Whats the worst courtesy car you've been given?
Discussion
Two courtesy cars come to mind, a Polo from about 2002 and a similar aged Micra. They weren't the worst cars I've ever been in, badly made, dangerous or anything like that, they were both completely gutless. Even the 1.1 106 I had another time was far better. I'm sure those models aren't that bad normally as enough of them were sold, but I wonder if they were detuned or something as plenty of people like finding out that courtesy cars are the 2nd fastest cars in the world, after hire cars.
There is a 'but' to think about and it's this. If you are genuinely into cars then you should try to drive as many different ones as possible - and remember that faults can imbue just as much character as virtues. I have never not relished driving something new, even the totally shagged Cavalier I mentioned earlier- at least no synchro meant I had to re -hone my double de-clutching skills. If one feels the need to express total disgust at the simply appalling beyond belief (name any perfectly serviceable little hatchback ) then I think it says more for the driver's own insecurity ('I have to airily dismiss anything with less than 300bhp and rwd)than it does for the car.
So there you have it - faults are fun...
So there you have it - faults are fun...
When I pulled up on the drive in a Citroen C4 Cactus last September, my neighbour, who was in his front garden, wandered over to tell me it was the worst courtesy car he'd ever seen and he would have point blank refused to accept it.
Thing is, it wasn't a courtesy car, but my new car.
It cheered me up because he's a t
t anyway so his disapproval is a good thing.
Thing is, it wasn't a courtesy car, but my new car.
It cheered me up because he's a t
t anyway so his disapproval is a good thing.coppice said:
There is a 'but' to think about and it's this. If you are genuinely into cars then you should try to drive as many different ones as possible - and remember that faults can imbue just as much character as virtues. I have never not relished driving something new, even the totally shagged Cavalier I mentioned earlier- at least no synchro meant I had to re -hone my double de-clutching skills. If one feels the need to express total disgust at the simply appalling beyond belief (name any perfectly serviceable little hatchback ) then I think it says more for the driver's own insecurity ('I have to airily dismiss anything with less than 300bhp and rwd)than it does for the car.
So there you have it - faults are fun...
I agree to some extent. One of my favourite cars was a 205 diesel that was asthmatic, didn't brake very well, had to unlock the passenger door to lean across to open the drivers door, stall when stopped because the ignition key didn't do anything and so on and so forth. Most of these problems gave the car character and despite its poor treatment and shabby appearance it kept plodding along sipping away at its fuel and costing next to nothing.So there you have it - faults are fun...
However, the Astra hire car I had was new, had less than 5000 miles on the clock and was just s
t, absolutely nothing fun or quirky or even just acceptable about it. It looked crap, was gutless, for all its gutlessness was thirsty, no steering feel, that typical clutch isn't attached to anything feeling that Vauxhall have perfected over many decades of making terrible family hatchbacks, it under steered terribly.....the list is near endless. In my experience Vauxhall know better than anyone how to make completely awful cars. By contrast most Fords I have driven although broadly around the same price point and designed for the same family duties are perfectly acceptable.Many years ago I had a Delta Integrale. Lovely car. Took it to specialist for some work. Was given well-used standard Delta. It was so awful. Not just slow but unpleasant to drive. No redeeming features and made worse because somehow it was the car upon which my beloved Integrale was based.
Blue Oval84 said:
As per an earlier poster, I quite enjoy driving different stuff, no matter how awful it may seem 
This.Worst I got was a 1987 Volvo 340 from a local garage - it was horrid but I let my then-girlfriend practice driving it round her farm and had some fun trying to drift it in a muddy yard. (I wouldn't normally do this, as it's a bit disrespectful when you've been lent the car, but the garage had sold me a 205 with a couple of nasty bodges of their own doing which they had to rectify so I didn't care).
From dealerships I've always had decent stuff as they tend to treat it as an opportunity to give you an extended test drive in the hope you buy a new one later on.
My Dad did once have 3 weeks in a Nissan Pixo while his top spec Octavia was being repaired after a bump - that was a culture shock. He actually left it in the car park and drove around in a 200k mile 10 year old Transit instead
It's a split for me; I once got given a Fiat Uno "Start" by a bodyshop. Diesel thing, very very basic, slow and unrefined. However it was crap just because it was an honest, cheap car. So it's forgiveable.
Then there was a brand new A class (previous version) loaned by Merc when they didn't get my SL500 ready in time. Cheap, horrible plasticky interior, terrible handling, looked st and with a 1.6 (I assume) petrol it was a slug beyond belief and (I couldn't believe this) used more fuel than my SL500.
On this basis the new A class was the sttest; it's punted out as a premium product, and it isn't (wasn't).
Then there was a brand new A class (previous version) loaned by Merc when they didn't get my SL500 ready in time. Cheap, horrible plasticky interior, terrible handling, looked s
t and with a 1.6 (I assume) petrol it was a slug beyond belief and (I couldn't believe this) used more fuel than my SL500.On this basis the new A class was the s
ttest; it's punted out as a premium product, and it isn't (wasn't).TwigtheWonderkid said:
When I pulled up on the drive in a Citroen C4 Cactus last September, my neighbour, who was in his front garden, wandered over to tell me it was the worst courtesy car he'd ever seen and he would have point blank refused to accept it.
Thing is, it wasn't a courtesy car, but my new car.
It cheered me up because he's a tt anyway so his disapproval is a good thing.
LOLThing is, it wasn't a courtesy car, but my new car.
It cheered me up because he's a t
t anyway so his disapproval is a good thing.I bet his face was red!
I've been quite lucky with courtesy cars to be honest.
When my original spaceship Civic has been in for services or warranty work I've had a new shape Civic, albeit in a snot green colour, a brand new Jazz which had 40 miles on the clock and the first time it was in, because it was under the Honda Used Car Warranty and I called their breakdown out I got an almost brand new Insignia SRI Diesel via Europcar. So, the 'worst' I've had was a Peugeot 206 from the bodyshop when I put my Megane into a farmers hedge and hit a fire hydrant dead centre at the front and even that was less than a year old and a pretty decent spec.
When my original spaceship Civic has been in for services or warranty work I've had a new shape Civic, albeit in a snot green colour, a brand new Jazz which had 40 miles on the clock and the first time it was in, because it was under the Honda Used Car Warranty and I called their breakdown out I got an almost brand new Insignia SRI Diesel via Europcar. So, the 'worst' I've had was a Peugeot 206 from the bodyshop when I put my Megane into a farmers hedge and hit a fire hydrant dead centre at the front and even that was less than a year old and a pretty decent spec.
It has to be my current courtesy car a new Range Rover Sport. Only because I don't want to give it back and get back in my Evoque.
Really wanted to hate it when i got it as i always thought they were just a flashy footballers/Essex boys cars, but over the last week I have grown to really like it and don't want to give it back.
Really wanted to hate it when i got it as i always thought they were just a flashy footballers/Essex boys cars, but over the last week I have grown to really like it and don't want to give it back.
This style Nissan Micra
Especially as I had it 3 weeks after my Laguna got rear ended around Christmas a few years back. The garage was shut most of the time on holiday when they had the car in for repair. The Micra was noisy, slow, hideous interior with white heater controls against a black dashboard and struggled to take a long sweeping motorway bend without wanting to veer towards the central barrier.
The clapped out round the clock Almera my local independent garage give out as a courtesy car is far better to drive.
Especially as I had it 3 weeks after my Laguna got rear ended around Christmas a few years back. The garage was shut most of the time on holiday when they had the car in for repair. The Micra was noisy, slow, hideous interior with white heater controls against a black dashboard and struggled to take a long sweeping motorway bend without wanting to veer towards the central barrier.
The clapped out round the clock Almera my local independent garage give out as a courtesy car is far better to drive.
clumsen said:
It has to be my current courtesy car a new Range Rover Sport. Only because I don't want to give it back and get back in my Evoque.
Really wanted to hate it when i got it as i always thought they were just a flashy footballers/Essex boys cars, but over the last week I have grown to really like it and don't want to give it back.
When my RR was being serviced I got an Evoque Really wanted to hate it when i got it as i always thought they were just a flashy footballers/Essex boys cars, but over the last week I have grown to really like it and don't want to give it back.
Swanny87 said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
When I pulled up on the drive in a Citroen C4 Cactus last September, my neighbour, who was in his front garden, wandered over to tell me it was the worst courtesy car he'd ever seen and he would have point blank refused to accept it.
Thing is, it wasn't a courtesy car, but my new car.
It cheered me up because he's a tt anyway so his disapproval is a good thing.
LOLThing is, it wasn't a courtesy car, but my new car.
It cheered me up because he's a t
t anyway so his disapproval is a good thing.I bet his face was red!
Mind you, they've both been broken into numerous times as thieves search for the keys, whereas no one has bothered me!
On holiday years ago my car broke down and the garage kindly lent me a shagged out clio. It broke down too and when i called them they asked me if i could bump start it as sometimes it was a bit 'iffy'. No go however as the car was at the bottom of an incline. Eventually they came to pick me and the clio up. Great holiday that.
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