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What's the worst piece of junk of a car you have ever owned?
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I can't remember the make but there was a screwdriver where the gear stick should be and it conked out at the traffic lights every damn morning, without fail as I dropped the children at school before work. I think it was a Tercel |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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A corsa.
If you went round the corner too fast the passenger door would open sometimes, the window wipers would get stuck in the middle of the windscreen, when you turned the radio on it would make the loudest squeaking noise and the heating didn’t work so in the winter you’d freeze the arse off yourself going anywhere. It was ROUGH  |
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I’ve had some beautiful bangers in my time. Proper shed motoring is great fun. Buy cheap and run it ’til it dies.
There’s a difference between deliberately buying crap cars and enjoying their crapness as part of their character … and buying what should be a good car only to find out it’s not. A big difference. |
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"A corsa.
If you went round the corner too fast the passenger door would open sometimes, the window wipers would get stuck in the middle of the windscreen, when you turned the radio on it would make the loudest squeaking noise and the heating didn’t work so in the winter you’d freeze the arse off yourself going anywhere. It was ROUGH "
Often wondered who got my old car!!  |
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I bought an old mk3 Cavalier for £350 to commute to work in while my Bmw M3 was having engine work done. It was the most hateful turgid piece of junk I'd ever had the misfortune to drive and reaffirmed my hatred for all things Vauxhall related. Sent it off with the scrap man when my Bm came back as I didn't want to inflict it's misery on anyone else  |
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Ford Granada or Scorpio or whatever they call the heap of shite when they made it.
Engine sounded like a tractor. Eventually the head studs that secure the rocker bar started working themselves loose- did it that often I kept a spanner in the glovebox to fix it.
Had a mechanic try to fit new threaded inserts for it, head was that badly made it wouldn’t hold them either. Heap of shit that probably ended up on the scrap pile very soon after |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"A vauxhall insignia blocked DPF scrap "
That happens with a lot of motors these days. I had mine removed.
I think it's illegal but lots of people do it. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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The bad experience I had was in a LDV van. The wheel with the half shaft came off and over took me on the motorway. It travelled a long way, and eventually I found it in a field. |
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Early 1980s, I dreamed of owning a Lotus. I had just got a promotion at work and the girl I was engaged to broke it off. So I got a bank loan and went looking. I saw a 1976 Lotus Elite 4 seater at a second hand car lot (that should have been a warning!). Everything kept going wrong, power steering, overheating, gear box... I had it for 18 months and got rid at a car auction. Lost a few grand on repairs I'd put in and it went for a fraction of what I'd originally paid for it.
But I'd owned a Lotus!!
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By *rHotNottsMan
over a year ago
Dubai & Nottingham |
So many bad Vauxhall stories , why are they so bad?
When I bought my first car I was advised her ford or Vauxhall, they are both cheap , reliable easy to service and low cost for tyres , brakes etc I choose ford and drive Capris, Falcons then Mondeo’s, before switching to German cars, all great cars, super reliable and some of the high end Mondeo were a dream to drive |
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Had to buy a car quickly when one got nicked. Ended up with a Mini Clubman. First trip it just cut out twice for no apparent reason. Then as I parked up and was walking away I heard a noise looked back and the radiator had gone. Only had it for a couple of months before I bought an XR2. Replaced a lot of parts in those 2 months.
XX |
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Hilman imp prior to motor it was totally rotten . Holes in floor flooded every time it rained . Cost us £25 I think 
Didn’t keep it long we were young and poor. Didn’t even consider it was dangerous . |
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"Hilman imp prior to motor it was totally rotten . Holes in floor flooded every time it rained . Cost us £25 I think
Didn’t keep it long we were young and poor. Didn’t even consider it was dangerous . "
Motor = MOT |
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A cute but crappy brown mini with no reverse gear. Parking was a treat! 
When I sold it for scrap the guy who bought it said the only thing keeping the front and back together was the threadbare carpet! |
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By *oanne ETV/TS
over a year ago
Near Warrington |
Citroen Picasso, the most boring car in the Western world, but have to give a special mention to the Renault Mégane with it's windscreen wipers and electric windows failing, cost a fortune to repair |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"A corsa.
If you went round the corner too fast the passenger door would open sometimes, the window wipers would get stuck in the middle of the windscreen, when you turned the radio on it would make the loudest squeaking noise and the heating didn’t work so in the winter you’d freeze the arse off yourself going anywhere. It was ROUGH
Often wondered who got my old car!! "
I’d like a refund please. It was a heap of shit |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Nissan Cherry 1.3 spirit
SGL
Hated it from day one. Called it Yo mumma, because just like yo mumma it was cheap, ugly, slow and the worst ride of your life.
Even worse the bastard didn't die"
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"I’ve had some beautiful bangers in my time. Proper shed motoring is great fun. Buy cheap and run it ’til it dies.
There’s a difference between deliberately buying crap cars and enjoying their crapness as part of their character … and buying what should be a good car only to find out it’s not. A big difference."
A lot to be said for bangernomics |
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By *ragaCouple
over a year ago
Salisbury |
Cortina Mk4 2.0 Ghia....brown with a tan vinyl roof...looked the part in the 80's...had a puncture after a couple of weeks...jacked it up and sills and side of car collapsed around the jack...tragic at the time, but funny now... |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I needed a car. .. I found a car.
It was a Ford Ecsrot None of the indicators worked. And the wing mirrors held on with gaffatape. Bought it for 200 quid. it was with me for about 6mths. It was hilarious. |
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"I needed a car. .. I found a car.
It was a Ford Ecsrot None of the indicators worked. And the wing mirrors held on with gaffatape. Bought it for 200 quid. it was with me for about 6mths. It was hilarious. "
See? Proper shed. Love it. |
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By *elloWoman
over a year ago
alpha centauri |
First car was a fiesta I bought off my cousin, when I took it for its MOT it needed so much work, it cost me loads, I thought that being a beginner driver I must of been to hard on the little motor.
However years later my lovely cousin revealed to me that she had got dodgy MOTs for years on it so I was driving around in a death trap and had to pay to fix up the stuff from when she had it.
Rage rage rant rant ggggrrrr 27 years later I'm still pissed off |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"I needed a car. .. I found a car.
It was a Ford Ecsrot None of the indicators worked. And the wing mirrors held on with gaffatape. Bought it for 200 quid. it was with me for about 6mths. It was hilarious.
See? Proper shed. Love it."
These are the cars with character and attitude though. The ones you’ll remember more than others and have brilliant tales. *the way I had to make a right turn was funny. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Ive bought a few. As an automatic only licence holder and because usually I was super poor , my options were limited. The worst one was a Citroën C3 convertible. You couldn't actually put the roof down on the move as the bits were too big to store in the car .
I bought it from a garage in Manchester. Still shocked it got me back to Edinburgh.
Within 2 weeks it kept cutting out with the snow flake symbol and I had to disconnect the battery to get it going again.
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"So many bad Vauxhall stories , why are they so bad?
When I bought my first car I was advised her ford or Vauxhall, they are both cheap , reliable easy to service and low cost for tyres , brakes etc I choose ford and drive Capris, Falcons then Mondeo’s, before switching to German cars, all great cars, super reliable and some of the high end Mondeo were a dream to drive "
Because they are a sub-owned by GM who make everything to budget. |
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"A vauxhall insignia blocked DPF scrap
That happens with a lot of motors these days. I had mine removed.
I think it's illegal but lots of people do it. "
yes but i was told by the garage i took it to for repair they could fix it a £1000 later and its a heap of scrap metal timing belt snapped |
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"H reg E5cort Eclipse.
Bag of shit and been involved in a crash and been repaired badly.
Sunroof leaked and the wheels were not aligned.
Really bad back street repair.
Glad to get rid."
God I loved those Mk4 E5corts in the metallic blue |
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Renault Clio. First car in my early twenties. Was joyridden and when I got it back the doors wouldn't open.
I used to go to work in it and had to climb in and out through the boot! This was when I was teaching. Not cool. |
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By *ttmcdguyTV/TS
over a year ago
Milton Keynes |
I bought a Vauxhall calibra many many years ago
I paid over a grand for it and it over heated less than a mile away from the bloke I bought it of
To top it off I smashed my head off the roof getting in it pissed off after it breaking down and cut my head open then bleeding all over the cream leather interior
By far the worst car was a Mitsubishi colt I bought it drove it home took it to work the next day and left it there I think I gave it to 1 of the apprentices |
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By *ttmcdguyTV/TS
over a year ago
Milton Keynes |
"Renault Clio. First car in my early twenties. Was joyridden and when I got it back the doors wouldn't open.
I used to go to work in it and had to climb in and out through the boot! This was when I was teaching. Not cool. "
The dukes of Croydon |
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"I can't remember the make but there was a screwdriver where the gear stick should be and it conked out at the traffic lights every damn morning, without fail as I dropped the children at school before work. I think it was a Tercel "
think a tercel is a Toyota, well Google does |
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By *eaSlutsCouple
over a year ago
Glasgow |
My Vauxhaul Disastra...
It was my first motor and it looked to be great but soon realised it was a piece of shit. I was driving from Thurso to Aberdeen one time and all of the dash instruments just stopped. No speedo, no rev counter, no fuel gauge. Nothing. It turned out there was an electronic component that zapped and it cost £900 to replace the bloody thing. Had to trust other motorists and drive from Inverness back to Thurso trying to keep pace with the car in front, hoping they we're going the limit!
Then not long after that was sorted, both rear springs collapsed on my while driving home from the shop... Great fun that...
C x |
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Citoren C1 my first car knew £800 was too good when the gear box went. Luckily I’d just brought my current Vauxhall Astra at the time of this happening however was now worth nothing without the gear box just gave it to a mate so he could use it in banger racing lol |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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2010 Toyota Yaris that I inherited.
Awful little thing. Really unimpressed with the lift off oversteer on the thing. Unpredictable and dangerous - and I've been an IAM Advanced driver since 1996.
Never been impressed with any Toyota I've driven or been in to be honest |
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By *rispyDuckMan
over a year ago
Chinese Takeaway near you |
Citroen Ds3 Sport 
Let’s just say when I bought mine 2nd hand with only 31 000 miles from 1 owner cost me £6 500. By time sold it in total cost me £10 500 just to keep it running
Never again! |
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By *oupDragonsCouple
over a year ago
East Ridings of Yorkshire.. |
Mercedes Vito.
Had from new and just approaching 3 years now and soon to be out of warranty
Been in garage I'd say over 10 times that I've been recovered. Treble that easily for the times it's lost power and I've got it started.
Always engine management light and then it rolls to a stop. Can happen any time and speed.
In dealer now for a fan belt pulley that came loose during its first MOT.
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My first ever car. It was a diarrhoea brown Austin mini Mayfair (like that extra moniker helped haha) with a brown interior. It was an A reg with a manual ch0ke, only cost me £500 and regularly broke down (probably not helped by me going everywhere as fast as possible).
When I reversed into someone and totally stoved in the boot, it cost £10 for a new boot from the scrappy. |
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By *eah BabyCouple
over a year ago
Cheshire, Windermere ,Cumbria |
A fiat when I was 19, guy who sold it me worked at a garage who obviously gave him a fake mot cert as it had to be scrapped 9 months later due to being rotten to the core, I had nobody to check it over for me and I bought it quick as the one I had set on fire and needed one asap, hope karma payed him a visit, tosspot, it’s wonder I wasn’t put off owning a car with my early bad luck lol |
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By *lecom1Couple
over a year ago
Stornoway |
Bought a mini for ten bob, yes actually paid for it with a ten bob note, was15,at the time thrashed it around my mates farm for the afternoon, and then sold it for £5, was really fucked after we had mucked around it with it |
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By *929Man
over a year ago
newcastle |
I had a flat diesel Vauxhall cavalier that was the slowest thing ever but no word of a lie i put 20 quid a month in it and that got me to work and back 5 days a week and running around on a night time granted this was 20 year ago.I had worse cars but had special hate for that one as The clutch cable snapped and what is normal an easy job was a nightmare on that car hours spent lying upside down in back breaking contortions on the drivers seat trying to attach the fucking pedal end it’s either that or remove dash |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Mercedes Vito.
Had from new and just approaching 3 years now and soon to be out of warranty
Been in garage I'd say over 10 times that I've been recovered. Treble that easily for the times it's lost power and I've got it started.
Always engine management light and then it rolls to a stop. Can happen any time and speed.
In dealer now for a fan belt pulley that came loose during its first MOT.
"
You'd think Mercedes would make better vans. I've seen sprinters like rust buckets. |
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By *ttmcdguyTV/TS
over a year ago
Milton Keynes |
"Mercedes Vito.
Had from new and just approaching 3 years now and soon to be out of warranty
Been in garage I'd say over 10 times that I've been recovered. Treble that easily for the times it's lost power and I've got it started.
Always engine management light and then it rolls to a stop. Can happen any time and speed.
In dealer now for a fan belt pulley that came loose during its first MOT.
You'd think Mercedes would make better vans. I've seen sprinters like rust buckets. "
I thought Mercedes had got their rust problems under control
Obviously not
The last 25 years probably longer of Mercedes cars and vans were all rot boxes
I’ll guarantee none of them will become classics and still be driving 30 years after they were made ! |
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"Always had Nissan cars no problems whatsoever with any of them "
Me too. I've got a geriatric Micra. Although when getting its MOT last I got told it would outlive me. Perhaps not a great endorsement of my overall health? |
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Really crappy vauxhall senator or Carlton or something don't even know I got for £50 in a pub in Folkestone
Got pulled over Police officer looked in and said... Is this your car sir?
Stereo loom hanging out and a screwdriver in the ignition...
I said yes, so he asked me to step out of the car. I had to climb out of the window because the door didn't work.
It was pretty bad but for £50 I'd like to see better. |
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Alfa 145 1.4 Absolute shed. Sold it for €1300 on a dark night and it was raining. A Renault 5 GT Turbo runs a close second. My fave car was a GT Golf TDi. My best and current car is an Audi Q5 S-line. 7 years old and will run her into the ground. Nothing out there really interests me and in Ireland its so expensive for cars nothing really worth buying. A simlair new Q5 is €80,000. A waste of money so keeping the current one. |
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By *ane DTV/TS
over a year ago
Birmingham (3nts) |
Didn't own it, but had a loaner from the garage while car was in getting fixed - early 90s.
Meant to get a courtesy car while mine was getting fixed...
They didn't realise this and gave me a 6yr old Rust Red Yugo with 60k on the clock.
5 days I had the fekker. Parked it up and took the bus instead. |
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By *auradCouple
over a year ago
glasgow |
Volkswagen Polo 3dr bought new, no air con. Picked it up just before a heatwave and the electric windows kept breaking, always when they were closed. Took months to repair and the dealer managed to damage the dash when doing so and denied all knowledge.
Had planned on moving on to a Golf GTI then maybe Audi, that was 25 years ago and never bought another VAG product since.
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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A Geo Storm, while living in the US in the 90s. It was just bad all round.
I've since developed a taste for a different type of junk that is much more fun |
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By *929Man
over a year ago
newcastle |
Also had one of those Sherpa vans with the sliding door like the posties used it was an absolute pile of shit the heater was fucked and the sliding door was bent so still had an inch or so gap when closed I remember driving to work on morning frozen cauld with snow coming through the gap on the door thinking what the fuck am I even doing driving this haha |
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"Do miss the days though when a hundred quid or so got a shit car at the end of its life with a bit tax and test left "
I bought my mate as birthday present a nova for 200 quid once. He was so made up with it lol lasted him a year so did it job |
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By *929Man
over a year ago
newcastle |
"Do miss the days though when a hundred quid or so got a shit car at the end of its life with a bit tax and test left
I bought my mate as birthday present a nova for 200 quid once. He was so made up with it lol lasted him a year so did it job "
Haha Those definitely were the days.
AlsoMiss Saturday morning jaunts to the scrap yard too back before the days everything could be ordered online from breakers, coming back the odd time with an entire car haha |
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By *eavenNhellCouple
over a year ago
carrbrook stalybridge |
"Early 1980s, I dreamed of owning a Lotus. I had just got a promotion at work and the girl I was engaged to broke it off. So I got a bank loan and went looking. I saw a 1976 Lotus Elite 4 seater at a second hand car lot (that should have been a warning!). Everything kept going wrong, power steering, overheating, gear box... I had it for 18 months and got rid at a car auction. Lost a few grand on repairs I'd put in and it went for a fraction of what I'd originally paid for it.
But I'd owned a Lotus!!
"
Lots
Of
Trouble
Usualy
Serious
They do warn you with the name
For me biggest bag of bolts mondeo 2.0 tdci just a money pit failed injectors on a monthly basis .cracked manifolds wheel bearings Calipers siezing 8 months of hell binned it for scrap in the end bought a corsa b for £50 that lasted for three years crackin little motor never let us down . |
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"Nissan Qashqai, HATED it from the get go but needed the extra space for prams etc "
Same, hated it from day one but needed something affordable, quickly. Luckily started falling apart after 6 months |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Mine was a Ford puma I got for nothing from my uncle, thing was a banger, shocks were fucked so the back end bounced around, eventually the wheel sheered off the axle when I was turning into a steer
The worst piece of shit I've driven was a 19 plate Hyundai i10 rental car, it was mega uncomfortable to drive on a 350 mile trip, clutch was stupidly heavy for something with a lawnmower engine, but my god did that thing handle incredibly well and the steering was pinpoint precise... Yes I drove that piece of shit rental like I jacked it lol |
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An Austin Montego that bought from Northampton car auctions.
I pushed it further than I ever drove it and when trying to get to Milton Keynes, broke down almost exactly halfway between northants junction and newport pagnell services.
I walked to the services (no mobile phones back then) to bump into a nice chap who offered me RAC cover.
Cha ching. Got me off the motorway to the scrap
Yard. |
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"Nissan Qashqai, HATED it from the get go but needed the extra space for prams etc
Same, hated it from day one but needed something affordable, quickly. Luckily started falling apart after 6 months "
Heard this a lot. I've always loved Nissan. Shame! |
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Many moons ago, I had a 1.8 non turbo diesel ford esc0rt (apparently I can’t say that) which struggled to do 70mph. I bought it because a guy at work was dishing out red diesel for peanuts. It wasn’t worth the savings. I was 18 or 19 and absolutely skint. Paid about £200 for the car and was buying 45 gallon drums of ribena for £75. It was horrendous but I made memories I’ll never forget and I still laugh about that car all these years later. I don’t think you can truly appreciate a good car without driving a few sheds. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Shitroen C8
It just fell apart, 2nd row seats wouldn’t fold down to allow access to rear, rear bench seat weighed a ton and required at least 2 people to remove.
The drivers seat fell apart, and the sliding doors practically fell off the runners. Not to mention the electrical problems and the balls ache to change headlight bulbs.
Never buying another French car. |
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"Shitroen C8
It just fell apart, 2nd row seats wouldn’t fold down to allow access to rear, rear bench seat weighed a ton and required at least 2 people to remove.
The drivers seat fell apart, and the sliding doors practically fell off the runners. Not to mention the electrical problems and the balls ache to change headlight bulbs.
Never buying another French car."
Sacré Bleu!!!!!! |
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Not really had a bad one as such. I guess the least reliable was my mk1 Ford focus but that wasn't a disaster. To be fair my 1994 Fiat Tipo surpassed my expectations for a FIAT. It was reliable. Although someone told me the Tipo had been especially built better to reversed Fiat's poor reputation. However didn't sell well despite being sound due to said tarnished reputation. I think after that FIAT just reverted back to type. |
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Had an Isseta bubble car which used to shear the engine timing shaft every 250 miles. I got so clued up on getting the engine out. I could get the unit out in under 1/2 hour.
I think it cost me about £200 . Wish I had it now as they are fetching £10000 plus!!!!! |
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