What's the worst car you've owned?

[Red ones]

I take it back. It's been very good apart from the egr, dpf, alternator, suspension, wheel bearings, battery, exhaust, four sets of discs, the wiring to the electric windows, the stereo speakers that don't work, the drivers seat that fell apart, the recall, the second recall, the third recall to put right what was changed in the first recall...

[maviczap]

Obviously a Friday model.

Mind you that's nothing compared to our VW Crafter works van, on its 2nd engine after 80,000 miles, new steering pump, already rust on the bodywork, several windscreens

Glad I didn't pay the bills for that

[SV650rules]

Worst car ever, underpowered Vauxhall Viva, second worst (my wife's) Fiat Punto nice enough to drive when it was going but a money pit and unreliable.

Best cars have all been Honda, (presently a Civic and her indoors has a Jazz), they have all been refined and faultlessly reliable the lowest mileage 120k, the most 190k, non of them had anything but consumable parts like brake pads, batteries, the odd exhaust replaced, maybe a bit expensive to buy, but very cheap to run.

[dirtydog]

I've owned a fair few cars in my 20 years of driving but by far the worst was the 2004 Astra we had a couple of years ago. It was mostly ok but had a really annoying habit of randomly not starting. You'd go out in the morning and it would start no problem, drive to the shop come out of the shop and it would point blank refuse to start. There was no rhyme nor reason when it would happen. Sold it after about 6 months

All of our other cars have been mostly reliable and not caused any issues, one of the best was a beat up ford galaxy that I bought after my escort got written off. We had that car for years and it never wanted for anything other than normal maintenance

[Heorot]

Two cars I didn't own but had to drive as a company authorised driver.

First the Austin Princess. Wallowy suspension, vague steering and a gearbox that didn't want to change gear. I once was stopped at a junction and tried to select first; nope. Second; nope. And repeat, In the end, with cars behind tooting me, I managed to find third and pulled slowly away madly slipping the Clutch.

The other was also an Austin, the 1800. This wasn't as bad as the Princess but the problem was the gearbox again. Third and fifth in the gate were so close that you never knew which you would get then changing up. Embarrasing when trying for third, getting fifth and bogging down.

Awful cars.

[Talking Heads]

Landrover Freelander.
Just about everything broke bar the BMW TD4 engine.
Two clutches, one dual mass flywheel, several roll bar linkages, radiator, exhaust back box (twice), several window actuators (gave up on rear windows and wedged them shut with lengths of wood), alternator, passenger side door lock replaced twice, tailgate rusted through twice, CV joints (at least three), ABS sensors (at least four)
Despite all that really liked it and was sad to see it go. Very bizarre.
Replacement X-trail far better in just about every way apart from lacking that certain something...

Best car ever was a Citroen 2CV, just hilarious fun, four wheel equivalent of the Honda Cub.
Wish I'd had the chassis welded up and kept it, would now be worth around ten times what I payed for it back in the mid 80s.


Complete Land Rover buying guide:

Question 1: Does it have Land Rover badges on?

Answer: Yes> Run away, and quick!

[garynortheast]

Early 70s long wheel base Landrover.

Ex army with a 2.5 litre landrover diesel engine dropped into it. Overweight and under powered, wouldn't go up some of the hills around here unless it was in low ratio. Struggled to do any more than 55mph, despite being fitted with Fairey overdrive and freewheeling hubs.

Nightmare to start, heater plugs were rubbish and the device which shot flame down the inlet manifold in an attempt to preheat it made little or no difference. If it didn't start on the first few turns that was it.

It used to snap rear half shafts like carrots, the heater was a circular drum with an element and a fan bolted to the underside of the front fascia and made lots of noise but no real heat, the screen wipers didn't, the steering was er...vague, and the gear change felt more like stirring a bowl of porridge, with the added interest of no synchro in first gear.

Never again!

[timwilky]

1968 vauxhall viva HB. My first car, cost me £25 (stolen/recovered). God the rust for wings, written off by the police car that hit it from behind whilst it was embedded in the front of a cattle truck.

Then the Morris Marina that replaced it £75 (Stolen/recovered), sold for £200 to my brother who wrapped it round a lamp post for £250 with a bent side.

Then the Vauxhall shovit that replaced that for £200 at 3 months old after it had suffered an engine fire. 4 replacement engines in my 150,000 miles. that 1256cc 3 bearing crank was a crock. middle of nowhere when it throws a con rod through the block, snapped woodroof key in the cam chain causing a valve/piston incident etc. Never owned a Vauxhall since. Or bought write offs.

[NTECUK]

J11 qashai.
Poor pannle fit.
Rattles from the interior trims
Grinding front suspension top mounts.
Creaking lower column bush.
And the stop/Start system destroyed the battery.

[BanannaMan]

I had a mid 70's white Ford van that I believe may have been built on Friday the 13th.
Had two motors put in as well as countless other repairs the worse part being electrical problems that saw something going bad nearly on a weekly basis.
It was so bad all the employees at the local car parts store already knew the model and engine, etc. when I came in and I would carry spare parts around just in case.