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Which car you purchased was the biggest disappointment?

11K views 157 replies 93 participants last post by  Jettavr666 
#1 ·
I'm curious to know...was it a TCL Icon? One you had built up in your head as being fantastic, but after living with it you realized it was a huge letdown? One you thought was going to be great at ______, but actually sucked?

For me, it was my 1988 944S. I'd read review after review for years of the 944 having great handling balance, and some of the best steering of any front-engine car; so I was excited to finally buy one. It needed new dampers and tires when I purchased it, so I pushed aside my initial disappointment, thinking it would be transformed with proper performance tires and new struts. It wasn't. The engine was still lazy and lacked torque (not helped by the extremely tall gearing), the shifter was so-so, steering feel was fine but not a revelation (and I hated the steering wheel), I hated the seats, etc.

I think if I'd put a bunch of money into a different wheel/tire set and suspension setup, I could have grown to appreciate it. But I never connected with it. I didn't think twice about selling it on.
 
#27 ·
Probably my very first BMW. An imported from the US '94 325is auto. I loved driving it when it was running but it was a reliability nightmare. I was young & stupid(er) and didn't properly inspect it. It had been in a crash and some wiring hadn't been properly repaired. It would die for no reason when turning the key sometimes.

It literally took months to fix it. I sold it to an uncle of mine who loved it for a few years until my cousin totaled it.



I can. You were punishing yourself because you were consumed with guilt after totalling your previous car.

Guilt = never a good advisor.

You're welcome.
 
#3 ·
Of the more modern cars I've owned, it'd be the Saab 9-5 wagon. I loved the way it looked, the interior room, and the effortless freeway cruising and in-gear acceleration it offered. But the around-town driving experience was boring and sluggish unless you really caned it. Wasn't really the car's fault; it was doing what it was designed to do. I just wanted it to be sportier/more responsive in my typical driving, something that wasn't in its design brief.
 
#4 ·
This should be fun since I'm posting it on VWVortex.

MK7 GTI Autobahn. 6 speed manual. It's a car that does so many things well that I found it completely lacked any character or personality and was quite boring to drive. Add in that getting in and out of it with a bad hip (messed it and my back up in a work incident a couple of years ago) was growing more painful by the day and I got rid of it after only a few months for my Elantra Sport. The ES is an inferior car in just about every possible way but the car has an energetic personality about it that makes driving it more fun and the shorter gears combined with the turbo engine make rowing through the gears enjoyable and easy to do without getting up to "arrest me" speeds.

I do miss having adaptive dampers and adaptive cruise control on road trips though. :(
 
#7 · (Edited)
My ex’s 2007 rabbit that i drove for 10 years or my 98 Passat wagon 5spd

The rabbit was slow, horrible MPG, it was an automatic as well. The interior and options were super basic for what the car cost and I disliked virtually every me I put on it. Plus the transmission valve body decided to crap out 1000 miles or so after the warranty extension for it expired.
 
#41 ·
Oof.... please elaborate.

Man, every time I mat the throttle from a stop I'm glad I didn't get a V6 Accord. I think I dreamed last night that I was back in a open diff FWD car that kept peg legging around corners. Never again if I can help it
 
#10 ·
A 2006 Acura RL. Comfortable but boring. Owned it 9 months then sold it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
#11 ·
I have a few, all for different reasons. In the order of when I owned them:

1. 1997 Wrangler (bought in 2002) - lots of character, capable, and have fond memories in that thing, but contrary to belief it was the least reliable car I've ever owned.
2. 2006 350z (bought new) - initial impression on the test drive was good. Decent power, cool sounding exhaust and fresh design back then. After about 6 months, I realized how crappy the build quality was inside and out. From the easily chipped paint, poor wheel finish, flimsy body panels, plastic interior, and little annoyances like droning on the highway and poor water drainage (rain water would collect and fall on you each time you open the door).
3. 2012 Passat (leased new) - it took me from A to B in the most boring possible way. It was a time when I was trying to save as much money as possible, and was able to get a super cheap lease.
 
#12 ·
2001 VW GTI GLX (Mk. IV).

Had a 1997 Passat GLX wagon with a stick before it. Thought I could go back to a GTI since I had an 1987 GTI 16v for over 9 years and 175,00 miles before the Passat wagon. Missed the extra room and 4 doors.

Traded in the '01 GTI on a loaded, CPO 2003 Audi A4 Avant Quattro with a stick that was the regional Audi reps car.

Also, the '01 GTI was very boring compared to the '87 GTI 16v.
 
#56 ·
2001 VW GTI GLX (Mk. IV).

Had a 1997 Passat GLX wagon with a stick before it. Thought I could go back to a GTI since I had an 1987 GTI 16v for over 9 years and 175,00 miles before the Passat wagon. Missed the extra room and 4 doors.

Traded in the '01 GTI on a loaded, CPO 2003 Audi A4 Avant Quattro with a stick that was the regional Audi reps car.

Also, the '01 GTI was very boring compared to the '87 GTI 16v.
Well, that sounds right. You went (with a stop in between) from the friskiest chassis/drivetrain combo (with nearly perfect gearing for the street) to a nose-heavy car that steered like a cow in comparison.


For me it was probably the Fit. It doesn't feel like an old Honda, but it's as close as anything out there now. Sure, it handles reasonably well, but it's noisy, doesn't get that great mileage I was expecting and of the three Hondas I've had it's the least reliable. It's fourth if you count the lawn mower! 9 years later we still have it, but at this point I'm keeping it for my eldest. I have less than a year to go. We'll fix it up and do some mild cusomizing, upgrade the brakes and perhaps even paint it.
 
#30 ·
I've had two (2013.5 GLI Autobahn manual, 2016 GLI SEL DSG) and I agree with you. Both cars were very, very meh. Horrible steering, soft suspension that still manages to ride like complete ****, rattle city interior. I'm glad VW finally gave a **** with the new GLI.
 
#15 ·
Biggest disappointment...W211 E55 AMG

When these came out, it was such a huge leap over the W210 in performance that everyone was astonished. The engine pulls like a freight train, but there wasn't much else to praise. Transmission shift speeds were atrocious. Interior quality was pathetic for a $80k car. Ride on air suspension wasn't great. Overly complicated brake-by-wire(SBC) system.

A big V8 was something I always wanted one day, so now that it's out of my system, I can move on to the next... 911 :D
 
#26 · (Edited)
Biggest disappointment...W211 E55 AMG

When these came out, it was such a huge leap over the W210 in performance that everyone was astonished. The engine pulls like a freight train, but there wasn't much else to praise. Transmission shift speeds were atrocious. Interior quality was pathetic for a $80k car.
First time I hear someone point this out , W211 dash felt cheap, tacky gray scale fuel gauge, dash looked like a slab of cheap plastic.:thumbdown:
 
#16 · (Edited)
My 84 Trans Am was in rough shape and needed a total restoration, it also wasn't that fun to drive despite having a 5 speed and hotter gears than my Z28 Camaro. It was a total mess, a waste of time and a money sink.

My 90 FC RX7 vert had an engine that just wasn't enough for the extra weight, (the vert weighs 3100 vs 2700), especially with the long legged transmission- 0-60 was 9 plus seconds . Should have gotten an 84-85 FB with the optional 13B (earlier version of the same engine), those don't weigh much. Also didn't like my FC's power steering, the driving position, and the convertible roof was a poor design.

My 01 IS300 was let down by it's automatic transmission since the 2JZ-GE doesn't have much low end torque, and only got 18-21 MPG on premium. The dash/radio/HVAC also seemed dated, at least to my Jetta or S40.



My S40 was very enjoyable to drive but it was turning into a hot mess so I dumped it. Oh well, old cars are a gamble. My Accord 6/6 also had a crappy radio (A "premium" system so I can only imagine what the base was like) and I was miffed that the nicest car I owned up till that point was the first one to have gearbox problems!!
 
#17 ·
*FULL DISCLOSURE, I DID THIS TO MYSELF*

1989 Jeep Cherokee Chief, 2.5L 5-speed, 4wd. Purchased with the ever so wonderful "*******" sticker across the front windshield.

Things I didn't like:

1-Randomly wouldn't start

No rhyme or reason, I replaced damn near everything ignition-wise. The day I traded it for my first bike ('82 Nighthawk) she fired every single time. Informed the guy about it, he wasn't too concerned as his bike had carb issues. Straight trade. Not even 1 week later the dude is jumping my case saying I sold him a junk vehicle even though I had informed him of the issue and what all I had replaced.

I've owned 10 Jeeps now and not saying Jeep makes high quality stuff but dannnnnng was that 2.5 horrid.
 
#18 ·
For me, it's my 2009 Forester. I'd driven quite a distance to pick up a Mazda3 GT which turned out to be in horrible shape, so I was sort of scrambling for something else.

It was cheap, and I figured it would be Impreza-like being that they're mechanically the same, but it's a lot slower, even with the 5 speed. Handling sucks too. Also mine happens to have no AC, a bad cat (which didn't show up until a few days after I brought it home), and an oil leak which I'm choosing to ignore, lest it be the headgaskets.
 
#19 ·
Oh that's easy, my 2003 WRX sedan purchased new.

Tons of rattles and squeaks from the get-go, terrible gas mileage, and would-dead torque below boost. Crap gearbox too, with wide ratios and decent throws only after I put the COBB shifter in it.

Even after some mods it wasn't that fast - one day I had to hammer it as hard as I could to keep up with a CLK430 loaded with 3 passengers. Sold it a few weeks later and bought a new 2004 Mazda 3 hatch which restored my faith in the world.
 
#35 ·
I had similar misgivings about my 2002 WRX, albeit bought used. Car had 100k on it and came with a host of reputable mods - Perrin turbo inlet, Cobb electronic boost controller, Grimmspeed downpipe with divorced wastegate, and a Perrin catback.

Unfortunately the car came to me with a TD06 turbo with stock injectors and someone ACTUALLY took the time and effort to have it pro-tuned with a 4K rev limit, ostensibly until they could afford new injectors [emoji19] It was also an eBay TD06 so that also explains something.

Anywho, I put a stock TD04 on it and I figured with the supporting mods it already had, I could load up a stage 2 Cobb tune and have a pretty quick little commuter. It still felt like a dog, because stock turbo.

The rest of the car was kinda eh. I probably could have sunk a ton of money into the car with better suspension/tires, a TD05 with a set of injectors and a pro-tune, etc...but I was just over it at that point and with a ton of PM recently done I was able to get out from under it for a small profit.

There were other cars that had aspects of them that I didn’t like - like my Jetta Sportwagen’s awful 5-speed manual - but there were also other aspects of it that I did like - like the value for money, the awesome long haul seats and highway comfort, and overall utility.
 
#20 ·

ES300h. Didn't get anywhere close to the reported MPG.

Raspy 4 cylinder which struggled under demand.

Not as refined as the 6-cylinder petrol powered version.


E350 4m. Rattled like grandma's dentures.

Underpowered base engine. The previous gen W212 was more refined, had more plush interior components. Later model W212s began to cut costs and use hard plastics where earlier versions used soft materials. It's even worse now with current gen Es.
 
#21 ·
2007 Hyundai Sonata

At its release it was presented as "Hyundai has finally made it!" (which seems to be repeated with each new car they release). I got one as a rental and it was nice and felt substantial so I bought one when we unexpectedly needed a car with an automatic (they were really dealing on them at the time).

It had a modern engine (DOHC 16v with VVT and timing chain), wishbone front suspension, multilink rear end, huge interior and trunk, fancy compound/non-gooseneck trunk hinges, front/side/curtain airbags, one of the earlier implementations of standard stability control, V-rated Michelins, etc etc etc. It was pretty nicely equipped with satellite radio, leather wheel and shifter, trip computer, auto headlights and felt like they were really trying to differentiate themselves with the additional equipment. The next generation of the car was certainly jazzier but they hit it with the cost cutter, removing the wishbones and fancy trunk hinges, among other things.

The paint and interior held up wonderfully and it was actually perfectly reliable for the first three years, but after that it quickly started aging. The suspension was totally worn out by 50k miles, with it bouncing around uncontrollably and scraping the engine undertray on minor road undulations. It also stood on its nose under moderate braking and rolled around in gentle turns which made it feel like you were driving at the limit when it was just relatively normal cornering.

When it had 55k on it it basically felt like a Toyota Camry with 250k miles. The engine pinged badly under hard acceleration in the summer unless I put premium in it, the SRS system had multiple failures like the seatbelt pretensioners and occupancy sensor (latter had the car out of service for a week since they had to ship the seat away), the transmission started getting clunky/jerky and indecisive, the A/C compressor started getting whiny and coarse, the steel wheels rusted and the dealer experience was just awful in every respect. Service was totally indifferent and they were constantly being tricky, like sneaking $19.95 oil treatments onto the invoice for an oil change/state inspection and hoping you wouldn't notice.

It felt like a car where marketing and focus groups had checked a bunch of boxes but the engineering wasn't quite there. I often think that if I had spent the extra couple grand on a Camry in 2007 that we would still be driving it.

 
#65 ·
So against your advice back around 2012, my sister needed a car for 10k that my parents were going to get for her. I steered them marginally right into a depreciated, but very safe, and equipped 2007 loaded sonata. The car still works okay most of the time, but at 110k it has just as many problems, and way more rattles than my lowered on 40 series tires 2003 A4 wagon. On the suspension end, its a disaster, I think all bushings, bump stops, and shocks have left the scene years ago. This is odd to me only because it has a long travel suspension with 60-series tires....

Some coil packs also left the part which led to an emergancy repair bill of 6 coils+labor+plugs which was around $800 IIRC... a couple wheel speed sensors and a caliper or two died too, which could be the salt roads but still sucks. Interior wise, hell, even with peeling paint a MKIV Jetta looked higher class.....

I guess the car is still running so who cares... but I have a friend with a beat ass 2002 Camry that almost feels like new in the way it drives in comparison...
 
#25 ·
Only car I've been dissapointed with, was my 2012 Scion IQ.

We leased one for 48 months when we lived downtown and had to street park.

I really liked it for the first three years, but the last year or so, it started aging REAL quick.

The paint would scratch if you sneezed, the panels would dent if it was windy, and it felt like every single bushing on the chassis had worn by then. The car only had a tick over 40000km/ 25000 miles when we turned it in, and it felt so worn out, more so than alot of 200000+km 15-20 year old daily drivers I've had. I take really good care of my cars, even leased ones, so I was really bummed out with it's condition. I passed on buying it out.
 
#28 ·
2012 Audi TTRS


The car had great packaging, with the exhaust I had on it the sound was amazing, that engine.. oh man that engine, and the pace the car could achieve with minimal mods was intense.
But the performance itself, aside from straight line acceleration, was so sad for all the potential. I'll be loathe to ever buy another Audi (they make a number of them that I like and would likely work for my purposes).. because of how completely disappointing that car was.
 
#112 ·
This is how I too felt for a while, but once I accepted the cars limitations I really started to enjoy the car. The car will always gonna push at 9/10ths for instance. But everything below the car handles really well and everything else about the car, the engine, exhaust, ergonomics, short gearing and even the steering always feel great. Also recently I started to drive the car always in 'Sport' mode on and that really brings the car alive handling wise. It's a flawed car but when everything comes in place this car really shines.
 
#29 ·
I was pretty unhappy with my 2012 VW GTI Autobahn with a DSG, enough to dump it after a year.

I liked the Mk5 GTI so I figured the facelifted version that was the Mk6 would be a good car. The chassis was decent but not so much the rest of the car. Suspension was harsh and crashy, probably a combination of the heavier wheels and stiffer springs. The DSG was annoying more often than not, in D it would upshift as early as possible for fuel economy and in S it would hold gears for way too long. In manual mode it was fun though. While the engine was fun, the boosty power coupled with the open diff led to inside tire wheelspin on a daily basis.

Then there were the never ending rattles that I eventually gave up chasing.

I would have liked to keep the car and swap wheels, tune the DSG, add an LSD, and swap suspension... But I didn't have $5k sitting around to do so.
 
#101 ·
I think the mk6 is when the Jetta started really cheaping out. The mk5 Jetta was the last 'Golf with a boot' and looks to remain that way.
I had both the mk5 and mk6 GTI and in stock form, mk5 felt more sure footed but stiff, mk6 was significantly smoother.
Opposite for the engine. TSI felt more effortless but rougher (even with new plugs and carbon cleaning) but FSI is incredibly smooth.

Today i am not happy with my 2018 WRX - the clutch is awful, the transmission is awful, and i already have the STI shifter assembly. Not really sure what to do, considering a GLI/GTI, but part of really wants a BRZ...but i am in mid-Michigan and the roads here are awful and in winter it's common to have deep standing snow on the roads...so dunno what to do.
That's a shame, I always had a soft spot for the WRX. This further confirms my plans to not have a WRX as a daily but to buy a higher mileage older model with decent maintenance records and kept as close to stock form as possible.
 
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