Whats Your Worst Car In The World ?

[Etrigan]

Well the title of worst car has to be shared jointly by Suzuki and KIA. The Suzuki Caribean (or by it's "cooler" name, SAMURAI) is basically a box on wheels. It looks crap too, so you know what to expect when you see it. Then there's the KIA Sportage (just typing the word makes my blood boil!!!) which tries to be a big bad-boy SUV but instead resembles one of NASA's 70's moon buggies. The KIA also had the same fuel consumption as one of these Hummers that we hear about, terrible.

Avoid these cars.

[Tywais]

The Suzuki Caribean (or by it's "cooler" name, SAMURAI) is basically a box on wheels.

Know what you mean. Sometimes the university 'chaufers' me to labour dept. and immigration in this. I think shock absorbers must be optional equipment.

[Insight]

I've no idea how they perform (probably not very well, given their origins), but how anybody can enjoy being seen in one of these spaz chariots is beyond me:

[Gary A]

I don't know about the Kia, although I have heard horror stories about them here in Thailand. I disagree about the Suzuki Caribean. I had one and it was the most fun vehicle I ever had. I drove it back and forth from Bangkok to Roiet a lot. It beat you to death because it rode so hard and the 1.3 liter gasoline engine wasn't very efficient for that small of an engine but it just kept going. No mechanical problems at all.

[wilko]

the Suzuki has quite good off road abilities. the early ones failed the "moose test" though

[gpt]

Yes yes its all comming back now, can we realy get any lower, the Morris Ital, I can hardly bring myself to type those words and the BL princess, this is getting realy sick I wouldent be surprized if we get somebody posting an Austin A40 next !

Can't post about the A40 but I did have a nice 1953 A30. Mate of mine had an A35 at the same time. My car passed its MOT test but mate's failed on brakes. Both of us had no money at the time so we spent the weekend changing master and wheel cylinders and pipes. His car passed on Monday morning, we never did change brake parts back as both cars had better brakes after the swap.

Someone mentioned KIA, we had a new KIA Optima in Oman last year, about the same size and shape as a Camry. It was a great car for the money - about 420,000 Baht

The Suzuki jeep type, how many of these Thai 'big foot' conversions topple over?

[pop3]

Sorry but somebody had to do it, Heres your A40, looking at it I think it looks like a mixture of Austin 1100, Morris oxford, and a worsley hornet with Anglia doors ?

[qualtrough]

I have heard and read many times things about the Ford Pinto as an absolute disaster but never really seen one or had anyone talk of first hand experience about it.

Despite all the bad press about Ford Pintos, my sis had one. It was her first car. Our family owned about 5 vehicles, all of them worth four times the value of her Pinto. Unfortunately, all of them broke down, but sis's little Pinto kept running, and we all had to borrow her car from time to time to stay mobile. It was embarassing.

I was thinking about mentioning the Pinto I owned. 2nd hand about $1000.00. But it never failed me, harsh cold winters or hot summers, it kept on trukkin. I rebuilt the carburator once myself and that was about it for repairs. Reliability was certain not one of its' faults. Well over 100,000 miles when I decided to buy a new car.

The Pinto was good value for the money. What killed it was the fact that the gas tanks tended to explode in rear end collisions when they collided with sharp parts of the differential. They eventually made a fix but it was too late to salvage the reputation.

How about the AMC Pacer? Interesting idea, but the huge windows created a greenhouse effect that the AC was never able to keep up with. I think it was meant to have been powered by a more powerful engine, but that never happened for some reason.

[qualtrough]

I almost forgot! Plymouth Volare! By this time Chrysler was churning out complete crap with interiors that were poorly fitted, etc. The front fenders on the Volare started rusting out within the first year. Within a few years of the end of production you rarely saw one on the road. Anybody remember '...with its Rich Corinthian Leather"?

[undercover]

Theres a differance between a bad car and a boring one tho, Heres a bad car, the Triumph stag, rubbish under powerd 2.5 v8 motor with valve gear made from old BSA motorbike parts, it was as unreliable as they come and even Triumph at the end recomended fitting a Rover v8, but it was never boring, a great shape, the girls loved them, fun to drive (when it was going) nice car to park next to an Austin 1100 !

[mbkudu]

As for all American cars being POS, I humbly disagree. Let us pick just ONE venerable vehicle....let's say the JEEP. You guys (well, maybe your mothers) remember them from WWII... GPW & MB's (same vehicle, 2 different manufactures) all the way through the Jeep CJ5's, built into the 1980's when US Govt safety regs signalled their demise. These vehicles, especially the ones 40, 50 & even 60 years old are not only in high demand but are still in service WORLDWIDE more than half a century (that's 50 or more years for those of you in the UK & EU).

Thank God somebody knows their auto history. The Jeep was the best vehicle ever made. The Willy's and MBs of the WWII era and then the later civilian model Willy's staion wagons and pickups were arguably the sturdiest and most reliable vehicles of their time, and like you said TLloyd, thousands of them are still blazing trails on and off road today. The MB was and still is the best climbing 4X4 ever produced because of its low center of gravity, good axle clearance, light weight and ultra low gearing. The Willy's wagon was the first ever SUV. This was long before the term 'SUV' ever existed. I had a 1956 Willy's station wagon when I young. It was the best vehicle I ever owned. Sadly I had to sell it before I left for Thailand years ago. One thing I will regret forever. I actually see them here from time to time. There's a guy who drives an immaculate red wagon around the Ramkhamhaeng area. US Jeeps of today and most other modern SUVs are pussy wagons made of plastic and other garbage. Just no comparison.

The 57' Chevy wasn't a bad car

Edited January 11, 2007 by mbkudu

[Crossy]

Brits of a 'certain age' will remember the AC Invacar

Early models had no reverse gear, going backwards involved stopping and re-starting the (two-stroke) Villiers engine backwards. In it's final form the beast was capable of a terrifying 82mph!!!

Given to disabled Brits as part of their benefits package, its negative NCAP rating helped to significantly reduce the number of disabled persons claiming benfit, lethal

[markg]

A Typo surely - a spaz chaz never did 82mph. You mean 28mph?

My mums first car was an austin 1100. Real heap of <deleted>. She traded it in for a 2CV. Which we drove from northern england to italy.

Twice.

Reliable but no performance.

My worst car EVER was the latest and last incarnarnation of the Ford Escort.

What a total piece of crap.

We traded a very old Peugoet 205 for it. I begged to swap back after a week but they had already scrapped the Peugeot.

This 2 year old escort had the worst suspension of any car ever. It was like driving with flat tyres all the time. U felt every milk bottle top and whisker on the road.

The locks kept breaking.

It didnt handle.

It was slow like you wouldnt believe.

I nver bought another Ford again after that.

Jeez. Crud.

[undercover]

The AC Invacar ! Remember them well, surely they can't reach 82mph ? 28mph yes, mabe someone can clear that up, I remember my farther always saying that if you were not an invalid you would soon be one driving a car like that, if it's right that the final ones made could travel at 82mph I now understand my farthers comment,

As for the Plymouth Volare, cars like that used to turn up in the uk and not knowing there history back home we thought they were ok, a bit like an MGBGT in the usa !

[Crossy]

Invacar data here http://pages.zoom.co.uk/elvis/invacar.html

The final incarnation of the Thundersley version had a 600cc Steyr-Puch 4-stroke engine rather than the 150cc Villiers 2-stroke (which really could approach 30 mph).

82 in one of those, scary!!

[markg]

Invacar data here http://pages.zoom.co.uk/elvis/invacar.html

The final incarnation of the Thundersley version had a 600cc Steyr-Puch 4-stroke engine rather than the 150cc Villiers 2-stroke (which really could approach 30 mph).

82 in one of those, scary!!

It also had motorcycle style handlebars instead of a steering wheel.

Werent they banned from motorways though? I seem to remember big blue signs on slip roads saying that invalid cars and horse drawn carriages were banned - presumably because they couldnt maintain the minimum speed limit on the motorway of 30 mph. (And not a lot of people know that)

What a great name for an engine though eh - The Thundersley. Sounds like a great car..........til you see the photos. And why did it only come in that awful shade of pale blue.

We used to break into them as kids, cos there was a spaz chaz graveyard near where i lived. There were hundreds of them. Probably all still there, unless they've been recycled into swimming pools.

[VocalNeal]

Any car you were travelling in that's broken down by the road side. Any other opinions are subjective.

For Monty:

SURGEON GENERAL: It's OK to smoke the opposition with 2-stroke power.

[markuk]

Brits of a 'certain age' will remember the AC Invacar

Early models had no reverse gear, going backwards involved stopping and re-starting the (two-stroke) Villiers engine backwards. In it's final form the beast was capable of a terrifying 82mph!!!

Given to disabled Brits as part of their benefits package, its negative NCAP rating helped to significantly reduce the number of disabled persons claiming benfit, lethal

the brits amongst us will remember this 3 wheeler too. Especially the one used in "Only fools and Horses" You used to be able to drive one of these with a motorbike licence

[Crossy]

the brits amongst us will remember this 3 wheeler too. Especially the one used in "Only fools and Horses" You used to be able to drive one of these with a motorbike licence

Yep, that's a Reliant Robin a later version, Dell Trotter and Rodney (Fools and Horses) had a yellow Reliant Supervan.

When I had a computer shop in Bournemouth (Condor Computers, still run by my then business partner Quentin) we had a yellow Supervan just like Dell Boy. Q got pulled by the cops on the Christchurch bypass doing 75mph in it, didn't give him a ticket just wanted to tell him how fast it was going

[wilko]

Brits of a 'certain age' will remember the AC Invacar

Early models had no reverse gear, going backwards involved stopping and re-starting the (two-stroke) Villiers engine backwards. In it's final form the beast was capable of a terrifying 82mph!!!

Given to disabled Brits as part of their benefits package, its negative NCAP rating helped to significantly reduce the number of disabled persons claiming benfit, lethal

You're probably getting your vehicles mixed up here. The Messerschmitt 3 wheeler had a 2-stroke that was put into reverse by retarding the ignition. I guess so were quite a few other vehicles, a 4-wheel version claimed a top speed of around 100mph. The 3 wheeler WAS fast though.

The Reliant built Bond Bug was a sporty looking 3 wheeler capable of that kind of speed and Bond prior to that built a 3 wheeler with a Hillman Imp (Coventry Climax) engine which was good for over 90 mph (allegedly!)

AC Cars of course will also be remembered for their collaboration with Carroll Shelby - the COBRA!

[stingray]

Theres a differance between a bad car and a boring one tho, Heres a bad car, the Triumph stag, rubbish under powerd 2.5 v8 motor with valve gear made from old BSA motorbike parts, it was as unreliable as they come and even Triumph at the end recomended fitting a Rover v8, but it was never boring, a great shape, the girls loved them, fun to drive (when it was going) nice car to park next to an Austin 1100 !

Sorry it was a 3.5 liter V8 (Range Rover) developped by Buick in the 60ties. But the engine never used for US Cars, it was to small and underpowered (130hp only).

[undercover]

Sorry it was a 3.5 liter V8 (Range Rover) developped by Buick in the 60ties. But the engine never used for US Cars, it was to small and underpowered (130hp only

................................

Never used ? The 63 Buick skylark mate, infact the yanks used it in quite a few models, Fireball aluminum v8. I worked on more Rover/Buick 215ci motors that I care to remember, I love the motor I hate the motor, many good and bad points.

Edited January 13, 2007 by undercover

[OneeyedJohn]

Worst for me undoubtedly Hillman Imp, rear engined.

Couldn't take your parents to church with it so unreliable.

What is wrong with that Chrysler Insight ?? £16,000 when I saw it on display in my golf club late 90's. Don't you think it has a nice gangster look about it? It weighs over one ton but never drove it.

[pop3]

Heres one for lovers of Austin saloons, the big brother of the Austin 1100, the Morris Garages Vanden plas 1850cc,

Theres some sick people in this world, if the 1100 wasent bad enougth they had to tart up the interia and add a bit of chrome to the windows ect,

I don't like to admit it and don't tell anyone but the guy in the house next door to me used to have one, I took it for a drive one day while he was not able to drive it himself, the ride quality was good as the sound proofing was much better in the vanden plas, the seats were real leather, and I was amazed how lively the motor was, if it haddent been a tarted up 1100 it would have been ok.

[chanchao]

Well the title of worst car has to be shared jointly by Suzuki and KIA. The Suzuki Caribean (or by it's "cooler" name, SAMURAI) is basically a box on wheels. It looks crap too, so you know what to expect when you see it.

I cannot believe I'm reading this!

The Suzuki is a simple design, but it's INTENTIONALLY simple and sturdy. It's VERY tough and reliable, VERY easy for maintenance and repairs. It is what it is. And what it is specifically is that it's actually pretty good off-road. And affordable to lift it to being VERY good off road.

Sure it sucks as a car for highway driving, but it's not a 'car'. Remember, these babies (used to?) cost less than 300,000 baht NEW.

About the Kia Sportage though: Yes, that's a dog. It's worse than a dog, it's a cow.

[undercover]

I agree the Suzuki jeep was very good off road, it was light and raised an eyebrow on a few landrover owners at off road events, problem was on road, here I agree totaly that it was the biggest load of crap I have ever had the misfortune to drive, the suspension ! what suspension, just try taking a 1000cc 4 speed gearbox model onto a motorway, even trying to get into the flow of traffic was dangerous, acceleration was about the same as a herd of cattle.

[taxexile]

those austin 1100's were good cars , with some advanced engineering on them (for the time).

my dad had one and i learnt to drive in it , after getting my licence much good use was made of the very roomy interior and back seat. i've got some great memories of that car.

i liked the neat ribbon speedometer too.

worst car i owned was a triumph TR6 , good looking but fault after fault after fault . the BL dealers were the epitome of incompetence.

[ltdknowledge]

Austin Princess was the worst car, my sister had one for a few weeks. Regarding the Suzuki, i have being considering buying one for fun just to off road, despite saying in another thread i have no intentions to do so. Is the 1.3 model any good on and off road.

[undercover]

Remember your sisters Austin princess ? you'll be wishing you were driving it after a few miles in a suzuki jeep. the 1300 is faster and has a five speed gearbox so you can hit those bumps a bit faster but you won't be doing any overtaking in it.

[Daffy D]

The worst motor I ever bought was a Ford Escort van. This was in the 1980’s

I was in between overseas contracts and too old to get a real short time job so thought I would do courier work – a bit like minicabs without the agro of dealing with people.

A brand new white gleaming van. Best selling motor in UK at that time! What a load of c**p. supposed to earn beer money till my next contract. It was in the shop more times than on the road. Still under warranty so could not really take it anywhere else for repairs.

One time the brakes failed, phoned up the Ford dealer couldn’t take it in till next week so for a whole week I was driving around London with just my handbrake to stop,

Best 4x4 are Toyota, in desert and jungle we had some American Jimmys and Broncos and some others and yes a couple of Land Rovers but give me a Toyota anytime.

Best motor I ever had was an Armstrong Sidney Sapphire. This was in my teens when hormones raged, what a panty puller.

Second to that was an old Vauxhall type that I can’t remember the model but it was an export model and the spedo was in kilometers which really impressed the girls when I would be doing 120.

Oh! Happy days.

D.D.