Best & Worst Cars You've Personally Driven

[Vetterin]

Liked:

1997 Ford Contour Sport (V6)
2002 Civic Si Veloz
1992 Honda Accord EX-R

Disliked:

1997 Dodge Caravan SE (V6)

Neutral:

1987 Subaru GL-10

I had a 98 Contour SVT and yes it's right near the top of my list too.
Tied for worst.......by far was my 1976 VW Rabbit and 1980 Mercury Zephyr.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Best (car):

2005 Lotus Elise (most fun you can have with your clothes on)

Worst:

1994 Isuzu Rodeo (biggest piece of shit on the planet)

Honorable mentions:

2012 Ducati Monster 1100 EVO
2012 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S
2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848
2008 Suzuki GSX-R600

 

[Arkaign]

Since I made the list, there's a couple others I want to add.

New to the best:
-Lincoln MKX: It's a souped up Ford Edge but damn these are nice. Got the same power engine in it as the Mustang. Goes like a rocket. Handles winter roads like they're nothing. Very smooth handling. Nicest interior I've seen. Heck, it's got butt chillers!

-Hyundai Sonata 2012: Best in the mid-size class, blows it's competitors away. Handles like a dream, plenty of power, nice interior.

-Kia Sorrento V6: Yeah, another SUV. Very comfy interior, handles well, and goes like stink. Kia is actually making some really nice stuff now.

Honerable mention (cars that aren't the best but impressed me still)
-Chevrolet Acadia V6: Cheap, looks like a tank, but powerful
-2012 Kia Rio 5: Shocks are stiff and seats are hard but it drives really nice. Better than the Yaris and Fiesta.


And the Worst:
-Chevrolet Malibu: not quite as bad as the Cobalt but still an overall junky car. Rough suspension, cheap interior, had engine sensor problems, pollutes a lot.
-Anything Volkswagen: German cars seem to get a reputation for quality. I don't know why. They always seem to develop electrical problems. Jettas will spontaneously leak coolant. Since there's no wet spot, I'd say the blocks are cracked somewhere. Not to mention they're grossly overpriced for what they are. Cheap, cheap, cheap.

Out of curiousity, I was wondering which gen of the Malibu you were talking about.

I've seen the older models (early '00s, I guess 2004ish?) .. and they were pretty damned awful really. But the current ones are fairly nice imho, still a step down from the Fusion or Optima or Accord, but not bad at all. I haven't seen the fleet/rental ones though, often they can be significantly worse than even the base models off of dealer lots.

 

[jagec]

Best:
~'06 Ferrari F430. Watch the Top Gear episode. That's all.

'89 MR2 w/stiffened shocks & bushings. Lack of power made up for with amazing steering feel, great brakes, go-kart handling, and the fun MR weight distribution. I actually towed a small trailer with this car. Amazingly, you couldn't even tell it was back there. This car is MADE for tight, winding roads.

'05 Suburu WRX, modded as well. More Grand Touring than go-kart, but I loved the power, the exhaust note, and that intoxicating turbo sound. Total boy racer car, but fun.

Worst:
90s Ford Escort. The cargo capacity of a small car, the sightlines of a box truck, the steering feel of a trash can lid and the turning radius of a cow. All this, and it's horribly unreliable, too? Wow!

90s Ford Explorer. Actually not bad off-road, but on the road it handles exactly like a small boat: Slow acceleration, heels over anytime you take a turn, and absolutely no brakes. This was a popular SUV for years?

~91 Subaru Justy. Honestly, as far as the driving experience goes in 3-cylinder cars that weigh less than the average McDonald's customer, it wasn't TOO bad. Unfortunately, it's still just a SLIGHTLY more upscale Geo Metro clone. Apparently they made a model with a CVT. At that point it would probably be faster to go on foot. Whether or not you had any.

 

[Childs]

Worst: 1963 International Scout

Bought it for $1000 on CL. Some rust, missing shifter boot so oil would spray on me from under the car. 3 speed man trans and 350 V8...so it was very loud. Very powerful, but just loud and obnoxious. Car was painted red, but the doors were pulled from another scout, and they were brown. I would think the ride would have been like what people experienced riding in wagons in the old west. I still have a pic:

hahaha..forgot the roof didn't match either. Yes, it looked just like this when I drove it. I bought a hatchback and was going to use this as a project. I had it parked at my moms place, cause I didn't have room at my apt. She got so tired of looking at it she had it hauled away for scrap. lol

Best: 2012 Dodge Challenger R/T

Bad ass. Everything I like about the old cars, but modernized.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Best: Mazdaspeed 3 - Tons of power, good handling, nice interior, plenty of space, very reasonable price. Love it.

Worst: Didn't get to drive this one but it still struck me as one of the most unappealing cars I've been in. It was a Dodge Caliber from probably 07 or 08. It was a rental car and it had a non existent trunk despite being a hatchback. Interior was cramped and it seemed pretty sluggish. Overall experience left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[Zivic]

best car:
lancer evo IX

worst car:
'99 Corolla

 

[dtgoodwin]

Best: 2002 Chevy TrailBlazer. Yes, it has an interior from a time when GM didn't give a crap, but it has an absolutely amazing ride for an SUV, a glass smooth and very powerful i6. Has been my most reliable and by far favorite vehicle. Also owned it the longest of any car.

Worst: For reliability, my 2000 Jetta TDI. I took it to the dealer a total of 26 times for 6 different problems - Fuel injection pump ~$2500 Turbo ~$3500 - fortunately covered by warranty.

2000 Nissan Maxima. VQ - Really? I cannot understand why everyone gushes over this engine. It was noisy (first year with timing chains), peaky, and felt less powerful than my '97 Camry. Suspension was really firm with a GIGANTIC steering wheel, yet didn't handle any better than my '97 Camry

1997 Toyota Camry. Only had a few problems - like chewing through tires, bad strut mounts. Very refined V6, and great gas mileage. Total appliance though.

 

[AdamK47]

Best:
- 1996 Honda Civic
- 1998 Toyota Corolla

Worst:
- 2007 Corvette
- 2006 GTO
- 2002 Monte Carlo SS
- 1999 Camaro Z28
- 1999 Camaro SS
- 1993 Grand AM
- 1986 Trans AM
- 1986 Camaro

 

[jagec]

Best:
- 1996 Honda Civic
- 1998 Toyota Corolla

Worst:
- 2007 Corvette
- 2006 GTO
- 2002 Monte Carlo SS
- 1999 Camaro Z28
- 1999 Camaro SS
- 1993 Grand AM
- 1986 Trans AM
- 1986 Camaro

Actual photo of AdamK47:

 

[AdamK47]

How did you find that technicolor photograph of me? Oh you sneaky whippersnappers!

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

LOL ^


Best: Mercedes ml350. my realtor let me go around block. couldn't 'test' it though. its niiiiice.


Worst: 1972 Ford flatbed truck at a farm. Lol. It was a gutless automatic and in order to stop you had to put it into neutral and press brakes otherwise itd stall.

 

[jupiter57]

Only cars/trucks I've driven enough to rate are vehicles I've personally owned & driven long enough to know:

Best: Have to lump this together being Cadillac DeVille (5 so far, '88 to '07), most of them have went WELL over 200K miles with almost no problems, save for the occasional water pump, A/C Compressor, Fuel Pump replacement. Plenty of power, comfortable, dependable, and all have gotten fuel mileage in the mid to upper 20's.

Worst: 2010 Ram 3500 the wife bought me just over 1-1/2 years ago.
/rant/Darned thing spends more time at the dealer than on the road. I have yet to go 1K miles without a problem. Black smoke billowing, power losing plastic POS.

6 more months & I'm sure Chrysler will have more in warranty repairs than it cost new!

Gotta lump Ford products in the worst category also, out of about 5 I've owned, nearly every one has been a mechanical nightmare. (I always say I have to buy one every few years so I can remember why I dislike them so!)

Never owned a Foreign car, though, save for one older Honda Civic I bought to flip, only drove it once, 75 mi. ea. way. Much too small for my tastes.

 

[brianmanahan]

best: 96 civic

worst: 96 civic

 

[Black2na]

Best-New ford GT(worked for a ford dealer brought it from the body shop to the show room about 1/8 mile but certainly awesome the whole time!

Worst-dodge intrepid

 

[Arkaign]

Only cars/trucks I've driven enough to rate are vehicles I've personally owned & driven long enough to know:

Best: Have to lump this together being Cadillac DeVille (5 so far, '88 to '07), most of them have went WELL over 200K miles with almost no problems, save for the occasional water pump, A/C Compressor, Fuel Pump replacement. Plenty of power, comfortable, dependable, and all have gotten fuel mileage in the mid to upper 20's.

Worst: 2010 Ram 3500 the wife bought me just over 1-1/2 years ago.
/rant/Darned thing spends more time at the dealer than on the road. I have yet to go 1K miles without a problem. Black smoke billowing, power losing plastic POS.

6 more months & I'm sure Chrysler will have more in warranty repairs than it cost new!

Gotta lump Ford products in the worst category also, out of about 5 I've owned, nearly every one has been a mechanical nightmare. (I always say I have to buy one every few years so I can remember why I dislike them so!)

Never owned a Foreign car, though, save for one older Honda Civic I bought to flip, only drove it once, 75 mi. ea. way. Much too small for my tastes.

Man you've had terrible luck with Fords. Did you buy some crappy ones in the 90s? A lot of bad stuff there. My family has had pristine luck with Fords

 

[Blain]

Best & Worst Cars You've Personally Driven

Best = 1968 Simca
Worst = 1968 Simca
Mine was red, but pic isn't mine.

 

[BUTCH1]

Worst, 1972 Matador, it's 4 wheel non powered drum brakes were unreliable, the steering wheel would oscillate wildly after hitting any pot hole or manhole cover, ball joints shot, tie rod ends shot, wheel bearings shot, control arms missing every bit of the rubber bushings, the electrical system would short out sometimes, you had to disconnect the battery after arriving at your destination or come back to a dead car. The black vinyl bench seats turned into "the ass hibachi" on any summer day.


Best, 1969 Corvette, I only had her for an hour, but what a fun hour!...

 

[manimal]

worst?


3 cyl fiesta from the 80s or a 78 mustang auto


best so hard to say.


faves have been Dinan e36 m3 euro, 993 turbo big bore, 930 slant nose..

That I have owned would be the Fiat 131 Mirafiori that I had as a teen.

 

[xapo99]

Worst (recently) : Golf GTD 2012 : Dull, heavy, slow and boring
Best (recently) : Kia Sportage 2011 (So my missus got one)

Worst (not recently) : Hyundai Accent Hire Car in States year 2000
Best (not recently) : Mazda RX-7 Efini with about 350bhp and total set up for track.

Also BMW M5 and 535D own, the latter.

 

[CraigRT]

Worst one in recent memory is definitely one of our fleet vehicles at work, a 2011 Corolla.
It's just such a bad car I have no idea how anyone could actually own one of these.

Brutal steering feel, mushy gross suspension, most tupperware interior I have ever seen. Reminds me of first year relaunch of the Dodge Avenger... it's such a horrid car.

One of my favorites was my friends' 2007 Volvo V70R.. Greatest seats in the world, gorgeous tan/orange colored leater interior, 6 speed manual and 300 HP... That is such a wonderful car, I absolutely loved it.

 

[Primergy]

Worst:
1998 Ford Van - Going 70 has never been that scary since...
Citroen 2CV - Cult, awesome but a nightmare in every safety relevant situation
VW Tiguan - biggest disappointment ever. Wikipedia solved the mystery - its a Chrysler chassis.

Best:
Volvo 240 - just because I like sitting in those...
Mazda 323 GTX - fast, nimble, kills 99% of all mexicanized Hondas on green
Citroen CX - smooth cruising in style

 

[lakedude]

Worst:

Unknown Isuzu pickup truck rusted out, exhaust leak into cabin, deadly

Early 70's "Cricket" - http://www.cartype.com/pages/2010/plymouth_cricket__1971

VW Diesel Pickup - fell apart (made in USA) diesel hard to start and shook like crazy at idle

1996 Collector's Edition Vette - expensive, leaked, had other issues, junk

2000 Vette Hardtop - tons of minor problems and annoyances, sure was pretty...

Best:

VW Diesel Rabbit (almost exactly the same as the truck, cept a car) - made in Germany fantastic MPG

Dad's Volvo and Mazda 626 were nice, the 626 was very reliable, the Volvo not so much...

2005 Honda Civic Hybrid-75,000 miles of great gas mileage, no annoyances, and only one problem (O2 sensor)

1988 Mitsubishi Starion turbo - cheap, sharp, fast, best climate control ever

 

[oiprocs]

Best:
1993 Prelude (H22A1)
2007 Accord EX
2006 Camry XLE

Worst:
1986 Accent GS
1988 Sentra

Neither best nor worst:
2012 Mazda 3 (Skyactiv)
1986 Seville
2002 Civic EX
1984 240DL

TBD :
2009 Camry SE

 

[BUTCH1]

Best:
~'06 Ferrari F430. Watch the Top Gear episode. That's all.

'89 MR2 w/stiffened shocks & bushings. Lack of power made up for with amazing steering feel, great brakes, go-kart handling, and the fun MR weight distribution. I actually towed a small trailer with this car. Amazingly, you couldn't even tell it was back there. This car is MADE for tight, winding roads.

'05 Suburu WRX, modded as well. More Grand Touring than go-kart, but I loved the power, the exhaust note, and that intoxicating turbo sound. Total boy racer car, but fun.

Worst:
90s Ford Escort. The cargo capacity of a small car, the sightlines of a box truck, the steering feel of a trash can lid and the turning radius of a cow. All this, and it's horribly unreliable, too? Wow!

90s Ford Explorer. Actually not bad off-road, but on the road it handles exactly like a small boat: Slow acceleration, heels over anytime you take a turn, and absolutely no brakes. This was a popular SUV for years?

~91 Subaru Justy. Honestly, as far as the driving experience goes in 3-cylinder cars that weigh less than the average McDonald's customer, it wasn't TOO bad. Unfortunately, it's still just a SLIGHTLY more upscale Geo Metro clone. Apparently they made a model with a CVT. At that point it would probably be faster to go on foot. Whether or not you had any.

I had a '94 Escort, it didn't need any major repairs until 170K, the hatchback could fit in big items, I put a full-sized washer in there! it was very underpowered though, 88HP made on-ramps a hair raising event!..