Cars which aren't as bad as they're made out to be...
Discussion
Crafty_ said:
Calibra had s
te visibility and didn't drive as well as a cavalier gsi/turbo.
I'd always assumed it was the same car (underpinnings) with a different bodyshape. Always thought a Cavalier Turbo would make a great Q car. Think you're right about the visibility on Calibras though...te visibility and didn't drive as well as a cavalier gsi/turbo.Fas1975 said:
Chrysler 300C. Highly underrated. Won't win any prizes for cornering, but for continental crossing quality wafting, it's a great place to be.
In terms of sheer value its hard to do better. If i was to pick a car to drive from one side of America to the other in then the 300C would probably be up there.
martin84 said:
In terms of sheer value its hard to do better. If i was to pick a car to drive from one side of America to the other in then the 300C would probably be up there.
Well all I can say is I hope its better than the Dodge Charger I had when I was there as that was rubbish. Not even very comfortable TBH.TameRacingDriver said:
Well all I can say is I hope its better than the Dodge Charger I had when I was there as that was rubbish. Not even very comfortable TBH.
I was given a lift in a 300C once (no, not a drug dealer), the 3.5 diesel. Nice car, rear space almost laughable it was so big, very quiet too.Liquid Knight said:
Have to mention my Rover. The car has proven reliable with only silly things going wrong, Saxoproof, 50+mpg, keeps up with traffic with ease, even though the car is a proper five seater saloon it handles as well as (if not better than) any similar sized hatch back, the boot is big enough for two six foot tall corpses and the car qualifies for classic insurance so I don't need a re-mortgague every twelve months.
My vote goes to the Vanden Plas 1300:
I really should migrate to classic car forum
C. Grimsley said:
daveparry said:
I don't care.....someone has to say it T V R deffinately not as bad as people seem to believe!
Never really had much to do with them, yet today I mot tested one and I have to say I thought it was a massive pile of poo, so horrid, I now understand why they are no longer available, nice to look at but terrible design and build quality.Carl
markmullen said:
3000GT. Accept that it is never going to be the nimblest back road scorcher with that weight and for the money it makes a lot of sense.
Good call. The "it'll bankrupt you" cries are generally based on heresay/urban myth too, as long as you buy a good one and make use of the excellent specialists around the country.I've driven a few Opels and Vauxhalls, and in general they have all been great engines in attractive bodies, with handling that was usually safe but was consistently miserable. In this case I don't think Clarkson was exaggerating.
For cars that aren't as bad as they're made out to be, I submit the Mk 1 Honda Jazz. A properly clever packaging exercise, and very reliable too.
I'd also nominate, outside of enthusiasts circles, that subject of hairdresser jokes countrywide: The MX5.
Finally, I haven't driven one, but from feedback I've had from a few owners, I reckon that the Z3 2.2 and 2.8s might well make an appearance here.
For cars that aren't as bad as they're made out to be, I submit the Mk 1 Honda Jazz. A properly clever packaging exercise, and very reliable too.
I'd also nominate, outside of enthusiasts circles, that subject of hairdresser jokes countrywide: The MX5.
Finally, I haven't driven one, but from feedback I've had from a few owners, I reckon that the Z3 2.2 and 2.8s might well make an appearance here.
[quote=TameRacingDriver
On that note, a lot of people think Micras (K11) are rubbish but I had a couple and they were surprisingly fun to drive little things with a 1.3 under the bonnet.
[/quote]
I drive a K11 Micra and to an extent I agree. I drive a 998cc car and its a perky little car, but you really have to give it the beans, but when you time a gearchange right and get the right amount of throttle it can go. I do a lot of motorway miles and it can keep up quite well and do outside lane speeds very well.
That said acceleration is slow. Having 54bhp is annoying if you need to quickly accelerate because it wont. The brakes also arent great imo, especially in damp conditions, if you do an emergency stop or harsh braking you musst change down becuase they lock up easily.
The suspension is basic and very wobbly, this is a car designed for the city not for the motorway as a result its designed to be soft, wobbly and comfortable. And this is a personal thing I find the seats really, really uncomfortable and barely manage more than an hour and a half behind the wheel.
On that note, a lot of people think Micras (K11) are rubbish but I had a couple and they were surprisingly fun to drive little things with a 1.3 under the bonnet.
[/quote]
I drive a K11 Micra and to an extent I agree. I drive a 998cc car and its a perky little car, but you really have to give it the beans, but when you time a gearchange right and get the right amount of throttle it can go. I do a lot of motorway miles and it can keep up quite well and do outside lane speeds very well.
That said acceleration is slow. Having 54bhp is annoying if you need to quickly accelerate because it wont. The brakes also arent great imo, especially in damp conditions, if you do an emergency stop or harsh braking you musst change down becuase they lock up easily.
The suspension is basic and very wobbly, this is a car designed for the city not for the motorway as a result its designed to be soft, wobbly and comfortable. And this is a personal thing I find the seats really, really uncomfortable and barely manage more than an hour and a half behind the wheel.
Dalto123 said:
I drive a K11 Micra and to an extent I agree. I drive a 998cc car and its a perky little car, but you really have to give it the beans, but when you time a gearchange right and get the right amount of throttle it can go. I do a lot of motorway miles and it can keep up quite well and do outside lane speeds very well.
That said acceleration is slow. Having 54bhp is annoying if you need to quickly accelerate because it wont. The brakes also arent great imo, especially in damp conditions, if you do an emergency stop or harsh braking you musst change down becuase they lock up easily.
The suspension is basic and very wobbly, this is a car designed for the city not for the motorway as a result its designed to be soft, wobbly and comfortable. And this is a personal thing I find the seats really, really uncomfortable and barely manage more than an hour and a half behind the wheel.
I actually had both, the 1.3 SR / 1.4 Sport were actually a much better drive than the 1.0 litre models, as they actually were pretty perky and had much more grip and less bodyroll... brakes were still terrible though.That said acceleration is slow. Having 54bhp is annoying if you need to quickly accelerate because it wont. The brakes also arent great imo, especially in damp conditions, if you do an emergency stop or harsh braking you musst change down becuase they lock up easily.
The suspension is basic and very wobbly, this is a car designed for the city not for the motorway as a result its designed to be soft, wobbly and comfortable. And this is a personal thing I find the seats really, really uncomfortable and barely manage more than an hour and a half behind the wheel.
Gaz. said:
Crafty_ said:
Calibra had ste visibility and didn't drive as well as a cavalier gsi/turbo.
For a coupe the visibility was pretty good, certainly better than the coupes I've owned.te visibility and didn't drive as well as a cavalier gsi/turbo.My only critism of the Calibra was the dashboard, everything else I could live with.
Alfachick said:
The Ford KA (old style). Stay with me here... Considering its a cheep run around it is surprisingly fun on twisty roads, add to that cheep to maintain and run and you have the perfect run around.
Well I like mine anyway
Great car shame the rust protection isn't great and that the powersteering is essential and a bugger of a job to fix WHEN it fails.Well I like mine anyway
Alfanatic said:
I've driven a few Opels and Vauxhalls, and in general they have all been great engines in attractive bodies, with handling that was usually safe but was consistently miserable. In this case I don't think Clarkson was exaggerating.
I thought the Manta I had was a very nice handling car. The CIH engine wasn't a stormer like the XE but I'd describe the handling as much better than miserableSymbolica said:
Liquid Knight said:
Have to mention my Rover.
You drive a Rover 213? You should mention it more often 
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