# Best car and worst car ever owned?



## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

FIAT 127 acquired from my parents when they replaced it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_127
MGB Roadster Mk II
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MG_MGB#MGB_Roadster sold when I went to University .....


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

I never owned a bad car. But my parents bought an AMC Pacer in 1976. 
It was underpowered and bottomed out over hills.

Best car?? The E350 Mercedes I drive now.

In the last 35 years or so some things have gotten better!!


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

Worst car: Tie between a 1976 Ford Grenada I bought for $100 in a bar from a couple of junkies (who had a title)--the hood flew up on the way home, the radiator was more sieve than radiator and I didn't drive it more than 50 miles before parking on a street and just walking away. Also a 1974 (I think) Chevy Vega purchased in college for, IIRC, less than what I paid for the Grenada. I drove it fewer miles than the Ford and can't quite recall what happened to it. Brakes went all the way to the floor, and even then. Amazing how lucky you can get when you are young and do very stupid things.

Best car: 1994 Ford Taurus. I think I've told this story before. Purchased at a garage sale with 97,000 or so miles on it (can't recall exactly, but it was less than 100,000) for $500 from someone who thought it needed a water pump. In fact, it needed a belt tensioner, which cost well under $100 installed. Had the world's coldest air conditioner. Transmissions were the Achilles heel of Tauruses, but I drove it as if the tranny was going to fall out at any moment--no hard shifts, no hard acceleration--and never had a problem. Drove it 50,000 miles, then sold it for $1,500, which my wife says was a mistake, and she may be right. More than three years after I sold it, we still see it around town. About a year ago, I had a chance to talk to the owner in a parking lot, and she raved about what a great car it was and how much she liked it.


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

Objectively, the worst would have to be the "60 Thunderbird I had my senior HS year: 3/4 of the power windows didn't 1/2 work, rust spots, crap upholstery, saggy suspension, but that 351 Police Interceptor engine was a bomb!, and I loved the looks.

Best (and I've not had a bad one, like Woulda) would be the '82 Datsun Maxima. The BMW 528 had nothing on that car, and when I traded it off at over 150,000 miles, the only shop time had been for a busted hose.


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## pleasehelp (Sep 8, 2005)

Worst: Camry. I know many people that have had Camrys that they liked a great deal. I bought a very old one that drove poorly and smelled lousy. I only owned it for a short period of time before someone T-boned me.

Best: 993. Not a very practical car but a lot of fun to drive and great aesthetics.

As someone living in NYC, I rarely drive unless it is for fun for if I'm taking my family somewhere, so I suspect that I have different criteria for judging cars.


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## Odradek (Sep 1, 2011)

Worst car I owned would have to be a 1994 Mercedes Benz E280 estate, which was an overheating lemon, with head gasket issues.
Or maybe the terminally rusty 1974 VW Karmann Ghia, but at least that was a lot of fun to drive.

Best car might well be my now departed 1990 BMW E34 525i. Built like a tank and hardly ever gave me grief. Regularly managed 35mpg on a long run, which I thought was great in pre-diesel days.


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## MaxBuck (Apr 4, 2013)

Worst was clearly a Datsun 1600 roadster that went through clutches like Liz Taylor went through husbands. 

Best was a BMW 545i Sport sedan, though my current Cadillac CTS comes in a close second.


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## Monocle (Oct 24, 2012)

Worst - 1980 Chevy Monza. Your thinking "alright! A V-8 Vega!! Um... try Just Monza with a 151 I-4. So very bad.

Best - my current 07 Toyo 4Runner. 150k mi and new tires this past spring, - runs like brand new. 


Sent from the Underground.


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## quiller (Dec 25, 2010)

Best car :2004 Volvo Cross Country
worst car:1967 Rover 2000TC[cursed by Lucas the Prince of Darkness]


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

"Best" or "worst" can mean so many different things. Best in what way?

These are the cars I've owned, in order: 1983 Renault Alliance; 1991 Mazda RX-7; 1993 Chrysler LeBaron convertible; 1994 Chrysler LHS; 2003 Ford Taurus SES; 1986 Porsche 944; 1998 Honda Accord Coupe. I still own the latter two.

The Chrysler LHS was the most luxurious, and by far the roomiest. The Ford Taurus was the closest-to-new car, and lowest-mileage car, I've ever owned, and thus felt like it had the best build quality of all the cars I've owned.

The RX-7 was by the far the most fun-to-drive car I've ever owned. The Porsche 944 would probably beat it for fun-to-drive, but it has some suspension issues that make it a bit unstable, so I don't push it hard. It also has a failed clutch right now, and I'm probably going to sell it rather than fix it. I'm not sure yet.

The Accord Coupe, with its V6, is tied with the RX-7 for being the quickest car I've ever owned, but being a front-wheel-drive automatic, is nowhere near as fun to drive.

By the way, if anyone wants a 1986 Porsche 944 non-turbo with 185k miles that runs decently but needs a new clutch and new front struts and rear shocks, let me know. It has an LSD and the sport suspension option. I have two new Koni yellows for the rear which I have not installed. Asking $1800/obo.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

The worst car my dad ever owned, which he said to me when he sold it after just one year was a 1966 *Ford* Zephyr 6. (UK built)

Worst cars I've ever owned: 
1. 1992 *Ford* Scorpio V6 2.9 estate (German built)
2. *Ford* Mondeo 2.0, sedan (German built)

Worst special police vehicle I ever drove:
*Ford* Transit command post (UK built)
Worst police car I ever drove:
*Ford *Sierra (UK built)

I wouldn't have another Ford If I was given one free, brand new with all the trimmings!

BEST car (and fastest, nippiest & most responsive) car I've ever owned and still own, is the *1989 Vauxhall Astra 1.6 5 door hatchback *that I bought brand new. Starts every time & runs like a Swiss watch. And it's been all over the place: Sweden, England, Wales, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, France.
A close second would by my other current car: 2012 Hyundai i30 CW station wagon, with a 1.6 diesel engine, it gives almost 70 miles to the gallon.


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

JJR512 said:


> "Best" or "worst" can mean so many different things. Best in what way?
> 
> These are the cars I've owned, in order: 1983 Renault Alliance; 1991 Mazda RX-7; 1993 Chrysler LeBaron convertible; 1994 Chrysler LHS; 2003 Ford Taurus SES; 1986 Porsche 944; 1998 Honda Accord Coupe. I still own the latter two.
> 
> ...


Trade it for a turntable.


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## Joseph Peter (Mar 26, 2012)

I've owned only 2 cars and have leased 3 (the leased ones are part of my compensation at work). 

They are the following: a 1971 Pontiac Ventura II (GM's controversy with a Chevy engine in a Pontiac body, small block V-8, no a/c, disk brakes) which I owned from 1981 to 1996, a 1994 Cadillac El Dorado owned from 1996 to 2011, a 2006 Mini Cooper S (leased for 3 yrs - good car w/ a manual trans), a 2009 Mini Cooper S Werks (leased for 3 years - great car w/ a manual trans), a 2011 Cadillac CTS 4 (leased for 3 years - great car), and the current 2014 Cadillac 2014 CTS-V w/ a manual trans (what can I say? I own the firm now). I loved all of them, esp the Pontiac & the Werks Mini but the V is the crown jewel and will not be going back to the dealer when the lease expires. If you have a chance to drive one, do it. 556 hp under your foot and its handling will change your opinion of Cadillac.

For as lucky as I've been with the autos mentioned, my dream car is an MG or Triumph from the 70s...of course, I would like a Lambo Aventador or Murcielago but...


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## pleasehelp (Sep 8, 2005)

On that Porsche 944, you might want to try posting it on a few Porsche-specific boards or calling a few of the tuners that drop Corvette engines into them.


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## JJR512 (May 18, 2010)

pleasehelp said:


> On that Porsche 944, you might want to try posting it on a few Porsche-specific boards or calling a few of the tuners that drop Corvette engines into them.


Oh, I'm working on it, I just mentioned it here since it was relevant.


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## Bama87 (Oct 18, 2014)

I have only owned 3 vehicles:
"Worst" car - '95 Honda Civic EX. Great gas mileage, but needed some work. Bought it for $1800 sold for $1600 3 years later.

Best would be a toss up of the two I currently own. 1996 Chevrolet Silverado and a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe. Both are great for what they are used for.


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## ajasont (Mar 25, 2014)

Worst car: Parents bought a new Honda Passport in the late 90s/early 2000s. Oh boy...


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## Tilton (Nov 27, 2011)

Worst: 2003 BMW 330i - everything that can break in a car broke on this car. Seatbelt tensioners to water pump, everything had issues eventually. 
Best: tie: 1987 Jeep Wrangler because it never had an issue and it was just stupid simple to work on and 2006 Prius because, at 191,000 miles, everything still works flawlessly.


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