The list for September 27, 1996
The Top 16 Signs Your New Car Is a Lemon

  1. The telltale green-and-yellow-make-blue Zip-Lok seals on your air bags.

  2. Ralph Nader’s home phone number written on dashboard.

  3. You realize too late that it *is* your father’s Oldsmobile.

  4. When you sit behind the wheel, a nerdy billionaire voice asks, “Where do you want to go today?”

  5. The hood ornament? An ostrich with its head in the sand.

  6. “Jaws of Life” in trunk.

  7. Bicycle pump required to inflate airbags.

  8. Turn on the wipers and two guys climb out of the trunk with squeegees.

  9. Disqualified from Soapbox Derby for lack of structural integrity.

  10. Car has spent more time on “60 Minutes” than on the road.

  11. Oil spills on your driveway prompt a visit from Greenpeace.

  12. Changing the pre-set radio stations voids the warranty.

  13. Two Words: Pontiac Sunkist

  14. Passenger-side “airbag” is actually Rush Limbaugh crammed inside your glove box.

  15. Manufactured in Zchkynk, Crzyktjkystan.
And the Number 1 Sign Your New Car Is a Lemon…

  1. Motor Trend never mentioned a “Chevrolet Caca.”
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CREDITS
Selected from 158 submissions from 45 contributors.
Today’s list authors were:

  • David Hyatt, New York, NY — 1 (1st #1!)
  • Alan Smithee, Sugar Land, TX — 1, 6 (1st #1!)
  • Jeff Downey, Raleigh, NC — 2, 7
  • Paul Paternoster, Redwood City, CA — 3
  • John Hering, Alexandria, VA — 4
  • George Olson, Colorado Springs, CO — 5
  • Dave George, Arlington, VA — 7
  • Paul Schindler, Orinda, CA — 8
  • Galen Tatsuo Komatsu, Hawaii! — 9, Topic
  • Greg Pettit, Houston, TX — 10
  • Don Horton, Sacramento, CA — 10, 12
  • Kathleen Buchanan, Tuscaloosa, AL — 10
  • Doug Johnson, Santa Cruz, CA — 11
  • Kim Moser, New York, NY — 13
  • Lloyd Jacobson, Washington, DC — 14
  • Tony Hill, Minneapolis, MN — 15
  • Bruce Ansley, Baltimore, MD — 16
  • Curt Bright, whereabouts unknown — Topic
  • Chris White, NY, NY — Listmeister
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