Morris Marina as a loan car when my company Cortina mk3 was being repaired - the Cortina mk3 wasn't good but the Marina was terrible by comparison - but both a long time ago.

Most unreliable - and unforgivably as it was brand new - a Fiat 131 Mirafiori estate which we got for SWMBO in 1981 as she thought she needed a bigger car. It broke down three times in its first and only year with us.

Most disappointing - a Mercedes B-class B200 CDI (2006). It was reliable but Mercedes's rough 2.0 diesel engine, poor soundproofing and the CVT combined to create a drone that I couldn't live with. My fault for not insisting on a longer test drive.

The Mini Clubman saloon(Harvest Gold) bought new in 1973.

Day one-Fuel pipe disengaged and flooded (hot!) engine with raw petrol.

Day three- seriously whining alternator failed and required replacement

After 6 months- Brake master cylinder failed-as did brakes( all round)

After 9 months-front shock absorbers need replacement

Seriously noisy fascia-bulky plastic that fitted nowhere rattled and creaked at all times

Back in the late 1990s SWMBO was a senior person in a major car leasing company. As we lived in a rural area, she used to have a 4x4 as a company car, and used to borrow manufacturers' demonstrators when they were loaned to the company. Over the years we had Land-Rovers, Isuzus, Nissans, Jeeps amongs others.

Which is how we came to welcome the Ford Explorer V6 to our family shortly after its UK launch. For those too young to remember, this was an American 4x4 re-engined with a "Cologne" 2.9l V6 petrol engine for the unsuspecting European market, as Ford tried to catch on to the coat-tails of the (at the time) burgeoning 4x4 market.

Dreadful. Extremely thirsty (20mpg was a distant dream), while also glacially slow with an unresponsive autobox typical of its heritage. Can't remember now whether it had 3 or 4 speeds. Handling was worse than any other car we'd tried, and bear in mind we were comparing it to other 4x4s that were available at the time. The only other vehicle I've tried that leaned more in corners was 38 feet long and had a mast and sails. The power steering was finger-light and totally devoid of feel, indeed it seemed that steering inputs were treated as a mere suggestion that the vehicle might consider a change of direction in the medium term.

Build quality was laughable and everything looked so cheap and nasty, like going back to the 1970s. The sunroof leaked and couldn't be repaired as there were no parts available in the UK. We parked it with a quarter tank of fuel nose-up on our sloping driveway, and the next day it wouldn't start until we put another 2 gallons of fuel in as the tank pick-up was clear of the petrol.

Bear in mind this was Ford's own demonstrator, loaned out to influential people in the fleet market - I can't imagine what life was like for any individual who actually bought one for their own use. So glad to see the back of it.

Edited by twitcherman on 27/08/2016 at 20:17

Without shadow of doubt - Austin Maestro

When I purchased the car I took out the extended warranty insurance, at the time of getting rid of the car I had almost covered the cost through repair claims. Mid-way through ownership I changed dealers, the first dealer (which was very close to my home) was a waste of space, the second dealer was a smaller outfit, at least they gave me the respect of treating me like a human being even if they could not prevent all the problems from occurring. It had a 1.6 engine; I recall the car had a mid-range spec with a sunroof added as an extra. I didn’t mind the woman’s voice telling me things, if only the car had been reliable. I do recall taking it to Austria for a holiday and driving at 100mph+ on the German autobahn. It was some years ago, the problems included (doubt I will have everything)….

1. Paint missing from bodywork on purchase

2. Excessive engine vibration, unable to run smoothly at tick over

3. Sunroof leak

4. Engine oil leak

5. Central locking failures (yes, several doors)

6. Lock failure resulting in the need for different keys for different places (ignition, doors, tailgate etc)

7. Overheat warning light on dashboard would active when in slow moving traffic on a mildly warm day

8. Dashboard problems resulting in the car having an inaccurate odometer reading

9. The damper would close thus starving the engine of oxygen leaving the car unable to start, or worse still to stall whilst driving. 4 times in less than a year.

One occasion was in a hotel car park in Edinburgh, we were visiting the Edinburgh Festival, very embarrassing as the AA man came to get car to start. The 4 th occasion it was between Christmas and New Year, had been to Ostend for a day trip with friends (Dover – Calais crossing), the weather on the continent was well below freezing, several inches of snow on the ground and very little visibility (especially after dark) due to freezing fog. The weather in the UK was better, a few degrees above freezing, no fog. 10 miles short of the Dartford Crossing, 1am, lane 2 of the M2 driving at 70 mpg the engine died. We were very lucky, with very little traffic I was able to safely pull up on the hard shoulder. I still remember the walk to a nearby petrol station to call for help – the AA man (bless him!) was with the car by the time I had walked back (it was before mobile phones existed). If it had been at 1pm with usual traffic levels there is a good chance a multiple vehicle crash would have occurred. Sold the car very soon after, bought a Volvo 360.

One thing I did like about the car, (also Volvo 360) but nowadays I can only find on some BMW’s, the face level air vent gave out air at ambient temperature, so I could have cool air to the face and at the same time heated air to both the feet and windscreen.

Edited by Smileyman on 27/08/2016 at 22:18