Best and worst car you've owned?

[Lou-Hela]

Don't worry, poor Epiphoners. We'll do best and worst skateboards next.
So, we're kicking off with best and worst car you've ever owned.


Licence since: 1985

Best car: 1980 Toyota Corolla
Year(s) owned: 1986 - 89

Worst Car :1975 Renault 4
Year(s) owned: 1985 I don't wanna talk about it anymore.

Best chune to hear in any car when driving: Satisfaction

 

[BGood]

1979 Datsun 310 GX wasn't that great.

I've since had 5 Toyota vans in over 30 years, and all were great. The 2013 Sienna still is real nice.

Most fun though, a small 2016 Chevrolet Spark EV. A go-kart on steroids, 327 lb-ft of torque and 140 hp in a small 2800 tiny car. I'd smoke some muscle cars on lights, that was funny. They come up to the next light and looked at me like .. WTF ?

 

[Charles Carter]

Best: Toyota Landcruiser. 105 Series with ARB lift kit and various upgrades.

Worst: Mitsubishi L300 Van.

 

[Lou-Hela]

I wanted to buy a Toyota Hiace a couple of years ago. Man, the instrument box by my right knee just killed me. Never bought it.
Got a 2 litre Skoda Yeti, instead. Great small SUV. My daughter loved it so much, she never gave it back,...
Do you have Skodas in USA, Canada?
Landcruiser , shit, that's a top car.

 

[imnotcreative]

Don't worry, poor Epiphoners. We'll do best and worst skateboards next.

Best and worst skateboards? Worst: Element team deck, broke it the same day i bought it. Best: Almost Uber Light. Strong as an ox, only got rid of it because the nose and tail got so worn there was no more place for my foot.

Worst was a 1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse (2008-2010)which seemed to get one problem after another... Apart from that, it was the nicest one to drive, as long as it wasn't acting up.
Best 2004 Ford Focus hatchback (first gen) (2015-present) other than regular maintenance i only had to replace the clutch plates which were a bit worn and squeeling when pulling away in first gear.
The next thing that will probably come up is the UV coating on the headlight lenses is starting to peel off a bit, but i have found a new set for roughly €100 so that's not too bad. And the screen on the radio is acting up a bit of which i suspect a couple of solder joints or in worst case a new screen which can be bought for about €10 so not too bad. I just need to find the time and will to pull the radio out and fix it. Other than that no problems.

 

[Otto99]

Worst car was a 1976 Olds Cutlass I bought in Cocoa Beach. There was a hole in the floor under my feet -this was a beach car, so lots of tin worm sightings - and to keep water from splashing in, I yoinked a rectangle of aircraft grade stainless steel out of the bin from work, and it fit perfectly. Probably was worth more than the car.

Best was the 2005 BMW 330Ci ZHP, a step up from the normal sport package. I called it a lower case m3. The only car I truly miss, although the other BMWs since have eased the sting. Yes, I’m one of them, but by God, I use my turn signals!

 

[Lou-Hela]

You seem like a balanced kinda guy, Otto. Unusual that, for a BMW driver. My son has one and he's a fucking idiot.

 

[soulman969]

Worst were a pair of Chrsyler Corp K-cars back in the mid to late 70s. One was in the shop more than in my driveway. The dealer finally replaced it with almost equally shitty one.

Best as in most awesome to drive was my 2002 Saab 95.

Best as in most dependable is my 2007 Toyota Corolla.

 

[Lancpudn]

The best car I owned was a early 80's Ford Granada MKII, It was in almost concourse condition & was stolen in the mid 90's never to be seen again




The car that replaced it was the worst car I owned, I needed a car quick to get to work & bought an Austin Princess for 50 quid as a stopgap car, It was really under powered & the engine sounded like a bag of spanners being rattled.
It lasted long enough until I got my insurance money through.

 

[Otto99]

You seem like a balanced kinda guy, Otto. Unusual that, for a BMW driver. My son has one and he's a fucking idiot.

These damn kids today! And I see it all the time, and shake my fist at the idiots who fuel the stereotype, but also suspect they’d drive like wankers in any brand. For me, it’s the car, not what the car says about me. There’s zero prestige in my 21 year old Touring with 223,000 miles on it, but thanks to some judicious spending, it will pull ~1G on a skid pad. Not too shabby for a station wagon!

 

[Lou-Hela]

Greg, I have to say, the son's BMW is a royal pain. But he's the bigger PITA.

LancPudding. Oh, mate. I freaking love the MKII Granada. Less so the Princess.
I happened to do a job for BL in Dusseldorf in the 80's. MD picked me up in one. I asked him how he liked it.
Even though I speak decent German, there wasn't much of an answer. I think they managed to sell about 20 pcs in the the whole country!
Land Rover was still keeping them going I think..

 

[Whitefang]

This is kind of subjective. But I'll try....

Best would be the '84 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham the ex wound up with and totaled.

The worst of course was my first car. A 1960 Ford Falcon bought for $60.00. Had it for one month. Ran good for only one week. Junked it for $16.00.

My favorite car however was the 1965 Dodge Coronet 500 I had from 1970 to 1971 when some a-hole T-boned it. Had a 383 4 bbl under the hood that got me back and forth quickly.

Whitefang

 

[Cozmik Cowboy]

Worst: 1990 Chevy Cavalier

Best? Hmmmm.......

1977 Triumph Spitfire: Best driving - when it ran (curse you, Joe Lucas!)

1990 Toyota Camry: Best longevity - ~325K miles when #2 son totaled it.

1992 GMC Suburban: Most useful - I was a Scoutmaster when I got it; a whole patrol with their gear, pull the troop trailer, and still had the roof rack open.

2004 Volvo S80: Nicest - pure luxury; alas, their legendary reliability went in the crapper when Ford bought them, and hasn't quite recovered since Ford sold them.

1962/63 Fordillac: Most character - '63 F-100 in that gawd-awful pale green they liked back then, and a wide white stripe down the sides, w/'62 Caddy engine & transmission, horse-blanket upholstery, flattened-tin-can floor, and plywood bed. The bed did have solid metal in the corners, so my brother & I dropped the exhaust, cut holes in the front corners, and mounted a pair of Purple Horny™ glass packs sticking straight up and blowing back. My first ride, and a true Appalachian-American ridge-running machine! Got about 8 mpg on gas, 7 mpg on oil, 6 mpg on tranny fluid, and 5 mpg on coolant..........

But none of them can touch my 1987 VT-1100 Shadow. One of the motorcycle magazines did a "shoot-out" article, and said "The Shadow is better than the Super Glide everything except being a Harley" (Yeah, I wanted a Harley, but Her brother needed the money, so She was OK with me buying his bike - and it actually was great; fit like they'd measured me, and in the 5 years I had it a broken throttle cable was the only problem. Well, the only one I didn't cause by being an idiot and dumping it..........)

 

[7whiskeycharley]

The best car (not the most exciting but the best) 1989 Toyota Camry.

The worst car might have been an Oldsmobile Omega... can't remember the year.

My Most fun car... Either a 1967 Chevy Camaro with a built 327 and a 4 speed. OR my 1970 Chevy Corvette., factory original 350/350, 4 speed.. Still have the Vette.

 

[Otto99]

The best car (not the most exciting but the best) 1989 Toyota Camry.

The worst car might have been an Oldsmobile Omega... can't remember the year.

My Most fun car... Either a 1967 Chevy Camaro with a built 327 and a 4 speed. OR my 1970 Chevy Corvette., factory original 350/350, 4 speed.. Still have the Vette.

Ooh, a 1970 C3, the best year for that model. When I worked for General Dynamics at Cape Canaveral, there was a guy with a green ’70 across the street, and I loved looking at it.

 

[Lancpudn]

Greg, I have to say, the son's BMW is a royal pain. But he's the bigger PITA.

LancPudding. Oh, mate. I freaking love the MKII Granada. Less so the Princess.
I happened to do a job for BL in Dusseldorf in the 80's. MD picked me up in one. I asked him how he liked it.
Even though I speak decent German, there wasn't much of an answer. I think they managed to sell about 20 pcs in the the whole country!
Land Rover was still keeping them going I think..

Yeah loved those V6 Granadas I owned two mkII's, Same Gold colour as the pic & a Blue over silver & a 3.0 litre MkI, I was really ticked off when it got nicked it was my pride & joy.

 

[Cozmik Cowboy]

Don't worry, poor Epiphoners. We'll do best and worst skateboards next.

I only ever had one - and I'm old enough that it wasn't a skateboard, it was a "sidewalk surfboard".

 

[Otto99]

Yeah loved those V6 Granadas I owned two mkII's, Same Gold colour as the pic & a Blue over silver & a 3.0 litre MkI, I was really ticked off when it got nicked it was my pride & joy.

That’s a lot nicer looking than what they called the Granada over here. Is it me or does it have a bit of an Audi vibe about it?

 

[Keefoman]

The best car I owned was a early 80's Ford Granada MKII, It was in almost concourse condition & was stolen in the mid 90's never to be seen again

View attachment 19321

My dad owned three MK1's and a MK2 in my childhood. 2.0l , 2.6l and 3.0l MK1 and a 2.8l MK2. (Also a MK3 2.0 injection known as the Scorpio to us other Europeans than the British.) Truly great cars that I have very fond memories of.

If I was to have a hobby car today, it would be a dream to own a MK1 3.0 GXL or Ghia. Preferably an early coupe. Man, they looked great!

 

[Cozmik Cowboy]

That’s a lot nicer looking than what they called the Granada over here. Is it me or does it have a bit of an Audi vibe about it?

Indeed; an old GF had a '70s American Granada - not a thing like that! And yes, I do see a resemblance to my old 5000 S.