What car has nostalgia made more desirable over the years?

Perhaps like wine, many cars can get better with age.

However, as some of those automobiles get older, the rose-tinted lenses of nostalgia can often distort our understanding of these cars–often making them seem better than they were when first introduced.

What are some cars that really weren’t that great when they were new, but nostalgia has made them more …

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Pretty much every 80s crapbox. I'd even enjoy driving a Cimarron or a Kcar. But that's obviously because I was born in the 80s.

Mopar Omni/Horizon.  I  thought they were junk in the '80's, now when I see one, I think they're kinda cool.  Then I remember working on them 35 years ago.  Can't imagine much has improved since then. Same with the Chevy Chevette. 

Mid to late 70's x-bodies.  Novas from that era are creeping up, especially 2 doors.  I owned an off brand one before, and would actually love to have a 1st gen Seville, just to say I have a Nova-based Cadillac.  Probably because the older ones are getting priced out of range of the lower end market.  I'm seeing the same effect on colonnade cars (73-77  a-bodies), but it isn't as strong of an effect.  Maybe because there aren't much restoration parts out there for them.  These were the lower-echelon cars when I was in high school.  If your family had more money, you drove an 80's Chevette or G-body.

There are so many.

My little Datsun 1200 was a cheap 12yr old econobox when we bought it in 1984 but people love them now.

AE86 Corollas; I worked at the dealer when they came in and thought they were so awesome, I was the only guy in the shop who thought so.

I had a 1984 Fiero Pace Car like that.

There's any number of crap buckets from the 80's that could be made proper with a modern engine and efi, but if somebody here honestly tells me they want to drive a car with a Rochester Varajet carb on it, I will come to your house and slap you so hard your children will get dizzy.

I think it's Keith Tanner who has the maxim that any car that has survived 30 years or more is interesting if for no other reason than that it has survived 30 years. But some that I think should get special mention:

• AMC Gremlin and Pacer. Weirded out everyone when they hit the market, now iconic period pieces.
• Edsels, for much the same reason. Particularly since these may have been as much a case of bad market timing than any real issues with the car.
• GM G bodies. Other than the Grand National, most seemed to have been failed efforts at recapturing the muscle car era. Then they became cheap and expendable options to cut up and build a drag car or circle track racer. And now they're reached a point where people are nostalgic for the cheap and expendable race cars, and building them at levels they were never built to when new.

Porsche 914s.

Have you seen the price of these things on BaT?

So many things from the 50's. Specifically this. I own one I love it but it is a GARBAGE car. Lovely to look at and I really enjoy the terbile handling but everyone who wants one to drive tend to modify the tar out of them. 

For me, it's the Lancia Delta Integrale.

I love it. That's dumb. It was weird, expensive, quality no doubt terrible, and it wasn't really terribly good at anything unless mutated beyond recognition by a racing team.

Thanks SEGA.

Pinto

First gen NSX.

It was regarded back in the day pretty much exactly like the 2nd gen is now: cool, but overpriced and not really that fast, especially for the money.

I was a bit too young/poor to buy the dip on the 1st gens, I don't plan on missing out on the 2nd gens.

Yugo

Corvair

The Delorean, end of story, thank you and good night. 

In reply to drock25too :

Yep I had an 86 GLHS Omni. Awesome fun but was basically a disposable tissue box. I've looked at them now and always reach the same conclusion; no. 

RX-7 FD (Gen III) built for amateur road racing. I pined for this car as a 35 year old working in Hong Kong, where it was entirely unaffordable to me with the 300% luxury import tax. Then back to the States and family priorities and expenses relegated to the far reaches of a 'gear heads' mind.

60-63 Ford Falcon two-door.

Or wagon in a pinch.

Or four door if first two choices are not available

Pontiac Fiero...

Judging by the reactions we get when driving the Disco'stang I would say the Mustang 2 brings out a lot of nostalgia.  Its gone from being the butt of jokes to "I remember when my aunt/uncle/grandma/brother/cousin/dentist/barber had one of those.  Haven't seen one in years!  That is SO COOL!" 

When I was at Ford Nationals this summer, out of 100s of crowd killing Mustangs on display there were eleven Mustang 2s and only one was a coupe.

Third gen F-bodies. Years ago I was told to scrap my old IROC I have at the farm (I swear I am trying to fix it, I bought parts for it, life just keeps happening)...

Now I have numerous offers a month asking if I'd want to sell it. Which I might if life wants to keep being difficult. 

In reply to MadScientistMatt :

Back in the day Gremlins and 4-cylinder Pinto's sucked.   My friend had a 4 cylinder automatic Mercury Bobcat that had was awful.

chuyler2 said:

The Delorean, end of story, thank you and good night. 

100% this. I'd rather have Biff's pre Tacoma Toyota pickup.