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Bad Memories: 1990s Cars Drivers Want To Forget Forever

Cameron Eittreim May 31, 2023

The 1990s were one of the most influential decades in the history of the automotive industry. It was a time of prosperity when automakers were implementing different kinds of innovations and vehicle design was becoming more modern than ever. It was also a time when car fans saw the fall of iconic brands such as AMC and Plymouth. Companies like Toyota and Honda rose to major prominence and GM and Ford lost much of their footing with consumers. The 1990s were also the birth of the SUV movement, an automotive trend that’s lasted until today. There were some truly great 1990s cars that rose to prominence in this era.

But there were also some truly horrible cars that have not stood the test of time from the ’90s too. Overall, there were a lot of awful cars and trucks that came out of the 1990s. We looked back at the cars that invoke bad memories for drivers from this era. Vehicles like the Cadillac Catera just made drivers scratch their heads, and there were other cars like the Honda Del Sol that were simply poorly executed. The 1990s were a time that a lot of us love to go back to and remember. But for many car fans, it’s just a painful look down memory lane thanks to several 1990s cars. Check out the 1990s cars that drivers want to forget forever right here.

Plymouth Prowler

There’s little doubt that the Prowler was one of the most polarizing 1990s cars for most drivers. However, the biggest problem with the Prowler was that it promised too much and delivered too little. Based on its outward appearance, the Prowler was a hot rod-inspired muscle car. But looks can be deceiving and under the hood, it was your mom’s Dodge Intrepid. The Prowler was a last-ditch effort to save the Plymouth brand, something that it failed to do. The price tag was far too high for the average enthusiast to afford and the features were lacking in many ways (via Car Throttle).

Plymouth Prowler — Photo Credit: Car Domain

Plymouth fell off the face of the earth for the 2001 model year and the Prowler faded into obscurity shortly thereafter. The Prowler has maintained a fairly modest following in the hot-rodding community. There are modern upgrades that you can do to put a bigger power plant under the hood. But nothing can rectify the disappointment that thousands of drivers experienced when the Prowler originally hit the streets, making it one of the biggest failures in terms of 1990s cars.

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Ford Taurus

The Ford Taurus was a legend in the automotive industry as the car that saved Ford during the late eighties. But by the 1990s the design of the Taurus grew stale and drivers moved onto Japanese imports. The Honda Accord and Toyota Camry were better cars in every way. When the overtly oval Taurus hit the market in 1996, its design was questioned by consumers and the automotive press alike (via Motorious).

The SHO version of the Taurus was plagued by reliability problems, which didn’t help the lackluster consumer demand. The styling was reminiscent of a dead fish and generally lacked any sense of design. It was downhill for the Taurus brand after this car as its styling only got worst. The 1990s Taurus is perhaps one of the most confusing cars of the decade because, before this version, the Taurus was the best-selling car in America.

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Kia Sephia

Almost 25 years ago the Sephia was the car that introduced North America to the Kia brand. The odd-shaped little compact car was very affordable and offered little in the way of options. But it was enough to propel the company to do great things in the states and it offered a reasonable bargain. The Sephia was a bargain basement car in every sense of the word, but it was enough to get the company off of the ground in the United States (via Fandom).

Most drivers want to forget the Kia Sephia and those who owned one were even more displeased. But there were some cool things about the car that most people don’t know about. There was Mazda engineering under the hood of the car which gave it some interesting driving characteristics. Kia also offered one of the best warranties at the time so that somewhat made up for the paltry performance and reliability.

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Ford Aspire

Speaking of Kias and Fords from the 1990s, the Aspire is one that you’ll seldom see on the road anymore. Yes, under the hood of the blue oval-badged hatchback was actually Kia Engineering. The car was about as basic as you could get and it rivaled the Chevy Metro in the same segment. The problem was that the car was so unreliable that most owners couldn’t keep it on the road and parts were also very hard to come by (via Hot Cars).

In recent years the Aspire has gone through a transformation in the automotive community. There is a new generation of enthusiasts who are trying to find these old cars and rehab them. The problem was that it was almost impossible to find parts for the Aspire and keeping one on the road is problematic.

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Subaru SVX

Who can forget the Subaru SVX? Well, probably many, as most drivers didn’t even know that it existed. During the 1990s Subaru sold a sports car that was relatively unknown in the automotive world. The sales numbers were so low that the car didn’t stay in production long. Its exterior styling was questionable at best. This was during a time period when Subaru was trying to reinvent itself and stay relevant at the same time (via Motor Trend).

Nowadays this car has become a quirky collectible with good reason. The engine under the hood of it was one of the best that Subaru ever offered. Although the styling was questionable at best and the interior was about as lackluster as you could get, the rest of the car had potential.

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Plymouth Voyager

Anyone who was a 1990s kid remembers seeing these things driving around just about anywhere. Most moms had one of these cars because they were affordable and easy to drive. But with the advent of the crossover, most of us wish that we could just forget the minivan era forever. It’s not to say that the Voyager was a bad car or van. But it was about the most basic and lackluster form of transportation that was available on the road (via AutoBlog).

Surprisingly enough, there was a very rare turbo version of it in the early 1990s, but these are few and far between. There was also an AWD version of the Voyager as well. Chrysler threw everything at the wall when it came to these minivans, and they sold millions of them in the process.

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Honda Civic Del Sol

Honda was a dominant company in the automotive industry in the 1990s. Their cars were more popular than ever and they offered a superior value to the domestic brands. But one car left enthusiasts scratching their heads, and that was the Del Sol. The Del Sol was a two-door Civic roadster, with a targa top and a reasonable price tag. The problem was that there was no increase in performance and you lost the back seat (via Slash Gear).

The Del Sol gained a loyal following over the years but the design of the car was very limiting. The two-door design with no backseat meant that you couldn’t have a lot of passengers. Likewise, the performance wasn’t much of an improvement over a regular Honda Civic model so most drivers didn’t opt for it. Honda released the S2000 a few years later as a much more performance-oriented roadster.

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Dodge Shadow

The Dodge Shadow was another popular car in the early 1990s, thanks to its cheap price tag and reasonable options. Chrysler sold millions of these cars before it was replaced by the Dodge Neon in 1995. The Shadow had a lot going for it with a lightweight design and a reasonable power plant. The problem was that the styling was lackluster at best and the reliability was questionable. These cars were known for transmission problems early on which is why many drivers avoided them (via Pinterest).

There were a few special editions of the car including a Carroll Shelby model. The convertible model was also popular as a cheap alternative to the LeBaron. The Shadow is universally hated by most enthusiasts and you’ll seldom see one on the road nowadays.

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Mercury Topaz

Mercury was sort of the lost Ford brand during the 1990s as their cars were nothing more than rebadged Ford models. The underpinnings of the Topaz had some unique engineering though, as Mazda developed the suspension for the car. That meant that the Topaz drove a lot better than the Tempo that it shared a platform with. The Topaz was not the most popular car by any means and most enthusiasts wish this car would disappear forever (via Autoweek).

Overall, drivers simply don’t remember Mercury models with any real degree of fondness as the cars were just weaker versions of Ford models in weak disguises. The Topaz embodied that school of thought perfectly, providing almost no excitement for drivers in a decade full of cars that were able to do just that.

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Jaguar XJ220

Jaguar isn’t a company that’s known for its supercars, but the company sold one in the 1990s. The XJ220 was a rare supercar that was owned by some of the world’s most elite celebrities. Elton John owned one for instance, and Jay Leno currently owns one now. The XJ220 utilized a distinct turbocharged engine developed by Jaguar for rally racing. Sadly the rest of the car was pretty lackluster and the high price tag didn’t justify what you got (via Jalopnik).

Most enthusiasts who are into supercars just pass on the XJ220 because it doesn’t have the pedigree of some of its rivals. The car was lacking in a lot of areas where the competition wasn’t. Jaguar exited the supercar business shortly after the XJ220 and the company hasn’t offered another supercar since.

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Chevrolet Lumina

GM wasn’t known for its sedans during the 1990s and the Lumina is evidence of that. The car was universally relegated to being a rental car for most of its life. The folks who did purchase one for their main mode of transportation were sorely disappointed by the lackluster interior and build quality. The Lumina wasn’t the best car on the road by any means and GM quality during this era was sad at best (via The Autopian).

The Lumina offered nothing compared to the competition and it was because of this car that GM lost its footing in the family sedan market. The offerings from Toyota and Honda were so much better at the time, the Lumina was just a sad competitor that didn’t offer any real value.

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