What's the ropiest MOT'd car you've ever ridden in?
Discussion
We've all been in some duffers, but there seemed to be more about a few years ago. For example I remember a mate's asthmatic 15 year-old Porsche 911SC which could scarcely drag its own weight along, but the "winner" for me was a mate's Triumph Herald/Vitesse mongrel that I experienced in the late 1980s.
The front half was a white Vitesse which had recently been welded to the rear of a brown Herald (or was it the other way round?
). Anyway the owner had driven it to the seaside with his mates for a weekend away. Whilst at the beach the tide came in and the road leading out of the car-park was under a few inches of water. Sat in the back I watched as the sea water came pouring in where the two halves had been welded together.
By the time we got to the camp site, the cabin was awash with 3 inches of salt water. I guess it never passed another MOT!
The front half was a white Vitesse which had recently been welded to the rear of a brown Herald (or was it the other way round?
). Anyway the owner had driven it to the seaside with his mates for a weekend away. Whilst at the beach the tide came in and the road leading out of the car-park was under a few inches of water. Sat in the back I watched as the sea water came pouring in where the two halves had been welded together.By the time we got to the camp site, the cabin was awash with 3 inches of salt water. I guess it never passed another MOT!
A 2003 Kia Rio I was given by a body shop whilst they repaired my company car after some dizzy young girl ran in to the back of it whilst it was parked outside my house.
At least I assume it had an MOT... but it was proper scary... it pulled gently to the right in normal driving, but shot violently to the left every time you touched the brakes, it seemed to have no more than 1 bhp, and most of the interior bits had fallen off. I drove it for 2 days then sent it back.
At least I assume it had an MOT... but it was proper scary... it pulled gently to the right in normal driving, but shot violently to the left every time you touched the brakes, it seemed to have no more than 1 bhp, and most of the interior bits had fallen off. I drove it for 2 days then sent it back.
When I bought my first E30, that was a shocker. The seller kept banging on about how he was 'in the trade' and all work done by himself.
Springs were chopped and not seated properly, fuel gauge wasn't working, severely out of track, tachometer readout was inaccurate etc.
Sold with a ten month MOT carried out by the seller himself.
Springs were chopped and not seated properly, fuel gauge wasn't working, severely out of track, tachometer readout was inaccurate etc.
Sold with a ten month MOT carried out by the seller himself.
I frequently see a baby blue (hand painted) escort estate driven by an old man in the St Mellons area of cardiff, like this but with stock wheels, etc:
The tailgate is held on by rope, exhaust is hanging off. I've seen it on the road for the past few years and it really is beggars belief how it manages to pass an MOT.
The tailgate is held on by rope, exhaust is hanging off. I've seen it on the road for the past few years and it really is beggars belief how it manages to pass an MOT.
Ive hired some wrecks in Greece over the years, motorbikes being the worst. Once had a Honda magma that someone had obviously been practiing wheelies with, as the yokes and everything attached rattled like crazy with massive play, bodywork stitched together with cable ties, flat spots on the wheels, bald rear, no charge in the battery so bump start and avoid driving at night, the list goes on, my brother made me take it back after he had a ride on it and believed the frame was twisted as it wouldnt go in a straight line I think it was just that everything that controlled direction was completely shagged!
When I was about 9 my Dad bought a B reg Rover 216 that got so rusty whoever sas going in the passenger seat had to get in the back and climb through as the hinges mounting point had rusted out. There was loads else knackered about it but thats the main memory.
That I've driven, a Peugeot 306 with a ropey idle sensor, fallen off door trim and an exhaust which had detached itself just after the manifold.
Nothing dangerous though, the only thing like that was a Volvo 850 I bought.
Lovely car but on the way back from picking it up realised it had an insane pull to the left. Took a motorway junction by straightening up the wheel for a second. Turned out it was just tracking and some dodgy tyres, after that it was the only trouble free car I've had
That I've driven, a Peugeot 306 with a ropey idle sensor, fallen off door trim and an exhaust which had detached itself just after the manifold.
Nothing dangerous though, the only thing like that was a Volvo 850 I bought.
Lovely car but on the way back from picking it up realised it had an insane pull to the left. Took a motorway junction by straightening up the wheel for a second. Turned out it was just tracking and some dodgy tyres, after that it was the only trouble free car I've had
My dad had a mk3 astra van for work for awhile (company builders van). I knew it was crashed and repaired before he had it.
The drivers seat was sitting on 2 wooden boards, which where screwed into the floorpan, it had front seat belts, but the passenger seat belt would undo itself within 30 seconds. It had a rear seat out of a volvo in the back, same diy carpentry (wood screwed into the body shell) with no seat belts (and no proper way of getting in or out, you got on the rear seat by going through the back door, and then climbing over the backrest, or by squeezing through the two front seats), and a rust hole in the floor, so you could see the road below. The wiring at the back end seemed to have a lot of the those little white plastic electric connector blocks and house wiring, and he seemed to have to fill it with water everyday. That was only back in 2000 to 2004.
The drivers seat was sitting on 2 wooden boards, which where screwed into the floorpan, it had front seat belts, but the passenger seat belt would undo itself within 30 seconds. It had a rear seat out of a volvo in the back, same diy carpentry (wood screwed into the body shell) with no seat belts (and no proper way of getting in or out, you got on the rear seat by going through the back door, and then climbing over the backrest, or by squeezing through the two front seats), and a rust hole in the floor, so you could see the road below. The wiring at the back end seemed to have a lot of the those little white plastic electric connector blocks and house wiring, and he seemed to have to fill it with water everyday. That was only back in 2000 to 2004.
My old E34 5 series. Used to leak petrol all over the exhaust, the steering was damn near drifter spec, headlights would not switch off unless the LKM was pulled out and put back in, no handbrake, when brakes were applied it would shoot off to the left, all this with 11 months MOT when I bought it. Needless to say, the pile of crap was traded in 3 months after getting it. Loved the M20B25 though!
Oh and in keeping with the Rover theme, I used to work for a backstreet garage. Had a C plate 213 brought in for MOT, failed tragically on the fact that the floor and sills were completely rotten. The old boy who owned it was notified that it should be weighed in. The old boy disagreed, and paid upwards of £800 to have countless plates welded on to the pile of s
t to get it to scrape a ticket.
Oh and in keeping with the Rover theme, I used to work for a backstreet garage. Had a C plate 213 brought in for MOT, failed tragically on the fact that the floor and sills were completely rotten. The old boy who owned it was notified that it should be weighed in. The old boy disagreed, and paid upwards of £800 to have countless plates welded on to the pile of s
t to get it to scrape a ticket. A friend of mine had a mid 80s cavalier around about the year 2000. It was part gloss black, part matt black (before it was fashionable) and was fashioned from the offcuts of many, many other, more graveyard bound 80s cavaliers. The passenger door fit so badly that only the owner knew how to shut it without it bouncing, the vibrations at motorway speeds were terrific; and we did London to Liverpool and back in it, 5 up. It was special.
Parts of it were brush-finished, few of the windows worked and it smelled faintly of pipe tobacco. It was before I could drive, though, so I don't remember important things like the engine, or whether it had any horsepower left at all.
Parts of it were brush-finished, few of the windows worked and it smelled faintly of pipe tobacco. It was before I could drive, though, so I don't remember important things like the engine, or whether it had any horsepower left at all.
devnull said:
I frequently see a baby blue (hand painted) escort estate driven by an old man in the St Mellons area of cardiff, like this but with stock wheels, etc:
The tailgate is held on by rope, exhaust is hanging off. I've seen it on the road for the past few years and it really is beggars belief how it manages to pass an MOT.
That must be a rarity I don't think I've ever seen a two door Escort estate.The tailgate is held on by rope, exhaust is hanging off. I've seen it on the road for the past few years and it really is beggars belief how it manages to pass an MOT.
ImpossiblyDaft said:
When I was about 9 my Dad bought a B reg Rover 216 that got so rusty whoever sas going in the passenger seat had to get in the back and climb through as the hinges mounting point had rusted out. There was loads else knackered about it but thats the main memory.
That I've driven, a Peugeot 306 with a ropey idle sensor, fallen off door trim and an exhaust which had detached itself just after the manifold.
Nothing dangerous though, the only thing like that was a Volvo 850 I bought.
Lovely car but on the way back from picking it up realised it had an insane pull to the left. Took a motorway junction by straightening up the wheel for a second. Turned out it was just tracking and some dodgy tyres, after that it was the only trouble free car I've had
Were you a previous owner of my 306? The driver's door trim was never on and it sounded like a racing car because the manifold was so knackered. Not to mention the gearbox. That might be my dodgiest car, excepting the C3 I moved across a garage, that was falling apart and had a gearbox which may have had some gears. Not to mention the collapsed seats.That I've driven, a Peugeot 306 with a ropey idle sensor, fallen off door trim and an exhaust which had detached itself just after the manifold.
Nothing dangerous though, the only thing like that was a Volvo 850 I bought.
Lovely car but on the way back from picking it up realised it had an insane pull to the left. Took a motorway junction by straightening up the wheel for a second. Turned out it was just tracking and some dodgy tyres, after that it was the only trouble free car I've had
A Mk2 850CC Fiesta in RAF blue. Bought for £50 and clung to an MOT like a cat with a ball of wool. Every time you pressed the clutch it made a loud 'pyooooooiiiiiing' noise and the front slam panel was welded to hell and covered in waxoyl, but you could still see the rust. Ran it for 8 months until the MOT ran out and somehow sold it to a gypsy for £100.
Drove it everywhere in 2nd gear as anything else overpowered the asthmatic engine
Drove it everywhere in 2nd gear as anything else overpowered the asthmatic engine
NZ hire car - an asthmatic 1.5 auto Nissan Sunny. The windows would fall down sporadically, the air-con smelt of fish, the tyres were bald, it pulled to the right, I balanced the wheels by driving on muddy tracks till the mud clung in the dents...
In this country it's a close contest between by 2005 Honda diesel with varying things going wrong, and my 1.9 205 GTI that's drinking increasing amounts of oil.
In this country it's a close contest between by 2005 Honda diesel with varying things going wrong, and my 1.9 205 GTI that's drinking increasing amounts of oil.
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