Biggest disapointment/overrated car experience

[Station]

I must've had bad ones, they were very worn out tbh, I bet a properly would be fun, but on the road? I seem to remember gripping the (horrible) wheel in fear when I misjudged a corner at any speed!

Fuel injection ftw.

[eddyramrod]

Escorts: I'm glad it's not just me. I'd go so far as "Thank Goodness!"

 

SD1: I did say I probably should try a V8, see if it can exorcise the demon of the 2.6. I rarely worry about fuel consumption: you need a car, it might as well be one you enjoy. But manual gearbox? WHY, BBC, why?

[Pete-M]

Worn Mk2s aren't much fun. Well set up ones are the most fun I've ever had in a car. My old, properly set up 528 bhp Cosworth came closest. That is still the car I most regret parting with.

 

As for Jags. They're not perfect, not by a long stretch, but a good one is still one of the best ways to travel there is. I've had 2 XJ-Ss, first was a H.E which was smooth but not a nice one. Second was a 4.0 Sport job which was a nice car. My current XJR is a league apart. It's tiny inside for the size of car but it transported me 1000 miles in 16 hours in comfort at an average speed of 70 mph - including getting the ferry. Probably the best car I've ever owned at that kind of mission. It's reasonably nippy too.

 

Maestros - The cooking ones do nothing for me but the MG 2.0 EFi job was probably the best family hatch of it's time to drive, and the least offensive Maestro to look at.

[warren t claim]

Just to be controversial I'm going to say the Sierra Cosworth 4x4. It just drove like a standard 2wd but with four passengers on board. A 1988 Nissan 200sx felt quicker.

[stormee]

Many complaints about the 2.0 BMW straight 6 here. This I understand for the old E30/E28/E12 M20 engines, the M50 24V are WAY better. They still lack torque, though. My recent car is a E34 520i 24V manual, it revs well, sounds well and performs well up to top speed. It still goes 210km/h at first wish without complaints but you really miss the torquey punch! The 2.5 is the better engine in both M20 and M50 guise in any case, an E30 325i feels fast and IS fast!

[richardthestag]

Maybe I have low standards but the best drives of the 90's for me were my mk2 GTi 8v golf with rattle free interior and tight handling and my dads xj6 s3 4.2 - drank like oldie Reid but worth every penny.

 

Dire rides included

 

gte ashtray 16v -just could not get it off the line without sitting in clouds of my tyre smoke,

 

a hatful g reg xr3i which was awful in a straight line and worse on the corners,

 

pug 205 gti 1.9 - yes seriously!!! Handled great right up until the point where it tried to kill me, plus it ate camshafts because of some shite lubrication issues with the cam shaft

 

Original mini, what is the fascination, I cannot get comfy in them, noisy, smelly, cramped coffin bastard things, plus they a bastards to fix for home mechanics like me.

[Lord Sterling]

I know its been said before..........

 

BMW E46 coupe/saloon

The Coupes suspension was too stiff and ride was crashy, steering inert and numb, gearchange feels sloppy and uncertain, interior feels tacky and cold. Saloons fared little better. It showed me nothing more than the fact people only rave about them simply because they swallow all the marketing buff.

 

BMW 523 E39

Woefully underpowered and felt very wollowy and barge like to drive, it kind of felt like a small engine pulling a heavy car.

 

MG ZT Diesel

Very poor performance for something modern that wears an MG badge, I expected better.

 

Rover 820 Vitesse

Most mid-life crisis 800 owners tend to rave on about these. I dont see the appeal at all. What is supposed to be an executive car now wants be a sort of English 'Impreza' with a little more style and comfort. The ride was crashy and uncomfortable, the performence wasnt what you expected and it just looked generally ugly with those stupid 17" alloys.

 

Citroen Saxo

Who thought that putting the accelerator, brake and clutch pedal so close together that you could unintentionally wheel spin the car standing almost everytime you tried to drive the thing was a good idea?

 

Renault Clio 1998+

Lots of these little things going around, again possibly bought for that 'look I've got a new/current car' trend. Very wierd driving positon, takes alot of getting used to.

 

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Sorry to be a bit lazy here but there is nothing more I can add to these but agree with them:

 

I thought I wanted a Jag until I drove several examples of the breed. Slower, noisier and far less comfortable than I was expecting and an object lesson in crap ergonomics and poor space utilisation.

I don't want a Jag anymore.

Very fast, of course, but that's obvious. Sublime handling, but then that's its job. Otherwise, horribly snatchy, flimsy and nasty. Also bedevilled by that tacky "go on, race me" image that had every feral hairy-palmed benefit cheat in the land eyeing it up enviously. Most embarassing to be seen in. Not to my taste.

This, but change the car to Subaru Impreza.

 

VW Golf Mk5 \ Mk6 (every fucking variant I've tried)

 

Do not understand. Willfully average. Average interior. Average economy. Average handling. Average build quality. DULL AS FUCK.

Agreed, although one Golf I did like was the VR6.

 

I have a theory about BMWs and VAG stuff by the way: I reckon because some people talk about them like they're the absolute greatest car in the world and are fantastically brilliant that when drivers of supposedly rubbish cars try them they actually find they're perhaps not a million times better than their own car.

I'm NOT saying German cars are crap but (mostly) they're not actually the bees knees either, so I can kind of see why some people are disappointed with them... they're not always worth the premium they sometimes seem to attract over similar 'lesser badged' cars.

Agreed with this 100%

[Alpus]

Citroen Saxo

 

The worst car I have ever driven. Only one foot required for all three pedals;they are far too close to each other. Shite brakes. Nice looking cars, but the Clio has more appeal to me anyway. Also the indicator stalk was confusing.