For all drivers, finding the right car to drive for the next eight or so years (and hopefully more) isn’t as easy as it once was. There was a time when vehicles were built to last for more than just a decade but starting in the eighties, car manufacturers started cutting considerable corners, rendering quite a few vehicles, well, cheap, if you will. Now, some of these vehicles lasted well if taken care of, but there were indeed a large number that were lemons right from the start.
For a few of us out there— those of us who spend our time refurbishing older classics that hail from an era in which the almighty vehicle was still stronger than the stuff of today—these vehicles that were delivered below our expectations do serve one purpose, at least. And that purpose would be: spare parts.
Let’s face it, car parts are definitely expensive, especially those that are brand new. But many mechanics out there trust used vehicles—and the cheaper the better—for sourcing certain parts, because no matter how terrible a car was, there has to be something useful left in that hunk of plastic and metal.
Indeed there is, and countless mechanics both recreational and professional have been savvy to the fact. The good thing about it is that a terrible car from the past won’t cost you an arm and a leg, if you have to pay any money for it at all.
Let’s take a look at some pretty terrible cars from the last four decades that are, at the very least, still good for parts.
24 PONTIAC GRAND AM
Well, the good old boys at Pontiac sure tried their best to put their best foot forward, at least for a few years there. But it's needless to say that a bunch of their cars definitely left many drivers and consumers wanting a little more—and in some cases, a lot more.
One failed attempt followed another as the girls and boys at Pontiac tried desperately to revive the strength that the company once showed with vehicles like the renowned GTO. But all of this was for naught, and instead, they kept giving the consumer cars like the Grand Am pictured here. But, if you savvy mechanics out there are in need of some parts, these cars are seriously cheap today, some listed as low as a few hundred bucks!
23 HONDA INSIGHT CVT
The Honda Insight has been in production since 1999, but we would have hoped that the designers would have had a little foresight to know that early models wouldn't exactly stand the test of time. Whether the newer models are any good remains to be seen, but the Insight pictured here is definitely a rare item, although not a very expensive one if you're looking for specific parts it may contain. To give anyone interested an idea how much an early model of this can go for, even 2010 examples are going for under five grand, so prospective buyers can get a 1999 model for far cheaper.
22 CHEVY AVEO
The Chevy Aveo, too, had its start at the turn of the 21st century. It debuted in 2002 and is still going pretty strong, despite some horrible reviews as far as quality and performance are concerned.
But the car is an example of Chevy trying too hard without trying at all.
If any mechanics out there are indeed looking for an engine, don't look anywhere near the Aveo, as its 1.2-liter engine is nothing to jump up and dance about, trust us. The interior and some of the exterior is comprised mostly of plastic, so don't look there either. Maybe the windshield wipers could be serviceable, if that.
21 FORD TEMPO
Ah yes! The Ford Tempo. Quite a few memories for your truly with this one, as it was, in fact, my very first car, way back when. I bought it used and for the most part, the vehicle was a lemon when I got ahold of it.
What fell apart first?
Seemingly the car caved all at once, but specifics were the alignment, the chassis, an incredible amount of rust, gearshift issues...and the list goes on. But for anyone interested, this little scrap of metal actually had a strong engine, so anyone interested in the engine can find one of these cars for about 1000 dollars or cheaper.
20 PONTIAC WAVE
And the list goes on, and of course, Pontiac makes another appearance. Really, there's no avoiding it. Anyone who has driven a Pontiac—a later Pontiac —knows full well that the cars had their fair share of problems. And the Wave pictured here is definitely one of the company's worst models.
Users reported a slew of problems including engine failure, ambient noises, and the list goes on. For spare parts, though, we're not sure if recommending any at all would be sound advice, but you're sure to find some of these at the scrap yard or at the used dealerships and well, if you can indeed find a useful part for your project, have at it.
19 SUBARU SVX
The SVX was a hot model when released back in 1992 and looked quite like the ideal two-door car for anyone wanting a sports car without having to pay those luxury prices.
Unfortunately, like many of the cars on this list, the SVX didn't live up to expectations and designs changed so much in the later 90s that the car did, indeed, pass out of favor.
However, the good thing about this car is that it was built by Subaru and the engine and a few other knick-knacks under the hood are built with good quality, so if this model can be found at a cheap price, it should be good for few parts.
18 HYUNDAI ELANTRA
Hyundai still hasn't gotten the picture. Hyundai keeps trying to build this car and now the 2019 model is out, and we're already hearing bad news. Since its inception back in 1990, a terrible reputation has followed this car like a bad smell.
We can applaud Hyundai's relentless trait of perseverance, but at the same time, they should know when to call it a day. If this vehicle is practically gifted to a potential buyer, and only then, should it be looked at for parts.
17 GM EV1
Looks familiar, doesn't it? The car looks very much like the Honda Insight we showed you earlier, and we can't get over how that whole covered portion of wheel was all the craze in the early 90s, and even the late 90s. This car in particular was released in 1997, but there's one glaring difference: this was an electric car.
Surprised?
GM actually released this car at the tail end of the last millennium, right about the time when Leonardo DiCaprio set sale on James Cameron's Titanic, to be exact, but the world wasn't ready. It had a slew of problems that turned most consumers off, but we do wonder if parts for this car would help to soup up, say, a Tesla nowadays? The car is rare indeed, but you'd be surprised what's at the back of some of these scrapyard lots.
16 FORD PROBE
Ford has indeed been responsible for some epic cars, but at the same time they have missed the mark quite a few times over the years. This car here isn't exactly an example of missing the mark entirely, but it wasn't up to some of Ford's standards at the time of its release. The car was actually a joint operation of Ford and Mazda (that happens often enough and did happen often enough over the years), and the V6 engine was probably the best part of this car. The style and shape of it sure weren't, especially at the time, which was also in 1992. Nowadays, this car too is quite cheap, mirroring the Tempo at around a grand or less.
15 FORD PINTO
Built in a generation when muscle was the most important factor in choosing a car, the Pinto definitely had a good run and was, in fact, quite successful at first.
But a barrage of problems brought the reputation of this car way, way down.
Perhaps nothing hurt this car more than the representation it received in literary master Stephen King's Cujo, essentially as a car that was more temperamental than the poor St. Bernard in that story. But the car sure had its problems except for in one area, specifically the body. So if you choose to soup up one of these, the body may serve you well should you be attacked by a rabid dog, but just change everything on the inside.
14 GEO METRO
This little car went into production back in 1989 and although it definitely describes the era quite nicely, especially in style, this car did not perform as well as GM would have hoped.
If any of you can believe it, this car actually had a three-cylinder engine!
By today's standards, that's essentially a joke. But even then, motorists found it as slow as molasses, which is definitely understandable. Furthermore, the interior parts of the car have also gone under fire, but they are definitely cheap when found, so they're potentially worth a look, after all.
13 TOYOTA ECHO
Here's where things seem to get a tad interesting. Although this car in its original factory state is very much frowned-upon, it has become quite the car to modify for those not able to spend a massive amount of money but want a decent car to race, or rather, show.
Most original parts are rather disappointing, but the Echo—particularly models from the early portion of the millennium—are rather fine for the novice street-racer or recreational mechanic. It's a good car to start out with and learn the trade. Besides, they're cheap and might end up winning you something, depending on what you get under the hood, that is.
12 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS SUPREME
Here we get into a little bit of nit-picking. Many will draw unfortunate conclusions when seeing this car on the list (and not nice ones, at that) but be warned, we're not at all referencing models from the 1970s. Like we said at the start of this article, the 70s were pretty much untouchable, as the era was defined by cars that were built to last, and the Cutlass from that era is definitely no different. But the moment we went from bell-bottom jeans to disco fever and tube socks, so did the quality of this car and any newer models.
However, the engine is definitely still something that can indeed be trusted, along with other parts from under the hood.
11 DODGE CALIBER
Well, to say that Dodge makes a fine vehicle is just common sense, as the company has brought us the Charger, the Challenger, and the Ram over the years, all of which were impeccable machines. But does this mean that the company hasn't had its fair share of misses? Absolutely not. Just like Ford, who thankfully gave us the Mustang, this company can play a bit of hit and miss every now and again, with the rest of the best of them. And, like Ford, should you find one of these from the early 2000s that are for sale say, under three Grand, we'd definitely check under the hood for parts if we were you.
10 CHEVY MONTE CARLO
Like the Cutlass, this car did represent a decent vehicle during its earliest moment in the sun. But like a raisin that wrinkles a tad too quickly, this car did not stand the test of time from model to model, of course.
But again—the theme is obviously getting quite apparent—the earlier models of this vehicle should bring you some decent parts.
And the good news is, although it's a relatively expensive car to get (the only exception on our list here today), it's a commonly found car at scrapyards across the United States. If this car is incomplete and missing parts, that's your best chance to haggle a decent price out of the scrapyard, as the parts here might serve you well in your current project.
9 FORD ESCORT
The Escort is a vehicle that has seen its fair share of designs. Like other cars from other companies, some of the models from the 1970s and 1980s resemble one another so little that you'd think it wasn't the same car at all. But there is one common thread between each of these models, the engine. It was quite the little engine that could and was always impressive by anyone's standards. So take a look if you find any particularly models from the late eighties, especially the hatchbacks. Usually priced used at a grand or less, you could do worse than a hatchback chassis and body for your next project.
8 DODGE COLT
Again, here is another example of a titan of a company providing the masses with a rather disappointing ride, and one that'll leave you frustrated and glad to be rid of it. If it wasn't the body, and the boring style, then it was the inner mechanisms—even simple ones like the seats and radios—that bugged out on this one. Yes, some of them lasted a while, but that's only because of the Dodge parts that'll be found under the hood. Some asking prices for these are ridiculous and not worth your time, but great deals can be found if you're that intent on using some parts for that rebuild of yours. Specifically, parts from under the hood could be salvageable.
7 PONTIAC SUNFIRE
Here comes yet another peek at the Pontiac of time gone past. The Sunfire is one of the only Pontiacs still seen out there on the roads. For the clientele that took care of this car, it was one of the only cars to show some of the old Pontiac flair and promise from days past.
But overall, if the car was beaten by terrible driving, then it didn't last five years.
But should you find one at say, under a thousand bucks, you could do worse than to check the engine or the neighborhood found in the front end of that vehicle.
6 CHEVY LUMINA
The minivan was probably just as bad, but the Lumina sedan from the early 90s was simply awful. Sorry, Chevy fans, but really? The Lumina? You're probably better investing in any car on this list, and that includes the Pontiac Wave, for crying out loud. The Lumina is an absolute waste of parts and we are at a loss to find anything at all that we can recommend taking from a used model, save maybe the wheels if they've got enough air in them. Oh yeah, and be sure to check for the spare and maybe the jack in the trunk. Other than that, stay away from this car and let's leave it where it belongs, in the forgotten annals of time.
5 DAEWOO NUBIRA
The year 1997 brought a few interesting things to popular culture, from epic films to great TV shows, as well as some great albums and even some decent cars. But at the same time, it also brought some terrible experiences in popular culture and, most importantly, the automotive industry. A bad car is like a bad movement that society is forced to digest, but when it comes to cars like these, I'd rather ingest a stew of hard tree bark than be forced to drive some of them. Poorly built and featuring a measly four-cylinder engine, what can we recommend you use off of a used model other than the wiper fluid still left in the reservoir?