The worst car you've ever driven...
Discussion
BrownBottle said:
You're the one being hysterical.
Feel free to enlighten us with your own choice, I may disagree with it but I'll try not to sound like a child having a tantrum.
So are you claiming you were or weren't being unrealistic then?Feel free to enlighten us with your own choice, I may disagree with it but I'll try not to sound like a child having a tantrum.
Afraid, I don't really have a worst car I've driven. I like cars in general. And having unrealistic expectations of a car is not the fault of the car. There are cars I like less than others of course. But I'm not really sure that is the same as claiming something as the worst...
A company I worked at years ago got cast off pool cars from our London & Bristol offices.
First we had an H reg 1.6 petrol Escort. It had done over 120,000miles when we got it, and it was rubbish. The steering didn't feel it was connected to the car. The fusebox collapsed, the central locking failed meaning the car couldn't be locked. Then in the winter it locked itself and the only way to get in was through the boot! Then the day before I was due to drive from Scotland to Newcastle in it, both the heater and radio packed in. Great journey that was.
That was replaced by a J reg 1.1 Fiesta. It was delivered with a very illegal bald tyre. The interior was manky and there was a burning smell from the engine. I had to take it home one night and got stuck in motorway traffic in horrendous winter rain. The only way it would idle in stop start traffic was to keep the manual choke out.
Fiat Cinquecento. Not a pool car, but something my mate bought for some inexplicable reason. I just couldn't drive it. It was too easy to press the brake and accelerator at the one time, the pedals were that close together. As this was on the Isle of Man during TT, I stopped using the car for fear of mowing down alot of bikers at some stage.
Lada Samara. Same friends car. Who never told me that I would need either an anchor out the window, or my foot through the floor to get the thing to stop. I found that out approaching a junction. It was that odd and heavy experience to drive, it almost felt like I'd never driven a car before!
First we had an H reg 1.6 petrol Escort. It had done over 120,000miles when we got it, and it was rubbish. The steering didn't feel it was connected to the car. The fusebox collapsed, the central locking failed meaning the car couldn't be locked. Then in the winter it locked itself and the only way to get in was through the boot! Then the day before I was due to drive from Scotland to Newcastle in it, both the heater and radio packed in. Great journey that was.
That was replaced by a J reg 1.1 Fiesta. It was delivered with a very illegal bald tyre. The interior was manky and there was a burning smell from the engine. I had to take it home one night and got stuck in motorway traffic in horrendous winter rain. The only way it would idle in stop start traffic was to keep the manual choke out.
Fiat Cinquecento. Not a pool car, but something my mate bought for some inexplicable reason. I just couldn't drive it. It was too easy to press the brake and accelerator at the one time, the pedals were that close together. As this was on the Isle of Man during TT, I stopped using the car for fear of mowing down alot of bikers at some stage.
Lada Samara. Same friends car. Who never told me that I would need either an anchor out the window, or my foot through the floor to get the thing to stop. I found that out approaching a junction. It was that odd and heavy experience to drive, it almost felt like I'd never driven a car before!
Edited by ch108 on Friday 27th May 23:50
I present to you this hopeless s
t box...
Awful in every conceivable way.
I had the 2.5td manual. It was slow, but biblically thirsty for a diesel. Crashy ride, would under steer at the first hint of a corner. The gearing was just all wrong, so you were up and down the box like a fiddlers elbow.
The headlights were like tea lights, the seating lay out for the 7 seats meant no uselful room left for anything else.
Motorway driving felt like you were driving a rattley, echoey transit.
Added to that it had all the NCap rating of a freshly laid dog turd, all in all it was a horrific motoring experience.
Thank fully it was a bargain basement emergency purchase for me, so when the HG went I happily sent it off to the knackers yard with a cheery wave!
t box... Awful in every conceivable way.
I had the 2.5td manual. It was slow, but biblically thirsty for a diesel. Crashy ride, would under steer at the first hint of a corner. The gearing was just all wrong, so you were up and down the box like a fiddlers elbow.
The headlights were like tea lights, the seating lay out for the 7 seats meant no uselful room left for anything else.
Motorway driving felt like you were driving a rattley, echoey transit.
Added to that it had all the NCap rating of a freshly laid dog turd, all in all it was a horrific motoring experience.
Thank fully it was a bargain basement emergency purchase for me, so when the HG went I happily sent it off to the knackers yard with a cheery wave!
Byker28i said:
Vauxhall Insignia Estate 2.0 diesel, yesterday.
What a hateful piece of ste. Large, no performance, won't pull third gear below 2.5k revs, very laggy in first so pulling out of junctions was interesting at times. I ended up waiting or anticipating that 1 sec for the revs to rise then pulling out. absolutely no pickup in 5th or 6th on the motorway. Cruises fine at 70mph in 6th and could possibly be economical apart from having to drop gears to accelerate.
Visibility for a short driver is appalling. A frames are large and perfectly place to obscure approaching vehicles at junctions.
Sat nav was awful, very outdated, dated display on a 2 year old car. Truly a horrible driving experience.
Yes, yes and yes again. I had these as hire cars two weeks in a row and couldn't take it anymore. I off hired the pig in the company car park and went to buy a fast shed (still have - and it's fantastic).What a hateful piece of s
te. Large, no performance, won't pull third gear below 2.5k revs, very laggy in first so pulling out of junctions was interesting at times. I ended up waiting or anticipating that 1 sec for the revs to rise then pulling out. absolutely no pickup in 5th or 6th on the motorway. Cruises fine at 70mph in 6th and could possibly be economical apart from having to drop gears to accelerate.Visibility for a short driver is appalling. A frames are large and perfectly place to obscure approaching vehicles at junctions.
Sat nav was awful, very outdated, dated display on a 2 year old car. Truly a horrible driving experience.
You're summary is hugely too kind to the thing. They're brain frazzlingly crap in every conceivable way. How can something designed and built so recently, be so completely hideous. A lot of bad cars have some excuse. They were built to be small and economical, or they are very, very cheap. Or some are SUVs and are compromised for that function. But the Insignia is just piss.
300bhp/ton said:
BrownBottle said:
Land Rover Defender.
Absolutely terrible as a road car, I'm a bit reluctant to call it a car but I guess that's what it was sold as, as opposed to a road legal agricultural vehicle which is what I would call it.
You obviously have never been in or driven a proper agricultural vehicle. And if you think a Defender isn't any good on road, then it was either broken, you can't drive or you are being hysterically unrealistic. Absolutely terrible as a road car, I'm a bit reluctant to call it a car but I guess that's what it was sold as, as opposed to a road legal agricultural vehicle which is what I would call it.
generationx said:
An ancient Volvo 340 owned by an ex-housemate. Yuk.
They are pretty bad, yes. But if that's the worst you've driven, you need to get out a bit more.Try some Vauxhalls. Any of them should do fine, for the given purpose. But, I've no reason at all to dislike you, so I'm not suggesting you actually buy one.
skyrover said:
Fiat Cinquecento
Shat it's engine at 40,000 miles thankfully.
How bad was it?
Apart from the complete lack of any creature comforts and sound deadening, it was wobbly and downright frightening at highway speeds.
Forget hills, especially if you have any passengers who might outweigh mini mouse, not that anybody will want to be a passenger in the thing,
No grip whatsoever from the pizza cutter tyres which would slide in the slightest hint of damp along with fisher price build quality... I refuse to call it a car so much as a throwaway appliance. Basically the equivalent of a moped, something to get you by in between.
This for me to - just terrible dire rubbish. I hated the way the brake pedal needed contact with the floorpan before thinking about 'working'
Shat it's engine at 40,000 miles thankfully.
How bad was it?
Apart from the complete lack of any creature comforts and sound deadening, it was wobbly and downright frightening at highway speeds.
Forget hills, especially if you have any passengers who might outweigh mini mouse, not that anybody will want to be a passenger in the thing,
No grip whatsoever from the pizza cutter tyres which would slide in the slightest hint of damp along with fisher price build quality... I refuse to call it a car so much as a throwaway appliance. Basically the equivalent of a moped, something to get you by in between.
This for me to - just terrible dire rubbish. I hated the way the brake pedal needed contact with the floorpan before thinking about 'working'
Edited by skyrover on Friday 27th May 17:10
I had one. And completely agree with you.
Fiat Uno of the same age was almost as bad - same mechanics, but the yugo clinched it.
Fiat Uno of the same age was almost as bad - same mechanics, but the yugo clinched it.
Troubleatmill said:
This baby right here.
What was brilliant about it:........... The front number plate was of exceptional quality. far beyond what is commercially available today.
What was dreadful about it........... Everything behind the front number plate.
What was brilliant about it:........... The front number plate was of exceptional quality. far beyond what is commercially available today.
What was dreadful about it........... Everything behind the front number plate.
Mk2 Ford Fiesta 950cc 'Popular Plus' - about 14 years old at the time I admit, but with rusty holes in the floor, no acceleration, no brakes, barely any gears etc.
I don't think I've ever driven a Corsa, but judging by the replies that would be a winner if I'd had!
I don't think I've ever driven a Corsa, but judging by the replies that would be a winner if I'd had!
Edited by Hub on Friday 27th May 23:16
Qubit said:
BMW e46 328ci. Worst car ive ever had, both to own and to drive.
Once upon a time that was a dream car for me and I spent years lusting after one, I do understand that BMW's are boring to drive because of their epic overuse of sound deadening(apart from the diesels) and the lack of excitement, but what made it the worst for you. Qubit said:
BMW e46 328ci. Worst car ive ever had, both to own and to drive.
Worst car because it went wrong or? I absolutely loved my e46 328i!Worst for me was a Nissan Primera - Borrowed it off a friend while I was between cars - Gave it back a day later and went back to riding my pushbike it was that bad. That 1.8 engine and the utter soul destroying interior. Not nice
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