Worst vehicles you've driven and owned

MRC · Apr 29, 2020

jaguar11
Oh, and one of the headlights kept sticking up!!!

That's an Elan trait too. Usefully (!) it tells you that the chassis has rotted through because the chassis acts as the vacuum tank for the pneumatic headlamp raising. (Spring up, vacuum down.)

I do have a soft spot for the old Maxi, two thousand miles in 4 days with three mechanics, tool chests and welding bottles servicing on the R.A.C. in the mid-1970s 👍 Getting to the red-line in 5th was something few Maxi owners acheived I believe. Downhill only of course. The owner of the Maxi was driving one of the last Issigonis/Moulton/Cooper Minis to take part in International rallies. And he knew how we needed to treat his Maxi to get to the next service point on time.

warrydog · Apr 29, 2020

kingsrider
Funny thing is, now they are back in style.

I'm sure Walter White (Breaking Bad) had something to do with this.
Along with the surge in popularity of vintage station wagons..... And Hey, it's still an SUV!!!
Based on my experience with Jeeps throughout my career, I have never been tempted to buy one.

Thrasher36 · Apr 29, 2020

1957 Thunderbird Convertible. So much heat coming through firewall and way to small for a 6-3 guy.

gbesq · Apr 29, 2020

Late 70s Volkswagen Dasher. Engine overheated regularly and lots of electrical issues. AWFUL car.

Syzygy · Apr 29, 2020

'85 Chevy Sprint...3 cylinder Suzuki engine that burned a case of oil per tank of fuel. We called it the Mosquito Fogger. Hated that car, but loved having something to get around with that didn't require peddling.

Roosa · Apr 29, 2020

1995 Chevy Astro High-Top. A solid (but not great at gas mileage) 4.3L V6 surrounded by absolute garbage everything else. After a few years it was going through an EGR valve every year, sometimes two. It burned oil, it handled like a boat, it attracted rust, the sliding door stopped sliding......miserable experience.

overdraft · Apr 30, 2020

OK, this BMW RnineT wasn’t horrible in and of itself, but I lusted after these things so hard when they first came out that when I finally got one it amplified my disappointment... don’t get me wrong, the thing looked the part! Retro cool at it’s finest, better than the new-to-look-old offerings from Triumph and Moto Guzzi etc, but it just didn’t ride! Transmission stolen from a tractor, vague and seemingly variable handling. Only one summer on this before i got rid of it.

loniscup · Apr 30, 2020

Archer
VW - it's an event when the check engine light actually goes out! 😉

haha my wife bought a Polo Gti new in 2001 and we still have it... the check engine light is on approximately 10 years and I believe 150k kms ago... I stopped worrying about it at some point 🙄

Fritz · Apr 30, 2020

loniscup
haha my wife bought a Polo Gti new in 2001 and we still have it... the check engine light is on approximately 10 years and I believe 150k kms ago... I stopped worrying about it at some point 🙄

Pahh! You western capitalists and your check engine lights!

the Lada I had in college had no such thing. But about once a month, for no good reason, ALL the warning lights and indicators on the dash and center stack would light at once. It lit the entire interior with this weird Christmasy glow. Scared the shit out of me the first time it did it as there was a giant red one at the top of the dash that said “brake” which really caught my attention. But i learned to give the steering column a good wack to turn them all out, nothing ever came of it as it was a pretty reliable car.

far, far, far better than the Buick that replaced it!

loniscup · Apr 30, 2020

Fritz
Pahh! You western capitalists and your check engine lights!

the Lada I had in college had no such thing. But about once a month, for no good reason, ALL the warning lights and indicators on the dash and center stack would light at once. It lit the entire interior with this weird Christmasy glow. Scared the shit out of me the first time it did it as there was a giant red one at the top of the dash that said “brake” which really caught my attention. But i learned to give the steering column a good wack to turn them all out, nothing ever came of it as it was a pretty reliable car.

far, far, far better than the Buick that replaced it!

😁😁 2105s and Nivas are legendary already!!!

overdraft · May 2, 2020

Fritz, I forgot about Ladas! My buddy caught a ride in one and asked the owner which model of Fiat it was... “it’s a Lada, can’t you tell by the fυcking uncomfortable seats?”

pIoNeErOfThEnILe · May 2, 2020

1.- any range rover. past or present

2- most volkswagens bought after the 80's

3- during the 90's i was going through a transition and the only car i had to drive was an 1980's chevy caprice classic.

this was my only option at a certain time, as it was a pos and a pity gift that was basically worthless. here's the thing. it had problems.

for starters the muffler / tail pipe needed replacing and i didn't want to spend the money fixing it. so every morning when i started it the whole neighborhood would wake up. it sounded like a really loud motorcycle, and you could hear it coming 1000 ft before you saw it.

making matter worse it had some type of engine problem and when i came to stop lights or had to pause in anyway i had to throw it into neutral so it wouldn't stall out

it gets better, i had to keep giving it gas when i threw it into N. do i need to remind you the sound the muffler/tailpipe makes?..so it was even louder with me doing this.

i swear to god people would just drop whatever they were doing and stare at me and the car it was so loud

it was a frikken embarassment...lol

Mouse_at_Large · May 2, 2020

This POS pictured where I should have left it - the dealer's forecourt. The tramlining and tracking made it a horrible driving experience on anything but the smoothest of roads. It went in twice for "remedial" adjustments, neither of which solved its handling deficiencies. After about 3 months it was exchanged for another vehicle. The next owner actually got in touch with me and asked if I had noticed anything odd about the handling........