worst car you ever bought?
Discussion
Well I've only had three cars so I haven't got much to pick from. It pains me to say it but I suppose the worst car I've ever owned was my 1989 Mini. Unpleasant in cold weather, needed welding, broke down numerous times etc. but on a summers evening driving down a country lane it was brilliant. The Citroen C2 that replaced it was let down by the Sensodrive gearbox but ultimately it was better as a daily driver even if it wasn't anywhere near as much fun.
New Citroen Xsara 1.4 estate. It was comfy, roomy, reliable (yes, really) and pleasant to drive, except for the total lack of power, which completely spoilt it. With any load on, after all it was an estate, it couldn't keep up with HGVs on motorway inclines and I even got passed and left for dead by a fully laden service bus on the climb between Ludlow and Clee Hill 
. Then one day, I was idly thumbing through Autotrader, saw an Alfa 156 that sounded OK, and the rest is history. Now if we had a thread for best car ever owned 
. Then one day, I was idly thumbing through Autotrader, saw an Alfa 156 that sounded OK, and the rest is history. Now if we had a thread for best car ever owned 2006 E60 523i Msport - bought AUC two years ago with 30k miles. No big mechanical faults to speak of but the ride was horrible. Way too hard, tramlined badly and massive tyre noise (dunlop runfaults). Lovely car to look at and sit in but horrible to drive, BMW dealer said the ride was normal along with the litre of oil every thousand miles!
On top of that you have the security issue which BMW say didn't affect mine and that I can't wind the windows down with the fob and it couldn't be stolen (even when I showed them). The whole E60 experience was a big let down.
On top of that you have the security issue which BMW say didn't affect mine and that I can't wind the windows down with the fob and it couldn't be stolen (even when I showed them). The whole E60 experience was a big let down.
1995 Ford Escort TDi. I really should have known better. Crappy build, rusty wheelarches, let me down on more than one occasion and 6000 mile service intervals. Most expensive car I've ever run. All this on a car barely three years old when I got rid of it. According to DVLA website was dead within 7 years. Shocking.
ETA ....and red bodywork with faded pink bumpers and spoiler. Crap paint too.
ETA ....and red bodywork with faded pink bumpers and spoiler. Crap paint too.
Edited by DoctorX on Friday 23 August 22:27
- Golf mk4 PD130 GT. Except for the day I bought it as I was still going through the honeymoon period I've hated every minute I've driven it. The worst handling car ever! Even the Hua San handles better than it, it's that bad. Thankfully it's gone now but I'll never have another VW after that experience.
- BMW 330Cd (E46). Fantastic engine let down by everything else. Worst manual gear change ever and horrible tramlining with the standard MV2 alloys unless on a freshly tarmac'd road. The non-MV2'd 330Cd on smaller wheels was only marginally better in the steering department too. I spent (wasted) a small fortune on new suspension/steering components to get it to drive right and nothing made any significant difference. Was never out of the garage for electrical niggles/sensor-y type stuff as well.
- Ford Puma. The rust, man, THE RUST!!! Just forget trying to stop it, you will fail.
For about the umpteenth time now I've returned to Vauxhall. Yes that's right, dull old Vauxhall that everyone loves to hate, yet out of all of them none have left me stranded or with any huge bills and they've all been very good for handling/steering (always had the sportier versions though, SRIs/Sportives etc).
- BMW 330Cd (E46). Fantastic engine let down by everything else. Worst manual gear change ever and horrible tramlining with the standard MV2 alloys unless on a freshly tarmac'd road. The non-MV2'd 330Cd on smaller wheels was only marginally better in the steering department too. I spent (wasted) a small fortune on new suspension/steering components to get it to drive right and nothing made any significant difference. Was never out of the garage for electrical niggles/sensor-y type stuff as well.
- Ford Puma. The rust, man, THE RUST!!! Just forget trying to stop it, you will fail.
For about the umpteenth time now I've returned to Vauxhall. Yes that's right, dull old Vauxhall that everyone loves to hate, yet out of all of them none have left me stranded or with any huge bills and they've all been very good for handling/steering (always had the sportier versions though, SRIs/Sportives etc).
All that jazz said:
For about the umpteenth time now I've returned to Vauxhall. Yes that's right, dull old Vauxhall that everyone loves to hate, yet out of all of them none have left me stranded or with any huge bills and they've all been very good for handling/steering (always had the sportier versions though, SRIs/Sportives etc).
I would agree. Over the years myself and my dad have owned various Vauxhalls with no major problems. I remember my dad having a J reg Cavalier for 5 years that needed nothing but wear and tear items. As everyday transport they are fairly dependable. That's why I don't get all the anti Vauxhall stuff on PH at times. Because no matter what you drive there is nothing more annoying than a car with constant problems.1994 probe 16v. Shot piston rings - car filling the street with blue smoke every morning, wiper stalk on the wrong side, odd yank/jap velour & plastic f
kfest interior, engine flat and never came on cam, thirsty. Bought it because it was £450. Ford usually get it right, I think the calibra took them by surprise and this was the result.
kfest interior, engine flat and never came on cam, thirsty. Bought it because it was £450. Ford usually get it right, I think the calibra took them by surprise and this was the result.Negative Creep said:
To add t the VAG love, mk.2 Golf GTI. Fell apart in quite epic fashion: water pump, rear brakes, gear linkages, idle control valve (x3), earthing points, distributor and the engine was smoking like a train by the time I finally managed to get rid of it. It was so bad it genuinely almost made me give up on cars as an interest
I owned a Mk2 GTi 8valve for over 7yrs and it never once let me down.To be honest I have owned several VAG diesel & petrol and I cant say any of them gave me much in the way of trouble.One or two were boring granted but still reliable.Worst cars unfortunately were an Alfa 156 and a 155 the only cars I remember in my car history that ever gave me trouble.I still loved them both though.Oh and an Opel Corsa which actually I hated with a passion and refused to start often.
Edited by macp on Friday 23 August 23:26
macp said:
I owned a Mk2 GTi 8valve for over 7yrs and it never once let me down.To be honest I have owned several VAG diesel & petrol and I cant say any of them gave me much in the way of trouble.One or two were boring granted but still reliable.
Worst cars unfortunately were an Alfa 156 and a 155 the only cars I remember in my car history that ever gave me trouble.I still loved them both though.Oh and an Opel Corsa which actually I hated with a passion and refused to start often.
So a Nova then?Worst cars unfortunately were an Alfa 156 and a 155 the only cars I remember in my car history that ever gave me trouble.I still loved them both though.Oh and an Opel Corsa which actually I hated with a passion and refused to start often.
Edited by macp on Friday 23 August 23:26
Condi said:
Ilikebeaver said:
2006 Audi TT QS.
It was dull and boring behind the wheel.
Sold it as soon as we could (3 weeks)
If a TT is the worst car you've had I genuinely feel sorry for you. It was dull and boring behind the wheel.
Sold it as soon as we could (3 weeks)
As much as some of the cars Ive had have been crap, they've all be fantastic fun! Fiat Punto was probably the worst. Part-ex'd with a suspected HG. Very few redeeming features that one!
It just didn't feel at all special. And buying the QS, I expected something a little bit special.
It was disappointing and boring. Felt no different than if I was in an Audi A3 or a Golf, and that's not what I wanted at all. (In fact Golf features heavily on this thread)
I've loved all my cars apart from this one, and I've been through a few.
The TT was the only one I sold almost as soon as I bought it.
If you read the whole thread, I am not the only one too.
So no need to feel sorry for m, its just my opinion.
Edited by Ilikebeaver on Saturday 24th August 01:12
ch108 said:
All that jazz said:
For about the umpteenth time now I've returned to Vauxhall. Yes that's right, dull old Vauxhall that everyone loves to hate, yet out of all of them none have left me stranded or with any huge bills and they've all been very good for handling/steering (always had the sportier versions though, SRIs/Sportives etc).
I would agree. Over the years myself and my dad have owned various Vauxhalls with no major problems. I remember my dad having a J reg Cavalier for 5 years that needed nothing but wear and tear items. As everyday transport they are fairly dependable. That's why I don't get all the anti Vauxhall stuff on PH at times. Because no matter what you drive there is nothing more annoying than a car with constant problems.
As per my profile, my worst - yet in 1 or 2 resects best - car was my Honda Accord Type-R. People look at me like I've just quoted David Icke when I say that it was as reliable as a politician' promise but trust me, it was a dog!
Firstly, when you've been driving a 1.2 Fiesta for 4 and a bit years and test drive something with 3 times the power that makes the noise that the Honda did with an Induction kit you tend not to notice faults like you would with say, a sensible car. Faults like a crunching gearbox, knocking brakes with discs that seemed to be made from thin card, worn steering and the fact that it sounded like a Trabant on idle. Not to mention a front wing that turned pink after 3 weeks, mismatched rear lights, headlights a different colour and an aftermarket alarm system that appeared to be possessed complete with 2 keyfobs which didn't match and could immobilise the car if you pressed the wrong button. I'll put the blown radiator down to bad luck and the rusty rear wheel arches down to age but otherwise I lost almost £2500 on this red shed.
I can only imagine what a good one would be like. The handling was so stable, even when I ran out of talent and the noise, oh, the noise..
And yes, I rate this below my Lada Samara - at least that only cost me £25!
Volvo 850 T5. Engine grenaded itself 5 miles from home after buying it. Made my money back breaking it for spares.
Although not a bad car, my B5 Audi S4 left me a bit cold. Definitely a case of never drive your heroes... In standard trim it was slow, thirsty, didnt handle and the brakes were frightening. It would've needed thousands spending on it to be the car I had in my head when I bought it. It was, a good example of an S4, and its new owner loves it. It just wasnt for me.
Both cars have something in common, I bought both unseen on ebay!
Although not a bad car, my B5 Audi S4 left me a bit cold. Definitely a case of never drive your heroes... In standard trim it was slow, thirsty, didnt handle and the brakes were frightening. It would've needed thousands spending on it to be the car I had in my head when I bought it. It was, a good example of an S4, and its new owner loves it. It just wasnt for me.
Both cars have something in common, I bought both unseen on ebay!
Current car - renault megane 1.4 16v dynamique mk2! Worst car in the world, shouldve been aborted at concept stage, its had a hard life from previous owners, I've become extremely bored with it, driving it is a chore and it doesn't fulfill my requirements anymore, its super expensive on car tax (£170) for the year! Its unreliable, its got a small boot and its just crap.
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