Thread: Non-Landy most-hated cars

Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

1955 Mk. 1 Ford Zephyr. What a piece of junk. Rust in every panel including boot lid, bonnet, and roof. I was on my back under the dash one day probing the mysteries of vacuum wipers when I dropped a Phillips screwdriver which stabbed straight through the floor. Didn't go as hard as an FJ and used more fuel. Fragile gearbox. No Mk. 2's in wrecking yards had a trans in them. All had been bought as an upgrade to the crap Mk1 box. The front end needed constant attention. Steering box brackets used to crack and snap, Idler arms wore out on a regular basis and inner control arm bushes went hard and cracked. Wheel balance was super critical. Tyres on the front wore out super quick. OEM Rear axles could be snapped like a carrot. Dufor axles lasted.

We had a couple of Mk 2 Consuls and Zephyrs as spotlighting hacks when we were kids.
They all ended up with second gear blown, so it was full noise in first gear, then into top (3rd.).
The sixes had a fair bit of go for their day.

Cheers, Mick.

I know this is supposed to be non-Landy, but my D2a is alternately my most loved and my most hated.

A week back from a scheduled service and it's doing its blinking power loss thing again. I thought I'd cured it after last time. I think getting serviced upsets the balance of some kind of intangible force field.

After my 1st car MG TF, I got interested in rallying. I bought a Cooper S and started to do it up. My father thinking he was doing me a favour bought me a SAAB 96 Monte Carlo, as it had won the Monte Carlo rally . I think there were only 2 in Australia, and both were located in Melbourne. Mine was a red one, other one was white. 3 cylinder, two stoke, 4v on the tree, with I think air suspension like a Citrone. My god it blew smoke when you floored it and it was always oiling up the spark plugs. Even though it was two stroke, you put oil in a container and the car premixed the oil with the petrol. No one knew how to service it and it spent more time off than on the road. Traded it in on a 911 Porche, which was just as bad and unreliable. Since then, I have never owned a Swedish or German built car, that I can recall, and probably never will.

Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

The 16 was little better. They had a grand little engine but the front ends fell apart and the bodies turned into brown powder quick time.

Oh I dont know about being a little better - a lot better but I agree about the great engine, the front ends and the rust.

I had a Renault 16TS as my car when I lived in the car in the early 80s. As you said a great engine and the car had great performance for a 1600 and was extremely comfortable to drive. Mine cost me £300 from a road side seller and I left it with a wrecker 12 months later when I came back to Aust. In that time I drove all over England and Scotland from the very bottom to the very top.

Yes the front end did want to fall apart but a few drill holes and high tensile bolts held it together - the rear end was rusted out but the floors were Ok as the rust holes let the water out. The engine ran well taking me all over the UK even with coolant in the oil and oil in the coolant - didnt seem to worry either cooling or lubrication.

I think the Renault 16TS was a bit better than many give it credit for - never got used to the 4 on the tree though.

Certainly not on my most hated list.

Garry

Originally Posted by garrycol

Oh I dont know about being a little better - a lot better but I agree about the great engine, the front ends and the rust.

I had a Renault 16TS as my car when I lived in the car in the early 80s. As you said a great engine and the car had great performance for a 1600 and was extremely comfortable to drive. Mine cost me £300 from a road side seller and I left it with a wrecker 12 months later when I came back to Aust. In that time I drove all over England and Scotland from the very bottom to the very top.

Yes the front end did want to fall apart but a few drill holes and high tensile bolts held it together - the rear end was rusted out but the floors were Ok as the rust holes let the water out. The engine ran well taking me all over the UK even with coolant in the oil and oil in the coolant - didnt seem to worry either cooling or lubrication.

I think the Renault 16TS was a bit better than many give it credit for - never got used to the 4 on the tree though.

Certainly not on my most hated list.

Garry

A close friend had a wrecking yard in those days. He wouldn't buy another Renault 16 in. He said everything on them except the engine is rooted and the panels and front suspension are what everybody is looking for. Hardly ever sold an engine.

The only car i have owned that i hated was a 3 series BMW but it was a good car just not for me.
Driven plenty of terrible cars though.
In no particular order...... 66 fastback Mustang. Didnt go round corners and didnt stop. Just wanted to kill me.Looked great though.
Ford Falcons. Driven many from old 1970's GT to Avis rental cars. The early ones i thought were like boats as compared to the Alfa s i was driving. Power but nothing else. Latter wagons impossible to drive on a dirt road without it wanting to swap ends.
Holden ...although i learnt to drive in a HR it was pretty bad as was the Kingswood i drove and the Statesman.
Maserati bi turbo Zagato from the 1980's was a terrible car also.
Someone mentioned the Sigma. My mums had chronic understeer but was quickish. Better that the falcons of the time.

I once had the experience of driving mate's girlfriend's then new Holden Camira across the Bells line of road to Sydney from Orange in the rain. For a young bloke who drove a 351 Falcon 2 door it was a terrifying experience as it terminally understeered into every corner, and I was doing a lot less than the speed limit.

Work also presented us with a "no hungry wheel arches" Mazda 1600 van. Most of the driving servicing government enterprises was done in WB vans and later Falcons and the Mazda was not a worthy replacement. Driving it at the speed limit on country runs meant that they put 3 engines in it in 60,000KM and never gave us another one.

Regards,
Tote

Originally Posted by mick88

We had a couple of Mk 2 Consuls and Zephyrs as spotlighting hacks when we were kids.
They all ended up with second gear blown, so it was full noise in first gear, then into top (3rd.).
The sixes had a fair bit of go for their day.

Cheers, Mick.

I can assure you the Mk 2 box was much better than the Mk 1. That is why all the Mk2 boxes in wrecking yards were sold to put into Mk 1's. Mk 2 engines went a lot better than Mk 1's which could not get near a grey Holden. Used a lot more fuel than a Holden also. Did live well. Outlasted the rust traps they were fitted into.