Topic: Cars to Avoid!!

OK, lots of ideas on what makes a great car for Lemons, lots of bad ideas on what car to win the IOE with.  But what cars are just bad all around?  Look good on paper, work bad on track??

I'll start things off by nominating The 3rd Gen Camaro.

Team Sucker Punch: Winner Class B Doing Time at Joliet 2023 Autobahn ,Winner Org Choice award Were the Elite Meet to Cheat 2015
Chevy Camaro (Tiger striped #38)  (1989-2017 RIP old friend)
Chevy Corvette 1984......and still racing!

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

Tiptoe the rat wrote:

OK, lots of ideas on what makes a great car for Lemons, lots of bad ideas on what car to win the IOE with.  But what cars are just bad all around?  Look good on paper, work bad on track??

I'll start things off by nominating The 3rd Gen Camaro.

Anything that ends with Z or ZX

"This is the scene where I get shot," Bronson said. "I have these little squibs that explode to make it look like bullets are hitting." "Fascinating," said Bergman. "I never knew how they did that." "You mean," asked Bronson, "you don't use machine guns in your movies?"

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

FWD Celicas have a pretty sucky Lemons history (yes, with a few exceptions, Spinetti).

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

Saabs are pretty terrible.

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

MurileeMartin wrote:

Saabs are pretty terrible.

Also, Saabs are pretty terrible.

"This is the scene where I get shot," Bronson said. "I have these little squibs that explode to make it look like bullets are hitting." "Fascinating," said Bergman. "I never knew how they did that." "You mean," asked Bronson, "you don't use machine guns in your movies?"

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

Oh, and Audis are absolutely horrendous.

"This is the scene where I get shot," Bronson said. "I have these little squibs that explode to make it look like bullets are hitting." "Fascinating," said Bergman. "I never knew how they did that." "You mean," asked Bronson, "you don't use machine guns in your movies?"

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

Hondas and Acuras can do pretty well... but >50% will blow a head gasket. I'd say the majority of teams performing 4+ hour repairs during a race will have Hondas.

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

However, as far as we know Renaults are 100% bulletproof at Lemons! Not only that, Maseratis always finish the race (based on a sample size of one Biturbo, driven by Christine The Arc Angel among others, at the first-ever Altamont race).

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

Fiero-bodied Ferrari 308s are also spectacular Lemons cars.

"This is the scene where I get shot," Bronson said. "I have these little squibs that explode to make it look like bullets are hitting." "Fascinating," said Bergman. "I never knew how they did that." "You mean," asked Bronson, "you don't use machine guns in your movies?"

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

Ford LTD's are good lemon's cars, so are 1974 caprice classic's.

If foaming occurs, pull relief.

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

What the Judges did bring up the dreaded.  E  30  BMW..

I would of thought it be on the  " List"

EuroTrash E30 - Lemons South 08 (cooling probs) 24th /CMP  Spring 09 (fuel tank damage) one day on track 69th /Lemons South 09 (Hit by an Escort) 27th
MSR Tx, 10 2oth, no issues other than rain. /CHump Homestead Miami 10- 2nd place.

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

Judge Jonny wrote:
MurileeMartin wrote:

Saabs are pretty terrible.

Also, Saabs are pretty terrible.

Damn!  Going to have to rethink our strategy...

Team Cougar Bait

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

Lada has to be up there....chassis like a 3/4 ton truck, super simple and beefy mechanicals, yet horrible reliability. Get an early model, say 79 or 80 and you can start the engine with the supplied crank handle, telling you something about the electrics...

Jim "Endo" Anderton
30 years of racing and still not Brambilla.....

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

MurileeMartin wrote:

FWD Celicas have a pretty sucky Lemons history (yes, with a few exceptions, Spinetti).

smile

Now you've cursed me!

"Don't mess with Lexas!" LS400. We survived another one! See website link for build details.
Maker of the "unofficial Lemons fish!" - If you ask nice, I'll likely give you one at the track.

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

Judge Jonny wrote:

Anything that ends with Z or ZX

What!  The nerve.......  I can't believe your gonna diss us like that...........  Did you forget about our 4th place........

Aw, who am I kidding.  Who knows how many more laps we could have gone before – Bam!

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

I'm gonna also say the FWD Mopars that are not Neons.

Team Sucker Punch: Winner Class B Doing Time at Joliet 2023 Autobahn ,Winner Org Choice award Were the Elite Meet to Cheat 2015
Chevy Camaro (Tiger striped #38)  (1989-2017 RIP old friend)
Chevy Corvette 1984......and still racing!

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

Spinnetti wrote:
MurileeMartin wrote:

FWD Celicas have a pretty sucky Lemons history (yes, with a few exceptions, Spinetti).

smile

Now you've cursed me!

Yeah, no kidding.

Bloomington, IN
We'll bring Beer!  Motorsports
Team Fiery Death! #0 2009 Lamest Day(65th), 2010 American Irony(24th), 2010 Detroit Bull(4th),2012 Capitol Offense (8th) 2012 American Irony (11 th), 2013 Capitol Offense (3rd) 2013 Chubba Chedder (4th, Judge Choice!) Now sadly part of a scrap pile. 
Toothless Racing Deadbeats #110 2011 Summit Point (61st) Currently being rebuilt into the new car!

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

jimeditorial wrote:

Lada has to be up there....chassis like a 3/4 ton truck, super simple and beefy mechanicals, yet horrible reliability. Get an early model, say 79 or 80 and you can start the engine with the supplied crank handle, telling you something about the electrics...

Uh, the request was for cars that are "good on paper."

A while back I would have said Porsche 944, but those guys seem to be turning things around!

Fieros are hella terrible. Also might not fall into the "good on paper" category.

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

BlackSheep1 wrote:
Judge Jonny wrote:

Anything that ends with Z or ZX

What!  The nerve.......  I can't believe your gonna diss us like that...........  Did you forget about our 4th place........

Aw, who am I kidding.  Who knows how many more laps we could have gone before – Bam!

Zs mostly don't fail with a "Bam!" More like a "clank clank clank CLANK CLANK CLANK... hsssssssssssss!"

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

I'd say the Nissan Z/ZX is the all-time "good on paper, terrible in reality" Lemons car, followed by the Camaro.

How about "bad on paper, good in reality" cars? The Saturn SL and Ford Escort certainly qualify. We've seen two apiece Fiats and MGBs, and they've all finished the race.

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

MurileeMartin wrote:

I'd say the Nissan Z/ZX is the all-time "good on paper, terrible in reality" Lemons car, followed by the Camaro.

How about "bad on paper, good in reality" cars? The Saturn SL and Ford Escort certainly qualify. We've seen two apiece Fiats and MGBs, and they've all finished the race.

glad we have a firebird and not a camaro then...lol

if an escort is good, would that translate to a fiesta since it replaced the fiesta...i hope so, since i'm gonna try to get one together for next year

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

I'm kinda pokinf fun at myself here since we have a Camaro.  The forecast for Nelson Ledges is supposed to be very cool temps.  So maybe...just maybe I can keep ours from getting to hot under the collar.

Team Sucker Punch: Winner Class B Doing Time at Joliet 2023 Autobahn ,Winner Org Choice award Were the Elite Meet to Cheat 2015
Chevy Camaro (Tiger striped #38)  (1989-2017 RIP old friend)
Chevy Corvette 1984......and still racing!

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

Nick_LeMonsHQ wrote:
jimeditorial wrote:

Lada has to be up there....chassis like a 3/4 ton truck, super simple and beefy mechanicals, yet horrible reliability. Get an early model, say 79 or 80 and you can start the engine with the supplied crank handle, telling you something about the electrics...

Uh, the request was for cars that are "good on paper."

A while back I would have said Porsche 944, but those guys seem to be turning things around!

Fieros are hella terrible. Also might not fall into the "good on paper" category.

Whaddaya mean? At Reno Team PontiHack had our Fiero running like a Swiss watch...

Jim "Endo" Anderton
30 years of racing and still not Brambilla.....

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

jimeditorial wrote:

Whaddaya mean? At Reno Team PontiHack had our Fiero running like a Swiss watch...

so it makes 2 laps a day?

Re: Cars to Avoid!!

The one Subaru SVX we've seen has been very, very terrible. I bet everyone on that team is a much, much more experienced mechanic than he was before deciding to LeMon-ize that car.