U.S. Presidential Candidate Barack Obama recently called the Ford Granada "the worst car Detroit ever built," providing us with his answer to a question that every American pistonhead asks himself at least once in a while. The Free Republic has its own list of "worst American cars" including such luminaries as the Chrysler TC by Maserati and the Chevette. MSNBC's poll of automotive excreta lists the Vega as the worst ever. But Obama's busy with campaigning, and it's been a long time since the Illinois Senator learned to drive in his grandfather's Granada. So, the question goes over to you, the Best and Brightest. Has a nastier hunk of metal than the "tin foil" Granada rolled off Detroit's production lines? I'd say the Caddy Cimarron should be up there, but then the Volare/Aspen twins have to be in the running too. Worst ever? I'll say the X-body Chevy Citation. What say you?
84 Comments on “Question of the Day: Is the Ford Granada “The Worst Car Detroit Ever Built?”...”
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I vote the Pinto! The original Ford “Exploder!”
Odd you mention those cars. Had an uncle with a Mercury Monarch, another uncle had a Dodge Aspen, and a cousin had a Chevy Citation.
I used to tell the women at the club that I drove a ‘vette. They were quite disappointed to learn that it was a Chevette.
I’m going to go with the Aspen/Volare and their subsequent spin-offs.
yep, I’ll go with the ‘first Chevy of the 80’s’, the excerable Citation and it’s clones. Awful cars.
Uhhh, yeah…the Vega is much, much worse. You still find Granadas in the junkyard, meaning they can survive 30-ish years of life.
Not to mention most Japanese cars from the 1970s have rusted to nothing by now.
Since it was mentioned in the previous blog, Obama The Car Guy should tell us how many miles were on the Granada’s front suspension before telling us how poorly it drove/felt at 80mph. :)
Aztec comes to mind, but but wasn’t so much bad as ugly.
I think he may be right!
I have to vote for the Pinto, cause I was building them. Floor pans and rear inner wheel wells had gaping holes from stretched metal, we covered them with black tape. A quarter of the gas pedals were put on with one fastener instead of 2, because the studd welded to the floor twisted off, with cross threaded nuts. Wiper motors all in with 2 screws instead of 3 because they designed the installation without sound deadener but the motor jammed on the deadener. Car was designed on the fly to meet the first gas price shocks of the 70’s. But it did sell for $2195.00 Candian, about the price of a real good bicycle today.
What ever it is, its definitely not the Granada. As the Granada is to a large extent the same chassis as a classic Mustang, they make great donor vehicles for low-cost heavier-duty parts. For example, my ‘66 convertible now runs the front disc brakes, 8″ rear with big drums and electronic ignition from a ‘78 Granada. This alone keeps it from being the worst car ever, IMHO.
Tom
The Vega has to be up there with its alum block, iron head engine and the amazing rusting abilities. At least it looked rather neat as a 2/3 scale Camaro.
The Chevrolet “Copper cooled” ones were a disaster. Most were bought back and converted to “normal” water cooled engines. Nice little article on them – http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/bv/copper.htm
In recent times the Ford Windstar is pretty nasty – poor gearboxes, shoddy build, etc.
If we are looking at American built cars, the Ford Focus and BMW X5 compete for the title of most recalled. I would give the edge to the bimmah on the basis of its price.
Of course, South Carolina ain’t Detroit, is it?
The Granada wasn’t a bad car…just an unexciting one. It was based on tried-and-true mechanicals, so it was reliable (for that time) with bulletproof drivetrains. It was a simple, sturdy car that did what it was supposed to do.
The Vega, Aspen/Volare, Pinto, X-cars and any 1980s Cadillac with the variable displacement V-8 or 4100 V-8 were all MUCH worse.
Based on my ownership of one, I would say, without a doubt, YES YES YES!
On the good side it got 100 miles per gallon!
(10 driving, 90 behind a tow truck).
John
But it did sell for $2195.00 Candian, about the price of a real good bicycle today.
A really good bicycle will set you back $4K to $7K or even more. That is about $400 a pound.
I was lucky to work in the parts department of a large GM dealer in the early ’70s. First it was the Vega engines that went about 10k miles before needing a bore and sleeves, mostly under warranty. The Chevette came along just a bit later and while being crap, at least the engines held together, and were fairly easy to fix. The real icing on the cake however, was the Cadillac Seville in 1975. It was GM’s early attempt at using fuel injection from Bosch, I believe. These would intermittently and regularly quit for some reason still unknown. At the time, we just thought that was the way things were done. Dave
Like I said in the other thread, I owned Pontiac Astre (Chevy Vega’s brother). Obama doesn’t know what he is talking about.
What is the car that pushed GM over the tipping point? The one that, after it was released, you knew they’d crossed a point of no return and from here on out, it was only a matter of time?
All those 70s cars were terrible, but GM turned profits during those eras. There was always a hope, a miniscule chance that money would be rolled into a bona fide Japan-beater. And it was always possible.
For me, the point of no return was the last model Pontiac Sunfire/Chevrolet Cavalier. It was the battle of Normandy. Except this time, Japan was on the winning side.
Cimarron!
I don’t know what Obama’s frame of reference is, but the Granada is nowhere near the worst car Detroit has ever produced.
The Ford Pinto, Chevy Vega & Citation, Cadillac V8-6-4, Chrysler Aspen/Volaré, and Oldsmobile diesel are all Detroit iron that easily eclipses the Granada as far worse (mechanically, anyway).
I’m not sure I’d include the Cimarron as being one of the worst because even though it was a huge marketing mistake which GM is continuing to pay for to this day, the Cavalier it was based upon wasn’t particularly more horrible than anything else at the time (and certainly not as bad as any of the aforementioned). It’s rather like including ugly AMC products like the Gremlin or Pacer, or the Pontiac Aztek when, although not aesthetically pleasing, they weren’t prone to any particular mechanical malady and didn’t have a penchant for stranding their drivers.
I’d say the Granada is indeed in the top tier of worst cars built in the US. I’ve know those who had some and their record of woes equaled those I know who owned Vegas, Pintos etc. The car rusted when hit by a moist breeze, broke down constantly, was ugly and cheap.
Samir:
Normandy was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany, although most of the heavy lifting wearing down the 3rd Reich was done on the Eastern Front.
Perhaps Midway or the Destruction of Turk? Midway was the high water mark for the Japanese in WW2.
The destruction of Turk would be analogous to how Toyota is currently trashing the last bastion (pickups) of the Big 2.8.
No, the worst car Ford ever built was the 1980 Mustang. POS from day one, cracks in rear seat bulkheads (”they are all like that”), 1-bbl 3.3-litre L6 prone to stalling on a good day, gutless all the time.
Worst POS GM ever made was their vans (Vandura, I think the name was). Made essentially out of iron oxide, you didn’t have to worry about A/C ’cause the floorpans would die and you got natural ventilation as a result.
I would have to go with any early 80’s GM car that had a diesel engine. I have yet to hear of a good ownership experience with those cars. On the flip side, I did see more than my share of Vegas in upstate New York during the late 80’s and early 90’s.
The Ford Grenade.
Truly, they are marketing geniuses.
It was bad, but not even close to the worst. Based on the Maverick, which was itself based on the original Falcon, the Grenada was actually a step forward in packaging. By aping the general dimensions of the then equivalent of the Mercedes E Class, the beast was actually pretty space efficient. But dynamically, it was a turd.
Vega, absolutely. Learned to drive on one. Amazing that I became a pistonhead despite that. The wonders of therapy, I guess.
I know it wasn’t built in Detroit, but the Korean Pontiac Lemans has to be the worst, and it spoiled the name of a classic car.
I call your Grenada and raise you an AMC Pacer.
RedStapler:
“Perhaps Midway or the Destruction of Turk?”
What happened to Turkey – or do you mean the Battle of Truk?
http://www.olive-drab.com/od_history_ww2_ops_battles_1944truk.php
Citation was an absolute lemon car.
The Granada is pretty bad. My mother drove a Vega Wagon (orange with wood grain…) and it was pretty bad. We also had a 1972 Dodge Polara that was pretty bad.
I would have to put my vote up for cars like the Mustang II, the second generation Dodge Challenger (1978-1983). They were watered down, crappy versions of legendary cars and were a disgrace to their names.
The high (?) point of my career as Editor of Car and Driver was when I single-handedly wrote the cover blurb for our photo of the original Chevette: “The Most Important Car That Detroit Has Ever Built.”
What did I know?
A 76 Granada was my first American car. I drove it back and forth between NY and DC for a summer and I have to admit that it was terribly unreliable. It broke down constantly and we couldn’t get it to pass inspection in New York, so had to park it in Jersey City during the week. But I do have good memories of it too. For a $200 car it was pretty comfortable and smooth.
I’ve had a Pacer(75) AND Granada(78) . They were not bad cars-the Granada was great on the highway,I’d love to get a Pacer for summer cruising.I would say any early 80’s GM product. As chairman ,Roger Smith did more damage to GM than any Japanese company.If pressed, I’d say Cadillac Cimmaron.
Pinto – hands down.
OK…get ready…
Now, I want everybody to enjoy my links as I think it will allow for a nice trip(s) down memory lane.
Also, visit the web sight yourselves when you have time and go through the pages to see ALL the wonderful designs from around the world.
Designs we have forgotten today.
Now, although you may not agree its the worst car of the 70’s…it was a design I would have sworn made me feel somebody at Ford was TRYING to kill the Mustang.
1975 Mustang 2
First, they made it sooo large, it was horrible, then the made it so weak it was pittiful to drive.
Your thoughts…?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clampants/211381889/in/pool-47502304@N00
The fish bowl…AMC Pacer
Ot the Gremli…not sure which was funnier looking.
The gremlin looked like it fell off the table when a wax model and they liked it!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveseven/1833091243/in/pool-47502304@N00
1975 Lotus Elite
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulreynolds/1697229305/in/pool-47502304@N00
And I don’t care what anybody says, the VW rabbit and other imports all bored me to death with their squared off cheapness.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveseven/1261625208/in/pool-47502304@N00
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allenthepostman/1085077978/in/pool-47502304@N00
And what really was in the drinking water of Citroen during the 70’s???
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr38/304063992/in/pool-47502304@N00
And you gotta love to visit the countries to drink and eat…but their cars!!!
The Italians and the French…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr38/288054285/in/pool-47502304@N00
Folks…do remember this!!!?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonesthecamera/528367529/in/pool-47502304@N00
And, to end this…why don’t they make cars like these anymore…well, I guess Mazda does.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr38/574005141/in/pool-47502304@N00
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr38/272069053/in/pool-47502304@N00
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr38/272677850/in/pool-47502304@N00
I don’t know about the worst, but it’s not the Grenada. In defense of the Grenada, if it weren’t for Grenadas, there would be no “Grenada brake swap” for people who own classic Mustangs with drum brakes. The Grenada disc brakes are a classic cheap way to upgrade to disc brakes on the 60’s Mustangs.
The Granada was no prize but it wasn’t the worst either. I’d have to go with the Vega.
BTW, the six cylinder Granadas sucked, but the 302 V8 version was alright.
X-car.
No way. I had a buddy who owned a 78 Mercury Monarch in high school. In 1984 we drove it from Ohio to Myrtle Beach and back, never had a lick of issues.
My brother had a 73 Civic – now that was a complete piece of crap – Honda built junk back then.
I give the nod to the X-bodies of 1980. Sure, Detroit built several lousy cars prior to ‘80, but they were just bad implementations of then-current engineering.
The X-body represented a paradigm shift for GM – into total awfulness.
Too many choices for worst Detroit car. This should be upgraded to an official poll with statistic results. And the poll might be organized by decade, or manufacturer, or style of vehicle, or worst last chance missed etc.
I think Japan lost the war on December 7, 1941, about halfway through. On that day they were doomed, no escape.
If automotive folklore is correct, the worst car sold by a Detroit company would likely be a European one.
http://www.opelclub.com/html/opel_kadett.html
I’ll let the Car and Driver alums fill in the blanks of this one. I believe that the one shown in wikipedia is a unique shade of brown.
As for the worst car of the last ten years in the NA market, I would go with the Suzuki X-90.
I think I had one, I dont remember, i think it was sorta gray. If its the one i’m thinkin of, it had 4 doors and a strong 6 straight 6 engine… wait, i DID have one! It ran like a tank! It was ugly as sin, but it ran and ran and ran, I replaced it with a front drive VW Golf, never looked back for a second. UNtil now.
There were many American cars that were much worse than the Granada, bad as it was.
My vote goes to the Renault Alliance, an Americanized version of the R9 manufactured by AMC in the 80s. My father owned one briefly.
Oops, does Kenosha count as part of Detroit?
Candidates for worst would be the Vega (original name was supposed to be Gemini – GM Mini – get it?) and the Aspen/Volare. These Mopars managed to match the Japanese of the time for rust, plus the added bonus of horrible reliability. How ironic because the Aspen replaced the Dart, one of the most durable cars ever. In parts of the country where rust doesn’t exist, these cars still can be seen in daily use…
Aspen/Volare gets my vote. My cousin had one and after two winters she went over a railway crossing and the front subframe broke in two. Odd when you think that the Duster, which it replaced, was actually a better car.
I’d go with the Vega for this one. The Vega lacked the only thing the Pinto had, a decently reliable engine.
Oh, big time big time the X-cars: Chevy Citation, Pontiac Phoenix et al. Horrible cars.
I want to also nominate today’s Dodge Caliber and Chrysler Sebring. Taking “technological inflation” into account, they suck big time. Had a Caliber loaner, and couldn’t believe that 1. someone conceived this; 2. someone designed this; 3. someone approved this; 4. someone built this; 5. someone sold this; and most mystifying 6. someone bought this.
Big LOL@JK43123 :
On the good side it got 100 miles per gallon!
(10 driving, 90 behind a tow truck).
Can’t believe I haven’t heard this one before…
‘63 AMC Rambler (”Car of the Year”). Floor pan rusted out in two years. Maybe, though, better than my previous car, a ‘62 Simca, which blew head gaskets with scary regularity, once in the Holland Tunnel.