Tommy lays out his top-10 list of absolute duds put out by otherwise great car companies. Some are misguided attempts to create “entry-level” options to capture new buyers to the brand. Many are miserable workarounds to avoid taxes. or meet government regulations. Whatever the case, do yourself a favor and avoid these rides. Your soul will be glad it did.
#10 – Ferrari 208 Era: 1979-1980 Con: Slowest Ferrari of all time thanks to a 153 hp detuned engine. That’s less powerful than a Toyota Camry. Why: To avoid a ruthless V.A.T. in Italy. | |
#9 – Jeep Wrangler Unlimited JK (2WD) Era: 2007-2010 Con: Why would anyone buy a Wrangler and NOT get 4WD? Why: A misguided bid to get people into Wranglers at a lower price. | |
#8 – Ford Mustang II MPG Era: 1974 Con: A poseur pony powered by an anemic 2.3-liter 4-cyl. engine good for 89 hp and 118 lbs-ft. torque. Why: The gas crisis led Ford to put this ‘stang out, claiming 34 mpg. | |
#7 – Tesla Model S 40kwh Era:Â 2012-2013 Con: The entry-level Model S had a range of only 139 miles, was slow, and couldn’t use a Supercharger station. Why:Â At under $50K, it was the “affordable” Tesla that no one wanted. | |
#6 – BMW 3-Series Hatch Era: 1992-1998 Con: For a BMW, the 318i has a woefully bad rear suspension that resulted in anything but the ultimate driving machine. Plus, it only came in a 4-cyl. Why: BMW’s attempt to compete on price, not performance. | |
#5 – Mini Cooper CVT Era: 2003-2006 Con: An otherwise fantastic sporty compact undone by a CVT automatic with a nearly 100% failure rate that castrated the car when it worked. Why: Only Mini knows. | |
#4 – Land Rover Discovery MPi Era: Early 1990s Con:Â Sold in the U.K., the MPI used an over-matched 2-liter, 4-cyl engine good for 134 hp and 137 lbs-ft. torque to move the 4,200-lbs. 4×4 really, really slow. Why:Â A bid for affordability and to avoid taxes on bigger displacement engines. | |
#3 – Porsche 912 Era:Â Mid- to late-60s Con:Â Same great body and suspension as the 911, but with a flat-4 boxer engine good for 102 hp, not the 911’s flat-6. Basically a VW Beetle engine in a Porsche. Why: Porsche believed it needed a less pricey option than the 911. | |
#2 – BMW 740e Era:Â 2017-2019 Con:Â A plug-in hybrid that put out 322 hp combined between the electric motor and 2-liter 255 hp engine. Once the battery was used up after 14 miles, the ICE was it. Why: With tax credits, the 740e was the *least* expensive 740 in the line-up. | |
#1 – Chevy Corvette C3 Era:Â Roughly 1978-1982 Con:Â At the end of its run, the C3 was reduced to a small block V8 good for 190 hp. Hardly a sportscar after early years of 7.4-liter, 460-hp V8s. Why:Â New draconian emissions controls. |
To find out how Tommy came to rank this list of stinkers, click on the video below. Got your own stinker model to add to his list? Drop it into a comment below. Then let the debates begin!