The joys that come along with automotive enthusiasm can be incredibly high. Hearing your preferred powertrain howling away as you tear out of a corner, away from a Christmas tree, or around a racetrack is an intoxicating experience. Sadly, entropy dictates that ordered systems like those found in engines or electrical systems will progress towards disorder over time. That brings us to our question of the day which is, which car did you madly love driving but absolutely hated owning.
That deeply held emotion is key too. I’ve mentioned in an older piece how for me, the highest highs of BMW ownership were far better than the lowest lows. That doesn’t mean that the lows were easy though and I suspect many of you have had similar experiences.
A car like the E60 BMW M5 is the kind of car we’re talking about here. It has well-documented reliability issues that should’ve never escaped the factory. That includes faulty VANOS solenoids, troublesome individual throttle bodies, and rod bearings that are less reliable than the teenage barista at your local coffee shop who tries to make your order while also playing on their phone.
Read Also: Here’s A Love Letter To The BMW E60 M5’s Epic V10 Engine
Of course, when the 507-horsepower (378 kw) V10 is functioning properly, the M5 is probably the last analog super sedan and has a top speed of over 200-mph. It’s not alone though, there are lots of cars that have been amazing to drive and horrible to maintain. Another example is the Ferrari F355 which is known for its ethereal exhaust note and rockstar styling.
Sadly, it’s also known for headers that crack and can cause engine damage if they’re not fixed in a timely manner. The valve guides have a hilariously high failure rate. The engine has to come out every three years for a belt service which can cost some $10,000 or more.
We’ll give extra credit to answers about cars that you personally owned. It’s easy to say that you had a friend who owned one of these cars and it was terrible, but for all you know, your friend might be a masochist and that car hurt them in all the right ways. So what’s your answer? Which car did you love driving but hated owning? Is it still sitting in your garage?
