The Worst car you ever owned?

pablo · Post by **pablo** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 6:19 am

Not had any really bad cars although I did have a Dolomite 1850 twin carbs, 4 speed with overdrive. I fitted twin K&N filters and had larger jets fitted to the carbs. Just one slight problem..to get the full performance out of the car you had pull out the manual choke:smilielol5:

AdrianP · Post by **AdrianP** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 6:23 am

Excellent video Russ,

The worst thing is, when I first got it I didn't think it was actually too bad

RX7 · Post by **RX7** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 8:03 am

Blimey, this is a tricky one as what do you quantify worst as ? Is it worst to drive or the car thats given you the most problems ?

I inherited a 340 1.7 Volvo from my folks and being my first car and rwd thought I was the best thing since sliced bread !! It was a real hoon to drive in the snow. However it had a tendancy to bend valves and this happened to me twice, one of the times being on the A146 right underneath the A47 flyover. You can imagine my dad was pleased about having to pick me up and tow the car from there

. In addition the engine would just cut out and refuse to start from time to time, remember following my Dad who was taking his car in to be repaired, we dropped it off and then couldnt get mine started. I dont think he believed me at the time when I kept saying it did it ! You had to wait a few hours before it would start and we never found out what caused it despite it going into Volvo quite a few times. Also I remember there being a funny smell coming from the back when I first had it and remembered it was where my brother had thrown up all over the back seat when we were younger. Despite me cleaning and cleaning that back seat it still used to smell from time to time. But I had a lot of fond memories in that car despite it being a pain in the ass, would have made a great drift car now !!!!!! The 1.7 engine back then to me was lightening quick compared to mates who had 1.2s etc.

However the car that has given me loads of problems has gotta be my RX7 but I suspect its my fault for putting bits on rather than leaving it stock

ScoobieWRX · Post by **ScoobieWRX** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 8:45 am

1965 Humber Sceptre with an H120 1725cc Holbay Engine - Used to crab on the road, smoke like a powerstation, the overdrive never worked and it crunched in every gear. The leather interior smelled like something nasty was living, or dying under the seats, and when i first got it it had mold everywhere, inside and out!! Nice car though

Austin Riley Elf in pukey grey green with a bus drivers steering wheel that you could turn almost a full half turn before the wheels turned in any direction. Ended up stripping it, fitted a makeshift roll cage made from acro bars and scaffolding, motorbike internal fuel tank and took it grasstracking. Painted the roof in black and white chequers. That was my very first foray into motorsport

Edited to add: Would you believe this little car had full tan leather interior and a walnut dash!!

Marina 1300cc in BRG. Went fine after a fashion but leaked like a sieve. Most of the water came though the top of the windscreen passenger side and out down behind the glove box. Someone had put the most awful patterned beige, green and red house carpet on the floor as the OEM carpet had rotted. Smelled like death inside.

Pukey green 850cc mini. Drivers side floorpan was so bad you could do a flintstone with it. Carburettor kept leaking all the time and the fuel pump packed in every couple of months. Awful car but happy memories nonetheless.

And there are many more........

RPS13 · Post by **RPS13** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 1:07 pm

Mini 850 auto for me. It never managed a single journey without breaking down, so 2 weeks later i took a big hammer to it and bought a honda. I hate minis now.

puggsy · Post by **puggsy** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 4:01 pm

fiat 127 for me as well, but i think the worst to drive was an old VW camper, the steering was terrible, tried to take me up a slip road by itself once. Then went all the way to Glasto at 35mph after the throttle cable slipped and i had no tools on me.

cannit · Post by **cannit** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 4:35 pm

As a mechanic i drive alot of cars and agree with Puggsy as soon as i saw it, VW camper van is the worst thing i have ever driven!!

Worst car i have ever owned...... I reckon one of the run a round clios i had sticks out most memorably, the heaters didnt work in it and i remember driving over to the west country for a corporate track say once. I left the night before and decided i would pull in a service station nearby and sleep. By the time i got to the M25 hyperthermia was setting in and i was then wearing my clothes i'd left home in and the clothes for the next day too with a quilt over my lap, had to stop in the end and get right under the quilt as i couldnt go on i was so cold!

drifter · Post by **drifter** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:48 pm

Ford Orion 1.4....used to go slower in 5th than it did in 4th

Next would be the Rover 1.6 GSi, but that was actually quite sprightly at the time.

chrislandy · Post by **chrislandy** » Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:06 am

My worst car is my current one, Landrover Freelander 2, tbh it's put me off the brand and I've owned a land rover (in some form) for the last 14 years! The tech is not reliable, radio plays up, the phone sync is rubbish, the fuel gauge randomly reads whatever it wants, the fuel economy is shocking considering it's an oil burner i.e. 17-30mpg (30 on a looooong gentle journey with a feather on the gas pedal) and the dealership is terrible for aftercare

russ979 · Post by **russ979** » Mon Nov 02, 2009 9:45 pm

puggsy wrote:fiat 127 for me as well, but i think the worst to drive was an old VW camper, the steering was terrible, tried to take me up a slip road by itself once. Then went all the way to Glasto at 35mph after the throttle cable slipped and i had no tools on me.

Ooops!:blush5: I had an old type 2 combi, and have to agree it was shocking to drive. Finding a gear was more luck than judgement and likewise the steering was a joke! I always wanted to paint it brown and write hovis down the sides!:) But the fact it had a 2 litre engine and i sold it for more money than i could ever hope to get for the scooby, it could`nt possibly go down as the worst car i ever owned!;)