Cars Where The Reality Failed To Live Up To The Expectation

[mercrocker]

Pugrot 205 Gti.

Everyone raves about handling & power. It was shit slow, didn't handle, felt like it was going to fall apart & worse in every way than the 205D I'd driven previously.

I've had a similar experience with Granadas....2.3LX - lovely balanced car. 2.8 Ghia X - not appreciably faster, harder ride, drank more and the interiro trim wasn't as durable. I also appreciated the simpler dash of the 2.3 but that's probably just me.

[SiC]

My xj8. Not especially fast or comfortable and drank like George Best. It used to crash and jarr over potholes and shitty road surfaces although that could be down to the big alloys on it.
The S70 in I chopped in for it was better in every way.

Actually yes that reminds me.

XJ6 X300 - MFV that Tommy now owns. I won it in a Roffle and drove it from Scotland to Bristol.

I really wanted a XJ for years and had always admired what you get for your money. However it handled like wet porridge but the suspension wasn't squishy considering and, like you, I found it crashy over ruts and bumps too. The engine sounded just "ok" and the auto box was crap - lockup at an irritating ~55mph where you kept going in and out of on an A-road behind a usual dawdler. Fuel consumption was okay in lockup but shit out of. Seats average, ergonomics a bit weird and felt like it was going to break expensively at any moment.

Definitely put me right off them and stopped considering getting an XKR.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

E32 7 Series , totally underwhelming and I was so disappointed when I first drove one. Maybe I just drove the wrong versions, never a 6 pot 735 or V8 740i for some odd reason.
The first was a manual 730i in doom maroon with cloth and plastic trims, the Finance Director chose it over a nice spec XJ40. It had the weirdest slow gear change almost as if the engine stopped spinning during the change, needless to say it wasn’t fast either. At the same time we had an old Creg (e23) 732i auto as a pool car , again pov spec. trims and cloth but I loved it , used it for holidays and weekends whenever I could get away with it, my oldest came home from hospital in it when she was born.
The second time was a 750i L demo when my boss was replacing his XJ40 Daimler, didn’t feel that fast and wallowed like a barge- he got a 420 SEL instead.
The third was a 735 V8 , that the Finance Director replaced his730 with, not a patch on the LS400s that we had.
I’m sure if I tried a proper six cylinder swb auto 735, I’d have liked it, looking at the prices I’m not likely to find out now.

[FhakeConcern]

Triumph GT6

My mate had one when I had a Mini 1275GT. The Mini was faster and could leave it behind easily on any twisty road plus the GT6 had no space inside with that huge transmission tunnel (also his was brown).

[SiC]

I still want a GT6...
Even though the equivalent MG products were a lot less bendy and better made. Just think it would be ace to have both the BGT and the GT6.

[Hooli]

I've always fancied a GT6 too, they just look right.

[FhakeConcern]

Poor man's E Type or so my mate always said after he caught me up at the pub...

[Hooli]

Better looking than an E-type though.

[FhakeConcern]

Better looking than an E-type though.

Which shape? (GT6)

[Hooli]

Better looking than an E-type though.

Which shape? (GT6)

Any of them.

The only E-types that look right are the lightweights when they remembered to make the wheels reach the sides of the car. The normal ones look like monorails from some angles.