The Most Dangerous Car You've Ever Owned

[Cpt Tuttle]

Probably a 1971 Hanomag F20.
 
(Here's how they look when they are in better condition than mine was)

The brakes worked....sometimes. But if they did, they stuck and you had to force the pedal upwards again. The tyres were probably 25 year old and rethreads, only one headlight since the other one was smashed, core plugs replaced with homemade plugs of wood....... Exhaust was rusted apart under the cab, you were more or less sitting on the floor on totally worn out Saab 96 seats that probably had some patchy kind of installation. No seatbelts but I doubt they would make any difference since your toes are part of the crumple zone in those.

The sad part? I put it on Blocket (Swedish "Craigslist") and a very rough looking gang in an old black Mercedes S-class lowered to the ground over huge chrome rims and with tinted windows came to look at it, it was quite unclear which one of the guys (or the girl that was with them, let's just say that she looked......experienced) that was interested in the Hanomag at all. It was quite clear in the ad that it was in such a bad condition that it needed to be trailed away too. But after a while the S-class leaves and one of them are left, almost crying and saying "well, I guess I need to buy it since I won't get home otherwise". For some reason they just left him there and went home. ? And "home" was about 60-70 miles away.....

I felt so sorry for him so I at least didn't keep the almost new battery that was in the truck like I originally was planning. Let's just say that I heard the truck for many miles after he left.....

Edited October 19, 2019 by Cpt Tuttle

[David G.]

These are some amazing stories!

I'd like to read more if you have them.

David G.

[The Junkman]

Owned: nothing dangerous.  Wouldn't have kept it if it was. 

Drove?  Oh, heck yes!  Remember those 5.0 Mustangs all the police agencies had in the 80s and 90s.  Great in a straight line and off the line but it had seats like sitting on a plywood plank (no lateral support-at least in stock form).  But it was the Stone age suspension design, especially the rear, that stood out.  I had to be particularly careful on surfaces with unequal traction.  If one rear tire was on a wet patch and the other on a dry one, any quick application of power would make that thing swap ends faster than you could believe.  And uneven surfaces.....  I was once responding to help another officer fighting with a DV suspect.  Entered a gentle right hand curve on an overpass (at the speed of heat I'll admit) but the concrete pavement/bridge sections had a light rise every place they abutted-a condition not noted at normal speeds.  Traversing them started an oscillation where the rear end started walking/rotating clockwise and pushing me toward the median, where undoubtedly it would have rolled like a ball.   Luckily I had enough room in the lanes to gently relax the turn and recovered without further drama.  A fun car but one that could bite you if you weren't careful.

And, believe it or not, the CHP experimented with 1979 Dodge Aspen station wagons.  318 ci engines (140-160 hp I believe) and overhead light bars which enhanced the brick-like aerodynamics.  The no doubt, downhill, hurricane wind at your back speed of 75 mph.  Took the best part of 200-300 yards to accelerate off the shoulder to merge into traffic.  Which meant you had to back up a station wagon 200-300 yards on an LA freeway shoulder from every single broken down car that you checked on.  Eventually, the sgts had to order guys to take them out.  More eventually, even the powers-that-be had to admit they were dangerous.

Edited January 5, 2020 by The Junkman

[magicmustang]

Had a Jeep Grand Cherokee in '97. Was driving to work on the freeway in rush hour traffic and it was raining. We were going about 50mph when the guy in front of me slammed on the brakes. I swerved right, now I'm up on two wheels and about to roll over. Swerved back left and brought it back down in the next lane. Don't know how I didn't roll or hit someone else. That Jeep's high center of gravity could be exciting. My next SUV was a Durango. 

[cobraman]

If you can believe the reports I guess I had two. A 67 Corvair and a 72 Pinto. No rollovers and no Kabooms even tho Pinto was rear ended twice.

[bismarck]

 88 Ford ranger shortbed that someone had swapped in a Chevy 350 with a Hurst shift kit, ford 9 inch rear and fender well headers.  They had taken out the brake booster to make room for the engine, which left only drum brakes. Went like stink in a straight line, but braking, not so much!! I owned it for about 2 weeks and sold it. That thing was FAST, but to scary for my taste. 

[espo]

I owned a well used, well over 100k miles when I got it, '50 Ford I was using for a commuter car. I have owned several of the '49 thru '51 Fords with virtually no drama. I lived in the mountains  in southern California at the time. My drive toke me along a winding 2 lane hiway with a couple of thousand foot drop off on one side and mostly steep banks on the other side of the road. My turn off sent me down a steep winding road for about 1/2 a mile with a Stop sign at the bottom where it joined another road in a T type intersection. About half way down this canyon I started braking to slow my descent down the canyon road. As I approached the intersection is when the Master Brake Cylinder let go. With the brake pedal on the floor I'm pulling the emergency brake handle as hard as I can and down shifting into second gear and looking for a place to plant the car if I had to. This was my lucky day as no one was coming as I flew thru the intersection still going down hill for another 50 yards or so. Nothing gets your attention first thing in the morning like having your brakes go out on a mountain road first thing.   

[64Comet404]

I've owned a few cars which turned out to be sketchy in the end. My first daily driver was an '80 Malibu coupe (229/auto) that was the proverbial 'little old lady' car. My Dad picked it up for me in the fall of '87, but it needed a replacement for the rusted-out oil pan! Noticed a bit of rust on the quarters the following summer, and when I went to clean them up, discovered both quarters were full of Bondo. I got rid of it when the rear frame extensions rusted out and broke behind the rear axle.

There have been other cars which have been sub-standard in one way or another (body or mechanical, but never both in the same car), but the worst one I have had was my 2014 Ford Focus. Well-equipped and sporty to drive, but it ate clutches constantly, blew the steering rack and rear shocks out in the first two years of ownership, and started to shed large chunks of paint from the quarters, doors, and hatch, before I traded it in November 2018. As a longtime Ford driver, I was very disappointed.

[Nells250]

My '74 Javelin, only because it hadn't been restored yet and I never knew for sure if I would ever get to where I was going... and back... 

[89AKurt]

Just for everyone's amusement, my dad owned this pre-WW2 "rat rod".  Check out the seat, no seatbelts, cage, nothing.  So when we reminisce about our rides, imagine back then!

[1972coronet]

- 1969 GTS Dart with a transplanted 496" RB / Art Carr 727 . Insanely quick and an absolute handful ! And an unquenchable thirst for racing gas ( 11:1 compression ratio ) .

- 1967 Dart GT with 4-wheel drum brakes . Being that I was used to operating vehicles whose brakes were solid , those crappy 4-wheel , 9" drums were like stepping-in wet cement !

[Sledsel]

1964 Galaxie with a worn out power steering assist. Had the ball and socket attaching the pit man arm to the assist cylinder and it was worn pretty good. Hit a hole the wrong way and it would pop out of the socket. Pull over, put a floor jack under the assist and "pop" it back in place.

Loved that car....Especially once I fixed the above issue

 

[Rob Hall]

Never owned anything too dangerous or worn out, though I've had a couple vehicles with pretty high mileage ('84 Mercedes 500SEL, '00 Jeep Grand Cherokee) that were in good condition and pretty reliable despite the mileage (220k on the MB, 170k on the Jeep, which I had bought new).   The brakes failed on the Benz once when I was leaving a parking garage.... My '84 Escort diesel was very underpowered and slow, but with a manual it was fun to drive.   Bronco II's had a reputation for being easy to roll, but I drove an '88 for 6 years w/ no problems.    My '87 Mustang GT was a lot of fun but could be scary on wet or snowy roads.   Had a few white-knuckle experiences with it in Colorado.  

Maybe the scariest/most dangerous vehicle I've driven was a friend's pickup truck that I borrowed for a few days to move between apartments back in the mid 90s.  It was an early 80s Datsun King Cab pickup with a lot of rust, a driver's door that wouldn't stay shut, and a driver's seat belt that wouldn't fasten.  And it was a manual and tended to stall easily.     Had to go slowly on right corners and hang on so I wouldn't fall out...

Edited January 5, 2020 by Rob Hall

[Lunajammer]

I owned a car identical to this for 13-years, 1983 Nissan 200SX. Dangerous because it was very peppy and REALLY dicey on ice, which on the northern plains is a liability; light weight, rear wheel drive, 5spd and lots of spunk. I bought it for $400 from a work mate who rolled it 1-1/2 time in deep snow. Lots of bent metal but no broken windows. I bought it unfixed and not running, then drove it 13 years. Though I understood how squirrelly it was, it still almost got me in trouble on several occasions. Also still probably my favorite.

 

 

Edited January 6, 2020 by Lunajammer

[High octane]

After all these years of driving, I guess when I had my Coupe de Ville, I bought a "beater" car for work. It was a '69 Chevelle wagon and the front suspension was so worn, that when I drove it, the front end shook so bad that it would take the steering wheel out of my hands. After awhile I wouldn't even let my girlfriend drive it as it was "bad news." I don't remember if I had sold it or what as it has been over 40 years ago. That was the most dangerous car/truck that I had ever owned.

[Bills72sj]

A friend of my cousin's let me borrow his 68 Dodge Dart for a couple of weeks. It had a front end so worn out it would actually "Dart" either way depending on whichever toed-out front tire had the most load on it. Anyone who drove it looked like a drunk driver to an outside observer. I couldn't wait to get my car back from the shop. Later that year, he tack welded the doors shut and Sawzalled the roof off.

[Bainford]

Lotus Europa. Negotiating traffic while nearly lying on your back in a paper thin, fiberglass cocoon with a roof height less than the hood height on some cars, eye level with the axel of 18 wheelers.

[DonW]

BMW 323i, E21. Plenty of power, understeered like a pig, not helped by the feeling that the steering box was only connected to the chassis by force of habit. There was about half a turn of free play at the steering wheel.

As I recall I sold it as a breaker within weeks, which is why I'm still alive to type this!

I always have owned and driven BMWs and they've all been excellent except for this beauty.

[Lizard Racing]

In my poorest phase I had a '64 Rambler.  A normal brake job ended up with three trips to the parts store (modified shoes) and catching the car on fire.  It went to the salvage yard. 

[David G.]

On 1/5/2020 at 9:50 PM, High octane said:

After all these years of driving, I guess when I had my Coupe de Ville, I bought a "beater" car for work. It was a '69 Chevelle wagon and the front suspension was so worn, that when I drove it, the front end shook so bad that it would take the steering wheel out of my hands. After awhile I wouldn't even let my girlfriend drive it as it was "bad news." I don't remember if I had sold it or what as it has been over 40 years ago. That was the most dangerous car/truck that I had ever owned.

My old 71 Pontiac had the same problem. It wouldn't shake until you got it over 65 mph but it did wander from side to side within the lane. It could be a real challenge to keep it within the rails, especially without power assisted steering.

David G.

[iamsuperdan]

Just because, here are pics of my "dangerous" VW.

 

93 Passat VR6, 5 speed manual, Garrett turbo, no AC, Full Borla exhaust from engine back including downpipes, C2 engine programming, larger injectors, Mk5 R32 oil pan & pump, head spacer, coilovers dialed way down, Porsche D90 wheels. Did all the work myself, aced the mechanical inspection required for insurance, aced the inspection required at a track day. Brutally fast car, with ridiculius torque steer. Ended up blowing a head gasket soon after completeion. Then it sat in my garage with the parts required. Then I lost interest and sold it.

 

Not the roof racks are lower than the top of the bed on the truck next to it.

 

[Shambles]

Dan, that VW is a bad looking sleeper. Did you lower it?

I would have been dangerous in this if I was 30 years younger. Probably the most dangerous car I ever drove was my Mom's 1965 Electra 225 with the Wildcat 455 engine. A gigantic sleeper that I loved to street race. Occasionally, I'd catch a Chevelle Super Sport off the line by surprise, but he'd soon catch up with me. Back then, a lap belt was the ultimate in car safety. I always wore my seat belt. Still do.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Shambles
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[iamsuperdan]

2 hours ago, Shambles said:

Dan, that VW is a bad looking sleeper. Did you lower it?

Last week I traded my 2012 Corvette GS for the most dangerous ride I've ever had, a 2016 Z06 3LZ. I'm old enough to respect 650hp and 650 torque now. I would have been dangerous in this if I was 30 years younger.

 

Yeah, it was on a set of KW coilovers that were dialed right down as low as I could while retaining some sort of driveability. They're the reason I had to put in the oil pan and pump from a Mk5 R32. That pan was about 2 inches shallower than the original pan. Needed the clearance!

 

The colours on your Vette are fantastic! I've never seen that combo on a Vette before and it looks great. Too bad I don't fit in the C7, otherwise I'd like them a lot more. Here I am trying to stuff myself into a 2018 Z06. No matter how I tried to adjust the seat or steering, no matter how I tried to slouch or adjust, driving this car just wasn't happening! I'm 6"6" and about 250lb. The odd thing is, I fit fin in the Gallardo and the 458 that are just visible in the 2nd pic. 

 

[slusher]

12 hours ago, iamsuperdan said:

Just because, here are pics of my "dangerous" VW.

 

93 Passat VR6, 5 speed manual, Garrett turbo, no AC, Full Borla exhaust from engine back including downpipes, C2 engine programming, larger injectors, Mk5 R32 oil pan & pump, head spacer, coilovers dialed way down, Porsche D90 wheels. Did all the work myself, aced the mechanical inspection required for insurance, aced the inspection required at a track day. Brutally fast car, with ridiculius torque steer. Ended up blowing a head gasket soon after completeion. Then it sat in my garage with the parts required. Then I lost interest and sold it.

 

Not the roof racks are lower than the top of the bed on the truck next to it.

 

I like that wagon Dan, I bet it was a nice driving wagon....

4 hours ago, Shambles said:

Dan, that VW is a bad looking sleeper. Did you lower it?

Last week I traded my 2012 Corvette GS for the most dangerous ride I've ever had, a 2016 Z06 3LZ. I'm old enough to respect 650hp and 650 torque now. I would have been dangerous in this if I was 30 years younger.

Beautiful Corvette!!

[Shambles]

Yeah, it's a pretty tight squeeze for my old fat ass. This Vette was originally sold in Canada so the window sticker is in French! Unusual color combo: Blade Silver/ Kalahai interior. The C6 had a little more leg room but the C7 seats are more comfortable.

What's that interesting looking green thing off to the right?

Edited January 19, 2020 by Shambles
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