Compared with some others on this forum I've not driven many different cars. The worst one of what I have has to be a SIMCA 1301 in 1972. It was a new car and I drove it to from Winchester to Gatwick and back twice, once to take its owner to Gatwick and then to collect him.
The gearchange was like stirring pebbles with a crowbar, the seats were extremely uncomfortable and even for its size and considering its small engine the performance was somewhat lacklustre and it had the typically tappety SIMCA engine.
Fortunately I haven't seen one for a very long time.
Tata Safari 4WD...
Nobody should ever be forced to drive one. We were forced to sell them...!
My land rovers tick most of the boxes for being the 'worst car you have ever driven'
Slow-yup
Noisy - yup
Poor fuel efficiency - yup
Uncomfortable - yup
Dangerous to drive on the modern roads - yup
Short service intervals-yup
Ect
Please read with tounge in cheek
Actually I think now I come to think of it, the City Rover wins first prize...
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/97621/rover-cityrover-the-worst-cars-ever
I've driven loads of different vehicles, many of which were reputed to be "the worst car ever"; Trabants, Wartburgs, Ladas, Skodas (the rear engined type), Marinas, Allegros, FSOs, communist era Dacias, the list goes on. Surprisingly, nearly all of them were actually pretty good considering the environment in which they were designed to operate, and the time they were contemporary. Yugos were pretty shoddy though, it has to be said.
Probably the worst car to drive I have ever owned though was my 1934 Ford Model Y, which was a truly nerve wracking place to sit. The suspension design is truly compromised on them, and they were pretty notorious for poor handling when new.
IMG_1085.jpeg
A Vauxhall Chevanne, pale blue and horrific to drive!!
A Toyota Prius - one of work's pool cars.
If I was frugal on the throttle, I could get 50mpg, (compared with my diesel Eurobox which averaged 56mpg - not being frugal), it handled like a mattress at sea, was unbelievably boring to drive.
A Chrysler Neon automatic.
Given as a courtesy car while my car was being serviced.
Appalling build quality, and an autobox that on kickdown to overtake actually slowed the vehicle right down as it just had no guts.
Land Rovers are fun to drive though unlike the SIMCA.
Indeed hence the "tounge in cheek" caveat :cheers-man
In order of mediocrity
Dodge Ram 2500
MGB roadster(convertible Morris Marina)
Grenadier ( for a modern it's rubbish)
Morris Minor.
For modern cars the Hyundai Tuscan is very disappointing. Was given one as a rental and it was so lacking in power I nearly turned around to return it as my initial thought was that it must be in limp mode.
Hi,
Mine was a Moskvich van, bought new (£600 .. the cheapest 4-wheeler available I bought it cash, with an overdraft).
Brakes were too powerful ... you could recognise a new Moskvich owner by the way he approached traffic lights in a series of short skids.
I could not stop the engine pinking ... even on four star petrol.
Dreadful after sales service ... main-dealer operated from a yard and shed, and had taken delivery of more cars than he had room for).
On the other hand, it pulled like a train ... cruise at 70mph pulling a 12ft caravan, and out accelerate most boy-racer Escorts away from the lights.
It was also Barbara's first experience of towing (same caravan), from the Aust Service station, near the Severn Bridge, through East London and Croydon, to my parents house.
I seem to remember Gibbo confirming it had a (copy?) 1500cc BMW engine, a huge, impressive looking lump of aluminium.
"Right of Passage"?
602
I've had the same rubber bumper MGB GT since 1979. Yes, they are crude, unsophisticated and with rubbish suspension. My Series 2 Morris Oxford had far superior torsion bar front suspension unlike the crude Austin set up of kingpins and lever arm dampers front and rear instead of the superior Morris set up using telescopic dampers all round.
However I got mine to perform much better than average with a set of larger carburettors, a modified cylinder head and longer bottom front suspension arms to give a more negative camber to the front wheels.
It was fun to drive though with an engine that would hit the red line in the lower gears.
Still better than the SIMCA though.
Had a Citroen c1 as a courtesy car for a couple of days, got hit by a kamikaze wet sheep which ran off and we couldn't get the passenger door to open after that, had done so much damage. Thing must have been made of cheese.
Worst thing I have ever been a passenger in was a smart car. Horrible flimsy thing, your head is resting against the boot door and point it at a steep hill it just made a loud noise and stopped dead, we had to go the long way round
I didn't realise there was any room in a Smart car for a passenger.
Worst car .... the one that had me weld nearly a whole 8 x 4 sheet of steel into its floor pan and door pillars together with a pair of new sills
Oh yes ... it was a Metro !!!!
Having seen a SMART in a fatal accident on the A3 some years ago, I'd only have one for local running about. A friend owns a Brabus one in London as a runabout for his Land Rover business. It goes like stink, costs nothing to run and is perfect for collecting parts, drop offs etc.
they have their place.
My bugbear is that if you don't hold the handbrake properly, you take the skin off your knuckles on the dash.
The most rubbish vehicle I currently own I can't say how it drives as I've not fixed it yet. I suspect it's going to be pretty rubbish.
IMG_9136.jpeg
Yes, that is it parked inside an 8'x4' trailer with room to spare.
What is it?
Quote from: geoff on Feb 13, 2024, 09:36 PMWorst car .... the one that had me weld nearly a whole 8 x 4 sheet of steel into its floor pan and door pillars together with a pair of new sills
Oh yes ... it was a Metro !!!!
Same experience. Except it was a Discovery D1 :)) :)) :))
Quote from: GlenAnderson on Feb 13, 2024, 09:56 PMThe most rubbish vehicle I currently own I can't say how it drives as I've not fixed it yet. I suspect it's going to be pretty rubbish.
IMG_9136.jpeg
Yes, that is it parked inside an 8'x4' trailer with room to spare.
Is it a Peel, made on the Isle of Man? 50cc of raw power.
Microcar Virgo turbo?
Close, but no cigar. 😃
It's a Waaijenberg Canta LX. A Dutch built microcar that, in its home country, fits into a special category of mobility vehicle that can be driven without a license. Out there they are fitted with a 160cc Honda engine and are restricted to 45kph (about 25mph). Back in 2000, three of them were built to "UK spec", with right hand drive. Because we have no category that the Dutch spec cars can take advantage of here, and it's officially "a car", that needs a full license, a bigger 320cc engine capable of pushing them along at a heady 45mph is fitted. As they were dearer than a contemporary VW Polo, the sum total of them sold in the UK was limited to that first three.
My one was registered early 2001, and has only done about 3500 miles and appears to have done all of that by 2011 when the last MoT expired.
Worst handling car had to be a Volvo 244. Ultra reliable and built like a tank but driving it was a bit like piloting a barge. It always wanted to go in a straight line which is not ideal on twisty Welsh roads. You can see how Volvo drivers got a certain reputation; if you drove one like a pipe puffer they were fine.
Hi,
OT, but slightly connected ... an elderly disabled gentleman took his invalid wheel-chair onto the road between Swansea and Brecon. We were held up by the resulting FATAC chaos.
Does anybody have any knowledge of the current Citroen battery powered car, which I think is called a BIJOU. I understand it is the cheapest battery powered car on the market, retailing at £8,000. I'm wondering if I should suggest such a vehicle to the CEO of our (she and me) Care Providers, to cruise around visiting their clients. Remember to factor in a short £1,000 for a charger nailed to the front of your house.
I am very happy with my new Hyundai Kona battery powered car, apart from finding the switch-on procedure non-intuitive, but I'll get there. It accelerates like a scalded cat, but so far, I have neither been pursued by a trio of lancers on horse-back, nor "buzzed" by a flying dragon ... as seen on TV.
602
My most unpleasant drive was a borrowed Lada Niva from Swansea to London and back. The clutch was non-existent and thumping the gear stick for all those bloody miles seriously got my goat.
The worst car I have driven was an absolutely knackered ford consul that I was given when I sold my first land rover.
Peter
Can't say I've driven too many bad ones, some quite nice ones however. Friend of mine used to own a prestige car sales business and he bought me various jobs over the years, Ferrari's Mercs, Aston's, Etc. The Ferrari 456 was rather nice to drive back to him. Front engine V12 sounded rather nice. Another interesting one was a Renault Clio with a V6 engine behind the seats.
I used to do a lot of traveling in France flying to Geneva airport, hiring a car then driving down into the French Alps from there, all in the name of work. We never got the same hire car twice for some reason! Nicest was a DS4 (Citroen) That was really quite nice. The worst was a VW Golf. I know they are the most seen car in the UK, around here every other car is a bloody Golf but I found it so bland, dull and boring. Swore there and then never to go near another!
Maybe the worst was a Citroen Visa. My sister had one as a first car. Had a weird indicator thing that looked like a coke can and you twisted the top to indicate and twisted other bits to turn the lights on, most odd.
Craig.
A powder blue HB Viva other drivers couldn't see it against new granit chippings. I was hit once (second time for the car) and had two near misses. Good for knocking over pheasants they couldn't see it either.
Alec
I can't say I've ever driven a worst car ever. Not one of mine, and I have driven quite a few bangers. But when I was still at university I drove as a hiker for Hertz, and they had all kinds of cars, all of them practically new, all very nice in fact, Fords of course, we were the first in Holland to drive the Sierra when it had first came out, 5 or 6 of us in a row of Sierras on the A2 from Schiphol Airport to Utrecht. But they had two that stood out for me as being unpleasant to drive or be in. So, at third place, a Mitsubishi Colt Automatic, for its sheer nothingness, for the drab exterior, the drab grey interior, and, on second place, a Ford Transit van, harsh, loud and unforgiving.
But if I had to pick a worse car ever, at first place, the absolute loser, it would undoubtedly be my fathers... drum roll... Citroen C5 Break. He bought it because his Citroen nut of a brother, otherwise a perfectly nice individual, had recommended it. The first and only car my father ever bought new. The thing accelerated without the driver even touching the throttle. I remember my father leaving after a visit. We said our goodbyes, I closed the door, and seconds later I heard the Citroen roar. I was scared out of my wits, he was in his seventies then, thought he had become unwell, had collapsed, head on the steering wheel, foot heavy on the throttle. I stormed outside and saw him standing next to the car, hands in the air as if to say "Hey, it's not me", the Citroen thundering away at full throttle. He once drove backwards into a wall because of the Citroen itself stepping on the gas. When he had lost sight in one eye, I had to drive him to the hospital for check-ups, in the Citroen, and when I drove over speed bumps, the Citroen accelerated, with my foot off the throttle. We took it to the dealer numerous times, even to the importer, but in vain, "We're awfully sorry, but we can't find anything wrong with your car, we think it's the floor mat you put in, it's probably getting stuck." No, it wasn't.
He eventually traded it in for a car I had picked for him. From one of the worst to one of the best cars ever: a Jaguar X-type 3.0 V6 AWD estate in a wonderful shade of green, emerald fire.
Richard
A new Peugeot partner hire van with work, i looked at the mileage expecting to see 250k miles... it had 2k miles on it, awful from the start. And i've driven some real rubbish in my time but i just couldn't excuse this thing. Steering, Gearbox, Brakes, controls, interior, comfort they had spectacularly managed to make everything so awful I wondered if they had tested anything before going in to production.
Has to be a Reliant Robin. I had to deliver some parts for the firm I worked for, the firms van was off the road being serviced. I almost did a "Clarkson" on the first bend, but, managed to catch it before it rolled over.
When I was a student I worked 2 nights a week in the local car auction. I drove some real sheds, quite a lot of big jags that never seemed to have any brakes. I would be hard pushed to pick out one, they were all awful
Peter
Worst car I have ever had the displeasure of driving is, by far, the original VW Beetle. I always wanted one and jumped at the chance of driving a friends 70's one for the weekend. What a let down! The pedals and steering wheel aren't in line with the seat, noisy, heavy steering, just generally felt numb. I must have been spoiled by the luxury of driving a Series 2!!
Your Simca description pretty much fits the bill to be my Land Rover! But the LR has character, and the Simca is French 😉
Of recent drives, I really didn't get on with the Mercedes CLA I was loaned recently whilst my VW Up! was repaired. I hated the gear-lever where the indicators are on my S2!
A new Mini, in 1970.
Automatic - and it must have been a prototype.
It screamed like a banshee, didn't go very fast - and changed gear like a first lesson learner.
A white Chrysler Sebring convertible, which we hired when we were in the USA.
It was a shocker. A Gutless, wallowy lump of a thing, with a really slow witted automatic slush box. The suspension managed the trick of being soft and uncomfortable at the same time. The steering was absolutely disconnected from the road, with no feel whatsoever. It was absolutely characterless. had the thing for 2 weeks, and was heartily glad to see the back of it
The Lada Estate I bought new when my 3 kids were young and the mortgage was onerous, was, on the other hand, a really good car, with excellent steering, good brakes, strong and supple suspension with good ground clearance, and simple "fix it in a field " mechanicals. A seriously underrated vehicle, (based I think on the FIAT 124, a one time European car of the year) whose only fault was the odd angle of the accelerator which gave a real ankle ache after an hour of driving.
Did 70,000 trouble-free miles in it, and sold it still looking and running like new.
I find I struggle a little with the LR bubble.
any of the modern hire cars I've had in the last few years, Astra, Peugeot 3008, Hyundai iQ something, all of them had the modern fault of not really doing anything when you put your foot down until some time after, and way too much focus on how well they integrate to your phone and seemingly no interest in making them nice to drive.
Sounds like my current Eurobox (well, the phone bit), it isn't too bad a drive ...
Our current eurobox is not bad apart from the horrible electric handbrake
Peter
.... apart from the horrible electric handbrake
Hi Peter,
Handbrake? You should be so lucky!
My new "full electric" KONOS does not have a hand-brake. In fact I don't know if it has any form of secondary braking, unless it is P position, between F and R, on the little switch on the dash.
There are scarcely any hills in Milton Keynes, so I can't check to see if P will hold it on a hill. Anybody?
The car seems reluctant to go close to any other car, but I haven't tried to force the issue. Mental visions of being unable to reverse if there is a trailer attached. (Yes, it does have "towing capability" according to the owner's handbook. About £300 to have a tow-bar fitted). Would a completely flat battery prevent the car from moving?
602 :confused
PS. A Google for NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS IN UK might bring up one of MY "Nuke Convoy" trucks, a Leyland Hippo 10 tonner, but not what really happened. The 10,000cc engine "ran away", due to fuel leaking into the sump oil, then being sucked into the induction via a breather pipe. The driver stopped, and cranked up the hand brake, before evacuating. The hand brake was beside his right knee, and released by slamming the lever forward ... easily done if you are in a hurry to evacuate. An elderly couple had an early morning wake-up call, when the driverless Juggernaut parked itself in their front parlour.
I say MY Hippo. OK, I was actually servicing the Hippo in the next bay, at the time the fuel spill-back pipe was fractured, but nobody noticed. We were given the job of blocking the breather pipes on the rest of the fleet ... an easy job if you were a contortionist.
602
There actually is a car called Eurobox, the Renoca Eurobox (https://www.thedrive.com/news/38510/the-renoca-euro-box-is-the-bare-bones-throwback-for-practical-people-like-you). Looks like a Golf and a Duster glued together at the A-post. I would never have guessed you were so many to have chosen this car as your daily driver...
Richard
The Eurobox is a secondhand Toyota Probox that has been messed about with by a large Toyota dealership in Japan, they do funny things with Land Cruisers and Hiace vans too
Peter
Quote from: w3526602 on Feb 16, 2024, 05:31 AMMy new "full electric" KONOS does not have a hand-brake. In fact I don't know if it has any form of secondary braking, unless it is P position, between F and R, on the little switch on the dash.
Pretty sure there is a brake for parking.... It's a Kona you have right?
Handbrake? You should be so lucky!
My new "full electric" KONOS does not have a hand-brake. In fact I don't know if it has any form of secondary braking, unless it is P position, between F and R, on the little switch on the dash.
There are scarcely any hills in Milton Keynes, so I can't check to see if P will hold it on a hill. Anybody?
The car seems reluctant to go close to any other car, but I haven't tried to force the issue. Mental visions of being unable to reverse if there is a trailer attached. (Yes, it does have "towing capability" according to the owner's handbook. About £300 to have a tow-bar fitted). Would a completely flat battery prevent the car from moving?
If it doesn't have a button, many don't, then Park Brake will come on automatically when car is put in P -Park and release when put into D or R.
Try it with with the window down and you should hear the motors whirring.
It's reluctance to get close to other vehicles will probably be due to collision avoidance system. You may be able to turn this off, but I advise not.
Good question. If battery is completely flat will 12V battery allow park brake to be released and car in neutral ?
My Daughter recently had a flat battery on her 2018 Polo, key was used to unlock Drivers door but boot and rear door handles would not work. Assume they must be electronically operated ?
She had to climb from Drivers door, over into back seat, lower rear seat and lift boot board to reach jump leads ! :confused
Years ago - and I mean years ago - my wife's '69 MGB-GT finally gave out. Young with not much money I brokered a deal with a local garage who had repaired a '72 Saab 96 V4 sedan which the owner had refused to pay the bill. A small claims lawsuit was pending and a year had passed by. My offer to pay the repair tab in return for the Saab's title from the owner was a clear winner for all ! Wow . . . it was sweet, I thought
Except for my new bride - she didn't speak to me for two weeks :ranting
The manual shift on the column - just didn't cut it. Plus, she never warmed up to the doggy-doo brown colour. After 48 yrs marriage she still brings it up.
Pretty sure there is a brake for parking.... It's a Kona you have right?
Hi Craig,
Yes, its a Kona. My pre-WW2 memory is not up to storing usually "meaningless" words.
Yes again, there is a P(for PARKING) on the little F/R switch on the dash, but will it actually stop the moving car? Many years ago, a driver was reputed to have killed himself by selecting reverse in an automatic Jaguar, at high speed. I have always understood that could not happen, as it is prevented from happening by oil pressure from the pump on the back end of the gearbox overcoming the oil pressure from the pump on the front of the gear box. Er ... I had written to Jaguar, from Arabia, asking them to explain how an automatic gearbox worked? A HEAVY workshop manual arrived by return air mail. :cheers-man A begging letter is always worth trying.
602
French junk
Two 'worst' cars spring to mind.
A Datsun 100A, a friend had painted it and wanted it driven back to the owner. He didn't have a licence at the time.
Clutch foot up til my knee was hitting the steering wheel, and no movement. Had to drive with legs 'akimbo'. But it did not feel that cramped!
Early Practice for Driving a Series I guess.
Second was an FSO Polenez that, somehow my brother had driven back from Germany where he was based.
Changing gear was pull it out, move it around and hope for the best :pedal . Stirring porridge wasn't in it.
Hang on, I've just remembered a Sherpa Minibus with no reverse and a 29 seat Bedford that needed the Incredible Hulk to steer !
I'm having flashbacks. Best go for a lay down ! :RHD
My worst car to drive / own was a 1998 Ford Taurus. It was a difficult time in my life with two young kids and not much money to spend on a car.
The heater core was bad on this and sprayed antifreeze on the inside of the windshield without providing heat in the winter.
The transmission was so clunky that I was careful not to downshift on the highway else risk seeing a rainstorm of metal parts in my rear view mirror.
I don't use the word 'hate' very often. But I hated / no loathed that vehicle.
The designers decided to design a car with only ovals. Everything was an oval with the wheels being the only exception. Just a hideous car.
Nearly bought this for $50 but would have to drive it home from north Poland!
Braver man than me...
I had a Yugo when I lived in Sarajevo. Comes pretty close to the top of my list of dire vehicles, but I think the top prize for me goes to Rover's rebadged Tata Indicar a.k.a the CityRover.
The painful bit was that we were expected to actually sell them...
Quote from: diffwhine on Apr 13, 2024, 12:55 PMBraver man than me...
I had a Yugo when I lived in Sarajevo. Comes pretty close to the top of my list of dire vehicles, but I think the top prize for me goes to Rover's rebadged Tata Indicar a.k.a the CityRover.
The painful bit was that we were expected to actually sell them...
...also known as the s****y Rover!
By then (2004) all Rovers really had that name. There was so much cost cutting, that it was just ludicrous.
Maybe one day they'll become desirable classics like the Austin Allergic now is.
Only really for people who should be sectioned...
They do exist. Apparently an Austin Allergic with its original "Quartic" steering wheel is now rare and desirable(?)
Definition of "Quartic". A rectangle with rounded corners. The reason still eludes me.
The reason also eluded the designers in the studio at longbridge, they did one or two strange things. I was also puzzled as to how the exterior shape of the Rustin Allegro could have been signed off when it was such a pudding. It was done and dusted when I arrived at the 'roundhouse' design studio at the Austin. Some time later I saw the original sketch which was what it had initially been signed off from, it showed the car as being about 50% longer than it was and actually looked ok.
Also done when I started there was ADO71 aka princess. I noticed that the steering wheel was colour co ordinated to the trim colour and varied as well according to the model. I drew a full sized picture of every variant and pinned them up in a display, there were 27 of them !
I thought it would be fun to ask the chief designer to pop round and have a look, he nearly choked, the steering wheel quickly became black.
I could write a book on my experiences in car design, you might not believe what went on.
Was the original design by Harris Mann?
I believe the quartic steering wheel is making a comeback.
Like many Austin/Morris foibles of the day they are back in fashion.
The City Rover, though pretty odd at the time similar cars are around now, Renault Captur ?
Who would have NOT made the Princess a hatchback ? I wonder did Harris Mann include that in his original design.
They where pilloried for Badge Engineering as where Ford/Jaguar, now everyone does it.
BTW the 'Original' Allegro was a lot better than what appeared, but like most things it was down to cost.
The Allergic estate wasn't a bad vehicle.
My mother had 2 Allegros from new.
They were good cars, no problems. I quite liked the "square" wheel. Once driving you never noticed it.
:RHD
There was the Vanden Plas and a run out go faster 1.7.
All I know is that we had an Aggro Vanden Plas automatic as Job Card No 1 at our Land Rover workshop in SW London in 1988. When we finally closed the doors of the business in 1993, Job Card No 1 was finally cancelled... Nobody could face touching the car for 5 years. The owner actually died waiting for us to look at it.
Why did a Land Rover garage take on an Allegro automatic job? I will never know.
IN the early '70s my mother had a Simca 1100 - a truly horrible car which my sister rolled into a ditch (best place for it).
This lead to the purchase of the afore mentioned Allegro. This met its end when a couple of beer barrels rolled off a drey lorry. This was replaced with another Allegro (with a round steering wheel).
:RHD
The Allegro sketch was Harris's as was the design of the princess and TR7. Harris , is or was ( I'm not sure which) a very decent man, he was very patient in fielding calls from me when I was looking to get into a design studio and alerted me to the vacancy I went on to fill.
AM at one point had a bit of a thing about designs from Italy. Harris became so exasperated by it he began signing sketches Harrisio Manalotti.
I've been trying to think of the worst car I've driven and it turns out to be a 3 series BMW which had a serious flaw in the rear suspension which made in a death trap, a bit unfair as the other 3 series were fine cars. A spitfire would be up there, due to it feeling as if it had only 1 wheel at the rear and I guess for the same reason a herald would be the worst car I've never driven.
Not a car but a VW camper van of mid 70's vintage. Owned by the boss and used as a delivery van during the week ( with the camping bits removed ). It struggled up many a hill even when empty , often needing a down change or two to make it to the top , the gearbox was anyone's guess due to the ridiculously long and complicated linkage from the driving position to the other end of the van where the 'box was. The heater was so efficient that even on full we needed blankets over our knees to stay cold. It decided to lose its linkage one day in Bradford when I was out with the bosses son ( he's older than me and was driving ) The old man had to rent a Luton van in Rotherham and come to our rescue.The son stayed with the stricken van and the old man and me continued our deliveries in the Luton.When we got back to work we were informed that the boss had driven onto the front of a customers shop and taken the phone line down to all the shops in the row !
Hi,
The pre-war Austin 7s had transvers front suspension similar to the Ford. As you went into a corner, the outside side spring flexed, causing that side of the axle to move foreward, causing severe oversteer.
OK, with practice, you got used to it, and could even use it to your advantage.
But my prize must go to my brand new 1971 Moskvitch van. OK.I suspect my local dealer took delivery of more cars and vans than would fit on his premises, so had to get rid of them ASAP, so stuff the pre-delivery. One does not expect the prop-shaft nuts to come loose in a few hundred miles ... nor the pinion drive flange nut to come loose (a noise once heard will never be forgotten). I had to drive home with one foot on the accelerator, and the other foot gently on the brake pedal, to keep everything firmly in mesh. :confused
602
Tony Lanfranchi used to race Moskvich cars. How he survived is a miracle.
An AC Invacar. An insult to the disabled.
A Mitsubishi Colt.
My Austin Allegro got stolen in the 90s, along with CB and all my tools. I needed another car fast or I wouldn't be able to work, and the only car I could find was from the dodgy Gypsy who ran the local council tip. He told me to come back the following day for the MOT (they were paper only in those days) Omyf course, that never existed but it took me a few wasted journeys to wise up. And there was no way it could have passed - rotted through, with holes under the floormats and so much rust. Would lurch on every corner because the suspension was only loosely connected to the shell. I've driven some right sheds over the years through practicing Bangernomics, but that was the peach.
I owned another Colt a couple of decades later and that was brilliant. Had to sell as I got a company van, but wish I'd kept it.
We were given a 2018-ish Vauxhall Corsa as a courtesy car for a few days last year. It look literally 20 yards of driving (me putting it back on our drive from where the delivery driver left it) to realise that I never wanted to drive it again - fortunately, we had other vehicles so I was happy to leave it untouched until it was collected...
...which it wasn't! They forced me to drive to the workshop a few days later and swap it over!
I can't recall the full details of the horror - I think it was beyond gutless with a hideous clutch (possibly just worn out by courtesy use) and dreadful over assistance of the brakes and steering.
5 Tonnes of Armoured Range Rover Classic with no shock absorbers fitted. My workshop team sent me round the block in it in Sarajevo just to see if it was possible to drive. I was stupid enough to agree. I did it, but it felt like driving a 5 tonne pogo stick.
Quote from: Wittsend on Apr 13, 2024, 10:25 PMMy mother had 2 Allegros from new.
They were good cars, no problems. I quite liked the "square" wheel. Once driving you never noticed it.
:RHD
I had, briefly, a 1500tc Allegro. It was the first five-speed car that I owned. It wasn't bad at all, although I only ran it for a month or so as a stop-gap while my Beetle was undergoing repairs. The boot was big enough to get an entire VW transaxle in, including the swingaxle drive shafts, and it was pretty brisk by the standards of the day. Too "old man" for me at the time though. I did make a modest profit on it too, which was an unexpected bonus. My mate Simon had a 1750 which went like a scalded cat; a properly surprisingly fast car. I think their poor reputation largely reflects the standards that the base models were built to; the 1.1 and 1.3 A-series powered cars were pretty awful.
Years ago my mate bought an Allegro Vanden Plas from a near neighbour of mine. The brakes were stuck on but a tow from my Series 3 sorted that out.
It was a reasonably pleasant car to ride in.
It can take a little while, a few road miles, a couple of weeks.
Remember when you 1st got into a Series Land Rover ???
The steering was weird - you were over compensating, if you are/were used to power steering.
To say nothing of the brakes :shakinghead
I quite liked the Corsa we got as a courtesy car about 10 years ago.
(Our 1.3 Allegros were quite frugal on petrol, around 45 mpg IIRC and would cruise at 70 ish on the motorway.)
It's what's it like after a few months of ownership. Anything that's radically different to your everyday driver will feel strange :RHD
Many years ago after starting a new job, I was told "you need a more reliable vehicle". I bought a "modern" s/h Simca 1501. Big mistake. It came with a warranty "engine gearbox and back axle". They were the only bits that never went wrong. Flimsy build and horrible to drive long distances as steering wheel didnt seem to line up with pedals (designed for LHD??).
It had rust coloured paint that soon turned into the real stuff. Managed to swap it for a rather good Morris Traveller that was a vast improvement!
Not everything about the Allegro was bad.
They had a multifunctional wiper/washer column switch which can be mounted on a Series steering column to save reaching over to the wiper switch. Plus you got a "flick wipe" feature which IMHO is more useful than a fast speed wipe.
(https://www.wittsend.co.uk/wittsend_technical/images/Allegro_wiper_switch.jpg)
(https://www.wittsend.co.uk/wittsend_technical/images/Allegro_wiper_switch-A.jpg)
You just need to make a simple bracket to clamp it to the steering column.
:screen
Quote from: Myles (Mr Fox) Davison on Apr 15, 2024, 08:45 AMWe were given a 2018-ish Vauxhall Corsa as a courtesy car for a few days last year. It look literally 20 yards of driving (me putting it back on our drive from where the delivery driver left it) to realise that I never wanted to drive it again - fortunately, we had other vehicles so I was happy to leave it untouched until it was collected...
...which it wasn't! They forced me to drive to the workshop a few days later and swap it over!
I can't recall the full details of the horror - I think it was beyond gutless with a hideous clutch (possibly just worn out by courtesy use) and dreadful over assistance of the brakes and steering.
I'm always fairly happy when I rent a car and they point me towards a Corsa. Nothing to write home about but a much better drive than say the Fiat 500 hybrid I got saddled with a few months ago.
I remember ( I usually try not to ) briefly owning a Renault Clio. Amongst its faults the engine cut out every time you turned left and the brakes caught fire at 30 mph. It had more faults on the one car than the sum total of every car I ever owned and it was new. I'd NEVER go near a French car again.
I once drove a Corsa from Bolton back to Hampshire. I thought it wasn't too bad at all for a modern. It transported me and 6 black puddings no problem.
This may sound a bit odd but the wosrt car I have driven was a 1978 Porche 911 Targa belonging to my boss at the time, I couldn,t get my head under the roll bar (it must have been designed for a smaller bloke than me) the seats were hard the long gear stick was very much biased for left hand drive, the pedals came up from the floor from a single point (like an old beetle) and having big feet didn't help, it was basic and noisy and bounced about like my series 2.
Then came a later Porche I remember it being a fibreglass body, this was an improvement but it hated driving in traffic and needed coaxing along till the turbo kicked in.
And when the turbo kicked in the next thing you usually knew was that you were facing in the opposite direction or half way up a tree... One of my first jobs was as a driver for a performance car rental company in London... I remember them well!
Many years ago a mate had a 1974 BMW 2002 turbo. They were only lhd because the turbo was in the way of an rhd steering column. It was fast but with massive turbo lag.
We had a Porsche 911 at jaguar in the 80s. A drive across the car park was as far as I was prepared to go in it for all of the reasons described above, it was horrible.
One of the younger engineers took it out soon after and crashed it into the car of an old couple up near Door mill coal mine north of Coventry, a tricky ie fun section of road normally. Both of the victims died sadly.
Every French car ever
By a country mile the worst car I have ever driven is a Reliant Regal. Absolutely crap.
That must be the epitome of the worst car ever, a worst car ever that isn't even French, takes you off guard, you don't expect it, moves you beyond worst car ever territory, through the worm rust hole, where no car has gone before :cool
Richard
Quote from: Gareth on Apr 17, 2024, 04:43 PMBy a country mile the worst car I have ever driven is a Reliant Regal. Absolutely crap.
I've only ever ridden in one. Scared me witless!!
I've had three Reliant Robins, but never a Regal. As a car, yes, they're pretty rubbish; but they are significantly better than a motorcycle and sidecar, which was their primary competition when they were current.
I quite liked them, the Robins at least. Very revvy and possibly the best gearchange action of any vehicle I've ever driven - like working the bolt of a rifle. 😃
I think it was 1979 when I bought my 1971/72 FIAT 127 for £100, young and newly married I needed cheap transport.
Driving home in my new car I attempted to open the quarterlight, I pressed the small button and twisted the catch, but instead of opening, the quarterlight came away in my hand and it spent the rest of the journey on the passenger seat.
Of course it got worse, unknown to me at the time, the tailgate let in water and this collected in the rear footwell. Not until I braked a little suddenly did I find out because I was then surprised by the tidal-wave that came rushing into my front footwell.
I advertised the car for sale in a local newspaper and a young man arrived to see it. Handing over his £110 he attempted to drive it home, but the thing :mr-angry hadn't done with me yet because the gearstick had come away in his hand.
Handing back his £110, I said I would fix it and call him the next day and then an extraordinary thing happened, he actually said OK.
The next day I crawled under the car (ah those were the days when I could) to reconnect the ball & socket arrangement and just for good measure I wrapped some strong wire around them.
The young man arrived a little later and I explained exactly what I`d done, he said that's ok, my dad is a mechanic so he`ll fix it properly. And so I got my money back with a 10% profit.
FIAT = Fix It Again Tomorrow :shakinghead
That brings back memories... I remember on the way to school in our 127 estate, that the gear lever did the same thing with my father. Must have been a common trait.
I had a 127, the gear change was very imprecise and floppy. I eventually sold it to a vicar. A few days later he returned complaining that there was no reverse gear. I jumped in and flicked the lever smartly, reverse was selected and the car moved backwards. The vicar actually said it was a miracle, but it was just worn bushes. I made some adjustments and he went happily on his way.
Wasn't the Fiat 127 "Car of the Year" once?
A meaningless accolade.
It morphed into the Lada Riva don't forget...
My mother had a Fiat 128 3P, a coupė, and apparently a desirable car, according to my somewhat chocolate lifeguard of a stepfather. It was shi**, rusty, unreliable and exorbitant to repair.
Actually I was mixing up my rubbish Fiats. I think ours was a 128 Estate. Wasn't the 127 the really really rusty one?
I dunno Mark, this was what we had. Mumble, mumble, she should never have gotten rid of the MG1300.
I think all Fiats of that era were soluble like Lancias due to the very poor quality of the steel used in manufacturing.
I think from memory it was Russian steel in payment for Fiat investing in the Lada plant.
When they weren't dissolving they did their best to live up to their name FIAT : Fix It Again Tomorrow :RHD
I got it completely wrong. Ours was a pea green 124 estate.
It's a tie between a Land Rover Series 1 and an Austin Allegro
Quote from: diffwhine on Apr 20, 2024, 03:49 PMIt morphed into the Lada Riva don't forget...
124, I thought. ???
Yes - I pointed out my error a bit further up the thread.
Hi, not 1 for me but 3 spring to mind, the first was a 1979 Granada Ghia 2.8 I bought it in 1987 it was the most unreliable car I've ever owned, 2nd was a 1988/89 Sierra Ghia 2.0i I bought that in 1992, i should have learnt my lesson with the Granada only kept it for a couple of months due to a fault the dealer couldn't get to the bottom of which was i could be driving along at a good pace and suddenly it would lose engine power then regain power after a few minutes thankfully the dealer took it back and the 3rd was a mk1 golf that i bought in 1992 which was absolutely dreadful, i bought it for swmbo when she was learning to drive, in fairness it was old then but the gearbox was like stirring soup and the ride was also dreadful it lasted 2 days with us and i took it back to the guy as he'd said if I wasn't 100% happy to do so.
:cheers-man Paul
Quote from: sheepman on Apr 20, 2024, 06:46 PMIt's a tie between a Land Rover Series 1 and an Austin Allegro
No way. A Land Rover Series 1 has an air of "je ne sais quoi" about it. The Allergic has just "je sais quoi!"
The " All Agro " :shakinghead
Getting away from cars, onto the worst van you've driven, mine was an Austin (or Morris) J4 diesel. Gutless, incredibly noisy, the gearstick would pop out, shoving it back in and stirring around would find the right place.
The Bedford that came along (all too briefly) had the sliding doors and column change - a breeze to drive!
3 poor/bad ones for me: -
Chrysler (Hillman) Avenger - Works pool car. Could only put the problem down to very soft engine/gearbox mounts. Anyone who tried to drive it without being warned (who would tell ?) would kangaroo violently off up the road and from every junction thereafter. The only way round it was to floor the throttle like you were in a race for your life, or crawl away slipping the clutch like you had reached your retirement early (ooh,er - I am retired). Workshops said there was nothing wrong with it - I think they were just having a laugh !
Bedford HA (Viva) van. Another pool vehicle which I only ever drove unloaded. Had such a bouncy, flighty rear axle it wanted to go sideways at every corner - No I wasn't driving it that hard !
Hyundai ATOZ (A to Z - gedit !). A small 800cc 3 speed-auto town car bought in anticipation of my wife's transfer into the city centre. She stayed working in the county and I used it for a short while to commute to work. This involved a 15 mile drive from one end of a dual carriageway to the other. At 55mph it was howling like a banshee and managed only 30mpg !
To add insult to injury my work colleagues nicknamed it 'The Pope Mobile'!
Google pictures of it and you will see why.
It was replaced six months later.
Quote from: Dormy on Apr 21, 2024, 02:44 PMBedford HA (Viva) van. Another pool vehicle which I only ever drove unloaded. Had such a bouncy, flighty rear axle it wanted to go sideways at every corner - No I wasn't driving it that hard !
I have to take issue with you there. The Bedford HA was BRILLIANT! That axle is why. You could go everywhere flat out, go round any roundabout or bend, doing all this, and
still be under the speed limit. James Hunt of F1 fame said similar things of his Austin A30 van, he learnt car-control doing just that. The Bedford HA was akin to this, you can drive one, always on the limit... everywhere.
I wouldn't claim to be a talent, but I'm a better driver for hours and hours holding a Bedford HA on its 25mph limit. It telegraphs what it's going to do.
Such fun, you can't do that in a Lamborghini or much else. A WONDERFUL thing. I want mine back.
https://www.adrianflux.co.uk/influx/people/james-hunt-austin-a35/