The 1970s was an excellent decade for the automobile. It saw cars such as the Jaguar XJS, Aston Martin Vantage, and Lancia Stratos take to the roads.
But only some cars can be significant. Sadly, a few duds also sneaked out through the net.
This list features 24 of the worst 70s cars you should avoid buying. Reasons for this include unreliability, poor performance, lousy styling, and terrible reputations.
1970-1977 Ford Pinto
The Pinto was a subcompact car from Ford, the first in that segment made by Ford in North America and one that had lots of promise. However, it had one fatal flaw.
The safety of the Pinto has generated controversy, thanks to the fuel tank that exploded in rear-end collisions. At least 27 deaths occurred due to the poorly designed fuel tank. The Pinto was never able to shake off its dangerous reputation, which stuck with it throughout its entire production run.
Reliant Robin
The Robin deserves a place on this list due to its unusual looks alone. However, it was a poor attempt at making three-wheelers more mainstream.
The 850 cc engine under the hood could only generate 33 hp. The build quality was also poor, and rust is one of the most significant issues facing classic Reliants. BBC Top Gear might have exaggerated by how much it could roll over, but instability was a genuine problem at times for the Robin.
1972-1980 Morris Marina
The Morris Marina became the subject of piano-related jokes on BBC Top Gear. The show hated them so much they regularly dropped pianos on their roofs. But the car does genuinely have its downsides.
The Marina was slow, suffered from poor build quality, and needed updating from the start, thanks to its 1940s architecture. Yet, thanks to their poor construction, classic examples in good condition are highly sought after in the UK and can command surprising amounts at auctions.
1974-1978 Ford Mustang II
The Mustang II is a polarizing muscle car. Some love it, and some hate it. What let it down was Ford’s decision to fit it with weak engines, which were a far cry from the big V8s of the original Mustang.
A ‘wheezing’ four-cylinder and eight-cylinder were under the hood, meaning performance was much lower than on the first-generation Mustang. It was an unusual misstep for the company that had gotten the muscle car’s first-generation so right.
Lancia Beta Coupe
The Lancia Beta Coupe is a proper driver’s car, as you would expect from the land of Ferrari. Lancia had also forged a legendary reputation with these likes of the Fulvia and Stratos.
But the Beta Coupe suffered from terrible corrosion, which Lancia often took to the next level. Rust would cripple the Beta Coupe, as well as spell doom for the company in the 1980s, effectively ending its entire involvement in the European market outside of Italy.
1972 Renault Le Car
The Renault Le Car deserves a place in this category purely due to its terrible name, which must be one of the most unimaginative in automobile history. This was the name of the Renault 5 marketed in the United States.
However, sales were disappointing under the Le Car and Renault 5 names and failed to resonate with American consumers. A small, simple car with such basic amenities wasn’t what the customer wanted then. Yet for inner city use and local driving, the small Le Car was actually quite good.
Triumph TR7
Putting this car on the list might prove controversial, as some people love the TR7. The wedge shape gives it a sporty stance, and its one of the better products from the British manufacturer.
However, things went wrong when Triumph entered the American sports car market. Strict emissions regulations sapped power from the TR7, and it again suffered the famous build quality issues of many 1970s British cars. Something that plagued a whole host of companies in the country.
Bricklin SV1
The Bricklin SV1 was a radical, low-volume supercar from Bricklin Canada Ltd. General Vehicles Inc., which Malcolm Bricklin founded. The car’s design was something Bricklin did get right, and it was reminiscent of supercars from Lamborghini.
Bricklin also promoted the SV1 a lot, touting such features as the integrated roll-over structure and energy-absorbing bumpers. However, the radical styling didn’t stop the quality control issues that the SV1 suffered from. Supplier shortages and massive price hikes were other reasons the SV-1 would fail.
AMC Gremlin
The Gremlin was first introduced in 1970, a shortened AMC Hornet, which saw the car’s rear cut off. This led to a strange-looking car, but one that had the size perfectly tailed for shorter, local journeys and trips out to town.
This would create a new, subcompact coupe that looked unusual and had a poorly equipped interior. The six-cylinder engine under the hood was also underpowered, and the Gremlin had poor handling. Perhaps the Gremlin was just a bit too ahead of its time when it came to the small-size concept.
1978-2002 FSO Polonez
The FSO Polonez was a derivative of the Polski Fiat 125p, which at the time of its inception was already an aging car. The big difference was a new Giugiaro body design came with the Polonez to refresh it and differentiate it from the earlier Fiat.
The Polonez’s one redeeming feature was that it was cheap, so the masses could afford it. However, it was also slow, the design wasn’t praised, and the build quality was severely lacking.
1976-1986 Audi 5000
The Audi 5000 would suffer from unintended acceleration. Driver error was sometimes to blame, but a malfunctioning idling stabilizer caused most issues for this otherwise solid Audi. The 5000 was a good all-rounder, but the acceleration issues would cause a lot of accidents.
The 5000 would suffer from around 700 accidents thanks to this weird phenomenon. Volkswagen solved the problem by adding a shift lock to the cars, finally solving the only serious issue with the 5000.
1973-1975 Leyland P76
The Leyland P76 was an Australian full-size sedan meant to rival the Ford Falcon and the Holden Kingswood but to do so, Leyland would have to cut some corners to get the car to market.
Leyland designed the P76 from scratch, and the car was also sadly rushed into production to compete with its rivals. This led to typical quality control issues, the biggest being poorly sealed doors that allowed rain inside the P76 when driving.
1976-1980 Plymouth Volare
Plymouth offered the Volare as a coupe, sedan, station wagon, and its nearly identical sibling, the Dodge Aspen. The reason for sharing designs so closely was that many American automotive manufacturers were downsizing and aiming to improve fuel economy.
Plymouth, however, still cut corners during testing and pre-production, which then saw Plymouth management push an unfinished product into production. Volares would suffer from rust, failing seatbelt sensors, and faulty steering columns. Issues that no driver or passenger wants to deal with.
1976-1987 Chevrolet Chevette
The Chevrolet Chevette is one of the most derided cars of the 1970s, and a quick search of the internet will reveal many articles about its biggest failings. Truly dismal performance and built quality blighted the small car.
Crude suspension and woeful brakes were the two biggest problems. Somehow, however, Chevrolet was able to sell 2.8 million examples of the Chevette. So despite the myriad of problems, the Chevette was one of the Bow Tie’s bigger commercial successes.
Chevrolet Vega
The Chevrolet Vega is another poor 1970s product from the BowTie. Huge mechanical issues, severe rusting, and engine fires were the tip of the iceberg. The Vega is remembered as one of Chevrolet’s biggest “problem children.” The rust, the melting engines, and totally underwhelming performance would follow the Vega through its lifetime.
However, like with the Vega, Chevrolet was able to sell a vast number of them. Chevrolet ceased production of the Vega in 1977, as the car’s reputation soon caught up with it.
Dodge Omni
The Dodge Omni responded to the 1973 gas crisis when consumers wanted more economical cars than gas-guzzling V8s. So, under the hood was a small flat-four, and Dodge kept the design and construction of the Omni as simple as possible.
While well-intentioned, the Omni needed to fit the bill. Made on the cheap, the flat-four engine, while economical, was too underpowered for the Dodge and went too far the other way compared to a big V8.
Chrysler Cordoba
While released after the 1973 gas crisis, you would think that Chrysler had missed such a huge event. No effort was made to make Cordoba more fuel-efficient than cars before the gas crisis.
Under the hood was a massive 318 ci V8 engine, which could grow up to 400 ci. In 1979, Chrysler finally introduced a new Cordoba with a more fuel-efficient slant-six under the hood. This went some way to making it better suited to a post-gas crisis world.
Mercury Bobcat
The Bobcat might look quite familiar. That is because the Mercury badged car was nothing more than a Ford Pinto with a new name, as Ford tried everything they could to fix the Pinto’s image problem.
That meant it inherited Ford’s fatally flawed fuel tank design, which caused the parent company many problems. The Bobcat was just an attempt by the Blue Oval to save the reputation of the Pinto, but thankfully, consumers saw through the ploy. The Pinto remains one of the biggest controversies in Ford’s history.
Austin Allegro
Despite the positive initial reviews, the Allegro is another British car hampered by poor quality control. It did have some redeeming features, and the unusual wheel design of the Allegro certainly gave it character.
But the bodywork was prone to rust, the Allegro was slow, and it felt like it needed more time to develop. These issues led to its nickname, ‘All Aggro,’ which intensified over the next few years. Sadly, the Allegro was also rushed into production. The original design for the car, changed so production could commence, might have massively boosted the British car’s fortunes.
Ford Gran Torino Elite
The Ford Gran Torino Elite was the Blue Oval’s attempt to enter the personal luxury car market in 1974 and take on some of its competitors, such as Chrysler. However, rather than make an all-new car, Ford decided to cut corners and redesign an existing model.
Following the gas crisis and budget cuts, Ford redesigned the Mercury Cougar and made it a Ford. However, the lack of investment in the car led to Ford dropping the Elite name in 1976.
Vauxhall HC Viva “Firenza”
The Firenza name made this new 1970s Vauxhall sound exotic and almost like an Italian supercar. The name is actually derived from Firenze, the name of the Italian city Florence. However, the car was simply a development of the Vauxhall Viva with a new name and fancier bodywork.
The Viva was famous for its brake failures, and the overheating issues that could result in engine fires remained with this latest Vauxhall. Confusingly, when sold in South Africa, the car would be sold as the Chevrolet Firenza.
Rolls-Royce Camargue
It will be a surprise to see a Rolls-Royce on this list, but the awkward-looking Camargue deserves its place here. Out of all Rolls-Royce’s products, the Camargue goes down in history as one of its least reliable and most divisive.
The design wasn’t well received by Rolls-Royce’s customers, and it was even less well received when they discovered how unreliable the Camargue was. In 2010, the Camargue ranked as one of the “10 Worst Cars”‘ as chosen by readers of The Globe and Mail. British newspaper The Daily Telegraph said the car “really was horrid, no matter how well it sold.”
Trabant
The Trabant could fill several lists of “worst cars from X decade.” Built in the Communist East Germany, its cheap design and construction showed the country’s lack of investment compared to West Berlin.
As one of the few options available to East German motorists, the Trabant once had a waiting list for as long as ten years; such was the desperation for a car of any kind. Despite all of its problems, this small communist car has gained its own cult following. And finding one in good condition is not an easy task.
