I always have a hard time with every list that claims to list the “10 worst” of anything. It doesn’t matter whether it’s cars, movies or music. It ultimately boils down to someone’s opinion, and it might not be the same as mine.
The folks over at Edmunds.com have put together a list of 100 worst cars. I understand they spent lots of time and energy going over all kinds of details. They tried to look not just a the car itself, but at the impact it had on its manufacturer or even society. You can read the full list here. Here is the bottom ten:
- 2001 Pontiac Aztek
- 1974 Ford Mustang
- 1955 BMW Isetta
- 1987 Yugo
- 1971 Chevrolet Vega
- 2003 Saturn Ion
- 1958 Edsel Corsair
- 1982 Cadillac Cimarron
- 1957 Trabant
- 1979 Olds Cutlas Supreme Diesel
Don’t get me wrong, the Pontiac Aztek was one ugly car, but does it deserve to be the worst car of all time? Was it really singularly responsible for killing Pontiac?
The 1974 Mustang II didn’t do much to build on the legendary name, but it still sold like gangbusters. Plus, hot rodders have been using the efficient Mustang II front end for years. Is it really the second worst?
There’s no question the BMW Isetta was a deathtrap on wheels. It’s main safety feature was a removable top so that passengers could escape should the only door be pinned shut in after ramming into the rear of another car. But some argue that the Isetta helped BMW survive as a carmaker. The 507 may have been elegant and powerful, but the Isetta made money. Today’s cool BMWs might not have existed without the Isetta.
I’m not saying that the cars on that list are good. I’m just trying to make the point that most cars have the occasional redeeming value.
Now let’s move on to something much easier. Say the 10 worst quarterbacks of all time?
Rick, I agree completely with the point you’re making. In my estimation, of the 10 cars on that list, only the Yugo and the Trabant are *truly* bad. Now, if Edmunds wanted to “fine tune” their requirements to include cars that were Bad Ideas, Badly Timed or, in the case of the Aztek, Bad Executions of a Concept That Had Promise…then some of those other cars could be discussed. But that still would leave the Mustang II. As you say, it sold like crazy…and it was a badly needed “reset” to the original Mustang idea after the early ’70s bloat.