Even though i've been driving for around 18 years, i've only had 3 cars, i tend to buy and drive the car into the ground until i HAVE to buy a replacement.
and all of those 3 have been Fords,
1st was an F reg Escort 1.3 loved it to bits, but who doesn't love their first car ? looking back, it was under powered and under equipped, but was reliable.
my favourite car was my second,
'94 Mondeo diesel, rock solid reliability, nice big car, good extras, and great on the motorway, and being a diesel it didn't hurt the pocket so much at the time,
what have i got now ? a flipping 2.0 petrol Mondeo, good solid car, but god it's skinning me for petrol, car tax, insurance etc,
I very much enjoy my current car, but not sure if it's my favourite. Boringly, I've owned nothing but Subarus for about 20 years now. Had some oddballs before though. The worst was undoubtedly the Morris Minor I learned to drive in. In it's day, OK I guess, but braks and handling left a lot to be desired on modern roads. Th best car, as in most fun I've ever driven was probably and Audi RS4. But it costs nearly 3 times as much as my Impreza, and is only a bit faster, and over a certain point, why bother? I can't remember the last time I seriously broke the 70 limit. If there was no limit, I'd probably drive at about 90 in any case. So, I don't say my car is the best, but it comes very close, and it's reasonable to buy and run.
Best - Honda CRVs and Saabs - nothing went wrong in the 125,000 miles I covered in each.
Worst - Volvo S40 and BMW 3 series - reliability awful, and dealers even worse!
And that's out of the 30 or so cars I've had in 45 years of driving.
As long as a car gets me from A to B I am quite happy but the worst car I have driven is a Kia Picanto. Got shot of it after just 6 months. Hated the thing - it was forever stalling.
Not sure I can say with any certainty.
I've driven stuff like Ladas and old Skodas and Yugos as well as a few Brit cars from the 1970's and they were all certainly awful but you can kinda forgive them because you'd expect them to be dire.
I just wrote something about a non-turbo diesel Rover 400 I used to have which could have been the worst car ever and about a Renault Laguna which was almost as bad.
However, I've just remembered what the real answer is...
The Vauxhall Vectra 2.5 GSi.
It really should have been a decent car. It was certainly fast enough, pretty well made and reliable.
It was, however, ruined by the worst steering and suspension ever seen.
Seriously, this is not just me trying to sound like I'm been spoiled by a bunch of nice cars.
The steering, particularly, on the Vectra was awful.
You simply couldn't feel anything, to the point where you couldn't tell whether the car was actually turning when you turned the wheel or whether it was sliding on ice or aquaplaning on water etc.
The suspension was sort of harsh and yet, somehow, soggy at the same time.
I remember, once, a mate and I were driving home from somewhere in it.
It was dark, cold and wet.
I started off trying to "make good progress" but soon found myself, as usual, doing about 65mph on the motorway because I just wasn't comfortable going any faster.
Eventually my mate started saying stuff like "if you're tired I'll drive for a while" and eventually I let him take over.
He drove it for about 2 miles then pulled over and said "You deserve a f**king medal for driving that!" and refused to drive it any more.
About a year later Vauxhall released a new Astra & Vectra and made a big deal out of the fact they had suspension and steering "tuned by Lotus" as if to suggest this was some kind of bonus.
It wasn't.
It was simply that they'd obviously finally accepted that the Vauxhall-designed steering and suspension were so awful that they'd been forced to pay people at Lotus to try and fix it for them.
As for the best, I reckon it'd have to depend what you want the car for.
An MX5 is a better fun summer car than a BMW 330, even though the BMW is superior in almost every way.
Without thinking too much about it, I reckon my old BMW 535 was one of the best cars I had.
It seemed to manage everything very, very well.
It was so quiet you could be doing stupid speeds without waking up a passenger.
It somehow managed to negotiate country lanes so well that it'd put most hot-hatches to shame and, if you took it easy, it'd do 700 miles on a tank of petrol.
Worst: 1999 Rover 414is (I say worst, it was a very nice car, lovewly colour, nice interior, etc, but head gasket went a week after purchase, and had to keep air con on constantly after that.
My worse was the Renault 5 - the side windows fell off whilst I was going up a hill (the hinges were GLUED on :eek: ). I did have a Skoda Estelle for a while - horrendous - no wonder people used to call it a skip on wheels......
I had two minis one after the other. Still miss them massively but dare 'nt drive in London these days now I have a bus pass why bother?
Worst: Mk1 Escort 1st car I paid £40 for it,it had a fred flintstone floor had newspaper and chicken wire for sills 1100 engine that often ran on 3 cylinders and cut out at random times usually on the motorway or in heavy traffic
best RS2000 had big valve group 1 head and cam twin 45s with 160bhp rear wheel drive LSD
had great fun in the front seat AND the back seat ;-)
Already mentioned my worst..the MG Maestro...which somehow managed to be far worse than the actual dreadful bulk standard edition.
**HOWEVER** a short side bar to the thread
DS has forums for most all major things in life..all things electrical, gossip, reality TV, Pets, Advice..etc
Surely there would be a great demand for a 'whole' forum. Not 'just' cars, but all things automotive - cars, bikes, boats, caravans (shoot me now for being fair with that one) etc..
Really think it'd be a seriously popular standalone forum, probs with sub-forums too. Suggestions like this may put me on a 'hit-list', but there...I've mentioned it now :eek:
Worst by far was a 1.0 litre Citroen AX. What a horrid thing it was. It felt like it weighed almost nothing and it was so poorly-built that I imagined bits dropping off every time I went over a bump. Nasty. Thank God it was only a loan car!
My current (first) car is a 17 year old AX and I love the fact that it's so light! It's been great to me in the 2 years I've owned it, and on Tuesday it managed to get through its MOT with no necessary work required I guess I'll own cars that are technically "better" in years to come, but I'm certainly in no hurry to get rid of this one.
So one must have been better than other... Spill the beans!
The worst car I've ever driven was my brother in law's Triumph Spitfire, just because it was such a heap, in fact it fell apart around him on the M6 at 70mph a few weeks after I'd driven it.
The best car I've driven was a Porsche 928, lovely car. In fact I might head over to eBay now on the offchance...
Erm..... none!!!, 59 years old and never driven or owned a car,
Motorbikes on the other hand,................. My worst would be a 1965 BSA C15 (250cc) that I owned in 1969 at the age of 16, my first bike, and a more unreliable pile of shite you could never find, in fact I started thinking "BSA" stood for, Bastards stopped again'
My best, would be my current ride a 1991 Harley Davidson 1340cc softail custom, bought just 8 weeks ago, Because...... well, because it's a Harley,
Ah yes. Maybe I should reconsider my earlier post.
I assume this was the first one that looked like a rebodied Cavalier? The boxy number which superseded it was even worse. Some years ago I hired a 1.9 diesel to go down to the Eden Project with 2 friends (can't recall why I didn't take my own car - may have been on the blink). We shared the driving, and both agreed it was the biggest pile of shite we'd ever encountered. Steering still awful, and still had the soggy but crashy ride that Vauxhall have made their hallmark over the years. The dash was about as appealing as Northampton bus station. Worst feature for me was the "one touch" stalks for indicators and wipers that had you indicating the wrong way and for too long. Whoever thought that up must also be responsible for the Allegro's square steering wheel.
It also looked like a brick. Still quite a few around and my heart sinks for the poor souls stuck with them.
I don't drive but the best and worst cars I've been a passenger in were:
Worst: Citroen 2CV, which is like riding around inside a dustbin with controls which bear no relation to the direction you want to drive
Best: A Rolls Royce of some kind at a cousin's wedding. Ridiculously comfortable, as quiet as a mouse...but actually as exciting as an average episdoe of Antiques Roadshow. Far more exciting was speeding around in an MG
I don't drive but the best and worst cars I've been a passenger in were:
Worst: Citroen 2CV, which is like riding around inside a dustbin with controls which bear no relation to the direction you want to drive
Best: A Rolls Royce of some kind at a cousin's wedding. Ridiculously comfortable, as quiet as a mouse...but actually as exciting as an average episdoe of Antiques Roadshow. Far more exciting was speeding around in an MG
Actually, the ride in both should be somewhat similar. Did you know they used a 2CV in the opening titles of Antiques Roadshow for some time before changing to a Morris Minor? There's a connection/coincidence for you!
My current (first) car is a 17 year old AX and I love the fact that it's so light! It's been great to me in the 2 years I've owned it, and on Tuesday it managed to get through its MOT with no necessary work required I guess I'll own cars that are technically "better" in years to come, but I'm certainly in no hurry to get rid of this one.
Comments
Best: Ferrari 360
If we talking that we own the best is my current Astra GTC.
Worst was the Audi A2 horrendous, you cannot see a thing out the back of it
Best car? Noble M12................lush
Best VW Beetle 1200
Had two Beetles and both were ultra reliable,what a shame you cant get a new one now.
The best Volvo C70
and all of those 3 have been Fords,
1st was an F reg Escort 1.3 loved it to bits, but who doesn't love their first car ? looking back, it was under powered and under equipped, but was reliable.
my favourite car was my second,
'94 Mondeo diesel, rock solid reliability, nice big car, good extras, and great on the motorway, and being a diesel it didn't hurt the pocket so much at the time,
what have i got now ? a flipping 2.0 petrol Mondeo, good solid car, but god it's skinning me for petrol, car tax, insurance etc,
i think my next car will be a Fiesta,
Worst - Volvo S40 and BMW 3 series - reliability awful, and dealers even worse!
And that's out of the 30 or so cars I've had in 45 years of driving.
Damn you! You've beaten me by 3!
Please start a thread listing them all in consecutive order. I'd like to, but it would be showing off
I've driven stuff like Ladas and old Skodas and Yugos as well as a few Brit cars from the 1970's and they were all certainly awful but you can kinda forgive them because you'd expect them to be dire.
I just wrote something about a non-turbo diesel Rover 400 I used to have which could have been the worst car ever and about a Renault Laguna which was almost as bad.
However, I've just remembered what the real answer is...
The Vauxhall Vectra 2.5 GSi.
It really should have been a decent car. It was certainly fast enough, pretty well made and reliable.
It was, however, ruined by the worst steering and suspension ever seen.
Seriously, this is not just me trying to sound like I'm been spoiled by a bunch of nice cars.
The steering, particularly, on the Vectra was awful.
You simply couldn't feel anything, to the point where you couldn't tell whether the car was actually turning when you turned the wheel or whether it was sliding on ice or aquaplaning on water etc.
The suspension was sort of harsh and yet, somehow, soggy at the same time.
I remember, once, a mate and I were driving home from somewhere in it.
It was dark, cold and wet.
I started off trying to "make good progress" but soon found myself, as usual, doing about 65mph on the motorway because I just wasn't comfortable going any faster.
Eventually my mate started saying stuff like "if you're tired I'll drive for a while" and eventually I let him take over.
He drove it for about 2 miles then pulled over and said "You deserve a f**king medal for driving that!" and refused to drive it any more.
About a year later Vauxhall released a new Astra & Vectra and made a big deal out of the fact they had suspension and steering "tuned by Lotus" as if to suggest this was some kind of bonus.
It wasn't.
It was simply that they'd obviously finally accepted that the Vauxhall-designed steering and suspension were so awful that they'd been forced to pay people at Lotus to try and fix it for them.
As for the best, I reckon it'd have to depend what you want the car for.
An MX5 is a better fun summer car than a BMW 330, even though the BMW is superior in almost every way.
Without thinking too much about it, I reckon my old BMW 535 was one of the best cars I had.
It seemed to manage everything very, very well.
It was so quiet you could be doing stupid speeds without waking up a passenger.
It somehow managed to negotiate country lanes so well that it'd put most hot-hatches to shame and, if you took it easy, it'd do 700 miles on a tank of petrol.
Worst -some hideous luminous blue Suzuki contraption that I had as a courtesy car. Thankfully only for two days!
Worst: 1999 Rover 414is (I say worst, it was a very nice car, lovewly colour, nice interior, etc, but head gasket went a week after purchase, and had to keep air con on constantly after that.
I had two minis one after the other. Still miss them massively but dare 'nt drive in London these days now I have a bus pass why bother?
best RS2000 had big valve group 1 head and cam twin 45s with 160bhp rear wheel drive LSD
had great fun in the front seat AND the back seat ;-)
**HOWEVER** a short side bar to the thread
DS has forums for most all major things in life..all things electrical, gossip, reality TV, Pets, Advice..etc
Surely there would be a great demand for a 'whole' forum. Not 'just' cars, but all things automotive - cars, bikes, boats, caravans (shoot me now for being fair with that one) etc..
Really think it'd be a seriously popular standalone forum, probs with sub-forums too. Suggestions like this may put me on a 'hit-list', but there...I've mentioned it now :eek:
My current (first) car is a 17 year old AX and I love the fact that it's so light! It's been great to me in the 2 years I've owned it, and on Tuesday it managed to get through its MOT with no necessary work required
So one must have been better than other... Spill the beans!
The worst car I've ever driven was my brother in law's Triumph Spitfire, just because it was such a heap, in fact it fell apart around him on the M6 at 70mph a few weeks after I'd driven it.
The best car I've driven was a Porsche 928, lovely car. In fact I might head over to eBay now on the offchance...
Worst was an old friends Beetle which had virtually non-existant brakes.
Motorbikes on the other hand,................. My worst would be a 1965 BSA C15 (250cc) that I owned in 1969 at the age of 16, my first bike, and a more unreliable pile of shite you could never find, in fact I started thinking "BSA" stood for, Bastards stopped again'
My best, would be my current ride a 1991 Harley Davidson 1340cc softail custom, bought just 8 weeks ago, Because...... well, because it's a Harley,
Ah yes. Maybe I should reconsider my earlier post.
I assume this was the first one that looked like a rebodied Cavalier? The boxy number which superseded it was even worse. Some years ago I hired a 1.9 diesel to go down to the Eden Project with 2 friends (can't recall why I didn't take my own car - may have been on the blink). We shared the driving, and both agreed it was the biggest pile of shite we'd ever encountered. Steering still awful, and still had the soggy but crashy ride that Vauxhall have made their hallmark over the years. The dash was about as appealing as Northampton bus station. Worst feature for me was the "one touch" stalks for indicators and wipers that had you indicating the wrong way and for too long. Whoever thought that up must also be responsible for the Allegro's square steering wheel.
It also looked like a brick. Still quite a few around and my heart sinks for the poor souls stuck with them.
Best: 1988 Skoda Estelle
Worst: Citroen 2CV, which is like riding around inside a dustbin with controls which bear no relation to the direction you want to drive
Best: A Rolls Royce of some kind at a cousin's wedding. Ridiculously comfortable, as quiet as a mouse...but actually as exciting as an average episdoe of Antiques Roadshow. Far more exciting was speeding around in an MG
Actually, the ride in both should be somewhat similar. Did you know they used a 2CV in the opening titles of Antiques Roadshow for some time before changing to a Morris Minor? There's a connection/coincidence for you!
You'll always remember (and love) your first car