"The worst car you have ever driven" Thread

cantdecide · 23-07-2014 2:12pm

annascott wrote: »

8 year old Volkswagen Passat. I borrowed it from a friend once. Everything had to be pushed and pressed with force (brakes etc) and there was a horrible dusty smell from the AC. Horrible journey. Never want to drive such an old car again..

Ah hayur

Supergurrier wrote: »

97 1.0 litre Opel Corsa.

Useless heap of junk, special note for the gearbox.

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

141 1.2 Opel Corsa, Horrid thing.

Drum brakes in the back that stick after a few days idle.

I'm amazed how any right thinking person would buy one of these awful yokes. You have to give it to GM though: they were consistent.

jca · 23-07-2014 2:20pm

No one has mentioned the dreaded Nissan Serena 2.3 diesel..... A complete dog..

Pherekydes · 23-07-2014 2:20pm

My first and worst was an '81 Austin Metro. Everything went: clutch, alternator, starter. I learned how to drive that yoke without a clutch. Eventually the final drive, a splined shaft the roadwheel sits on, wore down. The splines wore smooth. Every time I went over a bump, hit the brakes or accelerated the drive lost traction and there was a horrible grinding noise. The brakes hardly worked in the end.

And to top it off, it had stupid bastard sized wheels that some garages couldn't cope with when it punctured.

Bazzy · 23-07-2014 2:24pm

Nissan Terrano what a pile of sh1te

cantdecide · 23-07-2014 2:47pm

jca wrote: »

No one has mentioned the dreaded Nissan Serena 2.3 diesel..... A complete dog..

Or the 1.6 which Jeremy Clarkson once made reference to being the slowest accelerating car for sale in Britain at the time iirc

_Kaiser_ · 23-07-2014 2:52pm

Toss between one of those "bubble" era Micras, and (this will be unpopular given the BMW fanboyism that goes on here) the E60 series BMW

The Micra because it was a plastic, underpowered ball of shyte - but then it doesn't pretend to be anything beyond a functional A-B city car so on that front it delivers I guess. Given the choice of such a car though I'd rather the mid-00s Swift I had for a few days, or the same era Jazz that my ex had.

The 5 series though.. badly laid out controls, clunky i-Drive system, didn't care for the seating position, they weren't even arsed changing the wipers for RHD cars (which is just a cheapskate move for a "premium" car), small/cramped, and it was slow.. very slow! Had 2 of them over a few weeks (a 520d and a 525d MSport) and the idea that these were equivalents/direct alternatives to my own A6 was just incredible.

All I kept thinking was "THIS is what the fuss is about??" No doubt many will think I'm wrong and maybe with previous generations (E39) the gap was closer but pitching the E60 against the equivalent A4 it would make more sense - the C6/C7 variant A6 completely outclasses it IMO. I haven't driven the F10 yet but to be fair the interior and even exterior is a big step up.

Anyway, my 2c

Spike Witwicky · 23-07-2014 3:14pm

jca wrote: »

No one has mentioned the dreaded Nissan Serena 2.3 diesel..... A complete dog..

I had forgotten about that. Probably intentionally. Jesus that was a slow pos

Twas Not · 23-07-2014 3:14pm

1983 Fiat Mirafiori

jca · 23-07-2014 3:36pm

Twas Not wrote: »

1983 Fiat Mirafiori

I liked the old 'fiori. ...

Ron Burgundy II · 23-07-2014 3:39pm

2013 Opel Astra Estate 1.4 petrol .....SLOW. Thankfully it was a rental.

bop1977 · 23-07-2014 3:41pm

For me it is a2009 corolla that my old fella currently drives. €20k new with keep fit windows in the back, no alloys and given our current weather no a/c. No power in the engine and he pays almost the same amount of road tax as me every year.

I had it at Christmas and took it to Cork on a route that I would normally let the cruise control take care of for me. My right foot was killing me and I was shattered from actually having to drive all the way there. (First world problem I know).

And one final thing that really annoys me is that the arm rest in the door is sloped, unlike in my bus it's flat and makes the drive so much more comfortable.

Quin_Dub · 23-07-2014 3:52pm

Worst car I've owned - 1991 Nissan Micra, horrid little thing, no power, crappy clutch and awful interior.. Having said that, it was my 1st car and the freedom it provided was brilliant...

Worst car I've driven - 2006 Ford Mustang , a brand new rental (less than 1k on clock) - Interior was shocking, cheap and nasty with bits already falling off. It was a V6 model (3L I think) and was gutless beyond belief although the lack of power probably saved me as any quicker in the corners and I'd have been off into the hedges the handling was that awful...

theteal · 23-07-2014 4:03pm

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

141 1.2 Opel Corsa, Horrid thing. Cheap Plastic everywhere and I am used to Japanese cars so thing should not bother me but it was somehow worse. The power delivery was uneven and there steering feel lacking, It made me hate cars, I could compare it to my sisters 2009 Mazda 2 but the Mazda is light years ahead in everyway.

I had one as a rental when I was back in Dublin at the beginning of the year. Without question the worst car I've ever driven. I nearly cried when I was handed the keys to another one when in Spain a couple of months ago. . .it turned out to be a 1.6, the extra poke helped console me!

Twas Not · 23-07-2014 4:17pm

jca wrote: »

I liked the old 'fiori. ...

Why? It was a rust bucket that refused to start after the lightest shower.

Cleveland Hot Pocket · 23-07-2014 4:48pm

bear1 wrote: »

A 1996 Ford Fiesta.
The biggest pile of ****e I'd ever had the misfortune of owning.
Slow, wobbly around corners, worst brakes I'd ever used and the rattle from the engine will haunt me until I die.
I was glad to see the back of it.

Hilarious, that car (with the 1.3 kent engine) is one of my favorite cars even today.

Worst car I've ever driven is either my old 2010 Skoda Superb TDI, or a 141 clio petrol that we had on rental for a couple of weeks.

Both for the same reasons, shockingly gutless and worse body roll than a pickup truck.

Immanuel · 23-07-2014 4:48pm

CharlieCroker wrote: »

Daewoo Lanos, without doubt.

No positive characteristics whatsoever!

I take it you haven't seen the scene in Pineapple Express

As a new user I can't link to it but I'm sure someone will.

Immanuel · 23-07-2014 4:55pm

nice_guy80 wrote: »

Nissan tiida

punisher5112 wrote: »

I felt a little sick in my mouth.
That model was in Japan in 2001 and comes out here to replace better looking almera.

Nissan had some balls to announce and sell that car with a straight face.

I think its pronounced Nissan . . .( drumroll ) . . ."Taa daaH!!!!!"

ianobrien · 23-07-2014 4:57pm

The worst for me in terms of the biggest letdown compared to the hype was a 141 Focus 1.6 diesel. The dash takes up about half the passenger compartment in that me and the father struggled to fit in the front (we are both about 6foot). The centre console robbed a load of knee room. The light switch was perfectly positioned to kneecap the driver. The pedals were offset to the right also. The engine was as flat as a fart. My 1.5 petrol Almera with 250k on the clock was quicker!

Now, as for the handling. It was shocking in that a bumpy road upset it terribly. The ride was so hard it upset the car. On a smooth road there was stunning grip but show it a bumpy back road! I drove it on a typical Irish backroad and I struggled to do 60kph as the car was bouncing around the road. I backed off as not only was I struggling, the passenger told me to slow down. My old Almera took the same piece of road with the same passenger about an hour later at 75kph with ease.

My 37 year old Escort (the Focus's predecessor) has better ride, more room in the front and a peppier engine!

Worst overall, I'm struggling as I'm ignoring cars that needed repairs and/or servicing. Maybe a 1.6 4WD Impreza. That was slow, cramped, thirsty and painted snot green.

RichardoKhan · 23-07-2014 5:00pm

Early 90's Ford Sierra with Automatic Transmission (CVT). Cost 3 times more to repair than what was original cost.

The only consolation was the best quote Ive ever heard for a dodgy car ever.

Mechanic who was going to change the CVT for me said & this is the honest truth

"If it was any more of a Dog it would sit up & beg"

Leonard Hofstadter · 23-07-2014 5:27pm

The Mk2 Yaris is the worst I've ever driven, and I haven't even driven the three cylinder one all the Irish buy. I drove a 1.3 in Australia, no feedback through the wheel, not even a rev happy engine or decent gearchange (Toyotas usually are pretty good at these two things), nasty interior, quite simply it's a horrible car with no redeeming features. Their ongoing popularity in Ireland is one of life's greatest mysteries as far as I'm concerned.

The 1.3 CDTi Corsa is also horrible but at least the petrol engined ones aren't half bad at all (well certainly not as bad as they're made out to be, again I haven't driven the 1.0 three cylinder model and I suspect I would hate that a lot).

Jesus. · 23-07-2014 6:28pm

Laguna II 1.6

SLOW

Dartz · 23-07-2014 6:42pm

Megane GT 1.5 Turbodiesel. 2012.

The cabin is decent and comfortable and his has some nice toys inside and if you never actually made the thing move, you'd think it was an awesome car because it's a comfortable place to sit and at first glance, everything seems premium.

Then you try and drive it. The engine is gutless - it just wheezes and whuffles and grumbles and struggles to do anything in any gear above 80kph. The gearbox is notchy and doesn't have enough gears - it really needs a 6th. Steering feel is utterly absent - there's more feel in a Gran Turismo game controller - and the clutch is the single worst thing ever. There isn't just no feel in it, but it's ultra-soft with a massive travel, and the bite's only in the last few millimeters of pedal travel before it's fully out. Visibility out the cabin is terrible - trucks have gone missing behind some of the pillars - and the A-pillar is great for hiding motorcyclists coming around a roundabout. And I know I shouldn't complain about 'new' cars - but it's never a car I ever look forward to driving.

_Brian · 23-07-2014 6:50pm

punisher5112 wrote: »

Nissan primera last model and almera were terrible to drive.

Any people carrier really so the liukes of Renault scenic, ford galaxy, citreon picasso.

Reanault Kangoo kid oh my god was that one pile of sh1t.

People carriers will never really be in the same driving standard as saloon cars.. Within the MPV range there are good and bad too, the scenic and Espace are particularly not nice... We have a C4GP and its actually a decent vehicle, we've had little trouble, its comfortable to drive, 130+BHP so it moves on reasonable and holds the road well (for an MPV), way better than the Zaferia we had before or either of the renault MPV's I've driven as rentals...

TheNog · 23-07-2014 7:02pm

1997 1.2 Corsa was like driving an old school prefab. Slow, no handling, boring...

141 Hyundai i30 diesel is bouncy, no guts, poor handling. Suspension feels like it's made of cream buns. When you sit in the backseat a windbreaker and a beach ball would not look out of place because you will feel seasick. Top speed is shocking.

2007 Mondeo was the best car I've driven. Reliable, handling was unbelievable and very sturdy.

1996 Nissan Almera cornered like it was on rails. Little wonder I went through tyres every 6 months.

cantdecide · 23-07-2014 7:11pm

TheNog wrote: »

1997 1.2 Corsa was like driving an old school prefab. Slow, no handling, boring...

141 Hyundai i30 diesel is bouncy, no guts, poor handling. Suspension feels like it's made of cream buns. When you sit in the backseat a windbreaker and a beach ball would not look out of place because you will feel seasick. Top speed is shocking.

2007 Mondeo was the best car I've driven. Reliable, handling was unbelievable and very sturdy.

1996 Nissan Almera cornered like it was on rails. Little wonder I went through tyres every 6 months.

Agree with all of the above. In particular, I never had much time for Fords but having driven literally hundreds of them as part of my work earlier this year, it has to be said, most of them drive really great especially the Mondeo.

JohnBoy26 · 23-07-2014 7:18pm

TheNog wrote: »

1997 1.2 Corsa was like driving an old school prefab. Slow, no handling, boring...

141 Hyundai i30 diesel is bouncy, no guts, poor handling. Suspension feels like it's made of cream buns. When you sit in the backseat a windbreaker and a beach ball would not look out of place because you will feel seasick. Top speed is shocking.

2007 Mondeo was the best car I've driven. Reliable, handling was unbelievable and very sturdy.

1996 Nissan Almera cornered like it was on rails. Little wonder I went through tyres every 6 months.

You can't call a new Hyundai i30 a worse handling car than a 96 almera. Those Almeras had terrible handling and road manners, The new i30 is a miles and miles better car on the road than those yokes.

The Mondeo has very good handling though.

JohnBoy26 · 23-07-2014 7:19pm

Anyway the worst car I've driven was a late 90's escort. Terrible yokes imo.

porsche boy · 23-07-2014 7:25pm

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Anyway the worst car I've driven was a late 90's escort. Terrible yokes imo.

you obviously never drove a late 80's escort so. the 90's one was a vast improvement in every aspect. some of them even managed not to sound like a load of rabid ferrell cats rummaging through a bag of spanners.

Sam Kade · 23-07-2014 7:27pm

I took a ford ka for a test drive one time it was like driving an empty bean can on wheels. 40 mph seemed to be top speed and took an age to get up to :eek: before that I once owned a Nissan bluebird 1.6 petrol as dead as a door nail, it was so bad that an elderly neighbour overtook me on a hill with a bend one morning

johnayo · 23-07-2014 7:34pm

I have driven some ****e cars over the years, but my Chrysler Alpine back in the late 70's was by far the worst.
With its godawful plastic interior, it's extremely noisy tappetty engine, it's grinding crunching gearbox and it's bargelike road holding.
What was I thinking.
Only positive was it cost me feckall.

JohnBoy26 · 23-07-2014 7:38pm

porsche boy wrote: »

you obviously never drove a late 80's escort so. the 90's one was a vast improvement in every aspect. some of them even managed not to sound like a load of rabid ferrell cats rummaging through a bag of spanners.

I've driven late 80's escorts too but I never remember them being as bad as the newer yokes which were terrible to drive imo. The older ones had a better suspension too afair. Maybe if I drove two back to back now though I might notice the difference mind.

The mid to late 90's escorts were slow, harsh uncomfortable yokes with build quality which left a lot to be desired.

Twas Not · 23-07-2014 7:50pm

Forgot about that Hellman avenger my aul fella had in the 70s ! Dreadful yoke

Ninap · 23-07-2014 7:52pm

I drove a Cortina in the 80s that was pretty ropey. Ropey as in the back doors were kept shut with rope tied across the back seats.

Sitec · 23-07-2014 7:57pm

I drove a 97 Vanette 2.3 diesel on a motorway. No rpm counter but I'd say it was putting F1 cars to shame at 70mph.

TheNog · 23-07-2014 7:57pm

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

You can't call a new Hyundai i30 a worse handling car than a 96 almera. Those Almeras had terrible handling and road manners, The new i30 is a miles and miles better car on the road than those yokes.

The Mondeo has very good handling though.

The Almera I had was a good car, not a brilliant one but I reckon definitely better handling than the i30 Tourer. The Tourer is far too skittish for my liking

daveohdave · 23-07-2014 8:06pm

Ever, the "new" Fiat 500, rental in Spain. Uncomfortable, slow, terrible ergonomics, zero power.

Locally, 80 series Starlet. Awful, awful cars.

Jesus. · 23-07-2014 8:24pm

Quin_Dub wrote: »

Worst car I've driven - 2006 Ford Mustang , a brand new rental (less than 1k on clock) - Interior was shocking, cheap and nasty with bits already falling off. It was a V6 model (3L I think) and was gutless beyond belief although the lack of power probably saved me as any quicker in the corners and I'd have been off into the hedges the handling was that awful...

That is interesting. How the Yanks manage to make a 3L, 6 pot gutless is anyone's guess.

Would you have taken the Micra over it? :P

V.W.L 11 · 23-07-2014 8:26pm

Worst car I ever had a 1996 Opel Vectra!:mad:
best car I ever had a 2006 Seat Leon:D
Worst Mistake I made with cars Selling the Seat Leon

:(

Jesus. · 23-07-2014 8:32pm

TheNog wrote: »

1996 Nissan Almera cornered like it was on rails. Little wonder I went through tyres every 6 months.

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Those Almeras had terrible handling and road manners

I thought those Mk1 Almeras were great little cars! Had one for 7 years and still miss it

krissovo · 23-07-2014 8:40pm

Worst car an old Aleggro 1.2, complete crapbox even had a square steering wheel. Actually now as I type a Diahatsu Grand Move was probably the lowest point of my car ownership and I almost lost the will to live, I feel ill just thinking about it......

Kaiser D · 23-07-2014 8:41pm

krissovo wrote: »

Worst car an old Aleggro 1.2, complete crapbox even had a square steering wheel. Actually now as I type a Diahatsu Grand Move was probably the lowest point of my car ownership and I almost lost the will to live, I feel ill just thinking about it......

A square steering wheel :eek:

Worth a few quid now!

sunnysoutheast · 23-07-2014 8:46pm

Drove my uncle's Nissan 200SX in the mid 90s. Terrible turbo lag, eventual rocket boost and consequent oversteer in all conditions. Virtually impossible to drive in the wet at anything above walking pace. Looked the business though!

Brand new, even the dealer said it was shockingly bad and took it back for what was paid for it as a replacement wasn't available. My uncle had sold a Schnitzer BMW to pay for it too

I have driven worse, but that was the biggest disappointemnt.

chicorytip · 23-07-2014 9:25pm

Re: 1st. generation Almera.
I completely agree. Great car.

black_ray · 23-07-2014 9:25pm

Early 80's fiat 131 and ford escort, auto choke on the fiat, manual choke on the ford. Both required footwork worthy of a Wurlitzer just to get them to start and run when cold.
06 Holden Commodore - atrocious axle tramp.

JohnBoy26 · 23-07-2014 9:27pm

TheNog wrote: »

The Almera I had was a good car, not a brilliant one but I reckon definitely better handling than the i30 Tourer. The Tourer is far too skittish for my liking

The i30 is miles ahead in the driving dynamics department, those almeras didn't handle great at all.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime · 24-07-2014 7:15am

Nissan micra..... so many wrongs with them and they have the same shoite smell !

They can't even handle 120kmh well....

Or the recent mitsubishi colt. Such a pile of muck build for really old people with bad backs.

The old one was much better.

jimgoose · 24-07-2014 7:24am

Technically the worst steering I ever encountered was on a 1965 Mustang, but most people who are serious about those things fit some sort of rack-and-pinion conversion to civilise them. The worst excuse for a car I ever encountered would probably have to be a 2008 1.2l Nissan Note. Dreadful, dreadful, joyless bloody thing. Utterly wretched. No engine, horrible el-cheapo interior, and cornered like a Land Rover Disco II without any of the upsides.

jimgoose · 24-07-2014 7:53am

annascott wrote: »

8 year old Volkswagen Passat. I borrowed it from a friend once. Everything had to be pushed and pressed with force (brakes etc) and there was a horrible dusty smell from the AC. Horrible journey. Never want to drive such an old car again..

You should drive my fifteen-year-old Jaguar. It would shame most "modern" yokes. :cool:

Quin_Dub · 24-07-2014 10:15am

Jesus. wrote: »

That is interesting. How the Yanks manage to make a 3L, 6 pot gutless is anyone's guess.

Would you have taken the Micra over it? :P

Think the Mustangs problem was more to do with the god-awful auto box it had.. every time you put your foot down there was a long delay whilst it made up it's mind as to what gear you should be in..

Even in steady motorway driving it would be changing gears up and down all the time , revs all over the place...horrid, horrid thing to drive..

.....I might actually have taken the Micra over it if the option was given...it was S**t , but at least it was consistent S**t...

Cleveland Hot Pocket · 24-07-2014 10:26am

Jesus. wrote: »

That is interesting. How the Yanks manage to make a 3L, 6 pot gutless is anyone's guess.

Would you have taken the Micra over it? :P

For the weight of the car, the power probably wasnt enough!

I've driven a big block 7.4 litre yank tank with only 180 odd bhp in a 3 ton car, for instance!

"The worst car you have ever driven" Thread

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