50 ugliest cars of all time - the yahoo list :)

[Peter Gariepy]

fifty-ugliest-cars-of-the-past-50-years.html: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance

[Dandy Dave]

I think the Citroen should be on the top of the list. Then again, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, And ugly is to the bone.... Dandy Dave!

[Guest Gary Hearn]

I find this to be just another of the many such lists that seem to be appearing with greater frequency. Few seem to be well researched or written by anyone with knowledge of automotive history or facts. I simply ignore them and as such will not add any comments regarding their choices (though they/he/she missed most of the obvious ones).

[R Walling]

Some of them may be ugly, but to put my Elcamino on the top of the list is just plain sacrilege!

[Shop Rat]

Peter beat me to it. I was coming on here to post the link to the story. I found it by accident looking for another automotive story I had seen about buying a used car.

How funny that someone thinks they are ugly enough to write an article about, yet I know that there are folks that love these very same vehicles and bring them to shows. Someone needs to send the writer of the article some photos of those cars with their AACA winner badges on them. :cool:

[Dave@Moon]

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/10/1028_50_ugliest_cars_of_past_50_years/1.htm

The link to the "50 ugliest cars of the last 50 years" is even sillier. I generally don't mind these lists. No one ever agrees with them except the person who makes them, but this one seriously appears to be picked from a dart board.

There are some cars here who's appearance I've never heard criticized. The Pinto? The Chevette? The PT Cruiser? The VW New Beetle? The Chevy SSR? (Some may be very imperfect cars, but ugly?) Even the El Camino, which is disparaged as getting uglier with every new model, seems WAY out of place on this list. Personally I find the 1968/69 El Camino to be one of Chevy's finest moments in design, and that's saying something!

Has this person ever seen a 1975 Pontiac Phoenix? A Daimler SP2500? A 1980 Dodge Aspen? A 1965 Chevy Van?

You don't even have to look beyond the very brochures these cars were in to question the choices. How in the world did a Mustang II make the list over an LTD II? A Gremlin over a 1974 Matador? The Prius over the Echo? The BRAT over anything else Subaru has EVER MADE?

Like I said I usually enjoy these lists. But if they were all this bad no one would read any of them.

Edited November 3, 2009 by Dave@Moon
fixed link (see edit history)

[Guest DeSoto Frank]

I'm surprised the Pontiac "Aztek" didn' t make this list; IMHO, the "Aztek" is one of the most hideous vehicles I've seen, from ANY era... :eek:

They seemed to sell plenty ( too many?) of them though... :confused:

I rather like the Citroen "Ami" ( white car at the top of the article); it has a neat "swept-back" look... certainly more spiffy than the Renault Dauphine of the same era...

Edited November 3, 2009 by DeSoto Frank (see edit history)

[TG57Roadmaster]

Put the Citroen Ami 6 at the top of my list, too; thought it was butt-ugly

when I first saw one in Paris in 1970, still do...

I'd love to have one!

TG

PS, Ditto on the Aztek.

[Amphicar BUYER]

I find this to be just another of the many such lists that seem to be appearing with greater frequency. Few seem to be well researched or written by anyone with knowledge of automotive history or facts. I simply ignore them and as such will not add any comments regarding their choices (though they/he/she missed most of the obvious ones).

How do you research opinions? Anything on a list that starts out "what do you think..." such as this would be subjective at best. So have fun with it and don't be so negative. It's just an opinion and the only opinion here that matters is not weather or not you like the subject matter, it's about what you feel is an ugly car.

Now back to our program...

I still think the Pontiac Aztec is a horribly designed car (maybe the worst of the last 20 years, IMNSHO) while the Amphicar (OK, I'm biased!) was voted as the "worst car" cover car in a book on the world's worst cars (SWEET!), and they also have been voted "ugliest" cars in several polls I've seen. I personally think they have a cuteness about them. Looking head on, they actually have a happy "face" that makes people smile.

Studebaker trucks are famous for the bed that doesn't go with the cab, toyota's newer pickups with that huge chrome grill surround are just the epitome of ugly! I don't like the canted headlights of the GM trucks either.

[Dave@Moon]

I'm surprised the Pontiac "Aztek" didn' t make this list; IMHO, the "Aztek" is one of the most hideous vehicles I've seen, from ANY era... :eek:

They seemed to sell plenty ( too many?) of them though... :confused:

Shockingly the Aztec is on the "50 Worst" list. Given some of the choices made here I'm surprised (seriously) they didn't pick the last GTO instead. It would be more in line with the (in my view warped) criteria apparently used here.

[Guest DeSoto Frank]

Whoops ! How'd I miss the Aztek ???

After some second glances, I like the S-car-Go (it's "fun"...), and I don't know what the problem is with the Suzuki X-90... it's an honest to goodness "coupe"...

( different silhouette from sedan, no back seat )

"Ugly is in the eye of the beholder", but "hideous is forever"...

Some folks are still debating whether the '61-'63 "bread-box" Rambler American is "cute" or "ugly" or "ugly-cute"...

I'll leave that question to the "aesthetes" - I'm too busy enjoying my Rambler. :cool:

[Guest Skyking]

These are no different than movie reviews...........just someone's opinion.

[stock_steve]

...Studebaker trucks are famous for the bed that doesn't go with the cab, toyota's newer pickups with that huge chrome grill surround are just the epitome of ugly! I don't like the canted headlights of the GM trucks either.

I agree with all of the above.

Some other "awkward" (ugly seems too subjective a term) current-era cars I can think of include the original Nissan Versa (though they've recently come out with a 4-door with a bustle trunk that seems to improve the looks a bit), any Scion except the tC (which is rather attractive by contrast), the Kia Soul (which almost seems to be suggesting a new school of thought where awkward looking is actually a positive thing)--and the Nissan Cube too (obviously).

Sorry, Ford, the Flex is awkward-looking!

I confess that I used to think that the original Subaru Foresters were awkward-looking...until the the big dumb bloated-looking current model came out--and so now I kinda think the original Foresters look purposeful and functional...

Those are the ones that spring quickly to mind--more to come if I can manage...

[stealthbob]

In order for me....from ugly to fugly:

I guess its all opinion and subjective.....my brother hates the 54 Buick's because he says they all look so sad.

:shrugg:

[earl e rizer]

Just remember, it's a list compiled by... a "Yahoo". Enough said.

[Dave@Moon]

Just remember, it's a list compiled by... a "Yahoo". Enough said.

Sadly, the list was compiled by a "design and innovation" staff writer at Business Week magazine. Yahoo just linked it.

[Shop Rat]

I think that little red X-90 is cute. It remindes me of the "Penny Racers" that my now thirty-seven year-old step-son loved to play with when he was a kid. I wouldn't want to have a wreck in one, but I do think they are far from ugly.

Bill agrees that the Azteks are just wrong on so many levels. :eek:

We have a 2003 PT Cruiser and we love it. My mom and dad bought one a year later. You can't go a mile without seeing at least one of them. That writer might think they are ugly......but they sell like hotcakes.

I actually bought the Radio Shack Zip Zap PT before we got the real one. :cool:

Edited November 4, 2009 by Shop Rat (see edit history)

[CarlLaFong]

Studebaker trucks are famous for the bed that doesn't go with the cab, toyota's newer pickups with that huge chrome grill surround are just the epitome of ugly! I don't like the canted headlights of the GM trucks either.

On the later Stude Champs, the bed didn't go with the cab for a reason. Stude couldn't afford to come up with a stylish, modern bed, so they bought 'em from Dodge.

[stealthbob]

Well if your talking trucks...

layers of plastic and disjointed angles....no good as a pickup and lacking as a SUV

Some people must like them though...see them everywhere.

[Guest DeSoto Frank]

These "carucks" or "trars" baffle me... that there's a market for them further baffles me.

A testament to the power of MadisonAv, I suppose.

"Hey, it's an uncomfortable sedan, AND, it's a uselessly small truck ! "

At any rate, they are quite ugly, in my opinion - be they GM, Ford, Subaru, Honda...

Barnum is still right, a century after his passing.

[Dave@Moon]

These "carucks" or "trars" baffle me... that there's a market for them further baffles me.

It's pretty basic. Not everybody who needs a hauler needs it for 3/4 of a ton of stuff.

I had a BRAT for 3 years. It was the perfect vehicle for a rural PA environmental inspector. I could carry all my equipment and samples securely (it had a cap), drive an economical car that got up to 30 mpg that would fit anywhere and still had 4WD, and sit in a comfortable cab in a complete separate air mass from the (frequently highly contaminated) soil/water samples I collected and the equipment and preservatives that I used to collect them. I could just as well have needed it to haul hay bales to a corral, or to make parts runs for a garage.

I replaced the BRAT first with a Mitsubishi truck and then (after quitting the inspector job) a Ranger. It was these vehicles (S10, Tacoma, B2000, etc.) that killed the car bodied trucks. They did it by having similar economy of operation and utility, but @ cheaper purchase price. For a homeowner who only needs to haul the occasional piece of furniture or washing machine, these things do just fine without massive gasoline bills. If the Datsun/Toyota/Chevy Luv/Ford Courier class of truck hadn't come along there probably would still be car-based pickups roaming the U.S.

I (for one) miss them.

[Guest Skyking]

I think the El Camino was the perfect vehicle. I used to have a 1987, the last year they were made. It was a car & truck altogether with style. I don't care what the author says..............:confused:

[Guest DeSoto Frank]

Dave,

I agree with your statement "not everyone needs a hauler for 3/4 ton of stuff"...

I also agree with the thrifty aspects of the original BRAT, Ford Courier, Chevy LUV and related pick-ups.

The vehicles I take bafflement with are monstrosities like the Chevy Avalanche (and its GMC & Caddy twins), and such... can't imagine those being economy champs like the BRAT...

The BRAT was actually a pretty cool vehicle when it came out - a mini-truck/car that offered 4WD... nobody else had anything like it. Biggest problems I remember about them plagued all Subarus of that era: poor corrosion resistance, and an engine noise that resembled a main-bearing knock ( apparently not a life-threatening issue, but a pesky noise)

Probably the least ridiculous iteration of the car/truck would be Subaru's offering, based on the Forester (?) - esentially a Standard Subaru wagon with an abbreviated roofline.

Again, my opinions...

There have been periods of my life when I've been without a "Real" pick-up truck, and I've regretted it each time. I have also found that a pick-up with a full eight-ft box worlks best for me... no "short-boxes", thank you.

[Dave@Moon]

The vehicles I take bafflement with are monstrosities like the Chevy Avalanche (and its GMC & Caddy twins), and such... can't imagine those being economy champs like the BRAT...

"Monstrosities" is the most appropriate word you could have chosen for Avalanche, and to a slightly lesser extent the Honda Ridgeline copy of the Avalanche. They exist for one reason, to give "truck people" an excuse to drive a 4 door sedan without suffering the indignity and embarrassment of actually touching or getting in an actual "car" (italics used to imply a disdainful tone).

There is the half-hearted excuse that the Avalanche can be converted into an 8' bed by folding the "mid-gate". They've been on the road for 6+ years now, and I've yet to see even one so converted. (And there are 2 of them on my street.) There's no end of baby seats belted into the back seat of the one's I see on the road, however.

I did see someone towing a boat with an Avalanche, once.

Basically there are some people who just aren't happy unless they're getting less than 14 mpg, and who take a perverse pleasure in excess. That's who these vehicles were for. Thank goodness that they'll be history in 3-5 years max as CAFE standards increase.

[MCHinson]

I feel compelled to defend the Avalanche. The later models don't look too bad to me. The Honda Ridgeline does looks strange to me.

I have a friend who has an Avalanche. He loves it. It is designed for the market segment who wants a luxurious (think Cadillac of the 70's or 80's plush interior) vehicle, excellent driving, filled with options, latest electronics, can carry the occasional small load in the bed outside of the passenger compartment, and needs to tow a trailer (usually a boat) on the weekends. The cargo compartment on his Avalanche has a hard lockable cover. It is a very nice vehicle.

I have a Chevrolet Tahoe, because I need to carry a family of 4 and have to be able to carry all of our stuff and pull a car hauler long distances to shows. It is very similar to the Avalanche, except I have to put a tarp in the back if I want to carry something dirty, while my friend can just throw that kind of stuff in the back because it is not inside the passenger compartment and not carpeted.

If you want a nice vehicle to carry 4 people and their stuff and need to tow a heavy trailer, either of those vehicles can do the job with style.

Last year, we had to travel out of state for one of our officer's funerals, The Avalanche also proved quite capable of carrying a small Bagpipe Band contingent. We took two pipers, a bass drummer, a snare drummer, along with all of the pipes and drums and uniforms and luggage and computers and paraphernalia for a week from NC to Pennsylvania and a sidetrip to New York City and traveled comfortably. There are a very limited number of vehicles on the market that can carry 4 cops, two sets of bagpipes, a bass drum (those are not small), a snare drum (also bulky), uniforms, luggage, and all of the necessary stuff for a long trip. There are all types of vehicles because there are all types of needs. I can't imagine any vehicle that I would have preferred over that Avalanche for that trip, unless it was perhaps a Chevy Suburban or Tahoe.

[Dave@Moon]

I can't imagine any vehicle that I would have preferred over that Avalanche for that trip, unless it was perhaps a Chevy Suburban or Tahoe.

The Chevy Avalanche is rated for 14/20 mpg by the EPA in it's most fuel efficient form. The Dodge Sprinter is way more than twice as big as the Avalanche, and is EPA rated 26/30 mpg. The Sprinter's maximum payload is more than twice as much as the Avalanche with almost exactly the same tow rating.

They're very close in price as well, with the Avalanche available for somewhat less than the Sprinter but frequently optioned for more than the Sprinter.

The four of you could have slept on separate benches all the way with more room for your stuff, and saved over 50% on fuel.

Of course the Sprinter doesn't win any beauty awards either!

Edited November 7, 2009 by Dave@Moon
Added price information. (see edit history)

[MCHinson]

And I don't think he and his wife would enjoy the Sprinter as their weekend boat towing vehicle. Plus, I don't think it reasonable to ask him to trade in the Avalanche that he owns and loves for a slightly newer uglier van that has no cargo area for those dirty things that he can throw in the back of the Avalanche.

Here in my town, between 5 to 10 miles from the ocean and even closer to the River, most of the Avalanches and Tahoes actually DO tow boats on the weekends.

[Lawteachr]

1961 Plymouth (Full Size)

[Guest DeSoto Frank]

1961 Plymouth (Full Size)

Ooooh... them's fightin' words !

My dear departed '61 Plymouth Belvedere 4-door was one of my favorite cars ever... can't say it was a "pretty"car, but it sure was neat ( funky )...

[Dave@Moon]

Ooooh... them's fightin' words !

My dear departed '61 Plymouth Belvedere 4-door was one of my favorite cars ever... can't say it was a "pretty"car, but it sure was neat ( funky )...

My college dorm room had a wall made of cork board for posters, notices, etc. I used mine to make a collage of old car photos from a bunch of Old Cars magazines, one of which was a red '61 Fury convertible.

My roommate, who was a big Mopar geek and who owned a Challenger R/T, asked me (seriously): "What did it hit?"

You can't make that kind of stuff up!

[Guest DeSoto Frank]

My college dorm room had a wall made of cork board for posters, notices, etc. I used mine to make a collage of old car photos from a bunch of Old Cars magazines, one of which was a red '61 Fury convertible.

My roommate, who was a big Mopar geek and who owned a Challenger R/T, asked me (seriously): "What did it hit?"

You can't make that kind of stuff up!

Well, it's kind of like an English bull-dog; probably won't win any beauty contests, but to own one is to love one !

If I were going to wish for another, it would probably be a '61 Fury 2 dr HT...

( sigh )

There's a lovely '61 Plymouth wagon (white w/ turquoise) that comes to Macungie every year.

[Dick380185]

First of all, I don't drive ugly vehicles. My present truck, I'm proud to say is a very handsome new TOYOTA TUNDRA. And to those of you who think they are less than good-looking, should drive one.....The joke is on you!

NOW for some REAL ugly in no particular order:

1. '57 Ford Retractables (rear end out of proportion with rest of vehicle--Looks like a flower car.)

2. Aztec.

3. Honda Ridgeline ( I'm sure they drive nicely. Honest, I tried to like them. There's no way you can make them look nice.)

4. Avalanche (First generation)

5. Lamborghini Countach

6. Fraziers

7. Nissan trucks with the thick black plastic-clad wheel openings (Ugh!)

8. '61 DeSoto (But I love DeSotos.)

9. The last few Packards ('57-58?)

10. Smart Car

[Shop Rat]

.....10. Smart Car

Come on, how can you say a Smart Car is ugly? They're cute. I saw this one at Hershey this year. It even comes with a backup system for if you run out of gas. Just wind the key and off you go.

[stock_steve]

NOW for some REAL ugly in no particular order:

.

.

.

4. Avalanche (First generation)

And then there's the "Junior Avalanche" (a.k.a. the Subaru Baja)--smaller and weirder yet:

[john2dameron]

All right! I was not going to get involved in this thread but I'm giving in. The absolute ugliest vehicle of all time is the Aztec. Too bad if Pontiac was going to die it did not die before it stained its reputation forever. Another why did they build it is the Chevy Avalanche. Trucks do not have to be that ugly, period. One of the ugliest small cars ever (until the Smart Car came along) was the Nissan Pulsar. UGH. And apparently who ever coined the PT Cruiser thought there was a large market for hearses for little people. As for the Subaru Baja, the worst thing about it is not that it's ungly but that it has so little passenger room, front or back seat. By the way the Brat had the same problem. You could not drive it if you wore anything bigger than a size 5 shoe and I guess every American male is better endowed than that. Also, don't forget those square Honda and Toyota/Scion vans. Ugly, Ugly, Ugly!

Two others I don't want to skip although they are slightly out of the 50 year bracket are the Packardbakers and the awful 57-58 Studebaker sedans. That 57-58 Studebaker is the ugliest full-size passenger car ever built and the only contender that could come anywhere close to defeating the Aztec for the title of the ugliest, not the awkwardest but the ugliest, vehicle ever built.

[keiser31]

Aztec....they're even ugly from a mile away. It's like it fell out of the "ugly tree" and hit every branch on the way down. No offense to their owners (since they did not design it).

[LINC400]

I think most of these lists are compiled by people that are completely clueless about cars. They probably look at a coffee table book with pictures, and make their list by their own personal tastes without any knowledge whatsoever.

In addition, any design that is different will have people that love it, and people that hate it. I applaud any efforts at different design, whether I personally like it or not. It takes a lot more courage to do something different than to copy the same bland design as everyone else. For that reason alone, I do not think a Pontiac Aztek belongs on any ugly list, even though I do not personally care for them. What is ugly is a 1957 Hudson or 1958 Packard Hawk. They took perfectly good designs from Nash and Studebaker, and in attempt to make them not recognizeable from their origin (which they didn't accomplish), made them way more hideous.

Edited November 12, 2009 by LINC400 (see edit history)

[Guest fatboybeanbags]

My own preferences are

Smart Cars, Fraziers and Packards

Can't say I am mad about any of these.

But I entirely understand why others may like these and have a different selection of their own ugly cars.

[Dandy Dave]

Why is it that some cars still look good in rust, while others are just plain ugly even when painted...:eek:...:confused:...Ohhh.. Nevermind.... Dandy Dave!

[Guest Skyking]

First of all, I don't drive ugly vehicles. My present truck, I'm proud to say is a very handsome new TOYOTA TUNDRA.

A while ago I was driving behind one of those and noticed a huge dent in the tailgate. I said to myself, gee, a brand new truck and the guy already got hit!

Later on I found out they are all that way................who came up with that design............??:eek: