What was the worst car you ever owned?

[djorkboy]

It has been a boring week laid up in bed with a broken toe so I need some entertainment. People's stories about the crap cars they owned back when they were young, stupid and broke are always interesting, so tell me, what was the worst car you ever owned?

For me, my first thought was a car that wasn't technically mine, it belonged to a guy I shared a house with in Forrest in Canberra back in the mid 90s. He designated it as the "house car". Anyone who lived in this share-house could use it any time they wanted as long as they filled it with fuel before returning it. It had dents on every single panel including a concave roof, it had no keys so you started it with a pocket knife that was kept on the floor under the driver's seat, the windows didn't wind up fully and to open the boot you had to kick the left hand side of the rear number plate a couple of times. But actually this car wasn't bad. Considering the state of the thing it was a marvel that it actually ran, and the fact that it remained registered was a testament to what can be achieved by sending an 18 year old goth girl in a revealing outfit to the inspection station.

My real worst car ever was a HG Holden station wagon I owned for about 6 months in 1989. I needed a car bad, this was all I could find in a hurry. It had a 3-on-the-tree gearbox that was so loose you could only tell what gear you were in by letting the clutch out and taking a chance. You couldn't park it on too steep a hill because the handbrake couldn't hold it but you needed a bit of a hill in case it needed a roll-start. The car was base model, bog stock and white but for some reason the previous owner had painted some huge martini glasses down one side and a bunch of Christmas trees down the other. It was like driving a very embarrassing looking boat, except not as fast. I owned it for a few months then moved to Canberra where my parents were living, my Mother took one look at it and said "I am buying you a car". I wish I had a picture of that car, it was quite a sight.

[brad]

So many to pick from:
HT(K?) Holden with 186 & powerglide was so gutless that even my girlfriend thought there was something majorly wrong. Sold it after 8 weeks ownership.

1972 Ford Capri that appeared to rust as I watched.

MkII Cortina on x-plys. Handling disaster.

EH Holden Premier - handling disaster, rustbucket, gutless.

Lancia Beta Sedan - rusted like the Capri but the engine was sweet.

Gen2 Liberty 2.5 DOHC - looked good on paper but never delivered in reality.

I'm sure there were a few others i could add to the list.

Cars I loved:
LC Torana 1200 - my first car & it copped a hammering without letting me down.

Chrysler by Chrysler 360ci - my first land yacht. Loved it.

ZD Fairlane 302 - like a sports car after the Chrysler.

XT Falcon 3.6 - the first car I ever did decent mods on & it was a ripper.

VB Commodore 4.2. Crap engine but a truckload of suspension mods made it a fun car.

Holden Barina - my first new car. No dramas in 8 years.

U13 Bluebird - it just kept on giving

VW Superbug with Holley & extractors - what a hoot!

Mk3.5 Golf Cabrio - had problems but was always a fun drive

Skoda Octavia 1.8TSI - sleeper

[stickshift3000]

RX4 with an injected 13b turbo. I think it was cursed rather than having actual design flaws.

This was the only time in my life that I've been a member of a roadside assistance group.


My fave car was my first,a datsun 1600. I've owned 3 of them all up...

[djorkboy]

RX4 with an injected 13b turbo. I think it was cursed rather than having actual design flaws.

This was the only time in my life that I've been a member of a roadside assistance group.


My fave car was my first,a datsun 1600. I've owned 3 of them all up...

I traded in an RX4 on the HG Holden mentioned above. I had the RX4 for a week before the seals went, spent $1500 getting it fixed and upgraded a bit, lasted 3 months before the gearbox died, I was desperate for a car so I swapped it for the piece of junk Holden. The dodgy used car dealer wanted to give me $800 for the RX4 but was happy to trade it for the HG he had listed for $1000.

My reason for getting the RX4 was childhood memories of the one my dad bought brand new. 2 door, metallic purple, white vinyl interior, aircraft landing lights in the high beam inserts, 8-track player, overhead console. As a 4/5 year old I loved that car and it still holds mythical status in my family. Then my younger brother came along and ruined everything, my dad traded the RX4 on a Volvo wagon.

[stickshift3000]

My reason for getting the RX4 was childhood memories of the one my dad bought brand new. 2 door, metallic purple, white vinyl interior, aircraft landing lights in the high beam inserts, 8-track player, overhead console. As a 4/5 year old I loved that car and it still holds mythical status in my family.

Yeah I loved the RX, an iconic car of its time. Mine was bog standard inside, even had the white vinyl seats! Mine was plagued with issues mostly from previous owners, and some from doubling the power output of an older car.

On the right day it was a world of fun, that turbo RX4 would have to be the fastest car (in a straight line!) that I've owned, and ever will own.

[brimway]

Worst car :- 1982 Volvo 244GL (I inherited this in default for a debt, should have just written off the debt!!)

Best car :- Apart from current car, 1973 Datsun 1200 coupe, with old school mods, nothing ever went wrong with it

Strangest car :- 1960 Goggomobil Dart, Sold it to my brother who was 10 years old at the time for $1

[walshydub]

Worst car i've owned is definetly my first car.
A 1987 Mk2 Golf C, bottom of the range no equipment and the clutch biting point was right at the top of the travel. not ideal for your first car. Also broke down on me several times, once at 1AM in the snow.
Made a 250 quid profit on it though. Didn't put me off MK2's though, i've had 3 since

[john 118TSI]

a sky-blue mitsubishi wagon the only way it would work was with a direct connection to the oil plains of the middle east ! true fact

[DonJuan]

fluro green 1977 holden gemini... great rally car though!

[djorkboy]

a sky-blue mitsubishi wagon the only way it would work was with a direct connection to the oil plains of the middle east ! true fact

A Magna I'm guessing? It's hard to believe that any 4 cylinder car could drink as much fuel as a Magna, if you left it running while you fuelled it up it would gain on the pump

I had a workmate once who had one of the earliest Magnas, he started it up one day and the carburettor exploded, and I don't mean that euphemistically, it filled up with fuel and ignited, sending shards of carburettor all over, the underside of the bonnet had all these little dings and scratches from the explosion.