clunkers

Crappy Clunker Yugo Taken out by Tank!

As we've seen this week, some automobiles generally referred to as "lemons" or "clunkers" find new life as modified street racing cars or as nostalgia novelty acts. But some cars are so lame and unattractive that they're forever known as a joke vehicle. Probably the best example is presented here for you today in the form of the Yugo 45.

The Yugo is a crappy little compact that was foisted upon the American market from Europe, and was belittled so much in the States that in 1991 the Yugo couldn't even break 4,… Read more

The AMC Pacer: Flaws and all

Ask any car historian or enthusiast about the biggest clunkers in American automotive history, and the AMC Pacer will more than likely be on that list. Made by the now defunct American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1975-80, the Pacer was more or less a gimmick car that had all sorts of unusual features (sitting low to the ground but being wide in girth, the passenger side door being bigger than the driver's door, etc) and its body style has often been said to resemble an upside down bathtub on wheels. And while other so-called clunkers from the 70s like … Read more

From Clunker to Classy: The Chevy Vega

When I first conceived this week's blog theme starring some of the biggest "clunkers" of all time, I envisioned it as a week long series of potshots and cheap guffaws at images of cars you couldn't pay modern folk to drive. But as I've gone along with this concept and researched related video for this topic, I've unearthed clip upon clip of car enthusiasts who take some of the most historically laughable cars and transforming them into cars that not only run, but run like champs and look damn good at the same time. … Read more

My Favorite "Clunkers": The Ford Pinto Wagon

I remember being a very young boy sitting in the back of my grandfather's Ford Pinto and thinking it was a neat little car (albeit a little cramped). Eventually, I got old enough to realize that the Ford Pinto of the 1970s was a clunker of the highest order that was a grossly unsafe vehicle overall, and the Ford Pinto has never seemed the same to me.

For most of the least couple decades or so, the media and public have made light of the Ford Pinto as one of the biggest joke cars in American history, I have … Read more

My Favorite "Clunkers"

With the implementation and heated criticism of the government sponsored CARS program (if you don't know what this is about you MUST be living under a rock...or in Alaska), the word "clunker" has been tossed around in public discourse more than ever. So who or what determines if a vehicle is indeed a clunker? According to a report I saw on TV a while back, some reporter noted that the car most traded-in under the "Cash for Clunkers" movement is the Ford Explorer. While the Ford Explorer isn't exactly a Honda or a … Read more

132: Clunkers program ends with a bang

Clunkers ends with a bang, Toyota is either smarter--or dumber--than other car companies, we'll turn you on to an unintentional collectible car, and yes, FINALLY, we take a ride in the new Camaro!

Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | RSS (audio) SHOW NOTES

• CNET review of the 2010 Camaro

• Big, bad Infiniti M56 on the way

• Aha Mobile traffic app for iPhone is, er, interesting

• CNET coverage of the TomTom iPhone app

• What does Toyota have against electric cars? (NYT)

The Clunker that Refused to Die!

In yesterday's blog we were all enthralled by a battle of four "clunker" trade-ins filled with "liquid glass", and lemons attempted to one-up the other by outlasting their opponents in running time before the inevitable seizure of their respective engines. Today's clip is similar, but in my not-so humble opinion the duel between these two clunkers isn't the story here. What I found more amusing was the amount of smoke that this old Lincoln Towncar (I think...it's a Ford make so I'm close) was able to emit. And to me, … Read more

The Battle of the Clunkers!!!

Most dialogue about the Car Allowance Rebate System tends to be wholly serious - especially by those who oppose the government-endorsed program. Not surprisingly, a lot of web video on the subject has been less than humorous. While any government-mandated policy deserves serious analysis and informed opinion, sometimes you gotta make light of such issues and have a little fun. With this in mind, today I present a fun little video where four traded-in "clunkers" have a literal race to the death.

This web video follows the fate of four old and purportedly useless automobiles as they are … Read more

Top Cash for Clunkers cars offer GPS, Bluetooth, MP3 playback

A study by iSuppli Corporation shows that the top 10 cars being bought with Cash for Clunkers vouchers offer tech features such as GPS navigation, Bluetooth phone systems, satellite radio, and iPod integration. However, in iSuppli's automotive tech rating system, the average score for these 10 cars, 14.6, falls below the tech average for all cars available, 17.8 according to iSuppli. The Ford Focus tops the list, and sets the tone for the rest, which are all relatively inexpensive and economical vehicles.

The iSuppli report notes that none of these cars offer driver assistance technologies, such as … Read more