5 of the worst-looking cars from the 1980s we wouldn't be caught driving today

[Kamaji]

5 of the worst-looking cars from the 1980s we wouldn't be caught driving today

Story by Stephen Fogel

December 28, 2025

Every decade has its list of cars that we wouldn't be caught driving today. Even so, the 1980s were a strange decade, and some of the cars that were produced were pretty awful-looking. While the styling of some of these vehicles wasn't necessarily that bad, the terrible ownership experiences that followed your purchase certainly were. We're looking at you, Yugo. So let's take a nightmarish walk down the 1980s Memory Lane Hall of Shame and find the specific cars that fit our profile — the worse the better.

We're starting with the rather bizarre-looking 1980 AMC Pacer, also known as "the fishbowl," produced from 1975 through 1980. AMC called the Pacer a "wide small car." In the words of Motor Trend, "The Pacer's huge glass area was designed to give drivers better visibility, but instead it made them feel like a goldfish being boiled in its own bowl."

The Pacer was originally designed to be propelled by a rotary engine that never came to pass, thanks to both fuel economy and emissions issues. So AMC had to shoehorn its trusty inline-six engine under the hood, with a V8 coming later. Sales started out decent for the first two years, but began to falter just as a wagon was added to the lineup. From a high of 117,244 Pacers made in 1976, somewhere around 2,000 or so of the final year's 1980 models were produced. The market no longer had any interest in the AMC Pacer. Party on, Wayne and Garth.

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Source:  https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/5-of-the-worst-looking-cars-from-the-1980s-we-wouldn-t-be-caught-driving-today/ar-AA1Tauuy

[Kamaji]

Their list includes:

1980 AMC Pacer
1980 MGB
1980 Lincoln Versailles
1982-84 Dodge Rampage
1982-88 Ford EXP

[Wingnut]

If they built a Rampage or Scamp today I would buy one.

[Free Vulcan]

Maybe with the swanky crowd, but around here in blue collar land alot of those would be considered cool to just tool around in.

[Kamaji]

Maybe with the swanky crowd, but around here in blue collar land alot of those would be considered cool to just tool around in.

Wouldn't be doing much toolin' in the MGB.  Most of the time on that one would be fixing one thing or another.

[Kamaji]

If they built a Rampage or Scamp today I would buy one.

What year Scamp?  I'd jump at the chance to score a revitalized 1970 to 1974 Scamp, but the 1980-82 ute based on the Dodge Omni?  Nope.

[Hoodat]

This was an ugly ass car.

[Kamaji]

This was an ugly ass car.

Yeah, but it was ugly-ass cool and the ugliness was functional.  Sort of like the A-10.

[The_Reader_David]

Wouldn't be doing much toolin' in the MGB.  Most of the time on that one would be fixing one thing or another.

Drive British! Drive the best! Drive a mile! Walk the rest!

That was a little ditty my fellow-good-samaritan told me as we pushed a Triumph out of an intersection in Philadelphia's Society Hill back in the early '80s. Applies to MGBs and Jaguars from the time as well.  Evidently the main common flaw involved the electrical systems.

My current mechanic say no one with any intelligence has bought an MG since 1989.  (The reason being that was the year the first Mazda Miata came on the market.)

[Kamaji]

Drive British! Drive the best! Drive a mile! Walk the rest!

That was a little ditty my fellow-good-samaritan told me as we pushed a Triumph out of an intersection in Philadelphia's Society Hill back in the early '80s. Applies to MGBs and Jaguars from the time as well.  Evidently the main common flaw involved the electrical systems.

My current mechanic say no one with any intelligence has bought an MG since 1989.  (The reason being that was the year the first Mazda Miata came on the market.)

Yup.  My father used to tell me stories about the British sports car he used to drive that had a burlap flap in the fuel pump that he had to replace on a weekly basis - he said he used to carry a stack of them with him in the car, just in case.

[jafo2010]

I had a friend that had a MGB, mid 70s, and I drove it a number of times, and found the steering a bit stiff, but a fun car nonetheless.  I do not recall her having a lot of problems.  But then again, I love ragtops.

I had a car that was worse than any listed.  A 1975 Lancia Beta.  The sticker was $14,000 and change new.  I bought it new for $7,100.  Yes, about half the price.  For the first couple months, I barely drove.  Why you ask?  Because I got it at a dealer 75 miles from where I lived at the time in the Pittsburgh area.

First night I had it, I took my Dad for a ride, we turned onto a road that gradually got steeper as you went up the hill.  So, I thought I was down shifting into 2nd gear, and I got to a point where the RPMs were up and I was going 0 mph forward.  I literally had to turn the car around and go back down the hill.  Next day, I drive it back to the dealer, 75 miles each way, with a follow car to bring me home.  Dealer tells me the transmission is not working.  They have it one month.

I drive back up there, pick it up, get back home to learn they still did not fix the transmission.  Most of the drive back and forth to the dealer was mildly rolling terrain, did not require really having a 1st and 2nd gear, which was the problem, no 1st and 2nd gear.  Get it home, it does not work, next day, again drive it 75 miles with a follow car.

Yes, they have the car for a full 2nd month.  I get it back and it is fixed.  Now, I have to say it was the most fun car to drive.  It literally drove like it was on rails.  On a hairpin turn off an interstate, I did not have to slow down at all.  Under 100 mph, it was super fun to drive, but it didn't have any umph to go much faster than that.  Off the line, it was fun.  And it was a head turner.

Then, a couple months later, I go visit a friend down in the Wheeling WV area.  And driving home, the shaft of a spark plug drops into the engine compartment.  So, I pulled over and left it at a gas station.  I called the nearest Lancia dealer and they said they would come get it.  Well, they left it sit at the gas station for over one month, and they charged rent/storage fees, they picked up the car and took a full 2nd month, and when I went to get it, they wanted to charge me $900+ for it all.  I told them I would sue them, and I ended up paying nothing.

For the 1st 12 months, it was in the garage 9 months.  After having it for about 1.5 years, I got married, moved to Tampa, FL.  Had it in the Lancia dealer garage, a wire had broken off the AC compressor, which was made with pot metal.  The mechanic calls me into the gargage, we are leaning over the engine, he says, 'Would you get rid of this piece of sh*t.  Explains about the compressor being made from pot metal, otherwise junk metal.  I saw a Corvette a day later, and traded the Lancia for less  money than I still owed on it just to get rid of it.  And it looked to be in perfect condition, not so much as a tiny scratch. 

I think my father thought I was a genuine idiot after that event.  Imagine buying a car, going up a steep hill, and coming to a point where you cannot move forward, you end up turning around and your father says 'get me out of this piece of crap'.  LOL

With all the cars listed, I would almost venture no one had that problem DAY ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!