Cars that I thought would be shit but weren't.

[Junkman]

So what do you think of it?

[quietside]

The gearbox was terrible.

[BenHar]

Fiat Cinquecento.. never have I had so much fun with a car .

Which one?

Ben

[AutoshiteBoy]

Renaults 21 and Safrane.

[CLINT]

I helped put a put a gearbox on a Safrane so hate them. However, I had a couple of 21s, they were great cars.

[CLINT]

Leyland Daf 45 7.5 ton truck.

By far the best engine of any truck from that era. Revvy and plenty of power not just in one lump. A big surprise to me, having driven several Leyland Sherpa/LDV heaps. A Mercedes is probably quicker, but that DAF was actually fun to drive.

[Hooli]

My dad had a 21 till the day it decided to drop it's brakefluid on the exhaust & set light to itself while doing 70mph. Of course it also had no brakes at this point...

[AutoshiteBoy]

LDV Convoy, regardless of engine. Supurb. And something I'd buy given a lottery win.

[DodgeRover]

280px-Vauxhall_Ten_Saloon_1938.jpg

Not a very promising looking heap, but actually a revelation compared to most of its peers in the late '30's. I drove one for the first time a couple of years ago and was struck by how much of an advance was hidden by the staid looking bodywork. Independent suspension, monocoque construction and a smooth economical engine along with light steering and above average all hydraulic brakes were only spoiled by the car being very rust prone. Only Morris offered anything comparable when in 1938 Issigonis borrowed what the Americans had achieved with a solid front axle; the 'xpag' engined unitary construction M, though even uglier, achieved some unlikely success on the race track. At 80 years old a decent example can still be entertaining to drive.

My dad had one of those (I'm assuming in the late 50s early 60s) and said how nice it was to drive as it was so far in advance of the other vehicles around.
Sadly it was a rusty example and snapped or sagged badly at some point.

[Blakey79]

A Volvo 360 GLT

Thanks dad, for letting me borrow your car, after the second roundabout I understood oversteer, but not how to tame it. A Volvo, driving one at 18, but you know what it , it wasn't shit.