Worst car

[happypug]

For me it was a Chrysler sunbeam h/back ( anyone remember theese ) ?  It was slow and unreliable, it broke down after 2 days of ownership ( electronic ignition )  When it rained it leaked like a sieve, drivers footwell was like a mini pool.  Oh and it was noisy from the rear hatch, in words feckin crap/shit.

[Redordead89]

For me it was a Chrysler sunbeam h/back ( anyone remember theese ) ?  It was slow and unreliable, it broke down after 2 days of ownership ( electronic ignition )  When it rained it leaked like a sieve, drivers footwell was like a mini pool.  Oh and it was noisy from the rear hatch, in words feckin crap/shit.

Yeah I remember them and yeah they were crap but replace the Chrysler with Lotus and you were on a winner!!!
Vauxhall Chevette ( shove it) it was all already in the name lol
Allegro, montego, maestro, princess, ambassador, the list of worst cars could be lengthy I bet but thankfully most of them have fell back into the ground during the 90's!

[cpikey316_]

Ford Focus Diesel, no power at all! (Struggled to go from 60-70)

Fiat Grande punto almost got me killed in Spain

[THE_Liam]

Octavia VRS, great to drive but broke practically every day. Made me miss French reliability, and that's not a joke, far less reliable than any French car I've ever owned!

[Niall]

Not a car i owned but had for a few days
Vauxhall Insignia 1.8 SRI. Stupidly uncomfortable, managed 35mpg on the motorway and was slower than a transit van (Yes, i did get beaten by a BT transit in a brand new Insignia ) and the stereo and dash were full of bugs. If the phone rang, you could answer it but it wouldn't stop ringing. Only way you could stop it was to turn the car off for 5 minutes lol

[Piggy]

Never owned a bad car.

The mrs however.... A 1.4 Clio RT. What a festering pile of crap.

[ozonehostile]

64 plate Nissan qashqai....  

Had it as a courtesy car for a month when my coupe was written off.  Just awful at everything, really can't see why they've sold so many.  A 306 honestly has more boot space and rear leg room,  multimedia system constantly crashed, couldn't get dab radio signal anywhere on any channel apart from radio 2, satnav kept cancelling the route and freezing, phone calls cut off half way through etc 



Lightest steering in the world, you have no idea what the front wheels are doing, laughably pathetic going through a bit of mud, wank fuel economy from having a 1.5l Renault dci engine hauling around 2 tons, loads of road noise transmitted into the cabin and at 6k miles old it was starting to fall apart, interior trim pieces falling off, rattles underneath etc 

I could go on but you get the idea lol 

Purely a car designed for people who hate cars

[bigcheez2k3]

Not a car i owned but had for a few days
Vauxhall Insignia 1.8 SRI. Stupidly uncomfortable, managed 35mpg on the motorway and was slower than a transit van (Yes, i did get beaten by a BT transit in a brand new Insignia ) and the stereo and dash were full of bugs. If the phone rang, you could answer it but it wouldn't stop ringing. Only way you could stop it was to turn the car off for 5 minutes lol

Exactly the hire car I was given when I was crashed into and I don't make you wrong on any of it.

[John1.4]

MK1 Fiat punto, got it for free as a headgasket fail (turns out it wasn't but free says it all )

something else wrong with it pretty much every time i turned the key, exhaust fell off, blew hoses in the engine bay all the time (including when i tried to sell it... the guy who test drove it wasn't particularly fussed though thank the maker), combined with stupid crashy suspension as standard, uncomfortable fall-apart-at-will seats, bad stereo placement, pedal placement, ugly wheels, poor headlights,

every single french car i've owned has been the opitome of reliability and comfort in comparison... bar none

[Lwilliams]

Old focus, auto box funny as to drive :L

[Toms306]

I've owned loads of awful cars, picking the worst is difficult lol!

1.4 306 probably, 2nd car I bought, most expensive 306 I have ever bought even now and was an absolute heap, ruined by the previous owners in just 9 years/60k somehow! Blown headgasket, popped rad hose, check strap snapped, stop light kept coming on, squeaky BJ, cheap uncomfortable lowering springs, broken beam, limo tints that you couldn't see a thing through...bad decision that one! Only owned it a matter of weeks, had HG fixed by a garage who didn't do it right imo (I knew less about cars then) and sold it on at major loss to someone who rolled it a month later, probably the biggest loss I've ever made on a car, far more than any of the VAGs etc!

Vectra was also pretty awful, but it did have some redeeming features (DAB & auto dimming drivers mirror basically lol, and it did stick to corners well tbf). Poor on fuel, terrible on the motorway with noise and rattles, horribly uncomfortable due to the rear bounce, snapped a spring and wrecked a tyre between me buying it and driving it. But I sold it on a year later for what I paid so not all bad.

Avensis was horrible, I hate Jap interiors for a start, and there was something rotten in the centre console cubby which admittedly isn't the cars fault, poor road holding at any speed and wallowy cornering but did do over 40mpg which is good for a 1.8 petrol tbf.

106 NAD tried to kill me several times with shitty brakes and no ABS on budget tyres, driveshaft broke due to a poor cv boot boot repair and was a complete arse to change as it seized to the hub meaning I ended up changing that too, and the TRE which broke during removal all of which in monsoon weather, terrible acceleration and didn't tow a trailer of rubble overly well, had a snapped glowplug so had to cold start at WOT and fill the street with smoke lol. But even that had redeeming features, 67mpg and would hold 90mph quite well when it eventually got there, sold that on for what I paid as well iirc.

So yeah looks like the worst by far was a 306, oops.

[Poodle]

Most new vauxhalls, anything with a chrysler-group badge from any period in time, anything produced from the Nissan-Renault tie up.

[powerandtorque]

I've never owned any truly bad cars, but here's a few that must be in for a shout that I've had the misfortune of driving over the years...

Vauxhall Vectra B DTi (the late 90's - early 00's shape one).
A hire car I was lumbered with at work when they decided that staff shouldn't use their own cars for business use. I remember this piece of junk for three reasons. Firstly, that I was surprised at the time that they were still offering turboless diesel engines. Only it transpired that they weren't and it was turbo'd apparently, although the evidence was sorely lacking as it just felt gutless and off-boost through the rev range. The handling was... lacking, which I discovered with cronic plough-on understeer on Fish Hill at a worryingly sedate pace, not that you'd have any idea if it wasn't for the scenery growing ever-larger such was the complete lack of feel through anything. The icing on the cake was the door trim falling off in my hand as I opened the door at my destination. It was all but brand new with just a few hundred miles on the clock.

Vauxhall Corsa B 1.5D (the late 90's shape one).
A Corsa B is a bad car at the best of times, but a base spec one with a turboless diesel was just vile with no redeeming features. I learnt to drive in one, so it's amazing that I didn't give up there and then thinking that suffering was what driving had to offer. The 1.2 8v variant wasn't a whole lot better - I remember the Ford dealer in Reading having one as a discourtesy car that was already smoking badly at less than 2 years old, although how much of that was due to having had a hard life and how much because it was just s**t is open to debate. The Fiesta of the same era highlighted just how bad the Corsa actually was.

Oldsmobile Cutlass Ceira (early 80's vintage)
If you were to stereotype and caricature an 80's American car, this would be what you'd come up with. It was woefully underpowered (something like 90hp from 2.5 litres), lacking any form of style and the interior was undeniably American done on a shoestring. However, what marks it out for mention was the suspension - imagine strapping a sofa onto a bouncy castle aboard a cross channel ferry in a force 9 gale and you'll get the idea of what this was like. Sea-sickness on four wheels. It was FWD too, so you couldn't even live out your American car chase fantasies. Apparently someone stole it a couple of years later, only to abandon it a few miles down the road - even thieves aren't that desperate as to drive that it would seem.

Fiat Punto 1.2 (early 00's shape)
This was another discourtesy car, but a short lived one - within 24 hours of having it I snapped a driveshaft accelerating hard (that is a relative term given the complete lack of power) off a roundabout. When the AA finally arrived to recover me, they proceeded to tow me on a hard bar some 20 miles back despite me questioning how sensible that course of action was. 20 miles of banging, crashing and violent shaking, just to further my already bad day. I received a phone call a few days later asking how on earth I had managed to cause so much damage to the drivetrain and suspension to a then almost new car. What did I get for managing to break that Punto? Yep, another Punto. The b**tards. That one failed to die though sadly, so some other poor sap had to suffer the misfortune. As an aside, why does a small car with already over-assisted and devoid of feel power steering possibly need a "city" button to add extra assistance?

In a way I miss having new and/or company cars, as I don't get to drive such dirge anymore to make me appreciate just how good everything else actually is.

[Matt-Rallye]

Octavia VRS, great to drive but broke practically every day. Made me miss French reliability, and that's not a joke, far less reliable than any French car I've ever owned!

Exact same for me, mine was absolute cack and any self respecting saxo vtr is genuinely faster    absolute  laughing stock of a car!

[THE_Liam]

Octavia VRS, great to drive but broke practically every day. Made me miss French reliability, and that's not a joke, far less reliable than any French car I've ever owned!

Exact same for me, mine was absolute cack and any self respecting saxo vtr is genuinely faster    absolute  laughing stock of a car!

To be honest the only thing mine was good at was speed. I had it mapped by a mate, to "somewhere over 200bhp with a fat midrange", and it really shifted for a big car. Never had a car so good for overtaking. Handling was good in a way, although really I mean roadholding. It'd stick all day, but with no feedback or feel, so you never felt that comfortable pushing it.

It was just so unreliable. In 6 months, I got through 2 sets of clocks, the climatronic died, the coilpacks went 3 times, it kept locking me out, it randomly lost power and died at xxxmph on the M62 coming back from Hull after the rugby (embarrassing with a huge Leeds sticker in the back window and loads of Hull fans laughing at me), the power steering pump went, it killed 3 batteries, and ate loads of suspension bushes...

[Redordead89]

Mitsubishi UN- charisma boo-dl-oo-dl-oo

[toseland]

peugeot 306 hdi... which incidently is my best car

[Niall]

All new vauxhalls

Corrected that for you.
Only good thing about any new Vauxhall? You can happily drive a vauxhall Mokka with your arm out of the rear passenger window like a boss.

[toseland]

1,2 Ltd edition corsa.. front seat removed, sitting on the rear seat for poodle!

actually i will rethink my suggestion for my worst car


1.2 Corsa C, 16valve... as a courtesy car after someone ran into the side of my car whilst i was waiting at a roundabout.

blew it up 4 days after having it delivered, literally ragging the tits off it everywhere, limiter gear changes, clutchless gear changes (regardless of whether it crunched or not)

[Redordead89]

I've never owned any truly bad cars, but here's a few that must be in for a shout that I've had the misfortune of driving over the years...

Vauxhall Vectra B DTi (the late 90's - early 00's shape one).
A hire car I was lumbered with at work when they decided that staff shouldn't use their own cars for business use. I remember this piece of junk for three reasons. Firstly, that I was surprised at the time that they were still offering turboless diesel engines. Only it transpired that they weren't and it was turbo'd apparently, although the evidence was sorely lacking as it just felt gutless and off-boost through the rev range. The handling was... lacking, which I discovered with cronic plough-on understeer on Fish Hill at a worryingly sedate pace, not that you'd have any idea if it wasn't for the scenery growing ever-larger such was the complete lack of feel through anything. The icing on the cake was the door trim falling off in my hand as I opened the door at my destination. It was all but brand new with just a few hundred miles on the clock.

Vauxhall Corsa B 1.5D (the late 90's shape one).
A Corsa B is a bad car at the best of times, but a base spec one with a turboless diesel was just vile with no redeeming features. I learnt to drive in one, so it's amazing that I didn't give up there and then thinking that suffering was what driving had to offer. The 1.2 8v variant wasn't a whole lot better - I remember the Ford dealer in Reading having one as a discourtesy car that was already smoking badly at less than 2 years old, although how much of that was due to having had a hard life and how much because it was just s**t is open to debate. The Fiesta of the same era highlighted just how bad the Corsa actually was.

Oldsmobile Cutlass Ceira (early 80's vintage)
If you were to stereotype and caricature an 80's American car, this would be what you'd come up with. It was woefully underpowered (something like 90hp from 2.5 litres), lacking any form of style and the interior was undeniably American done on a shoestring. However, what marks it out for mention was the suspension - imagine strapping a sofa onto a bouncy castle aboard a cross channel ferry in a force 9 gale and you'll get the idea of what this was like. Sea-sickness on four wheels. It was FWD too, so you couldn't even live out your American car chase fantasies. Apparently someone stole it a couple of years later, only to abandon it a few miles down the road - even thieves aren't that desperate as to drive that it would seem.

Fiat Punto 1.2 (early 00's shape)
This was another discourtesy car, but a short lived one - within 24 hours of having it I snapped a driveshaft accelerating hard (that is a relative term given the complete lack of power) off a roundabout. When the AA finally arrived to recover me, they proceeded to tow me on a hard bar some 20 miles back despite me questioning how sensible that course of action was. 20 miles of banging, crashing and violent shaking, just to further my already bad day. I received a phone call a few days later asking how on earth I had managed to cause so much damage to the drivetrain and suspension to a then almost new car. What did I get for managing to break that Punto? Yep, another Punto. The b**tards. That one failed to die though sadly, so some other poor sap had to suffer the misfortune. As an aside, why does a small car with already over-assisted and devoid of feel power steering possibly need a "city" button to add extra assistance?

In a way I miss having new and/or company cars, as I don't get to drive such dirge anymore to make me appreciate just how good everything else actually is.

1,2 Ltd edition corsa.. front seat removed, sitting on the rear seat for poodle!

actually i will rethink my suggestion for my worst car


1.2 Corsa C, 16valve... as a courtesy car after someone ran into the side of my car whilst i was waiting at a roundabout.

blew it up 4 days after having it delivered, literally ragging the tits off it everywhere, limiter gear changes, clutchless gear changes (regardless of whether it crunched or not)

Embarrassing actual lol out the back garden on decking! Pensioner neighbours! Lololol

[Orta]

Astra mark 5 sport hatch. Bought it at only 3 years old just out of warranty (150bhp cdti) and everything that could break did. Thought the point of paying £200 a month for a nearly new car was that it cost zip in repairs?

But the car I hated the most was my 2.2 180 Sr auris. Dreadful thing

[WukaChop]

Had a Saxo with a VTR conversion.

It was free so I can't complain massively and I was warned about the loud driveshaft...

Anywayyyyyyyy... I accelerating, and the driveshaft came out, ripped the hub out, wrapped round the lower arm, popped the tyre and locked up the steering so I bumped a wall. This was after less than 24 hours of ownership

[Redordead89]

Kinda wishing you had bought a 306 first time around but it's all good experience in the bigger picture but a right pita in the meantime!

[JTaylor2005]

Had a 1.25l fiesta curtessy car for 2 weeks. It was the modern one which weighs loads but still has the same engine as the old one. Dreadfully underpowered no pull at all. 0-60 took forever and going up hills was horrible haha

[Ruan]

Landrover Freelander Mk1 with the L series diesel and automatic... Shudder...

[insomaniac45]

my list of cars i have actually owned. from best to absolute worst.....


mk1 ford orion (sleeper)
306 cabby
Nissan Almera 1.6 sri
frontera sport
rover 216 T top
nova booty
cavalier 1.8

[adam b]

Daewoo Kalos 1.4 courtesy car.
The DMax I drive for work. 64 plate auto. Bloody terrible thing

Most unreliable car i've owned was my 2001 V70 T5, but it wasn't a bad car. I've not had a car I didn't want to own as such, never saw the point of buying a crap car to start with. They've not all been that reliable, but its not surprising!

[lolsteve]

Mini Cooper R53(?)
Not had much experience of bad cars but this was just more disapointing. The electrics failed, the tyres were expensive, not made for a 6ft+ guy with size 11 shoes, ride comfort was subpar, quite rattly, mpg meh.

Much preferred the cuore that followed it a £500 car that lasted nearly 2 years of abuse vs the £2500 car that cost ~£500 in repairs and was sold in a few months