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Here's one for you all.
There are many types of cars, some are pitched to us as automotive dream machines, others are destined to be abject misery before they've even left the drawing board.
There are good cars, and there are awful ones, but the question here, is what is the most Dissapointing car you've had the misfortune of driving? A car you had come to believe was something special but was nothing but a letdown.
Starter for ten, a Porsche Boxster S.
In theory, a pretty decent car, and one the advertisers would have us aspire to. Admittedly it sounded pretty smart, took off like a scalded cat when you booted it, felt quite well built, and had a nice weight to it.
I have no doubt that on a track it would be an absolute weapon, and an engaging drive, but on the Queens highways it was awful. Stiff enough that it rattled your teeth out (I suppose poor pot hole repairs don't help) which also made it uncomfortably skittish above 50mph or so.
To top it off the whole experience was also tainted by driving like you felt you were holding it back. It wanted to go, but you couldn't let it.
I appreciate the quality of the roads will have had quite an effect on the car, along with the fact it wasn't mine meant I was being a little more cautious, but I still came away from the experience feeling a little let down, and wondering just how some people put up with them as every day cars, and also, how bad are the ones which are kept as Sunday drivers and only see a few thousand miles a year?
Anyone else got one to share?
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misteralz
Posted a lot
I may drive a Volkswagen, but I'm scene tax exempt!
Posts: 2,338
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Ha! Boxster was my first thought as well. Sublime chassis, great build quality, great looking... and the first two I drove were a massive dissapointment because they'd been specced with a sodding automatic. Now you can wax lyrical about PDK all you like, about how it makes for a smoother, uninterrupted power delivery, about how it can change gear faster than you can, blah, blah, blah, but you cannot deny that you've removed an essential part of the car's soul. A while later I had an afternoon with a 718 with a proper gearbox. I still want one.
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Alfa Romeo 4C. Absolute garbage. Kind of glad it exists, but very sad that Alfa didn't go the full distance and make a decent car out of it.
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Last Edit: Feb 17, 2017 8:44:02 GMT by Lewis
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thebaron
Europe
Over the river, heading out of town
Posts: 1,645
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Maserati Ghibli. (Bi Turbo)
I wanted one since reading about Harry Metcalfe's daily in Performance car back in the late 90's.
Drove a couple here in 2014 and was actually still going to buy one even though I was not impressed but thankfully the deal fell through both times.
Such a weird mix of great and rubbish. Look fantastic, Leather is wonderful, quick at full tilt, hand built feel vs. Terrible switchgear quality, drivetrain slackness, fragile, slooow off boost, hand built feel.
Still love seeing them but no longer want to own one.
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No really had a chance to drive a lot of things that should have been disappointing, haha! Had a few modern hire cars which weren't as hi-tech as I felt they should be inside! My old mk2 Granada is probably closest. Was 19, it had 2.8i on the bootlid, and I got beaten off the line by a Golf :-(
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My Golf, everyone raves on about how great Golfs are, but I just don't see it. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that it was a bad car, it's just that it was a very bland and boring car. Had it have been a tin-top it would've been truly un-remarkable, and very un-inspiring. It did everything you'd expect it to do, but nothing more. At best, mediocre!
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A Chrysler Something. There, it doesn't disappoint any more than if you can't remember the name.
Came back to the UK for a funeral and hired a Passat so I could get people to the crem, or so I thought. Ended up with this thing, large, had potential, but about which the only redeeming feature was agreed, "It's got a big boot".
This verdict was also delivered by my ex-FIL, whose wife's funeral it was. After a (spirited?) drive, "So what do you reckon Douglas?" "It's got a big boot hasn't it." Pretty damning.
It was lardy, it was slow, it wallowed, it was uncomfortable, it had not a single redeeming feature that any can recall - apart from a big boot. And I only had a small case, so even that didn't matter!
Two days was more than enough.
So yeah, the Chrysler Something.
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Biggest disappointment for me was the MkI Toyota MR2. I first drove one when they were nearly new and looked forward to it.
On paper it was a great car, lightweight, mid engined, revvy little twincam. In reality it was slower than my bosses bog stock Cavalier 2.0i and handled much worse than my then daily Triumph GT6 MkII.
Steve
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Hyundai Coupe S3, 2009
I wasn't expecting alot, like not alot.
But the promised 140bhp appeared nowhere in the rev range, the steering was fuzzy, and for a 2009 car with 78K and a Hyundai history it used a significant ammount of oil. It just felt the opposite of special. Like how I imagine an accent feels.
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Nissan Laurel SOLD BMW E34 Diesel SOLD Toyota Soarer 4.0 V8 SOLD Audi A4 1995 TDI SOLD Peugeot 205 1.9 TD SOLD Lexus IS300 SC
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This............ I wanted one for ages, got it and almost instantly fell out of love with it. Only kept it a few months.
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Currently driving a 1972 BMW 1602 as my daily. Don't ask about previous cars - there have been way too many and I stopped counting at 160!
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They say 'Never meet your Hero's' and it rang true for me once. Lambo Countach 1994 Model. Full on white jobbie with the wing. Couldn't see a thing, steering was awful, pedals offset and bloody uncomfortable. Delivered it to a Porsche dealer in Guildford and drove a 928S back (Auto) - Lovely drive!
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Last Edit: Feb 17, 2017 9:57:19 GMT by SmokeEm
96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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My Golf, everyone raves on about how great Golfs are, but I just don't see it. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that it was a bad car, it's just that it was a very bland and boring car. Had it have been a tin-top it would've been truly un-remarkable, and very un-inspiring. It did everything you'd expect it to do, but nothing more. At best, mediocre! Don't agree, my MK3 golf is, well built, boring, drab. But going into it I was thoroughly expecting a bland well built 90s hatchback. Not amazing, but I'm not disappointed.
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Nissan Laurel SOLD BMW E34 Diesel SOLD Toyota Soarer 4.0 V8 SOLD Audi A4 1995 TDI SOLD Peugeot 205 1.9 TD SOLD Lexus IS300 SC
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Feb 17, 2017 10:01:40 GMT
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Controversial one for me maybe, but the mk1 Mazda MX5.
I drove a friends one back when I first had my AE86 to compare them and found the power delivery in the MX5 terrible, it wasn't econobox slow but it felt like it had given everything it had by 3000rpm and merely progressed through the revband after that. Maybe I was too used to the 4age giving all its power and more once the needle was in the red? Either way it felt like a sensible runaround, not a sporty car.
Couple that with me being tall enough not to fit in with the roof up and the result was pretty damn disappointing!
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Feb 17, 2017 10:20:55 GMT
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The two car ive driven which are equal in dissapointment value were the Chrysler Crossfire. Soooooooo bland. Looked like fun, but once i got used to how naff it was i just wanted to get out. Also early Dodge viper. Big rattly clonky rubbish with what looked like the dashboard from a Chrysler Voyager people carrier. Either i drove a bad one, or they're all bad. It was just like this one
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Last Edit: Feb 17, 2017 10:31:18 GMT by bmcnut
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Feb 17, 2017 10:24:11 GMT
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Lada Samara and Saab 900 Convertible. I think the Saab was just a bad luck lemon. The Lada was just a piece of wibblepoo. I rate the square models much higher!
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Feb 17, 2017 10:26:20 GMT
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The two car ive driven which are equal in dissapointment value were the Chrysler Crossfire. Soooooooo bland. Looked like fun, but once i got used to how naff it was i just wanted to get out. Also early Dodge viper. Big rattly clonky rubbish with what looked like the dashboard from a Chrysler Voyager people carrier. Either i drove a bad one, or they're all bad
A friend of mine has 2 Vipers - a Drag car one thats really just a bodyshell with a Mahoosive Hemi and a 25th Anniversary road car. He says it drives well and is very smooth but I haven't been in the road one yet to concur.
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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fad
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,781
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Feb 17, 2017 10:27:29 GMT
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Cactus. Hate them. Hate the way they look. I have to restrain myself from making gestures when I see them drive past. So when I got one as a hire car I was ready to hate it.
Got in it and once I couldn't see the exterior I was impressed by everything about it. Literally everything. All the seething resentment and loathing I had waiting ready to slag it off was wasted. That is the most disapointed I have ever been with a car, because I was really ready to hate it and it didnt let me. And then I had to quietly admit to people they are actually good cars.
But then the next hire car I got a Nissan Joke.
Now on paper, I hate them. They are everything I hate and then more. I hate SUVs, and its SUV shaped. Bit how they made a car so big outside with so little room inside I have no idea?? Front wheel drive so no excuse for lack of boot space and all the SUV looks without the drivetrain, worst of both worlds. And they look god awful.
I got in it, and once again it still managed to disappoint because it was way worse than I expected. Utterly gutless heap of curse word. I didnt even have the will to give it a good thrashing, the Joke did not deserve even that. I left my pepperami wrapper in the glove box as a dirty protest. Next time I'm going to walk. Or hop. Or crawl on my hands and knees if needs be. Screw you, Nissan.
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Last Edit: Feb 17, 2017 10:31:32 GMT by fad
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fad
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,781
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Feb 17, 2017 10:29:43 GMT
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Oh... Daihatsu Copen.
The disappointment there was this...
I cant physically fit in it to drive it. My Dad had one, and I was in the passwnger seat, had to get out after 2 minutes. Tried the drivers seat and literally, physically too big to get in and drive it.
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Marc
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,037
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Feb 17, 2017 10:32:36 GMT
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BMW Z4M. I absolutely loved the look of them when they came out, so when I eventually arranged to have a test drive in one at a dealers, I was beside myself. Then we got it out on the road. Hated it. Worst part of it all was the ride quality, which was absolutely appalling. It crashed over every lump and bump, worse than any budget ultra-slammed car I'd ever been in. I can't believe BMW signed it off like that.
I had a go in an E46 M3 manual later on, which was superior in every conceivable way.
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Feb 17, 2017 10:33:51 GMT
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Oh... Daihatsu Copen. The disappointment there was this... I cant physically fit in it to drive it. My Dad had one, and I was in the passwnger seat, had to get out after 2 minutes. Tried the drivers seat and literally, physically too big to get in and drive it. Same for me and mg midget. Always wanted to drive one, got the chance and once id shoehorned myself in i couldnt move enough to actualy drive it safely.
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