The worst car you've ever driven...
Discussion
The old Astra H 1.3 CDTi hatchbacks we used to have at work were a disaster zone. The only positive they have compared to a newer Astra is that they had a faster steering rack and more steering feel. Everything else was worse, so if you think the current Astra is st, you should try one of those bds!
They had:
1) Floppy, soggy chassis that rolled terribly under load.
2) Dreadful ride and awful damping. Crashing over bumps and wallowing through weight tranfers. This was from new!
3) An absolutely pathetic engine and a dreadful selection of six gears that constantly felt out of puff. Turning left from a junction and going uphill in second was awful, first was too short and the shift to second bogged you into a long wait for a short spell of boost to arrive.
4) Dismal build quality. Awful interior, hideous seats. Rotten smell of cheap plastic. They were st.
The 1.7 CDTi estate with a five speed was a lot quicker and had stiffer rear springs so handled quite a lot better. But it was still st.
They had:
1) Floppy, soggy chassis that rolled terribly under load.
2) Dreadful ride and awful damping. Crashing over bumps and wallowing through weight tranfers. This was from new!
3) An absolutely pathetic engine and a dreadful selection of six gears that constantly felt out of puff. Turning left from a junction and going uphill in second was awful, first was too short and the shift to second bogged you into a long wait for a short spell of boost to arrive.
4) Dismal build quality. Awful interior, hideous seats. Rotten smell of cheap plastic. They were st.
The 1.7 CDTi estate with a five speed was a lot quicker and had stiffer rear springs so handled quite a lot better. But it was still st.
cerb4.5lee said:
Qubit said:
BMW e46 328ci. Worst car ive ever had, both to own and to drive.
Once upon a time that was a dream car for me and I spent years lusting after one, I do understand that BMW's are boring to drive because of their epic overuse of sound deadening(apart from the diesels) and the lack of excitement, but what made it the worst for you. I think if the worst car someone has driven is a 328ci then they've not driven any BAD cars. As has been said, most likely if it was 2nd hand and a bit worn out.
E65Ross said:
cerb4.5lee said:
Qubit said:
BMW e46 328ci. Worst car ive ever had, both to own and to drive.
Once upon a time that was a dream car for me and I spent years lusting after one, I do understand that BMW's are boring to drive because of their epic overuse of sound deadening(apart from the diesels) and the lack of excitement, but what made it the worst for you. The standard M3 I had was typical BMW fare but the M3gts/M3csl are built to entertain going from the reviews I agree.
A small Perodua of some description, I think a 650cc engine, just seemed so bloody dangerous and under powered - but it was a Malaysian hire car.
Couldn't quite work out why all the other cars at traffic lights would rev their engines so much whilst waiting - then I realised that my size 12 feet would easily cover not only the brake pedal but accelerator at the same time.
Couldn't quite work out why all the other cars at traffic lights would rev their engines so much whilst waiting - then I realised that my size 12 feet would easily cover not only the brake pedal but accelerator at the same time.
I was given a free Matiz courtesy car for the day. I drove home and refused to use it. Appalling does not come close. The thing has no acceleration, brakes, steering or body control. It is useless beyond all comprehension. A skateboard with three wheels would make a better daily vehicle.
cerb4.5lee said:
E65Ross said:
cerb4.5lee said:
Qubit said:
BMW e46 328ci. Worst car ive ever had, both to own and to drive.
Once upon a time that was a dream car for me and I spent years lusting after one, I do understand that BMW's are boring to drive because of their epic overuse of sound deadening(apart from the diesels) and the lack of excitement, but what made it the worst for you. The standard M3 I had was typical BMW fare but the M3gts/M3csl are built to entertain going from the reviews I agree.
Vauxhall Astra H 1.4 petrol.
Had it has a hire car for a day and it was shockingly bad. Very uncomfortable seats and driving position, no room in the back, and very underpowered. Had to really push it to accelerate up to speed so as a result it wasn't even economical. Ride managed to be wobbly and crashy at the same time. Think the car was 2 years old at the time with sub 20k so it wasn't shagged.
I have nothing against Vauxhall - I have owned two Astra Gs, driven a Corsa C regularly, and they were substantially better. Genuinely couldn't believe how bad this thing was.
Had it has a hire car for a day and it was shockingly bad. Very uncomfortable seats and driving position, no room in the back, and very underpowered. Had to really push it to accelerate up to speed so as a result it wasn't even economical. Ride managed to be wobbly and crashy at the same time. Think the car was 2 years old at the time with sub 20k so it wasn't shagged.
I have nothing against Vauxhall - I have owned two Astra Gs, driven a Corsa C regularly, and they were substantially better. Genuinely couldn't believe how bad this thing was.
E65Ross said:
cerb4.5lee said:
E65Ross said:
cerb4.5lee said:
Qubit said:
BMW e46 328ci. Worst car ive ever had, both to own and to drive.
Once upon a time that was a dream car for me and I spent years lusting after one, I do understand that BMW's are boring to drive because of their epic overuse of sound deadening(apart from the diesels) and the lack of excitement, but what made it the worst for you. The standard M3 I had was typical BMW fare but the M3gts/M3csl are built to entertain going from the reviews I agree.
cerb4.5lee said:
E65Ross said:
cerb4.5lee said:
E65Ross said:
cerb4.5lee said:
Qubit said:
BMW e46 328ci. Worst car ive ever had, both to own and to drive.
Once upon a time that was a dream car for me and I spent years lusting after one, I do understand that BMW's are boring to drive because of their epic overuse of sound deadening(apart from the diesels) and the lack of excitement, but what made it the worst for you. The standard M3 I had was typical BMW fare but the M3gts/M3csl are built to entertain going from the reviews I agree.
E65Ross said:
cerb4.5lee said:
E65Ross said:
cerb4.5lee said:
E65Ross said:
cerb4.5lee said:
Qubit said:
BMW e46 328ci. Worst car ive ever had, both to own and to drive.
Once upon a time that was a dream car for me and I spent years lusting after one, I do understand that BMW's are boring to drive because of their epic overuse of sound deadening(apart from the diesels) and the lack of excitement, but what made it the worst for you. The standard M3 I had was typical BMW fare but the M3gts/M3csl are built to entertain going from the reviews I agree.
A couple stick in my mind.
On holiday in Tenerife, we hired a green Hyundai Atoz. Going up Mount Teide we thought someone would have to get and push, it was gutless, and coming back down again was accompanied by the smell of cooked brakes.
And I was once given a Vauxhall Corsa with the Easytronic gearbox as a courtesy car, which was dreadful in a different way.
On holiday in Tenerife, we hired a green Hyundai Atoz. Going up Mount Teide we thought someone would have to get and push, it was gutless, and coming back down again was accompanied by the smell of cooked brakes.
And I was once given a Vauxhall Corsa with the Easytronic gearbox as a courtesy car, which was dreadful in a different way.
I have a few to list, excluding some rather ropey old Land Rovers which I don't think would be fair to name them here....
2009 Hyundai i10. Appalling clutch, appalling throttle, poor handling, no performance, nasty plastic bumpers and no intriguing design whatsoever. On the flip side, the current shape i10 is actually a superb little city car.
2010 Corsa. No power whatsoever, it was dangerously slow. Absolute dog of a car, no idea why there are so many littering the roads, god awful thing. Looked like a turd too, inside and out.
2013 Polo 1.4 TDI. It didn't want to go backwards, it was almost hard work trying to reverse, almost as if the brakes applied automatically. Also it sounded like a tractor, shocking refinement. Nothing special to look at inside or out, awful ergonomics of the heating controls (kept resetting to 22 degrees every time you started the car) and generally just dull.
1.2 Fiat 500. Nice to look at, but not a drivers car. Struggled on most inclines, whatever angle. Nice to look at the interior but controls and buttons felt poor, the Panda is a better all rounder
2009 Hyundai i10. Appalling clutch, appalling throttle, poor handling, no performance, nasty plastic bumpers and no intriguing design whatsoever. On the flip side, the current shape i10 is actually a superb little city car.
2010 Corsa. No power whatsoever, it was dangerously slow. Absolute dog of a car, no idea why there are so many littering the roads, god awful thing. Looked like a turd too, inside and out.
2013 Polo 1.4 TDI. It didn't want to go backwards, it was almost hard work trying to reverse, almost as if the brakes applied automatically. Also it sounded like a tractor, shocking refinement. Nothing special to look at inside or out, awful ergonomics of the heating controls (kept resetting to 22 degrees every time you started the car) and generally just dull.
1.2 Fiat 500. Nice to look at, but not a drivers car. Struggled on most inclines, whatever angle. Nice to look at the interior but controls and buttons felt poor, the Panda is a better all rounder
Trabi601 said:
I'm intrigued by the 'dangerously slow' posts. Nothing available in the last 20 years or so could be described as 'dangerously slow'.
If you want dangerously slow, you really need to try driving a car with 26bhp.
Dangerously slow probably translates to "didn't adapt driving style for something slower than I'm used to driving". If you want dangerously slow, you really need to try driving a car with 26bhp.
Even hire/courtesy cars I've had including a Matiz and a Ford Ka couldn't be described as dangerous provided they were driven in the manner they were designed for.
Trabi601 said:
I'm intrigued by the 'dangerously slow' posts. Nothing available in the last 20 years or so could be described as 'dangerously slow'.
If you want dangerously slow, you really need to try driving a car with 26bhp.
Plenty of modern drive by wire systems are so sluggish due to emissions testing that they can indeed make driving hazardous for those not accustomed.If you want dangerously slow, you really need to try driving a car with 26bhp.
Fiat's have issues with hill starts don't they due to the ECU refusing to allow the throttle to fully open in first gear
Had a Suzuki vitara in Ibiza in 1997 as a hire car. Brand new so servicing (or lack there of) wasn't an issue. I can't remember what engine it had, but everything about it was so terrible I took it back aft a day and got it changed for the then just launched ford ka. The ford was much, much, much better at everything.
I've driven a lot of cars. The vitara was the worst by a massive margin.
I've driven a lot of cars. The vitara was the worst by a massive margin.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff