What Bugged You About Every Car You Ever Had?

1982 Ford Sierra L
+ My first car!
- It was in crappy condition. Front suspension froze and there was absolutely no suspension at below-0 degrees.

1992 Mazda 626 2.2i SVX
+ Nice punchy engine
- Rusty, noisy and the fuel consumption was pretty bad for a 4-cylinder engine

1990 Mercedes-Benz 200 D
+ Great cruiser, relatively good condition (500 000 km on the clock, and after me my father drove it for 50 000 km more before selling it)
- Rust.

1994 Mercedes-Benz C 220 Elegance
+ Felt quite modern at the time
- It was crashed and repaired quite poorly before my time. That combined with the w202 rusting issue did result quite massive rusting, and I sold the car for that reason alone.

1997 Honda Prelude
+ Sporty, surprisingly roomy
- Noisiest car I've ever had. Ruined the whole car IMO.

1996 Mercedes-Benz E 300 D Classic
+ Nice to drive. I bought it with 295 000 km on the clock, drove for couple of months and sold it to my father, who has done now over 110 000 km with no technical issues. He still has this.
- Rust

1997 Ford Scorpio
+++ The LOOKS :)
- I've used too much money on this pile. Never going to sell this.

1999 Volvo V70 2.5 TDi
+ Felt pretty luxorious with full leather and other equipments.
- Had a lot of small faults, every time I fixed something, something else broke.

1994 Ford Escort 1.8i
+ Punchy engine for a car this small
- RUST

1999 Fiat Marea 1.6 Weekend
+ Great value for money
- Cannot really think of anything, worked like a charm

2005 Renault Laguna 2.0 Break
+ Supercomfortable
- Broke the cambelt and caused more repair bills in the last 3 months of ownership, than what I got from it at trade-in

1990 Buick LeSabre
+ 'Murica :p
- Pretty neglected example, the result of which I've now fixed quite a lot. And used way too much money for a car worth as little as this.

2003 Ford Mondeo 1.8 Ghia STW
+ Great to drive
- Too small engine

Maybe that's all I've had so far in purchasing order... After reading these points I've just made, the Fiat is actually the best car I've had :eek:
 
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1992 Saturn SL1
+ Plastic body panels meant that it didn't look nearly as cheap as what I paid for it
- autotragic had quirks from the start that got worse and partially led to it's demise, MPG plummetted.

1992 Ford Taurus SHO
+ Effortless highway cruiser with surprisingly good MPG, sharp looks, good intro to manual tranny driving + what a good car feels like
- Batshit insane heater core replacement cost, many electrical gremlins throughout ownership, got screwed at my wheel bearing service which partially resulted in it's demise.

1991 Ford Escort LX 5-door
+ It runs, seller accepted payment in installments, can't get in trouble with 88 hp
- rust...rust everywhere, autotragic. Still have car but this'll be why I get rid of it.
 
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1990 Nissan Maxima:
+ manual, V6, leather seats, Bose stereo, 4DSC yo
- things kept breaking, 20MPG at best

1993 Toyota MR2:
+ looked sweet, removable sunroof, mid-engined handling
- autotragic (fixed after swap), kinda heavy, things kept breaking, mid-engined snap oversteer

1999 Jaguar XJR:
+ power, style, comfort, Jaaaaaag
- fuel economy, size

2000 Toyota MR2:
+ Nimble, light, chuckable, so much fun, incredible gas mileage, amazing in snow with right tires
- loud and revvy on the freeway, hard to move furniture in it

1995 Saab 9000 Aero:
+ really fast, turbo noise and power, best car ever in snow with right tires, holds anything, surprisingly reliable, very comfortable on road trips, quite luxurious despite its age
- rust from living in New England its whole life

1973 Saab 96:
+ hilarious fun to drive with manual steering and column shifter, funky V4 rumble, small and easy to handle but can still fit four people, has the curb appeal of a derpy puppy
- no power, really soft springs and body lean, single-speaker radio is close to useless, don't dare take it out into bad weather
 
1992(??) Mitsubishi Chariot 2.0 (bought in New Zealand)

The best: It didn't break down despite having run 250.000+ km, bought dirt cheap, and no real care for maintaining it during our ownership (we discovered it had run very low on oil after a couple of weeks with a weird clicking noise from the engine - I guess from the valves). Very spacious and comfy, like a cozy sofa.

The worst: Some smelly backpacker (most likely) had at one point before our ownership done a very poor job at installing an aftermarket radio, which had a high pitch tone that varied depending on the engines rpm. The handling was lose and wobling, but that might have more to do with the state of the car rather than the setup and design.

2010 Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCI

The best: Does what it was bought to do: Low running costs all round, no surprises and pretty practical for it's size.

The worst: Gutless and rough engine with no fun or character to be found.
 
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1990 Saab 900 Turbo
Best: it was a 900 Turbo, FFS! And it was unstoppable in foot high snow.
Worst: head gaskets, gear change, and the way the dash cracked at the seams.

1998 VW Jetta Wolfsburg
Best: I didn't pay for it
Worst: electric window motors, ignition coil housing, just a POS overall

2003 Honda Civic Si
Best: Alcantara seats, great Honda shifter (from the dash!), incredibly roomy back seat/hatch
Worst: got this during my Fast n' Furious phase: spent a LOT of money I never really had needlessly

2004 Nissan 350Z
Best: Sexy bod, RWD, and torquey V6
Worst: engine only sounds good from outside the car; incredibly impractical, even for a sports car

2004 Subaru WRX
Best: the only thing that can limit where I want to go is ground clearance, otherwise this deserves the nickname of "Donkey"
Worst: Christ, I am sick of sitting inside a Rubbermaid tin. Engine is gutless below 4000 rpm.
 
2003 Alfa Romeo 156

Best: comfy and supportive Recaro leather seats, BOSE audio, interior styling, engine note (for a diesel), handling and overall feel, decent fuel economy, cruise control, the looks from a few steps away

Worst: uncomfortable on bad roads, chews through front brake discs like crazy, GM transmission doesn't really suit the engine, limited practicality (bugs the wife more than me), the looks from up close (dings, dents and cracks :( )
 
1993 Saturn SL1:
Pros: 5-speed; fun to hoon; reliable
Cons: slooow; almost complete lack of creature comforts

2002 Saturn Vue V6 AWD:
Pros: V6 power; lots of room; AWD system;
Cons: boring to look at and drive; suspension problems; crappy fuel economy

2007 Saturn Ion2:
Pros: it was cheap for a new car
Cons: pretty much everything else; coming from a V6, power seemed severely lacking; Tupperware interior; dull to drive

2008 Saturn Astra XR 3-door:
Pros: sexy European looks; blast to drive; very rare in the States
Cons: parts availability; somewhat confusing dashboard

2012 Ford Focus SEL 5-door:
Pros: fun to drive, yet still comfortable; good looks
Cons: Powershift problems, I likely won't keep it once the warranty runs out
 
1. 1991 Nissan 300ZX Non-turbo

Best thing: Pretty much everything. Loved it.
Worst thing: I wrecked it. Also, it didn't have much power, but it was still fast enough to get me in trouble so no big deal.

2. 2001 BMW 325ci

Best thing: BMW. Nice place to sit. Felt quality.
Worst thing: Terribly unreliable. I spent the price of the car on it in the 20,000 miles I owned it. Ditched it due to unresolved electrical gremlins.

3. 2006 Pontiac GTO

Best thing: V8 soundtrack, V8 torque, surprisingly good handling for the pig of a car it is (lighter than current SS Camaro or Mustang, and you could feel it).
Worst thing: 14.7 MPG lifetime, terrible brakes (spent $2,000 upgrading them for the track).

4. 1994 Corvette ZR-1

Best thing: One of my dream cars growing up. LT-5 is still one of the best looking motors out there.
Worst thing: Don't meet your heroes. The Lotus-designed LT-5 was not as fast as I anticipated, the TPMS never worked, it was noisy, uncomfortable and rattled and drove like a truck.

5. 2012 Volkswagen Golf R

Best thing: Pretty much everything about this car.. love the power (400+ HP now), shifter, handling, AWD balance, amenities, comfort and luxury for the package.
Worst thing: Had to replace the clutch pretty quickly because it was pathetic and started slipping in 4,000 miles due to my modifications, driveline was sloppy until I upgraded the transverse mount, and the hatchback design sucks dirt and road grime onto the rear glass so often that I have to wash it three times more than I would a typical car.

6. 2012 Ariel Atom 3

Best thing: Unadulterated 8,750 RPM VTEC roar 10 inches from your face.
Worst thing: Rain? I guess.
 
I'm only going to bother with cars I own, if I go with the rentals at work...It'll take me forever.

1986 Toyota Cressida
Best: Very comfortable, high quality interior, smooth I6, most parts survive past 20 years, very fun to drive, RWD, ignored by cops, practical, surprising fuel efficiency
Worst: Automatic, its old and relatively rare making parts hard to come by and slow to arrive thus it sits out for long periods of time when parts need replacing, people don't like the way it looks

2004 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS
Best: Durable, looks good IMO, pretty good in city driving, excellent and fun in the wet or snow, satisfying gearbox
Worst: Less fun in the dry, terrible highway fuel economy, gearbox while lovely to use is also demanding of perfection, less practical than I expected

Subaru is up for sale, so I may add car #3 once I first get it, then get to know its pros and cons.
 
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Somebody else owned it first.
 
1996 Toyota Camry LE

  • Best: My first car, that first taste of freedom. Got the best fuel economy of all my cars so far, and was the cheapest to own right up until...
  • Worst: ...The entire emissions system essentially shit the bed. Also, it was a Camry?"fun" was intentionally avoided by the design and engineering teams.

1999 Toyota Camry LE

  • Best: My longest-running mode of transportation, served me quite well on numerous adventures. Lived to see 246,000+ miles, including a trip to Canada, countless trips up and down California, and even a mountain run.
  • Worst: Just like the '96, it was completely devoid of fun. Also, it got increasingly more expensive to run over time.

2004 Mazda Miata LS

  • Best: Fun. Holy fuck, it's fun. :D (Manual + RWD + light = win.)
  • Worst: I'm having a somewhat hard time not modifying it too much. I'm already spending a fair bit of cash on the necessities for it, and if I get into performance modifications...
 
I didn't own my dad's old 1988/1989 Chevy Corsica long enough to form any opinions on it, either good or bad. I just learned stick on it and then sold it to my uncle for $200.


2001 Ford Mustang

  • Best: Good cheap fun. It's fun to flick the rear end about in the rain.
  • Worst: I know this is going to seem silly but I absolutely cannot stand it's climate controls. My biggest pet peeve is that it can't mix the vents with the floor ducts. That means either my toes are absolutely freezing while I'm warming up, or my toes are toasty and I'm freezing. Also to turn the air on and off, you use the output selector dial on the fair right rather than the fan dial. The fan all the way down is just low, not off. I've been spoiled by my Viper which has completely electronic dials (as opposed to vacuum run). It can blend air six ways from Sunday. 25% feet 75% vents? Done. 50/50? Done. 100% vents? Done. The fan speed dial on the left also turns it on and off. Every time I drive the Viper I'm reminded just how much I hate the Mustang's climate controls! :lol:

2008 Dodge Viper

  • Best: It's a god damn Viper!
  • Worst: It is just too raw at times. I'd kill to have cruise control for the long road trips. It's so hard not to speed when you're doing 1400 RPM at 80 MPH. Just a slight RPM increase and you're doing 90 or 100 MPH. I also wouldn't mind traction and stability control. They're really passive in the new Viper and only kick in when you're really otherwise fucked. It might have saved me at my track day.
 
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I know this is going to seem silly but I absolutely cannot stand it's climate controls. My biggest pet peeve is that it can't mix the vents with the floor ducts. That means either my toes are absolutely freezing while I'm warming up, or my toes are toasty and I'm freezing. Also to turn the air on and off, you use the output selector dial on the fair right rather than the fan dial. The fan all the way down is just low, not off. I've been spoiled by my Viper which has completely electronic dials (as opposed to vacuum run). It can blend air six ways from Sunday. 25% feet 75% vents? Done. 50/50? Done. 100% vents? Done. The fan speed dial on the left also turns it on and off. Every time I drive the Viper I'm reminded just how much I hate the Mustang's climate controls! :lol:

I thought stuff like this was the point of this thread. :)
 
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