whats the worst car you've ever owned or driven
Discussion
Enjoyed reading catsey's thread "what the best car you've ever owned or driven". Lets hear the worst car you've ever owned or driven..
Mine would be a J-reg Vauxhall Calibra 2.0 16v. What a piece of s
t that was - broke down a couple of times (head-gasket). Got knicked once. Luckily under warranty but spent most of the time driving a Cavalier courtesy car.. which would you believe it felt exactly the same if not better to drive than the Calibra! I bought it without driving it - thought it looked a great car and always wanted one so took loads of finance out on it. As Jeremy Clarkson said - it's a Cavalier in a frock!
BMW 1M was a bit of a disappointment. Looked good but after a month was so bored of it.
CSL - started off great, certainly an event to drive (quick), but mine was unreliable. Less than 30k miles on the clock and it needed a new engine - done under warranty but took nearly 6 months to get the parts. Sold it straight after. Needed new boot floor thingy too. I wouldn't touch another with a barge pole. I also think they are mega overpriced now too - felt value for money at £30k used (when working) but you'd be mad to spend £50k+ on one today.. IMO
Mine would be a J-reg Vauxhall Calibra 2.0 16v. What a piece of s
t that was - broke down a couple of times (head-gasket). Got knicked once. Luckily under warranty but spent most of the time driving a Cavalier courtesy car.. which would you believe it felt exactly the same if not better to drive than the Calibra! I bought it without driving it - thought it looked a great car and always wanted one so took loads of finance out on it. As Jeremy Clarkson said - it's a Cavalier in a frock!BMW 1M was a bit of a disappointment. Looked good but after a month was so bored of it.
CSL - started off great, certainly an event to drive (quick), but mine was unreliable. Less than 30k miles on the clock and it needed a new engine - done under warranty but took nearly 6 months to get the parts. Sold it straight after. Needed new boot floor thingy too. I wouldn't touch another with a barge pole. I also think they are mega overpriced now too - felt value for money at £30k used (when working) but you'd be mad to spend £50k+ on one today.. IMO
Objectively it 'should be' my '68 Ford Anglia 105E, due to its basic nature and lack of power, but as my first car in '76, which never let me down, I have to say, I have fond memories of it?
Subjectively, during a bit of a rough patch, there was the short term ownership of a Metro 115D. Now that was a truly hateful, little pile of junk. No wonder BL ceased to exist, producing rubbish like that?
Subjectively, during a bit of a rough patch, there was the short term ownership of a Metro 115D. Now that was a truly hateful, little pile of junk. No wonder BL ceased to exist, producing rubbish like that?
nsm3 said:
first car
Same. I couldn't include my first car - it was a beige coloured 1.3 Mk3 Escort with XR3i cloverleaf wheels, K+N filter, and chrome exhaust tip. Bought it the day I passed my test - found it in the back of the local newspaper - rang them up and said I don't need to see it.. I'll have it 
. I loved and polished that car so much, but in reality, and because it let me down loads (always when you had a bird in it 
), I can't bring myself to call it a piece of sh%t 
I have had 92 cars and only owned 4 which I moved on quicker than normal
350Z
Audi S1
BMW E90 comp DCT
all those only lasted 2 months !!
996 GT3 over hyped and not road usable in a nice way, I tried and tried it being a dream car but 8 months in it was gone.
My early cars were all great cars, 4 Clio's a few Fords all great cars.
I avoid Merc's and BMW are always a let down.
I try to avoid automatics inc PDK/DCT stuff.
So not really had many bad cars from the 92 cars owned which is nice.
My CSL I put in my top 5 cars.
If I had to pick my worse owned car it would be the 350Z.
As for not owned and really bad but I have driven. most Merc's, BMW basic 118D's, the city cars like the UP etc and maybe the worse I have driven a Smart car. BUT Merc come a close 2nd to how bad they are, they all feel like boats !
350Z
Audi S1
BMW E90 comp DCT
all those only lasted 2 months !!
996 GT3 over hyped and not road usable in a nice way, I tried and tried it being a dream car but 8 months in it was gone.
My early cars were all great cars, 4 Clio's a few Fords all great cars.
I avoid Merc's and BMW are always a let down.
I try to avoid automatics inc PDK/DCT stuff.
So not really had many bad cars from the 92 cars owned which is nice.
My CSL I put in my top 5 cars.
If I had to pick my worse owned car it would be the 350Z.
As for not owned and really bad but I have driven. most Merc's, BMW basic 118D's, the city cars like the UP etc and maybe the worse I have driven a Smart car. BUT Merc come a close 2nd to how bad they are, they all feel like boats !
Edited by Porsche911R on Thursday 21st December 10:00
A 2004 Subaru Impreza STi - the one after the bug-eye model
Power delivery was shocking but the killer was the suspension as it was massively underdamped - you'd get 'sea-sick' unless really pressing on. Bought from new and sold after 7 months at a massive loss but never been more happy to get rid of a car before. Sold it to a drug dealer in Rochdale, which say everything about the car really
Power delivery was shocking but the killer was the suspension as it was massively underdamped - you'd get 'sea-sick' unless really pressing on. Bought from new and sold after 7 months at a massive loss but never been more happy to get rid of a car before. Sold it to a drug dealer in Rochdale, which say everything about the car really
Interesting - although not surprising - how people feel so differently about the same models. I too had a Calibra, and apart from the inevitable head / head gasket failure I really liked it. Don't expect it to be a sports car because it's obviously not. Treat it like what it is - a Cavalier in drag - and it was good. Comfy, stylish (stop laughing, back then it was!), quite economical and a huge boot.
The same as others, objectively my worst car was my first car - a 2CV. But it put up with a huge amount of abuse and rolling the roof back in the summer was always fun.
Most unreliable car was an E39 530i. That still bugs me because it was a lovely car to drive, it just kept going wrong.
I think the only car I've actively disliked was a Mazda 6 Sport4 that my wife had. A 2.3 litre engine but utterly gutless. I just checked, and it is quoted as 12s 0-60. Lame. The auto gearbox was waaay too keen to downshift so on the motorway it'd drop to 4th at the slightest incline, and sometimes even 3rd so you'd be screaming along at a steady 5000rpm unless you put it in manual and forced it to stay in gear. The seats were uncomfortable, everything was very plasticy, but one "WTF" thing really stands out in my memory. On the OBC it showed fuel consumption in litres/100 miles. Huh ? Mixing metric & imperial. Literally NOBODY else does that. Looking closer at the LCD display you could see that it was designed to show "litres / 100km" and instead of making a different panel to show mpg they just blanked out the "k" and made it "litres / 100 m". Lazy, lazy, lazy design.
.
The same as others, objectively my worst car was my first car - a 2CV. But it put up with a huge amount of abuse and rolling the roof back in the summer was always fun.
Most unreliable car was an E39 530i. That still bugs me because it was a lovely car to drive, it just kept going wrong.
I think the only car I've actively disliked was a Mazda 6 Sport4 that my wife had. A 2.3 litre engine but utterly gutless. I just checked, and it is quoted as 12s 0-60. Lame. The auto gearbox was waaay too keen to downshift so on the motorway it'd drop to 4th at the slightest incline, and sometimes even 3rd so you'd be screaming along at a steady 5000rpm unless you put it in manual and forced it to stay in gear. The seats were uncomfortable, everything was very plasticy, but one "WTF" thing really stands out in my memory. On the OBC it showed fuel consumption in litres/100 miles. Huh ? Mixing metric & imperial. Literally NOBODY else does that. Looking closer at the LCD display you could see that it was designed to show "litres / 100km" and instead of making a different panel to show mpg they just blanked out the "k" and made it "litres / 100 m". Lazy, lazy, lazy design.
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Porsche 911.
A really good one, of any era, is a joy to behold and, rightly, one of the best cars............................... in the world.
But I've come across a few - high mileage, poor maintenance, badly modified, showing their age, and they have been vile
I think, in the current inflated market, buyers need to be very careful of 'mutton dressed as lamb'.
A really good one, of any era, is a joy to behold and, rightly, one of the best cars............................... in the world.
But I've come across a few - high mileage, poor maintenance, badly modified, showing their age, and they have been vile
I think, in the current inflated market, buyers need to be very careful of 'mutton dressed as lamb'.
Volvo C70GT convertible....biggest POS I’ve ever owned. Less than 6 years old with 60k on the clock it costs me thousands in repair costs during my 18 month ownership. Needed new steering rack, new clutch slave cylinder, new clutch, cruise control packed up, CD changer worked intermittently. It became a pig to start when cold, the scuttle shake was laughable (you could see the rear head-rests shaking when hitting a small pot hole!!) Hated it. It had an awesome stereo though that drowned out the annoying suspension creaks.
It really was the Katie Price of cars. Looked alright but was deeply troubled underneath.
It really was the Katie Price of cars. Looked alright but was deeply troubled underneath.
Had use of a Silver Astra H 1.8 Automatic for a couple of months that was hateful in every way.
Horrible horrible interior, handled like st, st gearbox, st seats and just an overall pile of uninspiring turd.
It's only redeeming quality was that it had around 140bhp so could overtake quite easily.
Horrible horrible interior, handled like s
t, st gearbox, st seats and just an overall pile of uninspiring turd.It's only redeeming quality was that it had around 140bhp so could overtake quite easily.
New to the forum. It seemed like an appropriate post to join in to.
Worst car I ever owned would be unfortunately my favourite as well. As it was my first car which i got whilst in the midst of passing my driving test.
Oh it was a beauty...! It was a 51 plate Renault Clio Dynamique 1.2 petrol. It had a great big dent in the bonnet where it looked like someone used it as a mating spot. The drivers side lock didnt work which made things difficult as the central locking also didnt work.
So, for me to access the vehicle i had to used the key to unlock the passanger door, press the central lock button on the inside which in turn unlocked the drivers door. And boom! I was in!
Oh, it also had a sunroof which always leaked, i used to have a constant plastic bag on the passenger seat!
So there you go
Worst car I ever owned would be unfortunately my favourite as well. As it was my first car which i got whilst in the midst of passing my driving test.
Oh it was a beauty...! It was a 51 plate Renault Clio Dynamique 1.2 petrol. It had a great big dent in the bonnet where it looked like someone used it as a mating spot. The drivers side lock didnt work which made things difficult as the central locking also didnt work.
So, for me to access the vehicle i had to used the key to unlock the passanger door, press the central lock button on the inside which in turn unlocked the drivers door. And boom! I was in!
Oh, it also had a sunroof which always leaked, i used to have a constant plastic bag on the passenger seat!
So there you go
My first driving instructors car springs to mind, a Peugeot 206 1.4 diesel. The clutch had a very long travel, the bottom 95% of which did absolutely nothing then the top 5% went from completely disengaged to engaged. The engine was utterly limp, getting into to my mothers 1.0 Nova was a noticeable step up in performance. It also felt deeply unstable and was basically a turd in every way.
I've never owned a car which I didn't enjoy driving so picking the worst would have to come down to reliability and cost. As such I would probably nominate my 2006 Grand Cherokee as the car which lost me the most in the shortest time period.
I've never owned a car which I didn't enjoy driving so picking the worst would have to come down to reliability and cost. As such I would probably nominate my 2006 Grand Cherokee as the car which lost me the most in the shortest time period.
Peugeot 307 DTurbo, bought before it launched, off the back of driving the 306 DTurbo. Not only was it awful to drive compared to the 306 and completely guttless in comparision, it was hugely unreliable. Peugeot even managed to make the carpets too short so they kept coming unstuck and had to be completely replaced. Car went into limp home mode and the ECU had to be replaced. Door locks completely failed, the wiring loom for them had to be replaced. Numerous other smaller faults and recalls. Every time it needed something doing the parts would be on back order, sometimes for months (wiring loom and the ECU, car totally unusable during this period). I think I had use of the car for as long as it spent at the dealer. As it was a company car I finally managed to get them to take it back.
I am not sure about worst, maybe a Chevrolet Kalos that my wife had for a while. Awful engine, awful brakes, awful handling.
But the most disappointing was definitely a Ford Fiesta that I had as a courtesy car a year or so ago. I had heard great things about the current Fiesta, and my first car was a Fiesta that I loved. The courtesy car even had the same engine as my old car (and it was still a lovely little engine). The car, however, was utterly dreadful: high seating position like a van; no steering feel; horrid brakes; no driver engagement whatsoever. No idea what the fuss is about.
But the most disappointing was definitely a Ford Fiesta that I had as a courtesy car a year or so ago. I had heard great things about the current Fiesta, and my first car was a Fiesta that I loved. The courtesy car even had the same engine as my old car (and it was still a lovely little engine). The car, however, was utterly dreadful: high seating position like a van; no steering feel; horrid brakes; no driver engagement whatsoever. No idea what the fuss is about.
Most unreliable and pretty dreadful car was a Mk1 Golf Diesel. It was generally horrible and chronically unreliable.
Replaced it with a 1.5 petrol Golf which was even worse ! Put me of VW for life.
Replaced the Golf with a Fiesta diesel that we ran for the next 8 years without any issues whatsoever,
Most reliable car and nicest to drive and own were any of my six Capris - 2 x 2.0, 2 x 3.0, one 1.6 and my 2.8i which was sold this year after nearly 20 years.
Replaced it with a 1.5 petrol Golf which was even worse ! Put me of VW for life.
Replaced the Golf with a Fiesta diesel that we ran for the next 8 years without any issues whatsoever,
Most reliable car and nicest to drive and own were any of my six Capris - 2 x 2.0, 2 x 3.0, one 1.6 and my 2.8i which was sold this year after nearly 20 years.
Worst drive I'd define as not feeling in control or the car, in touch with road and generally unnerved by the whole experience
Original VW Beetle - though I had absolute confidence in it starting every morning
Chrysler 180 auto - driving under anaesthetic
Sierra diesel - pre-turbo, I had never experienced anything so sluggish
Chrysler Neon - seemed to float about
Original VW Beetle - though I had absolute confidence in it starting every morning
Chrysler 180 auto - driving under anaesthetic
Sierra diesel - pre-turbo, I had never experienced anything so sluggish
Chrysler Neon - seemed to float about
I can't say I've ever been massively disappointed with a car I've owned. Looking back I would say my VW Lupo Sport was probably the biggest pain though.
Admittedly it was lowered so immediately that made driving it 'amusing'. By amusing, I mean that within 18 months I was sick of avoiding drain covers etc. Yet it was a lot of fun and popped and banged.
The car itself wasn't bad although ironically less reliable than the Renaults I owned before and since.
Admittedly it was lowered so immediately that made driving it 'amusing'. By amusing, I mean that within 18 months I was sick of avoiding drain covers etc. Yet it was a lot of fun and popped and banged.
The car itself wasn't bad although ironically less reliable than the Renaults I owned before and since.
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