The UK's nightmare car?
Warranty Direct has revealed what is classes as the UK's 'nightmare car'. Based on the company's database of 50,000 live policies aged five years on average, the 'nightmare car' would break down every other month and cost around £2k per year in repair bills. Considering the current PetrolBlog Fleet, this all seems rather reasonable to me.
In what could be seen as a stroke of genius, the company has taken data from all the categories in the reliability index, poured it all into a rather large pot. Following a little light mixing and time for it to settle, the resulting car would apparently look like this.
It might be me, but I think that has a certain appeal. It puts me in mind of what would happen if a Polo Harlequin was to fall into bed with a Ssangyong Rodius. It also looks a damn site better than any number of new cars currently available in the UK. Go on, admit it, you feel the same way too? No? So it is just me then?
But if you fancy recreating the nightmare car for yourself, you'll need the following ingredients:
| Make and Model | Car part |
| Audi A8 | Brakes |
| BMW M3 | Suspension |
| MG TF | Engine |
| Land Rover Freelander | Gearbox |
| Mercedes-Benz V-Class | Ignition |
| Renault Megane | Electrics |
| SEAT Alhambra | Air-conditioning |
| SEAT Toledo | Heating & Cooling systems |
| Volvo C70 | Steering system |
Quite a mixed bag. Apparently 40% of BMW M3s require axle and suspension work every year, with the same proportion of Renault Megane owners reporting an electrical fault. One in five Freelancers suffer transmission problems, a similar number of Audi A8s will need repairs to brakes, while a quarter of MGTFs will experience engine problems. No real surprises here, to be honest.
So who's up for creating the 'nightmare car' for real? I'm thinking that some A-team style garage antics, a hammer and a bit of imagination will see us right. We can then take it on the road trip to find the European City of the Shatchback.
