Cars you heted then....

Miata - I never really took them seriously as a sports car, as in my youth i was more interested in a well rounded machine that could drag race too. It seemed like there was always one driven by "corvette guy's wife" puttering along in front of me at a trackday.

Then my dad got an austin healey 3000, and i was totally sold on the idea of a roadster.

Then I wanted an NB miata. The '99 motor seemed to have respectable power output, and I had never really encountered one driven in anger except at the autox. Who would want one with a stupid 1.6, they're so slow!

Now I ended up with a 1.6, it's all i want to drive.

renault fuego....but 20 years later, id kinda like to have one...

Never cared for Hondas until I moved to FL and met some people who could make them really run (though FWD is still a joke, IMO). I hate Jap stuff still for non-car-related reasons, but I DO have a weak spot for an NSX or S2000, and would like to get one someday. I figure if it's used...well, the money's already out of the country.

double post...

I'd never given a second thought to the Porsche 924, until I got to drive one, and realised how fun they are.

I thought 57 Chevys were the coolest, bar none. 55 Chevys seemed like posers trying to be like the 57s.

Now 57s seem like bloated, over restored chrome whores, or rust bucket over priced flaking chrome whores, while all the 55s seem like potential straight axle drag whores. Beater or otherwise.

Luke wrote: I'd never given a second thought to the Porsche 924, until I got to drive one, and realised how fun they are.

HALLELUJAH!

thats how i ended with ..ohh, lots over the years, at least 6 plus a couple of 2.5 liter jobs. but alway hung onto my first n/a, and first turbo... It was all the audi quattro's fault though, i wanted that performance, in two doors with less boxy..the 924 was the answer to my prayers. And my background before that was all motor fords and Oldsmobiles...

Porsche 911. Oh, it's just a glorified, really expensive six cylinder Beetle.

Yeah...the arrogance and stupidity of youth.

German cars. I hated them when I was younger, they were driven by wieners. Now I'm the wiener.

minimac wrote: German cars. I hated them when I was younger, they were driven by wieners. Now I'm the wiener.

I second that

I never "hated" any particular model car (though there are some I found ugly or unreliable), but now its pretty hard to name a car I wouldn't buy for the "right" price and cherry examples of even awful or borning cars (such as a late 80's Buick or Oldsmobile or mid 90's Kia or Hyundai) I might be tempted to buy just for the sake of having them in terrific condition long after their brethren have been destroyed by the teenagers and non-car loving of the world.

Now, SUV's are another thing altogether. There's a few I could name liking right now (Jeep Cherokee, Land Rover Series III, Int'l Scout, original Toyota FJ), but the rest can get crushed for all I care. They were a cheap way to appeal to housewives and overloaded testerone man and they have harassed me too frequently for my distaste to go away. So I says, let'em all burn!!!

minimac wrote: German cars. I hated them when I was younger, they were driven by wieners. Now I'm the wiener.

We have a Wiener!

GregTivo wrote: Now, SUV's are another thing altogether. ... They were a cheap way to appeal to housewives and overloaded testerone man and they have harassed me too frequently for my distaste to go away. So I says, let'em all burn!!!

By that reasoning you could say the same thing about miatas (housewives) and corvettes and mustangs (testerone man). Most cars have a purpose, if you realize that everyone has different tastes and have different uses for vehicles, you'll see that's what makes America great. You should try driving 30 miles one way in Wisconsin for a record winter like this past one and you'd probably change your mind. SUVs most often give you more ground clearance and 4wd/awd with better mpg than a truck. Mudding is fun too; I've done it with my bone stock Cherokee. It put a smile on my face.

Sorry, my side of that rant is over. Just remember there are other people than Miata owners living in places with 70°F weather all year long.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: Car's you hated then, but love now. 6. 1993 White Geo Tracker with pink lettering and blue seats that was bought by my wife new, prior to be moving to the US :)

So, what's changed about you that has made pink lettering and blue seats so appealing today?

I hated the e36 when it was first introduced. I thought it was just another ugly BMW. I wound up buying one in 99 b/c it was one of the few RWD manual trans cars out there that didn't automatically categorize me as a guido for driving it. I can live with prick or snob but not guido since I was living on Long Island at the time. :)

I started loving it once I drove it.

I hated it again after a few years b/c of reliability issues.

On the flip side...

I hated the Mustangs and Camaros of that same era but now appreciate them much more.

Fox body Mustang, the notchie. Looking for one now.

I've had various favorite cars over the years, but never hated any car type/make/model. Individual examples have pissed me off, however...

I hated my '80 corolla in high school. 50 cars later I realize how awesome it actually was.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: How similar are the 80's American Escorts (EXP inc) and the Euro Escorts of the time? Having been born and grew up in in the UK I was 10 when the Mk III Escort was launched and remember the XR3 (then XR3i, RS1600i and RS turbo) being the absolute 'dog's bollocks' to use the parlance from my youth. The cars do share a similar heritage and once you remove the fat American bumper the basic shape is still there. I've often wonder how..if… about building a fun one. I guess I should know working for Ford, but it's all ancient history and I have no idea.

Sadly, the US MK1 GT/EXP/LN7 is 98% different from the lairy fast Fords of Euro fame. Not even the body panels interchange. We did have a factory turbo Escort in the very early '80s(the SS), but I'm told it was rubbish. For anyone looking to convert a bloated US version of a great Euro Ford, the Merkur XR4Ti(Sierra turbo) is it.

The very car I own now - an 86 MR2 (first gen, aw11) I despised them when I was younger for one of the things I love most about it now: the no-curves-only-straight-lines 80's door-stopper styling. I swear the only tool the designers had was a ruler.

Ah, the folly of youth. Now I get to re-live a much younger fantasy - driving a space ship.

RossD wrote:

GregTivo wrote: Now, SUV's are another thing altogether. ... They were a cheap way to appeal to housewives and overloaded testerone man and they have harassed me too frequently for my distaste to go away. So I says, let'em all burn!!!

By that reasoning you could say the same thing about miatas (housewives) and corvettes and mustangs (testerone man). Most cars have a purpose, if you realize that everyone has different tastes and have different uses for vehicles, you'll see that's what makes America great. You should try driving 30 miles one way in Wisconsin for a record winter like this past one and you'd probably change your mind. SUVs most often give you more ground clearance and 4wd/awd with better mpg than a truck. Mudding is fun too; I've done it with my bone stock Cherokee. It put a smile on my face. Sorry, my side of that rant is over. Just remember there are other people than Miata owners living in places with 70°F weather all year long.

Nobody said you had to be logical in what you hate. My experience with SUV's (when not in an SUV) has been neutral at best, infuriating at worst, averaging out to merely annoying. I wasn't here to rant about how they should all be put off the road and how housewives should be driving station wagons and over-testosterone laden men should be banned from the road. I merely dislike my dealings with SUV's on a daily basis and cited to prominent annoying road going individuals to whom SUV's were marketed to. (small housewives and manly men, though I'll admit its mostly big trucks for man marketing). In any case, I won't deny the points you made, but merely say that acknowledging what you've said, I still hate SUV's.

Every RWD car that the new model became FWD, it makes me mad when they phase a cool cars out and bring in another shopping trolley.

IE: Corona/Camry Celica Corolla Isuzu JR Cadillac (all of em, thank god for the new breed) Impala Monte Carlo Grand Prix

Note: I was born in '85

I hated the Hyundai brand when I was in high school. A friend of mine had an early one as a first car. The interior was falling apart, the seats were wicked uncomfortable, it was embarassing to be seen in, and it must've died 3 or 4 times on us. Nowadays, the Genny Coupe is on my "would buy if I had money" list and I respect how far Hyundai's quality has come.

I also hated Civics and CRXs because of the ricer movement. I avoided wanting to be seen in one at all costs. Then, after my accident in my Saab, I test-drove a CRX and a few EK-series Civics and found that I really liked them. I almost jumped on a EK Civic EX, but I got rejected for financing. If I didn't want a wagon to replace my Impreza coupe, I'd be looking at them right now.

Hated every car I ever sold. Would love to have most of them back. 81 Corolla Wagon, 78 Ford Pinto, 81 Malibu Wagon, 78 Olds Delta 88 two door, 87 Lincoln Town Car, 67 Chevy Impala, 78 Olds Custom Cruiser. There were a bunch of others, but most of these I would drive again. They all had personalities. Two of them I bought from neighbors and pushed home. The Corolla would shut down on hot days occasionally, I kept a jug of water in the back to cool the fuel pump down. She would fire back up and run for another hour or two. The Pinto had a extra hole in the carb I never could figure out what it was for. I drove a pencil in the hole and drove it for two years. Man I miss some of them.

Other than that, I really don't like most of the new roadsters, and Hondas bore me to tears.

Porsche 924 +1

• VW Rabbit
• Ford Fiesta