What is the worst road trip vehicle you have had?
09-13-22, 06:56 AM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (20)
What is the worst road trip vehicle you have had?
inspired by the thread: What is the best road trip vehicle you have had? 
many stories, but i rented an '80s lincoln town car to take compute gear to manhattan from philadelphia. the bizarre-shaped trunk made it impossible to fit the computer gear in it, so some, plus my suitcase, had to go on the back seat.
the car had more body roll than a sailboat. i was nauseous by the time i got to my destination.
many stories, but i rented an '80s lincoln town car to take compute gear to manhattan from philadelphia. the bizarre-shaped trunk made it impossible to fit the computer gear in it, so some, plus my suitcase, had to go on the back seat.
the car had more body roll than a sailboat. i was nauseous by the time i got to my destination.
09-13-22, 07:01 AM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
Hahaha! I was about to start the same thread!
Worst roadtrip car I have ever had was unquestionably my wife's 2004 Toyota Prius. It was painfully slow with almost no passing power, it was loud and hard riding. Just really tiring to drive. But, it did get incredible mileage at the time.
My first car, a 1995 Explorer Limited was not a bad roadtrip car, other than the fact that it had a weird quirk that it would display a check engine light when driving in the mountains. We never could figure it out, and when you would get to the dealer the light was off and there was no stored code. I guess it was maybe something with the changes in elevation or something. That made traveling in the mountains stressful, and a lot of my traveling is going to WV and driving in the mountains.
Worst roadtrip car I have ever had was unquestionably my wife's 2004 Toyota Prius. It was painfully slow with almost no passing power, it was loud and hard riding. Just really tiring to drive. But, it did get incredible mileage at the time.
My first car, a 1995 Explorer Limited was not a bad roadtrip car, other than the fact that it had a weird quirk that it would display a check engine light when driving in the mountains. We never could figure it out, and when you would get to the dealer the light was off and there was no stored code. I guess it was maybe something with the changes in elevation or something. That made traveling in the mountains stressful, and a lot of my traveling is going to WV and driving in the mountains.
09-13-22, 07:49 AM
#4
Lexus Champion
2004 Avalon XLS. On the positive side it had a nice pearl white exterior and tan leather interior and seemed OK at the time. Otherwise, it was pretty much a forgettable car. It rode soft but the steering, handling and braking were borderline dangerous in certain situations IMO.
09-13-22, 08:00 AM
#5
On vacation long ago we had to rearrange our plans on the fly because circumstances, and as a result we had to change the rental car to what was available last minute. This led to us driving a couple hours with luggage crammed in every nook of a Pontiac solstice
09-13-22, 08:23 AM
#6
Lexus Test Driver
i've rented some cars on turo on these occasions, as for the worst it's probably a tie between the LC 500 and the S560... the LC had a harsh ride with a super intrusive exhaust and the S-Class had too many interfering electronics
although now that i think about it my crown vic may have been worse
although now that i think about it my crown vic may have been worse
09-13-22, 08:32 AM
#7
Way, way back in 1970 a buddy of mine and I restored a 1941 Ford Woodie complete with 2 surfboards on the roof. Drove it from Cape Cod to Huntington Beach Cali. Three speed non synchro on the column and a flat head 8 which we burned out when we reached Nevada. The Rockies were brutal. Rented a Uhaul and towed the rest of the way. Put it on the front yard of our summer apt rental with a for sale sign. Sold it in a few days at a pretty good sized profit. Bought 2 plane tickets for home in Sept and enjoyed the summer there surfing and till we ran out of money. My pal head off to Nam and I was on my way to college. He came home in one piece and I graduated.
sorry if it’s a bit long winded but that was a tough baby to drive almost 3000 miles in, although we did have a helluva summer.
sorry if it’s a bit long winded but that was a tough baby to drive almost 3000 miles in, although we did have a helluva summer.
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09-13-22, 08:35 AM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
An S560 as your worst? Come on lol. What intrusive electronics?
09-13-22, 08:47 AM
#9
Lexus Test Driver
just messing around lol... i've never driven the S560 and never even ridden in the LC
i put the real answer below that, my 2009 crown vic which didn't even have cruise control lmao... total pile of crap that car but made for an amazing beater
i put the real answer below that, my 2009 crown vic which didn't even have cruise control lmao... total pile of crap that car but made for an amazing beater
09-13-22, 08:52 AM
#10
Lexus Test Driver
09-13-22, 09:48 AM
#11
Lexus Champion
Hahaha! I was about to start the same thread!
Worst roadtrip car I have ever had was unquestionably my wife's 2004 Toyota Prius. It was painfully slow with almost no passing power, it was loud and hard riding. Just really tiring to drive. But, it did get incredible mileage at the time.
My first car, a 1995 Explorer Limited was not a bad roadtrip car, other than the fact that it had a weird quirk that it would display a check engine light when driving in the mountains. We never could figure it out, and when you would get to the dealer the light was off and there was no stored code. I guess it was maybe something with the changes in elevation or something. That made traveling in the mountains stressful, and a lot of my traveling is going to WV and driving in the mountains.
Worst roadtrip car I have ever had was unquestionably my wife's 2004 Toyota Prius. It was painfully slow with almost no passing power, it was loud and hard riding. Just really tiring to drive. But, it did get incredible mileage at the time.
My first car, a 1995 Explorer Limited was not a bad roadtrip car, other than the fact that it had a weird quirk that it would display a check engine light when driving in the mountains. We never could figure it out, and when you would get to the dealer the light was off and there was no stored code. I guess it was maybe something with the changes in elevation or something. That made traveling in the mountains stressful, and a lot of my traveling is going to WV and driving in the mountains.
I am picking up an engine from Lima and a transmission from Gallion today and I am taking the Jeep.....the do not exceed speed is 65mph unless you want to go deaf and the noise and ride are astoundingly bad since it needs all 4 shocks (again) and I still haven't replaced the rear axle so the pinion whine is about 70+Db at all times. Go 75mph and it's 87db. There is no power, there is no MPG (17 at 55mph) and the seats are 300k miles old Chrysler totally non-adjustable past angle and how close you are to the dash. The audio system is bloomy and indistinct and the drivers door needs two clips replaced so it sometimes rattles when you rest your arm a certain way. The steering is well.......recirculating ball type, it has a WIDE dead zone and is slow to respond so combined with the old brakes (Yes I know, I have new ones but I'm very cheap when it comes to this car) that I am insisting to run to metal the car can't stop or dodge well. The only nice things it has are the tires and the fact that technically everything works.
So yeah. I love this thing. Yes I have earplugs for longer trips and use them......man do I prefer driving the 460 to and from work. Every time I get annoyed I have to change before getting back into the car at the end of the day I am reminded as soon as I drive the Jeep again the extra 10 min cleaning up is a fine tradeoff.
09-13-22, 10:38 AM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
Worst road-trip cars?
My 1978 Plymouth Horizon and my 1984 Mazda GLC. Both had 3-speed automatics with a non-overdrive 1:1 top gear...which meant that the small 4-cylinder engine ran too many revs on the highway at cruise speeds, adding to noise and vibration, excess wear on the engine, and higher fuel consumption. They were excellent around town, though, and in stop/go driving.
My 1978 Plymouth Horizon and my 1984 Mazda GLC. Both had 3-speed automatics with a non-overdrive 1:1 top gear...which meant that the small 4-cylinder engine ran too many revs on the highway at cruise speeds, adding to noise and vibration, excess wear on the engine, and higher fuel consumption. They were excellent around town, though, and in stop/go driving.
09-13-22, 10:39 AM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
09-13-22, 10:42 AM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
One thing about driving a Crown Vic, particularly one in darker colors....people will own think you are a cop in an unmarked car. Everyone all around you will suddenly slow down to about your speed (or to the posted limit), give you the right of way, and no one will pass you. 
09-13-22, 10:45 AM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
One thing about driving a Crown Vic, particularly one in darker colors....people will own think you are a cop in an unmarked car. Everyone all around you will suddenly slow down to about your speed (or to the posted limit), give you the right of way, and no one will pass you.