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Cheap Cars With Price Tags That Make Fools Out Of Drivers

Cameron Eittreim September 14, 2022

Dodge Dart

The Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 were part of a billion-dollar investment by Fiat Chrysler to revitalize the passenger car segment. The problem was that the investment was made 10 years too late, as consumers moved on to crossovers. The Dart was not a bad car initially but the design was smaller than the competition and the reliability was questionable (via Readers Digest).

The Dart was a great concept that utilized a well-known nameplate. But unfortunately, it was built a little too late. By the time Chrysler decided to take passenger cars seriously, the market appetite already moved to crossovers. The Dart was far too unreliable and undersized to be a real threat to Honda or Toyota.

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Dodge Journey

The Journey was a crossover that was far too long in the tooth by the time Chrysler discontinued it. The Journey was an affordable offering, albeit lacking in refinement. In typical Chrysler fashion, the Journey was lacking in interior quality and its reliability was questionable (via Readers Digest).

The Journey was a long-term failure for the Dodge brand in general. The brand image of the car was tarnished by a seeming lack of quality. There were far better crossovers that were released around the same period that offered far better performance and price.

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Dodge Neon

The Neon was one of the most popular compact cars that Chrysler sold in the 1990s. The design of the Neon was straightforward and value-oriented. The performance of the DOHC engine was lauded by the automotive press. But there were shortcomings with the second generation of the Neon (via Readers Digest).

The second generation Neon lacked the groundbreaking design of the first car. The second time around, the car felt cheap, and reliability was questionable. It was discontinued in favor of the Dodge Caliber, another lackluster compact car that was eventually discontinued.

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Chrysler Aspen

Chrysler picked the wrong time to introduce their luxury SUV model. The Aspen was introduced to the market right amid the 2008 economic recession. The Aspen was nothing more than a rebadged Dodge Durango SUV, which itself was outdated by 2008 (via Readers Digest).

The Aspen was a nice SUV from an exterior standpoint. The styling was attractive and there were a lot of chrome and accent pieces to set it apart. But the interior was cheaply put together and not much different from the interior you’d find in the Durango.

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Dodge Nitro

The Dodge Nitro was an interesting SUV concept that was based on the Jeep Liberty. The upright styling of the Nitro was radical looking at the time. There was an R/T version of the SUV that was nothing more than an appearance package. From the outside, the Nitro looked unique, but it wasn’t all that great (via Readers Digest).

The Nitro was never a sales hit for Dodge, and the SUV was discontinued in the late 2000s. The Nitro didn’t offer anything unique that wasn’t already on the market. Consumers looked for unique SUV models and the Nitro was underpowered and overpriced.

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Hummer H3

The H3 was a final hurrah for the Hummer brand based on the Chevy Colorado. Perhaps the most questionable thing about the Hummer H3 was the five-cylinder engine. At the time the H3 was released, the appetite for gas-guzzling SUV models was waning (via Readers Digest).

The Hummer H3 looked like the larger Hummer models that were offered. But the H3 didn’t offer anything unique in value, and it was overpriced. The H3 was notoriously unreliable, with the five-cylinder engine being the worst culprit. Consumers didn’t want gas guzzlers by the time the H3 was released and the sales reflected that.

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Chevrolet Uplander

For decades, GM attempted to hit a home run in the minivan segment. The automaker never attained the same type of success that Chrysler had in the minivan segment. The Uplander was one last attempt to try and sell a viable minivan model to the public. The most notable thing about the Uplander was the SUV-inspired styling (via Readers Digest).

But the Uplander was not able to gain traction in the minivan segment and it was the final GM minivan. It was more profitable for GM to sell crossover vehicles than it was to try and sell a minivan. The Uplander was not the most value-oriented van on the market, and the styling was hideous.

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Honda Odyssey

The first generation of the Honda Odyssey was not the polished minivan that we see today. The Odyssey was Honda’s attempt to enter the lucrative minivan segment. The problem with the first generation of the Odyssey was that it was undersized and had a four-door design, instead of a sliding rear door like other minivans (via Readers Digest).

The first generation of the Honda Odyssey was also sold as the Isuzu Oasis minivan. The design was not popular and the sales numbers were low. The van was redesigned for the 1999 model year. The second incarnation of the Odyssey was much more popular than this model.

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Chrysler 200

The Chrysler 200 was the product of a major investment by Fiat Chrysler. The car was marketed with an aggressive slogan “imported by Detroit”. The problem with the Chrysler 200 was that the design was smaller than other competitors in the segment (via Readers Digest).

The Chrysler 200 was not a success and the sales were lackluster at best. The car was undersized and the interior quality was not what consumers expected. It was a sedan released at the wrong time in the automotive industry.

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Audi TT

The Audi TT was one of the longest-running two-door sports cars in the automotive industry. When the TT was released in 1999 the design of the car was groundbreaking. But that design remained the same for almost two decades with very minimal changes (via Readers Digest).

The maintenance costs associated with owning an Audi TT are some of the most expensive that you’ll pay. The car had to be maintained by specialty technicians, and those are difficult to find. There were other sports cars from the same era that offered the same amount of performance with fewer headaches.

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Mitsubishi Lancer

The Lancer was never as popular of a compact car as the Honda Civic or the Toyota Corolla. But the car had a dedicated community of enthusiasts behind it. The styling of the Lancer was always out of the box, and the performance of the Lancer was excellent (via Readers Digest).

The Lancer was discontinued after the sales numbers dropped. There were better options in the compact car segment than the Lancer. The final incarnation of the Lancer had a radical new design at first, but the hype surrounding the car quickly faded away.

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Pontiac G8

The Pontiac G8 was the final new Pontiac model that was ever released. The G8 had a powerful V8 engine that was one of the best from GM. There was a heavy advertising campaign that surrounded the G8, but shortly after it was released, GM filed for bankruptcy, and the Pontiac brand was discontinued (via Readers Digest).

The Pontiac G8 was a tragic case of a great car that was released too little too late. The styling and the performance of the G8 were unlike anything else that was on the market. But consumer interest had shifted away from the V8-powered sports sedans, and the G8 was the last of its kind.

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