The Best and Worst Cars You've Ever Owned
04-26-17, 10:17 AM
#1
The Best and Worst Cars You've Ever Owned
Club Lexus Forum Members,
The Curated Content Team would like to see pictures of the best and worst vehicles you ever owned and what you liked and hated about them. We will feature these side by side images in an upcoming article. Please insert your images in this thread and thank you in advance for your participation!
--Curated Content Team
The Curated Content Team would like to see pictures of the best and worst vehicles you ever owned and what you liked and hated about them. We will feature these side by side images in an upcoming article. Please insert your images in this thread and thank you in advance for your participation!
--Curated Content Team
04-26-17, 12:27 PM
#2
My best car so far: 2015 Mercedes ML350 - it's so quiet and comfortable.
My worst car so far: 2010 Lexus RX450H - there are two HUGE gaps in rear bumper, and Lexus dealer said it was ok. and ask me not pushing hard on the bumper, is it made by paper or plastic?
My worst car so far: 2010 Lexus RX450H - there are two HUGE gaps in rear bumper, and Lexus dealer said it was ok. and ask me not pushing hard on the bumper, is it made by paper or plastic?
04-26-17, 12:36 PM
#3
Huh. My best car, by far, is my 2010 RX450h, bought last October. Refined, quiet, reasonably powerful, lovely exterior and interior.
Worst car from a driving point of view was my elderly parent's MB 300 turbodiesel. Wildly nonlinear throttle, even a bit scary at times.
Worst car from a reliability point of view was a late '70s Cadillac Seville (the model before the sawed-off rear end one). Lovely lines, but something mechanical was always breaking.
Worst car from a driving point of view was my elderly parent's MB 300 turbodiesel. Wildly nonlinear throttle, even a bit scary at times.
Worst car from a reliability point of view was a late '70s Cadillac Seville (the model before the sawed-off rear end one). Lovely lines, but something mechanical was always breaking.
Last edited by riredale; 04-26-17 at 12:42 PM.
04-26-17, 12:46 PM
#4
Lexus Champion
I guess you'd have to define what you mean by worst. If by that you mean least reliable, probably my 2006 Scion tC. 16 warranty repairs in less than 2 years. But if by worst you mean the least enjoyable, probably my first car, which was a hand-me-down Toyota Corolla. Thing was a solid tank, but no fun at all.
I'd have a hard time selecting just one best car. It would be between my 1986 Toyota MR2 and my current 2015 GS350.
I'd have a hard time selecting just one best car. It would be between my 1986 Toyota MR2 and my current 2015 GS350.
04-26-17, 01:11 PM
#5
Best so far that I have owned: Tie between my 2006 Lexus LS430 and my 1997 Rolls Royce Silver Spur--what I liked about them most was their reliability, value for the money, and fit and finish.
Worst: 1997 Jaguar XK8 convertible--because of volume of repairs and cost of ownership. It was a nightmare!
LS430 pic is after driving up to North Carolina mountains from Florida for a ski trip and my Rolls picture is a photo I took after attending a car show with the car. Don't have one of the Jag, didn't like it enough to keep a photo
Worst: 1997 Jaguar XK8 convertible--because of volume of repairs and cost of ownership. It was a nightmare!
LS430 pic is after driving up to North Carolina mountains from Florida for a ski trip and my Rolls picture is a photo I took after attending a car show with the car. Don't have one of the Jag, didn't like it enough to keep a photo
Last edited by LS430FL; 04-26-17 at 01:19 PM.
04-26-17, 01:51 PM
#6
Lexus Test Driver
Worst - '88 Toyota Camry - boring and unreliable. so many issues with it.
Best - toss up between my 2004 G35 coupe and my current 2015 IS350 F-sport. The G35 had more soul but the IS350 does everything so well.
Best - toss up between my 2004 G35 coupe and my current 2015 IS350 F-sport. The G35 had more soul but the IS350 does everything so well.
04-26-17, 03:39 PM
#7
Lexus Fanatic
I don't have many pictures of my previous cars, but..........
Best New Cars: I'd say my last three were all excellent (2012 Buick Verano, 2006 Subaru Outback, and 2001 Lexus IS300). The Subie wasn't quite as reliable as the other two, but was superb in the winter...it laughed at virtually anything nature could send. The IS300 was reliable and well-built, but was the complete opposite of the Outback...its RWD s**ked in the winter, on slippery roads, even with all-season tires and electronic traction-aids.
Best Used Car: My big 60s-vintage Buick Electra 225 I had in college.....BIG (built on a Cadillac DeVille frame), silky-smooth, living-room-sofa comfort in the soft bench seats, quiet cloud-like ride, transmission smooth as butter (more so than even some modern luxury cars). I absolutely loved that car....only downsides were a worn engine that used oil (had to carry extra oil with me on long trips, and used some at every fill-up), and the notorious fading and poor quality of the non-clearcoat, acrylic-lacquer paint jobs GM used in the 1960s....the paint job was worthless after a few years.
(I have memories of that car as I ordered my new 2018 LaCrosse)
Worst New Car...though I had several lemons in the late 1970s and early 1980s from GM and Chrysler, the worst, hands-down, was the 1980 Chevrolet Citation, which I special-ordered from a local Chevy dealer. The Citation really had potential, and was a superb concept/design IF it had been engineered and built properly, which it wasn't. Its unacceptable level of factory quality-control and engineering made a Yugo look sophisticated. I kept it less than two years (warranties were only one year in those days), and sold it off to a guy who was willing to buy it even with its problems. (I was completely honest, as I still am today, and didn't try and hide anything). Went out and then bought a 1982 Chrysler-K-car, which was somewhat better, but not much LOL. That's when I finally converted to Japanese cars...a new Mazda. Though noisy, the Mazda was much more reliable, except for some automatic-transmission quirks.
Worst Used Car.............I didn't really hate any of the used cars I owned, though I found the two I owned with Chrysler V8 engines and two-barrel Carter carburetors (a 1964 Plymouth Barracuda ponycar and a 1967 Chrysler Newport full-size entry-level luxury car) to have annoying and sometimes tricky warm-up drivability problems. The Barracuda, with a lot of miles on it, also used oil.
Best New Cars: I'd say my last three were all excellent (2012 Buick Verano, 2006 Subaru Outback, and 2001 Lexus IS300). The Subie wasn't quite as reliable as the other two, but was superb in the winter...it laughed at virtually anything nature could send. The IS300 was reliable and well-built, but was the complete opposite of the Outback...its RWD s**ked in the winter, on slippery roads, even with all-season tires and electronic traction-aids.
Best Used Car: My big 60s-vintage Buick Electra 225 I had in college.....BIG (built on a Cadillac DeVille frame), silky-smooth, living-room-sofa comfort in the soft bench seats, quiet cloud-like ride, transmission smooth as butter (more so than even some modern luxury cars). I absolutely loved that car....only downsides were a worn engine that used oil (had to carry extra oil with me on long trips, and used some at every fill-up), and the notorious fading and poor quality of the non-clearcoat, acrylic-lacquer paint jobs GM used in the 1960s....the paint job was worthless after a few years.
(I have memories of that car as I ordered my new 2018 LaCrosse)
Worst New Car...though I had several lemons in the late 1970s and early 1980s from GM and Chrysler, the worst, hands-down, was the 1980 Chevrolet Citation, which I special-ordered from a local Chevy dealer. The Citation really had potential, and was a superb concept/design IF it had been engineered and built properly, which it wasn't. Its unacceptable level of factory quality-control and engineering made a Yugo look sophisticated. I kept it less than two years (warranties were only one year in those days), and sold it off to a guy who was willing to buy it even with its problems. (I was completely honest, as I still am today, and didn't try and hide anything). Went out and then bought a 1982 Chrysler-K-car, which was somewhat better, but not much LOL.
That's when I finally converted to Japanese cars...a new Mazda. Though noisy, the Mazda was much more reliable, except for some automatic-transmission quirks.Worst Used Car.............I didn't really hate any of the used cars I owned, though I found the two I owned with Chrysler V8 engines and two-barrel Carter carburetors (a 1964 Plymouth Barracuda ponycar and a 1967 Chrysler Newport full-size entry-level luxury car) to have annoying and sometimes tricky warm-up drivability problems. The Barracuda, with a lot of miles on it, also used oil.
Last edited by mmarshall; 04-26-17 at 03:56 PM.
Trending Topics
04-26-17, 08:28 PM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
I don't think I can say I've ever had a bad car...
04-26-17, 09:10 PM
#9
BEST:
I have two, and for very different reasons.
F80 M3 - The fastest, nicest, and most exciting car I've ever owned and my current car. It's loud, rude, handles like a sports car should, and, for better or worse, gets the most attention. It's a pure joy to drive.
Took this pic last month:
VW GTI MKII - This is a special car to me, not the fastest car I've ever owned, it was just the best car for me that time in my life in High School. So much fun, so many experiences. Unforgettable.
NOT MY PIC but looked exactly like this with the teardrop rims, square lights and red pearl mica paint.
WORST:
2000 mitsubishi galant v6
Again, NOT MY PIC, but it also looked exactly like this. What a bore to drive. I got it because I thought I was becoming an adult and needed a sedan. I was 20-something and this was a mistake. I needed a sedan, but not something this dull. My next car was an Audi A4, and much better.
I have two, and for very different reasons.
F80 M3 - The fastest, nicest, and most exciting car I've ever owned and my current car. It's loud, rude, handles like a sports car should, and, for better or worse, gets the most attention. It's a pure joy to drive.
Took this pic last month:
VW GTI MKII - This is a special car to me, not the fastest car I've ever owned, it was just the best car for me that time in my life in High School. So much fun, so many experiences. Unforgettable.
NOT MY PIC but looked exactly like this with the teardrop rims, square lights and red pearl mica paint.
WORST:
2000 mitsubishi galant v6
Again, NOT MY PIC, but it also looked exactly like this. What a bore to drive. I got it because I thought I was becoming an adult and needed a sedan. I was 20-something and this was a mistake. I needed a sedan, but not something this dull. My next car was an Audi A4, and much better.
04-27-17, 09:08 AM
#10
Lead Lap
The best car I've owned was my 2008 LS600hL. It had everything, horsepower/torque, radar cruise, pre-collision system, LED headlights, power flip down tv/dvd player for the kids, side and rear window shades, reclining rear seats, etc. It was so comfortable, smooth, quiet and fast and IMO looked great. I still miss that one.
The worst car I've owned, which my wife bought new, was a 1997 VW Jetta GLS. It was the biggest POS. Squeaking rear seat since new and dealer could never pinpoint the cause or find it. Cruise control stopped working at 27k miles and wasn't covered under warranty because at that time the warranty was only 24 months and 24k miles. If it rained or was misty out the car wouldn't start and nobody could figure it out until I did a bunch of searching online and finally found out that I had to replace the coils. The side molding that was only held on by double sided tape kept falling off. I was so happy to get rid of that car and it really left a sour taste in my mouth from a brand perspective although I finally got over it this past year when I was looking at a GTI and Golf R for a daily driver.
The worst car I've owned, which my wife bought new, was a 1997 VW Jetta GLS. It was the biggest POS. Squeaking rear seat since new and dealer could never pinpoint the cause or find it. Cruise control stopped working at 27k miles and wasn't covered under warranty because at that time the warranty was only 24 months and 24k miles. If it rained or was misty out the car wouldn't start and nobody could figure it out until I did a bunch of searching online and finally found out that I had to replace the coils. The side molding that was only held on by double sided tape kept falling off. I was so happy to get rid of that car and it really left a sour taste in my mouth from a brand perspective although I finally got over it this past year when I was looking at a GTI and Golf R for a daily driver.
04-29-17, 08:08 AM
#11
Best: 2005 Lexus LS430 (current) / 1988 Toyota Camry V6 LE (used it for about 14 years)
Worst: 1979 Maxda 626
I think Mazda was just beginning building piston engine passenger cars, after their pioneering rotary engines (Cosmo series?).
My 626 had one of their early aluminum engines/blocks.
I had 2 blown head gaskets in this car's lifetime, due to overheating.
Ruptured transmission modulator (more than once), causing tranny and engine oil to mix and smoke through the exhaust (looks like some things didn't change for the better in later model years at Mazda).
In the later stages, it would start 9 times out of 10. OK for a college student, I guess.
The good thing is I learnt a lot about car parts and repairs because of this car. Lol!
Worst: 1979 Maxda 626
I think Mazda was just beginning building piston engine passenger cars, after their pioneering rotary engines (Cosmo series?).
My 626 had one of their early aluminum engines/blocks.
I had 2 blown head gaskets in this car's lifetime, due to overheating.
Ruptured transmission modulator (more than once), causing tranny and engine oil to mix and smoke through the exhaust (looks like some things didn't change for the better in later model years at Mazda).
In the later stages, it would start 9 times out of 10. OK for a college student, I guess.
The good thing is I learnt a lot about car parts and repairs because of this car. Lol!
04-29-17, 09:52 AM
#12
I don't have many pictures of my previous cars, but..........
Best New Cars: I'd say my last three were all excellent (2012 Buick Verano, 2006 Subaru Outback, and 2001 Lexus IS300). The Subie wasn't quite as reliable as the other two, but was superb in the winter...it laughed at virtually anything nature could send. The IS300 was reliable and well-built, but was the complete opposite of the Outback...its RWD s**ked in the winter, on slippery roads, even with all-season tires and electronic traction-aids.
Best Used Car: My big 60s-vintage Buick Electra 225 I had in college.....BIG (built on a Cadillac DeVille frame), silky-smooth, living-room-sofa comfort in the soft bench seats, quiet cloud-like ride, transmission smooth as butter (more so than even some modern luxury cars). I absolutely loved that car....only downsides were a worn engine that used oil (had to carry extra oil with me on long trips, and used some at every fill-up), and the notorious fading and poor quality of the non-clearcoat, acrylic-lacquer paint jobs GM used in the 1960s....the paint job was worthless after a few years.
(I have memories of that car as I ordered my new 2018 LaCrosse)
Worst New Car...though I had several lemons in the late 1970s and early 1980s from GM and Chrysler, the worst, hands-down, was the 1980 Chevrolet Citation, which I special-ordered from a local Chevy dealer. The Citation really had potential, and was a superb concept/design IF it had been engineered and built properly, which it wasn't. Its unacceptable level of factory quality-control and engineering made a Yugo look sophisticated. I kept it less than two years (warranties were only one year in those days), and sold it off to a guy who was willing to buy it even with its problems. (I was completely honest, as I still am today, and didn't try and hide anything). Went out and then bought a 1982 Chrysler-K-car, which was somewhat better, but not much LOL. That's when I finally converted to Japanese cars...a new Mazda. Though noisy, the Mazda was much more reliable, except for some automatic-transmission quirks.
Worst Used Car.............I didn't really hate any of the used cars I owned, though I found the two I owned with Chrysler V8 engines and two-barrel Carter carburetors (a 1964 Plymouth Barracuda ponycar and a 1967 Chrysler Newport full-size entry-level luxury car) to have annoying and sometimes tricky warm-up drivability problems. The Barracuda, with a lot of miles on it, also used oil.
Best New Cars: I'd say my last three were all excellent (2012 Buick Verano, 2006 Subaru Outback, and 2001 Lexus IS300). The Subie wasn't quite as reliable as the other two, but was superb in the winter...it laughed at virtually anything nature could send. The IS300 was reliable and well-built, but was the complete opposite of the Outback...its RWD s**ked in the winter, on slippery roads, even with all-season tires and electronic traction-aids.
Best Used Car: My big 60s-vintage Buick Electra 225 I had in college.....BIG (built on a Cadillac DeVille frame), silky-smooth, living-room-sofa comfort in the soft bench seats, quiet cloud-like ride, transmission smooth as butter (more so than even some modern luxury cars). I absolutely loved that car....only downsides were a worn engine that used oil (had to carry extra oil with me on long trips, and used some at every fill-up), and the notorious fading and poor quality of the non-clearcoat, acrylic-lacquer paint jobs GM used in the 1960s....the paint job was worthless after a few years.
(I have memories of that car as I ordered my new 2018 LaCrosse)
Worst New Car...though I had several lemons in the late 1970s and early 1980s from GM and Chrysler, the worst, hands-down, was the 1980 Chevrolet Citation, which I special-ordered from a local Chevy dealer. The Citation really had potential, and was a superb concept/design IF it had been engineered and built properly, which it wasn't. Its unacceptable level of factory quality-control and engineering made a Yugo look sophisticated. I kept it less than two years (warranties were only one year in those days), and sold it off to a guy who was willing to buy it even with its problems. (I was completely honest, as I still am today, and didn't try and hide anything). Went out and then bought a 1982 Chrysler-K-car, which was somewhat better, but not much LOL.
That's when I finally converted to Japanese cars...a new Mazda. Though noisy, the Mazda was much more reliable, except for some automatic-transmission quirks.Worst Used Car.............I didn't really hate any of the used cars I owned, though I found the two I owned with Chrysler V8 engines and two-barrel Carter carburetors (a 1964 Plymouth Barracuda ponycar and a 1967 Chrysler Newport full-size entry-level luxury car) to have annoying and sometimes tricky warm-up drivability problems. The Barracuda, with a lot of miles on it, also used oil.
Did you just stop driving for a while after that combo? My pop had a 69 charger, lovely to look at but a reliability nightmare. He too bought his first Japanese car, a 1980 Toyota corona and never bought another Chrysler product.
04-29-17, 10:54 AM
#13
Worst car: 1998 Jeep Cherokee, hate every min driving it, sold in 2 months.
1991 Hyundai Excel, a hand me down first car, no AC (in Vegas), it's so slow I can't pass a green turn light that I got my first ticket after 1 month of receiving my drivers license.
Best car: my X6M, 750Li M sport, 2004 LS430UL, 2001 LS430UL, 2003 530i, 1999 GS400, 1997 SC300 5speed, 2000 LX470, 1995 240SX Silvia conversion, 1991 240SX coupe, the list goes on...
1991 Hyundai Excel, a hand me down first car, no AC (in Vegas), it's so slow I can't pass a green turn light that I got my first ticket after 1 month of receiving my drivers license.
Best car: my X6M, 750Li M sport, 2004 LS430UL, 2001 LS430UL, 2003 530i, 1999 GS400, 1997 SC300 5speed, 2000 LX470, 1995 240SX Silvia conversion, 1991 240SX coupe, the list goes on...
04-29-17, 11:02 AM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
The original 80s-vintage Excels were even worse. With the first one I can remember test-driving (1986 or 1987) I could have walked back the dealership quicker....and a couple of functions/controls on it didn't seem to work at all.
04-29-17, 01:14 PM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
The "best car" I've ever had was easily the 98 LS400. That was a great car.
