5 Worst Cars That I Have Driven
オタク夫の記事です。日本語訳はこちら↓
Working in the automotive industry, I am able to drive a wide range of different motor vehicles. No matter what category,type or size of vehicle I drive, generally speaking, there is always something to like about it. For instance, I might enjoy the way a car handles, or the sound it makes, or a feature perhaps. Unfortunately, there have been some vehicles that have left lasting negative impressions on me. I have compiled a list of five. Here they are:
#5 - Lada, Samara
Russia is famous for its' brutalist architecture. Cold, hard and unforgiving. This is exactly how I would describe a Lada Samara. Stiff as concrete, I actually thought riding in my friends Mitsubishi Galant was a luxury after driving the Samara.
#4 - Nissan, Bluebird
The Bluebird's history can be traced back to early Datsun models. It's always been a popular, small sedan that sold well and was exported across the world. Unfortunately, the latter generations were representative of the state Nissan was in at the time. In particular the U13 series. (1991-1997) An unappealing exterior design, uninspired interior and lacking anything remotely considered performance, the U13 Bluebird sticks in my mind as one of those cars you would never feel sorry seeing rusting away at the junk yard. (Unless it was an SSS variant)
#3 - Suzuki, Kizashi
A mid-sized sedan from a company famous for it's small cars. Suzuki hoped the Kizashi would help them tap into the American market as well as other western markets. Ultimately it failed to sell and it was discontinued in 2013. This car stands out to me because of the woeful CVT transmission. Any performance from the engine is negated by the whirring and unrefined transmission. I vividly remember my first driving experience and after, going out of my way to tell people to stare clear. The driving experience is not helped but poor interior materials and strange exterior styling.
#2 - Fiat, 500c
This was an intriguing car to me. The original Fiat 500 is beloved around the world and when Fiat decided to re-release the Fiat 500 in a sleeker modern design I was genuinely interested...until I drove one. Why oh why did they decide to put a semi-auto dualogic transmission in this thing. I literally thought the car was broken. I can remember cursing and fussing the whole journey back to the dealership. I honestly could not even absorb any redeeming aspects to the car because I was so focused on the lousy driving experience. Just like the Kizashi, I went out of my way to tell people to stare clear.
#1 - Nissan, Cube
This is a vehicle that, unfortunately, I actually owned and owned for sometime. (because nobody would buy it off me) I was looking to downgrade to a smaller and more economical car when my wife and I moved further away from where I worked. I offered the gentleman I bought it from the full asking price and he was super stoked, I soon found out why. He had overpaid for it and I had just overpaid him for it. It was mindbogglingly slow, had massive issues with rust, everything creaked, squeaked or rattled, felt dangerously unstable at highway speeds and featured the ever unreliable continuously variable transmission. The Cube takes the no.1 spot on this list because even today, I feel a sense of dread whenever I spot one on the road and I feel obligated to pray a little prayer for the poor soul driving it.
