A car you instantly regretted buying
Discussion
Alfa MiTo QV
Did all the paper research and liked the styling. As I had to have the QV, Alfa red with black leather it was a bit of chore to find as only one in a hundred MiTo's was that spec. Did test drive it and it seemed OK so bought it. I had had a 156 previously which was great so wasn't put off by Alfa reliability tales. Soon realised that despite the trick dampers the handling was really twitchy when pushing on. Then started the relaibility issues ranging from rear view mirror falling off and taking 3 days to fix (!) to the gearbox failing at 9k (!!). Spent a total of nearly 40 days off the road in just over 6 months. I was just on the point of trading it in when I wrote it off outside the hospital on my way to physio for a long standing neck injury suffered in a car crash 10 years before.....Despite the additional injuries, I was actually happy to see it written off, especially when Admiral wired £2k more than I'd been offered P/Ex 48 hours after the accident. A couple of months later I got a letter off a bloke in Blackpool asking if I had the spare key. He thought he'd got a bargain cos it even had a new gearbox as part of the rebuild. I told him my experience of the car and he immediately put it up for sale.
Did all the paper research and liked the styling. As I had to have the QV, Alfa red with black leather it was a bit of chore to find as only one in a hundred MiTo's was that spec. Did test drive it and it seemed OK so bought it. I had had a 156 previously which was great so wasn't put off by Alfa reliability tales. Soon realised that despite the trick dampers the handling was really twitchy when pushing on. Then started the relaibility issues ranging from rear view mirror falling off and taking 3 days to fix (!) to the gearbox failing at 9k (!!). Spent a total of nearly 40 days off the road in just over 6 months. I was just on the point of trading it in when I wrote it off outside the hospital on my way to physio for a long standing neck injury suffered in a car crash 10 years before.....Despite the additional injuries, I was actually happy to see it written off, especially when Admiral wired £2k more than I'd been offered P/Ex 48 hours after the accident. A couple of months later I got a letter off a bloke in Blackpool asking if I had the spare key. He thought he'd got a bargain cos it even had a new gearbox as part of the rebuild. I told him my experience of the car and he immediately put it up for sale.
C32 AMG - purchased the week before our first child arrived only to discover a few weeks later that the buggy and a weeks shopping dont fit in the boot.
Then I ordered a new Mini Cooper S last November only to find out a week before it was delivered that we were expecting our second! This was remedied by the purchase of an E55 AMG wagon (lesson learned!!
)
Then I ordered a new Mini Cooper S last November only to find out a week before it was delivered that we were expecting our second! This was remedied by the purchase of an E55 AMG wagon (lesson learned!!
) 
in January 2009 I wrote of a wonderful E36 BMW into a tree... in black ice. My girlfriends parents at the time blackmailed me into getting a small car for a-to-b and wouldnt let me get another BMW... I really wanted a 330ci.
So to spite them I bought a 2002/3 BMW Mini Cooper S.... It was f**king awful. suspension would bottom out all the time, the engine was gutless, drank oil, tried putting a filter and larger intercooler and remap on it. still gutless. Then it chewed up the gearbox, £1500 later everything else started failing, electrics. Even got plastic splinters from the gearknob. what a god awful car.
So to spite them I bought a 2002/3 BMW Mini Cooper S.... It was f**king awful. suspension would bottom out all the time, the engine was gutless, drank oil, tried putting a filter and larger intercooler and remap on it. still gutless. Then it chewed up the gearbox, £1500 later everything else started failing, electrics. Even got plastic splinters from the gearknob. what a god awful car.
JuanEl said:
C32 AMG - purchased the week before our first child arrived only to discover a few weeks later that the buggy and a weeks shopping dont fit in the boot.
Then I ordered a new Mini Cooper S last November only to find out a week before it was delivered that we were expecting our second! This was remedied by the purchase of an E55 AMG wagon (lesson learned!!)
You learned a lesson and purchased a W210/pre-facelift W211? I do hope it works for you...Then I ordered a new Mini Cooper S last November only to find out a week before it was delivered that we were expecting our second! This was remedied by the purchase of an E55 AMG wagon (lesson learned!!
) Scotsman231 said:
996 convertible. After running a very nice Boxster S for 2 years I had to scratch the 911 itch - hated the thing as soon as I drove it away.
Didn't feel that quick and the interior had the build quality of a 1980's Proton. Every time I got in it all I could think about was Clarkson's description that they were a go-faster Beetle. Sold it within 3 months at a serious loss just to get rid of it.
Seeing other people on here making similarly disparaging comments about 911's has made me feel slightly better
Eh? The 986 Boxster and 996 have pretty much identical interiors.Didn't feel that quick and the interior had the build quality of a 1980's Proton. Every time I got in it all I could think about was Clarkson's description that they were a go-faster Beetle. Sold it within 3 months at a serious loss just to get rid of it.
Seeing other people on here making similarly disparaging comments about 911's has made me feel slightly better
Almost the current BMW. Bought it but basically anything that's a "common problem" on these has kicked in. They're all easy, cheap fixes but it's a bit annoying.
So far:
Rear window mechanism broken - bought the part, that's one for the weekend.
Airbag light - was a bit suspicious it stayed on a bit longer than expected during the test drive, but it did go out so thought that's just what they did. On all the time now.
Heater fan is pulsing. Don't care, I'll fix it next month.
VANOS - Well, I'm changing the seals just as a matter of good practice. Drives alright though. Similarly I'm going to update the camchain tensioner.
No spare wheel - not too bad, found one on ebay and they knocked the value off the price.
It'll be a great car once it's done, just think maybe I should have bided my time and looked around a bit more.
Not many E46 Tourings round my way though.
So far:
Rear window mechanism broken - bought the part, that's one for the weekend.
Airbag light - was a bit suspicious it stayed on a bit longer than expected during the test drive, but it did go out so thought that's just what they did. On all the time now.
Heater fan is pulsing. Don't care, I'll fix it next month.
VANOS - Well, I'm changing the seals just as a matter of good practice. Drives alright though. Similarly I'm going to update the camchain tensioner.
No spare wheel - not too bad, found one on ebay and they knocked the value off the price.
It'll be a great car once it's done, just think maybe I should have bided my time and looked around a bit more.
Not many E46 Tourings round my way though.
Ultra rare 2005 Facelift Alfa 166 3.0 Sportronic bought for pennies, and found out why shortly after.
Initially innocuous looking oil leak required 4 trips to Autolusso and an engine out fix.
£3k later that would be my first and last Alfa......
Build quality on it was shocking for a 2005 car, both bodywork and interior trim, but it looked and sounded stunning, went ok and drank like William Faulkner.
Like a lady of the night, it seemed a good idea at the time.
Initially innocuous looking oil leak required 4 trips to Autolusso and an engine out fix.
£3k later that would be my first and last Alfa......
Build quality on it was shocking for a 2005 car, both bodywork and interior trim, but it looked and sounded stunning, went ok and drank like William Faulkner.
Like a lady of the night, it seemed a good idea at the time.
Corrado G60 - Low mileage and mechanically fully rebuilt over a 4 year period, had covered around 20 miles in those years. It wasn't as clean as expected, but was a good 5 hour drive away and still a decent price so I took the plunge. Head gasket popped on the way home from buying it resulting in a cracked head. I fixed it but hated it from then on, lasted 4 months then I broke it and doubled my money!
MK1 Audi TT Quattro Sport, low mileage, excellent condition inside and out and drove fantastic, but within a few days it quickly turned into a money pit. Sold it on at a frustrating loss. The buyers done the exact same and is now selling it on. Must just be one of those cars.
MK1 Audi TT Quattro Sport, low mileage, excellent condition inside and out and drove fantastic, but within a few days it quickly turned into a money pit. Sold it on at a frustrating loss. The buyers done the exact same and is now selling it on. Must just be one of those cars.
crofty1984 said:
the current BMW. Bought it but basically anything that's a "common problem" on these has kicked in.
It'll be a great car once it's done, just think maybe I should have bided my time and looked around a bit more.
Both the BMW's I have owned have suffered from the same "common problem" thing - I guess thats why they're knowns common problems, I just didn't expect all the common problems to turn up within 3 months of purchasing....It'll be a great car once it's done, just think maybe I should have bided my time and looked around a bit more.
I traded in a year old Audi A3 Sportback '11 reg with loads of extra's that cost £22k new for an '07 plate Porsche Cayman S in Speed Yellow. The A3 only had 7,000 miles on the clock & the garage offered me £12,500. The Porker was £17,795 with 59k on the clock. As soon as I had bought the Porsche I had a bad feeling. The dealer had taken the car in for servicing at a 'specialist' Porsche garage not an official Porsche centre. I drove the car for around 500 miles and the low oil warning light came on, so I topped it up. I took it back to the dealer as I was concerned due to it just having a service. For peace of mind I booked the car into Porsche East London for a full service. When I collected the car then I had the shock of my life!! They reckoned one of the pistons was scoring the liner and the engine needed to be removed at a cost of £5k. All of the coil-packs needed replacing. The service cost me £800, but at least I knew where I stood. I immediately took the car back to the dealer & they 'listened' to all of my anxieties about the car & offered a 6 month 'peace of mind' warranty. When I tried to claim against this warranty the company said they would only cover £35/hr labour charge & specialist Porsche mechanics wanted £65/hr. I went on holiday for 2 weeks & the final straw was the battery going flat. When the RAC were called out 'surprise surprise' a new battery was required - the Porsche OEM was shot. I was severly annoyed at thsi stage & tried to get a refund from the dealer for the car. He refused & instead said he would try & sell on the car & when this was off-loaded would swap me another one of his vehicles for sale.
I wrote a number of strong letters to the MD of the dealer & confronted the sales manager on a number of occasions. All I can say is buyer beware! The Porsche episode ended with me trading in the car for an Audi of equal trade-in value (they were happy to accept the car & took it for a test drive)...
I wrote a number of strong letters to the MD of the dealer & confronted the sales manager on a number of occasions. All I can say is buyer beware! The Porsche episode ended with me trading in the car for an Audi of equal trade-in value (they were happy to accept the car & took it for a test drive)...
e60 525d se 2004
Driving home the computer told me the esp system had malfunctioned,
Starting it up the next morning a strong whiff of diesel exhaust through the heaters told me that the exhaust manifold had cracked
Fixed that, and got the swirl flaps done at the same time only to be told the by the garage that turbo was shot
Then the battery sensor failed which (ironically) killed the battery
Then the lower pulley shat itself and chucked off all the belts
Then it started surging if it was taken over 70 mph (surging didnt stop until it had cooled back down to cold) = mystery fault that no-one could diagnose...
Then the auto box started pissing fluid everywhere
Then the radio broke
Then I limped it to a Volvo dealer and p/exd it for volvo which has had no problems in the last 2 years
Driving home the computer told me the esp system had malfunctioned,
Starting it up the next morning a strong whiff of diesel exhaust through the heaters told me that the exhaust manifold had cracked
Fixed that, and got the swirl flaps done at the same time only to be told the by the garage that turbo was shot
Then the battery sensor failed which (ironically) killed the battery
Then the lower pulley shat itself and chucked off all the belts
Then it started surging if it was taken over 70 mph (surging didnt stop until it had cooled back down to cold) = mystery fault that no-one could diagnose...
Then the auto box started pissing fluid everywhere
Then the radio broke
Then I limped it to a Volvo dealer and p/exd it for volvo which has had no problems in the last 2 years
I have two, for very different reasons, the first for the predictable poor build quality, the second because of what I could have had instead.
Peugeot 307 DTurbo, brought on the back of having a 306 Dturbo for a weekend (fab car, dubious build quality) and a need to downsize car expenses as we'd just had twins and the wife was giving up work for a few years. Not only did the 307 feel very slow compared to the S3 it replaced (I was expecting that), it felt heavy and very slow compared to the 306. The 307 also spent more time in the garage than it did on the drive, the ECU packed up, 10 weeks for a replacement, carpets were too short and had to be replaced wholesale, the entire electric wiring membrane had to be replaced as the door locks stopped working, another 10 weeks, the dash stopped working, 6 weeks. It didn't even approach the 50mpg that Peugeot had promised, so it went back to Peugeot after 12 months of ownership after a lot of moaning at the company car team.
The other car was a gen 1 Audi S3, not a bad car, brought at launch. However I had the oppounity to buy a 22B at the press day of the Motorshow and turned it down as I thought the interior was better and that the S3 would be better as a daily. (both are correct but not the point) I live with the daily knightmare of this decision and its not one I think I will ever get over.
Peugeot 307 DTurbo, brought on the back of having a 306 Dturbo for a weekend (fab car, dubious build quality) and a need to downsize car expenses as we'd just had twins and the wife was giving up work for a few years. Not only did the 307 feel very slow compared to the S3 it replaced (I was expecting that), it felt heavy and very slow compared to the 306. The 307 also spent more time in the garage than it did on the drive, the ECU packed up, 10 weeks for a replacement, carpets were too short and had to be replaced wholesale, the entire electric wiring membrane had to be replaced as the door locks stopped working, another 10 weeks, the dash stopped working, 6 weeks. It didn't even approach the 50mpg that Peugeot had promised, so it went back to Peugeot after 12 months of ownership after a lot of moaning at the company car team.
The other car was a gen 1 Audi S3, not a bad car, brought at launch. However I had the oppounity to buy a 22B at the press day of the Motorshow and turned it down as I thought the interior was better and that the S3 would be better as a daily. (both are correct but not the point) I live with the daily knightmare of this decision and its not one I think I will ever get over.
Its fair to say my first two cars I bought myself were rancid as I was clueless.
First was a Vectra 2.0 Di. With 130K on the clock and I have suspicions the figure could have been more...
I didn't actually regret that car at the time because it was big and comfy, went well and did well on the juice.
It was utterly rotten for a 9 year old car though, rust all over it. Day before its first MOT in my ownership the differential on the gearbox jammed solid, in the middle lane of the M6. Had to drop the clutch hard to get it moving which sent part of the dif through the housing, red fluid poured out and I was down a shed.
Following that was the worst car I have owned, a Escort Si. Looked good and clean until you got close to the sills and they were both utterly rotten. Again 8 or 9 year old car.
Worst was the front end would eat tires, the geo was so out I replaced the wishbones on it 3 times and had it tracked every time and still it would kill tyres in about 3k.
Clutch pedal disintegrated stranded me, it did about 20mpg and my insurance premium doubled to drive the thing just because of the Si badge.
First was a Vectra 2.0 Di. With 130K on the clock and I have suspicions the figure could have been more...
I didn't actually regret that car at the time because it was big and comfy, went well and did well on the juice.
It was utterly rotten for a 9 year old car though, rust all over it. Day before its first MOT in my ownership the differential on the gearbox jammed solid, in the middle lane of the M6. Had to drop the clutch hard to get it moving which sent part of the dif through the housing, red fluid poured out and I was down a shed.
Following that was the worst car I have owned, a Escort Si. Looked good and clean until you got close to the sills and they were both utterly rotten. Again 8 or 9 year old car.
Worst was the front end would eat tires, the geo was so out I replaced the wishbones on it 3 times and had it tracked every time and still it would kill tyres in about 3k.
Clutch pedal disintegrated stranded me, it did about 20mpg and my insurance premium doubled to drive the thing just because of the Si badge.
Lancia Monte Carlo Mk 2, horrible, slow, bad handling, pedals too close together, roof leaked, timing was always out.
I parked it in Brixton one day and accidentally left the spare key in the door....got a phone call from the police a few hours later.........someone has locked your car and handed the key in to us, would you come along and collect it please.......truly a cursed machine.........I still like the look of it but horrible thing to own
I parked it in Brixton one day and accidentally left the spare key in the door....got a phone call from the police a few hours later.........someone has locked your car and handed the key in to us, would you come along and collect it please.......truly a cursed machine.........I still like the look of it but horrible thing to own
bigkeeko said:
Thought I`d add to this one.
Landrover Freelander.
I knew before I bought it in spite of all the great (and obviously flattering and bias reviews from UK publications) that they were dung.
EVERYTHING went wrong with it. 10 months of hate and warranty work until I could pay off the finance and get shot of it.
I bought a 1.8 petrol soft top and it was hateful. Owned for 3 months but would have changed sooner if the plates hadn't taken so long to swap over!Landrover Freelander.
I knew before I bought it in spite of all the great (and obviously flattering and bias reviews from UK publications) that they were dung.
EVERYTHING went wrong with it. 10 months of hate and warranty work until I could pay off the finance and get shot of it.
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