What's The Most Disappointing Car You've Owned/Driven?
 

As above, slightly different take from the usual "what car would you have if money was no problem", "what's your favourite Volvo" etc.....

And I'm thinking more of performance cars or exotica, which you were looking forward, rather than a Primera hire car or similar!

I'll set the ball rolling with a Porsche 928 S2. Maybe fine for an Autobahn, a nightmare on twisty A roads over here, never mind back roads like we have....!

dobble six daimler....v12........may as well just stabbed the tank and let the fuel run out..oh no wait that would of taken longer......nothing but a money pit....i was young and it was very nice just cost me so much........

The most disappointing was an Audi A4 Avant 2.0 tdi 170. Having read all the magazines I expected it to be really good. It wasn't anything at all.

Another disappointment was every Alfa I driven (3 so far).

The crappest car I've ever driven full stop? A vauxhall corsa! Terrible. Crash it and you'll be dead! Thinner doors than a tin of beans!

The best? For driving BMW 3 series. For comfort Volvo S80. :0)

E46 BMW M3 x2, first one had total electrical failure 4 times so they replaced it with another new one, this one had to have 2 new engines 3 gearboxes 2 diffs and electrics completly redone, the M3 was one of my dream cars to have and what a big let down.

This is going to sound ott, but honestly, Ferrari Testarossa. Completely blew a boyhood dream. Like steering the QE2, crap visibility, and not that well finished either. Big let down.

Rob

Now we might have to go some to beat that - any pics??!!!

Unfortunately not, it was in the early 90's, the car was owned by the MD of a firm next door to my fathers company. He always had 'flash' cars, but this was a real turn up. I'd never seen one in the flesh till then.
As a lad I'd always admired 308's Daytona's etc, so this was a real oportunity to go in one. Turned out it put me right off.

Rob

Jeez - where to start?

Tying for first place are:

1. Pontiac GTO
2. Trans Am
3. Marina Estate.

All very unpleasant.

Don't know about worst but I have either refused a purchase or looked at something else as a result of disappointment for one reason or another;

2003 Jaguar S-type R 4.2 V8 S/C

Was looking for a 4 door replacement for my 53' XKR at the time, this was very different but had the peachy engine and box I love on the Jags. The test drive was great, the car drove very smoothly with a comfortably firm and composed and capable chassis. The negatives were, unsuitable rear leg room with the driver's seat in my position, very bad on a car of this size/class and a boot that was impracticle, whilst being very long (which is fine), it was very shallow. The Ford switch gear also gets very tiresome once the new car novelty has worn off. Other than this its superb.

BMW E39 M5 5.0 V8

I actually purchased this after my E34 3.8 M5. It IS a stunning a car, the extra flexibility of the engine was very welcome, overall it is a very well rounded car but its draw back was that it just didn't capture the 'essence' of the E34 3.8 in the moments and neither could the extra grunt of the engine even begin to compensate for it. Ultimately it was sold as it was just too boomy inside for long distance motorway cruising when in need of a relaxing waft in silence along with the firm ride for my passengers to endure.

TVR Cerbera 4.5 V8

Was looking to buy this alongside my E34 M5 and on the test drive, the whole TVR drama was epic ..... when the TVR salesman said, drop it into 3rd (at speed) and floor it, I followed his instruction only to have, what turned out to be the clutch genuinely self destruct big time. Despite this I still wanted to buy another 4.5 they had in but accepted the fact, being late to meetings due to breakdowns would also impact negatively on my contracting. The impact of the event really hit home with the 'horror' stories of unreliability.

Audi TT 3.2 V6

I honestly understand why these things sell, they are all show. The handling is not sports car like in any way, shape or form, there is far too much understeer to be a drivers delight and whilst being grunty... they are, in the real world slow.

Toyota Celica Tsport 190

I had personally had a few of the older 1989-1993 models and loved them for the sporty, quick, reliable, comfortable and surprising practicality. So I expected a lot from the far newer 190 model as I was looking for something for the g/f. Whilst the interior was very nice and laid out in a stylish but logical manner, the drive was very poor. The power, below (IIRC) 6,000rpm was so bad its just like being in an average car, so in the real world, at real speeds/revs, you will never have any performance for nipping about/overtaking etc. By the time the engine would rev upto its perky rev band, all the traffic would be so far ahead that you'd need to ring it neck only to catch it all up! Also, going flat out, it wasn't as electric as my older ST185 models, which on the road were much faster. The steering was also very light and isolated which also did not inspire any confidence.

Ford Escort RS Turbo

I had to drive this for 3 days (owned by a family friend). It was pretty swift especially being tinkered with mechanically). However, the whole car felt like an old Ford, where everything rattles/creaks, nothing feels nice to touch, all the interior panels/trim didn't have an even/pleasing fit. I knew people took the **** out of Fords but if this is how they were... I'm shocked people bought them in the first place.

The worst by far was a 1975 American Ford Granada - 5 litre V8 and 115bhp. Yes really! Went and handled like a dog. Took them 6 months to solve a cold start problem. (at -25 degrees). Only good thing was the Aircon in the Summer. And I still drove this thing half way across the U.S.

More recently, a Peugeot 406 V6 Estate with 217 bhp. Super engine but completely unreliable. Appetite for Ignition coils, when one went I could barely get off my driveway!