The Student Room Group

What is the worst car ever sold in the UK?

These are many favourite contenders.

Morris Marina

In the early 70's British Leyland needed a car to rival the excellent Ford Cortina. Instead of designing an all new car BL decided to use the platform of the 1948 Morris Minor with disastrous consequences.

With little modification they stuck a fairly modern bodyhsell on top of a Morris Minor, they then uprated the engines to offer more power. The problem was that the chassis could not really handle any more power than the 800cc unit it was originally designed to use. A 1.7 litre engine with Morris Minor breaks was quite simply terrifying.

The car rusted like most BL products and tarnished Morris's reputation for good.



Austin Allegro


Another awful car from BL, this car looked ugly and early cars featured an awful square steering wheel. It had a clever gas suspension which leaked and caused bodys to collapse. The engines failed, the gearboxes teared them selves to pieces and they rusted from day one. Oil leaks, head gasket failures and rot problems were all too common.



Lada Riva

In some ways the Lada should been a good car, it was based on the excellent 1965 Fiat 124, the trouble was by the time it was launched in the UK in the mid 70's the car was already 10 years old. To make matters worse Lada's were never as well built as the Fiat original and they used their own engines and gearboxes. It was replaced in 1983 with the Riva, this was a Fiat 124 with a more modern bodyshell. The problem was the engines, gearboxes and chassis were the same old design which was approaching 20 years old. It was rear wheel drive and had an awful suspension, this meant that handling was down right dangerous. The breaks were weak and the steering was very heavy. The engines were touch but extremely crude, slow and noisy. Clutches would fail and the electrics failed more than they worked. Perhaps the Lada's biggest problem was rust, they rust and rust even from a very early age. Remarkable the Riva is actually one of the best selling cars in the world and is still made today, however it has not been sold in the UK since 1997 as it failed to meet modern safety and emission standards.



Vauxhall Vectra MK1

A truly nasty car, it looked quite good but it was too similar to the dated Cavalier it replaced. Engines were nothing spectacular and the electrics failed from day one. The car was nearly always bottom of the customer satisfaction surveys. It is a shame because if it had better engines and reliability it would have been a half decent car.



Rover 45

One of the last of the 'Rondas'. This car was actualy based on a late 80's Honda Civic using a mid 90's Civic bodyhshell. There wasn't actually a lot wrong with the car in itself, but it became a pricey antique. The Civic's had reliable Honda engines, the Rover version had the unreliable K series units which would often seize up after 60,000 miles. In 2003 Rover updated the car with horrendous results. It stuck a modern dashboard and front grill onto a 10 year old body. It failed and it ended up looking even more dated, most of these cars ended up on fields waiting to be sold as the public were not fooled, even Rover fans avoided this piece of junk.



Austin/Rover Montego

In many ways the Montego was a good a car, it looked bland but offered more power than a Ford Sierra and had lots of standard equipment. The problem with the Montego though was its durability. Being a product of the ex British Leyland group it had major rust problems where as the Ford Sierra was a lot of better in this regard. The engines could cope with 100k but they would break down frequently. In reality most bodies failed long before the engines did, many never lived to their 10th birthday.



Skoda Estelle

Long before the Volkswagen Auto Group (VAG) took over Skoda had a reputation for buildling solid reliable budget cars. However the Estelle was rear engined which meant the handling was down right dangerous. This Skoda didn't have any significant problems with rust but the engine needed constant attention and the interior was cheap and nasty in comparison the Lada Riva's interior was quite luxurious.

Much of this didn't matter anyway, the handling was so awful the car would be written off into an early grave anyway.



Morris Ital

Another failure for BL, this car was designed to replace the Marina in 1980. However it used the same awful chasis, the same crappy engines and the same body with only minor modifications by the Italian design house Ital. It was soon killed off and the car did not have a fighting chance against the new Sierra and Cavalier.



If you can think of any awful cars please tell me and I can add them. The car has to be have officialy been sold in the Uk to qualify.

Ford Escort MK5

The MK4 Escort was actually a good car, it looked bland but was reasonable to drive and had class leading interior. Reliability was also good for a British built car. However in 1990 Ford has to replace it so it could compete with the new Golf and Astra which were in the pipeline.

The results has a horrible bland design with a heavy steering and awful reliability. The fuse boxes would rust causing all sorts of electrical problems. The engines were the same old Engines carried over from the MK4 and Fiesta. In 1994 most these problems were ironed out and the new Zetec engine was introduced, but it wasn't until 1995 when the Escort got new interior, class leading sound proofing and improved crumple zones that the Escort became a decent car again.

With the MK5 Ford had made the mistake that BL was famous for, letting accountants design cars. They got so much criticisms that Ford made sure the Mondeo would be a class leader and spent a fortune in making sure it was a world class car, that investment had paid off.



FSO Polonez

Based on a 1966 Fiat 125 but with a more modern bodyshell the FSO Polonez was so awful its amazing it was ever allowed to imported to the UK. The company used to be called Poski Fiat but FIAT ordered them to change their name because of their woeful build quality. The engine was a slow crude antique and it frequently failed.

I think it is fair to say that there are no FSO's left in the UK now as they have all rusted away. FSO's used to be a common site in the UK in the late 80's and early 90's.

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
I'm gutted about the Vectra being on the list, because I'm a big fan of the last Caveliers. We did the 900 mile run to Bordeaux in one averaging about 120mph and she didn't miss a beat, and more it was a comfy run too. Mum did the journey back in 17 hours (including the ferry). A great car!

Reply 2
Yep the but the Cavilier was a launched in 1989 (at least that version) the Vectra didn't do anything to improve on it so it had to compete with the Mondeo and lost.

I remember at the time it was rare that the Vectra was not in the news for some recall or reliability problem. It was sorted out by the late 90's but the N-R regs one had so many problems which were a classic example of accountants designing cars.

Vectras were not cheap either which is another reason I added it to the list. Apart from Rover with their K series engine I don't think any other car has suffered from so many problems in recent years. Oh I should have added the MK5 Escort into this list for the same reason as the Vectra. That was a horrible nasty peice of crap.
Has to be the ultimate doesn't it?

Lada gets my vote.
Reply 4
People are being unfair than the Lada, its a better car to drive than the Morris Marina and ot was a lot cheaper. My dad had one, the clutch was heavy, the steering was awful and the gearbox was a joke but it was a cheap car and gave us 6 years of motoring which is not pad since he paid £800 for it when it was four years old.
Reply 5
So is the Lada our winner?
Reply 6
I'm really not so familiar with most of these cars, but I've heard so much about the old skodas so it got my vote. Nice poll though, it's good to see someone else having a go. I haven't done one in a while but I've got one coming up soon :biggrin:
Reply 7
AT82


Rover 45

One of the last of the 'Rondas'. This car was actualy based on a late 80's Honda Civic using a mid 90's Civic bodyhshell. There wasn't actually a lot wrong with the car in itself, but it became a pricey antique. The Civic's had reliable Honda engines, the Rover version had the unreliable K series units which would often seize up after 60,000 miles. In 2003 Rover updated the car with horrendous results. It stuck a modern dashboard and front grill onto a 10 year old body. It failed and it ended up looking even more dated, most of these cars ended up on fields waiting to be sold as the public were not fooled, even Rover fans avoided this piece of junk.



Austin/Rover Montego

In many ways the Montego was a good a car, it looked bland but offered more power than a Ford Sierra and had lots of standard equipment. The problem with the Montego though was its durability. Being a product of the ex British Leyland group it had major rust problems where as the Ford Sierra was a lot of better in this regard. The engines could cope with 100k but they would break down frequently. In reality most bodies failed long before the engines did, many never lived to their 10th birthday.



Just to rectify some information that is clearly wrong.

Lets start with the Rover 45 shall we, first untruth...unreliable K Series engines which seized at 60,000 miles? It does make me laugh, seeing as mine is now on 122,000 miles and my fathers is well on the way to 100,000 miles. Reliable yes they are if they are maintained correctly.

Austin Montego, where as the Montego would rust in visible areas it wouldn't rust in structural areas unlike your Sierra which would look pretty on the outside, but had severe structural rust. Same as the fiesta.

Which engines are you referring to when you say they break down frequently?

The A series 1.3, I would think not.
1.6 s series? earlier models can suffer from mayonaise in the breather pipes due to cold weather, but this was fixed in later models.
The O series engines in diesel, efi or turbo form? Known to be indestructable, I know someones who currently has over 224,000 miles on it and regularly does 60miles a day.

The Montego also embraced technology with the digital dash, and the MG Turbo models were one of the quickest saloons on the market. Late Estate models are still highly sought after due to their reliability an durability.


Worst car ever sold? Not sure to be honest. I know the worst car I have ever driven is a Ford Mondeo.
Reply 8
Lada by a country mile.
Reply 9
I know of three K series engines that have packed up well below 60,000 miles. Two on Rover 25s and one Rover 100.

My grandad had two Montegos both were scrapped due to rust. I have about 3 different books written by different authors on this topic and the Montego has always been known for rust problems.

The K series has always been a liability for Rover, they are great engines but they are fairly complex and the head gasket fails on them. I will try and find out what the fatal flaw was but its somthing to with the cooling system which is not always effective and causes the cylinder head gasket to crack.

My dad had two Ladas and I can speak from experience they are truly awful but not in the same league as an Austin Marina. The great thing about Ladas is the engines can take a lot of abuse, but the bodies rot before the engine packs in anyway.

Still my dads Lada ways always a lot more reliable than one my uncles Rover SD1s.

The A series engine may have been reliable, but in the Marina it was anything but, it was with its awful gearboxes and rust prone engine mountings.
Reply 10
Pookie
Just to rectify some information that is clearly wrong.

Lets start with the Rover 45 shall we, first untruth...unreliable K Series engines which seized at 60,000 miles? It does make me laugh, seeing as mine is now on 122,000 miles and my fathers is well on the way to 100,000 miles. Reliable yes they are if they are maintained correctly.


Nope, the K series engine really is ****e. Yes, they can go on for 100k, but you'd have to be very lucky - most people I know that have had one have had them fail before 80k, and all had FSH at main dealers. They have a major design flaw, which has even been admitted by many manufactures that use the engine - you can maintain them all you want, but they're still an inherently weak design.
Reply 11
AT82


My grandad had two Montegos both were scrapped due to rust. I have about 3 different books written by different authors on this topic and the Montego has always been known for rust problems.



Books :rolleyes: Trying getting some real life experience!

AT82
The K series has always been a liability for Rover, they are great engines but they are fairly complex and the head gasket fails on them. I will try and find out what the fatal flaw was but its somthing to with the cooling system which is not always effective and causes the cylinder head gasket to crack.


The K series was one of best engines on the market at the time, and still is in some respects.

There was a problem when Rover started using plastic dowels for locating the head, as it is a sandwich structure the plastic dowels were renowned for allowing a small bit of shift (how HGF is formed) Problem fixed when the plastic dowels were replaced with the original steel dowels.

The K series is a lightweight and compact engine, which from personal experience rather than books or word of mouth I know to be dead reliable, and fairly quick in 1.4 version.
Reply 12
I just got this of Wikipedia


The headgasket was also made out of an innovative silicone-type substance rather than the more tradtional materials. However the thermostat was placed in a less than optimum position and the cylinder head waterways were poorly machined. These factors lead to frequent overheating and head-gasket failure, which these engines became notorious for.


Out of all the cars my family I have had I have only known of four enigne failures.

2 X 1.4 K series units - Both completly seized beyond repair.
1 X A series in an Allegro
1 X 1.6 Zetec - head gasket blew on my cousins Escort.

To be fair the Allegro was old at the time but the Rovers were both fairly new with low milleage, the PSA sourced gearbox packed up one as well.
Reply 13
Its still a Rover 45, its ugly and its a rover
Reply 14
I have nothing against Rover, even the ancient 25 was a fairly decent car providing the gearbox and engine would not fail (as happened on my uncles).

The 75 was actually a very pretty car and had a lot more charm than a BMW 3 series.

The CityRover should perhaps be on this list, how Rover thought they could sell it for £7000 is beyond me.

PS I don't know how the Lada got more votes than a Morris Ital, at least the Lada actually had some brakes!
Wow, did British Leyland make ANY good cars?!
Reply 16
Not many, there were not really many good British cars made in the 70's but Ford and Vauxhall did a better job, there designs were new and were screwed together better.

BL were running out of money, their workers were on strike half the time, they needed new cars so they used their old platforms. This exactly what Rover have done in recent years.

At least the Metro was a new car but even most the later examples (Rover 100) are in scrap yards now.
trouttrout
Lada by a country mile.


Any car you can completly dis-assemble with only a screwdriver is quite an achievement. The lada doesnt deserve its bad reputation.
Reply 18
My grandads first Lada had a starting handle and a manual fuel pump, it was one of the few cars made in the 70's that was virtualy impossible to have a break down in.

The newer Ladas (as pictured) didn't have these though, the starter motor failed on my dads at about 40,000. The alternator was very poor as well, that packed up and it managed to eat up two clutches within 40,000 miles.

On the plus side the engines would work without servicing and the suspension was very tough. The body could also accept a few knocks and brangs with little fuss. It was rust that was the problem.

Yugos and FSOs were far worse, they used to fall apart as soon as it had been delivered.
Reply 19
what about ZIL's why are we simply judging western cars.