Worst car you have ever driven?

[Brown, Jon Brow]

I've only driven 4 cars so far but by far the worst car I have ever driven is my driving instructers Vauxhall Astra :rolleyes:

The throttle pedal feels like a button and the steering is too light and doesn't self-correct.

[Mark]

What reg is the Vauxhall Astra you drove? I've driven several examples and without exception found them to be good cars (not great, but not bad either)

Worst is probably my Dads old Lada Riva, built like a tank and handled like one too! A close second is the Chevrolet Kalos we hired in Ireland, completely underpowered for every purpose, it look about 2 minutes to get up to 70mph and even then couldn't maintain it.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Don't know the reg but it's the old shape Astra (1998-2004)

I've only ever driven 4 cars though

Renualt Scenic (2005)
BMW 330ci
Kia Sorento :erm:

[Erki]

I'm a bit afraid of driving my granddad's Moskvich because at 30mph, I have no idea how it moves. :crazy:
My insturctor's Golf II wasn't really a great learning car either, clutch was heavy and biting point was high and combined with a dodgy gearbox, I had about zillion stalls. Luckily I soon got my hands on a diesel Golf III, that was a much better car. :cool:

[Mark]

Don't know the reg but it's the old shape Astra (1998-2004)


Right, those are the ones I have the most experience of. Of course it's always possible the one you are driving is a dud.

I remember I went straight to driving a brand new (at the time) Astra and I had similar difficulties, for me it was mostly the brakes, they were very sudden compared to the car I was used to, nearly put myself through the window on a few occasions :s .

However it was just because compared to what I was used to it had good brakes! A little more finesse on the pedals soon came and it became good to drive.

i.e. It's not the car ;)

[Iain]

Worst car I've ever driven was a 1997 BMW 318i that is a company runabout for my work. Had to go across to another one of our buildings with an engineer last month in it and he wanted to walk back and smoke (not allowed to smoke in company vehicles due to the smoking ban in Scotland), so he told me to take the car back across the estate to the main building. Couldn't find reverse, couldn't find first, clutch was knackered, steering was knackered, car was generally knackered. Can't believe I was a passenger in that a year before on a trip to Dundee and back and it didn't break down. What a shed! :p : Even my dad's old Proton that he had a couple of years back was much better and that handled like a small boat. :erm:

I learned in a 1997 Astra MK3 and felt it was alright.

[Rollo]

In all seriousness it was the 2006 Holden Commodore VE.
What the hell? You might well ask.

I picked up one of these ex factory in Elizabeth, SA, to take back to the boss in Sydney. For a shade over 2000km, I had a very bad idea where the four corners of the car were because all I saw was window line (now I'm not a short chap at 6ft), so this must have been poor.

The ergonomics of the car were obviously meant for someone who weighed +400lbs. because I was lost in the driver's seat and the central console and dashboard were just a vista of grey.

Poor visibility, ergonomics & east design meant that a car which should have been quite good, was total and utter bollocks.

[CarlMetro]

Morris Marina 1300 Sport. It was the first car, at the age of 14, that I ever drove and it belonged to my mum. It was a good starting point because any car, no matter how bad, after a Marina would be better.

In more recent times I would say the Mk2 Renault Laguna. I've had two of them, albeit briefly, an both spent lots of time in the garage being repaired. The first one even tried to kill me when the O/S/F tyre decided to deflate because the stupid aluminium inflation valve on the wheel failed at 70mph.

[luvracin]

- Saturn Ion wagon. Department test car. P.O.S.

Followed closely by a Ford Crown Victoria(same car as the US Cops use). Was like driving a boat.

[Daniel]

F Reg Audi 80.

Gearbox whines above 20mph, CV joints clack, stops on the motorway for no real reason and the heater matrix blew the other day. So we're going to get rid of it and I've put a deposit down on an R reg 406 turbo diesel which seems much nicer to drive :)

[LotusElise]

A Citroen Xsara 1.4 LX. The handling was so heavy I couldn't steer it properly, the gearbox was clunky and noisy, the visibility was rubbish and the locks didn't work properly. Fortunately, no-one would want to steal it anyway.

This was the rental car with the rude magazine in the glove box I've mentioned before.

[col 666]

Drive a new renaultsport clio 197, steering is one of the worst i have ever tried. No feel whatsoever at speed then at low speeds its so light its dangerous.

[suzy m]

Worst car by far has to be the Corsa I had as a courtesy car the first time a lorry crashed into me. To reach the pedals I had to have the seat quite far forward, but then I couldn't fit my knees under the (non-adjustable) steering wheel. Complete nightmare. :(

[millencolin]

toyota starlet, not sure what model it was, from the 90's sometime... but it was a shocker... worst gearbox in history

[555-04Q2]

Any Opel :(

[GRAVETT]

the worst car i have owned was a focus st. uncomfortable, clunky and sloppy at best. but the prize for the worst car i have driven goes to my brother in laws porsche boxer, absolutly horrid, with traction control on its the most boring car, but turn it off and its undrivable, poor traction unresponsive steering.

[BeansBeansBeans]

The worst car I've ever driven (pound for pound) is a Rover 400. Extremely dull, and the steering seemed to have little connection to the wheels.

[IMSAFAN1]

worse car i 've ever drove was a Porsche 911 twin turbo race car. This car was past it's best before date. The car owner didn't have enough money to keep it running properly. It was very outdated. So in order to get him to buy a better car, I missed a shift in race and blew the turbo's out of the car.

[R. Mears]

Ford escort by far. Way under powered, too cramped, lousy traction. I think that covers it. OH BTW yes I know it's an economy car and not meant for performance.

[Hazell B]

Oddly, my current Land Rover Discovery 2.5TD.

When I bought it at auction it had a trail period, so in I hopped and off I went. Couldn't get it in gear, it felt unstable after my Land Rover 90, the brakes were far too keen and it smelled funny.

Now I realise it was perfectly fine, I was just used to the heap of junk I'd previously had. The smell turned out to be cleanliness. It went within a week :p :

[Robinho]

i've driven some junk in my time but i think the worst offenders have been a Montego, which although had a half decent engine, did not have the chassis or brakes to cope with arriving at a corner at more than about 30mph. it was wallowy, no feeling at all in the steering and understeered like a barge, although this car was at the end of its life.

2 would be a rover metro/100, for such a small car it was incredibly poor in the handling stakes and well underpowered. on top of that you sat up high on some very springy spongy seat with no support so you literaly fell off them if you drove at anything above 30mph, was probably perfect for age 80yr old guy who owned it.

the other in my hall of shame was a 1.6 Ford sierra, again really underpowered, too soft, no life or feeling in any of the controls and generally rubbish.

i've also borrowed a 1.4 (about K reg) astra before that had done far too many miles and nothing really worked well anymore, clutch was abysmal and the gear change took far too much effort, especially the hotter the car got, but it was redeemed by the fact that whatever paltry speed you could get it up to you could throw it at the corners and it coped

[sagsert]

I hate to admit but in the early '90s I drove a POLONEZ as a course opening car during a rally. It was by far the worse POS I ever drove. There is not one single thing I can speak good about. I'd rather walk than drive another one ever again.

[Captain VXR]

Did it even work?
BTW I'm 3/8 Polish so I cannot be seen as being prejudice by this comment.

[Robinho]

Did it even work?
BTW I'm 3/8 Polish so I cannot be seen as being prejudice by this comment.

you could be 5/8's prejudiced? ;)

[sagsert]

STOP !!!! You will 3/8 confuse him :D

It did work at the start, by the end of the day we had no lights, no strut towers, no brakes (actually we had one brake), no suspension, only 3 plugs sparked and no door handles inside the car, they fell off.

Oh btw, it was a tarmac rally :D

[draper]

worst car ive drove ?? vauxhall nova, best car ive drove ?? modified nova

although im prob biased as ive had 16 novas and im only 22 !! drove a series 2 RST once and wasnt impressed by that either, if im truly honest the car that most impressed me was a vectra !! it was a 2002 model (one of the first with the new vaux multi-pulse wiring system) i had to drive it back from a dealership after i blew the ECU fitting a tow bar. was accelerating hard and fast and generall larking about (i was only 17/18 at the time) and it cop[ed with everything and never felt out of control. also took my dads BMW 525 D upto 135 on the M1 while he was asleep and he never noticed

[Captain VXR]

STOP !!!! You will 3/8 confuse him :D

It did work at the start, by the end of the day we had no lights, no strut towers, no brakes (actually we had one brake), no suspension, only 3 plugs sparked and no door handles inside the car, they fell off.

Oh btw, it was a tarmac rally :D


you could be 5/8's prejudiced? ;)

I'm 5/8 prejudice and 3/8 confused now thanks to you two :evil: .
Better go and check if the neighbour's dog that bit me has been fully microwaved :dog:

[captin 1 VXR]

i been lucky with all the cars i have had . not meney friday night jobs .

but had a ford connect transit and that was ok in strate line would pull 100 mph ( on my privet test track ) but in the wet front wheels spun like no other motor i have had . and also in the snow it was just a sledge point pray and hope u get around the corner or even in strate line hope it go s were u want it to ..

oh yer and 306 xsi when i worked at a race school we had them and we had to bed them in . and everyone that drove them said one minit u understeering next oversteer . rear s had a system that made it have a sort of 4 ws but after we all moaned about it mick linford made a plate to stop this hapening .

also drove one of the first tt s and even now i think there pants

[Hayden Fan]

I wasn't the worst looking, but a 1004 Ford Tempo. The clutch was so worn that I could shift like it was a sequential transmission. But

[Allyc85]

from memory its got to be a 1.4 pug 206. The engine was sluggish, the gear change slack and notchy and the driving position was shocking!

[daz90]

Right, those are the ones I have the most experience of. Of course it's always possible the one you are driving is a dud.

I remember I went straight to driving a brand new (at the time) Astra and I had similar difficulties, for me it was mostly the brakes, they were very sudden compared to the car I was used to, nearly put myself through the window on a few occasions :s .

However it was just because compared to what I was used to it had good brakes! A little more finesse on the pedals soon came and it became good to drive.

i.e. It's not the car ;)

I can concur with that too, i owned a 99 (T) 1.6 Astra not so long ago, and when i first bought it i remember the pedals took a bit of getting used to, certainly compared with the Mondeo i had before that. However, they arn't the best car your ever likely to drive, but they certainly wont be the worst either.

I suppose the worst i have ever driven was my dads 1987 (E) Renault 11 1.4, but to be fair that was a very tidy car, just not very good to drive.

[quattroman]

1976 Allegro 1500 by a mile. What a pile of Shoite.

[KILOHMUNNS]

Citreon BX Turbo. Crap gearbox that I could never find 1st gear, very heavy clutch and a stupid wing on the back so you couldn't see out the back. Thankfully it was only borrowed for a couple of days.

[Dave B]

A Ford Ka courtesy car which had a mind of its own: sometimes it would pull to the left under braking, sometimes to the right, sometimes not at all. Occasionally when you braked nothing whatsoever would happen for a moment, other times the car would almost stop on a sixpence.

There was so much play in the steering wheel it sometimes felt like it was connected to the wheels by overcooked spaghetti; the suspension transmitted every speck of dust on the road into the base of your spine; and to cap it all the electrics were shot.

Awful awful car.

[Daniel]

What about the looks Dave? :p

[daz90]

I once had a KA as a courtesy car, i actually quite liked it. The worst ever courtesy car i have ever had though was a 1992 J reg Rover 214, now that was a nail, i had the misfortune of that car for three whole days while the car i had bought was in the garage under warrenty.

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

Chrysler Alpine...WHAT A NOISY BUNDLE OF SCRAP! :mad:

[May.]

Not the worst in absolute terms but certainly the most over-rated: BMW 530SE Auto.

I had the misfortune the have to use one of these last weekend. A thoroughly dreadful vehicle. Anyone who parts with over £30k for one of these needs to seek immediate medical help.

Give me my Octavia vRS any day of the week.

[tcsparky]

a 1971 Ford Maverick. It had a single leaf live axle rear suspension. Under hard braking the rear axle would shift from the brake torque and argue with the front of the car on which direction the vehicle should go in. May salute all of you? Driving a bad car takes extra skill and this group sounds like it has it.

[viper_man]

Fiat Brava, horrific

[Geecee27]

Nissan Sunny, the only advantage it had over walking was that it kept the rain off!!

[Camelopard]

Early 1990's Chrylser Lebaron Landau in Vancouver in 1994, a truely horrible experience!!

[sonic_roadhog]

Fiat Panda (one of the terrible bean can originals). No power/grip/braking/stability/feel. The list went on. I parked it after 500 yards it was that bad.

[LotusElise]

I used to drive a diesel Fiat Uno ages ago and that was bad.
It was orange as well.

[Woodeye]

Suzuki Alto. My mom owned one few years ago and it was totally horrible. Nothing else.

[tsarcasm]

A worn out 73 VW Bus a death trap, a slow one

[johnny shell]

a ford aspire. I'm not sure what it's known as on the other side of the ocean though.

but I had one for a rental once.

my son used to have a plastic, battery-powered 2 seat jeep that he would ride around in when he was like 3.

the ford aspire is just a small step above that! really the only difference was the ford could go faster, and had doors and a roof, and a real radio instead of just a sitcker of a radio.

the jeep handled better though.

we used to say ford called it the aspire because it aspired to be a real car

[Brown, Jon Brow]

a ford aspire. I'm not sure what it's known as on the other side of the ocean though.






A joke !!

[Caroline]

I once hired a somewhat asthmatic Fiat Punto at Heathrow a few years back. It only had 10 miles on the clock and I had hopes of getting back home in good time thinking it would be nippy to drive. It was such a disappointment. It parped along on the motorways and really struggled on the hills near home. I was glad to give it back. I hear the new Puntos are great but it really has turned me off them.

[tsarcasm]

If I remember right the Aspire was a rebadged KIA (Killed In Accident)

**the old Pontiac Le Mans 87-89~ish were rebadged DaeWoo's

[CharlieJ]

The Nissan Micra's pretty rubbish, but the worst by far was a base model mkIV Ford Escort - it was like driving a skip full of rubbish powered by a rubber band! :rolleyes:

[speedy king]

Right, those are the ones I have the most experience of. Of course it's always possible the one you are driving is a dud.

I remember I went straight to driving a brand new (at the time) Astra and I had similar difficulties, for me it was mostly the brakes, they were very sudden compared to the car I was used to, nearly put myself through the window on a few occasions :s .

However it was just because compared to what I was used to it had good brakes! A little more finesse on the pedals soon came and it became good to drive.

i.e. It's not the car ;)

I have to agree :) I learnt in an 06 Toyota Corolla and the brakes were unbelievably sharp, i was driving that on lessons and my 1996 Peugeot 306 between lessons and took a few minutes to adjust to each car.

More recently at the weekends i still drive the 306 with duff brakes and stiff clutch and have just started driving my company car, a 56 plate Ford Fiesta 1.5 CDTi and when i first drove that it felt horrible. Sharp brakes, soft clutch, even softer throttle with about an inch of delay before the power came on and a high seating position but now i'm used to it, its a really nice car to drive :) Grips the road like nothing i've ever whitnessed before other than a kart!!! amazing grip

[Es Nes]

geo metero?

[Addicted]

Peugeot 205 -86, I can`t describe it.

[ian959]

Ssangyong Kyron - given me to drive by a client when I was at the dealership for an audit visit earlier this year. Words cannot describe the appalling nature of this vehicle, and the lack of grip for what was supposedly a 4WD was staggering. I could hear the tyres breaking grip just turning a normal corner. I am amazed that they have actually sold any of this vehicle (although even more amazed that the actually produce it...).

Prior to that it would have to have been the Ford Taurus I once drove in the US. Wallowing whale does not describe the antics of this vehicle in the handling department. There seemed to be no relationship between the steering wheel and where the car actually went.

[FrankenSchwinn]

hehe, i've driven most of the cars that have been mentioned here and i can honestly say that they are bad cars if you do not adjust to them.

all i can say about the worst cars i have ever driven have all come from one place (that place where they have tea all the time and they boil their meat).

[daz90]

India?

[FrankenSchwinn]

India?

HAHA, guess again! hint: bad oral hygiene.

[daz90]

Wales? ;)

All the tea in China!!

[FrankenSchwinn]

Wales? ;)


they make cars in wales?

[Zico]

My brother bought a Fiat 126 for £50 when he was 16, was planning to rally it up at the dissused coal fields nearby... "Mid engined like all the best sportscars".. he said... , :D Geez, was it aweful to drive.. what a pile of crap. He was practicing some donuts on the stones beside our driveway one day but managed to get hooked up on the taramac and promptly launched it into the side of the house... CCCRRRRAAAASSSHHH!!! (Ok, maybe not quite that loud.. ;) )

amazingly was still drivable!

I just cant believe I now sit as a passenger in his rallycar!!! :D