Car: Ford Maverick

In 1970, my family purchased what was then the smallest, cheapest, American-built car on the market, the Ford Maverick. Mistake number one was buying an initial-model-year car from Detroit. Mistake number two was buying anything from Detroit. Mistake number three was not recognizing that fact for many years and buying a Beetle.

We figured that our Maverick (and every other Maverick ever made) was built on:

Mondays when the assembly-line workers were either absent or hung over from another big binge over the previous weekend, or

Tuesday through Thursday when the assembly-line workers were too busy plotting their next strike strategy instead of actually building cars correctly, or

Fridays when most of the assembly-line workers took the day off to get a head start on another weekend of hard partying.

You know you have it bad when you look longingly at people driving by in Pacers or Gremlins.

There's a special place in Hell reserved for workers and executives alike at the Ford Motor Company who participated in the design, construction and sale of this abominable piece of crap.

--Scott Holder

Car: VW Beetle

The VW (I think it was a late-'50s or maybe even a '61) had the unique disadvantage of such a weak electrical system that even when it was running, you could never be sure that it was running. It was possible to get stopped by the police for nonworking headlights and taillights even when they were on and working perfectly.

--Carl Applebaum

Car: Yugo

People outside of Michigan (a.k.a. "foreigners") may not be aware that the Yugo is the only car to ever be blown off the Mackinac Bridge connecting Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. A strong gust caught one and lifted it over the railing, where it dropped more than a hundred feet to the Straits water below. Unfortunately the young woman driving it died.

--Grady

Car: Chrysler/SIMCA

The engine had no power to speak of and an impossibly vague gear change (four speeds: slow, slower, slowest and crawl). This was actually good because it also had NO BRAKES, which it made up for with a very strange LOUD HORN.

--Ski Milburn

Car: BMW Isetta

Although it is up against some tough competitors, the Isetta deserves consideration. It had all the driver protection of a VW bus, the power of a small power lawn mower, and the handling of a worn-out pair of roller skates.

--John D.

Car: 1970 Plymouth Cricket

The car was the first fully biodegradable vehicle. It began to recycle itself as soon as the purchase agreement was signed.

--Jack Kryst