The WORST courtesy car you've been given?
Discussion
I think I might win this one... a brand new Seat Marbella 850cc 
Basically it felt like a lower spec version of the Fiat Panda.
You took your life in your hands when you overtook anyone with that thing.
Admittedly the car I took in was a 1.0 Metro... which makes the Seat all the worse if I remember it being so bad!
Basically it felt like a lower spec version of the Fiat Panda.
You took your life in your hands when you overtook anyone with that thing.
Admittedly the car I took in was a 1.0 Metro... which makes the Seat all the worse if I remember it being so bad!
Edited by markw996 on Wednesday 27th January 18:04
Superhoop said:
I'm not sure what the issue is...
Even a crappy courtesy car is better than A) The bus, or B) walking
What did you all expect, the dealer to have gone out an procured a vehicle, in exactly the same spec/colour etc.. as the car you took in for work?
This all the way!!Even a crappy courtesy car is better than A) The bus, or B) walking
What did you all expect, the dealer to have gone out an procured a vehicle, in exactly the same spec/colour etc.. as the car you took in for work?
I don't really understand people's expectations... I was lucky, always had decent newish courtesy cars and free. I am not complaining beats walking. I never expect like for like, it is unreasonable for the dealer to stock lots of cars for courtesy cars. In my experience I had a brand new A4, a Mini JCW full options, Mini Countryman, 320d saloon, all newish and clean. Worse was a fiat punto when servicing my Alfa but in no way was a problem, it was fairly new and did the job...
If you want a particular model why not hire one for the day?
The bus.
Never had a bad courtesy car, when the 159 had warranty work they had no courtesy cars available, but they hired me a car, which was a Peugeot 308, not bad at all, just not an Alfa, usually got a Grande Punto.
The worst I got was a brand new A4 2.0 TDI when my 320d was crashed into, it was bad because it was better than my 6 month old BMW and I realized I should have got an Audi.
Never had a bad courtesy car, when the 159 had warranty work they had no courtesy cars available, but they hired me a car, which was a Peugeot 308, not bad at all, just not an Alfa, usually got a Grande Punto.
The worst I got was a brand new A4 2.0 TDI when my 320d was crashed into, it was bad because it was better than my 6 month old BMW and I realized I should have got an Audi.
Not exactly terrible but a 1.2/1.4 mk7 fiesta when my M3 was in for its subframe replacement under warranty. Loads of people on m3cutters had been loaned brand new BMW's when theirs went in for the same job, some had 4 series coupes, gran coupes and 1 series etc. Even when they didn't want a courtesy car they were given one.
Then when mine went in, they didnt offer me one.............i nagged and nagged......no car. Eventually they offered me for circa £10 a day a fiesta.........i said you must be joking, i'm not paying when everyone else has been given one for free, i explained how so many people around the UK had been given courtesy cars from day one and how disappointed i was with their service, but in the end i managed to get it for free as it had been over a fortnight.....but at least i had a £4000 job done for free under the 10 year good will!
On another occasion we were loaned an early mk7 1.2 5 door fiesta with no wheel trims.........it was so slow i drove it around the block and thought my foot was touching the brake pedal, felt like a thottle cable had snapped! Cant believe how popular fiestas are when i thought this thing was broke! Drove home and jumped in my old girls mapped Toledo 1.9 tdi
Then when mine went in, they didnt offer me one.............i nagged and nagged......no car. Eventually they offered me for circa £10 a day a fiesta.........i said you must be joking, i'm not paying when everyone else has been given one for free, i explained how so many people around the UK had been given courtesy cars from day one and how disappointed i was with their service, but in the end i managed to get it for free as it had been over a fortnight.....but at least i had a £4000 job done for free under the 10 year good will!
On another occasion we were loaned an early mk7 1.2 5 door fiesta with no wheel trims.........it was so slow i drove it around the block and thought my foot was touching the brake pedal, felt like a thottle cable had snapped! Cant believe how popular fiestas are when i thought this thing was broke! Drove home and jumped in my old girls mapped Toledo 1.9 tdi
I've driven lots of examples of the current Yaris (Enterprise had a load of them at one time). Genuinely never had much issue with them - like most current smallish cars they appear to do pretty much most things most people could reasonably want from a car.
I do keep a 2001 174k Rover 45 diesel though specially reserved for customers I think are rude and unreasonable.
I do keep a 2001 174k Rover 45 diesel though specially reserved for customers I think are rude and unreasonable.
mk4gtiturbo said:
I had a Passat 170 TDi Sport (DSG) in for a service and they gave me an Up! Auto. Thing was dangerously slow and paused for at least 2 seconds when swapping cogs!!
Saw the thread title and thought "wonder how long before something gets described as dangerously slow?".First reply and three minutes.
Once again PH delivers.
Haven't really got a "worst courtesy car" I'm of the opinion that so long as it works its fine. It's always interesting to drive other stuff even if it's s
t. LankyLegoHead said:
AC43 said:
It wasn't a loaner as such - I was tooling around in a hire car whilst waiting for my company 200SX to be delivered in the mid-90's.
Not wanting to waste the company's money whilst I was away for a couple of weeks I handed back the perfectly useable Mondeo they'd given me.
When I got back they gave me a tractor, namely a Nissan Terrano. It was the most pig ugly, God-awful piece of agricultural 4x4 cr*p I'd ever seen. Then I drove it.
I then immediately called up the nice lady at Europcar to let them know I lived in Notting Hill and had no need for something designed to rescue sheep from a Welsh mountainside or words to that effect. She was quite taken aback at it actually cost MORE then a proper car and "everyone wants a 4x4".
I got shot of it the next day but it still amazes me how shocking that thing actually was. It was like the 1940's on wheels.
My mum had one of these a year or two ago, a 90's one too. She loved it for going down the horses and such. I took one ride in it and couldn't believe how bad it was, it was like a defender but with none of the charm. And worse.Not wanting to waste the company's money whilst I was away for a couple of weeks I handed back the perfectly useable Mondeo they'd given me.
When I got back they gave me a tractor, namely a Nissan Terrano. It was the most pig ugly, God-awful piece of agricultural 4x4 cr*p I'd ever seen. Then I drove it.
I then immediately called up the nice lady at Europcar to let them know I lived in Notting Hill and had no need for something designed to rescue sheep from a Welsh mountainside or words to that effect. She was quite taken aback at it actually cost MORE then a proper car and "everyone wants a 4x4".
I got shot of it the next day but it still amazes me how shocking that thing actually was. It was like the 1940's on wheels.
It was astonishingly bad.
I can see why someone might buy one for plugging up and down muddy lanes for horses and so on but it was sod all use in W11 to a 31 year old me. And it was expensive!
Toyota Aygo, worst piece of st I've ever driven. It may have been broken, but I doubt it as it was from Enterprise and only a year or 2 old. The damn thing bounced along even roads almost completely flat. Comically ste, the noise from it made the radio inaudible too.
It was a replacement for a mk4 Mondeo Estate which was amusing as the bloody thing would've fit in the mondeos boot.
I usually enjoy a hire/courtesy car as a chance to try a car out but it was horrendous.
t I've ever driven. It may have been broken, but I doubt it as it was from Enterprise and only a year or 2 old. The damn thing bounced along even roads almost completely flat. Comically ste, the noise from it made the radio inaudible too.It was a replacement for a mk4 Mondeo Estate which was amusing as the bloody thing would've fit in the mondeos boot.
I usually enjoy a hire/courtesy car as a chance to try a car out but it was horrendous.
I always look forward to hire cars, whether an 850cc Citreon or a 20 year old Fiesta, I just like something different for a few days.
I was given a new 3 series touring the other day, and I keep thinking about a 340i sport touring for myself, but getting ti made me realise I am not as keen on them as I first thought.
I was given a new 3 series touring the other day, and I keep thinking about a 340i sport touring for myself, but getting ti made me realise I am not as keen on them as I first thought.
A current 'C' Class Mercedes from a main dealer.
An ugly thing which needed a valet, was in a dreary dark blue & filthy, the alloys could have been silver but were black with brake dust. The ride horrendously hard & I was convinced a mechanic had forgotten his laptop & left it on the dashboard. There were far too many buttons & switches which no doubt impress some but left me feeling out of control of the car. The gloss black trim around the dashboard reflected too much light & was already marked. What a heap, I have had better Fords as company cars & courtesy cars, so shame on Ze Mercedes.
An ugly thing which needed a valet, was in a dreary dark blue & filthy, the alloys could have been silver but were black with brake dust. The ride horrendously hard & I was convinced a mechanic had forgotten his laptop & left it on the dashboard. There were far too many buttons & switches which no doubt impress some but left me feeling out of control of the car. The gloss black trim around the dashboard reflected too much light & was already marked. What a heap, I have had better Fords as company cars & courtesy cars, so shame on Ze Mercedes.
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