Are there any kinda pedestrian, not-particularly-interesting cars that you have a strange taste for?

I was just thinking about the thread as I ran some errands in my pedestrian car. I actually think GM did a great job on the styling of the first gen Volt. It's interesting enough to look like a "car of the future" for 2010, while not being totally weird for no reason. The second gen got a little too bland and looked too much like a regular Chevy. I still think the 1st gen is a nice looking car:

And while it's no Ferrari, it's satisfying enough to drive and is bank vault solid and quiet around town and on the freeway. It has its foibles for sure - it's made by GM after all - but it's a really neat take on a very practical vehicle. We love ours, and my wife adores it. It's pretty great to be able to run pretty much any in-town errand without burning any gas.

In reply to dculberson :

My friend loved his up until the dash guage display died and he couldn't get it replaced.

In reply to 93EXCivic :

It's just a car, the part's widely available and dealers have programming tools or you can buy the programming tools yourself. Looks like used is about $150, new is about $350. When was that and what was the excuse why it couldn't be replaced?

Our 2014 is low miles and has been trouble free, but I've been elbows deep in a high miles 2011 and found nothing surprising in working on it. Replaced the cells in the battery pack and a coolant pump and got it all programmed and happy myself.

BlueInGreen - Jon said:

Lincoln MkVII and MkVIII have been mentioned a few times here. Are those really seen as plain old "pedestrian" cars?

I think even some non-car guys around my dad's age remember them as the "Hot rod Lincoln"

The VIIs were Thunderbirds with a Continental trunk, air suspension, and 5 lug wheels.  Most had 160hp throttle body injected lumps.  My grandfather bought one new in late 1983 and it was the only car I knew him to not trade in after a year, it was the last car he ever owned.  (I remember him having a LeSabre, a Regal, and two Sedan de Villes... and I was born in 1978)

The VIIIs were Thunderbirds with a Contiental trunk, air suspension, a really goofy dash, and a moderately interesting V8 that doesn't actually share much with the 32v Cobras other than basic architecture.  Weaker block, smaller heads, more restrictive intake, etc.

andy_b said:

Escort GT. I almost bought one in college but the sale fell through, and nowadays they are pretty much nonexistent.  

 

There is a couple that rallycrosses one locally.  They have another they don't beat on.  Very strange to see two of them, the RallyXer is a manual (pretty sure).  

Photo credit: Tom Hamm

In reply to pointofdeparture :

I still have an itch for an Ecotec engined two door Alero.

I just like the way they look, and I prefer the four cylinders' handling to the V6 models.

In reply to pointofdeparture :

I had a 92 and loved it.  yes its not fast,  and handled pretty good (not great)  but it loved the lines

dculberson said:

In reply to 93EXCivic :

It's just a car, the part's widely available and dealers have programming tools or you can buy the programming tools yourself. Looks like used is about $150, new is about $350. When was that and what was the excuse why it couldn't be replaced?

Our 2014 is low miles and has been trouble free, but I've been elbows deep in a high miles 2011 and found nothing surprising in working on it. Replaced the cells in the battery pack and a coolant pump and got it all programmed and happy myself.

He was told by the dealership that the part was VIN locked and there were no new ones available.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

I still have an itch for an Ecotec engined two door Alero.

That's very odd. Several years ago, my favorite boss was an extremely OCD audio engineer. He was the type of guy that made a spreadsheet to decide what to have for lunch. After 6 months of analysis on a new car, he ended up with an ecotec 2 door Alero. He was very, very, very pleased with it.

I had a 5 speed 2 door CB7 accord. It was a beater when my old camaro is down. It was reliable and had hilariously little wheel spin from a redline clutch dump.

I have a bunch of these, mainly from the influence of people on this board.

1st and most important is the GMT400

I also really like early to mid GM longroofs. I'd take them in almost any spec. LT1 is preference but I think I'd give that up for a Olds custome cruiser slightly lowered on SS wheels

I've got a thing for GMs little cars with the 1.4T. Cruze and Sonics. I like the engine alone. I know they are terrible but treat it like a bmw and do cooling work preventatively and they are fine. I'd take a cruze or sonic in red as long as it was a stick and throw a bunch of zzp parts and nice wheels at it. I missed a super cheap orange sonic manual last year through a friend and I regret it.

Kia Telluride

I think they are handsome and will age well

grand cherokee wk2.

as much as i hate these from working on them, i still think they are the right size and a fully loaded one would make a nice capable luxo barge.

Grand cherokee ZJ

Have no idea why I like these. Would prefer a 5.9 but would take a 5.2.

Also

Anything pre mid 70s even if it was an appliance

Anything older than mid 90s if it was weird or different, or pretty or stuff no one saved so it's rare now.

Anything that was an appliance and the manufacturer tried (with or without success) to make it a sporty/enthusiast car.

Probably a bunch more

This thread has got me thinking about the pop up headlight Accords a lot.

91-96 Ford Escorts, mainly station wagon and GT hatchback varieties.  I've owned several of each over the years, here's a couple:

Total pedestrian sub compact but I always loved them, The 5th Generation Mirage. Good looking in a subtle sort of way. This is a friend of mines from the day. 

I'm a sucker for 3 door hatches too of all types. Accent....Yes Please, EG civic, In droves. 3 door GTI....Bring it. 

Looking for the JDM oddball to fill my stable. The Mitsubishi Cyborg Z with the 4g92 Mivec. Most got used and abused too much over the years. 

I have two 

Both quite unsporty but I just like them for some reason. I also quietly LOVE the RSX, but that isn't so pedestrian.

If I had random money or need, I think there are three cars that are mega appealing to me:

1) Mitsubishi Mirage (cheap to buy, cheap to run, simple and practical thanks to it's hatchback shape)
2) Nissan Versa Manual only (cheap to buy, cheap to run, not a tin can like the Mirage)
3) Toyota Corolla Cross L (base model only, jack of all trades car. I'd slap some A/Ts on it and aluminum skid plates and use it as weekend warrior type thing)

Lately I have been noticing the Ford C-Max out on the roads. It seems like the last gasp of a simple, smaller family car. No pretense of "rugged" or "sporty", just a little pensioner conveyance device with room for the groceries. I appreciate that. I don't want one, but I am happy they are out there. 

Trent said:

Lately I have been noticing the Ford C-Max out on the roads. It seems like the last gasp of a simple, smaller family car. No pretense of "rugged" or "sporty", just a little pensioner conveyance device with room for the groceries. I appreciate that. I don't want one, but I am happy they are out there. 

DD#1 has a 2013 C-Max.  She figured out what she wanted her daily to do and be, chose the C-Max, found a nice used one, and bought it.

It's remarkably good at doing daily-driver utility things, holds a lot of stuff when necessary, and gives 40+ mpg while being dead-nuts reliable.

It's also surprisingly pleasant to be in and drive, for what it is.  Certainly not a penalty box.

In reply to Duke :

Don't go making me want one man. I have no more room in my driveway. Sounds like the perfect Soul replacement.

Ughhh.... Now I have to ask. Are they reasonably quiet inside on the freeway? The Missus Kia is absolutely punishing. Like 90Db at 75mph.

The 3rd generation Accord is a great example of '80s flip up light goodness, but I also feel partial to the 2 door 5th gen. Takes a few cues from the NSX.

Trent said:

In reply to Duke :

Don't go making me want one man. I have no more room in my driveway. Sounds like the perfect Soul replacement.

Ughhh.... Now I have to ask. Are they reasonably quiet inside on the freeway? The Missus Kia is absolutely punishing. Like 90Db at 75mph.

Yes, it is.  Fairly aerodynamic and even though it's running on gas at that point, it's not loud.  They keep the ICE pretty quiet so that it is not obvious when it cuts in and out.  Pretty comfortable at highway speed.

Hers is the highest trim level, non-plug-in version.  The plug-in version is called Energi.  It's a little heavier and you lose about 2" in cargo height because of the larger main battery.