1968 Ford Cortina MK2 1600. Very dangerous because the steering followed all the bumps and ridges in the road due to it having cross-ply tyres.
The engine used to throw oil out of the oil filler cap because the pistons were clapped out and running in oval bores.
The brakes were useless. The brake calipers and wheel cylinders were free and not seized up.
Very heavy steering when parking.
The exhaust would rot away after 6 months.
1972 Vauxhall Viva HC. They were no courtesy light switches fitted. The wiring was there but Vauhall was too tight-fisted to fit the door switches.
I bought a couple of switches for about 15p each. Talk about spoiling the ship for a haporth o' tar.
Another car with useless brakes.
Would not start if the weather was damp.
Front wings rusted through after 3 years.
With both cars my weekends were spent with my head under the bonnet.
1974 Petrol Land Rover SWB. This heap of junk would stop if I went through a puddle. Terrible suspension boucing from bump to bump. Half shafts used to be always breaking. Useless brakes. Steering very stiff because it was not power assisted.
Got shut after a year.
I bought Japanese cars after that because they were very reliable and had all the extras like a radio and heated rear window.
Last edited by Dom on Sat Aug 20, 2005 6:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
my first car was a red coloured datsun, it was 25 years old the moment i bought it. it was very thirsty and unreliable, but looks kinda retro-cool when it doesn't play me up
my worst was also a Ford Cortina - 1963! but it was 11 years old at the time!
changed the engine so many times that I ended up being able to change it in about 40 minutes!
i didn't own one but had driven once one of those 1st gen hyuandi coupe, prob the worst dynamics car i'd ever driven (ppl say the current shaped ones are actually very good, though).
A dodgy old Fiesta with an altenator that would never charge the battery.
Fine in the summer, but when you had everything turned on in the winter I always had to get a jump start from the blokes at work.
2) 5 cylinders (The 6th cylinder was used exclusively to pump oil through the exhaust system. It would occasionally explode violently when the gas oil mixure got thin enough.)
3) It left rainbow effects on the pavement from coolant, oil and gas leaks.
4) Duct taped and wire wrapped muffler.
5) It held 1/2 a tank of gasoline almost all day. (Couldn't fill over 1/2 full or it would leak too fast.)
my first car was a mk1 escort 1100 which was flat out at 50mph !
tried to overtake a milk float once and nearly hit a lorry coming the other way coz it took soooooo long !!!!!!!!!!!
mind you had a cortina a few years later that was a real bitch as well !
never wanted to start !!!!!!!!! ( me and fords dont mix )