Car Designer Ranks Worst Cars

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We asked real mechanics to rank some of the worst cars ever made.
Huge thanks to our experts!
Sandro -- ‪@Ms_Official-Sandro‬
Bob Hall!
Real Mechanic Stuff is a channel from your pals at Donut! We feature all kinds of automotive experts, every week.
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[@realmechanicstuff]

Hey everybody, I made a VERY careless error when I said that the Chrysler Crossfire was derived from the Mercedes CLK in this episode of Real Mechanic's Stuff. The Crossfire was, in fact, pulled off the SLK. I had a brain freeze when I said that, probably overpowered by the two 'C's in Chrysler Crossfire. Hey, if you never make a mistake they celebrate your birthday on 25 December and mine's still in June. But my honest apologies to everybody out there and my heartiest thanks to all who corrected me. Embarrassed bwob (Bob Hall)

[@Iommian]

We love you and your insider wisdom, Bob! The hits keep on coming :D

[@Lurch-Bot]

The Edsel wasn't a terrible car, it was a terrible marketing decision. Ford people usually don't want a fancy car. I'm surprised Lincoln even still exists. Also, people didn't want a toilet seat on the grille of their car. I refer to it as a "Pontiac Asstek". The worst thing you can ever do is let an accountant design a car. Or the 737 MAX. My dad had a first gen Corvair for his first car. It had the compensator installed, which was done as a recall, eventually, after a lot of people died. He says it was a great little car. Sporty, compared to your average land yacht of the time. The American VW Ghia, basically. I used to know a guy who put a 454 in a Corvair. I told him he was gonna delete himself, and he did. Crushed to death by a truck engine.

[@fermitupoupon1754]

Didn't the Phaeton come with a W8 or W12 engine? I remember the only ones driving around here in Euroland were specifically the W-engine models. Other than that it was basically seen as a VW Passat with an exotic engine. Also you guys should do this format of video with cars that never made it to the US, like say a Renault 4, Xantia Activa V6, VX220, Lotus Carlton, Twingo Initiale Paris, Lupo 3L, Panda 4x4, R.26R, Laguna GT, C4 VTR, 480 Turbo, 205 GTI, 103 Rallye, Ibiza Cupra, Safrane Baccara Bi-Turbo, and maybe throw in some Euro Fords for good measure like the Ford Ka.

[@rolandyancydorol4635]

we love you Bob. we hope to see you more here or at the Donut main channel.

[@gustavmeyrink_2.0]

Also the Audi A8 came onto the market a year before the Phaeton (2002&2003 respectively in Europe and 2003&2004 in North America).

[@CletusSpuckler43]

Sandro said “mechanic” like he wasn’t even sure himself anymore😂 he has risen above it😂

[@BogeyTheBear]

Artist of steel and rubber.

[@CletusSpuckler43]

@ 😂

[@graemew7001]

Thanks Cletus, I got 5 seconds into the video, paused it and looked for this comment, he certainly was questioning himself there 🤣

[@Censorship.Destroyed.Freedom]

It's probably because he's still choked about losing his original shop. I'm glad to see him but I'm sad he lost the shop to such a BS claim.

[@CletusSpuckler43]

@@Censorship.Destroyed.Freedom it’s real sad man

[@Zympt]

Sandro was being respectful and absorbing all the info. Bob knows alot and RMS is lucky to have him around!

[@RukProtect]

And RMS is even luckier to have Sandro, he's truly El Jefe in my book! bwob (Bob Hall)

[@dankcoyote]

Meh, the guy is knowledgeable but this a show that has two hosts. I'm not interested in one person spouting off every factoid they know. It should be a back and forth with both of them.

[@ConnorHammond]

@@dankcoyote Sandro looked depressed (for good reason, apparently). Bob carried this one.

[@CarlZimmerJung]

Sandro looks depressed and baked af but still did a good job. He was listening and commenting

[@marxmanjj]

Bob is brilliant. I've always been extremely jealous of people who are gifted with that kind of memory.

[@dualityofmorons]

I love it when Bob is on cause he gives us “The Industry” explanations instead of conjecture and guesses that are common in the car community.

[@T-dx8dn]

It's nice to see us olds respected occasionally. Many young people dismiss us.

[@jasonnikolauk4204]

He’s here and there. A little out the f “the modern” views but anchored well in the realities of automotive design.

[@mycosys]

@@T-dx8dn cos most old people are like most young people, they never bothered to learn anything.

[@andrewh2341]

That and the man is a delight and a treasure

[@CarlZimmerJung]

@@mycosys Preach

[@NelsonPimenta93]

Bob's car knowledge just keeps astounding me.

[@SteveWard-p4u]

I was thinking that throughout the entire video. I'd like to see them react to a Gremlin and a Pacer.

[@JohnBon_88]

Right, it's amazing I wonder if the people at Mazda know how truly brilliant he is.

[@TBB0LTZZ]

Dude is extremely smart, but he's one of my least favorite hosts. He just doesn't have chemistry with anyone he hosts with.

[@tryinryan.2786]

I just made a comment. This guy I could literally listen to for days. I love cars. And his knowledge is outrageous

[@KSwapTheWorld69]

He Created The Miata... What do you mean? He has DEFINITELY been around the block a time or two.

[@jamdc2000]

props to Sandro for listening and paying atttention to Bob's insights and details

[@leonflpqzhz4765]

Bro seems baked af

[@lunchb0x1986]

​@@leonflpqzhz4765 He always does. Sandro rules.

[@TheJohn8765]

Sandro was raised right. He knows when to play and when to listen. I know people like Bob in RL. They know SO MUCH about certain topics you'd be an idiot not to listen.

[@jamdc2000]

@ agreed

[@JMG-703]

Sandro was like this guy is spitting knowledge. I just need to let it flow.

[@argoth83]

Man, Bob is an absolute encyclopedia of car industry knowledge. Love listening to him go on about it.

[@gauravsharma6]

Bob maybe an encyclopedia but a really bad one

[@acfiv1421]

He can be funny, but the Phaeton 'worse than trash?' GTFOH. He's absolutely right about people not wanting to spend Mercedes S-Class money for a VW. But apart from that it was a brilliant, well engineered car. Which sold over 80,000 units, not just 1000, by the way. But Donut is in California and they don't seem to realize that there is a whole world outside their borders.

[@Tele.estrada]

Sandro code switched soooo HARDD. I’ve never seen Sandro be quiet and proper like in this video

[@potater6163]

yea I felt the vibes were off, bob likes to talk alot

[@tryhardnoob1140]

I think he's just high and didn't feel like arguing XD

[@EvilEngineNumberNine]

I'm glad somebody else noticed. It's kinda hard to watch because Sandro seems so done.

[@Drofthechalice]

Sandro is just absorbing info. He doesn't know what bob does pertaining to history.

[@BoyOfNatureOrNatureboy360]

@@Drofthechalice I agree

[@axel995r]

Yugo absolutely did not fail, it might have failed in the US, and it definitely lacks the comfort of the other more luxurious cars from the era, however it literally mobilized an entire nation, it was insanely cheap to buy, cheap to maintain and incredibly easy to fix, so it was a tremendously important car for Yugoslavia. I mean it's a cheap mass produced car for the people, you can't expect it to be very luxurious, when it was literally the cheapest new car you could buy at the time.

[@corymorrison4488]

Exactly it was always a shit box, but it was decent. Definitely better than walking.

[@philhahn]

Ive seen yugos put through hell just to show how easily they can be repaired to keep turning over. Unstoppable. Meanwhile a stern cough in a yank tank of the time......

[@TheJohn8765]

I get the "an option is still much better than no option" (which is true), but they were objectively terrible cars.

[@mycosys]

Yeah it was about as far from a failure as a product can be. But as a car.............

[@hrodga]

I saw Yogos in Bosnia in the early 2000s that were at least 20 years old, held together with chicken wire and using nylons in place of belts.. say what you will, but you could make them last.

[@Brazzelkanal]

As a W140 S-Class owner, there are very few cars that give you the feeling of being a king, mafia boss or exec like this one. Yes, it's heavy, it got half an inch wood inside, the seats are solid AF and even the knobs feel like made from billet steel, but it drives so good, it's just one of the last true Mercedes, and I love it for that.

[@TheJohn8765]

The doors really do feel like vault doors when they close. Not just how solid they feel, but they seal really, really well. Your ears feel the pressurization. Superb platform we won't see again, sadly.

[@Brazzelkanal]

@TheJohn8765 I got softclose too, this complete silence after they pull themselves shut, it's always awesome. And, Jeremy Clarkson once mentioned that someone should invent something to prevent things falling in between the center console and the seat, well, my C140 got that, a felt lip that seals the gap.

[@tinydiccbandito4953]

I have no idea how they came up with this shit. Lost all the credibility

[@lukeyarasheski5510]

The story Bob told about the pinto is true. They looked at what it would cost to re design as opposed to settle the deaths and didn't redesign it

[@movetoiceland]

And then we got Fight Club

[@Yvolve]

If I remember correctly, the person who made that decision was Robert McNamara, who later became secretary of defence during the Vietnam War. He then came up with the idea of using troops with low IQ as cannon fodder. It was called Project 100.000.

[@lukeyarasheski5510]

@Yvolve Yeah. He was a real cool guy...

[@Yvolve]

@@lukeyarasheski5510 He would've fit in with the current Trump administration.

[@lukeyarasheski5510]

@Yvolve I'm pretty sure he's already got a SecDef

[@chrisdurham6517]

We had a gigantic drill sergeant at Fort Sill in '88 who owned a Yugo. He barely fit in it. The window crank handle came off in his hand. I was convinced that his furious hatred of new recruits was directly related to his daily driving experience.

[@CarlZimmerJung]

I can see that... but in the end it probably was just daddy issues as always 😂

[@Lurch-Bot]

The thought of a US military DI buying a communist car is the funniest part.

[@chrisdurham6517]

@ 😆

[@Fay7666]

Isn't the W140 considered the last great S-class? Like yeah it was overengineered to hell and back, but that was what made it so endearing and considered one of those Legendary Mercedes.

[@mercedes_nuts]

Well the W221 and W222 (S-Classes 2005-2013 and 2014-2020 respectively) are considered great too, but the W140 is from a different era, where Mercedes didn't care about cost, they just wanted to make the best car possible. And the 140 was the pinnacle of that business model, costing over 1 billion dollars to develop in the 1980s! The S-Classes that have come since are still great cars, but Merc has had to cut costs in order to stay competitive with cheaper foreign luxury brands.

[@TimothyZanyk]

They are talking now nonsense at this point. That car was a legend. Yeah, heavy but super comfortable fast in V12 spec and good looking.

[@jmsq92]

I appreciate Sandro. I dont want to say he "understands". Rather, he is able to lead a show but also is able to listen and compliment Bob's knowledge and passion. Great duo!

[@beelor5777]

Halfway through the video and i can already say, bring that guy back every episode. The knowledge and wisdom he has is incredible.

[@DK-if9pl]

19:30 if I remember correctly its a SLK underneath. Not a CLK.

[@arpadikuma]

Absolutely correct. I got a ride in a pre production model with wires and all connected to whatever stuff back then, pretty much looked like an SLK inside

[@Angry_Squirrel555]

Absolutely 💯 correct.

[@ThePEagle]

Correct, SLK320 for the standard, SLK32 for the srt6

[@Nick_Parau]

Bob and Sandro....all we ever wanted.

[@elgenetiamzon1062]

The team up we've all been requesting.

[@Mr.Saltwater]

That W140 chassis Benz was the reason so many MB techs could afford a house with a pool. Especially the 1997 yr. that the engine harnesses changed the insulation that was going to self-destruct. I loved those as an MB tech. Could make your entire week fixing 3 days' worth of work. Keep the car for a week and a half so the owners didn't know how quick it was to fix. I bought one with the 104 engine that needed the head gasket, water pump, and harness for $1000 in 2005? Fixed all of it in a day and a half. Drove for 2 years and made BANK when I sold it.

[@bierbjorn4916]

I see Bob. I wana watch! This guy is great!

[@brianschuller4810]

This was a great and informative video. Loved how Sandro sat back and was the student while Bob gave us “the way” these were such automotive failures. Really enjoyed it! Great work!

[@malcanater007]

Sandro has no idea how to deal with Bob's energy lol Bob is so hyped all the time and Sandro's so chill

[@VistaViews]

16:50 that Jag almost killed my ex. Now my uncle spent his entire career as a Jag mechanic and NEVER owned one. People assumed it was because he couldn’t afford it but that isn’t it. He knew better! That car had an electrical fire on my ex and burned to the ground on a NC highway.

[@MickCrick]

how dare you put a w140 on this video? its a really great luxury car, absolute classic. People in Europe absolutely love it just as much as people in states love the ls400

[@sanyk-t6c]

More than 430.000 was sold. It's huge.

[@Qb3nsis]

I love them together. Sandro and Bob are both incredible professionals in their field and this was a joy to watch.

[@Perc1000]

Yugos both werent meant for the US market and got really unlucky due to sanctions and general factory worker resentment. Americans obviously treated a $4000 investment different than Yugoslavs did, but the Yugo was more competitive to other econoboxes than people remember.

[@DBerwick]

My dad was working for a competing tire manufacturer at the time of the Ford/Firestone drama. The inside story was that Ford ordered tires with a specific spec. Firestone provided those tires, as agreed. The Explorer had an inherent instability issue that Ford was trying to downplay to avoid a safety recall. Ford was telling their dealers to under inflate the tires to minimize the bouncines and instability on the highway. Doing this put the tires out of spec. As a result of the underinflation, and combined with the suspension design and balance of the truck, made the tires run hot. After multiple cycles of these elevated temps, the layers of the tire would start to separate and the rotational forces would pull the tire apart. Ford renewed their tire contract with Firestone, being very generous to Firestone in the process, and Firestone took the bullet for Ford.

[@TheRetarp]

Firestone produced and shipped known defective tires that had moisture intrusion. This prevented the plies and steel belts from properly adhering to the rubber resulting in blowouts at speed. In the court proceedings it all came out. Firestone knew they were building defective tires but sold them to Ford anyway. Ford also used Goodyear Tires for the Explorer for those same model years. Not a single Goodyear Tire equipped Explorer had a rollover accident attributed to the tires or handling of the vehicle (unlike the Bronco II which was a high centered deathtrap).

[@DBerwick]

@TheRetarp the specs provided to goodyear were different than those provided to Firestone. They were fundamentally different tires. So stating that completely different tires, from different brands, with different specs, didn't experience the same problem is irrelevant. However, stability issues continued to plague that generation of Explorers. Reports aren't few and internal memos from Ford show them trying to quietly fix it. Ford changed the specs on numerous suspension parts, including bushings, ball joints, and various other flexible mount points. Please don't misunderstand, Firestone is not without blame and I didn't do a good job of conveying that In my OP. Firestone also made a series of bad decisions, some on their own, but some under pressure from Ford. My only point was that this should not be placed entirely at the feet of Firestone, and Ford wasn't the victim.

[@boksiuuzwyspy3306]

Why the fuck W140 is in this video? It's a great car

[@nathanstroud2223]

Yeah, that confused me, because I always thought that car was revered in Mercedes circles for being the sort of zenith of German over-engineering, before the era of planned obsolescence took hold and they started doing stupid things like putting biodegradable wiring in them. And who cares that it was heavy and expensive to develop? It's a luxury car.

[@BFT88]

Because it’s another Merz POS

[@DiustheZ]

Because it was a lot heavier than it should have been and cost more than planned. It wasn't "over-engineering" it was ego that sent them down a rabbit hole.

[@BFT88]

@@boksiuuzwyspy3306 the car is a POS

[@TimothyZanyk]

​@@DiustheZAlso better quality than any American car. It was so expensive in USA because... It was imported and had top technology for it's time

[@moohooman]

As an Aussie, I like the Chevy SSR as a concept, but they went at a it all wrong. They should have followed our example and made it more of a muscle car ute like our Commodores and Falcons, rather then some weird VW beetle looking abomination.

[@JohnSmith-pf7xx]

The SSR exists because General Motors wanted to update the chassis they used in the NASCAR Craftsman Series. NASCAR rules state that they have to make a certain number of units for sale for them to be considered "stock" cars. They just tried their best to make the civilian SSR look like a race truck and gave us that ugly looking thing. It still goes fast, it just doesn't have the utility of an Aussie Ute.

[@NEEDbacon]

@@JohnSmith-pf7xx Issue is GM for whatever reason HATED Holden. Outside of the Monaro based GTO, every attempt to push Holden stuff in the US they did was active sabotage. Like they could have easily brought over the same gen of Commodore Ute the GTO was based on and called it an El Camino SS (Or NOT stuff a V8 and top trim so folks could actually get one). But Nope.

[@gustavmeyrink_2.0]

The VW Phaeton shares it's chassis with the A8, Bentley Continental and Flying Spur and the Porsche Panamera. The top of the range model got the Bentley's W12 engine but it was also available with VW Groups stunning 5L turbo diesel V10.

[@DanielBenberg]

Well yeah, but it had a VW logo

[@TrashHeapCustodian]

Never before has someone called a diesel engine "stunning" and that's for a reason

[@gustavmeyrink_2.0]

@@TrashHeapCustodian You know nothing and I haven't even mentioned Audi's 6L V12 TD but then the USA never got those. When Alan McNish after winning Le Mans in an Audi with that TD he was testing an F1 car. His only impression was that the F1 car felt underpowered.

[@Mastermind12358]

@@TrashHeapCustodian And that reason is that you're an American and don't know crap.

[@Capt.-Nemo]

The W12 engine comes from VW. Identification Number VW EA398.

[@warummussmeinnameangegeben6502]

As a german, the Phaeton is a fabulous car. The 3.0 TDIs are so reliable, those are incredibly well made. Its stealth wealth, an concept unknown for americans. My uncle, who is head of radiology of a hospital had two. He raced himself with a heart attack to the hospital over the autobahn just in time to collapse in front of the car. Good car.

[@vvevvevvvv]

Stealth wealth in the US is having a Land Cruiser. VW Phaeton was stupid. And used car prices reflect that now. Audi is already boring enough to qualify into stealth wealth category. Also, only good motor is probably a 3.0 TDI. Because 4.2 petrol V8 and W12 are just stupid. I am not even mentioning V10 TDI.

[@maximilianmustermann5763]

It seems like the concept of stealth wealth is also unknown to Germans, because nobody bought the Phaeton. It was one of the worst selling cars in the history of VW.

[@maximilianmustermann5763]

...by the way I think the name might have contributed to it. Despite its glorious origin from Greek mythology, it just sounds weird when you say it in German, and not in a good way. Like a mix of "fat" and "meh" on a subconscious level. You don't want a car with that name.

[@DenUitvreter]

I partly agree, Germany and Europe has a lot of people important enough to be chauffeured, but not self made enough to flaunt wealth, and then there are the people who simply like understated and not show wealth ostentatiously. Maybe the car should have been better targeted than at one side offering a 3.0 Diesel and on the other side wanting to compete in number of cylindres and interior opulance.

[@BogeyTheBear]

How would two of the coolest guys step onto the scene? 0:00 1:23 Well, what's "Worse Than Trash" would be what's in a Porta-Potty, or underneath an outhouse. The most polite way to phrase it is 'Compost' but health laws prohibit the use of this car for even that purpose. 3:55 Simply put, some designer ruined it on the drafting board when they forgot where they left their French curve and got this one in at the deadline by going to town with a straight-edge. Good concept, but carved into shape using CAD software only Windows 95 can deliver. 10:15 This is why a door hit on a Tesla today costs $10,000 and takes six months to replace. A Model 3 is a four-door car you can get new for 40 grand, so what with? No spare parts chain: You need your door fixed, Tesla has to make that door before taking it off the assembly line and shipping it clean across the country to the service center where your Model 3 has been collecting dust since autumn. How many Cybertruck owners are currently looking into getting their sun-rotted windshield wipers replaced (rain is _finally_ hitting California as we speak) and finding out the only place to get a replacement wiper is through Tesla?

[@LtNduati]

I love Bob Hall videos, he’s a true wealth of knowledge, funny as hell, and seems to mesh really well with whoever he’s paired with, even if he was presenting alone.

[@mikalemas]

I would enjoy hearing Bob say, "Inconceivable!" 😂

[@REDW1NG94]

He has in past videos 😂

[@gametheoryproductions]

To touch on the pinto, most manufacturers know about defects and potential recalls before release but it's cheaper for them to still release the car and release a "recall" following a few years where there can potentially be less of those cars on the road. Instead of fixing all of them before release.

[@AliErfurt]

SSR was sick, totally hitting with the retro vibe of the time: new beetle, pt cruiser, pontiac gto concept (that later became the camaro) and many more. Its a convertable pickup with some ground clearance and a 450hp v8.

[@mycosys]

I'm glad you exist, we need diversity.

[@Immigrantlovesamerica]

I remember thinking it was very unique back then. Didnt think it was bad. It was certainly fitting for the times.

[@user-hu4ol2ip5o]

I love the New Beetle, SSR, and PT Cruiser

[@JohnSmith-pf7xx]

The SSR did look sick and match the vibes of the early 2000's cars, but GM only made enough to hit the NASCAR sales numbers and that was it's only downside.

[@DeiTuckErrJoobz]

If you’re comparing utes, the SSR is trash when you put it against its OZ cousin Maloo. HUGE mistake for GM to not bring the Maloo to the states. Could’ve been rebadged as a modern El Camino. Stupid GM execs!!

[@TsunamiSephi]

I could listen to Bob Hall literally 24/7 and I aspire to display my knowledge, wisdom, and humor the same way he does. He's a legend among legends, and I cannot thank you enough for bringing him on and allowing the world to see his charm.

[@FreeTimeFeats]

7:20 don't you dare blaspheme....

[@kashvirdeepchand5052]

100%

[@drewbreezy5854]

This old timer is a legend. So much knowledge. Love that unlimited info.

[@grominwithrob1339]

Bob and Sandro are two legendary people. That said, they don't play off each other very well. Bob and Sandro mesh with the ladies personalities better.

[@watcbd]

What an awesome episode. Both hosts were able to give us great insights, Bob from his experience inside the industry and Sandro from his years working on all types of cars.

[@gustavmeyrink_2.0]

The De Lorean's main problem in any non-US market was that it was grotesquely underpowered and couldn't pull the skin of a rice pudding. It was never going to sell when a VW Polo would embarrass it at the lights.

[@RetNemmoc555]

They were also a pain to work on in some areas (like having to jack up the rear to drain the radiator). Also, in the rain the gull wing doors would dump water on your lap when you opened them.

[@kenbrown2808]

the thing not mentioned is the motor it was shipped with was weaker than the motor DeLorean originally wanted it to have. so it wasn't as sporty as he envisioned.

[@300DBenz]

DMC was working on turbocharging the engine (which would’ve bumped the HP to over 230) at the time the company was shut down. If they’d stayed in business long enough, the car would’ve gained a reputation as a Yuppie Killer like the Porsche 911 Turbo.

[@kenbrown2808]

@@300DBenz and we wouldn't be making jokes about the unbelievable part of Back to the Future was that a DeLorean could go 88 miles per hour.

[@300DBenz]

@@kenbrown2808 I hate that joke, it was easily capable of hitting 88 mph (if my ‘85 Mercedes diesel can, then so can a Delorean). Just because the speedometer stopped at 85 mph (like in my ‘85 Crown Victoria), doesn’t mean the car does (got a ticket for doing 104 in the Crown Vic).

[@KevinBorrello]

Watching Sandro listen and pay attention to Bob is really nice, he knows this man is full of knowledge, and when you meet someone that’s easy to speak with and they just vomit information, you sit and listen. He’s also probably really baked lmao.

[@ARedEyedJedi]

I’ve got six more hours left on my sales shift and this is exactly what I needed. Let’s do this.

[@stephaniecoomey2356]

go do your job you waste of oxygen.

[@kalzone_my_dudes5160]

I have almost 7 hours left...

[@stephaniecoomey2356]

@@kalzone_my_dudes5160 go do your job, so useless.

[@DallasBolin]

​​@@stephaniecoomey2356 Yikes! That was a really snide thing to say. You know people can absolutely be productive even with a big scary attention-grabbing KZbin video playing. Listen to the radio while working. Etc.

[@stephaniecoomey2356]

@ i like being snide on the internet so i can show pure kindness in person. yin and yang.

[@plymouthmechanic3423]

Bob is so epic! His serious car knowledge combined with his splendid humor is marvelous! He is such a nice guy. I wish there would be more videos with Bob

[@AmiralPatate]

The thing about the Pinto and Corvair is they weren't actually particularly more lethal than the average of the day. In both cases, the cars were later tested and proven to not be particularly unsafe compared to other cars on the road. Their flaw wasn't unique, and didn't lead to a PR nightmare for other companies. The cardinal sin wasn't the flaw, it's that it was proven GM and Ford knew about it, knew how to fix it, and purposefully didn't to cut costs. GM simply recommended to unsual tyre inflation practice without properly telling their dealers or buyers. Ford on the other hand was caught with an internal memo outlining how getting sued would be cheaper than fixing the car. What got people made was the bare naked greed. As for the Yugo, it's main problem was just being thrown into a market it was never intended for. Like many cars in the Communist world, it was made to be simple, cheap, easily repairable, and get you from A to B, for countries that lacked extensive road and support infrastructure. In that regard it was comparable to the Beetle, 2CV or 500. The thing is, in a competitive Western market, those cars had already been on the market for 30 years. People had come to expect more out of that, and even at its price, you could still find a better used car.

[@atomicmillenial9728]

Nope. The "Pinto Memo" was grossly misinterpreted. It was an industry-wide study commissioned by the NHTSA in 1973 into the costs of improving fuel tank safety in rollovers vs the benefit to society.

[@AmiralPatate]

@@atomicmillenial9728 And Ford's analysis was it's cheaper to pay for the lawsuits than to recall cars and fix the issue. To which the authorities said "okay" and did nothing.

[@atomicmillenial9728]

@@AmiralPatate But it had nothing to do with the Pinto specifically, and the "fix" proposed being proposed by the NHTSA wouldn't have solved the issue.

[@MrAttyjones]

Bob is a living legend and Sandro is a legend in the making. Love the interplay between the two. Great stuff.

[@conneryates5073]

Bob and Sandro this ought to be good

[@splay1953]

Bob is really a car encyclopedia, it's always a pleasure to listen to him talkin about car history, what an amazing guy !

[@alexsmall5732]

Ok. My father had a Phaeton. That thing was carved out of granite. It was amazing. And you're wrong.

[@colinpartridge4015]

It's biggest problem was a VW badge instead of an Audi. Clearly worse than trash.

[@sheva4ever1]

@@colinpartridge4015 It was the point of VW. They want to change the VW image. Unfortunately badge is more important than a car for majority of people. The Phaeton is a nice car and it was very luxurious and innovative at the time. I think it is underappreciated.

[@williamletts9487]

​@sheva4ever1 I think that's the problem because it was under appreciated because it was an amazing vehicle it was well built with all the newest technologies and plenty of power, but at the same time the it was a marketing nightmare. It was too expensive and unreliable to be wearing the badge of an entry level/budget car company

[@Waschbaer_Mann]

​@@colinpartridge4015in which way is that a problem? The mk2 Golf GTI or the VR6 Corrado are awesome great looking cars and they're VW's. It's technically an A8, but I think the VW logo makes it look even cooler because that car was just something that you wouldn't expect from VW.

[@TheJohn8765]

Until it broke. And then you had to disassemble the front half to get at anything. Classic VW-group F YOU to the owner.

[@ramzcoldlampin5460]

Bob and Sandro are the best! Bob’s dry humor mixed with top tier knowledge is a rare combo.

[@timmie2k3]

My first car in the 90s was a 1966 Corvair, the revised suspension on that was actually really good and the thing handled great! It was a fun car and I definitely agree with it being underappreciated, especially the second revision (1965 and on).

[@DisplacementGarage]

Bob’s knowledge is endless! Love Sandro’s humor and lightheartedness. Great video! 🏁

[@VistaViews]

10:06 this car was LITERALLY what coined the phrase “throw away car.” I knew a couple people with one and it was by far cheaper to get a nee car then fix theirs.

[@alexdamonwrites]

Bob is definitely the kind of guy who you can tell he's spent a lifetime being guided by his love of cars just from listening to him. Just a simple mention of a particular make and model and he can instantly recite its historical significance. He had an anecdote for just about every entry on this list.

[@longjohn526]

When I was starting out as an electronics engineer I worked for a company and one of the senior engineers would get so pissed off because they change the specs of different parts because they would save a nickel here and a dime there not understanding there are huge differences between types and manufacturers of even the most basic electronics parts so he came up with a term I've used ever since .... Beancounter Engineering. Guaranteed to fail before the warranty ran out (or shortly thereafter)

[@sparky4845]

I love Bob’s encyclopedic knowledge of the car industry from an insider’s perspective… I would love to have more of these types of insightful episodes!!

[@WarneD1]

18:16 wasn’t the issue with Ford Explorer was that Firestone poorly manufactured the tires, the vehicle had a very high center of gravity that made it prone roll over to offset this roll over risk Ford suggested that people inflate their tires to 10 psi below the recommended pressure. The lower tire pressure caused the tires to heat up causing the poorly made tires to separate the tread.

[@craigmcshannon3806]

I thought I was crazy because that's exactly what I thought.

[@docgiggles130]

I worked with someone that has a Yugo. He ended up buying a second one just for parts to keep his running because things like the carburetor and distributor were not available in any US parts store or dealer. Once he ran out of parts on the spare car, he had to call around to any junkyard that was willing to ship parts to get what he needed. The sad thing was that the carb was so poorly made that he had to replace it every year. He took such good care of it that it still looked new when he finally bought a new car. The dealer refused to take it on trade though. He ended up selling it to a collector who was excited by all the parts he still had for it (he kept all the old carbs.) I wouldn't be surprised if that car wasn't still sitting in someone odd car collection somewhere.

[@TheGarageGuru95]

It upsets me when everyone hates on the chevy ssr. I always like the look

[@sanyk-t6c]

It's popular opinion, you MUST hate this car. P.S. one of my dream car, outside of US it's hard to find.

[@spelledfunny]

The SSR concept car was fantastic. What actually hit the market was not.

[@DeiTuckErrJoobz]

I HATE the ssr, because GM already had a much better ute: the maloo! The ssr is basically the fat ugly stupid cousin.

[@lorenharris11]

I could listen to bob talk all day !!!

[@James-z3q8l]

Remember that guy who went viral by screaming into the camera for everyone to leave Britney Spears alone? That's how I feel about the Aztek. It had really cool options. I mean, sure, everything else was garbage but hey the options were so cool!

[@rustbucketredemption1944]

Thank you Bob! “It’s not a Ford Edsel, it’s an Edsel” As an Edsel owner you have no idea how much your comment meant to me.

[@drewd500]

Firestone wasn't the main problem. I worked for ford when this stuff was happening. Not many people remember what ford did on there end of the problem. New vin stickers which took the tire pressure from 26psi to 35psi. Low tire pressure and the heat of the tail pipe at the passenger rear tire caused the problem.

[@MrKroogur]

Sadly I was wrenching at Ford at that time as well and I noticed that as well! 26 psi was waaaaay to low especially for a tall boxy SUV.

[@oshaghennessey9829]

pls keep this segment going. This is one of those once in a lifetime type tings

[@aleppo1]

Love how Bob was calling out Donut production for getting facts wrong, wish he was there all the time to call out the numerous errors spread across damn near every video lol

[@RukProtect]

I made a mistake too, saying the Chrysler Crossfire was derived from the Mercedes CLK, It was, in fact, pulled off the SLK. I had a brain freeze when I said that, probably overpowered by the two 'C's in Chrysler Crossfire. Hey, if you never make a mistake they celebrate your birthday on 25 December and mine's still in June. Embarrassed bwob (Bob Hall)

[@well6112]

Sandro being respectful and letting Bob flow with the data speaks volumes about him. Nice guy indeed.

[@marvnimmo9743]

Back when the Corvair was on the roads. The biggest complaint I always heard was they always leaked oil from day two. I liked them but never bought one for that very reason. :) SO I bought a VW bug and have owned one since then. They leak too, but were and still are dirt cheap to rebuild. :)

[@RukProtect]

They had crappy pushrod seals and that's where the oil leak history was born. However, with newer seals (and not rubber ones) they disavow their leak-a-rama reputation. In fact, with modern bits and tires, the Gen 2 'vairs can be enjoyable bits of history. bwob (Bob Hall)

[@spelledfunny]

The other big problem with the Corsair was the 90-degree pulley system that drove the cooling fan from the crank. Those extra pulleys (and the bending) would cause the belts to overheat and catch fire, causing a bunch of other cascading issues once that happened.

[@marvnimmo9743]

@@RukProtect Thanks for the clarity Bob :) If you're ever in Colorado, I'd love for you to see my bug. Much respect!

[@norcodaev]

I could listen to Mr. Bob Hall talk about obscure cars for hours. Dude is a legend!

[@SoCalGuitarist]

Yay! Love when Donut brings Bob in

[@JMG-703]

Bob is a national treasure. I could listen to him talk about cars all day.

[@josiahamaze]

2:40 Bro what is Bob talking about?? This long ass run on sentence haha Sandro like "ahh got you" 😂😂

[@timothy4664]

I love Bob. He is an encyclopedia.

[@Turbobuttes]

The Crossfire is related to the SLK actually, not the CLK. But truth be told, even though Chrysler at the time couldn't design an interior that wasn't a desert of cheap plastic garbage, I'd actually rather have a Crossfire than a same model year SLK, I kinda love the almost art deco themed exterior with the straight lines, Chrysler grille and the center crease running the length of the car.

[@maraslilpogchamp]

And an SRT6 that isn't thrashed is easier to find than the SLK AMG

[@Turbobuttes]

@@maraslilpogchamp The SRT6's wing also helps to break up what many at the time and even up until today consider a "pooping dog side profile".

[@thecountywilliams5098]

Sandro & Bob chillin' and in the same groove made my day.

[@RaziAvel]

Is Sandro wearing lipgloss?!

[@frostfire6481]

Man's zesty 😂

[@fritjofrocker5047]

now i cant unsee it...thanks obama

[@TrashHeapCustodian]

Gotta be fancy with it for the camera, it's the winter, you gotta stay moisturized

[@hueandeye]

​​@@TrashHeapCustodianBeat me to it by a minute, this cold has me dry asf.

[@jmartini1104]

He was feeling ✨bonita✨

[@yolosubmarine]

Bob is so good in a more serious context, the wealth of knowledge is staggering.

[@mihpop9733]

US cars killed people: Decent, underappreciated European cars simply exist: Disgusting, too expensive, bad wiring...

[@MohamedAli965]

Bob is an encyclopedia of car knowledge. Learned a lot from this video, would love to see more of him.

[@StarTrek4Life]

I actually like the retro look of the SSR and even the HHR. I would drive those over a Pontiac Aztek.

[@NEEDbacon]

Honestly the Retrofuture stuff of the early 2000's still speak to my millennial heart. Though I get WHY the SSR flopped when the price gets brought up. The HHR I thinkwas just unlucky that the public chose the PT Cruiser, it's still nice to see some running around.

[@BurstingVeins1]

Bob is one of the greatest additions to this channel.

[@m.cigledy6769]

The Pontiac Aztec honestly wasn't a BAD car. It was just an UGLY car. A really, REALLY ugly car. From the inside, it was comparable to other GM cars of the day. Not great, but no worse than any other one.

[@kharnynb]

the aztec reminds me of the citroen xsara picasso or the fiat multipla, ugly af but so practical in daily life.

[@lordcorgi6481]

The most hilarious thing about the Yugo GV is that I have a 88 GVX and I take it to car meets and it gets more attention than the Ferraris and Lambos 🤣🤣🤣

[@TheArcticShockHD]

We love Bob!!!

[@basecase6139]

Bob is amazing in these videos and so blunt! Please give him his own series!

[@kubeek]

2:16 cool moustache

[@Literally_Deez_Nuts]

Sus shadow.

[@Colancio]

Man I just want to sit the whole day sharing a beer listening to car knowledge with Bob

[@aleckto28]

Sandro def aint vibing with the 20min auto history lesson

[@Drakith90]

I don't think it's that. Sandro was just some mechanic that answered a random call for wrench slingers and now he's basically the face of this channel. Heck even their ads for their merch use him. Think he might just be getting golden goose fatigue.

[@adamgracemusicsydney8420]

Thanks editor for putting mechanical diagrams alongside Bob’s insights… appreciate it very much . More please

[@darkwolfgaming6665]

Sandro is on another planet in this video lmao dude is stoned as hell

[@samwell_6977]

I was looking for this comment, he’s so gone dude💀

[@elimiller9167]

Adds to the vibe

[@prongATO]

That story about the Pinto is true. We did a case study in my engineering ethics class about the Pinto and Lee Iacocca. They said a $1 1Lb piece of plastic between the rear differential and the gas tank would solve all the issues but he said the car would not be a dollar over a certain amount or a pound over a certain weight and that piece would put it beyond his limits. Ford also did a cost/benefit analysis and figured it was cheaper to pay out the lawsuits of people dying in accidents from the gas tank being punctured than to recall all the models to install the plastic piece, so they let people die. One of the MAJOR reasons I'll never own a Ford.

[@atomicmillenial9728]

The whole Pinto case really should be a case study on journalistic ethics rather than engineering ethics because literally none of this is true 😂

[@prongATO]

@@atomicmillenial9728 TF are you talking about?

[@atomicmillenial9728]

@@prongATO The entire "Pinto Madness" story was a lie cooked up by Ralph Nader and Mark Dowie from Mother Jones, helped along by the ABC's 20/20 program. In 1972 Lily Grey's Pinto stalled and coasted to a stop in the middle of a freeway in California. It was struck from behind at 55mph by a Ford Galaxie and subsequently caught fire. Lily was killed in the accident and her 13 year old passenger, Robert Grimshaw, recieved life-threatening and extensive burns. The families sued Ford in 1977. Part of the evidence presented to the jury was a 1973 memo produced by Ford's legal department for the NHTSA regarding their proposal for more robust fuel system safety regulations. It was an industry-wide cost-benefit analysis that didn't mention the Pinto at all. The kicker is that the "$1 part that Ford refused to fit because it was too expensive" was a reverse-flow baffle in the filler neck to prevent spillage in a rollover. That's right. The "smoking gun" memo that "proved" the Pinto was known by Ford to be a death trap in a rear end collision actually had nothing to do with the Pinto or rear-end collisions. Lee Iaccoca's alleged knowledge of the issues came from star witness Harry Cropp, a former Ford exec who identified himself as an impartial "safety whistleblower" who'd been fired by management because he'd become a thorn in their side when in reality he'd stopped turning up to work and was sacked for "taking long and unauthorised leaves of absence", something he failed to disclose to the jury. Of course, that didn't stop Mark Dowie (with help from Ralph Nader) from Mother Jones running with the story, claiming that between 500 and 950 people had been killed by Pintos that had been hit in the rear and caught fire and Ford just didn't care. Mark, of course, pulled that number out of his ass. The real number was 27, a figure that was roughly on par with the contemporary Chevy Vega and AMC Gremlin, both of which shared roughly the same fuel tank location as the Pinto. 20/20 also decided to throw their hat in the ring by covering the story and added more fuel to the fire by suggesting ALL of Ford's products were defective based on crash testing footage they'd obtained. The problem? That footage was from a 1968 study by UCLA into the effects of fire in car interiors following rear-end impacts. The cars used had been intentionally rigged to burn. Ultimately, the jury sided with the families because it had obviously been a case of the big, evil corporation letting people die over a couple of saved dollars. The Pinto was stuck with an undeserved reputation as a deathtrap. Ford was made to look like a bunch of soulless assholes to be used as an example for engineering and business ethics classes for years to come, despite the whole story being debunked several times.

[@Tele.estrada]

Bob and Sandro was not it. You can see Sandro’s PTSD of sitting in class during HS.

[@corymorrison4488]

Or he knows when to shut the hell up and listen.

[@TheTombomb5000]

Crazy anyone agrees with this lol

[@hazelbaumgartner9706]

On the Edsel, a lot of people did think they were ugly too on top of the design. The front end often got compared to the face someone makes when they bite into a lemon. Their questionable reliability combined with the lemon jokes actually helped spread the term "lemon" as referring to a lousy new car.

[@mickeybreezy]

Fun fact: The Yugo came with factory installed heated rear windows. This was to keep your hands warm while you were pushing it home.

[@saewoody6366]

As the owner of a 1960 Corvair Monza Coupe, that I bought as my first car in 1997 as a 17 year old, I greatly appreciate your placement of the Corvair in your list!!!

[@QUADPRISM99]

Gonna make a slight correction for the Crossfire. It's actually primarily based on the R170 SLK, although it does have a few W208 CLK parts in it. I've owned several and they're all super fun! They should've offered one with a V8 though. It would've taken very little engineering to make the M113 fit in place of the M112 V6 they got. It literally just needs different size cooling hoses and a slimmer aftermarket fan to fit under the hood. Source: I made one.

[@RukProtect]

So very right and I screwed up. Sorry! bwob (Bob Hall)

[@QUADPRISM99]

Ah, it's alright! I think Donut has actually done a video about the car before and talked about it being based on an SLK. Thanks for reading the comment!

[@stevennicovich8547]

The first vehicle I bought myself was a '91 Ford Explorer. Bought it in 2000. Ran that thing all over the woods hunting and fishing. One day coming back from Eastern Oregon a small herd of deer crossed in front of me on HWY 140 between Bly and Lakeview. Hit the breaks, and the right side of my tires hit a patch of gravel on the side of the road. One of the deer was straddling the middle of the road. This put me into a sideways slide, on a raised 2 lane highway at about 60-65 mph. Went fully perpendicular to the road 3 times, Passenger side first, then Drivers Side and then Passenger side again until we stopped. Didn't roll, even with a roof rack on top of the Explorer. I had Toyo Open Country tires on.

[@bripslag]

Bob and Sandro are a great combination. 👍🏼 Industry knowledge and street smarts make for informative videos.

[@romadonezero]

The Firestone tire thing occurred in 2001 time frame, not 1991. I know because they recalled my 1999 Explorer. I had them put brand new Bridgestone tires on it. People were under inflating or over inflating them. I drove 110mph all the time with the tires on German autobahn. No issues at all. Ever.

[@seanrmaguire9896]

It's like watching a kid who is high as fuck trying to speak, while Daddy holds the conversation together 😂😂

[@kenbrown2808]

the real issue with the exploder was Ford specified a tire that was barely rated for the weight of the car, and then recommended a lower tire pressure to make it feel like it was riding smoother. - so the tires were overloaded.