Worst car you've driven ?

[gumby6371]

Just wondering what everyones worst driving experience has been ?

Had to drive down to south Wales from the Midlands yesterday for a meeting and was handed the keys to a shiny Astra SRI with only 11,000 on the clock from the car pool. The sporty seats/steering wheel did get me quite excited as I opened the drivers door as I had a fare bit of twisty Welsh roads to go through.....however.....it was CRAP !
Gutless 1.6 petrol that had to be thrashed to get upto speed, loads of body roll on the bends which got so alarming I backed way off approaching anything but a gentle curve and the driving postion which left me in agony after a 7 hour roung trip.
The only plus point I can think of was the little volume control built into the steering wheel was a novelty for about the first ten minutes of my journey.
Did I mention the stupid automatic handbrake which left me wondering if the brake was on every time I pulled away from a junction.

Got to be the worst thing I've driven to date, second would be the mother in laws golf, nice car, goes well but those seats were not designed for a 15 stone 6'1" bloke like me to sit in I'm positive of that !

[Doggy]

mk3 Zodiac, ('wheel's hard a starboard, helm doesn't answer, sir'!).

[Welly]

I think it would have to be the Rover 45 I was loaned by a garage, hateful thing and left you wanting to abuse it on purpose

I think it was a tad less mechanically sound when I returned it

[highlander]

Haven't driven many cars in my short time driving (since late 2007)...

Have to say that the 1.9 non-turbo diesel Corsa that my first driving instructor had was the least appealing, slowest, gutless piece of crap I'd ever sat in.

The Mk.1 Clio 1149cc that I traded in for the 406 runs a close second; she really struggled to accelerate.

I did have another Mk.1 Clio beforehand, a 3-door model with a 1.4 engine, and that felt a lot more sprightly.

The 406 just oozes class and comfort, even with the lowly LX trim package. And other than the silly "BRAKE FLUID LEVEL LOW" alert, the passenger side electric window failing, and the external temperature sensor going faulty, there's nothing mechanically wrong with it. Those are just niggles.

I have been given a driving experience day for my 30th birthday (next month) so I'll be able to add "Ferrari 360" and "Lambourghini Murcielago" to my list. I might also buy myself a few laps in the Aston Martin DB9 or V12 Vantage.

[TooT]

10 plate Merc A class i got loaned when my works Splinter went in for service couple of weeks ago. Horrible, horrible, horrible, gutless, uncomfortable, cramped, pile of poo. Understeering on three wheels as you went ditch bound was not a pleasant feeling. Also hate the stop start feature it had. Hateful thing.

[CountryPug]

1. Vauxhall Ashtray, the one they made a coupe version of. Sounded like a bag of spanners and handled like it'd been in an accident.

2. Merc C(rap) Class, managed to neither handle well or be comfortable.

3. VW Pol(i)o, same problems as the Merc plus every creature comfort must be an extra, my Austin Metro was better spec'd

[Bailes1992]

My 406

In all fairness though the other cars I drive on a regular basis are a 52 Plate Focus 1.6 (Great Fun) and the T5 (Bastard Scarey )

[turbolag]

Merc C Class. Think it was a 1.8, but I suspect it was 1.8cc rather than 1.8 litres, cos there are glaciers with better acceleration. No redeeming features whatsoever that I could find. indifferent brakes, mediocre handling, cramped cabin and definitely suspect finish - just not good enough for the same price as a Mondeo or something, never mind for half as much again than MB were asking.

That must take joint prize with some dinky Chevrolet thing I drove this year, which was so memorable I can't recall its name - it had an auto box, and was a worse match for the feeble engine than Bubba would make as Ian Huntley's cell mate.

The worst car journey I've ever done was from Leeds to Milton keynes in a Ford Ka(k). I'd have given my left nut for another 5 BHP, or a bus ticket.

[waue1978]

One of the old MAN 7.5 tonners. The ones that looked like a larger version of the LT with the slanty front. Didn't even have power steering!

Next worst was the S reg Ford Transit non turbo diesel that I had to use for a day when my 310 Sprinter was having the exhaust manifold fixed. After being used to a van with decent acceleration that was capable of over 100mph it was a hell of a culture shock to try & do 30 drops with something that could barely get to 60!

Car wise I think the prize has to go to the Citroen AX 1.1 that I drove from Basingstoke to Andover for a friend - 55mph was terrifying as the wind was catching the slabby sides & blowing it all over the place.

[steve_earwig]

Isn't this rather subjective? Hell, I've driven some real clunkers in my time but I don't expect much from a neglected old car so I won't include them.

Most uncomfortable seats - almost new Nissan Micra (loaner)
Worst brakes - Commer 15cwt GPO van (oops, I see a red light somewhere in the distance, I'd better hit the brakes just in case)
Slowest - 1966 1200 Beetle.
Worst handling - 3 year-old Granada Scorpio/ 25 year-old Reliant Robin (can't decide but you don't expect much from a Reliant Robin, you do from a Scrapio so I guess it looses).
Worst fit & finish - Granada Scorpio (And I've driven an Allegro )
Worst paint job - Mk 3 Ahtray.

[teamster1975]

Smart car. Absolutely hated it. Followed closely by Daihatsu Move.

[Captain Jack]

Chevrolet Aveo(?) 1.1L automatic...

[jasper5]

Moskovitch.
Wartburg....gearchanges were interesting....the gearstick used to just turn around and round, made a great sound though ....pop-pop-pop.
Skoda Octavia.....I mean the ORIGINAL Octavia, not the VW kind
Moggy 1000....I hated those cars.
Bond Bug
Those Commer vans like Steve says, as well as the old J4 van.

Doggy, I loved my old Ford Zodiac

[DaiRees]

Thing is I usually find characteristics of most cars that I like, even if they're hateful it still adds to the experience. My proof of this theory is my Suzuki SJ, when driven on the road it's slow, shakey, noisey, scarey, draughty, uncomfortable, feels like it's gonna fall over in the corners, 20degrees of free play in the steering and no power assistance, I love it! The worst cars are those that have no features whatsoever. I once drove my aunty's old Hyundai Pony, horid, and the same aunty's automatic micra... shockingly bad!

[don]

worst cars iv driven are a austin metro auto,it took ages to move then didnt want to stop .a early fiat uno with a wopping 1.0 engine,thank god it couldnt go faster.a early bedford rascel pickup,fun but scary.and finally a lada samara s,tesco trolleys handle better than them,my old mg maestro was luxury to that.