Ever get to drive a car you were excited about, only to be disappointed?

[Assle]

997 turbo sans man pedal.

Not scary enough. The speedo moves very quickly, sure, but it's too controlled and too quiet. If I spend that much money on a car, I want it to excite me when I am behind the wheel.

Felt the same thing with a B5 S4 Tiptronic in 2001 but thought maybe 250hp just wasn't enough. Well, the 997 has quite a bit more power and still... not exciting enough.

[E30Cab]

Corrado G60 (when new). Really expected to like it, but was let down by nose heavy feel and lack of power.

Evo X (new and modded). Felt significantly more bloated and soft as compared to the Evo 8/9.

MKIV Supra (when new). Felt big, heavy and did I mention big? More of a Corvette/Camaro feel than I was hoping for.

Nissan Leaf (and I own one) - Had so much potential to be a fun, great handling car (batteries in the floor = low COG, 100% of torque down low, etc.) but let down by crap steering, suspension, and tires.l

Smart Fortwo (and I own one). Crappy shifter, crappy handling, and no power. Now a total delight after mods, but it took some tinkering to get it to where I am happy with it.

-- DavidV

[rammalammadingdong]

forgot one big one...


when the A3 3.2 Quattro first came out... I drooled.
basically an R32 in Audi trim right? wrong.
it's a slug.
and the tiptronic slushbox was just boring. the car had tons of potential.... but let me down hard.

I tried everything to like it.
Driving it was nice, when stuck in traffic

If you punched it, it let you down hard.

[FissionMailed]

I'm most certainly gonna get blasted for this, but...

(e46 m3 pic)

Nah, I can kinda agree with you there. The SMG was your first mistake, of course, but beyond that...

It's a great car on the track (I actually got the chance to do a track day in a friend's). On regular roads, it wasn't worth the extra coin. I was considering one, and looked around for one, but I couldn't justify getting an E46 M3 over an E90 335i (or, hell, even an E46 330i). Just driving it around (if you aren't going to be tracking it regularly), it's underwhelming, for sure.

[Ross1013]

Just driving it around (if you aren't going to be tracking it regularly), it's underwhelming, for sure.

997 turbo sans man pedal.

Not scary enough. The speedo moves very quickly, sure, but it's too controlled and too quiet. If I spend that much money on a car, I want it to excite me when I am behind the wheel.

[helement2003]

OK, I'm glad I'm not the only one. I reviewed a 6-speed SS 'vert last year and it was really boring and felt pretty slow. Cameraman said the same.

It's not as slow as it feels, but...it doesn't make a lot of power down low, and needs to be revved. Only problem is, it revs too slowly to feel fast.

I thought the same about the interior. Much 'nicer' and more European than the Mustang, for example.

And glad I'm not nuts for thinking it, either. Haven't been in a new Mustang, so I can't comment on the interior quality. The SS was very nice inside though.

[Pool Runner]

I was ready to take a bath on my current truck because I loved this color so much. I found one of the only remaining 6 speed sahara tans in the country, and I thought "how bad can the 3.8 be?" Oh man. I actually was laughing hysterically on the test drive. On the freeway, with the hammer down, I felt like I was losing speed. It was the most woefully underpowered thing I had ever driven. The salesperson tried pathetically to remind me jeeps aren't built for speed, but that was truly pathetic. I hear the 3.6 fixed this problem, but man oh man I drove back the 50 miles back home glad to be back in a truck with torque and HP.

I still am in love with this color, though.

Just curious how much better does the Wrangler drive now with the new motor? I loved everything about the 2010-2011 except the rediculously lathargic 3.8 mill. I might have to go back and drive one of these again.

[Dr. Woo]

First-gen Genesis Coupe with the 2.0T. The power was surprisingly impressive for only being 200 bhp, but that transmission was just way too...how best to describe it?...clicky. Like there was no progression in shift movement or clutch engagement. It was on-or-off. Clutch slip was only possible in this 0.01% area of the entire clutch throw, and the shifter almost pulled itself into gear.

[sandiegan]

NSX. Not worth the price premium over an S2000, I didn't think.

In contrast, Viper SRT-10 did not disappoint

[juice]

Recently, I'd say the new Bimmer 328i with auto start/stop.

Come to a stop at a light and the whole car shakes violently. Hit the gas again and the DI engine rattles to life, sounding like an old diesel (new TDIs are much smoother).

Thankfully the feature can be disabled, but has BMW ever even SEEN a Prius?

The mere fact that a 3 series compares unfavorably to a Prius in any way, shape, or form, easily make it a huge disappointment.

[JustinCSVT]

The E60 M5 pissed me off. The car was fast as hell but that trans wasn't good for anything but WOT work.

[HeadlinerG60]

[curvedinfinity]

E90 M3. Beautiful looks, but on the test drive when I pushed the pedal down I thought something was broken. Nope, just too low on the tach. The high end was fast, but not oh my gosh fast. Same power in a 930 feels like you're going to die at any moment -- and not just because you might!

[helement2003]

[kickapoo]

For me it's a 2009+ Corolla LE.



My father used to have a '95 for a looooong time so when he decided to go and replace it with a new one, I was very interested to see how much Toyota would change in 15 yrs for the same car. Quite frankly, I didn't like it.

the interior is fantastically plastic with hard surfaces everywhere that scratch very very easily. The seats are comfy but not to the point where i'd like to sit in them on a daily basis. The engine is ok...but i think the added weight of the car made it feel as if the older and weaker '95 was still more powerful. sure the styling looks great (in my opinion at least) but i just wasnt sold on the weaker feeling engine and plastic interior.

[VW1.8Tsunami]

Thought it would be a fun, sporty drive. Slow, boring drive. Cramped interior. At 6'3", the only thing that allowed me to fit was to open the sunroof so I had a recess for my head to go into. I still think its a cool looking car. Just would never want to own one.

Weird, I'm 6'4 275 and fit just fine. The one I drove didn't have a sunroof though. Wonder if that's the difference.

[WERDNA75]

The regular version with the 6-speed manual is much much much way better!!! A smaller displacement engine (WTF?) and Steptronic in the Alpina version = Fail. Actually, Clarkson nailed it on the TopGear review of this one.

[6cylVWguy]

When I first started to read through this thread, I couldn't think of anything that fit the bill. But then I thought some more.

1) NA Miata: I drove one of these for about 10 miles and I couldn't for the life of me find anything terribly spectacular about the car, other than the shifter. It's was just another small car without a top, in my opinion. It wasn't bad, but it didn't feel special from behind the wheel. Now, if I had it on a track or if I really pounded on it on a back road, maybe my impressions of the car would change. As it stands though, I have no real interest in ever acquiring one of these cars.

2) e46 M3: I still think these are amazingly good looking cars. But after my drive in one with an SMG, I didn't find it terribly compelling. If I wanted a higher end german performance car at a decent price (used anyway), I'd buy a Boxster, which I did have a blast in, even at 30 mph. Unless I was taking it to the track a decent amount, I'd probably rather have a 330.

3) Corrado SLC: I wasn't completely bowled over by the corrado in my signature during the first drive. I had built this car up to be something it clearly wasn't. I thought that compared with the VW Fox I was driving at the time, the difference in acceleration in all gears and at all rpms would be like, well, the difference in acceleration between the 215 hp crossfire I had and the 412 hp mustang I have. I still remember getting the corrado out on the highway and giving it some throttle in third and being thoroughly underwhelmed by the strength of the acceleration. It did better once the 300 lbs sales guy in the passenger seat wasn't in the car, but it still wasn't as speedy as I was expecting. But the car was mint, it had no mods, was very low mileage, I always wanted one and in black, with the speedlines, I just couldn't say no. 12 years later, I'm still getting it to where I want it to be, but I've had a ton of fun along the way.


So can one still be happy with a car that they once had on a pedestal, but were disappointed with when they finally got to drive one? Definitely. But I'm still not ever getting a miata!

[Numbersix]

I can think of a few more:

-B5 Audi A4. In stock form...yawn. When modded with an APR Stg3 kit, it was fast--but the chassis couldn't quite keep up (it had H&R coilovers, 17" wheels, etc).

-Saab 9-5. I really wanted to love my Saab. I respect the brand tremendously, and the car was an awesome long distance cruiser. But I found it dreadfully boring to drive daily, and the stock suspension was horrible. The rear shocks were leaking fluid when replaced at 50k miles, so no wonder. The upgrade I did made ride quality tolerable, but flinty over broken pavement--for not enough return in the handling department. Didn't think twice about sending it on its way after 4 years.

-2012 Subaru WRX. I wanted to like it so much more than I did, given how much I loved my FXT. But I found it crude, loud, and lacking quality. Disappointment.
-New Focus. I was really hoping this might be the car to replace the Prius. I was shocked at how little rear leg room there was in the hatch, and the 1G MyFord Touch system was abysmal--it crashed when I tried to pair my phone, requiring a full reboot; the system was terribly laggy when changing screens; the UI was totally inconsistent screen to screen, requiring WAY too much familiarization--I can't imagine trying to use it while moving. Then the drive was the final disappointment. The drivetrain was, well, awful. It never felt like 160hp, and the PowerShift transmission felt like it still had a year of development to go--clunking into gear, indecisive upshifts, reluctant downshifts. DSG isn't perfect by any stretch but it is light years ahead of that POS.

[Waarp]

Mk3 GTI VR6. Totally thought I'd be blown away..

Why? It was almost universally panned by every mag save for the engine.

[Bonanza]

Just curious how much better does the Wrangler drive now with the new motor? I loved everything about the 2010-2011 except the rediculously lathargic 3.8 mill. I might have to go back and drive one of these again.

I have yet to go test drive one because I don't like the current color lineup that comes with the new engine. Sahara tan was cancelled after 2 years, and taking its place were construction-zone-orange, a bizarre yellow, and now a green that's brighter than the sun. Just hideous and gaudy colors I can't live with.



edit- Here's a pic of the new green. Hard to live with as a daily.

[IridiumB6]

The 2013 GS (non F-sport).. It was so damn boring. No steering feel, and it was slow...it just wallowed about. Not to mention the engine sounded like a four banger inside the cabin and got annoying fast.

[Impeccable]

I'm with you.

The E39 M5 was a let down...don't drive your heros

I dorve one back when they were new and I was happier than a teen girl getting lip gloss

[ValveCoverGasket]

e30 318is is the first to come to mind. friend had a well sorted one he did all the bushings, motor mounts, etc on.

car was just... meh.

any naturally aspirated miata falls in a similar category

[dwagner88]

I like Gecko Green. Great color for a vehicle like that. No need to be subtle.

[sandiegan]

The 2013 GS (non F-sport).. It was so damn boring. No steering feel, and it was slow...it just wallowed about. Not to mention the engine sounded like a four banger inside the cabin and got annoying fast.

You were excited to drive a garden variety Lexus sedan, and were extremely let down by it?

[turbo_nine]

e30 318is is the first to come to mind. friend had a well sorted one he did all the bushings, motor mounts, etc on.

car was just... meh.

Odd. I'm still looking for one to use for a daily, after borrowing one for a long distance drive and then passing it up in favor of a rather disappointing 745i turbo.

Wasn't super impressed with the Porsche 928s4 I drove. It was a stick, too. Just.... no drama. Not that exciting. Still a nice car, I suppose.

Edit: 928, not 924.

[Lifelong Obsession]

I got to drive a 2005 BMW 545i "M-Sport" once. Nice car, but I found the "adaptive" steering wonky.

[Lifelong Obsession]

Explain this...?

[MidnightSpecial]

2002 WRX.

The car wasn't new, but I guess I expected a bit more STi from it. The shifter felt like my Talon before the short shifter and brass bushings (read: absolute ****), the brakes felt worse than my Talon (Is that even possible?), and the handling felt a little Corolla like.

[mrdouble]

Was really disappointed with friend's Evo X, it felt slow and heavy, handling was disconnected, highly capable and a good 'numbers' car, but it has no soul, totally different than the Evo 9 RS I had driven few years back. 40K for this?

Coming from a GTI, I expected it to be alot more sportier... instead a lot more "softer".

Think you got this reversed. Owned GTI V before current 1st gen MS3, former is defintely quieter, isolated, smoother.

[fs454]

forgot one big one...


when the A3 3.2 Quattro first came out... I drooled.
basically an R32 in Audi trim right? wrong.
it's a slug.
and the tiptronic slushbox was just boring. the car had tons of potential.... but let me down hard.

I tried everything to like it.
Driving it was nice, when stuck in traffic

If you punched it, it let you down hard.

It takes a certain flavor of DSG to make it fun. It's gotta be mated to an FSI motor so you get all the fun injector-cutting violent DSG farting goodness. I was very surprised when I drove the 3.2/DSG, it felt so boring. Drove the 2.0T/DSG and fell in love. Even though I now have a beast of a vehicle that I can't stop driving the piss out of every day, I still miss that unique sound of shifting under power with DSG.

[johnny_p]

I expected this to be a lot of fun. The test drive lasted exactly 4 blocks. I punched it around a turn, and even at 4,000 RPM in 2nd gear it had no balls. So I brought it back to the dealership. I guess it doesn't fit my driving style.

[turbo_nine]

Explain this...?

That's an olympic silver around her neck. I'd guess she is a gymnast. Not sure what the poster is trying to say either.

[Broduski]

Explain this...?

It's McKayla Maroney. It's her "Not impressed" face which quickly became a meme. He is trying to say the Corrado was not impressive.