CarAndDriver

Title should have been "Coulda woulda shoulda"

In honor of GM entering a new phase in its long and uneven history, I have made a personal list of cars that GM has produced that I think they misengineered, mismarketed, mismanaged, and or squandered whatever potential the vehicle had. This isn't a list of cars that were horrible the minute they came out like the Pontiac Aztek or Cadillac Cimmarron.

What is tragic is that GM was headed in the right direction with many of these cars, but just dropped the ball to end up where they are today.

Agree/disagree/any to add?

Buick Century
Buick Reatta
Buick Regal
Cadillac Allante
Cadillac Catera
Cadillac Eldorado
Cadillac Seville
Chevrolet Beretta
Chevrolet Blazer
Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet Corsica
Chevrolet Cobalt SS
Chevrolet Malibu
Chevrolet Metro
Oldsmobile Alero
Oldsmobile Aurora
Oldsmobile Toronado
Pontiac 6000
Pontiac Bonneville
Pontiac Fiero
Pontiac Firebird
Pontiac Grand Am
Pontiac Grand Prix
Pontiac GTO
Pontiac Solstice
Saturn (the whole brand)

JRichter

From what I've seen, GM has a history of introducing a brand new, fresh from the ground up design (although usually throwing some old-*** engine into it for the first 1 or 2 years) from time to time but never spending the time or money to ever refine or follow up on what they've done throughout the entire car's life. This is very different from how say the Japanese (and Germans) design a product. They make revisions throughout the product cycle to keep the design fresh and modern - usually major stuff every 4 to 5 years - only changing what needs to be addressed, and a reskin to keep looks fresh. GM will milk a clean sheet design for the next 8 - 12 years after it is initially introduced, usually only giving facelifts once or twice but never really addressing complaints or faults until the product is so old and out dated they kill it and repeat the cycle all over again. The development for a clean-sheet design has got to be ridiculously expensive as would the retooling of the factory that would produce it.

Pretty much any mainstream model on your list has followed this same pattern and really the Corvette and the trucks are the only models that are consistent and updated until the next generation is introduced. They go through the trouble of creating something like the Solstice/Sky (a very decent design) but won't ever follow up on it until it's too late (as opposed to a car like the Miata which is constantly updated and revised and never really feels outdated). In my eyes it always looks like they would slap a new grill/headlights/taillights/bumpers on a car after 5 or 6 years and advertise it as the "new" so and so without ever having addressed any of the underlying problems, fooling the public into thinking they are buying a new design when nothing has really changed. Other companies can get away with this if the design starts out somewhat remarkable but a lot of GM's designs start out sub-par to begin with. It's a case of doing the bare minimum which is never good enough.

Lately, I've seen some examples of breaking this cycle (Cadillac) so hopefully that's a good sign. I like the evolutionary approach the Germans and Japanese take and I think that's what keeps their cars so timeless (inside and out).

Here's a prime example:

1982 Old Cutless Ciera



1996 Old Cutless Ciera



It's same thing 14 years later! What sucker bought the 1996 version thinking they had a modern car?

m477

I think it is a symptom of what has become the fundamentally flawed American-style management at large companies -- CEOs/Partners/Executives get such ridiculous amounts of money for salary/bonuses, and massive "golden parachutes" for leaving the company they have run into the ground, that there is no money left to pay for R&D.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

1986 Honda accord

2000 Honda Accord

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

1986 Camry

2000 Camry

SayNoToPistons

iTrader: (8)

Looks like I rather get a 1986 accord than any other accord.

cajunrx8

Truly the Buick Regal GNX was a waste of great potential. Just when the SOB was at its peak, they cut its throat!!!
**** GM and their BS!!!
They could have been so much more as a car maker but had no real inovative ideas.
Really sad that they went belly up and the whipping boy Ford is still doing ok for now.

77mjd

Not really just GM that did that. The main problem with the RX-8 has not been addressed, but in the meantime a new bumper, lights, etc were slapped on and it was called new.

But I guess I'll give them credit for the extra oil injector to help with engine life.

foxman

wow you are so right, check out the 1998 Chevrolet Metro

42 MPG
1800 lbs
no frills economy

MPG equal to Prius and better than Honda Insight, today

but DETROIT can't make economy cars??

well maybe they have made some economy cars that people in the US don't want and won't buy that the GOVT who is going to FIX GM forced upon us to meet CAFE and other mandates

JRichter

actually, Suzuki (Swift) made that car - chevy just sold it rebadged

JRichter

I consider a car like this a niche model and not mainstream.

JRichter

Yeah, notice how evolutionary the Japanese designs are. The Camary and Accord is following the same design concept but has been thoroughly improved throughout the years. Look at the Cutless. You can tell by looking at it (the doors/greenhouse) nothing on the car has changed except the front and rear end with cosmetic updates and you can guarantee nothing under the skin had changed after 14 years.

SayNoToPistons

iTrader: (8)

The CRX's made mid to high 50 MPG's.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Yeah I had an 88' CRX HF back in the day and I used to average about 48MPG driving from VA to TX.

myriadshalaks

iTrader: (1)

those blazers were fun. and the el darado is a damn fine cruiser.

Vlaze

iTrader: (14)

A few should be off that list such as, the Camaro, you serious? That was one of the main muscle cars back in the day and the reborn one is fresh contrast to cookie cutter stangs.

The Cobalt SS may not be the best looking mid-range sports car but guess what, it spanked around 90% of the competition on the track in Car & Driver ( least that was the Mag it was in I believe) including topping the 8 and the 350Z and power to weight have to admit holds its own. Design wise interior and exterior I care less for but it still performance wise beat the euro weenies and majority of foreign markets out there.

The Mablibu, well recent ones, were said to be one of the top selling sedan cars for a year or two and didn't look too shabby and got great mileage. For a normal sedan American car, they got it right what the rest (Ford, Dodge) didn't IMO.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

I had someone ranting at me a few weeks ago:
"You know what is wrong with the economy?! You're the reason the economy is crumbling, you and your import! If you woulda bought an American car, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

I calmly answered:
"If I drop my pants and take a dump right here on the ground in front of you, will you buy the pile I leave behind?

No, of course you won't buy it, because it is a pile of crap. 'Oh, but it's an AMERICAN pile of crap! It will keep me in a job!'. Sorry, just because it's American made doesn't mean it's worth buying. If they wanted people to buy their cars, maybe they should have made cars that people wanted to buy."


...I think he was seriously contemplating hitting me.

Vlaze

iTrader: (14)

^ Sad but true. Only thing worth buying American made are iconic muscle cars of the past or trucks which we actually do manage to make well contrast to foreign markets.

kvndoom

**** yeah! I'm down for an 86 Accord too!