Are new cars really "cool"?

[kentuck]

======================

Because so many folks are talking about the present opposition to the Big Three Bailout, but since Chrysler was sold out to a private person or company, and are no longer considered an actual American company, unless the owners became US citizens, then I wonder what was the coolest car you ever owned? Of course, everyone is aware that most of the great cars were made when gasoline was 25 cents per gallon and there were not enough cars on the road at that time for there to be a pollution issue.

But is it not possible to build "cool cars" anymore? Just because they do not have the same heavy metal and should get much better mileage with less pollution, should that make it impossible to build really "cool cars".

I have never bought a new car. Not because I could not get one on credit, but that I thought older cars were more fun to drive and generally more enjoyable, without the large monthly payment, if you could find the right one? I never considered the status symbol of having a new car every year. I have probably owned a couple of dozen of cars in my lifetime.

I always liked Chevrolets - especially those with the 283 and the 327 cubic inch motors. The 283ci was a 64 Chevy Impala with a Hurst 4-speed on the floor - sort of a baby blue/turquoise color. The 327ci was perhaps the fastest car I ever had - it was a yellow Camaro Rally Sport - although I did have a 58 Ford Fairlane, 2-color tones, that had a 351ci Cleveland Engine, with positive traction,
that may have been the fastest car in the county as stock? I recall that it was a one-owner purchased from a banker in town?

But all those cars were "cool" and fun to drive. Is the Focus the new "cool" Ford? Or is Honda the new reliable Chevy? What is the coolest thing about Toyota? They may not be the coolest-looking cars but they are reliable and inexpensive to drive, they say. At least, until they need fixing. And few can disagree with that argument.

Talking about letting these car companies go under almost seems like we are losing a valuable piece of American history. Why not get on our knees and beg Henry Paulson to give us back $50 billion of that $700 billion we gave him?? Maybe he will change his mind?

[Bluzmann57]

1. 1973 Dodge Challenger

383 cubic inches of pure power, dual exhausts, 4 on the floor, topped out at 160 mph. I tried it and that's where I topped out at anyway. The car had a hemi engine, and good ol' "mag" wheels. I loved that car and wish I still had it. I sold it because I had a kid and believed I should buy something practical, like a Buick. I did buy a 1978 Mustang later on, but it just wasn't the same. Sigh...I can't really say if new cars are really "cool" or not because the only new car I ever had was an Escort, which was a decent car, but not one I would ever own again. No Japanese made cars though. I support the U.S. automakers and the UAW which represents the workers.

[Swamp Rat]

6. MOPAR rules!

:D

[Webster Green]

2. '63 split window Corvette..

Midnight blue, 327 engine. I bought it for $1800 in 1968.

Way cool! :smoke:

[nickinSTL]

3. on Toyotas...

What is the coolest thing about Toyota? They may not be the coolest-looking cars but they are reliable and inexpensive to drive, they say. At least, until they need fixing.

Yeah, they might not be the cheapest to fix...but they need to be fixed less than most.

I have a 20-year-old Toyota Corolla, and a 7-year-old Hyundai, and they need about the same amount of repair...which is pretty darn good considering the age of the Toyota...and makes me want to never buy anything but a Toyota ever again.

[NNN0LHI]

17. Wrong

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19073071/

Ford beats Toyota in quality rankings

Automaker takes lead spot in five of 19 segments in survey

updated 6:24 p.m. CT, Wed., June. 6, 2007

DETROIT - People might have to stop making all those jokes about the quality of Ford’s cars — the ones that say Ford stands for “Found on Road Dead” or “Fixed or Repaired Daily.”

Now, it could be “Fixing Our Reputation Daily.”

Ford Motor Co. supplanted Toyota as leader of the pack in J.D. Power and Associates’ annual initial quality rankings released Wednesday, grabbing more individual awards than any other automaker for the first time since 1998, when it tied for the top spot.

Ford ranked highest in five of 19 segments in this year’s survey. That’s two better than in 1998 — the last time a U.S. automaker was on top — when Ford tied with Toyota and Honda.

[GrizzlyMan]

19. I drove a rented Ford Focus last month

And it was a piece of dog shit with less than 5k on it.

[JVS]

20. "initial quality rankings" is not the same as long-term durability

[DainBramaged]

41. Everything you post is a back-hand to the Domestic car industry

I wondered why I had you on ignore for the last couple of years.:think:

[JVS]

42. That's because they build shitty products which I find unsuitable.

:P

[DainBramaged]

44. When was the last time you bought one?

And define shitty, or is generalizing (as usual) your only means of communication?

Don't answer, you aren't worth one second of my precious life debating with. (:07)

[JVS]

45. Never had to. My Honda lasted 20 years and then I gave up driving, as buying a car in the era of...

$4 gas seemed a questionable proposition. I wondered what fuel would cost in another 20 years. Nissan has introduced a new $10K barebones version of the Versa though, and at $2000 less than the Chevrolet Aveo, it does look awfully tempting.

[Name removed]

46. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JVS]

47. You didn't ask what I've driven. I've driven American cars without owning them.

I didn't like them. I've seen family member own these cars for sometimes a mere 10 or 12 years. Electronics systems begin to fritz out around 8 years. I had to drive 500 miles in a damned caravan with no speedometer or gas gauge that time. Handling was clunky. My folks had a Caravan when I was a kid. Best thing about it was its engine. Of course the engine was by Mitsubishi.

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JVS]

52. I know that a car that's 8 years old should not have electronics that go on and off randomly.

I know that the mechanic's response was that he couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with it and suggested just waiting for it to work again. I know that the big 3 produce a poor product.

[DainBramaged]

53. Why do you keep having my posts deleted so as not to show the context

to my answers?? Jesus grow up.

[JVS]

56. If you have questions about your post deletions, I suggest you ask the mods.

[DainBramaged]

57. I did, but what I said stands goodbye.

[OhioChick]

51. I've owned American made cars all of my life....

Never bought foreign, or cared to. Oddly enough, my brother's boss always leased Chevy's for company use. This past year, he leased some foreign cars. (Not sure which) He's had so many problems with all of the (new) cars he's leased...he's shitting tacks. He wishes now that he would've stuck with Chevy's.

BTW....Every American car I ever owned ran like a charm for me. Ran them all into the ground....all over 100,000+ miles on them and never needed major work on them that I couldn't do myself! :)

[PBS Poll-435]

34. Initial quality awards are based on expectations being fulfilled 90 days after purchase.

Not long term durability.


Here is a link to the JP&A 2008 Dependability Survey

Lexus earns six model awards and Toyota earns five, combining to capture more than half of the segment awards. Lexus is also the highest-ranked nameplate in the study, and has ranked highest each year since becoming eligible for the VDS in 1990.

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/articles/2008-Vehicle-Dependability-Study-Results

[nickinSTL]

61. Well...when I next buy a car...

I will compare - I use Consumer Reports heavily, and based on my experience, I won't again consider any vehicle that doesn't rate AT LEAST above average in reliability, and I'll strongly lean towards those that rate well above average.

If at that time, Ford has a vehicle that meets my needs that has better reliability than an equivalent Toyota, I will seriously consider it.

At the time I last bought a vehicle, Toyota was clearly leading in reliability - but I am willing to have an open mind...so long as the data backs up the claims.

[elifino]

4. The american car which I enjoyed the most

Chevy Corvair Spyder, turbocharged , 150 hp. and a Chevy Corvair Corsa, turbocharged,180 hp. After adding an after market part to prevent the rear wheels from going to negative camber and after market pulleys to the fan and idler pulley to prevent the fan belt from coming off at 6000 RPM, it was a really fun car to drive.

[dweller]

29. 1977

VW Type II full Westfalia camper, 2.1L, 96mm bore, Weber hydro-cam. It's big and orange and slow and lumbering, but will go all day long w/ full camping gear anywhere i point it, and sleep and provide a meal for 4 at the end of the day.

Air-cooled rules. :fistbump:

dp

[JVS]

5. Since the price for a used one is $14,000, I think a 2004 Chrysler Crossfire would be pretty cool

They were way to expensive new though

[kentuck]

15. I like those Crossfires!

They are cool! :-)

[Deja Q]

7. *sigh* The bailouts, free corporate handouts, why can't Ford just call their new car the "Hooker"?

After all, the "Escort" can't speak a syllable by comparison.

[JVS]

10. Don't forget the Cougar

I'd support the bailout if Ford introduced the brand new Ford Whore!

[123infinity]

8. I drove an 83 Civic for 25 years, finally had to replace it. I got a 2 year old Miata

Zoom Zoom..most fun I've ever had with clothes on. :D

[flvegan]

9. 1987 Buick Grand National

3.8 liter V6, turbocharged. I got around 25 mpg in mine. What was cool is that this pseudo Monte Carlo grocery getter, at any stoplight at the time, it could blow the doors off the best Ferrari had to offer.



I love my current car, 2007 Mazdaspeed3, also very cool but the GN was the coolest.

[givemebackmycountry]

12. That's a bad ride right there.

And yes indeed, it would snap you back in the seat, and smoke the tires if you felt so inclined.

[JVS]

13. You're seriously claiming that you Buick could smoke a Ferrari?

Don't get me wrong, it's a sweet ride, but I gotta put my money on the Testarossa

[flvegan]

18. Yup.

Car & Driver was the first to state it back in '88 (maybe it was Motor Trend, I'm not exactly sure) when they stopped building them. The Testarossa was very fast. 0-60 in 5.9, 1/4 in 13.8. The GN it was reported by Buick only had 280-ish horsepower and would do a 14.3 1/4 mile. Reality was folks were buying these Buicks and taking them stock to the strip and pulling mid-13s in the quarter. When I bought mine (bone stock) with 19k miles on it in 1991, I took it to a strip after having it 6 months, and pulled a 13.7 in my third run.

The 1989 Indy Trans Am with the same engine but offered by Pontiac did 13.2 1/4 all day long.

Honestly, it's all in the launch. Now, in the corners, that's a VERY different story.

[Orsino]

11. As long as "fun to drive" isn't equated with "overpowered gas guzzler."

Horsepower as a hobby is on the way out. I can't speak to how cool it is, but it's a luxury many of us can no longer afford. Soon it will be only a rich man's toy--but rich men are traditionally the arbiters of cool. The myth will last a good while yet, even beyond the age of the muscle car.

[Edweird]

36. "Horsepower as a hobby is on the way out."

:rofl:

[The Traveler]

14. 1965 Chevy Impala

325 4 barrell ... spacious back seat ... a teenage boy's dream. :evilgrin:

Today, I drive the same 91 Camaro I have been driving since '94. I did an engine swap on it ... largely optional. I could have done a head job and been OK. (This was after 250,000 miles of flawless operation ... cracked a head when a hose failed and I didn't notice the temperature guage spike in time. So I can't complain about that.) The original transmission died due to a maintenance error ... which is one of the reasons why I do all that stuff myself now. (Hard to keep the transmission fluid in the car when you haven't properly torqued the pan bolts ...)

Originally came with a 305. Now has a 350. More jump. Mileage is about the same ... about 21 mpg city and around 26 mpg on the open road ... it would do better if I were, uh, less enthusiastic about its street driving capabilities.

The muscle car is not dead ... but its technology base is about to undergo a huge shift. Looking at the specs of automotive electric motors I see quite competitive peak torque outputs. Gear heads will tinker with 'em ... 'cause that's what we do ... and various improvements over stock design will be crafted.

[thrift_store_angel]

16. I haven't had that many cars

However my Prius is by far my "coolest" car, so to answer your question, yes new cars can be cool. That being said I am not trying to take it down to the track or anything, but I wouldn't have done that with an "old" car either.

[Blue For You]

21. On 3 different occasions, sitting at a redlight I've been asked

if my car was for sale. Never had that happen with any of the newer cars I've owned. It's a 1979 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, with 8,000 original miles. These were downsized Caddys, and designed for better fuel mileage (Carter era).

>

[Starry Messenger]

24. Oh man. My mom had that car.

We loved it. Totally silent ride. When it finally died and we had to get a cheap-o to replace it I couldn't believe how much you could hear road noises when driving. Thank you for the little squirt of nostalgia.

[baldguy]

22. 1963 LeMans Tempest

http://tinyurl.com/5fjccc



Before you laugh, read the link.

[ileus]

23. Jeep CJ/YJ/TJ/KJ all cool vehicles.

[javadu]

58. XJ is part of that family.

just sayin.

[mwooldri]

60. Now that's a vehicle I would want.

My two "dream vehicles" are either a Mini, or a Jeep. It got misconstrued when I was drunk ... "Mini Or Jeep" (think about it).

I'm considering a Chevy Malibu for the next vehicle, but only when my Ford Focus dies first.

Mark.

[TheWraith]

25. There certainly is a lot less variation in style.

Partly I think to maximize the number of parts, including body panels, that are identical across models. I've got one of those ridiculously generic 4-door sedans: so generic that twice in the 15 months I've owned the thing I've actually gone over to the wrong car in the parking lot because I mistook it for mine. :)

[Atman]

26. 1968 Camaro Convertible

My first car. Fire-engine red. Airplane shifter, fake leather interior. A straight six that I could actually work on if I needed to, without a computer connection. OMFG...that car took me everywhere. Everywhere. :)

.

[tucsonlib]

27. Where've You Been?

Not only are there "cool" new cars, but when compared to the rust buckets of the 60s and 70s they are much safer, far more reliable, last longer and have better ergonomics for the driver and passengers. I purchased this MX-5 new in 2006. Not cool? If you say so....

[jakefrep]

28. I think there are a lot of cool cars now.

I like the styling and performance of my Mazda CX-7 better than 95% of the current crossovers/SUV's. I'll probably never own any of these, but I like the Chrysler 300C, Dodge Challenger, and Ford Mustang. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Camaro in the flesh.

The current model Corvette is a performance bargain and for a high-performace car, they get good fuel mileage.

I'd be happy with any of the mid-size and big German sedans.

Nissan and Mazda each make fun and interesting cars. But on that basis, I can't think of any reason why I would visit a Toyota or Honda dealer.

[KoKo]

35. You haven't seen this one or the "spec's." Check it OUT!

http://www.google.com/search?q=57+Chevy+Photo&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

[mondo joe]

30. I bought a new car, not because I thought it was cool, but because I know next to nothing

about cars and didn't know how to assess a used car, and the array of service deals.

[EFerrari]

31. I've always felt it was insane to spend thousands of dollars on a car

and especially on one that eats a lot of gas.

I had a car the day I turned 16 and have probably not spent 15K altogether on all the cars since then. My favorite was a TR4 that drove like a truck, got good mileage and cost all of $500.

[azmouse]

32. We have a '95 Impala SS. We get asked all the time if we'd consider selling it.

I'd guess it's a cool car.

[KoKo]

33. Give me that "57 Chevy" and I would be in Heaven...if you took me "back in time"

...if you could do that one...:D

http://www.google.com/search?q=57+Chevy+Photo&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

[KoKo]

37. sorry...just added link to "57 Chevy" so you kids could see photo's.. n/t

in the "post above."

[eilen]

38. I never had a cool car

My first car was a 1972 Ford Galaxy. I loved that car.

[KoKo]

39. "Cool Cars" sort of went "out" after the 50's and Early 60's...so you aren't alone in that...

I would think....

[Fumesucker]

54. A 1970 Road Runner was a pretty cool car..

My best buddy had one exactly like this, we went from FL to CA and back in it in 1973.

[phusion]

40. Subaru baby!

love mine...Might not be the coolest thing to drive but it sure runs great.

[kwassa]

43. this car is cool

[kentuck]

59. What is it?? A Martian X-7 ??

:-)

[lutefisk]

48. Coolest American car I ever owned was made by American Motors!

A 1970 AMX in Big Bad Blue:

[Fumesucker]

49. 65 Goat...

389, headers, Hurst dual gate shifter, bang shift kit, 4.11 posi, lift adapters on the rear, Muntz 8 track.. Black just like this



62 Lotus Elite, Coventry Climax 1.0 with a four speed, inboard disks on the rear like a Jag, about 2/3 the size of a Jag. Colin Chapman's seminal exercise in "just add lightness".

[kentuck]

55. Bingo!

:-) The winner!!

[Throd]

62. As cool as a 1967 Olds 442? No. But there are some cool new ones out there.

[stlsaxman]

63. A new EV1 would be way cool!

If GM were forced to make them again...

:shrug: