Your best and worst cars

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reblack68
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Your best and worst cars

Post by reblack68 »

What are the best and worst cars you've owned and why?

My best is probably the Xantia. It's an SX model so it has plenty toys ant they all work. I paid £200 in December and it's just sailed through its MOT. I bought two tyres and a mirror glass before the test and that's about all it's needed.

The worst would be my Escort TD Estate. It was by far the most expensive car I've owned and one of the most troublesome. I had it for three years and 40000 miles and it was never right. Everything went wrong, from the timing belt to the sills. It was one of those cars where nothing stays fixed. It got a new battery tray at seven years and that was through again by the time I sold it. I got £400 for it in February 2004 and it was scrapped by the summer. It was also a total pig to work on. It saved me money in the long run because I will never buy another Ford again.
Richard

No French cars of my own at present.
Care of a 1994 205 D.
bxbodger
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Post by bxbodger »

The best for fun is the Triumph- put the top down and hear that six yowl......just don't take your foot off the power or even think about braking in the middle of a bend :shock:

the BX is very good reliability wise and probably the most versatile car I've had, and the various hydragas BL cars- three Allegros and a Princess- were the best for ride comfort.

I don't think I've ever had a really bad car- I had a couple of Marinas which were bad dynamically, but they weren't unreliable, just scarey!! I had a 205 XS which was a fun drive but had the back sloping 1400 Talbot engine, that was pretty ghastly............ :evil:
Stewart(oily)
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My Cars: Citroens since 1990, BX Diesel, GTI, TZD with 1.9 TD running extra boost before it was fashionable!, ZX Volcane TD, S2 Xantia break 1.9TD, Xantia HDI 110, currently zipping about in a C2 Diesel. C2 died from the dreaded worm, C3 Picasso HDI Exclusive, the adventure continues.
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Post by Stewart(oily) »

Worst ever, a toss up between a hillman imp and a reliant robin :oops: Best, probably my BX though I did have a BMW bike which was likeley to be the best vehicle
Stewart
BXs since 1993 built 1.9 TZD turbo, got a S2 Xantia estate, brilliant car! 2013, Xantia HDI LX 110 2000 new car with 122,000, l C2 HDI Rusty rocket, C3 Picasso HDI new to me.
andmcit
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Post by andmcit »

Best?

By a long shot would be my silver '84 Cx 25 Gti turbo petrol. And incredibly as I sit here thinking about it I'm going all sentimental!! :lol:

I've STILL got it although for what I now realise were totally stupid reasons I laid it up in safe dry storage after I commited the most heinous/hideous of calamitous actions by swelting a low unseen bollard in a Texco's car park. I was SOOO angry with myself for monging up the previously straight perfect nearside wing I couldn't even bear to look at the car let alone drive it - and it wasn't even the car's fault.

Sad isn't it!!

The "temporary" laying up with the 'I'll get round to sorting that out properly and spend some serious money on it" has now passed 3 years and a lot has happened in that meantime period...

Good old B683YHK. God I love this car!!

Goes like the proverbial off a shovel etc etc etc. I have an imprinted to my core, a happy memory of going totally banana's in it at stupid o clock piloting it on a run up through Ross/Monmouth and up to the M5. The bends come thick and fast when you're going hard; more so compared to usual legal speeds!! :twisted:

It'll get sorted - just there's a mountain of other stuff/Citroen's parked in front of it now!!

The worst?

The nastiest car, that I just couldn't bear being in for a second longer than was humanly possible was one I drove just a week ago!! And it was brand new [OK - with 12000km on it].

A Niss*n Almera...

Just don't, please don't ask me to relive the experience of 3 weeks of shock therapy. It handled like an empty crisp packet in a hurricane which just about sums it up...And I'd asked for a Ford from the limited gene pool on offer but it was deemed I'd be punished...

Oh how I loved getting back into my humble daily hack VSX Xant TD!!

I needed to fully exorcise the demons and went for a tool about in the Cx 2.5 estate today and I'm now totally cured again. Thing is, I'm looking at Cx's and parts for them on ebay again so there IS NO HOPE REALLY!!

Andrew
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reblack68
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Post by reblack68 »

I had a Hillman Imp that would be a contender for worst car. It was annoying because I could tell there was a great car in there somewhere. I would definitely have another but it would have to be a '60s model in good condition. Amazingly my Imp's cooling system and heater worked perfectly.

I don't necessarily mean worst model of car, I was thinking more of the worst ownership experience. The best and worst could even be the same model.

I have the ability to spot a lemon at first glance, sadly the lemon spotting part of my brain isn't connected to the bit that makes my mouth say "I'll take it". :(
Richard

No French cars of my own at present.
Care of a 1994 205 D.
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

I've had many over the years but really one stands out as truly awful and that was my Morris Marina 1.8. A truly awful machine - used too much petrol - usual BLMC thirst for oil, broke its gearbox as the thing was meant for something with even less power, and had a suspension system that was just useless.

Good points - few - best I suppose was that it wasn't white! (actualy quite a pleasant shade of dark green.)

For those of you who have never driven one of these things let me say that the steering sensation could be best described as radio controlled - you had no sensation of what was going on at all. The book said whatever you do keep the back tyres 4lb harder than the front - actually it seemed much better when you reversed them.

Best forgotten really - Cortina 2000GT (very late one with standard ultra stiff suspension) was an absolute revealation afterwards - and felt just like a Porsche 924 and was about as slow. Best car - Series 111 XJ6 4.2 auto - no doubt there - good fun too - especially when running round hard driven Golf GTi's on roundabouts - proved just how overrated they were!
jeremy
andmcit
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Post by andmcit »

Just realised thankfully I didn't actually OWN the infernal Nissan!! Phew!!

A duff car I've OWNED?

A relatively new Skoda Favorit on a 'young' plate!! Ok, not momentary madness!! The car had an irish plate on it and it just happpened to be very desirable to my sister [Caroline = Caz!].

Thing is, I had to register it and MOT it to release the number, and for want of something to use at the time I ran it for a week or two!! Although it was effectively a recent car according to it's new age related prefixed number, the thing felt and drove like the first car I ever drove - a Hillman Avenger.

Now I have fond memories of driving the Avenger as it wasn't just any old run of the mill version, but was souped up with suspension and engine from an Avenger Tiger... :twisted:

The comparison isn't fair on the Avenger as it was a car of it's time, just the Skoda was 20 years younger making a total hash of being a car!!

Andrew
Last edited by andmcit on 19 Mar 2006, 21:36, edited 1 time in total.
deian
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Post by deian »

Worst: F reg (older shape) Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, horrid horrid car, big end bearings gone, sounded like a diesel, in fact, my 106 1.4d was probably faster. Worse car i've been in would be my dad's old Nissan Primera diesel, so bad, interior was so bland, never broke down though.

Best: gotta be the R reg Xantia 2.1TD Exclusive i've got now, a close second would be the D reg BMW 325i Sport (with lsd)!
Rob81
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Post by Rob81 »

Worst: A Rover 216 (my only non-Citroen, bought as a stop gap after writing off my Xantia). It handled appallingly, had terrible brakes and rode badly. Also averaged less than 25 mpg. On the upside, it started first time, every time, was pretty nippy and only cost £200! I also sold it to some Russians with a £50 profit.

My best is more tricky. I've only owned my CX for a few months so cannot really judge yet. However, it is the best car I have ever driven, without doubt. My current Xantia also does everything asked of it without complaint and has proven itself to be reliable over the last year/20k miles.
Citroen C5 2.2 HDi Exclusive Tourer
Peugeot Boxer 2.8 HDi Camper (conversation)

Previously;
Lots of Citroens including 2CVs, Dyane, Acadiane, Bx, Activa, XM CX and Picasso
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Post by BernieLugg »

Best - Austin Badged ADO16 1300 Twin Carb, hydrolastic suspension.

Worst - Citroen AX Diesel (admittedly this had been owned by bielzibub before I bought it and used as an elephants rolerskate)

Somewhere in the middle - Citroen BX 1.7TZD Turbo - probably the closest to the 1300's ride with eyeball popping performance (up to a point) and the ability to lug a trailer with ease.
BX
Xantia
Shed
Set of Spanners
Kettle
Stuart McB
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Post by Stuart McB »

Worst = toss up between Rover 214 SLi everything electric went wrong, not bad for a new car & Rover 600 lets just say.....woft along.

Best = Todate for reliability has to be my old shape Mazda 323, has yet to go wrong at all or the wifes Renault megane. It's got bigger boots on it at the mo and handles like a dream and for a 1.6 goes like stink.
The wifes got a C4 I've got a ZX TD SX!!!!
tomsheppard
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Post by tomsheppard »

CX!
Be happy: it is a way of being wise. (Confucius.)
'92 TZD Estate(Grolliffe), Gone but never to be forgotten.
'95 405 GLX TD Estate. too new to name.
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JohnTurbo
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Post by JohnTurbo »

Well this is where you chase me off the forum with a pitchfork.

My worst car is a toss-up between a 1.3litre mark 2 seat ibiza (vw polo). It handled like hell, awful ride, heavy, uneconomical. - was well built though. The other car was my rover 418sd...despite its XUD (which was good) it was such an ugly, soulless and appaling handling car.

Bear in mind i owned 2 fiat pandas which i think of more highly, since as cheap cars they did that very well.

I like my Xantia, it handles well and doesn't seem to use any fuel at all, it look quite unique (mark 1), is comfy, and has a soul, but it took mammoth efforts to get through it's mot, and its not chic or inspiring.

So, yes, i love my 480Turbo best. Despite being an unreliable car, mine has been close to flawless, will tear itself to 60 in a little over 6 seconds, and will still return over 30mpg if drive sensibly.

that said, i plan to buy an activa soon, and that could well shift these matters...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/ ... AG0003.jpg
Citroens have more spheres.
andmcit
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Post by andmcit »

tomsheppard wrote:CX!
Does that mean it's your best AND worst all rolled up into one Tom!? Sometimes you can think a Cx has Jeckyl & Hyde sides to it's character...

Andrew
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Clogzz
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Post by Clogzz »

Worst: Cortina Mk I. Shocking thing ! :evil:
Everything in it was designed to last only 50,000 miles.
Lucas electrics, the pinion was so worn that it didn’t engage the ring gear.
The generator, and then the regulator packed up.
The ignition leads were wasting the sparks.
The engine needed a ‘valve grind’, as it existed back then.
The gearbox was crunching because of the clutch.
The rear brakes seized.
The exhaust rotted through and fell off.
That was my first car, and kept me out of Fords since.

Best: Sprite Mk III. Real toy car. :D
Very easy and inviting to fiddle with.
Very lively nature, with direct steering, and nice sounds.
Beautiful ‘stance’, with wire wheels.
Cheap to run.
2002 C5 2.0i AL4 230,000 km 76372389
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