yours being "JDM spec" could have very well made up the differance between the auto and manual. But i know from both experiance and seeing 1/4 slips etc that a manual has a very big advantage over the auto. Granted, the person driving the manual has to be proficient at it. I still dont see how either one of the cars could ever make it onto someones "worst car list". They must be used to driving brand new benzes all the time or something
Ryan

:D :D :D

As I said, I agree that manual always has an advantage (no hesitation), and that's why the performance was so astounding. The only problem with Integra II was that after about 30K mi a lot of screws were coming loose and had to tightened.:rolleyes:

Worst.... I would say for me the worst car I ever drove was my friends 1971 fiat spyder... the engine was no bigger than a leaf blower, and the cruise control was activated by locking the accelerator pedal. It was a lime green color, but he loved it.

Most disapointing car I ever drove was my 1977 bmw 530I. It just plain sucked inside and out. but I bought it for $1500 and sold it for $2000. It handled alright, but the tranny shifting was very long, the car always needed soemthing fixed, I only kept it for 6 months before getting rid of it. After that point, I decided I would never own another bmw period.

Most surprising car I have driven is my girlfried's 2001 Honda Civic. The car drives very nice, looks nice, gets great gas mileage, is very reliable, and has plenty of pep for driving around. The AC is nice and cold, the car is suprisingly quiet inside, and the ride is not soft and cushy, but more firm and sporty feeling. Overall, I would definately buy one for myself as a daily driver if I ever decided to not drive the MB much.

Alon

I agree the build quality isn't quite up to par w/benzes or bimmers, but so far in our family alone we have had 4 acura's.
-90 integra ls that got totaled at 185,000(rear ended)
-94 acura vigor that my sis owns and is still going strong at 170k
-92 integra GS-R(very very rare, rarer than an NSX) that my brother owns, 140k, runs absolutely great still
-96 integra special edition with 85k on it and is flawless
I'm not quite sure what you mean about the screws that need to be tightened, but so far the only thing that has dissapointed me is the window rattling when the door closes and the window is down, and those bastardly pop clip things that always break. Other than that i'm a loyalist to acura! lol. I'm sure i'll own another benz someday, but definately not another diesel(not trying to put them down, just not my cup of tea).
Ryan

Worst car overall that I've driven -
Mom's 1970 VW Squareback with automatic, AC and VW's 'experimental' electronic fuel injection! Over 13 years of ownership, the AC worked a year and a half. When the AC was working, it had to be turned off to go up hill.
Multiple problems with the fuel injection, sensors and wiring - high point was when the fuel hose blew off of the tee fitting (no clamps!) and dumped half a tank of gas over the engine.
Before it reached 100,000 miles, the engine had been out 3 times for broken rocker studs, loose head studs, burned head gasket, etc...
At least, when it was running, the Squareback was a better driving car than the next two -

Worst driving car is a toss-up -
1979 fiberglass MG replica on a VW Beetle chassis. Jerky, twitchy, rattly and rickety. Brackets and fasteners constantly pulling out of the fiberglass!
1974 Chevy Vega hatchback with automatic. Noisy, wheezy, gutless, painfull-crashing ride!
Both belonged to customers at the autoshop where I used to work.

Happy Motoring, Mark

Well Mom (She who must be obeyed) insisted on buying it and she really liked that car. Our 13 years included 'selling' the VW to someone who skipped out without paying after abandoning the car! At that point it got 'donated' to my younger brother for his college transportation. He and a friend did the final engine removal after holes burned through the heads! I forget how he finally got rid of it but his friend did like to shoot holes in junkers!

Happy Motoring, Mark

Well, I guess you can blame Vw for the problems with the squareback. You can blame them for offering the AC and the Automatic. Most people liked that car although they did have a problem with head studs pulling out of the cases.

You can actually blame Nordhoff for the final result. He insisted on the air cooled boxer engine in the rear, no matter what. VW even sponsored the Porsche 917 as long as it has an aircooled engine!

With such a stubborn CEO VW engineers met a tougher getting market with very well design, powerfull middle class cars from Opel and Ford.

Since the general layout was a dogma, they came up with the D-Jet from Bosch (which works great when all the contacts and wires are intact) and cramped everything in this small engine bay.

The mess added up when the mechanics, which were thourougly trained in working on bugs and microvans, had the duty of doing maintenance work on this crazy car.

It was such a relieve when Nordhoff left and the Golf (in the US known as Rabbit) and the Passat (your Dasher) could get to the dealers in the early 70ties.

BTW: A lot of engineering input came from Audi and espcially from NSU...

Kind regards
Eberhard

The most troublesome auto I've personally owned was a 1971 Audi Super 90 Variant (Audi's version of the VW Squareback).
It was a pretty rare car here in the US.
To be fair, it did have over 100,000 miles when I got it in 1980. Over 10 yeas it needed the transaxle rebuilt (dropped a bearing), a replacement head and pistons (dropped an exhaust valve), front control arm and rear torsion spring replaced, along with many smaller parts. Other than being trouble-prone, it was a pleasure to drive - much more power and better ride and handling than the Squareback and I could work on it myself. For a front drive car, it was relatively easy to work on and carbureted, unlike the 'fuel-rejection' system on the VW. The Audi had such sophisticated features as a 45 degree slant-4 wih high-compression cross-flow head, all torsion bar suspension (adjustable in front, like '60s Chryslers) and inboard front disc brakes. I kept it going until I could no longer get parts for it in the early '90s.

Happy Motoring, Mark

Mark: My 180,000 mile C280 has had only oil/filters. nothing else. I stay away from dealers, do my oil changes and the car has never,never needed any type of repair. New tires of course. Car is like new.

Peter,
Not even brakes or mufflers? Anyway, as a longtime fan of 'pre-owned' cars, I guess I have to accept whatever maintenance or lack of, in exchange for not suffering the depreciation hit. My Audi was a $500 car.
My most reliable vehicle has been my '87 Isuzu pickup. I bought in 1990 with 37,000 miles for less than half what it had cost new. Outside of normal maintenance (brakes, mufflers, timing belts) it had a waterpump fail, the cassette player died and the fuelpump leaked. All this over the 120,000 hard miles I've put on this used vehicle.

Happy Motoring, Mark

Dependable--my 1990 Chevy Silverado p/u. Bought new, and she's been from California to Virginia, Canada to Mexico, and most points in between (41 states I think). Engines never been touched. Needed a carrier bearing at 40,000 and new clutch and pressure plate at 80,000. Closing on 180,000 miles and the A/C compressor died about two weeks ago. It was blowing like a Nor'wester up until the last puff. Of course have changed tires (several times), and exhaust system twice. Runs and handles like the day I bought her.:p

Worst cars: Just about anything made in Detroit City and specifically the Ford Escort. I have rented a few Grand Ams on vacation in Wisconsin and Florida and found them to be adequate. I kind of like the Voyagers and Caravans. I have had a few F-250 pickups and presently own an 85 F-250 diesel. They are built tough, but Ford tells me you can't get parts for them.

Most fun cars: The Fiat 850 Fiat spider and the several 124 Fiat spiders I have owned. They are very well engineered and a kick to drive. Christine and I have put them through the paces on logging roads exploring ghost towns of the 1849 gold rush days. In the past we have spent many hours riding in the nude on rural roads in the 850. It was always fun when Christine would flash a farmer and put some excitement in his life.

Best cars: Almost anything built by Mercedes before 1998. Almost any Toyota. One of my favorites was a 1980 Toyota Celica Hatchback. Christine and I took it over curving mountain roads in the rain. The combination of the balance of the car and the Kleber tyres kept us from going over the cliff even when I pushed it hard. Then we took it on a ski trip to Sun Valley in Idaho. It was a bad year for skiing with temps at -15 degrees on the slopes, but the Toyota always started even at -30 degrees when we left. Once we got out of Idaho, I drove the white knuckle express for several hours toward the Sierra mountains on black ice. When we were close to the Nevada western border ,I asked Christine to open a bottle of Zinfedel, because I could sure could use a GLASS OF WINE. I had a few sips when I spotted a car on the side of the road. No disrespect to our bretheran in the South, but folks in the North know that it doesn't take long to freeze to death in below 32 degrees temps. I hit the brakes, but apparently I was back into black ice. I spun several times and went off the road and and into the snow. Without putting on chains the Toyota got back on the road and continued on. These were the days before cell phones. I hope a state trooper was able to help them. At any rate I thought the 81 Celica was an exceptional vehicle. I have owned many MB roadsters and S classes, but probably one of the best was a 64 220Sb. It was an auto with P/S. Now that was a fine car. It was so smooth, quiet, and comfortable. I know you yuppies and dinks won't understand.

Thanks for listening'
Peter

Wow! Was the 850 too small with clothes on? ;) Great story!

I had two toyota celicas; one front wheel drive the other the 4wd turbo, both early '90's. Chalk & cheese. Even though the fwd car was good, the 4wd was far superior in handling, even in the dry. But build quality not a patch on MB's of the same era (but reliable nonetheless).

It is interesting to see a differant take on the Fiats. I was a service manager for a local dealer and saw all the problems which has flavored my outlook on the cars.
In defense of the 850, it was very easy to work on. Good thing because it needed lots of work. The clutches were tiny, weak and burnt up with little provocation. But a guy with little experience could have a new one in in an hour or 2. The timing chain needed replacement evry 40,000 and if you didn't change it it would get so loose that it wore a hole in the timing chain cover. There was no conventionel oil filter. There was a centrifigul one built into the front pulley. the cable window regulators fell apart constantly.
I suppose there is a certain satisfaction associated with keeping your Fiat going.
Toyota. My two older children both went through college with old Supra's. Safe, comfortable, classy, sporty, seldom broke down. Not many parents can say that throughout a combined 9 years of university, 125 miles from home, that two old Toyota's each with over 100,000 when purchased, served their children so well. One tow truck needed when a timing belt slipped.