13 Cars That Look Cool but Are an Actual Nightmare to Own
Deciding which car is cool can be subjective, although many of us might agree that some cars, such as sports cars, are cooler than others.
Yet even the coolest cars can have issues, making them much more trouble than they are worth.
We have found 13 of the coolest vehicles that perfectly match that rule, each proving troublesome on varying levels.
DeLorean DMC-12
For many, the DeLorean DMC-12 is the coolest car of the 1980s, thanks to its appearance in the Back to the Future franchise, which shot the car to worldwide fame. Yet, look beyond the movie, and you will see that the DMC-12 was not the sports car promised by John DeLorean and his DeLorean company.
The biggest problem was that the sports car’s 2.85-liter V6, jointly developed by Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo, was underpowered and unreliable. It made a measly 130 hp and 153 lb-ft of torque. The build quality issues with the DMC-12 also hurt the sports car, so despite its starring appearances on the big screen, the DMC-12 was a nightmare.
Vector M12
What is one of the fastest supercars built in the United States was a massive headache for those involved in the project. By the mid-1990s, Vector was now under the ownership of Megatech after a hostile takeover from founder Jerry Wiegert.
The M12 was based on the Lamborghini Diablo and a continuation of the W8, with a vast 5.7-liter Lamborghini V12 under the hood producing 492 hp and 425 lb-ft of torque.
The troubles with the company’s takeover restricted what new owners Megatech could do, and in the end, they only produced 17 examples of the M12. That didn’t stop the company from creating the M12 ASR race car, although reliability meant that it performed poorly when it hit the track. The build quality of the W12 was a significant problem, with CarThrottle once calling the M12 a “botch job” to highlight the build issues.
Aston Martin Virage
What is, in reality, one of the best supercars to come from Britain is sadly often forgotten. What doesn’t help the Aston Martin Virage is that despite being the first new Aston Martin in 20 years, it didn’t quite have the styling some expected of an Aston Martin. The Virage had unusual proportions, making it look more like a muscle car than a supercar.
Under the hood, it had muscle car credentials, with a 5.3-liter V8 producing 330 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque. Letting the Virage down, however, was that not everyone enjoyed the experience of driving one. Thanks to its expensive price and hand-built nature, Aston Martin produced just 1,050 examples. So, if you want to buy one second-hand, prepare to pay a lot for the privilege.
Bricklin SV-1
What could have been one of America’s best sports cars is one that many would love to forget. The eye-catching Bricklin SV-1 was the brainchild of company founder Malcolm Bricklin, and under the hood, the SV-1 had an AMC and Ford Windsor V8 and dramatic sports car styling complete with gullwing doors.
However, the most power that either engine offered was 220 hp. So, it didn’t quite have the legs of the more established sports cars on the market. Then there was the poor quality control and the fact that its fiberglass body and color-impregnated acrylic resin were not the most durable. The SV-1 was also heavy, weighing 3,520 lbs, meaning the handling in the corners was somewhat average.
Lancia Beta
Virtually every car Lancia produces is excellent, and the Lancia Beta is one of those. However, this gorgeous Italian icon was plagued with one massive issue, whether in Berlina form or as a coupe. In the 1980s, Betas became involved in a massive recall in the UK, thanks to severe rust building up in areas such as the engine mountings.
Lancia was then forced to buy back nearly every Beta affected at great expense. The company then had to supply their owners, at Lancia’s expense, with new replacements with fixed engine mountings and rust protection. This cost Lancia over $1 million, completely ruining their reputation. A few years later, Lancia pulled out of the right-hand drive market. The Beta is now forever associated with this scandal.
Lada Niva
There is something refreshingly cool about the Lada Niva despite its Russian roots and rough and crude design. Lada has produced the Niva since 1977, and it is still in production, making it the longest-production-run off-road light vehicle still manufactured in its original form.
However, the basic design and structure of the Niva has its positives. Maintenance is more accessible than on more complex all-wheel drive cars, and a quick look online reveals that the Niva is a very capable vehicle off-road. There is an unusual charm to this relic from the Cold War and the Soviet Union, although its origins present an awful lot of baggage for the Niva.
Jaguar XJ220
There is no denying how fast and excellent the Jaguar XJ220 is. But it made this list because Jaguar promised something it ultimately could not deliver. The British manufacturer launched the Xj220 in 1998 as a concept, initially with a 6.2-liter Jaguar V12 under the hood with all-wheel drive and producing 500 hp.
However, when Jaguar launched the production version, the all-wheel drive and V12 engine were gone thanks to cost and emissions rules. Instead, the XJ220 became a rear-wheel-drive supercar with a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter Jaguar JRV-6 V6 under the hood. The public was somewhat miffed at this, yet the V6 actually had more power at 542 hp, and the XJ220 could still travel at over 200 mph.
Lamborghini LM002
If you want an excellent SUV guaranteed to guzzle up your gas and prove incredibly impractical, look no further than the epic Lamborghini LM002. Lamborghini’s first production SUV launched in the 1980s, with a massive 5.2-liter L503 V12 under the hood producing 444 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque.
For those who wanted more power, there was the option of a 7.2-liter L804 marine V12, the same engine found in Class 1 offshore powerboats. Yet, despite its vast power and cool looks, Lamborghini built just 301 LM002s, which was a sales failure. As an SUV, it wasn’t the most practical either, but it remains an icon of the 1980s.
Fiat Multipla
The Fiat Multipla is much cooler than you might think. While it is a strange-looking car, it is incredibly practical. Fiat dreamt up the idea of creating a spacious two-row six-seater for passengers and luggage that would allow plenty of daylight to enter the cabin.
The result was the Multipla, an MPV with some of the strangest styling of any vehicle at the time. The original design, however, would bug the Multiple throughout its existence, forcing Fiat to come up with a more conventional redesign in 2004. Yet that new design took away some of the charms of the original Multipla, and it’s only now that we are beginning to rethink how we view the Multipla’s design.
Chevrolet SSR
There is something very cool about a convertible pickup truck with retro styling. That is what Chevrolet came up with when they produced the SSR, one of the coolest yet equally one of the worst designs that Chevrolet ever came up with. The Bow Tie thought the world needed a convertible pickup truck with a design harking back to the 1950s.
Initially, the SSR had a 300 hp 5.3-liter Vortec V8 under the hood, and then they added the 6.0-liter 390 hp LS2 V8 to the lineup in 2005. However, the SSR proved exceptionally heavy thanks to the folding roof, which also reduced the pickup bed’s capacity. What was an excellent idea in concept became a nightmare for its owners.
Fiat 124 Spider
Fiat introduced its new 124 Spider in 2016, a modern reinterpretation of its classic 124 roadster. Fiat also hoped that the new 124 Spider would become a direct rival to the Mazda MX-5 Miata, even though the 124 shared many of its basic components and platform with the Japanese sports car.
Sadly, for Fiat, it didn’t quite work out. The 124 was good, but it felt cheaper than its Japanese rival, and there was a lot of confusion due to it sharing so much of its primary platform with the Mazda. Even the turbocharged inline-four engine came from its big rival. The 124 was an excellent sports car with a great design, but sadly it failed to stand out in a crowded market.
Aston Martin Lagonda
The exceptional Aston Martin Lagonda is one of the coolest cars produced by the British manufacturer. Yet it had its fair share of issues, mainly thanks to its innovative yet troublesome digital dashboard and electronics. What should have been bold and brilliant became terrible and unreliable, with the digital dashes and CRT projectors regularly proving a nightmare.
As a result, later versions of the Lagonda would see the removal of these monitors and electronics, and the luxury sedan would have a more conventional dashboard. Anyone with an early version of the Lagonda with its electronic dash will surely have a massive nightmare attempting to maintain it.
TVR Tuscan Speed Six
Maintaining and looking after a car such as the TVR Tuscan is one reason not to own one. Yet if you do, you will have one of the coolest sports cars on the planet. The Tuscan Speed Six is a brilliant car, with its Speed Six inline-six engines producing up to 380 hp.
What makes the Tuscan Speed Six a bit of a nightmare is its complexity and the madness of its design. The lack of airbags, rear window placement of the rear turn indicators, and the unusual taillights are just some of the mad features of the British sports car. Yet, if you can look past those issues, the Tuscan Speed Six is a fine car and one of TVR’s very best.