There are estimated to be more than 43 million Americans going to or from some destination this Memorial Day weekend, hopefully enjoying their vacation, many of them driving along the approximate 4 million miles of U.S. highways. In a week where the toddler-in-chief had a temper tantrum when he was supposed to be discussing infrastructure and was found to be attempting to send taxpayer-funded patronage to Republican donors, the quality of the roads you’re driving on this weekend may be dependent on a connected, dipshit brother-in-law.
Holiday vacations and family trips have probably changed considerably since I was a kid. Today, smartphones and tablets keep people entertained, instead of trying to find some fun in looking at license plates and traffic signs. But moreover, I find it interesting how this kind of experience both informs and reflects American attitudes about the automobile being a symbol of personal freedom, and the idea roads and interstates are a gateway to adventure.
So this Memorial Day I thought it might be interesting to revisit bad cars, horrible drivers, and some of the bumpy roads many families have endured.
The goal of a motorized conveyance is to reliably get you from Point A to Point B, and anywhere in-between, and then return you safely back to the point of origin. However, not all vehicles are made the same, and every now and again there are lemons. It can either be because of horrible build quality, glaring design flaws, or the wonderment of how groups of supposedly smart people spent time and resources developing such hideous, aesthetically challenged products.
It's sometimes fun to walk back down memory lane and remember that rust-colored piece of shit that you spent thousands of your hard-earned dollars on. And if there was more than one, which was that particularly shitty one? Like music, television, film, and almost everything else that's based on a subjective opinion, someone's worst can be someone else's favorite.
However, there are some cars that have caused most people to come to a consensus as to its greatness, or whether it was dog shit.