I am in need of a word to describe an old, bad conditioned car that is yet still running.
However, this shall be used in a work of literature, so a neat paraphrase would be fine.
Somewhat old fashioned, and not an adjective like your examples, but a noun, jalopy:
- (Informal) An old, dilapidated motor vehicle, especially an automobile. (AHD)
Comments below suggest adding the following:
Usage example: "We hopped in the jalopy and rattled off to town."
Competitors: Words like junker, heap, and clunker are probably also heard more frequently in the New York than in the south. Jalopy has the advantage of unambiguously denoting an automobile without additional context, which is unlikely to be true of the other words.
Regional note: While it is true that jalopy originated in the USA, it appears to have been adopted in the UK as well, perhaps owing to the American military presence coinciding with the word's peak in popularity. Also note that jalopy has not been surpassed by junker or clunker in either British or American English, according to ngrams, though it must be noted that this does not reflect the spoken language:
Archaic: If we take archaic to mean having the characteristics of the language of the past and surviving chiefly in specialized uses (m-w.com) then yes, "jalopy" is archaic, as "somewhat old-fashioned" was intended to indicate. However, a list of archaic words found at http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/archaic-words-american consists mostly of words that are far less familiar than "jalopy." It appears to be a question of where we draw the line.
It is also possible that jalopy is enjoying a revival, as evidenced by the popular culture references mentioned in the comments.
noun, British informal
An old car in poor condition: they’ve only got an old banger
More example sentences:
On a family visit to Windsor Safari Park just to get used to his new car, a jumpy old banger with steering wheel stick-shift gears, Ron was flagged down by a policeman.
They are not supposed to be working but their entrepreneurial skills include buying old bangers at the car market and fixing them up for resale.
You can amplify your meaning with the adjective clapped-out:
adjective, British informal
(of machinery or appliances) worn-out; dilapidated.
'These same emissions zones will also catch clapped-out old bangers and poorly-maintained lorries and vans.'
You might consider one of the many slang words for such a car -- hooptie, junker, clunker, beater, etc.
Sources: Urban Dictionary and The Free Dictionary.
In Australia, a poorly maintained/rusty car is called a "bomb" or a "bomby car" and described as "bomby".
'Look at that bomby Falcon - it's the rustiest thing I've ever seen!'
'Wow, that red Corolla's an absolute bomb!'
From Wikipedia:
In Australian slang the terms rust bucket, 'bunky', old bomb, paddock basher or bomb are used to refer to old, rusty and/or rundown cars.
bomb
noun
(Australia/New Zealand, slang) an old or dilapidated motorcar
Source: Collins English Dictionary
Here's a noun that can fit your description: rattletrap
From Merriam Webster:
something (such as a car) that is old, noisy, and not in good condition
Here in Australia, we use the term "shitbox" (a slang) to refer to cars that are in bad condition, or cars that are just bad.
Mate, my car's a shitbox. Barely gets to the local pub before she shits herself.
Before you flame me for profanity (if you even consider that word profanity in this day and age), here's a link to an official rally that is run here in Australia. http://www.shitboxrally.com.au/
Battered comes to mind.
old, used a lot, and not in very good condition
a battered old car
That's the actual example from Oxford
A cursory synonym search didn't yield many words applicaple to cars, except this (sort of):
(Especially of a house or vehicle) in a state of severe disrepair: a ramshackle cottage
I'd go with battered, though.
an untidy or dilapidated place or vehicle.
"they climbed back in the heap and headed home"
decrepit (adj.):
worn out or ruined, because of age or neglect
'a row of decrepit houses'
Source: ODO
Some information on the 'decrepit car' is given through Wikipedia
Using two words will give you an 'old banger' (noun:British informal):
an old car in poor condition
'they've only got an old banger'
Source: ODO
heap:
3 informal An untidy or dilapidated place or vehicle:
Oxford Dictionaries Online
or beater:
4 North American informal An old or dilapidated vehicle.
Oxford Dictionaries Online
My 1940 Ford Fordor that is mostly original parts is a survivor, but that term is used only by hot rod enthusiasts.
Flivver comes to mind also beside modern slang terms. The use of jalopy superseded flivver over time but flivver has this nostalgic feel.
A flivver is an American slang term used during the early part of the 20th century to refer to any small car that gave a rough ride, esp. one that is small, inexpensive, and old. A contemporary term was a "Tin Lizzy" (referring to a Ford Model T). Wikipedia
Chevy, old American car. Habana, Cuba - Wiktionary
It is an outdated term itself but it is still used, especially in novels.
From "The Wild Years" by Ernest Hemingway (1962):
The luge is the Swiss flivver.
Flivver is also used for cheap and old aeroplanes. The Ford Flivver was a single-seat aircraft introduced by Henry Ford as the "Model T of the Air".
There are many terms you might use for a decrepit car1
Numerous slang terms are used to describe such cars, which vary by country and region, including hoopty, jalopy, shed, clunker, lemon, banger, bomb, beater, rust bucket, voodoo, wreck, or rattletrap.
Another possible term is bucket of bolts2
a machine which is old run-down, or worn out
another possibility is death trap2
Man, we had to ride in this old car to get to the mall. Things were clanking and the breaks were like almost gone on the thing. That car was nothing more than a death trap, and I am surprised we made it there and back in one piece.
1From Wikipedia
2From Urban Dictionary
shed
It's a niche British English use for a cheap knockabout car.
Pistonheads.com run a weekly Shed of the week article: http://www.pistonheads.com/regulars/ph-features-sheds
: in very bad condition because of age or lack of care
All of my cars in the '70s were "beaters." Aka "rust-buckets" or "heaps." And a few were quite literally possible "deathtraps." (Like the one that dropped a tie rod in a.m. rush-hour traffic on a 4-lane highway; or the engine fire in the middle of the night, on a rural desert road; to fondly recall a couple.) These were the most common names we used for our "junkers" in the Midwest US at the time. A bit of trivia - Average cost: $100-150. Average lifespan: 6-9 months. Money back at the junkyard: $50.
"beater car" is the term I use for my old beat up backup/don't care where I park/leave it car.
I live in the city, and I hear it particularly from older guys, but may I suggest
Hoopty
Noun hoopty (plural hoopties)
(slang) an old, worn-out car.
(Source: Wiktionary)
Usage: "Your hoopty's missin a hubcap, man!" If I remember correctly, it's got origins in Detriot, but someone might have to check me on that.
If you're trying to describe a car that only looks old and worn out but still runs well, consider rat rod: a style of antique car restoration which leaves rust and other effects of time unaltered, or even simulates them.
'dilapidated vehicle' is the best that I can think of. Cheers!
I like lemon:
something that is useless because it fails to work or to work properly:
I soon realized the van was a lemon.
(Longman)
In Cars 2 they use the word lemon many times to describe old rusty cars that malfunction all the time:
The world turned their backs on cars like us. They stopped manufacturing us, stopped making our parts. The only thing they haven't stopped doing is laughing at us. They've called us terrible names: jalopy, rust bucket, heap, clunker, junker, beater, wreck, rattletrap...lemon.
adj.
Worn out from long use or neglect; dilapidated.
Shabbily dressed because of poverty; seedy.
Source: American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
Source: Kiplinger's Personal Finance (1951)
: Worn out by long travel on roads, or (figuratively) in a damaged or depleted state due to constant or prolonged usage or exertion.
Mark Anthony, The Dark Remains, Bantam Spectra (2001), ISBN 0553579355, page 10: Now that they were close, Lirith could see the vehicles were more than a little roadworn: wood cracked, gilt peeled, and dust flecked sun-faded paint.
Source: Wiktionary
