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Cheap Cars With Price Tags That Make Fools Out Of Drivers

Cameron Eittreim September 14, 2022

Photo Credit: GM

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).

Photo Credit: Edmunds

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.

Chevrolet Uplander
Photo Credit: GM

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).

Photo Credit: Edmunds

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.

Photo Credit: Car Domain

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).

Photo Credit: Car Domain

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.

Photo Credit: Edmunds

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).

Photo Credit: Edmunds

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.

Audi TT Coupe via Motor Junkie
Photo Credit: Edmunds

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).

2012 Audi TT RS - 2019 Audi TT RS
Photo Credit: Edmunds

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.

Mitsubishi Lancer EVO
Photo Credit: Edmunds

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).

Photo Credit: Edmunds

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.

Pontiac G8
Photo Credit: GM

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).

Pontiac G8
Photo Credit: GM

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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