Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

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spiderrey
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Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by spiderrey »

Due to rust and no gonads.
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Europa
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Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by Europa »

Rey, by whom?
1983 Spidereuropa
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wachuko
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Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by wachuko »

Europa wrote:Rey, by whom?
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/slidesho ... t%20Strada
Fiat Strada

Warnings were issued regarding service issues for the Strada (known internationally as the Ritmo) before it even hit the streets in 1978. It was riddled with rust — floors, engine mounts and suspension were all susceptible to premature oxidization. Coupled with the fact that it was a real slug — it maxed out at 75 horsepower — it's no wonder the Strada helped hasten the fall of the Fiat brand in the U.S. Lawsuits regarding the rust pushed the Italian carmaker from the American market. The Strada also managed to give robots a bad name: It was the first car built exclusively using robots.
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Wachuko

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maytag
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Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by maytag »

huh.....
I've owned like, HALF of those cars!

And I'd still give my left *&% for that corvair pictured!
I'm no Boy-Racer..... but if I can't take every on-ramp at TWICE the posted limit.... I'm a total failure!
fiatS2000

Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by fiatS2000 »

I still miss my 84 Indy 500 Fiero that they showed in the picture. All I have left from that car are the seats(they are in one of my spiders). I did manage to catch it on fire once, but that was my fault, I don't remember what I did, but it involved the alternator. I had to chose between new tires or paying the registration, so the police decided i didn't need to own it anymore. :(
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maytag
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Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by maytag »

I can't believe the VW Beetle didn't make the list.

I've owned three air-cooled VW's in my lifetime. Every one of them burned-up in seperate fires. they all remind me of this quote:
monty-python wrote:When I first came here, this was all swamp. Everyone said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built in all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp
I'm no Boy-Racer..... but if I can't take every on-ramp at TWICE the posted limit.... I'm a total failure!
So Cal Mark

Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by So Cal Mark »

my list would be a little different and definitely would include the Chrysler K car, the Chevrolet Citation, the AMC Pacer amongst others
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Snoopy
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Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by Snoopy »

The first Ritmos / Stradas were very bad. But the later models are much better.
The Ritmo Abarth 130TC is a nice car... :)
CS0 2000 f.i. 79, Abarth 500C 595 2013, Ford C-MAX 1.0 Ecoboost 2015
katsi

Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by katsi »

maytag wrote:And I'd still give my left *&% for that corvair pictured!
Agreed. Maybe it was not safe at any speed but it sure was one of the coolest cars ever made.
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spidernut
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Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by spidernut »

I looked at a Strada in 81 out of curiosity when I bought my Spider new. I hated it. It was ugly and cheap. I couldn't figure out how Fiat could make the X19 and the Spider, yet make that beast.

Quite a list of worst cars. I owned two 73 Pintos (I could get first, second and third gear scratch in one of them) and still got 36 mpg and a 75 Pinto (the worst of the three). Pintos got a bad reputation for the exploding problem. It required you to back into a solid concrete wall at 35 mph to make it explode. I don't have a habit of doing that. It took a rear end collision by another vehicle going 50mph + to cause it to explode. I saw the damage and you'd not want to live through that wreck either.

My mom had a 65 Corvair Corsa. It was an odd, quirky vehicle with the strangest fan blade cooler belt that you could imagine. It must have been 8 feet long stretched out. It was actually pretty quick. I raced a Porsche 924 (not exactly a powerhouse either) around Lake Tahoe on some winding roads. He was pissed that I could keep up with him all the way.

A friend's dad and a college classmate owned a Vega. What a pile of junk that thing was. Diana's used three quarts of oil driving about three hours from her home town to the college campus. If I recall right, it had under 70,000 miles at the time.

I think they forgot several of the worst cars ever built:

Renault Le Car Image

Renault Alliance Image

AMC Matador Image

AMC Pacer Image

Ford Cortina Image
John G.
1979 Spider (Owned since 2000)
1971 124 Sport Spider (Owned since 2017)
1977 Spider (Sold 2017)
1979 Spider (Disposed of in 2017)
1979 Spider (Sold 2015)
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So Cal Mark

Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by So Cal Mark »

Cortina? those were cool cars. I had a cheap one I bought for $200 and autocrossed it for awhile. The Vegas were okay if you sleeved the block.
amsiegel

Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by amsiegel »

Check out Time Life 50 Worse cars of all time

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packa ... 45,00.html
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spidernut
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Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by spidernut »

I realized that they missed another real automotive beauty:

Chevy Lumina APV

The extremely large, long and sloped windshield and the resultant long distance to the base of the windshield when sitting in the drivers seat made for a disconcerting driving experience until a person could adjust to the "different" proportions. Automotive magazines christened the new minivans "dustbusters" after a household vacuum cleaning appliance that shared a similar side profile.

A coworker who is an ASE certified GM mechanic had one that he bought new...a total piece of junk through and through and possibly the ugliest minivan in US history.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... na-APV.jpg
John G.
1979 Spider (Owned since 2000)
1971 124 Sport Spider (Owned since 2017)
1977 Spider (Sold 2017)
1979 Spider (Disposed of in 2017)
1979 Spider (Sold 2015)
1980 Spider (Sold in 2013)
1981 Spider (Sold in 1985)
2017 Spider (Owned since 2019)
mdrburchette
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Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by mdrburchette »

I had forgotten all about the Renault LeCar! I used to do the warranty claims for a Renault dealership back in the early 80s and can attest to the fact the Alliance was cheaply built. I did enjoy driving a Fuego while my TR7 was being repaired. In fact, I drove that Fuego more than my TR that year. :cry:
1972 124 Spider (Don)
1971 124 Spider (Juan)
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spiderrey
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Re: Strada just mamed as one of the worst cars ever.

Post by spiderrey »

In Los Angeles there was a mayor named Bradly. We hung out with his secretarys son. He had a tr7, his mom bought it. He was one of the most spoiled and irresponsible kids in our group. He talked alot of smack about his new tr7. So I set up a race with him and blew his doors off with my 2 liter , twin carbed 71 spider. He didnt talk about thew car much after that. i think he eventually blew it up.
Cars I like , pacer, vega, pinto, Lecar turbo.
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