BEST and WORST cars you've had the opportunity to drive

[Momomkz]

Best:
(N54) BMW 335xi, for sure was the best car I have driven for its value, hands down.
2008 Subaru WRX Sti, great track car...all year round

Worst:
Ford Focus
Honda Prelude

[propkaPT]

Nice thread

Best Cars:
1) E39 M5 - the perfect all around-er. The formula for the perfect car: V-8 RWD 4 doors and a classic design
2) Ferrari 575m - tubi exhaust :-)
3) 135i vert - awesome ...what a vert should drive like

Worst Cars:
1) 2005 ford mustang convertible ...wow brand new car when i had it...felt like every bold was tightened halfway
2) 2008 Toyota avalon - numb and crappy in every way
3) any Toyota Camry - see above

[yaymitch]

BEST -

1. 2009 C63 - Amazing torque and handled very well
2. 2002 M3 - Great all around car, at the time 333HP was huge (not anymore)
3. 1997 M3 - Best handling pure sports car I've ever driven - light and balanced (coincidentally about the same size as the 135i).

WORST -

1. Mitsubishi Eclipse (rattle trap)
2. Chrysler Sebring (worst steering feel ever).

[Sy546]

Best:
Elise SC
Gutted E36 M3
viper srt10
Evora S
LP 560
997 GT3

& many many more. But those are the most memorable.

[HeyMoe53]

Best

My '83 VW GTI-First year in the States for it. Quick enough, fun to drive any day, anytime, got through winter with it, no problem A completely unfussy car, which is surprising, since VW had all kinds of labor problems at it's Pennsylvania plant.

Of course, my 128. Same "drive it for fun anytime attitude," much better f/r balance, quicker.

Everyday fun--isn't that why you buy a car for?

My buddy's Cayman S. I detailed it, he let me have it for a weekend. Enough said.

Worst?

My '79 Trans Am. Loved the car, fun to drive, had to have one back in those days. Drove OK, nasty build quality. Kept it for 18 months, ate me out of house and home, traded on a much-better used Scirocco, then the GTI.

Hyundai Elantra-A rental. Get from A to B with it, not much else.

[cvandenhaute]

Best :

- 2009 Corvette ZO6 - I wanted the test drive to never end, what a stunning car. If I had that kind of money, I would love to have it only for starting it in the garage and listening to it!!!!
- 1972 Dino 246GT - I could not believe that a car that was nearly 35 years old could handle so well. Never had the chance to drive any other Ferrari (I know the Dino is not considered a TRUE Ferrari by many but still : what a beautiful machine)
- My 2007 Mazda Miata : I still believe it is one of the greatest car to drive offered on the market despite the lack of power (and mine was a 1.8 not offered in the US). So connected, I wish my 128i was that good in that department (it is actually the closest I could find... with a back seat)
- Morgan Plus 4 : Very light, great handling, amazing sensations (very low seating) and quite an experience considering you drive a car with a wood frame

Worst :

By far that every Chevy Cobalt I had as rental, I cannot believe people actually buy these things. I also have a long list of crap European econoboxes (the worse being the Opel Corsa), yikes.

[jlee]

Best

2010 Nissan gtr I owned this for a year and there is no better bargain on this planet
2008 lotus Elise. It's s freakin go kart. No other car has the simplicity and feel.

Worst
1st generation caddy escalade.

[JB135MDCT]

Best: 135, M3, 911 and Ford Ranger, Buick Regal

Worst: Chevy GEO, Toyota Avalon, Camry & Tundra, Chevy Caprice Classic, Mercury Comet, Galaxie 500, Ford Escort

[MLemansDCT]

Worst : VW THING --- anyone remember that vehicle? It looked like the old German military command car.

Best: my 135i Vert
Near best: Mustang 5.0 coupe. Great muscle car. Ford has done a great job with this vehicle.

[haggishunter]

BEST:

My 1er Coupe
Ferrari F430
Ascari KZ1

WORST:

Colt GLX....

[N55_BBM]

Best:

Ferrari F430 - Drove it 5 laps around a track in Vegas, loved everything about the car. But this isn't too objective since I was way too excited and thrilled to may much attention to any potential defects. Also drove a Gallardo in this same scenario and didn't like it as much.

Other than that my 135i. Apart from the two above this is the most powerful and fastest car I've driven. Best handling, best for DD for it's low RPM torque.. I just love the car

Worst:

Fiat Uno - They make those in Brazil. Lucky we don't have to deal with those here in the US. 60 something hp piece of crap.
VW Jetta - The new one feels SO crappy, had it as a rental. This is probably not the worst car out there but it was such a huge disappointment.

[Lucky1]

Thought I'd extend this thread because I'm on vacation in Florida and I got stuck with this when they ran out of Nissan Versa's:



That's the Patriot, not the Liberty. I've never missed my 128i more. And never been less enthusiastic about wanting to drive a transportation appliance ever.

So with that said here's my list:

Best:

2011 BMW 323i 6AT - Got it as a dealership loaner. Only complaint I had was the transmission was a bit jerky compared to the '06 G35 AT I am used to driving but could also have been because

2005 Acura RSX 5AT - Another dealership loaner. I'd take this over any rental fleet car any day of the week. When I had this I was barely able to afford my bare bones Honda Civic so in comparison this car was snappy handling, great steering, little body roll, very tossable. Just lots of fun for a young guy with little money.

2006 BMW 325i 6AT (no sport package) - Yet another loaner, how lucky can a guy get? THIS is the car that convinced me I wanted a BMW. At the time the E90 was being launched I was lucky and fortunate to be working as an intern at BMW Corporate. That's right; I was working with BMW for the launch of the current gen 3 series and it was an incredible experience. For my birthday I convinced my Director to sign off on a staff car. Fell in love with how smooth this car was, how great it turned, the versatility of the engine (remember there was no N54/335i at this time). Took it to a rainy parking lot and tried so hard to get the thing to spin out but the DSC was too impressive. Told myself if only they made a small version of this car the size of a Civic (I just have a thing for small cars) and I'd buy it right away. Again I had no money at the time and no idea less than four years later BMW would answer my request and I'd have the deniro to afford it. Life can be wonky sometimes.

2007 Toyota Solara Convertible 5AT - Okay, I was again on vacation in Florida and I love convertibles. It had a smooth, powerful (but ultimately uninspiring) V6 engine and did I mention the top could come off? I hate Toyota's as much as the next guy but I'd take this over 100 Jeep Patriots any day of the week.

Worst:

2012 Jeep Patriot 5AT - They were out of Nissan Sentra/Versa's. Okay so this isn't a terrible vehicle but its got an ugly sounding engine that has no acceleration at all even if you wind up at high RPMs. You can drive it comfortably on the highway and it passes probably like an old Kia (which is good for a Jeep I guess) but it is uninspiring. The brakes SUCK!! The pedal is stiff and there is no bite to them at all. Have to drive slow (which isn't a problem with this engine) and leave lots of space between you and the car in front of you, anticipate lights, etc. I just hate big SUVs and have even less respect for the ones with no balls under the hood. Shoot me if I ever willingly put money down to own/lease a vehicle like this.

1990 Pontiac Sunbird 4AT - My first car and a "hand me down" (received approximately year 2001). Don't get me wrong I love (and loved) this thing to death but there was no doubt it was a complete, utter piece of crap. Only AM/FM radio (not even a tape deck!), came close to overheating alot, leaked oil, A/C never worked, felt like it was going to fly apart Sulu style over 120km/hr, would do 0-60mph any day now, terrible brakes, etc. Came with a 2.0 OHC that MAYBE made 98HP the day it rolled out of the factory. And boy was it a rust bucket, rust rust rust everywhere. Gave it away to my High School autoshop when I got my 2000 Civic which was a better car in every single way. Despite being such a piece of junk it never broke down (on me anyway) and always took me where I wanted to go. I miss this car sometimes.

1991 Dodge Sundance 4AT - If you thought the Pontiac was bad this car made it look like a 911. The steering was impossibly heavy (as if no power steering existed), the gas pedal was 100 pounds and required real effort to push and even then it had no power (this was the non-turbo version of the car). Turned like a tank, horrible wheel lock. The worst car I have ever driven bar none.


There are more but they are too numerous to list. These are what came to mind.

[The Transporter]

I've driven lots of stuff--Lotus Elise stands out as most pure driving pleasure.

Best I have owned:
Biggest surprise: 2002 Ford SVT Focus. Charming little car. Not the fastest or most refined, but eager to rev and liftoff oversteer. I liked the raspy exhaust note, too. I see why hot hatches are so popular--fun to drive yet they hold a lot of stuff.

1996 Ford Contour SE V6 5MT: Fat steering wheel, great seats and taut suspension. Too bad Ford dumbed-down the Contour (especially the SE) shortly thereafter.

Worst I have owned:
Biggest disappointment: 2007 Dodge Magnum SRT8. It looked awesome and I loved the idea of a family wagon with 425hp and Brembos. I just never could find it fun to drive.

1984 Ford Tempo Diesel. 'nuff said. In a way, it's hard to pick on the old "Brown Bomber" because it was my first car and my sister was nice enough to hand it down to me. It had bucket seats and a 5-speed, but still...

[jsmonet]

best: my old sti (sheltered life i lead)
worst: rental impala. on the big island. you know, where road lights don't exist. the headlights were wind-blown candles and the handling was suggestive...that i would be safer walking.

[KingOfJericho]

Best
135i with a tune and my old Lotus Exige. There's something very cool about being able to yank the wheel in any direction regardless of speed. I used to scare the fuck out of my friends with that thing.

Worst
Dodge Caliber followed closely by the Chevy Impala. Just plain junk.

[GeorgeJ.]

Best:
Renault R5 Turbo (best handling/steering feel, so so gear change)
BMW M1 (great all round, so so aerodynamics)
'67 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 (best all round ol' car)
'49 Ferrari 166MM (factory team car, what else can one say)
'12 BMW 135i (hey, I am posting here and love it daily)

Worst:
early '80's Chrysler LeBaron convertible
noted many posted Toyota Camry, hard to believe but it's right down there

[daixloxbmw]

I travel quite a bit for work and I dread the moment I realize that I will get another Impala for a rental. Like everyone else has said:

1. Ridiculously floaty suspension and tippy body roll that makes me feel like I am on a sail boat.

2. Mushy brakes that don't do anything for the first two inches of travel and when it does start to work, brace yourself for an Olympic nose dive.

3. Uncooperative transmission that is programmed for fuel efficiency. Good luck trying to coax it to downshift without flooring it, then brace yourself again for the jerkiest, rev-mismatched downshift, while the low-tech engine sounds as though it will rip itself to shreds. If you are pointed in any direction other than straight ahead, you will also get massive wheel spin and torque steer.

Truly a POS...

[Lexington]

Best

2009 BMW Alpina B 7 handled great but still had a nice smooth ride.
2010 Porsche Cayman just seemed good at everything except legroom



Worst

1984 Pontiac Sundbird. Ordered it with the options I wanted and the CEL was on at delivery. It was an omen. Also, there was a crushed soda can between the muffler and a muffler strap being used as a shim I guess. Apparently from the factory or dealer. Really.

2010 Impala. Rental. Drove up a small mountain on Orcas Island Washington. Didn't think we were going to make it as the trans overheated and started to slip. Brand new car had 1,500 miles on it.

2008 Dodge Caliber. Rental. Picked up from the airport in Atlanta hit the go pedal hard getting onto the interstate and the CEL light went on and it went into limp mode. Thought I was going to be taken out by an 18 wheeler. Restarted and drove ok until you got on the throttle too much and everytime it would go into limp mode.

[Sinister Crayon]

This thread is fun

OK... I have gotten to drive a lot of different cars in the last 12 months due to some business and personal trips... not to mention I've now owned three cars this year for various reasons. So here's my list;

BEST

2012 BMW 135i. Of course. I love this little beast of a car more every time I drive it. It fits me, it feels right and drives right. I can't complain at all.
2012 BMW 535i. Surprisingly good considering the sheer size of the vehicle. The auto start/stop threw me a bit when trying to do jackrabbit starts at the lights, but couldn't have had a finer chariot when cruising Bavaria. Except maybe my 135i that hadn't been built yet :P
2004 BMW 545i. The car I had as of January 1st 2011. Fantastic car with a manual transmission and a stupidly powerful engine. It was too big for me at the end of the day, but I did enjoy the hell out of it.
2010 Alfa Romeo 159. Reminded me more of my 2001 330i than just about any car I've ever had the pleasure to drive. A diesel with a stick, so nowhere near the power... but man that thing had torque. Amazingly good car for FWD, and I adored the styling. Shame we'll never see it over this side of the pond
2010 Mazda 3 Sedan. Actually a lot better than I expected it to be. It was tossable and had a decent amount of steering feedback. Actually quite fun to drive but wow did it ever lack power on the highway. I started finding myself deliberately searching out highway merges that went downhill so I could be going above 50 by the time I tried to merge with traffic

NEUTRAL

1996 Subaru SVX LSi. Got to add this because I neither hated nor loved this car. It was great transportation between BMW's but at the end of the day I've outgrown it's grand-touring aspirations, soft suspension and lack of power. Still, for its time it was a phenomenal car and I will miss it. Will not miss spending three months tracking down brake rotors for it though!

WORST

2011 Chevy Impala. Yuck! What an atrocious beast. I know everyone says it, but god this was horrible. Underpowered, ugly inside and out, numb steering, retarded transmission. What was there to like in this thing? Nothing. Hell, I even turned the stereo on once and immediately turned it off again because the noises emanating from it offended my senses. And no, it wasn't Rush Limbaugh.
2010 Toyota Prius. Why on Earth do people drive this thing by choice?
2010 Jeep Liberty. I wouldn't say it was the worst of the worst, but I didn't much enjoy driving this. The only redeeming point of it to me was that it was a manual. But wow, what a vague and numb shifter!

SURPRISING

2002 Jaguar X-Type 3.0. I was pleasantly surprised by the Jaguar X-Type. For a Ford it actually drives damned nicely, and in this case for a car with 140K miles on the clock it feels remarkably solid and modern. The engine and transmission are both fantastic, and for such a big and heavy car it can definitely turn. Plus, with AWD it's an absolute blast when it snows and you can go drifting in an empty car park

[EmmDrei]

Originally Posted by Lucky1

That's the Patriot, not the Liberty.
...

And never been less enthusiastic about wanting to drive a transportation appliance ever.

Had to drive one of those, when we were in Florida in January. My personal "worst of 2011" for sure! The accelerator serves one purpose only... increase the noise. Other than that, the "engine" doesn't do anything. The driving is about as precise as nailing jelly to a plank and all sorts of plastic bits and pieces inside simply fell off. Mind you... the car had less than 2k miles on it, when we picked it up!

Other than that... the car that left me deeply unimpressed was the X6. Drove it as X6M as well as 40d... I simply don't get this car. I can understand an X5, I could even see myself getting one, but the X6? It's huge but you can only seat dwarfs in the back. The fuel consumption was... ehhhh well... breathtaking. And I still cannot feel the design, no matter how often I see the car. Simply not my type of car and never will be.

My best drive in 2011? My e36 325i racer. Haven't been able to drive it for more than a year and to get back in and feel the precision of a racecar... no roadcar will ever be able to match that! I'm simply in love with it!

Best streetcar? My 1M. I had the chance to drive the entire M fleet in 2011 (with the exception of the new M5) and the 1M is still the car I'd chose. Me, mine, personally... just thought I'd clarify before I get flamed.

[nikijack]

Hi: The bad: I'm afraid I purchased new, a Dodge Charger 2.2 in '85. This was the Omni with a tarted up, decal covered body. I had to shift with 2 hands, going over a railroad track would shake the fillings from your teeth, working on the engine was a hazard because there was sharp metal everywhere. Good tires, though. I bought it because my '76 2002 rusted out completely.
The good: All my 8 BMWs, over the years. I've only strayed twice, the above, and a 6 month baby Volvo, which had no soul, no sound. Right now, loving my 128i, and trying to restore my '95 318ti Club Sport.

Jack

[Bimmerlover76]

Originally Posted by bluecat

Worst: 1984 BMW 318i. - It was my first car as a 16 year old in 1996. By the time I got it, it had been through several family members and was completely beat. I can't list everything that was wrong with it, but one of the worst/scariest was getting on the highway one day and the broken gas pedal getting jammed to the floor. Luckily it was slow as hell, so I was able to kick it out before I was going too fast.

Best - 1984 BMW 318i. Despite all the trouble, I have nothing but fond memories of that car. I mean, could anyone have asked for a better first car? It definitely got me into BMW's and my SGM 135 is a throwback to that charcoal grey 318.

I think this thread has morphed into this type of discussion. I'll humor it though.

Worst

1978 Ford Econoline 150 silver van. Oh yeah, had blue plush carpet, a captains chair that did not have a belt, and a bench in the back. Detroit steel at its most tank-like. Deer (and there were many) didn't stand a chance.

Best

Same. So many good and dangerous memories, and no, none involving women in the back of the van. Lol