Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2009

No. It means that there is an evil influence that will prevent the car from
performing correctly.

This might result in bad luck for you, but only in the same way that an
ordinary mechanical or electrical fault in the car will be bad luck for you if
the car doesn't do what you need it to.

More like the car IS bad luck for anyone and anything associated with it.

It means that the car is prone to problems.  The bad luck would be to
the driver because of the expense of fixing the problems and the delay
in getting somewhere because of the problems.  The bad luck does not
extend to anything not involving the car.

My first and stronger thought is that the car itself suffers from bad
luck. It will break or have problems.

But I think the phrase can also mean that it will bring you bad luck
to have that car, and not just the bad luck of having a problem car.

The second meaning would be more obvious in a case, "There is a jinx
on this keyring."  So many more things can go wrong with a car than
can go wrong with a keyring that one thinks of them.

John is right too.  But I'm trying to think of a second way the person
might have inteneded the sentence.