Over the years I have been fortunate to drive hundreds, maybe thousands of different cars, and SUVs. Most have been good. Some have been superb and a few have been truly awful. The two most awful were both GM products and both were rental cars in the US. One was a Chevrolet Impala in 2011 but the absolute worst was a Oldsmobile Cutlass which I rented on a business trip to the USA in 1984. I drove it from LA to San Francisco up the coast road in a day so I was trying to keep up a good pace . I chose the wrong car. Not that I had much choice back then. The coast road is wonderful. Very scenic but very winding particularly the section past Big Sur. The Cutlass handled like a barge. I seem to recollect it was the front wheel drive model with a big lump of a motor upfront. It gave a new meaning to the term understeer-it just went straight on at corners if you pushed hard and I was pushing hard most of the way. The problem was exacerbated by the very light power steering and the totally unsupportive seats. It was the drive from hell. I now realise that I should have driven the inland road LA to SF which really is straight. Or better still I should have taken a plane.
The photo above shows the appalling Cutlass on the road north. I was probably taking a break to calm my nerves.
I'd like to hope that I will not drive a car worse than the Cutlass but another surprise could be waiting for me in a rental car lot-probably in the US-in the future.
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