What's the shortest you've owned a car?
Discussion
Aston Martin Vantage roadster - Sold after just six months due to being a disappointing drive.
I know it sounds crazy, a beautiful car to look at, just not all it should be to drive. It was the smaller engine version and the reviews have said it was underpowered. It definitely was. Not a bad sound, but disappointing cross-country.
Certainly not complaining, had the chance to own a truly beautiful car and made a very healthy profit in the process.
I didn't think the sunlight reflecting on the radio screen would be as annoying as some of the reviews and feedback said, but with it being a roadster I only ever drove it with the roof down and could never see anything on the digital display - really poor design.
I know it sounds crazy, a beautiful car to look at, just not all it should be to drive. It was the smaller engine version and the reviews have said it was underpowered. It definitely was. Not a bad sound, but disappointing cross-country.
Certainly not complaining, had the chance to own a truly beautiful car and made a very healthy profit in the process.
I didn't think the sunlight reflecting on the radio screen would be as annoying as some of the reviews and feedback said, but with it being a roadster I only ever drove it with the roof down and could never see anything on the digital display - really poor design.
.3 months: BMW E46 330ci. Hateful car; couldn't wait to get rid of it. I bought it whilst working away from home without much time to look into it, and the dealer only gave me a quick drive around the block. I bought it on the strength of loving my E36 325i, but it was the biggest mistake I ever made. Since the E46 I've owned one more E36, two E90s and a Z4C, all of which have been superb, so it hasn't put me off BMW.
Edited by RobM77 on Thursday 13th July 14:09
Not me, but my brother.
2 days.
He ordered a 9 seat LWB defender with every option possible, metallic grey paint, leather, tinted windows, etc. He has 4 large kids and wanted something stylish to tow his boat about with / beach car for his holiday house in West Wales.
Didn't bother test driving one as, well, it was only going to be for short distance messing about in down in Wales and soldiers and farmers fit in them, don't they?
It arrives, he pays for it and then realises that he can't actually fit into the thing. He's six foot six and twenty two stone...
Had to take his shoe off to be able to get his foot on the throttle and to open the window to stick his arm out just to get behind the wheel with the door shut. He did think about trying to get the seat moved back, but apparently there is a bulkhead or something in the way.
Sold it for a nine grand loss to a normal sized friend.
2 days.
He ordered a 9 seat LWB defender with every option possible, metallic grey paint, leather, tinted windows, etc. He has 4 large kids and wanted something stylish to tow his boat about with / beach car for his holiday house in West Wales.
Didn't bother test driving one as, well, it was only going to be for short distance messing about in down in Wales and soldiers and farmers fit in them, don't they?
It arrives, he pays for it and then realises that he can't actually fit into the thing. He's six foot six and twenty two stone...
Had to take his shoe off to be able to get his foot on the throttle and to open the window to stick his arm out just to get behind the wheel with the door shut. He did think about trying to get the seat moved back, but apparently there is a bulkhead or something in the way.
Sold it for a nine grand loss to a normal sized friend.
One month, a Jaguar XF 4.2 Premium... was approved used and although I loved the car itself it was easily the most unreliable car Ive ever owned. Not only that but I'm afraid Jaguar were far from helpful even though it was less than a month old.
Long story short, water through the rear light seals, into the boot, electronics etc gubbed. No-one cared as light seals were not a warranty item.. they are wear and tear... so you can imagine the rage battle.
Anyways, wee bit sad, great car.
Long story short, water through the rear light seals, into the boot, electronics etc gubbed. No-one cared as light seals were not a warranty item.. they are wear and tear... so you can imagine the rage battle.
Anyways, wee bit sad, great car.
popeyewhite said:
Plinth said:
76 miles.
911 Carrera 3.2
Drove it home and (some time later) drove it back to the dealer.
Lost money but regained my sanity.
Can you elaborate? I had a similar experience!911 Carrera 3.2
Drove it home and (some time later) drove it back to the dealer.
Lost money but regained my sanity.
I found the driving position uncomfortable – the pedals were slightly offset and the Recaro sports seats were too narrow for my back.
I am basically the same build and proportions as a gorilla, so just couldn’t get in a position that was not causing back, hip or knee ache.
Getting in and out was a bit of a clumsy affair and not at all elegant – though Mrs Plinth found it very amusing to watch.
The 915 type gearbox was a bit agricultural and not pleasant to use.
The car was very unrefined and the engine noise was intrusive.
(I know that standing by the track listening to an air-cooled 911 going round Copse at full bore is wonderful, but sitting in traffic the clanking and whirring got very irritating – a bit of a contrast to the rumbling V8 I had been driving).
The dash layout is a mess and the general fit and finish is more 1970’s Lotus than Mercedes.
Cheaply made and badly designed trim, switchgear and carpets and didn’t help either.
Very harsh and bumpy ride, too.
Oh, and it was red.
All my own fault – a spur of the moment purchase without a test drive (idiot!)
The dealer was an absolute gentleman and took it back without complaint.
Funny thing is that it was my second 911 – had a 911 SC when I was younger and none of these issues bothered me then – getting older ruined it for me.
I bought a low mileage Mazda 626 to replace my Rover 820 that had been written off on the M25 the week before.
I drove to Germany for a 10 day business trip. The car was horrible to drive. Tracking, shocks, I dont know but on my return I traded it in for a Vauxhall Senator.
Owned the Mazda for about 16 days. Didn't loose anything on the trade in.
I drove to Germany for a 10 day business trip. The car was horrible to drive. Tracking, shocks, I dont know but on my return I traded it in for a Vauxhall Senator.
Owned the Mazda for about 16 days. Didn't loose anything on the trade in.
Plinth said:
The car was immaculate (show condition) with a comprehensive history – so no problem there – and it was running perfectly.
I found the driving position uncomfortable – the pedals were slightly offset and the Recaro sports seats were too narrow for my back.
I am basically the same build and proportions as a gorilla, so just couldn’t get in a position that was not causing back, hip or knee ache.
Getting in and out was a bit of a clumsy affair and not at all elegant – though Mrs Plinth found it very amusing to watch.
The 915 type gearbox was a bit agricultural and not pleasant to use.
The car was very unrefined and the engine noise was intrusive.
(I know that standing by the track listening to an air-cooled 911 going round Copse at full bore is wonderful, but sitting in traffic the clanking and whirring got very irritating – a bit of a contrast to the rumbling V8 I had been driving).
The dash layout is a mess and the general fit and finish is more 1970’s Lotus than Mercedes.
Cheaply made and badly designed trim, switchgear and carpets and didn’t help either.
Very harsh and bumpy ride, too.
Oh, and it was red.
All my own fault – a spur of the moment purchase without a test drive (idiot!)
The dealer was an absolute gentleman and took it back without complaint.
Funny thing is that it was my second 911 – had a 911 SC when I was younger and none of these issues bothered me then – getting older ruined it for me.
Thanks, some of that pretty much mirrors my experience. Had you kept it longer and forgotten your SC days you'd have found the front is an excellent snow-scoop and demisting takes 40 minutes to cope with a wet coat as well. I found the driving position uncomfortable – the pedals were slightly offset and the Recaro sports seats were too narrow for my back.
I am basically the same build and proportions as a gorilla, so just couldn’t get in a position that was not causing back, hip or knee ache.
Getting in and out was a bit of a clumsy affair and not at all elegant – though Mrs Plinth found it very amusing to watch.
The 915 type gearbox was a bit agricultural and not pleasant to use.
The car was very unrefined and the engine noise was intrusive.
(I know that standing by the track listening to an air-cooled 911 going round Copse at full bore is wonderful, but sitting in traffic the clanking and whirring got very irritating – a bit of a contrast to the rumbling V8 I had been driving).
The dash layout is a mess and the general fit and finish is more 1970’s Lotus than Mercedes.
Cheaply made and badly designed trim, switchgear and carpets and didn’t help either.
Very harsh and bumpy ride, too.
Oh, and it was red.
All my own fault – a spur of the moment purchase without a test drive (idiot!)
The dealer was an absolute gentleman and took it back without complaint.
Funny thing is that it was my second 911 – had a 911 SC when I was younger and none of these issues bothered me then – getting older ruined it for me.
RobM77 said:
3 months: BMW E46 330ci. Hateful car; couldn't wait to get rid of it. I bought it whilst working away from home without much time to look into it, and the dealer only gave me a quick drive around the block. I bought it on the strength of loving my E36 325i, but it was the biggest mistake I ever made. Since the E46 I've owned one more E36, two E90s and a Z4C, all of which have been superb, so it hasn't put me off BMW.
I had a similar experience. I had an E36 325i, bought an E46 323Ci and although I wouldn't describe it as hateful in my experience, it was nowhere near as engaging to drive and I never really warmed to it even though it was broadly speaking a competent car.Edited by RobM77 on Thursday 13th July 14:09
Two years later I saw my old E36 up for sale and didn't hesitate to buy it back before promptly selling the E46. Generally speaking I miss my cars when they go but that was one of the few I didn't.
jamesson said:
RobM77 said:
3 months: BMW E46 330ci. Hateful car; couldn't wait to get rid of it. I bought it whilst working away from home without much time to look into it, and the dealer only gave me a quick drive around the block. I bought it on the strength of loving my E36 325i, but it was the biggest mistake I ever made. Since the E46 I've owned one more E36, two E90s and a Z4C, all of which have been superb, so it hasn't put me off BMW.
I had a similar experience. I had an E36 325i, bought an E46 323Ci and although I wouldn't describe it as hateful in my experience, it was nowhere near as engaging to drive and I never really warmed to it even though it was broadly speaking a competent car.Edited by RobM77 on Thursday 13th July 14:09
Two years later I saw my old E36 up for sale and didn't hesitate to buy it back before promptly selling the E46. Generally speaking I miss my cars when they go but that was one of the few I didn't.
My second E36 was a 328i Sport - I'd heard good things and wanted a step up from the 325i. It didn't disappoint.The 330ci was just a miserable affair. The DBW throttle lag was ridiculous - over a second and you could count to 3 before it did anything; that included backing off, which made driving in the wet at speed very treacherous. The electronics were also just barking - if you got anywhere near stalling it would give the car a big burst of power, which was very scary in a car park when cruising with the clutch up in 2nd!! The TC was equally as annoying - get anywhere near spinning the rear wheels, for example crossing a little gravel pulling onto a main road from a side road, and it would cut the power for what seemed like ages, leaving you stranded. The seats were also a joke - I'm only 1.77m, but my head was almost touching the roof on the seat's lowest setting. The car also left me stranded on a couple of occasions. Mine was a very early year 2000 model, and I think they made a lot of improvements for the subsequent refresh. I drove a much later model M3 many years later and it was a big improvement, although for me still not as nice as the E36 or E90.
ETA: I traded the E46 in for an Elise, from the worst car I've ever owned and for the shortest period to the best and the longest (8 years)!
Edited by RobM77 on Thursday 13th July 16:00
I sold an Impreza to pay the deposit on a new Impreza but needed a car for about 2 months inbetween.
I won a Rover 620 on ebay for £1200, it was written off when someone rear ended me a day before my new Impreza was delivered. Insurance paid out £1500 for it plus £1000 for my injuries.
I won a Rover 620 on ebay for £1200, it was written off when someone rear ended me a day before my new Impreza was delivered. Insurance paid out £1500 for it plus £1000 for my injuries.
Before we had kids, we used to holiday regularly in the south of France.
I usually drove around in a works van or on a bike while my wife/girlfriend always had a s
tty little commuter hatch of some kind or another, none of which was suitable for a hoon around in the sun. So every year I'd search autotrader the week before our holiday for something interesting, buy it, have our holiday and sell it again. Sometimes I made money, sometimes I lost a little(never more than the cost of a week's car hire). We did this with quite a few amazing cars (xj12, 750il, 911 carrera, to name a few).
So in answer to the OP, 2 to 3 weeks but with at least 10 different cars.
I usually drove around in a works van or on a bike while my wife/girlfriend always had a s
tty little commuter hatch of some kind or another, none of which was suitable for a hoon around in the sun. So every year I'd search autotrader the week before our holiday for something interesting, buy it, have our holiday and sell it again. Sometimes I made money, sometimes I lost a little(never more than the cost of a week's car hire). We did this with quite a few amazing cars (xj12, 750il, 911 carrera, to name a few).So in answer to the OP, 2 to 3 weeks but with at least 10 different cars.
popeyewhite said:
Plinth said:
stuff
Thanks, some of that pretty much mirrors my experience. Had you kept it longer and forgotten your SC days you'd have found the front is an excellent snow-scoop and demisting takes 40 minutes to cope with a wet coat as well. The 911 is not a "bad" car by any measure - I just found it a bit too basic and harsh - which, to be fair, is what some drivers want.
I am sure that if I was a "driving god" and on a sunny day on a deserted road (or track) , it would be a formidable and impressive machine.
The 996 may tempt me at some stage - more modern and refined (and water cooled) so some of the shorcomings of the original car are reduced.
I read somewhere a comparison between a 911 SC and a 996.
They said the 911 SC is the "better 911"
But the 996 is the "better car"
Horses for courses....
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