Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

Most of us get fed up with or tire of a daily modern vehicle after a while and feel the need for a change but have any of you taken an instant or early dislike to any vehicle whether modern or classic which you have just bought?

My father did in 1966 when he fulfilled an ambition of his and bought an year old Jaguar S Type 3.8 with every extra and only 10k miles. He took against it within a day and changed it for a new Triumph 2000 days later. He was't keen on that either if I recall.

I grew a dislike to the 1968 3.4 litre "S" Type I owned in the early 1990s but that was because of it's constant unreliability but the only vehicle I instantly regretted buying was a Jeep Cherokee 2.8 litre automatic I bought in November 2008 as a 19k mileage one owner car. I disliked it within a week and quickly moved it on. To be fair, there was nothing wrong with it.

One local classic owner looked for a Reliant Scimitar GTE SE5(a?) until he found the one he wanted and met his high standards. He brought it to show me but his disullusion was evident. The main reason was the abominably heavy steering which I had to agree with after a brief turn at the wheel myself.
He sold it within a month.

Another local took an early dislike to a Morris Minor Traveller which he had spent two years restoring to a very high standard and quickly changed it for a Wolseley 1500 which he then kept and cherished for years

As to moderns, a local monied lady ordered one of the Land Rover Freelander TD4's in 2002. A top of the range example, she drove it home and straight back to the Land Rover/Jaguar dealership where it had just been bought and left it there. She was lent a Jaguar X Type courtesy car to go home while they sourced a new 3.0 litre similar example for her after she approved the X type.
I'll wager a great deal of money was lost on that transaction because one of my employees and her husband bought the nearly brand new Freelander a few days later. They saved thousands on the new price and were given a generous part exchange price for the 2.0 litre diesel Perkins engined two year old example which they had bought from the same dealership.

Any interesting similar recollections good people?
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Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[Ray White]

I would say probably one of the biggest mistakes of my life was buying a new Vauxhall Zafira VXR .

It was my own fault really. I had been reluctant to sell the Zafira GSi 2 litre turbo that I had bought new 5 years previously. It was a glorious car to drive; comfortable, handled superbly and went like stink. It was a bargain with full leather, 10 air bags and every extra. With the mileage building I was nervous that repair costs could start to bite so when the owner of the dealership (who was well known to me as one of my regular Cattery customers) told me he had an "as new" Zafira VXR sitting in his garage at home, I was curious.

I assumed the VXR was a continuation of the GSi as the Zafira flagship and would be at least as good as it's predecessor. I should have twigged that something was not quite right when I saw the car because it lacked the special 'body kit' that adorned my car. It looked good on paper, however, with a better performance, tighter turning circle and a 6 speed gearbox but was strewn with silly 'go faster' gimmicks but I thought I could live with that.

I could not have been more wrong. My wife - who is quite small - liked the car but I found the seat cramped.
It would prove to be a nightmare for me on long journeys. The car was probably a bit quicker but it was damned thirsty! The interior began to irritate me; it was as if the designer had been trying too hard.

Gone was the easy on the eye comfortable cabin that I had gotten used to in my beloved GS1 and lacking such details as a photo chromatic rear view mirror. I never could remember which of the 6 gears I was in.

After a few months I threw in the towel and sold it. It had cost me a small fortune but as I said it was my own fault for not thinking it through.

Superb Zafira GSi

Disappointing VXR

[BigJohn]

I remember my Old Man getting a new Mk1 Lotus Cortina for 4 days, he changed it for a Mk3 Zephyr Six. He liked to put his toe down but kept being stopped by the Police just to look at the new Lotus and ask him about it, on the 3rd stop in 3 days it went back. He did over 40k miles a year and couldn't afford the stoppage time! An 8yr old me was gutted! (Although all my mates liked to play Z Cars in the Zephyr.)
I bought a 1976 early Manta B coupe in french blue nearly 5yrs ago. It was knuckle bitingly pretty, great on a motorway, but compared to my Mk1 Escort it understeered like two drunken heifers riding a tandem with flat tyres. It was the boat anchor of an engine in the big nose, lasted about a month. One trip over Shap on the A6 coming back from Hutton in the Forest show on a Sunday, was enough for it to be sold by Thursday.
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1974 Mk1 Escort.

[Sid]

Although I enjoyed working on my 1951 Lanchester, it wasn't until I took this picture that it fell out of favour.
Because it was designed in 1939 and the back end was redesigned in 1951, you end up with a car that has a typical straight 1930's look at the front, and the rounded look of many 1950's cars at the back.
To me it looks like a cut and shut job and I ended up hating it.
Or is it just me?

[Miken]

For some reason I once decided back in the 1990's that I wanted a Ford 100E sidevalve. By the time I had driven it home i realised it was a mistake and sold it asap.

[lowdrag]

I can sum it up in two words; Austin Maxi. I bought it for the family and yes it was a Tardis, but the steering, the gear change, the whole underdeveloped aura of the thing. It was gone within two months for a VW.

I'm known for my love of Jaguars, but for my 50th I treated myself to a brand new car, something I rarely have done; an XJ6 3.2 in 1996. After 10 months, three sets of new wheels, (the lacquer fell off), gearbox faults, electrical gremlins, I could stand it no more. I sold it and lost £10,000, and was so fed up that I bought a 4WS 2.2 litre Honda Accord. Perfect for family and business, and I've never since had a car with better aircon.

[Keith D]

I am a cautious buyer and I can't say that I have ever bought a car that I instantly hate, although a Bond Minicar bought in the early sixties must fall towards that category.

However, I have noticed that a large number of recent good restorations are sold soon after being restored. I have spoken to a few of these restorers and the following reasons have come to light. People remember the large car that Dad had when they were young with great affection. In Australia that usually means a Holden, Falcon or Valiant. (GM, Ford or Chrysler) All six or eight cylinder vehicles.

They spend a fortune on these 'muscle' cars of the sixties and seventies and get them back licenced on the road.

Then they discover things like three speed column change gearboxes (three on the tree) and slippery vinyl bench seats. Heavy drum brakes that are very susceptible to fade. No power steering. They discover a fuel economy that scares them. They discover a car that is hard to park. (In this day of small cars in Australia, parking spots are very tight for the likes of a Valiant etc.) Having no fifth gear, the cars seem to rev their guts out at 110 km/hour. The roadholding is nothing like a new car.

The overall performance of their finished car, compared to modern vehicles, frankly disappoints the owner. Many of these restorers are loathe to modify their cars to include the modern devices and end up selling their cars to people who actually drive the restored vehicles and can make a deliberate decision.

Unfortunately, experiences like this must encourage folk to extensively modify their classic cars rather than keep them as standard.

Keith
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1926 Chrysler 60 tourer
1932 Austin Seven RN long wheelbase box sedan
1950 Austin A40 tourer
1999 BMW Z3
Its weird being the same age as old people.
You are either part of the problem or part of the solution

[Rick]

I once bought a Jeep with the Merc CRD (diesel) engine in it, it was a few years old granted but I hated it from the outset. It handled like a boat and wobbled down the road even when driving in a straight line. I replaced various parts of its undercarriage to try and improve things, but nothing worked. The engine smoked like a B52, I kept it a few weeks but bought a Disco on LPG within a month.

I now have a later Jeep GC which is a much better bet, if not perfect.

RJ
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[Ray White]

Keith; you make a very good point and one which I am trying to address in the rebuild of my MG TC.

[lowdrag]

The "restomod" scene is moving apace. In Jaguar world everyone now seems set to pay £10,000 to change to a 5-speed gearbox. I try all the time to tell them all they need to do is numerically lower the axle ratio, but they won't listen. They want negative earth for their GPS and phone charger, in coupés they want aircon, and if you mention double declutching you are asked to wash your mouth out. We had 3-pot brakes, now we can have 6-pot. We had 250 bhp but they want 350 - just to go to the pub. Mention opposite-locking and they look at you as if you are out to lunch. Electric power steering is all the rage too. They keep asking how to modify the engine for unleaded, not knowing that the cylinder head has always been alloy with hardened seats, they carry collapsible buckets and sponges on a rally together with car covers. And they will not do a proper rally without white van man following with a host of spares. Getting their hands dirty is no longer part of the scene. It is all about posing and being seen. Someone pass me a drink please.

[peter scott]

Yes, modern cars are just too good. People today are spoilt children.

A 1951 XK120 does 0 to 100 mph in 35.9 secs (Road & Track May 1951)
My 16 year old Diesel Mondeo does 0 to 100 mph in 29.5 secs

Peter
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http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[mikeC]

'Never mind the quality, feel the width' comes to mind; why rush a good thing!
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in the garage: 1938 Talbot Ten Airline
Recently departed: 1953 Lancia Appia, 1931 Austin Seven, 1967 Singer Chamois, 1914 Saxon, 1930 Morris Cowley, 1936 BSA Scout, 1958 Lancia Appia coupe, 1922 Star 11.9 ... the list goes on!

[V8 Nutter]

When a valve seat dropped out on my first V8 Pilot it damaged the block and it really needed another engine. Looking around for another car I spoke to a dealer who had prospective customer who wanted a Triumph Renown. By chance another dealer I knew had one and he took the Pilot of me in part ex. By then the first dealer had already found one. I was stuck with what must have one of the worst cars to come out of the Triumph factory. It used more petrol than the Pilot, it wouldn't go round corners, the steering was unbelievably heavy and the right hand column gear change was like stirring a pudding. Every so often the linkage would jam up in between gears. After about three weeks I sold it to my brother in law. Then the steering box failed, I fitted a second hand one, which after a few weeks started to make failure noises. I enquired at the Triumph dealers about a new box, I was told, "Don't it will only fail they are never any good". My brother in law part exed it for a Ford Zephyr

[Keith D]

Perhaps another reason for instant dislike is that we find a particular car visually appealing. In our mind's eye, we imagine how we expect the car to perform. When we actually drive the thing we are bitterly disappointed because it does not perform as we had imagined.

I spent nearly ten years rebuilding my Austin Seven from a basket case. During that time I had built up the performance I thought I would get from it in my head. I obviously subconsciously imagined that it would run like a six cylinder Holden. Imagine my shock when I drove the Seven for the first time with a very tight engine. My ride-on lawn mower puts outs out 1 BHP MORE than the Seven!

My Austin Seven (like every single one of its sisters) is fortunately blessed with so many idiosyncrasies that I soon grew to love it, and still do, so all is well.

I can understand how V8 Nutter felt about his Triumph Renown. I have never owned or even driven one, but I have always considered a car as beautiful as that must be extremely desirable. It does rather emphasise how important it is for us to do as much homework as possible before purchase.

Keith
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1926 Chrysler 60 tourer
1932 Austin Seven RN long wheelbase box sedan
1950 Austin A40 tourer
1999 BMW Z3
Its weird being the same age as old people.
You are either part of the problem or part of the solution

[alastairq]

I have an unreasonable dislike for any cars made this century.
No logical reason for it...aside from the feeling that it is controlling me, rather than the other way around.
Hence....I dislike one of my dailies, a Suzuki Grand Vitara, made early this century.
No really logical reason for disliking it.
It was cheap [£500], always passes an MoT
Has loads of rust which I sortasorted.{ all hidden beneath loads of plastic trim!!}..but has a chassis, which is sound..
It has comfort, so I am told by my passengers...has thoughtful touches such as 3 interior lights, etc....plenty of stowage space. It'll achieve anything up tp 35 mpgs, on petrol...has well over 120 of those unusable BHPeees....and has the option of 4wd if I ever go on to the verge to allow oncomers to pass....and I get wheelspin. It can tow quite well, and has two [2] factory-supplied jacks.
Yet, although it is ''OK'' to drive....I find myself loathing it.
Maybe its all the electronics?
Or, all the plastic padding? Or the air bags?

Or maybe it's the feeling of being insulated from the outside world?
It has cup holder places.....down alongside the front seats, right where my jacket or cardy drags through the contents.
It has nowhere up front to stand a coffee cup, or a McDonalds burger, without them sliding off.

But to give it its due....unlike my other daily [I swap them around as the mood strikes], a Daihatsu Fourtrak, definitely made last centruy.....it doesn't smell of wet sheep!

But, if someone were to make me a decent offer, reflecting its roadworthiness, it would be gone, quickazaflash!

I quite dislike Fiestas as well.
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Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
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Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces.