A lot of folks ask me if there are any "bad cars" still on the market. My answer is generally no. There's nothing out there that's really bad, at least in the Yugo / Daihatsu sense of the word. Even the least expensive products on the market are generally well built, safe, and stand a good chance of being reliable for a long time. But a fellow journo and I were out driving recently, and discussed our lists of cars and trucks we still wouldn't spend our own money for. Let me make clear that this is my personal list, and does not necessarily express the opinion of everyone on the MT staff.
Chevy Colorado / GMC Canyon
These things have only been on the market a few years, and they seem old already. They're no beauty contest winners, the interiors are cheapish and plasticky, their suspensions are unsophisticated, and the droning, optional five-cylinder engine gives you neither four-cylinder economy nor six-cylinder power. Other than perhaps getting a great deal, I don't know why anyone would choose one over a Frontier or a Tacoma.
Hummer H3
Well, it may be overpriced, but it sure is slow. The cartoonish H3 draws much of its underpinnings and powertrain architecture from the Colorado / Canyon mentioned above, so there's little reason to expect it to be any better. It strikes me as the rig for folks who care about image above all else - and are willing to pay for it. These things average thirty-five grand out the door, and you can pay more. Get the much nicer, more powerful Xterra, get some substance, and save a ton.
Jeep Commander
I miss my '99 Cherokee Sport. It had that wonderful, square-rigged design, and a smooth 4.0-liter inline six you couldn't break. It was the right size, it was inexpensive, and it was honest. The Commander blows those original, tidy lines out of proportion, and most of the ones I've seen are wrapped in leather and chrome. Part of the reason for its being is the offering of a third row seat. But its really cramped, so why bother?
Jeep Compass
Sorry to be picking on Jeeps these days, but this one is the worst case of brand denigration I've ever seen. It's strange looking (at least to my eyes) and its dynamics define boredom. All of the driver imputs feel disconnected, the shifter operates like a screwdriver in a bowl of rocks, the engine is underpowered and passionless, and it has no more off-road capability than some all-wheel drive station wagons. I thought Jeep stood for something, but like many good brands, it's being watered down in search of higher volumes. The Compass is proof.