NeilMH Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 The heading says it all really. Please nominate cars that exceeded, fell short of or well met your expectations one way or another. This, as you can imagine, is not a factual thing....it's more to do with what was in your mind beforehand. Also it might be that you drove a rogue (or saintly) example? I will kick off: Better - Alfa 145 QV (in UK Green Cloverleaf). Everyone had said "all Alfas are now rubbish". The engine was a gem, the handling was much better than I expected (albeit with some body roll) and it never broke down. A great 2 years. Worse - Z3M Roadster. I had been told that the M version addressed the issues with the standard Z3. One of the most disappointing drives - almost devoid of feel. Didn't finish the test drive. Bought 350Z. Met (bad) - My Dad bought an FSO Polonez. No further narrative necessary. Met (good) - Caterham 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Alfa 156 ... fewer problems that these cars are meant to have 1986 TransAM ... definitely not a performance car, a bit of a dog really E-Type Jag ... noisy in a bad way and poor handling Fiat 124 ... lots of fun especially as it was a firm's car Suzuki SJ 40 ... gets to places a Land Rover cannot reach Sunbeam Rapier Mk IV ... not as fast as it should have been 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilMH Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 (edited) Sunbeam Rapier - now you're talking. My budget only ran to a Hillman Minx Edited June 14, 2014 by NeilMH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choptop Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 A few from my list: Fiat Uno 1991. Complete load of junk with dreadful gearbox. Mini Cooper. 1993. Good to drive but leaked like a sieve and even had to have a new engine. Mini Cooper. 1995. Built under BMW ownership. Good fun. Massive improvement on build quality. Skoda Octavia.2011. Excellent car. Practical, reliable and well built. Despite the badge, best bang for your buck I have ever owned :thumbs : 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Sunbeam Rapier - now you're talking. My budget only ran to a Hillman Minx My Rapier was the first nice car I owned ... bought with a £450 loan from my mother the year I qualified 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350zedd Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 1974 Vauxhall Magnum 2300 coupe with Blydenstein 3R big valve head, twin 48 Dellorto's, rally cam, Blydenstein manifold & exhaust.....fast but... you could watch the fuel go down in the tank sight glass on tickover! 1978 MGB Roadster with half race cam and Janspeed exhaust........sounded nice but performance was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richy Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Alfa 156 ... fewer problems that these cars are meant to have 1986 TransAM ... definitely not a performance car, a bit of a dog really E-Type Jag ... noisy in a bad way and poor handling Fiat 124 ... lots of fun especially as it was a firm's car Suzuki SJ 40 ... gets to places a Land Rover cannot reach Sunbeam Rapier Mk IV ... not as fast as it should have been Totally agree re the Alfa 156. Had mine for 16 years from new, and now my daughter has it. No major problems and still looks good today. No rust, no electrical problems, great engine. Must have got a rogue one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilMH Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 1974 Vauxhall Magnum 2300 coupe with Blydenstein 3R big valve head, twin 48 Dellorto's, rally cam, Blydenstein manifold & exhaust.....fast but... you could watch the fuel go down in the tank sight glass on tickover! 1978 MGB Roadster with half race cam and Janspeed exhaust........sounded nice but performance was You have just reminded me (and it has nothing to do with this thread) that I once fitted a Peco exhaust to a Standard 10 No performance improvement was detected Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 1974 Vauxhall Magnum 2300 coupe with Blydenstein 3R big valve head, twin 48 Dellorto's, rally cam, Blydenstein manifold & exhaust.....fast but... you could watch the fuel go down in the tank sight glass on tickover! 1978 MGB Roadster with half race cam and Janspeed exhaust........sounded nice but performance was You have just reminded me (and it has nothing to do with this thread) that I once fitted a Peco exhaust to a Standard 10 No performance improvement was detected Straight through scaffold pole was the de rigueur performance improvement in my day 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Sunbeam Rapier - now you're talking. Never owned or indeed driven one but I used to get a lift to work in one when I was in my teens. It was a gold and black one, "D" reg, 1966 and compared to my dad's Cortina seemed like a rocket ship . Pete 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Exceeded : 350z - oh wow!! Exceeded : Ford focus (x reg) had this for 9 years far better than I expected hence I had it 9 years and 155k miles. Cost per miles EPIC! Exceeded : Vauxhall Insignia - actually it's not a bad car at all apart from its not exactly a looker. Disappointed : VW Passat - Pile of junk, auto this, auto that, drives like a boat and under powered. Was glad to see the end of that. Exceeded : Nissan Juke - actually feels like a big Zed, all the same creature comforts and sport mode is fun 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Cars I've driven but not owned. MGB, Gutless, handled like a barge Ford Anglia, best gearchange I've ever encountered Ford Focus ST, disappointing, boring. Austin Montego Turbo, defies description Land Rover, Uncomfortable, noisy , tiring Toyota Avensis, O.K if you're not interested in cars Mini Cooper 970, Fun Honda S2000, Nice car Triumph 1300/1500, Comfortable but ropey handling (My dad had both of these) Vauxhall Chevette, Just awful. My Cars, Lotus Europa, buy in haste, repent at leisure. MG Midget, better than the MGB Triumph Spitfire, better than the Midget Triumph GT6, Other than rust and minor reliability issues not bad at all Ford Capri 2.8i, I'd have another one Fiat X1/9, Almost impossible to reach the cars limit in the dry, but needed another 50 bhp and body parts that had some sort of rust protection Datsun Cherry, Well, it was very reliable Sunbeam Stiletto, Loved this car, considering it only had 875cc it would keep up with a 1.3 Spitfire. Pete 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 One car that definitely exceeded my expectations was my 2003 Honda Civic Type R (30th Anniversary Edition). Had 104K plus on the clock when I bought it and I added 15K on top of that over 3 years ~ never missed a beat. Started first time every time. Changed the oil & filter every year and only replaced one set of tyres. Most reliable car that I've ever owned & VTEC was great fun. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Failed Expectations: Pug 406 coupe - Hated every damn moment of owning the hateful piece of scrap. Nissan 370z - Unbelievably dull and cramped compared to my 350z. Decided to buy the VXR8 instead. Above expectations: Vauxhall Insignia - after years of dull hire cars, this was a breath of fresh air. S-Max - When I found out my wife was expecting twins I thought I was destined to a life of boring MPV's. The S-Max (2.2 TDi) has proven me wrong. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilMH Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 Interesting stuff Datsun Cherry - the basis for the Alfa Romeo Arna if I remember correctly. Anyone admit to having one? I hadn't expected anyone not to like the Focus ST (albeit I haven't driven one myself). Lexx your comments about the S-Max shows how something that can just come out of left field and surprise you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Biggest let down was the 350Z, wasn't a bad car just felt it never delivered what I had expected Exceed my expectations was the mr2 roadster, absolute gem of a motor. Met expectations I suppose my xkr possibly why its been my longest ever car ownership. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anth4130 Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 350z surprised me, sure I had an expectation of it before I drove it but once I did a test drive... I wasnt expecting it impress me that much Subaru Impreza, I was only drawn to it because it was converted to RWD. But it was also quite a bit faster than I thought it would have been. Was fun, but I hated workibg on its engine. Rad hose popped, injector died, water transfer pipe O ring failed... I guess I was disappointed with a Nissan Sunny GTi only because I went from a turbod car to it, felt like something more was needed... like a turbo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bems Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Past & present family cars: Past & better than expected: skoda fabia VRS- excellent car. Reliable, cheap, quick, good cruisers & actually returned the mpg the manufacturer stated. Past & worse: Audi a3 s-line sportback- crap, unreliable, poor build quality over perceived build quality, very average mpg, rock solid suspension & absolutely no character about it whatsoever! Present & as expected: BMW x3 30d- real world mpg for something as big, heavy & fast, comfortable, fast, solid build & some great gadgets like the HUD. In summary: skodas are great value for money with a happy go lucky kind of feel. Audis ( non sporty) are overrated & overpriced with no character. Bmw's are good at what they're supposed to do & be cars for a reasonable price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bytespc Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 exceeded......Ford Zephyr 6 1964 ( first car ) loved every second of ownership and boy could she shift for such a large motor exceeded.....Renault Fuego 2.0ltrs of pure driving pleasure , 165000 miles and was sad to see her go exceeded....Mazda 323 gts 2.5 v6 brilliant little car exceeded.....Lancia Fire ( wife's car ) little pocket rocket exceeded.....350Z GT current car,,,,,,, Failures: Ford Capri 2.0s........ Ford Granada 2.5 Ghia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilMH Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 (edited) This is thread is bringing back many memories - e.g. Renault Fuego and Zephyr 6 I am not sure I've seen a bad review about a Skoda Fabia VRS? Edited June 16, 2014 by NeilMH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamc Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Mini Cooper (classic) - loved it, but too easy to break (I removed the gearshifter from the gearbox and dented the roof - at the same time) Nissan GT-R35 - love it!!!! Better than I ever expected Honda S2000 - disappointed, felt cramped inside and having to rev the engine takes getting used too Audi R8 v10 - lovely sound, but the gear change is terrible Aston Martin v8 Vantage S - lovely sound, but the gear change is terrible Mercedes C63 AMG - disappointed, just felt like an average car that someone had put a v8 into, nothing special Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-350 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Sunbeam Rapier - now you're talking. My budget only ran to a Hillman Minx My Rapier was the first nice car I owned ... bought with a £450 loan from my mother the year I qualified Dude, how old are you? Ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peak 370 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 (edited) Way better? Corvette Z06 2007. Civic 2.2 TD. Cayman S. Monaro 6.2. Way worse? Just one car. THE most over rated sports car of all time. Ferrari F40. Said to be the best in it's class by many. I drove one for 220 miles. Awful. Esp at what they cost!! Edited June 16, 2014 by Peak 370 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suits Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Better - 106 GTi, I knew they were fun but not that much. Worse - Clio V6, just........ meh . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peak 370 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I had better explain. 1/ The horrific fit of body panels. Look like they were cobbled together in a barn by a bunch of drunks. 2/ The interior quality. Like a 50s race car, not a 90s road car. 3/ Rubbish gear change. Lumpy and with ratios far too wide for the turbo lag-laden engine. 4/ Brakes poor, indeed totally inadequate for a car which can do 201 mph. (Good luck getting that speed though.) 5/ An engine far too hastily rolled out. 478 bhp from 2.9 litres, but with horrific turbo lag. The 458 is a light year better. A 3.5 engine would have been a lot better. 6/ Fit and finish on a par with a 90s Kia. It's a kit car. 1,100 kgs. 478 bhp. A million pounds to buy a mint one now. Give me my mate's 750 bhp Ultima pushrod Corvette any day. 1,200 kgs. You can have one in top nick for £80,000 with that power and real shove from idle. 580 lbs-ft. 0-100 in 5 seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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