Hybrid vehicles have become increasingly popular among environmentally conscious drivers and those looking to cut fuel expenses.
However, not all hybrid models deliver the benefits they promise.
Some hybrids suffer from reliability issues, unexpectedly high maintenance costs, disappointing fuel economy, or lackluster performance that leaves drivers regretting their purchase.
It’s crucial to carefully research and understand which hybrid vehicles have a troubled history or negative owner feedback before making an investment.
In this article, we’ll highlight eight hybrid vehicles you should avoid, helping you steer clear of costly mistakes and ensuring you make the smartest possible choice for your driving needs.
Featured on AutoHunter is this 1957 Chevrolet Corvette, which is powered by an upgraded 327ci V8 paired with a three-speed manual gearbox. Finished in Cascade Green with white coves and equipped with an off-white soft top over a Parchment vinyl interior, this C1 Corvette is now offered by the selling dealer in Missouri with a matching removable hardtop and a clear Illinois title.
The Cascade Green body is accented with white coves and chrome bumperettes and trim.
When the body-colored removable hardtop is not in place, an off-white soft top with a plastic rear window can be used to cover the passenger compartment.
This first-generation Corvette rolls on 15-inch wheels wheels equipped with polished covers that have knock-off-style center caps and 205/75 whitewall tires.
Inside the cockpit is a pair of Parchment vinyl bucket seats. Features include manual windows, dash-mounted rearview mirror, Wonder Bar radio, and heater. The trunk contains a whitewall spare tire.
Instrumentation consists of a 140-mph speedometer, 6,000-rpm tachometer, and gauges for the fuel level, oil pressure, coolant temperature, and battery. The odometer shows 44,090 miles, but the true mileage on this vehicle is unknown.
The original 283ci V8 has been replaced with a 327, which is equipped with ribbed valve covers and a polished air cleaner housing, and connected to a three-speed manual gearbox.
An independent front suspension and semi-elliptic rear springs help this Vette hold the road. Drum brakes keep it painted-side-up. A dual exhaust system exits from bumperettes on both sides of the rear end.
The auction for this 327-powered 1957 Chevrolet Corvette ends on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. (PDT).
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery
Color makes the car. You can have the most boring car, but paint it in an interesting hue and someone’s interest may be piqued. Or you can have a totally hot car that looks completely subdued in certain colors. Our Pick of the Day, a 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302, falls in the latter category. It is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Springfield, Ohio.
If you glance at the Ford Torino GT pace cars that were scattered around several tracks in 1970, they all were painted in Pastel Blue. Why did Ford choose this color for that purpose? It doesn’t project an image reeking of performance, and it also doesn’t call attention to itself the way you’d expect.
Let’s pivot to the Mercury Cougar Eliminator, which was available only in a few colors. For 1970, they seemingly were bright colors: Competition Orange, Competition Gold, Competition Blue, Competition Green, Competition Yellow . . . and Pastel Blue. If these colors feel familiar to Mustang fans, it’s because the 1970 Boss 429 was also available in most of these hues, though known as Calypso Coral, Grabber Orange, Grabber Blue, Grabber Green . . . and, yes, Pastel Blue.
Why Pastel Blue was used as part of a limited set of colors for what were FoMoCo’s most image-laden and visible products is only known to dead Ford employees. Trying to make logic brings us to a dead end—for example, American racing colors are blue with white racing stripes, but the blue is closer to a Royal Blue than Pastel Blue, so insert shruggy here.
Interestingly, the 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 was not restricted to several colors. After an auspicious start in 1969, this Trans Am homologation package returned for 1970. Though the facelift removed two headlights, the new styling was overshadowed by a new stripe design, which gave the Boss 302 a fresh look that was equally as racy as its predecessor. Stripes were not the only thing new for the Boss 302 package—a Shaker hood scoop option was a popular addition, high-back bucket seats were now standard, and the formerly standard Magnum 500s were replaced by Ford’s basic wheel cover with trim rings. With dexterous use of the order form, one could spec the sportiest of Mustangs by ordering a SportsRoof with the Boss 302 package, Shaker, rear spoiler, and Magnum 500s.
Yellow appears to be the most popular Boss 302 color for 1970. And Pastel Blue? Only 66 Boss 302s were built in this color. This 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 also stands out in other ways, as the only other options were an AM radio and F60 x 15 belted raised white-letter tires. Note the Marti Report—it shows this car was ordered for dealer stock. In such a subdued color? Strange! Also note that a previous owner added good stuff including rear spoiler, console, gauges, and Magnum 500s in addition to the Competition Suspension, quick-ratio steering, and front disc brakes that were part of the Boss 302 package. “Appears to be all-original sheet metal!” says the seller. “Like-new stainless and chrome! Clean and dry, rust-free underbody that is very nicely detailed!”
Boss 302s are easy to find, having had a high survival rate out of the 7,014 built. Very few of them were built in colors rarer than Pastel Blue. If you don’t want to call attention to yourself while calling attention to yourself, then this $75,900 Mustang is calling your name.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
This 1929 Ford Model A roadster was reportedly customized by Blair’s Speed Shop of Pasadena, California in the late 1950s or early 1960s, and it was refinished about 20 years ago. Power is from a 327ci Chevrolet V8 equipped with triple Stromberg carburetors on an Edelbrock intake manifold, and the steel body features a pickup bed with wood stakes and flooring. The three-speed automatic is linked to a 12-bolt rear end, and the convertible truck also has chromed suspension, red wire wheels, a dual exhaust system, and black leather upholstery. The truck was listed on BaT in May 2020 and sold on BaT in July 2021, and since the seller’s acquisition in 2022 it was fitted with ceramic-coated headers, PerTronix ignition, a transmission cooler, and replacement tires and shocks. This Model A pickup hot rod is now offered at no reserve with spare parts and a clean Connecticut title in the seller’s name.
The steel body panels and steel fenders were repainted some time in the 2000s. The bed features varnished wood slats with matching stake sides as well as a storage box, and the removable black fabric roadster top is equipped with a plastic rear window. The hood sides have been removed but are included.
The seller tells us the brakes were overhauled and the wheel bearings and shocks were replaced since the last auction. The suspension features a drilled drop axle up front with chrome ladder bars and a transverse leaf spring, while out back are chrome ladder bars, a Panhard bar, and coil springs.
Red-painted wire wheels with V8-logo hubcaps have staggered tires that were mounted by the seller.
The cab features a bench seat upholstered in black leather with red stitching and buttons, and matching trim panels are fitted to the doors. The center console has cup holders.
A T-style wood-rimmed steering wheel sits ahead of a body-colored steel dashboard with flourishes. Gauges are housed in a central cluster, while Stewart Warner supplementary instruments and a Sunpro tachometer are mounted below the dashboard. The light controls and a battery disconnect switch are located underneath the driver’s seat. The five-digit odometer is unreadable, and the seller estimates they have driven ~300 miles during their ownership.
The 327ci small-block V8 is equipped with three Stromberg downdraft carburetors, which the seller states have been rebuilt during their ownership, as well as an Edelbrock intake manifold and finned valve covers. The seller installed PerTronix ignition and replaced the ignition components as well as the radiator fan switch and fuel lines, and they installed the ceramic-coated headers that are linked to the dual exhaust system. The oil was changed in preparation for the sale.
The floor-shifted TH350 three-speed automatic transmission is linked to a 12-bolt rear end. The seller tells us the transmission and rear end were serviced and a transmission cooler was installed.
Removed and spare components are included as shown.
The car is titled in Connecticut using the VIN A2365790.
There’s a certain irony to learning about cars in the age of the Internet. With so many resources at our disposal (often from the convenience of our pocket), it also means there are many resources that will lead us astray. Both the good and the bad are subsequently amplified on forums and social media, creating an even bigger mix of useful and worthless information. One example that stands out pertains to vent windows.
I theorize that the bad information that has been amplified is based on how we approach learning these days, as we have gone from archaeology (think junkyards) and a limited number of print resources to an infinite number of web pages. Today, it seems folks focus on the micro instead of the macro. When I was learning about cars, I approached them as if they were people. What do we look at first to distinguish one person from the other? The face; case in point: the first-generation Camaro. A long time ago, I figured out that a 1967 Camaro looks like a ’67, a 1968 Camaro looks like a ’68, and a ’69 Camaro looks like a ’69. The faces of the three appear different, with distinct grilles and parking lights (round for ’67, oval for ’68) or a restyle (’69) distinguishing them; out back, the ’68 taillights were divided versions of what were on the ’67.
But go online and you may find an answer that reads like this: “1967s have vent windows, and 1968s have side markers as regulated by the federal government.” Seriously—do I identify my mom based on her nose or her face? The tried-and-true method that I am espousing has possibly been lost on new generations of automotive enthusiasts, perhaps best exemplified by an inaccurate way of determining a 1969 GM A-body.
The A-body was GM’s standardized small body shared between Chevrolet and Pontiac models, with an occasional Oldsmobile, too. Starting in 1964, GM’s new mid-size platform was designated the A-body, a platform that included the Chevrolet Chevelle, Pontiac Tempest, Oldsmobile F-85, and Buick Special. Within each respective series there were several trim levels (i.e., Tempest, Tempest Custom, and LeMans) as well as performance variants based on a particular trim level (i.e., the GTO was based on the LeMans).
It’s been said that an easy way to discern a 1969 Chevelle SS 396 from a ’68 was due to Chevrolet omitting vent windows. So what do you make of the vehicle below?
You can see this is a 1969 Chevelle with vent windows, so what gives? Two-door Sport Coupes (aka hardtops) and convertibles were produced sans vent windows for 1969, while Coupes (aka post coupes), four-doors, and wagons continued to feature vent windows through 1972. Wouldn’t it be better to focus on the macro and learn to discern between the two years rather than focusing on the (incorrect) micro?
Why this tidbit of misinformation continues to persist is something I cannot answer, but old wives’ tales have a funny habit of finding an inconspicuous space in which to hide and live. Of course, the most famous of these is the Chevrolet Nova not selling well in Latin countries because the name means “it doesn’t go” in Spanish, when the truth is that a nova (a star that flares up and returns to its original luminosity) is the same word in both English and Spanish.
One of the things that makes cars so enjoyable is the people behind those cars and the stories they have about them. Dave Pericak, the former head of Ford Performance, has plenty of those, some of which he shares with Jay Leno in the video below.
Pericak is currently the director of Ford’s EV truck line but, not too long ago, he was the man behind the vehicles that have shown the world what Ford can do, whether that’s on a street in a small American town or the Mulsanne Straight. When you think of the 50th Anniversary Mustang, the GT race car’s 2016 Le Mans victory, the 2017 GT road car, or the S550 Shelby GT350R or GT500, think Dave Pericak.
But if you think Pericak and his team accomplished those feats of engineering and determination without fear or doubts, think again. As the chief engineer of the 2015 Mustang, he knew there was a certain way he needed to do it, which required a larger budget than initially allotted, but he made a case for it and got the necessary funding. The worldwide love of the Mustang was both a blessing and a curse when Pericak took on the 50th Anniversary model.
The S550 Mustang’s more potent variant, the track-ready Shelby GT350R, presented its own unique challenge in the form of its flat-plane crankshaft. Luckily, Pericak and his crew sorted that issue out, but they had to start worrying all over again when they decided to put the same 5.2-liter V8—albeit with a cross-plane crank—into the new Shelby GT500, then connect it with a supercharger and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
Developing the last-generation GT supercar, which Pericak calls “a race car with a license plate,” started with the motorsports variant. According to him, the street version only received approval once he agreed to not only race the GT in Le Mans but also to win. It’s safe to say that everything worked out.
Pericak even helped Leno with his custom first-generation Bronco, which is based on a Kincer chassis and powered by the same 760-horsepower “Predator” V8 that’s in the S550 Shelby GT500. Did he once again thrive under pressure and pull it off? Watch to find out.
It was on April 12, 1961. when the first human—Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin—completed an orbit around the earth in the Vostik 1 spacecraft. The ongoing space race between the United States and the Soviet Union pushed the boundaries of rocket technology and space travel.
That movement also significantly impacted the design, technology and marketing within the automotive industry. The low, streamlined profile of the Buick LeSabre, for example, marked a shift to sleekness from the exaggerated style of previous years. In December 1960, this Bimini Blue Buick left the Wilmington, Delaware, assembly plant to begin its journey:
Featured on AutoHunter is this 1961 Buick LeSabre Convertible. The car is being sold by a private seller in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, and the auction will end Monday, June 2, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. (PDT).
The LeSabre was assembled as a General Motors B-body. Advertisements from the era called it “the big surprise in full-size cars.” Buick said the LeSabre reflected a beautiful change in design and engineering. “Inside, outside, underneath, up top—everywhere you look—the ’61 Buick is news all over.” While heavily changed from prior years, one of the exterior features that did carry forward was the characteristic Ventiport layout on the front fenders (something that had been around on Buick models since 1949, though skipped for 1958-59).
The listing says this car received a new soft-top in 1985 and, based on the photos, the last 40 years have treated it well. The torpedo-style bumper ends and the streamlined V-shaped rear end brought in some of the space age-inspired design elements we know and love. The interior, color-coordinated in blue vinyl, benefits from a retro-look sound system but otherwise looks largely original.
Power comes from a 364ci V8 mated to a Turbine Drive two-speed automatic transmission. Buick rated the engine at 250 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque. The odometer shows 44,515 miles, and the seller asserts that the reading is accurate. That comes out to fewer than 700 miles per year. Collector appeal? You bet. There can’t be many left with that kind of mileage. Bonus items include a convertible boot, the original Sonomatic radio, uninstalled suspension components and extra hubcaps.
Incidentally, the LeSabre has been gone from the Buick lineup for exactly 20 years as of 2025. It was replaced for 2006 by the Lucerne. All the more reason to celebrate one of the finest Buicks of yesteryear. Place a bid today!
The auction for this 1961 Buick LeSabre Convertible ends Monday, June 2, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. (PDT).
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery
Do you know the problem with cool old cars? Back in the day, many of them weren’t considered cool or collectible – they were just cars, so they were driven without regard to preserving them for decades to come. But for some reason, that didn’t happen with our Pick of the Day, a 1995 Buick Roadmaster Sedan posted on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Sarasota, Florida.
After a decades-long hiatus, Buick released a new Roadmaster model for the 1991 model year. Actually, make that two: the Sedan and the Estate Wagon. In an age of unibody, front-wheel-drive vehicles, the Roadmaster was old-school with its body-on-frame construction, column-mounted shifter for its four-speed automatic, and a V8 that sent its power to the rear wheels; the Estate Wagon even had faux wood exterior panels! In 1994, a de-tuned version of the C4 Corvette’s LT1 with 260 horsepower (an increase of 80 horses) and 330 lb-ft of torque became the standard engine. By the end of 1996, the Roadmaster was gone again – this time for good.
No matter which bodystyle you chose, the Roadmaster was a big cruiser, and many have been used accordingly, which explains the high amount of miles you typically see on them. Somehow, this 1995 Roadmaster Sedan was spared from a life as a road warrior. Perhaps someone previously inherited this car from his or her grandparents, or a dealership manager bought it from a low-mileage collection of cars. Either way, it has only racked up 6,647 miles in the past 30 years. You can see that gentle use in the state of the Medium Marblehead Metallic paint, brightwork, and undercarriage.
The Gray cloth interior is equally well preserved and offers power windows, locks, and mirrors; a tilt steering column; automatic climate control; and an AM/FM/CD/cassette radio with Concert Sound II speakers.
Of course, when it comes to vehicles that were in showrooms decades ago, low mileage isn’t everything. Parts and fluids wear out over time, so it’s good to know this B-body received new whitewalls, shocks, coolant, belts, hoses, and filters within the past 12 months.
Sadly, you don’t see a lot of these Buicks now. When you do, there’s a good chance the Roadmaster you spot isn’t nearly as clean as this one. You can make this 6K-mile 1995 Buick Roadmaster Sedan yours for $29,950, then decide if you want to keep it as it is or rack up thousands more miles as you cruise down the road ahead.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
This 1929 Packard Standard Eight 633 Coupe was acquired by the seller as a disassembled project in 2008, having survived a barn fire during its ~40 years of storage. The seller built it into a hot rod over a span of five years. Work involved rebuilding the 319.2ci straight-eight, repairing and channeling the steel body, and refreshing the chassis before repainting the car in green. The engine is backed by a rebuilt three-speed manual transmission and a US Gear two-speed overdrive unit, and it is equipped with dual Holley 94 carburetors, a lake-style header, PerTronix electronic ignition, and a 12-volt electrical system. The car rides on 20” wheels and has mechanical drum brakes, and a removable sunroof, Hudson headlights, and Classic Instruments gauges were also added. Since completion of the build the car has been driven 3,300 miles, and it was featured on My Classic Car and in Ol’ Skool Rods in 2017. This custom Packard is now offered with memorabilia and a Wisconsin title in the seller’s name.
The steel body was channeled 4.5” during the build, according to the seller, and the wood framing was rebuilt by the seller’s father. Some replacement parts were sourced from a second car purchased by the seller, such as the doors, while the donor was also used as a template to recreate other components. The seller performed the bodywork before the car was painted in green with black character lines, and the windows were tinted.
The headlights were sourced from an early ’30s Hudson, while the taillights are from a Dodge. The forward section of the hood is louvered, and the radiator and grille were lowered.
The black canvas roof covering is removable.
The 20” steel wheels were converted to drop centers and repainted black with green pinstriping, and they are wrapped in 6.00” front and 6.50”/7.00” rear Excelsior Stahl Sport tires. The rides on semi-elliptical leaf springs with friction dampers all around, and braking is handled by mechanical drums.
The cabin houses individual front seats and a rear bench trimmed in black cloth that extends to the headliner and door panels. The wood dashboard and floors are joined by a textured metal firewall, and the rearview mirror has beveled edges.
The four-spoke steering wheel sits ahead of Classic instrumentation consisting of a 140-mph speedometer, an 8k-rpm tachometer, and auxiliary gauges. The five-digit odometer shows 3,300 miles, which represents the distance driven since completion of the build.
The 319.2ci straight-eight was rebuilt prior to installation with poured babbitt bearings as well as replacement pistons and valves. The seller fabricated both the lake-style header and the intake, the latter of which is topped by dual Holley 94 carburetors. The 1955 Chevrolet distributor has been fitted with a PerTronix electronic ignition conversion kit, and a Delco alternator supplies the 12-volt electrical system.
Power is sent to the rear wheels through a rebuilt three-speed manual gearbox and a US Gear dual-range auxiliary transmission. The rear axle was also rebuilt per the seller, and it has a 4.69:1 final drive ratio.
Photos taken at various stages of the build are presented in the gallery.
The seller reports that the car was featured on My Classic Car and in the magazine Ol’ Skool Rods in 2017. It has also since been shown, winning a class award.
The Wisconsin title lists a “Street modified” notation.
This 1951 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe two-door sport coupe was purchased by the seller’s friend and refurbished in the 1990s, with work including installing a 350ci V8 and a three-speed TH400 automatic transmission. The engine is equipped with a high-performance camshaft, an Edelbrock carburetor, and a Davis Unified Ignition distributor, and the rear axle is fitted with a limited-slip differential and 3.73:1 gears. Red paint is accented by custom pinstriping and gray bumpers, while the cabin is outfitted with two-tone gray vinyl, a Lokar shifter, and Dolphin instrumentation. The car rides on a Mustang II-style front suspension along with 15″ Torq Thrust wheels mounted over power front disc brakes. Acquired by the seller in 2020, this Deluxe Sport Coupe is now offered with a Washington state title in the seller’s name.
The car was refinished in red during the refurbishment, and exterior elements include custom pinstriping, a split windshield, gray bumpers and grille treatments, twin quarter panel antennas, polished exhaust finishers, and chrome side mirrors on curved stalks.
American Racing Torq Thrust 15″ wheels are mounted with Road Hugger Radial G/T tires. The car is equipped with power steering, and the seller tells us a Mustang II-style front end with power front disc brakes was installed during the refurbishment.
The bench seats are trimmed in two-tone gray vinyl with red piping, and matching upholstery extends to the door panels. Details include a Lokar shifter, a custom headliner, and a heater.
Dolphin white-dial gauges are housed in the body-color dashboard, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel from a later-model Chevrolet is mounted to a tilting column. The odometer shows 625 miles, approximately 175 of which were added under current ownership. Total mileage is unknown.
The small-block Chevy 350ci V8 was installed in circa ~1996, and it is equipped with a high-performance camshaft and an Edelbrock carburetor and valve covers as well as a DUI distributor and a matte black air cleaner assembly. The carburetor, spark plugs, ignition wires, rubber fuel hoses, and fuel filter were replaced, and an oil change was completed under current ownership, per the seller.
The seller tells us that the TH400 three-speed automatic transmission is linked to a limited-slip differential and 3.73:1 gears. Detailed photos of the underbody are provided in the gallery.
Decoding the data plate reveals the following production information:
- Style: 51-1027 – Styleline Deluxe two-door Sport Coupe
- Body: O 3850 – Oakland, California, assembly; production sequence
- Trim: 201 – Gray cloth upholstery
- Paint: 449 – Aztec Tan paint
The serial number 6JKE37759 is consistent with a 1951 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe manufactured at the Oakland, California, assembly plant, and the VIN tag has been painted over.
The current Washington state title bears a Classic brand.