The Worst Car You've Ever Driven.

[Craig T]

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.

Pretty sure there is a brake for parking.... It's a Kona you have right?

[Theshed]

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 ! 

[Wingshooter]

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.   

[w3526602]

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.  A begging letter is always worth trying.

602

[Dopey]

French junk

[Theshed]

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  . 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 ! 

[Rock Star Eddie]

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.

[Wittsend]

Nearly bought this for $50 but would have to drive it home from north Poland!

[diffwhine]

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...

[Alan Drover]

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...

...also known as the s****y Rover!

[diffwhine]

By then (2004) all Rovers really had that name. There was so much cost cutting, that it was just ludicrous.

[Alan Drover]

Maybe one day they'll become desirable classics like the Austin Allergic now is.

[diffwhine]

Only really for people who should be sectioned...

[Alan Drover]

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.

[Ken]

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.