

They are not reliable. Nobody likes a brand new car that they just bought to start taking on water or simply shatter a driveline component. One customer reports taking his to service fifteen times since he bought it, and it doesn't even have 30,000 miles. That wouldn't even be fifteen oil changes on a reliable car.

They are not easy to service. Even something as simple as an oil change is a hassle. The oil filter is a regular screw-on type, but mounted on the very front of the engine, but down adjacent to the exhaust manifold. You cannot get a strap wrench on it without burning your wrist. Mind you, that's simply the oil filter. Try servicing much else on the Acadia and you will question your life path as a service technician. I know I sure did. The L-Platform is one of the reasons why I stopped working for GM.

I could go on for days. Basically, the Acadia/Traverse/Enclave are for people who would like an awkwardly-styled SUV that is not useful off road, not terribly reliable, not very economical, not cheap nor well built, not fun or interesting to drive, not very comfortable or innovative. If that's everything you could want and more, wait for the 2011 models to arrive because they are now going to produce a GMC Acadia Denali* for an even higher price and douchebag factor.

* Denali - Pronounced "DEN-AL-EE" by normal people. Pronounced "DIN-EE-LEE" by Denali owners.


Most Disappointing Car of the Decade:

Buick Rendezvous


Oh god, please don't get me started on this miserable pile of under-engineered garbage. It's an even more awkward looking Buick SUV that's riding on a minivan chassis and has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Take all of the problems with the L-Platform and just toss them right in with all of the issues that plague this unreliable, disgusting POS.

Who the hell actually buys a Buick Rendezvous? I ask myself that question every time I see one on the road. Its natural habitat, however, is the service bay. I really like how the Rendezvous starts eating antifreeze for no apparent reason, typically just after the warranty expires. One particular Rendezvous just started blowing modules, again for no explainable reason. It required three new BCMs in under 12,000 miles. No technician could find the actual reason it was doing this.

I have to stop this now. Talking about the Rendezvous makes me want to go punch something really hard.

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Edit: Although this is a little bit off the decade, it's still a big enough disappointment to be featured here.

Most fail-tastic "cool" car:

Plymouth Prowler (Yes, I know it started production in '97)

Ugh, if this was not the biggest automotive slap in the face in the history of automobiles, I don't know what is. I remember when this was coming out. It seemed like it was going to be so incredible and awesome, and cool. Instead, we got a half-baked roadster with the same underpinnings as a Dodge Intrepid. Despite the hot-rod pretenses, the car was only offered with an automatic gearbox and an underpowered V6 engine. Mercifully, production ended eventually and it was replaced with the Chrysler Crossfire. Oh joy!

Fun fact: In 1998 a Plymouth Prowler was sealed in a mausoleum as a time capsule in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Why? In 2048, the car is going to be unveiled and show the citizens what exactly? Something that Americans from the past looked at as a symbol of their past?
 
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