Mainly due to snob value in the UK I guess.Haven't got one now but really rated my Skoda vRS (Fabia and Octavia were great cars)

Had a Vectra scoot passed me today and I was wondering if they are a good car? Friends Mondeo too is a really nice drive.

Are there cars out their you think people are unfairly prejudiced against that actually are very good? (I'm still very prejudiced against new Renaults and Peugots...perhaps unfairly too?)

 

i loved my skoda fabia vrs.

 

MG ZT, 190 and 260, too much ill informed snobbery and opinions from those who have never driven one but had a Rover Metro in 1987 and that was crap or just cant deal with the image issues, look beyond it, a very decent car for very little money.

I dont own one by the way, I have a Saab 9-3 and they are better than that in a lot of ways.

 

I had a '96 Nissan Primera for a couple of years, which was a great car - comfortable, bit thirsty but amazingly agile and chuckable for something so big. It was boringly reliable, cost nothing to service and yet I always enjoyed driving it - and I don't think I can say that about any other car I've ever owned.

Only got rid of it when I found myself with 3 cars and decided that was just too much hassle.

 

my brother raves about Cirtoen Xantia's -- has bought a few off ebay for peanuts -- fully loaded and sooooo comftable to drive

oh he has also got a bugeye WRX, Disco, Ducati 998 and a Blackbird

so hes not a total numbtie

 

Xantia must be a Marmite car. Probably the worst car I have ever had in overall terms.

Got shot of it after 3 days of having it.

 

I had a '92 Rover 216GTi Twin Cam that had a Honda CRX engine fitted as standard... was a brilliant little runaround, quick, handled well, sounded alright and never gave me any trouble until it dropped the bottom end and I scrapped it.


Cheers,
Grant

 

I have a runaround Toyota Carina E petrol, cost me £450 in December 2007, have done 15k miles in it and the only thing i had to put on it for MOT was two antiroll bushings at £8 each out of Toyota....thats over one years driving for £470

I love japanese cars, especially Toyota's, Nissans (the older ones) and...............Subaru's

 

primera egt, excellent car.

 

I had one of those aswell when I was a student Did 30,000 miles and very little went wrong. Quite good looking cars too in their day.

http://www.aronline.co.uk/press/rovr8_11.jpg

 

Daihatsu Charade GTti - awesome car, very tunable, massivley quick and sounds amazing.
Fiat Strada Abarth 130TC - One of the ultimate 80s hot hatches, different league to a 205 or Golf.
Citroen ZX 16v / Volcane - Both excellent cars never knew Citroens could be so good for little money


AllanB

 

nissan bluebird 1.8zx turbo (box shape) fully loaded and with electronic adjustable suspension. When I had it superchipped it used to leave rs turbos in its wake handled well for a bigger car

 

Agree on some of the MG Rovers. Very good to drive.

Both our cars are generally unloved by motoring press but do their respective jobs perfectly.

2005 Astra 1.9CDTi Estate - mega spec, great value, excellent handling, well made (the first Astra to be properly built), pretty fast, cheap to run, still looks fresh, safe, massive boot.
2005 Jimny softtop - just a big laugh. Goes anywhere off road (did greenlaning this weekend - I honestly think nothing else unmodded would be able to go where we went)
, can park it anywhere (tiny), peanuts to run, Jap build quality, light, roof off is fun when sunny, easy to fix.

However, as work has been good for a while we are looking at nearly new 335d Tourings and new shape Discoveries...

 

Peugeot 407 2.2d. Drove one of these from Wales to Scotland and back in 1 day. Nice and smooth and quiet on the motorway and pretty good in the twisties. And very comfartable

 

Reminded me of this quote from Pulp Fiction, was on the subject of Pork but equally applies to small off roaders.....


"Sewer Rat might taste like pumpkin pie, but I wouldn't know 'cuse I'm not gonna eat the filthy mother f***er"

 

Jacko - be my guest and try the same route in any other off roader short of a tractor (which wouldn't fit)...

No one realises how good they are off road until they get laughed at by someone driving one. The Scandies love 'em. And if it gets crashed, it's only worth about £4k anyway.

 

gotta be an alfa 147 gta (autodelta sc if lucky enough- supercharged 3.7l monster) 0-60 4 secs in the sc version, only problem it understeers rather scarily but if you wanna **** a few people off watch it out accelarate most cars on the road

 

Matteeboy,

I've just bought an 05 Discovery 3 TDV6, cracking car, absolutely love it. 52k, FSH, Black with 20" Wheels. - £12k, yes, £12k! Lovin this credit crunch

 

It just made me think of that quote, sure they are great but my need to go off road is limited and tiny off roaders aren't top of my list, hence why I will never know how good one is.

Rover BRM, though very odd and unreliable, drove quite well, handled, steered and braked well, trouble is the seats let you slide about, best gearchange I have come across.

 

Jacko - as a motorway/comfy car they are utterly sh1te. But the furthest we go in ours is about 40 miles. Otherwise we use the Astra.

 

mazda 323 gt-r.. fast,reliable..not the most comfy but its a wolf in sheeps clothing

 

2000MY Ford Mondeo 2.0 Zetec S

£900 car (43k) had full service inc plugs and gearbox oil changed and new disks/pads front when purchased approx £300

28500 miles since not a single penny spent apart from 2 front tyres which is a norm i would say

 

Nice to change the engine oil occassionally

 

Mondeo, any of them, great to drive, but especially the smaller engined, less expensive ones. The Mk 1 was a revelation. So much better than the competition.

1 Series BM's. My 120D was a fantastic overall package (for me). Aside from interior space it beat the A3/Golf on everything important to me - the way it drove, driving position and ambiance, ergonomics, handling, performance, economy. Build quality beaten only by the A3, and that was marginal. Ignore what Clarkson says, you pay for a lot more than the badge.

Vectra GSi (mark 1). Great car, quick, good handling, great sounding. If only the rest of the range had been as good.

There are loads of underrated cars out there, to be honest.

 

I remember borrowing a work colleague's mk1 Mondeo and taking it on a spirited drive across Salisbury Plain - it was indeed an absolute revelation.

 

my dad has done it twice

 

Subaru Legacy saloon - in effect a roomier Impreza without the image. It doesn't have an image - good or bad. You might be surprised how cheap they are.

 

my mondeo is a 2000W 1.8 estate FORMER taxi with 220k just tyres and minor service in twelve months mot needed a droplink on rear arb that is it.total of about 125 quid .

 

fiat uno was my first car and the best laugh ever only a 1ltr and when it broke miraculously fixed itself. (waits tobe mocked)