The worst car you've ever driven

[r.welfare]

German stuff was always alleged to be built better. High-spec Sierras (Ghias) always seem to last better than the boggo stuff for example. I heard stories of door drain holes being sealed on the Halewood production line on the early Mk4 Scrotes but I think that's probably BS.

[Spottedlaurel]

Leaving aside reliability issues, and forgetting about the odd cars I’ve had that have been unpleasant to drive through previous neglect/abuse, the ones that stick out for me are firstly an L-reg MK5 Escort (punched under the chin-look facelift) TD estate pool car. Ghastly thing, horrible engine and dreadful mish-mash of an interior. Shame was when I changed jobs they had a similar car, but at least that was petrol.Other one was a P-reg Passat saloon with the 20v 1.8 engine. No torque, horribly undergeared, dull dull dull.. After a month of that one I ended up with a 5-cyl Marea, a much more characterful car which I remember fondly (fortunately I didn’t have to pay for the petrol).Driven a couple of previous-model Yaris 1.0’s, they’re not something I’d go and buy myself or anyone else for that matter. Everything felt a bit remote and artificial, again no torque though they buzzed along happily enough. I suspect most modern small cars are like that though, I don’t drive much new stuff.I’m not really a fan of multi-valve 4-cyl petrol engines, though the big-capacity one in my Camry has plenty of torque so it is excused. Switchgear, gearchange and pedal weighting also has a big bearing on how I feel about a car – will never warm to our Astra works van for the way it feels like the indicator stalk will snap off. I like everything to feel like it has a consistency about it, the Accord I recently sold to Mash did that very well.

[reallyloud]

Mk4 and Mk5 escorts seem to get a universal pasting when it comes to genuinely undesirable cars - my missus had a fully equipped S reg Escort Finesse estate, which wasn't a bad little car - it seems that ford had sorted out much of the problems by the time the car ended its production run. I suppose what they say in the trade about buying any of the last edition ford range rings true.

[MrRegieRitmo]

what made it a kick in the teeth is that it replaced a 406, which was somehow a considerably nicer car all round.

But on the minus side, a bit dull, a bit dated & barring the coupe, very anonymous! Just our opinion of course!

[Spottedlaurel]

I can’t forgive the 406 for the way the window rattles if you shut the door with it partly wound-down. Clearly such a detail renders the whole car worthless.

[r.welfare]

O RLY? I will have to check that out, SL.I must say that any car where the seats and interior trim look unworn after 231,000 miles is alright by me. No wonder the minicabbers love 'em.

[Milford Cubicle]

what made it a kick in the teeth is that it replaced a 406, which was somehow a considerably nicer car all round.

But on the minus side, a bit dull, a bit dated & barring the coupe, very anonymous! Just our opinion of course!

I don't think the 406 has dated much given that it's such an inoffensive and 'right' design, I think the 407 will date very quickly though.

[MrRegieRitmo]

As an extension to this topic, I give you the Top 20 as voted for 'by us'!......:?hmmm........http://motoring.sky.com/news_features/top-20-worst-cars-youve-ever-driven--as-voted-for-.aspx?1

[Milford Cubicle]

Nissan Serena "Destroy them all and make the world a better place!"

Nissan Serenas aren't that offensive are they? What a predictable list. I bet most of the people who nominated them haven't even driven them.

[pompei]

I'd be happy with any of them. Except the Rover 100, the Matiz and the Escort.The other galleries pass 5 minutes agreeably enough. The Chinese rip-off designs are interesting too.

[58classiccars]

hi it must be a fso,or a commer van

[Guest]

what made it a kick in the teeth is that it replaced a 406, which was somehow a considerably nicer car all round.

But on the minus side, a bit dull, a bit dated & barring the coupe, very anonymous! Just our opinion of course!

I don't think the 406 has dated much given that it's such an inoffensive and 'right' design, I think the 407 will date very quickly though.

Ours was a facelift like this, I think they're a genuinely attractive car and wouldn't say they've dated at all to be honest:

 

 

Probably the last design of Peugeot I liked - decent proportions count for a lot and none of the current range seem to have them.

[Karmann Ghiaman]

Nice pix in Mr Regie's list! Wasn't it the Yugo where they said that the best thing about it was the heated rear window?It kept your hands warm while you were pushing it.

[reallyloud]

Stumbled across this somewhat tongue in cheek list by some 'car enthusiast'. I don't think it should be taken too seriously, so best not send hate mail to him, but it is amazing to see how prejudices of old cars seem to remain with a percentage of the classic car community. Let assume he copied these from some AOL list or summin' - because almost without exception I would choose any of his 'best forgotten cars' - and members of this forum seems to actually own many of cars he mentions. FORUM WARS!!!!!!http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/classic_car_article9_pt5.htm

[Mat.T]

The worst car that i have experianced to drive is my dads Citroen c3. Its not realy a bad car its done now 160k since he brought in in 2004 and the little 16v Diesel still returns excellent mpg and it has gone wrong yet appart from lots of bits of plastic which have fell off.....but its really boring to drive and you sit up to hight which mad me sea sick .As for 406's after me and my mates piloted one round europe last year i have realy grown to like them, attractive styling and very nice to drive Even if the cdplayer/air con/central locking/rear electric windows/temp guage didnt work.

[Jazzy Jeff]

Most people are idiots, and both of those articles are pure cocksnot.Clarkson and his ill informed ilk have a lot to answer for. Now everyone with a finger and a keyboard can go around typing ill infomed tirades against cars they have never driven, or probably even seen, and think it's endlessly witty.

[Richard]

I drove a lot of 1970s bread and butter cars in the 1980s/90s and the Allegro was as good as any for space, handling, performance and economy. They were certainly a lot more pleasant to be in than Mk2 Escorts. Most people who write these articles say the square steering wheel made it a bad car. By that logic all but the very early ones must be good cars. I've only seen one fitted with a quartic wheel and that was retro-fitted. I had a brief drive in it and I have to say it felt right- and I could see the speedo.There was plenty bad about Allegros, the OHC engine was horrible and all engines were badly made at least some of the time, but the lazy journalists never get past the quartic wheel.

[Mr Lobster]

Most people are idiots, and both of those articles are pure cocksnot.

Very true!!The internet means that anybody can expres their opinions wether they are worth expressing or not and to decide that car X is crap because someone owned one which leaked or whatever is ridiculous. Its all very subjective and ultimately is only peoples personal opinions which don't really count for that much as Milford Cubicle says, most of them probably have never driven the cars.

[Mr Lobster]

Ours was a facelift like this, I think they're a genuinely attractive car and wouldn't say they've dated at all to be honest:

 

 

Probably the last design of Peugeot I liked - decent proportions count for a lot and none of the current range seem to have them.

I would have to say that the last of the 406s was a very nice car, good looking, well equiped and pleasant enough to drive. I'd agree that the 407 was an oversized, underpowered monster. And its bloody hideous!

[reallyloud]

lazy journalists never get past the quartic wheel.

Rover SD1 have them too.

[Pillock]

I suppose what they say in the trade about buying any of the last edition ford range rings true.

Definately! I've been in a few late-model Escorts (one of them being an X-reg, long after the Focus was released) and the fit and finish is way superior to the early one my mum had for a while. By this stage they were using Zetec engines in a lot of models too instead of the nasty clattery boat anchors they used in the early 90s (I forget what ford called them.... probably 'nasty clattery boat anchors').Similarly, our old Mondeo which again was a mk1 registered after the mk2 was available (company fleet, probably got them all cheap) was really tightly made, and made 195k without any fuss at all. My friend's 2001 first-of-the-mk3 models is a squeaky rattly mess that's been back to the garage endlessly.My granddad reckoned when he went to buy his run-out Cortina in 1982, they wouldn't give him a discount at all - screen price or nothing. Yet the Sierra which was sharing showroom space was already being marked down to get some shifted!

[MrRegieRitmo]

what made it a kick in the teeth is that it replaced a 406, which was somehow a considerably nicer car all round.

But on the minus side, a bit dull, a bit dated & barring the coupe, very anonymous! Just our opinion of course!

I don't think the 406 has dated much given that it's such an inoffensive and 'right' design, I think the 407 will date very quickly though.

Ours was a facelift like this, I think they're a genuinely attractive car and wouldn't say they've dated at all to be honest:

 

 

Probably the last design of Peugeot I liked - decent proportions count for a lot and none of the current range seem to have them.

There's nothing really 'wrong' with the 406, it just didn't move on much from the 405 / 605 look. Car design since the Millennium has been much bolder & braver. The 406 harks back to when cars wanted to just be a mode of transport without making a statement or getting you noticed for better or worse. Most cars of the late 90s had this philosophy of not shouting 'look at me'! Take the 5 Series of the late 90s....E39 was it? I forget....but compare that to the current 5 series which shouts much louder at you! Same with the 90s Megane, compare it to the current version which challenges you to either like it or loathe it!

[Mr Lobster]

The design of the 406 was somewhat conservative because this is what its main customer - fleet buyers - like. It means they are easier to dispose of hence stronger residual values.The 407 is a lot more individual which makes disposal a little harder in a crowded market sector and hence lower residual values which is bad news for Mr Fleet Manager.

[Simon M]

There was plenty bad about Allegros, the OHC engine was horrible and all engines were badly made at least some of the time, but the lazy journalists never get past the quartic wheel.

There are, I believe, far more Allegros still on the roads than many other supposedly 'good' cars of the same period - around 1000 as of 2006, which is more than the apparently superior Maxi and Princess put together!I have to admit I'm biased, as the Allegro is my dream shite and I aspire to owning one one day......

[Baz]

My Dacia Duster was an awful car....Yet strangely charming....

[Raffles]

Car design since the Millennium has been much bolder & braver.

Really? After the Focus arrived, a lot of cars started looking very similar in my eyes*. Years back it was more difficult to find cars that looked anything like each other compared to these modern times.Admittedly there are some design triumphs out there now but they are the exception to the rule...* - Other eyes are available.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Actually, thinking about it you've got a point Mr Raffles, there has been a large plethora of distinctive vehicles on the road previously.....in the 70s! That was the last time designs were very fresh & characterful. I actually read somewhere, I think in a book on 'Cars of the 80s' (as a follow up to my book on.....'Cars of the 70s') that the choice & variety of vehicles on offer during that period was definitely down on what it had been in the previous decade. I believe that trend continued into the 90s & only now in the 00s are we seeing a resurgence in the amount of makes & variety of models & ranges available.

[STUNO]

I have been reading this and was not going to comment. But I don't know how many cars I have owned, Ford 10,Daimler v8, rx7,Morris 1800, Aussie fords and holdens, Even an Isuzu Bellett, I loved them all even though some were definitely shite.Yes I have even owned an Allegro.

[reallyloud]

Car design in the 50's and 60's with a few exceptions were quite similar - the usual round headlamps and fins school of styling seemed to be the order of the day. Fiat molded the 3 box shape (124/125 etc) and then that was copied by most manufacturers. Off the top of my head, I'd say very few cars have been launched that have been truly revolutionary in terms of styling and set trends.....NSU Ro80Citroen GSRenault 16Renault 5/Fiat 12780's stuff is actually a lot easier to define - Fiat UnoPeugeot 205Renault EspaceAudi 100Ford SierraI've noticed how many of them seemed to have been car of the year too...must be something in those jurys.

[nigel bickle]

Stuno -tell me about the Bellett- as mine finally lands here mid June.Is it as god awful as I suspect -judging by the reticence of the seller to actually tell me anything or print a picture bigger than a thumbnail!