Cars you just couldn’t get on with for various reasons?

Bear said:
Agreed, I always wondered why we don’t at petrol stations considering how cheap it is to implement.
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Boring fact lots of Waitrose stations have them as they were standard for the old Safeway stations, I know this after spending many an evening freshening the water while cleaning the pumps as part of the cashiers duties!
 
Manual e46 BMW’s, I’m assuming something to do with the clutch delay valve thingy, I had a 318 4pot and a 325 6pot, both were hateful, I just couldn’t get along with either and was glad to see the back of them.
A shame as the manual box in my previous e36 was a joy to use.
 
VW Polo I've not tried a newer one but ~1997 and ~2009 models - on paper there is nothing to dislike about it, probably one of the most inoffensive cars out there yet it just doesn't work right for me somehow - seating position felt wrong, my position relative to the road felt wrong, cornering felt wrong, feedback from the wheel just felt wrong. I'm perfectly happy with the Golf - how different can it be? yet somehow I have a problem with the Polo.

I've also never gelled with anything Land Rover for some reason - but I've not spent enough time driving one to articulate why.

My pickup was the opposite - sat in it and everything was just where I'd expect it to be and how it makes sense to operate it (except the horn), seat position and position relative to the road is just the sweet spot for me, etc. the visibility and awareness of what is going on around you is so good compared to many cars I've driven - will genuinely be gutted when I part with it.
 
Though too young to drive then. When I was 12/13, my dad was going through the motions of buying a new company car. He road tested the Citroen Xantia. It was the only car that I have been that I felt car sick in. Dad got a Ford Mondeo instead.

When I first learnt to drive, I used a driving school in the village I was living in at the time. Their cars were Peugeot 106s. Hated the layout of the pedals as too high. Preferred the pedal layout in mum's car - the first gen Vauxhall Corsa. Changed driving schools to one that used Corsas.
 
MissChief said:
I love driving my 428i Gran Coupe very much, I think it looks amazing, is fast enough for me but still can be frugal enough if you’re gentle and on a run, but I’m thinking it may have to go soon. I didn’t notice it at first but the accelerator and other pedals are ever so slightly offset from the drivers seat. So far this is causing a great deal of pain in my right ankle, especially the tendons on the right hand side. Unless I find a way to stop this it may have to go. :(

So, has anyone else had a car that they’ve had to get rid of a reason like this? Uncomfortable seats, poor layout, offset pedals etc?
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I’ve never noticed the offset, but I do wonder if that’s what is making my back ache after longer (2+ hour) stints in the car.

Nothing will ever be as offset as my Saxo was though.

Seems to be a modern trend, pedals getting offset likely due to additional safety and other equipment encroaching on footwell space.
 
B7 A4 2L TDI

Nice to look at and nice interior for the time but just awful to drive. The absolute personification of the Audi brand at that time.

Dead steering, over assisted brakes, awful damping that shook the car with each bump and boring engine. Wheel span in the dry with full throttle (it was a 2L diesel so hardly proper) and just felt boring. Bought it for my wife at the time, replaced it with an MX5 which was ace.

At the time I had the RS4 and it was like a different company made it.
 
I've not recently bought a car and regretted it as I spend far too long researching and test driving. The last regrettable car purchase however was in 2006. Fiat Coupe 20VT LE. On paper and in the metal it was great. Inside it was awful. Noisy, worse build quality than my Punto and the torque steer was horrendous. I sold it after 6 weeks.
 
Scania said:
Manual e46 BMW’s, I’m assuming something to do with the clutch delay valve thingy, I had a 318 4pot and a 325 6pot, both were hateful, I just couldn’t get along with either and was glad to see the back of them.
A shame as the manual box in my previous e36 was a joy to use.
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Funny you say that, ive had a couple of manual E46s and yes, the manual shift on them was really bad, nasty clutch and just didnt like the shift at all. Never had an issue with any other manual including rental van, terrible vauxhalls, all sorts, so i really dont think that it was me. In contrast, the autos in that era were great, so much slushier than modern ones.
 
Jez said:
Funny you say that, ive had a couple of manual E46s and yes, the manual shift on them was really bad, nasty clutch and just didnt like the shift at all. Never had an issue with any other manual including rental van, terrible vauxhalls, all sorts, so i really dont think that it was me. In contrast, the autos in that era were great, so much slushier than modern ones.
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It's an odd one, I tried a friends e46 M3 and it was a lovely thing to drive (manual box) I guess it's perhaps a different setup to the lesser models?
 
Dis86 said:
Should have gone for the starlight headliner then, shouldn't you? :rolleyes:

:p
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lol, true story this - was sat in it on the coast waiting for a mate. Looking around the cabin as you do when you've not had a car long. Trying to justify my lack of excitement for it. I do like this panoramic roof, though. Couple of seconds later, seagull landed a **** right down the middle all over the center console lol
 
Silent_Scone said:
lol, true story this - was sat in it on the coast waiting for a mate. Looking around the cabin as you do when you've not had a car long. Trying to justify my lack of excitement for it. I do like this panoramic roof, though. Couple of seconds later, seagull landed a **** right down the middle all over the center console lol
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Lol. I was lucky, 4 years of convertible ownership and never got crapped on. A lot of angry wasps though!
 
I might get flack for this but I didn't last long in my 2007 Civic Type R I felt like I was doing yoga in works car park getting in and out of it and it got old really quickly

Further flack potential I had a 200SX S14A for all of a month or two for some reason in anything other than completely dry conditions that thing would twitch and twerk all over the place and it scared the carp out of me so it went asap
 
Mondeo ST220 I had always wanted one, test drove it enjoyed it bought it.

A week in the battery died, no big deal batteries die. Dealer replaced it. Still tainted the ownership experience a little.

I had come from a 2004 Volvo S60 which in comparison to the Mondeo had infinitely better build quality than the Mondeo, the Volvo was solid not a rattle in sight. The Mondeo however had all kinds of interior rattles subtle ones others didn't hear them I could and it would just get on my nerves.

The recaro seats I found uncomfortable after about 30 minutes of driving, i was on the larger side back then so probably just didn't really fit in them :D I had been spoiled by the seats in the Volvo still to this day there has not been a comfier seat than those.

Then there is the power delivery, V6 sounds good but I missed the shove of turbo charged engine.

Fast forward 3 weeks in it developed a misfire so back to the dealer it went. I still had the Volvo at the time so hopped back into that, then i realised what a mistake I had made yes the Volvo was dull to drive, it had a horrific turning circle but it was so relaxing and comfortable and no rattles this more than make up for the dullness.

When i got the Mondeo back I decided after just 2 months of ownership to trade it in for a Mk5 Golf GTI, this is what i was after, it was well built no rattles, fun to drive, turbo charged, surprisingly comfortable for what it is. I had that for 4 years of trouble free motoring.
 
thedazman67 said:
A week in the battery died, no big deal batteries die. Dealer replaced it. Still tainted the ownership experience a little.
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I generally change them if they are more than a few years old when I buy a vehicle - especially as most people just chuck the cheapest one possible in if they have to change it and I like to have something a little more reassuring.
 
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