Auto Crap Touted by Mags

[tmcafe]

Not the first time nor the last, I'm sure:

Worst Bests

It would be interesting to see a bike mag do the same about their (and others') bests.

[DeBenGuzzi]

great story, ever mag does the best of and half of it is horse manure, I would like to see these for everything, cigars, motorcycles, resorts, guns, night clubs, you name it all kinds of crap gets good reviews and best of's because they buy ads plain and simple. I try to get a good value and something that turns my crank, not some wanker reporter getting kickbacks for tarting up a polished turd.

[roberto tenni]

Not the first time nor the last, I'm sure:

Worst Bests

It would be interesting to see a bike mag do the same about their (and others') bests.

 

They're all American.

[macguzzi]

I wonder why they can't sell all those cars in motortown!

[Ralph Werner]

I wonder why they can't sell all those cars in motortown!

 

It's probably because they need better advertising.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dan M]

They're all American.

 

Huh? Renault? Merkur? Last I checked Catera was an Opel...

 

I'm not a great fan of American cars and I like the fact the magazine apologized for naming those listed as best to begin with because they were all busts. But had they named some other euro cars I've witnessed over the years they would probably have sent letters of apology to subscribers. Any other Renault, most 1980s era Fiats and Peugeots... I'm sure there is more surpressed in my memory but I don't want the nightmares to start again.

[Guzzi2Go]

Without Yugo, Wartburg and Trabant the competition is simply not serious.

 

Amateurs!

[tmcafe]

Without Yugo, Wartburg and Trabant the competition is simply not serious.

 

Amateurs!

Uhh....nobody ever picked those as "best". But seriously, the more time goes by, the more endearing, if not fascinating, some of the famous lemons become. Just do a search for Wartburg 313. And with the stroker engine and rarity, I'm sure it's a pretty nice collectible.

[felix42o]

Most of the autos of the era were in pretty bad shape regardless of country of origin. Although not on the list, the Cadillac Cimmaron, Hyundai anything, Dodge Aries (although the 'K' car probably saved Chrysler, as far as it goes) and Mitsubishi Cordia seemed particularly awful. The Chevy 'X' Cars mentioned (Citation, Skylark, etc) that the auto mags tested wasn't the same car that made production lines IIRC. Bean counters and ill-fated budget cuts (along with dismal QA processes) apparently ruined what was an otherwise decent car at press time. Seems like we're only now in the last 3-4 years really coming out of the dark ages.

[Guzzi2Go]

Uhh....nobody ever picked those as "best".

I'd argue about "nobody"...

 

...but I will not.

[roberto tenni]

Huh? Renault? Merkur? Last I checked Catera was an Opel...

 

I'm not a great fan of American cars and I like the fact the magazine apologized for naming those listed as best to begin with because they were all busts. But had they named some other euro cars I've witnessed over the years they would probably have sent letters of apology to subscribers. Any other Renault, most 1980s era Fiats and Peugeots... I'm sure there is more surpressed in my memory but I don't want the nightmares to start again.

 

The Renault Alliance is a subcompact automobile that was built and marketed in North America by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) through its partnership with its majority owner Renault between 1982 and 1987, when the Chrysler Corporation acquired AMC.

 

So Cadillac looked at GM’s international portfolio of products, came across the rear-drive Opel Omega MV6 that was then being built in Germany (perfect!), and decided that, with a little bit of redecoration and a name change to Catera, it would make a great Cadillac.

 

Merkur?

[Dan M]

The Renault Alliance is a subcompact automobile that was built and marketed in North America by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) through its partnership with its majority owner Renault between 1982 and 1987, when the Chrysler Corporation acquired AMC.

 

So Cadillac looked at GM’s international portfolio of products, came across the rear-drive Opel Omega MV6 that was then being built in Germany (perfect!), and decided that, with a little bit of redecoration and a name change to Catera, it would make a great Cadillac.

 

Merkur?

 

You are right the Alliance was assembled in Kenosha Wisconsin by the ill fated AMC. It was a Renault though. The American version of the Renault 9.

It is fitting that the "Alliance" was struck with AMC. They never really produced anything spectacular. In their later years, they were often a jumble of parts supplied by the other manufacturers. Usually a bad mix as it appeared they were always buying from the lowest bidder, and assembled a broken down aging facility. (Hmm, sounds like a motorcycle factory I've heard of) AMC as a brand were known here as "Kenosha Vibrators"

 

The Merkur was a Ford product that was built by Karmann in Germany.

[tmcafe]

I'd argue about "nobody"...

 

...but I will not.

Whaddaya mean? Were they really named "bests" by some mag? Curious...