50 worst cars of all time?

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Michael Paul
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50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Michael Paul » Tue Apr 30, 2019 10:35 am

Has anyone seen Time magazines 50 worst cars of all time list? I don't know how to share the link, but it has 1909 Model T second on the list.

It describes it as the Yugo of it's day, a piece of junk.

Maybe someone should give the author a ride in an 09. I don't mean this post to be political in any way. Just concerned about miss information about one of the most dependable early cars ever made. History has always been distorted by articles written with incomplete information. The problem is millions of the masses will read this.

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Jem
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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Jem » Tue Apr 30, 2019 10:41 am

We've had this come up before and someone researched the author - seems he's known to be a grade A no-nothing. Ignore it.


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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Dollisdad » Tue Apr 30, 2019 10:43 am

I don’t think anyone has to worry. Who reads Time? Haven’t seen one or read one in decades. Don’t know anyone who has.


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Michael Paul
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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Michael Paul » Tue Apr 30, 2019 11:10 am

I suppose you're right, I haven't seen a time magazine in a few years.

The article popped up on a page while online.
I guess Google thought I would be interested based on my interests.

I guess that's my concern. The next generations information comes from these sources. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it, but it is irritating.


Derek Kiefer
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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Derek Kiefer » Tue Apr 30, 2019 11:21 am

The goal of many writers today is no longer journalism, but to sell advertising.

Controversy is a quick and easy way to get the attention needed to get people to click on a garbage article, and boost those "page view" numbers in order to sell more ads. Politicizing it in a way to get people to argue about it online is the fastest way to make it spread on social-media and get it in front of more people without paying to advertise it yourself.

I'm happy that you didn't include a link to that trash heap. :D

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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by thom » Tue Apr 30, 2019 12:47 pm

Probably written by some college educated youngster that doesn't know his ass from his elbow.


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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by jiminbartow » Tue Apr 30, 2019 1:00 pm

To judge a turn of the century car by today’s standards is one big mistake most authors like this guy make. Each car should be judged according to the time when they came out. Also, being the first always puts a century old product at a disadvantage because every development is breaking new ground. The fact that over 15,000,000 Model T’s were manufactured over an 18 year period should carry some weight.

It is like rating the Wright Flyer number 50, compared to the F-15 fighter. Of course the F-15 is more advanced after 116 years of development, but that doesn’t make the Wright flyer any less important based upon the time it was developed in 1903. Just like on the Wright Flyer, many of the basics on the Model T developed over a century ago are still in use to this day. Jim Patrick
Last edited by jiminbartow on Tue Apr 30, 2019 1:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Don D » Tue Apr 30, 2019 1:14 pm

My only question to anyone concerned would be, wasn't the Model T Ford recently named the "Car of the Century"? :D

Have a great day,
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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Rich Bingham » Tue Apr 30, 2019 3:24 pm

jiminbartow wrote:
Tue Apr 30, 2019 1:00 pm
To judge a turn of the century car by today’s standards is one big mistake most authors . . . make . . .
Very true, Jim. Judging by the number of modifications, accessories and anachronistic "upgrades", many Model T owners make the same error of judgment.
"Get a horse !"

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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Will_Vanderburg » Tue Apr 30, 2019 3:33 pm

Probably More Model T's on the road than Yugo's ever made.
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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by RustyFords » Tue Apr 30, 2019 4:07 pm

Nobody reads Time Magazine anymore....unless you're stuck in a dentist office.
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paulmikeska
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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by paulmikeska » Tue Apr 30, 2019 4:23 pm

Time Magazine is only good for lining the bottom of a bird cage.

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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by DLodge » Tue Apr 30, 2019 4:33 pm

Until I saw this thread, I didn't know that Time was even still published. I haven't seen it (or Newsweek or U.S. News & World Report for longer than I can remember). Does that mean it's become one of the 50 Worst Magazines of All Time? :D


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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Rich Bingham » Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:02 pm

Dick, I'd have to say so. My wife got a subscription package as some kind of promotional "deal" that included Time.

Paul, it's not even good for lining the bird cage. Pages are too thin and small. :lol:

Reminder for all of us geezers who remember when newspapers and magazines were worthwhile: the interweb with its constant streaming and blogs have almost driven the final nail into the coffin of printed media. Sensational TV news and controversial opinion masquerading as fact killed journalism over 20 years ago.
"Get a horse !"

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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by thom » Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:07 pm

I'd say Time was one of the top 50 wastes of paper ever printed.


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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by John kuehn » Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:16 pm

There might have been a when Time magazine was respected as relevant but not now. It’s no better than twitter or the internet for actual facts. There is to much hearsay and error in it to be of any use to be taken seriously.


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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Scott_Conger » Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:51 pm

I think the really remarkable thing is how long-lived this article is...originally published Sept, 2007. It resurfaces about every 2-3 years and always makes it onto our forum.

The difference between Ford and the author (Pulitzer Prize-winning auto writer Dan Neil) is that Ford was a visionary, and the author is a critic. The world has few of the former and a plethora of the later.

It would seem the Pulitzer prize, named after a Yellow Journalist, still is no measure of IQ or common sense and continueds to live up to its Namesake.
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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Loftfield » Fri May 03, 2019 9:02 am

OK, now for a dose of reality. I own two 1912 Model T's, have been a Model T man from my 16th birthday, (now 73). I also own a 1909 and a 1910 Buick Model 10, Buick's offering to compete with Model T. Buick outsold Ford in all the years referenced above. The Buick Model 10 cost 10% more than a Model T, but you got at least twice the car for the money. There is no doubt in my mind that Walter Marr was by far the best automotive engineer of his time. From an engineering perspective the Model T IS junk compared to Buick. The reasons that everybody has heard of Henry Ford and nobody has heard of Walter Marr is that GM decided to abandon the low-end market in favour of more expensive cars where they made more money per unit, Mr. Ford developed the notion of full-service marketing with a Ford agency (and much needed repair shop) on every street corner, and the 1914 moving assembly line that brought down the cost to a ridiculous level. The low cost plus Mr. Ford's personal whim that nobody needed anything other than a Model T resulted in the eventual loss of market share as progress happened everywhere other than at Ford. On the Buick everything is heavier, more substantial, designed to last. The Buick had a water pump, an oil pump, the magneto is outside so it can be serviced easily, and the engine is overhead valve. You already know what Model T had. I prefer to drive the Model T despite all the "advantages" of the Buick. Buick failed to connect the high speed lever to the low speed foot pedal, so every time you want to leave high speed (coming to a stop, feathering around corner, etc) it is necessary to pull the high speed lever back by hand. I just finished a 150 mile tour in the 1910 Buick, after which I was exhausted. The other reason I prefer to drive the Model T is that if anything breaks parts are readily at hand. Mr. Ford's resistance to change led to 15 million Model T's that has resulted in a wonderful modern-day hobby. The point of the above is to resist the notion of making Model T into something that it never was.


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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Joss » Fri May 03, 2019 9:36 am

Agree about the Time magazine comments. What I think most who replied are missing is the very early 2 pedal Model Ts were both extremely difficult to drive and had multiple issues that Ford quickly corrected and the author is only speaking about those first few Model Ts. They were terrible.
Wondering how many of those commenting have driven an 08 for a hundred miles on a tour one day? I had the opportunity to drive a 2 pedal T some years ago that had been put in storage just before WWII. It was an adventure struggling with keeping it in great and handling the cumbersome system of levers and pedals. Was VERY happy to return to the 13 Roadster. Lots easier to drive.
Guess that is why it was soon changed.
Lots of changes and about 100 changes later Henry fixed the straight a less, covered the valves, went to 3 pedals, different cooling system etc. and made the Model T a great car.


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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Rich Bingham » Fri May 03, 2019 1:58 pm

Lists like this are just designed to get folks all ruffled up when something they are invested in is skewered by an off-the-cuff criticism. I'm not going to bother to re-read the Time "50 worst" article, but I seem to recall that one of the reasons the author found to denigrate the Model T was that it effected the automotive revolution ! I guess things like this can be fun when they spark some thoughtful responses, for example, Thomas' comparing the Model T to the Buick Model 10, which I found very interesting and informative.
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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Ruxstel24 » Fri May 03, 2019 4:11 pm

I rate Time, right up there with CNN and the National Enquirer... :lol:
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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by dlmyers » Fri May 03, 2019 6:06 pm

My wife's grandfather was born in 1903. One time I asked him if he had ever owned a Model T. "Hell no" he said "I wouldn't own that junk!"
At the time he was driving an early 70's AMC Hornet station wagon.
The old forums are a gold mine of information.


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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Rich Bingham » Fri May 03, 2019 9:56 pm

Dale, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that your wife's granddad was young enough to have just missed the demographic of folks who owned Model Ts at the height of their popularity. Most histories agree that by 1925 the car-buying public was yearning for something less "utilitarian" than the Model T, which had increasingly become incapable of projecting an image of "success" on new buyers. By then, prestige had come to depend heavily upon the make and model of car one was driving. I'm guessing your wife's grandfather was likely a first-time car buyer in the early 30's.

My grandfather (b.1891) bought his first automobile in 1929, a Model T Ford roadster pickup which was represented to him as a 1926 model, although my Dad clearly remembered that it had three diamond-shaped pedals, and a coil box inside the cab (!). Within a year, he traded up to a 1928 Model A tudor sedan, which in turn was traded for a year-old 1931 Dodge sedan, which shows how rapidly he distanced himself from the Model T as he came to apprehended automotive trends - a steep learning curve for a 38 year old who was suddenly parted from driving a team of horses. It didn't take very long at all for the Model T to become noticeably obsolete, an object to deride. By the mid-30s, the image of the Model T was thoroughly "Beverly Hillbillies" - they didn't drive a Model T, but a Model T would have played the part just as well (or better) than the Oldsmobile they drove.
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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Burger in Spokane » Fri May 03, 2019 11:35 pm

Gents,

Reach deep into your hearts and find compassion for those inflicted by SFB Syndrome.
Those who know or have contact with the inflicted suffer the most.

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More people are doing it today than ever before !


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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by John Codman » Sat May 04, 2019 10:22 am

I actually do like TIME magazine, but I guess most folks around here don't. The local Publix supermarket (the biggest chain in Florida) doesn't even carry it. I tried to find a recent copy that lists who they think are the most influential 100 people in the world and finally gave up.
I read another article about the worst cars of all time about 15 years ago, and again the T was listed. The reason? Because it put the world on powered wheels with all of the accidents and pollution etc...blah blah blah... What never gets mentioned is how would you like to live in New York City with a couple of hundred thousand horses pooping all over the place? Talk about pollution!

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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by Ruxstel24 » Sat May 04, 2019 11:37 am

I didn't read the article, but was the Renault LeCar mentioned ? OMG, what a POS that was. :P
The Model T was not the best car of it's day, especially in the later years of production, IMHO.
It was however, the "best car for the money", at most all periods of production....Many other safer, faster and more creature comfort cars available... for 2-3-4X the cost. The average low to middle class workers could afford a T, and that alone fueled the motor vehicle revolution more than any other car maker.


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Re: 50 worst cars of all time?

Post by jaxenro » Sat May 04, 2019 3:11 pm

I read the fifty worst car list with the Ford Model T second a little bit ago didn't know it was Time magazine as i read it online. If I remember correctly his issue with the Model T was that it was so successful it started the country and the world on buying automobiles for personal transportation instead of using trains and the like. This rise in the use of automobiles led to global warming. So it wasn't that the Model T was a bad car, for it's time, or any time, but that he doesn't think people should own and drive cars so any car that was successful, inexpensive, and promoted individual car ownership was, by definition, bad.

I thought it was a crock of $#!& and didn't go on to read # 3

Here is the actual quote

"Let’s stipulate that the Model T did everything that the history books say: It put America on wheels, supercharged the nation’s economy and transformed the landscape in ways unimagined when the first Tin Lizzy rolled out of the factory. Well, that’s just the problem, isn’t it? The Model T — whose mass production technique was the work of engineer William C. Klann, who had visited a slaughterhouse’s “disassembly line” — conferred to Americans the notion of automobility as something akin to natural law, a right endowed by our Creator. A century later, the consequences of putting every living soul on gas-powered wheels are piling up, from the air over our cities to the sand under our soldiers’ boots."

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