Most Hideous / Embarassing Courtesy Cars

ZiggyEP3

Active Member
Jan 28, 2013
406
72
UK
When having work done on my modified Calibra V6 the Vauxhall dealer gave me a Volvo 240 base model with low tread. You can guess steering was having a little understeer lol.
 

martin j.

Active Member
Feb 11, 2007
1,996
889
Fife
Our demo/loan/courtesy cars are pretty subtlely stickered, but of course if the customers don't like it the choice is to walk, we only expect the car to return with a full tank the same as the customer gets it, they are courtesy cars not a right, some customers complain because we only wash the cars in for work not valet the insides too, it doesn't matter what you do, some folk just expect more.
 

'& Son' managed

Third Party
Mar 2, 2018
269
89
South Coast
No pics as it was yonks ago, but my then basic runaround Daihatsu Cuore went into a local insurance approved
bodyshop - for a whole week as it turned out, (as they botched the first attempt at a 2-day repair and I rejected it)

'Can you drive an automatic OK?' said the perky but slightly dim girl on reception, 'Sure - whatever, no problem' said I.

'Oh that's good, in that case I have a little upgrade I can let you have!' She lied, (albeit unwittingly) on both counts.

The gutless Citroen C3 she proudly showed me was neither a proper automatic, (rather one of PSA's awful 4-speed
clutchless manuals) nor in any sense apart from the not needed extra interior space an 'upgrade'.
 

Pew.

Active Member
Mar 23, 2012
1,451
142
Scotland
All Vauxhall's.

Had a variety of courtesy cars as well as rentals (through work for travel) and I have to say. They are all crap and the interiors are awful.

Renault capture. Probably the worst thing I have ever drove. Everything inside is scabby plastic, road and wind noise is horrible and their user interface is pathetic
 

IrnBru

Active Member
Apr 4, 2018
115
21
Well our 3 week old Seat Leon FR ST goes to get repaired on Monday to fix some scratches and dents cause by a reversing lorry, this is quite the opposite from a most embarrassing courtesy car, its a 2 litre diesel 168bhp insignia SRI VX line estate, it is absolutely huge, 20 inch machined alloys, it must have every option ticked, keyless, Lane assist, revseing camera etc etc etc, also seems to have some side skirts as well.
456c6952d57f5ae1f9d5ac5d6f826d07.jpg
772d706d7e8235499d613e27a6cb3e48.jpg
4d728dccd1f240ddd37818855e9ac151.jpg


Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: Matty Williams

Blowski

Cupra 280 DSG
Mar 23, 2018
420
200
Not quite a courtesy car but I have a trick at work when ordering hire cars... order a grade D car (Astra, Focus, Leon etc) with an auto box. So few of them around at the likes of Enterprise, Hertz etc that its only let me down once where I had to drive a 1.4 Astra back from Liverpool airport to Dover. It was a shocking 6 hours of my life.

Worked a treat when I ended up with a Volvo V70 SE Lux for a couple of days though. Dover to Hull then to Liverpool in a day without so much as touch of back ache


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

'& Son' managed

Third Party
Mar 2, 2018
269
89
South Coast
Well our 3 week old Seat Leon FR ST goes to get repaired on Monday to fix some scratches and dents cause by a reversing lorry, this is quite the opposite from a most embarrassing courtesy car, its a 2 litre diesel 168bhp insignia SRI VX line estate, it is absolutely huge, 20 inch machined alloys, it must have every option ticked, keyless, Lane assist, revseing camera etc etc etc, also seems to have some side skirts as well.
456c6952d57f5ae1f9d5ac5d6f826d07.jpg
772d706d7e8235499d613e27a6cb3e48.jpg
4d728dccd1f240ddd37818855e9ac151.jpg


Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
Still embarrassing no matter how many toys it has - it's a diesel and more to the point a Vauxhall!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rooster

niallain

Active Member
Apr 9, 2017
273
53
Cardiff
Well our 3 week old Seat Leon FR ST goes to get repaired on Monday to fix some scratches and dents cause by a reversing lorry, this is quite the opposite from a most embarrassing courtesy car, its a 2 litre diesel 168bhp insignia SRI VX line estate, it is absolutely huge, 20 inch machined alloys, it must have every option ticked, keyless, Lane assist, revseing camera etc etc etc, also seems to have some side skirts as well.
456c6952d57f5ae1f9d5ac5d6f826d07.jpg
772d706d7e8235499d613e27a6cb3e48.jpg
4d728dccd1f240ddd37818855e9ac151.jpg


Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

I must say that the new Insignia estates look gorgeous.
Not too keen on the saloon with the rear wiper looking stupid, but I've started seeing a lot of them around lately and they look amazing. Probably dogshit to drive though as it's a Vauxhall :lol:
 

X3RN

Active Member
Nov 11, 2018
51
16
25
Norfolk, UK
When my old Leon was in for some paint repairs (lacquer peel and a key reprogram) I was given a Toyota Avensis. Possibly the worst car I have driven. It was horrible. I wish I had gotten some pictures of how hideous it was. They gave me no proof it was insured, Taxed or even MOT'd! Fair to say I used it once and then left it on the drive before taking it back to the garage and getting my Leon back!
 

AndrewJB

Friend to SEAT UK & Cupra Racing
Aug 16, 2007
11,211
484
Maranello
Got a BMW 330E (hybrid petrol / electric) while my 3.4 Aspirated Porsche is in for warranty work.

on the book 25 miles range electric driving, in reality 9 miles. Can't even do my daily 12 mile commute with it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Peller

Peller

Active Member
Mar 29, 2016
600
191
Edinburgh
I had a lovely 'peach' coloured Fiat 500 whilst my Ateca was in for work.

I felt a little inadequate driving that, it got to the point I had to take a work Berlingo to stop the ripping I got!

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
 

IL Cattivo

Active Member
Apr 12, 2019
43
15
Oxford
Was once given a Nissan Leaf as a CC a few years back when they first came out. Ugly as... but boy did it have some torque!
 

CovFC87

Active Member
Mar 29, 2019
75
48
My Dad put his 911 in to get alloys sprayed, got this as a courtesy car
57da46c0c4e0e30563a63d8c2c2ece1e.jpg


Sent from my Razer using Tapatalk
 

gurpz94

Active Member
Feb 12, 2019
167
72
It wasnt through Seat but when I was getting my S4 gearbox rebuilt i drove this... at 21 years old...

2016-05-12%2015.20.22.jpg
 

ChrisM75

Active Member
May 10, 2019
423
182
Is it still a cube when it has a dent in it? :blink:

The worst hire car ive had was defiantly a Citroen C3. It was a new 2017 model so expected better, but it was noisy, slow and horrific to drive. So soft, vague and light, all by design of course. Why would anyone want something so awful to drive? It would be far more terrifying than a Cupra because at anything over 30 you felt completely detached from the car, like you were trying to walk on ice. Worse of all everything was operated via the touch screen, which I swear is not safe. You have to look, whereas real buttons and dial can be done with feel.

My best friend used to have a Toyota Aygo. Yes it was slow and basic, but it had a certain honesty about it, and it drove fine. He even managed to exceed the manufacturers economy figures with it, getting 68mpg on a 500 mile trip.
 
Last edited:

Nathan penney

Active member
Jul 8, 2017
686
789
Liverpool
0E71D922-6B22-4503-B2F5-5CEC1415EF60.jpeg
Thought I’d share a photo of my current courtesy car.
Bought a Volvo V70 a few weeks ago from a used car dealer as my daily but unfortunately had to take it back today to get a couple of problems looked at.
The bloke has been great and said he’d sort out a Loan car for me while it’s sorted.
This is what I got given!!
Maybe not so great??
It seats 6 but god help the person who’s sat in the middle in the front.
“ sorry I thought it was the gearstick”
 

ChrisM75

Active Member
May 10, 2019
423
182
Someone at work was given a Citroen C3 Aircross as a courtesy car. Worse it was sky blue with a white rear quarter-light. Its a visual and dynamic affront to human dignity. He ended up actually buying one so now its a permanent eyesore.

Yes, me and Citroens do not get on. I see no point in an even more bulbous and hideous Peugeot that has had all remnants of dynamic ability stripped from it.
 
Genuine SEAT Parts and Accessories.