20 Worst Cars of Model Year 1982

The 20 Least Reliable and Durable Cars of Model Year 1982 

This page lists the 20 worst cars of model year 1982 by reliability-and-durability grade point average (Reliability-Durability GPA or more concisely, R-D GPA).

1982's Bottom 10 Cars: The Ten Worst

The 10 worst cars of 1982 are listed below in ascending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (worst first), together with the corresponding R-D Grade.

  • The Chevrolet Cavalier Inline 4, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 0.26 and a Reliability-Durability Grade of F
  • The Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.28, an F
  • The Buick Century V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.28, an F
  • The Pontiac Grand Prix V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.29, an F
  • The Buick Regal V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.31, an F
  • The Pontiac Firebird V8, with a R-D GPA of 0.32, an F
  • The Chevrolet Camaro V8, with a R-D GPA of 0.33, an F
  • The Cadillac Seville V8, with a R-D GPA of 0.33, an F
  • The Cadillac Eldorado, with a R-D GPA of 0.34, an F
  • The Pontiac J2000, 2000, 2000 Sunbird, with a R-D GPA of 0.36, an F

Manufacturers of the 10 Worst 

General Motors Corporation increased its share of the least reliable-durable cars of 1982 - from 4 in 1980 and 6 in 1981 to all 10 in 1982; Chrysler Corporation decreased its share - from 4 in 1980 and 2 in 1981 to 0 in 1982.

None of the then Michigan 4 manufacturers (American Motors Corporation was absorbed by Chrysler Corporation in 1987) accounted for 1982's best cars.

The following chart depicts manufacturer percent share of the Bottom 10 of 1982.

1982's Next 10 Worst Cars

The remaining 10 of the 20 worst cars are listed below in ascending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (worst first), together with the corresponding R-D Grade.

  • The Plymouth Horizon, TC3, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 0.39 and a Reliability-Durability Grade of F
  • The Dodge Omni, O24, with a R-D GPA of 0.39, an F
  • The Buick Skyhawk, with a R-D GPA of 0.39, an F
  • The Mecury LN7, with a R-D GPA of 0.41, an F
  • The Ford EXP, with a R-D GPA of 0.41, an F
  • The Pontiac Bonneville V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.42, an F
  • The Chevrolet Monte Carlo V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.44, an F
  • The Oldsmobile Omega I4, with a R-D GPA of 0.51, a D
  • The Cadillac Cimarron I4, with a R-D GPA of 0.56, a D
  • The Pontiac Firebird V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.74, a D

Manufacturers of the 20 Worst 

General Motors Corporation accounted for 80% of the 20 worst cars of model year 1982 - up from 75% in 1981 and 50% in 1980. Chrysler Corporation accounted for 10% of the 20 least reliable-durable cars of 1982 - same as in 1981 and down from 25% in 1980; Ford Motor Company - 10%, up from 0% in 1981 and 1980.

The Detroit 3 manufacturers accounted for all 20 of 1982's worst cars, and none of 1982's best cars.

The following chart gives each car maker's percent share of the Bottom 20 of 1982. 

Manufacturer Shares of Vehicles with a Reliability-Durability  GPA of Worse than 1.00

The manufacturer shares of the 35 vehicles with a R-D GPA of less than 1.00 are:

General Motors Corporation: 80%

Chrysler Corporation: 11%

Ford Motor Company: 6%

American Motors Corporation: 3%

In 1982, the Michigan 4 accounted for all of the vehicles with a Reliability-Durability GPA of less than 1.00.

Computations

To compute the reliability-durability grade point average of the MY 1982 cars, Consumer Reports' reliability ratings for the age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years are used.

CR's ratings are converted to numerical values following the standard academic pattern: a grade point of 4.0 (an A) is accorded a rating of Much Better Than Average, a 3.0 (a B) is accorded a rating of Better Than Average, a 2.0 (a C) is accorded a rating of Average, a 1.0 (a D) is accorded a rating of Below Average, and a 0 (an F) is accorded a rating of Much Below Average.

Then, for each age range, the grade point of CR's overall reliability rating is weighted 2/3 and the average of the grade points of the category ratings is weighted 1/3.

Finally, the average for the two age ranges is taken.

The V8 Cadillac Seville, the Mercury LN&, the Ford EXP, the V6 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, the 4-cylinder Oldsmobile Omega, and the 4-cylinder Cadillac Cimarron offered only one age range of data.

Best and Worst Vehicles of Each Model Year

The Best Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1975  1976  1977  1978  1979  1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  ...  2004  2005

The Worst Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  ...  2004  2005 

Additional Resources

The Best Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

The Worst Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

The Best Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

The Worst Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

Best Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 

Worst Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

Best Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid: 1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

Worst Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

For additional car quality information, visit www.AutoOnInfo.net and CarsOnInfo.net.

In particular, for additional durability information, see:

http://www.AutoOnInfo.net/SharesOfHighMileageVehicles.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/ToyotaAgeEquivalents.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/ToyotaMileageEquivalents.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/Top25OfAutoonInfosHighMileageRoster.aspx

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