Best/worst car you've ever had?

[roverboy]

Can't believe this hasn't been done yet, but if it has, I apologise!!

We've had "What do you drive?" and "What do you wish you drove?", how about best and worst cars?

My worst car ever had to be an MGF 1.8VVC that I brought back from BFG. At first, it was great, but then the passenger door would refuse to open. Took it to a garage in Darlington who asked if it was a tax free car because the hood had been fitted incorrectly, causing water to leak into the door, and consequently the lock relay was shorting out. At 16,000 miles the head gasket failed, so I got rid.

I'm torn between my best car. I did have a Citroen BX 19 GTi 16 Valve which looked like a family car, but was more than a match for the Peugeot 205 with the same engine. But I think my best car had to be my Peugeot 306 GTi-6 with no badges to give away what model the car was!!

 

[TheHogwartsBEngO]

so far my Bavarian wonder has been 'the worst' in terms of running costs - £500 for brakes, servicing costs quite high and the constant worry of turbo-failure. It's quite high-maintenance such as having to apply silican lube to the door seals every couple of weeks to stop creaks; however, it's also the best car I've owned in terms of driving pleasure, power, handling, looks, practicality etc. Overall it's the best I've owned.

My Seat Leon 1.4 S (poverty spec) was pretty good too. Uber reliable and comfy but just so underpowered.

I think though, the best car ever in the BEngO collection has to have been the 05 plate Micra 'Urbis' 5 door. Superb little motor - really well-built, quite nippy, would turn on a 6-pence, a doddle to park, light controls and comfortable on a long trip. It was quite cheap to buy, pennies to insure, 40+ mpg and other than routine servicing (which was cheap!) didn't cost us a penny in 2 years. It was no racer by any means, but as an everyday form of transport on british roads it was hard to beat.

 

[Maxmeister]

My worst car has had to have been my Peugeot 206 1.4. It was a rash buy after 5 minutes of stupidity in my Focus (which left me with higher insurance). I found it totally under-powered and had to plan any over taking manuovre an hour in advance. I had intermittant air bag warnings that spuriously dissappeared on the way to the garage and came back the day after i got the car back and to round it all off poor build quality.

My best ever car is a flip of a coin between my old Focus 1.8 zetec and our Seat Leon 1.6 Stylance (new style).

The focus always put a smile on my face especially once i hit 3,500 revs. the only downer with it was that it made me drive like an absolute w@nker!

The Leon has great handling, looks good (IMHO), fantastic value for money and great build quality (VW Audi group). The 0-60 time is not great but the mid range torque is fantastic for extremely safe overtaking. The wife can get over 40 MPG out of the thing. The Leon puts a smile on my face when i get to drive it because it was an absolute bargain of £12,000 brand new and fantastic after sales. Would recommend one to anybody!!!!!

 

[pomp101]

worst car i ever owned was my first car, a white austin metro 1.0hle bought in '89, was totally ripped off when bought it, resented that car from the day i picked it up.

best car was defo my golf 1.6sport i brought back from cyprus in '98, i would still have been driving that car around now if my ex wife hadnt forced me to sell it when we got divored....

 

[gray]

Best car I ever had was an Austin Maxi !.. Bought for £250, numberplate sold for £250, 2nd plate sold for £200 and I sold it on for £150. Only car I ever made a profit on (and it was good to sleep in the back on a night on the beer).

Gray

 

[Major Geek]

Worst: Montego - silver rust bucket that leaked and ate wheel bearings.

Best: Escort (diesel) - never failed and cost nothing to maintain apart from regular oil changes.

 

[Bluntend]

My worst car, but also my favourite car by far was an old 1979 mini. I had it when I was a student in Manchester and in 3 years never once made the journey back to Kent without the help of Green Flag. Saved a packet in petrol though. The neighbours knew I was home when in the middle of the night our road'd be lit up with yellow flashing lights as my old jam jar was unloaded (again). Ahh, happy times.

 

[Scaley brat]

Worst 1.8 marina, Hartley's made the suspension on it, also my mk1 Capri..... a total rust bucket.

Best my VW. Ace machine ! 2nd best My old 4x4. DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[Bluntend]

Coming a close second to my mini, was an old VW polo. It had terminal engine problems from day one which stemmed from a blown cylinder head and a botched helicoil. Still it ran ok as long as you didn't plan on going up any steep hills. Bought it for $500, sold it for $850 (despite the fact it broke down on its test drive) so can't complain really.

 

[TrenchardsLoveSock]

Best car: My Cinquecento Sporting when I bought it two years ago. A bright red Noddy car on a mild dose of steroids that never failed to make me smile, both behind the wheel and when parked at work next to the new BMW 7 series, Audi RS4 Avants and other expensive transport of the upper classes. Cheap to run, insurance group 2 and did the round trip from Redruth to Cosford at an average of 90mph without complaint.


Worst car: Same as above 2 years later. Clapped out piece of cr4p that has never been the same since the head gasket went. Dodgy fuel injection system means it runs like a dog and drinks fuel. During the last year I've had to overhaul the complete brake system, the handbrake seized on, the drivers door has dropped and sticks shut. I don't know whether to fix it, flog it or burn it::/:

 

[MattBombHead]

Best Car - Has to be either my Smart For2 (current car) - does 60+mpg, comfy, and turns heads all the time

OR the Paul Smith Mini LE i had at Bruggen. Great fun to drive, and also turned heads

Worst Car - Citroen Visa 1,7 diesel. was noisy, slow, uncomfy, and broke down on my way from cosford, on my way back from bruggen to attend my tonka Q course... in fact every time i needed it to remain servicable really...

 

[shettie]

Best - An Audi Avant I brought back from BFG, it was big and black and the gate guard used to salute it (probably because of the Storno aerial I had fitted for the radio! )

The worst... A £200 2ltr Fiat Miriafiore - heap! Bought it to get up and down to Hereford for GST - Heater was permanantly on (during a bl00dy hot summer - went everywhere with all the windows open. The brakes were... optimistic at the best of times, the gearbox had seen better days, the clutch was... Um... Soggy, and the first trip down cost me a new battery. The boot was permanantly half full of water and the drivers seat gave me backache! Sold it on (at a snip) for £150 and then hid every time I saw the bloke who bought it!

 

[mightyhunter]

Best - Vectra 2.5 V6 CDX - all mod cons, leather seats, went like stink. quality!!DT_Xtremez_19:
Worst - Citroen AX GT - blew two engines, sh!t to drive, sh!t to own. it was pump::/:

 

[the lovetoad]

Worst - Chrysler voyager - went thru' more oil than petrol and then only did 18 mpg - bought on ebay - nuff said

Best - MX5 - wife brought back from Cyprus- Awesome little roller skate that had to go when kids were due.

Mind you i've just traded my BMW in for a Skoda Octavia and it's been one of the best moves so far.DT_Xtremez_28:

 

[Chuffybum]

My first car was just brilliant. Datsun Cherry bought whilst in RAFG when everyone else was buying far more expensive (and therefore more reliable?) cars. Came back from a 6 week det to Cyprus and all the cars had been left in a HAS. Porche 911 on lh side of my wee Cherry, BMW 318 on rh side. Both Porche and BMW wouldnt start cos of flat batteries. Jumped in my Cherry thinking the worst as well but lo and behold started 1st time...brilliant!! Didnt half laugh for months after that.

 

[shiny_arse]

Crap - Citroen Picasso 2.0 - still under warranty and it must have gone into the dealers about 5 times in order for something to be fixed or replaced. Last straw was forking out 500 quid when the entire dashpod went kaput 2 months after the warranty run out. A week late the damned thing was continuously shorting out.

Top - Mitsubishi Colt 1.6 - Cheap little gizzet that I bought in Cyprus and one of the most fun things I had driven in a long time. Used to take it down the Ay Nik - Dhekelia corridor road like a rally track. Cheap as chips and nowt went wrong with it. The bloke that bought it off me when I was posted said pretty much the same when I bumped into him a few years later.

 

[Northern Monkey]

Best - Mondeo ST24 - Current motor, only had it a few weeks so touching wood!

Worst - Mechanically a MGF. Other than that a Renault 5 for having a heater that didn't work in winter time!

DT_Xtremez_35:

 

[Major Geek]

Crap - Citroen Picasso 2.0 -.......

You must have had a duff one. Had mine from new for 5 years and still happy with it. Not the best looker but **** loads of room, comfy and very versatile.

 

[dantura]

Best Car - Has to be either my Smart For2 (current car) - does 60+mpg, comfy, and turns heads all the time

OR the Paul Smith Mini LE i had at Bruggen. Great fun to drive, and also turned heads

Worst Car - Citroen Visa 1,7 diesel. was noisy, slow, uncomfy, and broke down on my way from cosford, on my way back from bruggen to attend my tonka Q course... in fact every time i needed it to remain servicable really...

Almost a ditto here.
Best - Smart 4-2 (current), cruise control, heated seats, air con, alloys, cd... 700cc's of pure practicality.

or, my old Mini Cooper 1.3i which was fun personified and cornered like a go-kart.


Worst- Citroen C4 VTR+ Coupe (also current). Its a very pretty car and really not bad to drive.....WHEN ITS NOT BACK IN THE BL00DY GARAGE.::/: 18 months old and I reckon 4 of those I have been driving courtesy cars.

Last time for a Citroen but Smart is the smart way ahead.

Next car to replace Citroen will be a Mini Cooper S I think?


D

 

[Harry B'Stard]

Worst and best.

Worst and best.

My worst car had to be a Peugeot 406 I bought a few years ago. It's 1.8 petrol engine was asthmatic and developed a rattle that made it sound like a diesel (just after the warranty ran out). Then when it was only 60,000 miles and a few years old the gearbox went on it so I couldn't get reverse.::/:

Second worse was a Peugeot 405 that I had before the 406 (never one to learn a lesson!). It drove really well but cost a fortune with various overheating/radiator problems and then finally a blown head gasket.DT_Xtremez_32:

My best car is my current one. As I'm getting old and have a family I bought a Volvo S80. Yes I get loads of stick from work about driving a car longer than a Limo but it's great for long distance. Plus the 2.4 litre 170 bhp engine makes me smile every time I put my foot down.... now I know why the police used them for years!DT_Xtremez_42: