Underrated Cars

VolvoMan

Seeing as there are little in the way of interesting threads these days, I thought it would be good idea to start one where people post cars which they feel are underrated. Here is mine:



The 605 was a car criticised for resembling the 405 too closely in its design, but I don't see how that's a bad thing. The 405 was a great looking saloon car and I actually think its bigger brother even improved on the styling formula.

It definitely deserved much better.

Cookie_Monster

considered a mundane run of the mill, joyless heap by many. my second car and I loved it, handled great, threw it around with ease, easy on juice, looked really well, big enough inside and never threw up any issue.

Say what you will, I loved it!!

3rdDegree

VolvoMan wrote: »

Seeing as there are little in the way of interesting threads these days, I thought it would be good idea to start one where people post cars which they feel are underrated. Here is mine:


The 605 was a car criticised for resembling the 405 too closely in its design, but I don't see how that's a bad thing. The 405 was a great looking saloon car and I actually think its bigger brother even improved on the styling formula.

It definitely deserved much better.

Did some take a shot at you through the windscreen?

VolvoMan

3rdDegree wrote: »

Did some take a shot at you through the windscreen?

Yes, quite odd that.

It does look like a bullet in the windscreen.:pac:

Gophur

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

............, handled great, ...........

Define "great"?
I don't know what you are comparing it with, but Almera and "great" (in any context) should never be uttered in the same sentence.

JJJJNR

I don't know how the nissan would be classed as underrated, its one of the most popular cars in Ireland. If anything its overrated.

Stevie Dakota

Citroen C5, stylish, comfortable, well made. Should be a lot more of them on the road instead of dull VW's. Fords and Toyotas. Cracking value second hand though.

thirtythirty

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

Citroen C5, stylish, comfortable, well made. Should be a lot more of them on the road instead of dull VW's. Fords and Toyotas. Cracking value second hand though.

You can add all new citroens to that. Completely re-invented themselves. I'm already eyeing up a DS4 for my next car!

Zubeneschamali

Fiat Multipla. I'll save your eyes and not include a pic, but anyone who's used one to transport a family knows this is a very underrated car.

And no, the Honda imitation is not nearly as good.

Thatnastyboy

These little beauties.

Ive had two, (both 1.4 8v) one wit over 200k miles on it. Took TORRENTS of abuse and never wanted for anything. I took one off the road and it became a field car, It refused to die, flipped it 5 or 6 times and it never stopped driving.

They can be picked up for peanuts now with test.

Edit: The only problem is, anyone else thats had one will know, you cannot keep wing mirrors on them!

b318isp

Cars that I've driven that were better than expected:

- Ford Fiesta
- Citroen Xantia (going back a bit!)
- Opel Astra
- Hyundai Tuscon
- Nissan Primera
- Ford Galaxy (Mk.3)
- Peugeot 405
- BMW 523i

Muckie

Mine would be the Ford Escort 90's to 00 models

something like this.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2250870

Alwasy liked the look of the Estate version.

Tea 1000

Muckie wrote: »

Mine would be the Ford Escort 90's to 00 models

something like this.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2250870

Alwasy liked the look of the Estate version.

They were an unmerciful pile of dung. Have to say, the Astra wouldn't qualify for underrated either. They were average, relatively reliable, and sold plenty. The Almeara a good handler? Nope.

colm_mcm

OMega. RWD cheap and lots of kit

Tea 1000

LIGHTNING wrote: »

That generation of Almera was a pile of junk, soft gearboxes, tended to rust and had all sorts of electrical issues. Now the model before that...

The Model before that was very reliable, but tail happy with the wrong tyres on a reasonably slippy surface, for no known reason with no warning or feedback. Suppose it was no worse than the Carina E with the Irish modified rear suspension.

V Eight

JJJJNR wrote: »

I don't know how the nissan would be classed as underrated, its one of the most popular cars in Ireland. If anything its overrated.

This is true - It was number 5 in the top ten in 2004 the year of the pictured car - 5456 people thought a mundane run of the mill, joyless heap of **** would do nicely!

Absurdum

Mitsubishi Colt - bulletproof reliability, handled well, cheap to run, not bad looking, doesn't quite have the boy racer stigma that Civics had

bijapos

Hands down the most comfortable car in its class, puts its Japanese and German competitors to shame. Looks fabulous as well.




And the Micra, gets an unmerciful slagging but does what its supposed to do, does it well and is incredibly reliable to boot.


You could add any Corolla or Camry to this. They may be uninspiring for a passionate driver but they do what they are supposed to do for most of their owners.

BostonB

Underrated in what way?

Often I think it very subjective and depends what you are coming from. If your daily driver is Elise vs a 1.0 Polo, your perspective is going to be very different.

Astra Mark 4 was surprising decent to handle. Reminded me of my old MrkII Golf GTI. I think Lotus had a hand in it. Not brilliant no, but certainly much better than expected.

Then again I think a lot of modern cars have much better brakes and suspension than older cars, even if the dynamics are boring. People opinions are coloured by that. For example the Astra Mark 5 which IMO has very good brakes and suspension, compared to even a hot hatch back from 10yrs earlier or even the previous version Astra above. But I think its not as nice to handle as the Mrk4. But I'm surprised at how well it brakes and how little roll there is.

K11 Micra. Ok its noddy's girlfriends car. Its really light to drive, and its a bit soft. Not quick either. But it loves to rev, and once you get used to the lightness it handles much better than you expect if pushed. Most people can't see past the initial impression though. Reliable as old boots.

Primera P11 GT. Really great handling for a FWD. Loves corners. But the rest of it is so so. Engine is a 80's 16v fizzy, power all at the top end, bit like the Golf Mrk2 GTI 16v. So hard on fuel if pushed. Brakes aren't fantastic, and those Primeras are very hard on suspension, so not as reliable as you'd expect.

cadaliac

90's Peugeot 405 and 00's 406's were underrated and thought of as French heaps but I've owned two and they were the best cars I've ever owned.
Handling and suspensions were great (More so the 406) and excellent diesel engines.

JJJJNR

My vote would be a Suzuki Jimny, these are a well capable off roader, mud/snow is no bother to these, but they get laughed at all over the place.

Seriously underrated for a 4x4

Brian?

cadaliac wrote: »

90's Peugeot 405 and 00's 406's were underrated and thought of as French heaps but I've owned two and they were the best cars I've ever owned.
Handling and suspensions were great (More so the 406) and excellent diesel engines.

I'd give the 406 a nod as well. My missus has one, a 2002 2.0 petrol auto, it's a dream to drive on long journeys. The seats are more comfortable than most couches and it comes with plenty of kit: aircon, automatice lights and wipers etc.

The lad I carpool with has the 2.0Hdi one, a 2003 with 150,000 miles on it, and it drives like new.

helimachoptor

Am thinking of either the C5 or C6 as a new car... they are extremely confortable

unkel

V Eight wrote: »

This is true - It was number 5 in the top ten in 2004 the year of the pictured car - 5456 people thought a mundane run of the mill, joyless heap of **** would do nicely!

Thousands of people bought it so it must be good?

Eat sh1t. Billions of flies can't be wrong

Paparazzo

Rover 75.
Lots of people laugh at them because it looks like a rover trying to be a Jag. But its a really nice car.

Mc Love

I have to say it - Peugeot 206

Nforce

The Golf mk3 GTi 16v.....

Granted...the 8v was not worthy of the GTi heritage, but the 16v was a pretty nippy car and even in standard form were not far off of the power of the 2.8lt VR6 Golf despite VW only quoting them as having 150bhp.

They were also a nice comfy car to crash in too!


I miss mine.:(

BostonB

Golf mk3 GTI more of a GT tiger tank than a GTI. But vastly better than the regular Golf mk3. Ok drive, as long as you are not expecting it to be all that quick. Oddly enough its almost impossible to find a clean Mk3 GTI.

si_guru

JJJJNR wrote: »

My vote would be a Suzuki Jimny, these are a well capable off roader, mud/snow is no bother to these, but they get laughed at all over the place.

Seriously underrated for a 4x4

+1

Fully galvanised chassis and shell, auto locking hubs, acceptable performance (epec' 16v hardtop) and ecomony... seriously reliable.

Amazing car around town with light controls, small footprint and great visibility.

Tea 1000

Nforce wrote: »

The Golf mk3 GTi 16v.....

Granted...the 8v was not worthy of the GTi heritage, but the 16v was a pretty nippy car and even in standard form were not far off of the power of the 2.8lt VR6 Golf despite VW only quoting them as having 150bhp.

They were also a nice comfy car to crash in too!


I miss mine.:(

I still would choose the Bravo HGT and 306 GTI-6 over it.

BostonB

unkel wrote: »

Thousands of people bought it so it must be good?

Eat sh1t. Billions of flies can't be wrong

Just because something is popular doesn't mean its not good. One things got nothing to do with the other.

Completely unrelated, I was reading in EVO that something like 5 out of 7 BMW 5 series sold so far in the UK is a 520D. They were remarking on the shift to 4 pot diesel from 6 cyl which used to the most common.

Sleepy

The latest model of the Ford Ka, got one as a rental last year and was stunned at how much I enjoyed the short wheel-base.

R.O.R

New Volvo S/V60 - why anyone would buy an A4/3 Series over one of them is beyond me.

New Citroen C4 - great spec, great engines, great price, great to drive - but still see very few of them around.

Kia C'eed 1.6d - many more smiles per gallon than the (previous model) Focus, but because it's Korean it doesn't get a look in.

Mitsubishi Lancer 1.8Td - feck me, that's some goer. Bit plastic on the interior, but the output from the diesel lump and price more than makes up for it.

Zubeneschamali

Sleepy wrote: »

The latest model of the Ford Ka

I think the reason this is unloved is that the Fiat 500 it's based on has a lot more character.

BostonB

R.O.R wrote: »

...Kia C'eed 1.6d - many more smiles per gallon than the (previous model) Focus, but because it's Korean it doesn't get a look in....

I think its a little bit more complex than that. Resale, servicing costs, etc.

si_guru

BostonB wrote: »

I think its a little bit more complex than that. Resale, servicing costs, etc.

Another year or so and buyers of 3-4 year old cars will be hunting out Kia's.. a 2nd or 3rd hand car with years of warranty remaining! IMHO I think resale will be stronger.

si_guru

LIGHTNING wrote: »

But the KA drives better, choices choices

IMHO - give me the blonde stunner rather than the fat bird who can cook.

rocky112

VolvoMan wrote: »

Seeing as there are little in the way of interesting threads these days, I thought it would be good idea to start one where people post cars which they feel are underrated. Here is mine:



The 605 was a car criticised for resembling the 405 too closely in its design, but I don't see how that's a bad thing. The 405 was a great looking saloon car and I actually think its bigger brother even improved on the styling formula.

It definitely deserved much better.

Amazing car!!! Though the styling formula has little changed now but its really an amazing car.

corcaigh07

Thatnastyboy wrote: »

These little beauties.

Ive had two, (both 1.4 8v) one wit over 200k miles on it. Took TORRENTS of abuse and never wanted for anything. I took one off the road and it became a field car, It refused to die, flipped it 5 or 6 times and it never stopped driving.

They can be picked up for peanuts now with test.

Edit: The only problem is, anyone else thats had one will know, you cannot keep wing mirrors on them!

completely disagree, the head gaskets in the Astras are very soft, one water leak and the head is ready to blow. their head gaskets are also known to blow at around 90k miles anyway

Tefral

spottyelephant wrote: »

You can add all new citroens to that. Completely re-invented themselves. I'm already eyeing up a DS4 for my next car!

Citroen C1

I scoffed at the idea of my girlfriend buying this off her sister. My father and brother are mechanics and Citroens are known in my family home as Shítroens.

Then I drove the car. Grand its not the most comfortable compared to other cars but it excels in Dublin. I marveled at the spaces the OH could fit the car into, its got great accelleration due to the gearing so its perfect for around town. I went to service the car and its so bloody simple... the Oil filter is right alongside the sump.

Anyway, hand on heart id recommend them to anybody who was doing nothing but travelling around a city where engine size is irrelevant and size matters (this case the smaller the better)

Tefral

corcaigh07 wrote: »

their head gaskets are also known to blow at around 90k miles anyway

This is completely false.

si_guru

cronin_j wrote: »

Citroen C1

I scoffed at the idea of my girlfriend buying this off her sister. My father and brother are mechanics and Citroens are known in my family home as ****roens.

Then I drove the car. Grand its not the most comfortable compared to other cars but it excels in Dublin. I marveled at the spaces the OH could fit the car into, its got great accelleration due to the gearing so its perfect for around town. I went to service the car and its so bloody simple... the Oil filter is right alongside the sump.

Anyway, hand on heart id recommend them to anybody who was doing nothing but travelling around a city where engine size is irrelevant and size matters (this case the smaller the better)

+1

These are a hoot - push the "loud" pedal in 3rd and it sounds just like a 911! I had one as a hire car in Paris.. just after I bought my 500.. I was actually thinking "damn I might have missed a trick here".. also the car is wonderfully simple.. I liked it.

savagecabbages

cronin_j wrote: »

This is completely false.

I know lots of people who have owned those Astras over the years, and EVERY single one of them have had head gasket issues...

Tefral

savagecabbages wrote: »

I know lots of people who have owned those Astras over the years, and EVERY single one of them have had head gasket issues...

But your broad statement that they go at 90k is wrong. The main problem is people cheap out doing the timing belt change. The water pump needs to be changed with the Belt and some people dont do it.

My brother is a Mechanic for an OPEL main dealer and sees many many astras in and out and if they are properly maintained then there is never an issue.

savagecabbages

Nforce wrote: »

The Golf mk3 GTi 16v.....

Granted...the 8v was not worthy of the GTi heritage, but the 16v was a pretty nippy car and even in standard form were not far off of the power of the 2.8lt VR6 Golf despite VW only quoting them as having 150bhp.

They were also a nice comfy car to crash in too!


I miss mine.:(

VW nearly ruined the GTI badge with the mk3 by only having the 8v ready when it went into production... 16v didn't come along for over a year afterwards, meaning journalists only had the uninspiring 8v to test and gave it a lukewarm reception...
16v is a different kettle of fish altogether!
The last N/A Gti with a proper OEM bodykit

savagecabbages

cronin_j wrote: »

But your broad statement that they go at 90k is wrong. The main problem is people cheap out doing the timing belt change. The water pump needs to be changed with the Belt and some people dont do it.

My brother is a Mechanic for an OPEL main dealer and sees many many astras in and out and if they are properly maintained then there is never an issue.

I never mentioned 90k.
I'm just going by my 100% record of 8 friends who have had Astras with blown head gaskets...
Compare them to a Corolla of dimilar vintage, both boring like, but one crap one not!

L-M

I didn't even know the 605 existed until I saw the one that's always parked in Nenagh. Smashing looking car.

+1 on the Almera's soft gearboxs and I don't know how anyone could say they handle well because they're so bloody dead and boring to drive.

+1 on the Mk6 Escort being ****e

On the Jimny, a friend of mine almost flipped one coming off a motorway, lol!

Also plus 1on the Rover 75/Mg Zt's, alot of car for alot less money.

Frankie Lee

Fiat Sedici


I'm not sure how they are rated by other folk but I think they are a grand car. They are a Suzuki SX4 with the 1.9 multijet diesel (same engine as the Vectra and Saab 9-3), powerful, handle well and have a nice quality interior. They give a bit of trouble if the DPF filter doesn't regenerate right(due to blocked EGR valves and boost pressure sensors) but apart from that they are reliable.

Tefral

savagecabbages wrote: »

I never mentioned 90k.

Just to clarify the "Your" above ment to say "the"

corcaigh07 wrote: »

. their head gaskets are also known to blow at around 90k miles anyway

I agree with your point though about the corrolla it is a better car, but I wouldnt clasify the Astra crap because the Toyota is better...

There are many things to consider. The interior of the Astras was much nicer than the Toyotas of the same year for example.

Thatnastyboy

corcaigh07 wrote: »

completely disagree, the head gaskets in the Astras are very soft, one water leak and the head is ready to blow. their head gaskets are also known to blow at around 90k miles anyway

The 2 I had never blew their headgaskets, I know this because I bought both of them off people who had them from nearly new.

I also had a 99 astra, the 16v ecotec one, it had 104k miles when i got it and 112k miles when i got rid of it, Now, I didnt have it for long but it was inferior to the older model with regard to build quality & confort, but no headgasket issues at all.

You mention one water leak and it will blow... Any car will boil and warp the head if it has no water in it. Poor maintenance will caise this..

I agree the corolla is a much better car, id have an astra any day, Ive had nothing but positive experiences with them,

Theres good and bad in every make and model, its down to each individual car and what kind of life it has had, eg maintenance, driving style of owners etc etc.

Tea 1000

I only drove one of those mid-90's Astra's, and that was enough for me. Dead as a doornail, wallowey and just a bit meh. I had a Civic at the time, leagues ahead.