Unpopular Opinion about an Unpopular Car?

[Drew Dowdell]

Do you have an unpopular opinion about an unpopular car?  Shout it out here.

 

Here's one of mine:

The first FWD generation of the Impala was actually a handsome car.

[oldshurst442]

I owned a 2005 Impala SS.  I had the other mags. The ones that looked like the 1995 Impala SS on my car.

Great car. Great engine. Great everything...except the interior. Cheap. Cheap. Cheap. Not worthy the 40 000 Canadian doallrs that I bought it for.  But...I miss it dearly. I miss the sleeper aspect of it. Nobody new what it was, other than a cheap ass Chevy that 99% of the population that it was... The othe 1% that I was an undercover cop prowling the Streets to give out tickets.  (When that version of the Impala was actually a Montréal cop car...)

 

 

[David]

86 Aero Coupe Monte Carlo SS and 95 Impala SS both I really loved, but so unappreciated cars. Would love to have both in their maroon color.

[frogger]

I really wanted a few Infiniti vehicles, especially the 2003-2004 M45.

 

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, frogger said:

I really wanted a few Infiniti vehicles, especially the 2003-2004 M45.

 

I really liked the old Infiniti J30, but I was too young to buy one when they were out and by the time I could afford them, they had all been trashed. 

[oldshurst442]

2 hours ago, dfelt said:

86 Aero Coupe Monte Carlo SS and 95 Impala SS both I really loved, but so unappreciated cars. Would love to have both in their maroon color.

I prefer the regular Monte Carlo SS over the Aero Coupe. And more to it than that, I prefer the LS trim over the SS.  But yeah, G-Body GM cars are good looking vehicles.  

The 1990s B-Body Impala SS was a great car too!  

 

2 hours ago, frogger said:

I really wanted a few Infiniti vehicles, especially the 2003-2004 M45.

 

Ive always loved this Infinti myself.  And the 1990s J30

 

So far, I havent included a car that that I feel about. Ive been piggybacking on somebody else's choices.

I like the Lexus RCF, despite predator face and it being a Toyota product. 

 

 

13 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I really liked the old Infiniti J30, but I was too young to buy one when they were out and by the time I could afford them, they had all been trashed. 

I JUST JUST mentioned that!!!

AWE-SOME!!!

Edited May 28, 2019 by oldshurst442

[Drew Dowdell]

You can save those for the "unpopular opinion about a popular car" thread that I'll start next week. 🙂

 

[Drew Dowdell]

7 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

I JUST JUST mentioned that!!!

AWE-SOME!!!

1

I like the original Q-ship too. 

[oldshurst442]

5 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

You can save those for the "unpopular opinion about a popular car" thread that I'll start next week. 🙂

Edited...🤙

 

1 minute ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I like the original Q-ship too. 

A little less on that one, but yeah, Infiniti seemed to have great unloved cars in the 1990s. Especially compared to Acura and Lexus.

 

Ill do another car...

Of all the versions of the VW Phateon's platform mates, I prefer the Veedub version. Actually, the VW Phaeton is mucho revered by me.

Though, not much love for it here in North America.

[David]

I give these some Love that many hate! 😍

[ocnblu]

Still see a fair number of first-gen FWD Impalas on the road.  Saw one yesterday... still going, clapped out mess that it was.  Armchair reactionaries can say what they will, the GM W-body served millions for many years without asking much in return.

[A Horse With No Name]

8 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Still see a fair number of first-gen FWD Impalas on the road.  Saw one yesterday... still going, clapped out mess that it was.  Armchair reactionaries can say what they will, the GM W-body served millions for many years without asking much in return.

This post I will upvote by a thousand...or a million. Well written.

 

[Robert Hall]

I had a couple of that generation Impala as rentals, liked how they had the ignition on the dash, kind of an old time throwback detail, along w/ the column shift.  I had many rentals of the long running generation after that...those drove pretty nicely.. 

[Drew Dowdell]

11 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Still see a fair number of first-gen FWD Impalas on the road.  Saw one yesterday... still going, clapped out mess that it was.  Armchair reactionaries can say what they will, the GM W-body served millions for many years without asking much in return.

Broken door handles aside, the W-Body coupes were good cars.  I do miss my Cutlass Convertible sometimes. 

[oldshurst442]

25 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Broken door handles aside, the W-Body coupes were good cars.  I do miss my Cutlass Convertible sometimes. 

You had one of those?

Man...I LOOOOOOVED those!

I tried to get my dad to buy an 1994 Cutlass Supreme 4 door, but it was a tad too much money for him, so we went with my 2nd choice, 1994 Pontiac Grand Am GT 4 door. It was a tad cheaper plus we got a better deal on the Grand Am...a better deal than what the dealership was willing to do on the Grand Am than on the Cutlass. 

But yeah...that Cutlass Supreme convertible was a dream machine for me back in the day. 

W-Bodies were good cars. When they got all the bugs fixed, they were quite reliable cars. Minus a few stupid engine choices GM chose to use on a couple of models... 

[Robert Hall]

I know I often come off as rabidly anti-Fwd transverse engine layout, but I do have a soft spot for some of GMs FWD full sizers.  I really liked the ‘00 DTS my sister had...drove it quite a bit between 2011-15.  Fast, smooth, comfortable.   Too many electrical issues as it aged though.  Always liked the 90s FWD STSes, the last gen of Eldorado and Riviera, both generations of Auroras, the Park Avenues, the unique late 80s Electra—esp the T-Types...

[ocnblu]

I do not think most of the cars mentioned here were unpopular.  Maybe the Infiniti models.

[Drew Dowdell]

46 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

I do not think most of the cars mentioned here were unpopular.  Maybe the Infiniti models.

Well, it's kinda popular for people to verbally beat on the Impala, that's why I mentioned it.  I know they sold a ton of them... just not to car enthusiasts. 

3 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

You had one of those?

Man...I LOOOOOOVED those!

I tried to get my dad to buy an 1994 Cutlass Supreme 4 door, but it was a tad too much money for him, so we went with my 2nd choice, 1994 Pontiac Grand Am GT 4 door. It was a tad cheaper plus we got a better deal on the Grand Am...a better deal than what the dealership was willing to do on the Grand Am than on the Cutlass. 

But yeah...that Cutlass Supreme convertible was a dream machine for me back in the day. 

W-Bodies were good cars. When they got all the bugs fixed, they were quite reliable cars. Minus a few stupid engine choices GM chose to use on a couple of models... 

Yeah, I had one.  It's the reason I originally joined C&G waaaaaaay back in the day.  I was looking for tech help on the car and found this place. Eventually, I would come to own the website.  I had a 1994 in the same blue as the emoticon above, with a slate gray interior and a black top.  Of course, it was powered by the 3.4 DOHC. 

[ykX]

Mazda MX-6, my first car.  Not very popular but I loved it.  FWD, 2.5L V6, 5-speed manual transmission.

Handled very well for FWD, and was pretty zippy.  Was definitely not for tall people, so I could not sit completely straight, nevertheless it was great.  

[Potluck]

The Chrysler 200 was actually a really good car, but too small.

[trinacriabob]

I don't know if my opinion is unpopular, nor if the car is unpopular.  I'd say it's a niche car and a small few still like these a lot over 20 years later.  I would be in that fold.

1994 to 1996 Caprice LS - if in immaculate condition, with the up-version LS 60-40 cloth seats, the small (263 c.i. or 4.3L) Chevy V8, and low miles.

This interior, but in cloth.  Console?  Yes, please.  I'm going to assume these ride a little smoother than would a W-body FWD.  I can't be sure of that but I certainly like the idea of a centered engine, suspension components that are easier to see, and a transmission that sits in the back, so to speak.

And to think I borderline hated this car model when it was currently being sold and seen everywhere.

Edited June 1, 2019 by trinacriabob

[Robert Hall]

I always liked the Caprices, though I prefer the styling of the boxy '77-90 ones more than the whales...but the whales have their charm, esp. in Impala SS form.  Saw a really clean black Impala SS this morning.

[trinacriabob]

Cadillac Cimarrons were the ultimate pieces of crap.  GM waved a wand and tried to turn a frog into a prince?  They didn't succeed.  It was just a Chevy Cavalier with more power gizmos.  They also did not go the distance.  The only person I knew who owned one was also a turd.

Edited June 4, 2019 by trinacriabob

[Drew Dowdell]

3 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Cadillac Cimarrons were the ultimate pieces of crap.  GM waved a wand and tried to turn a frog into a prince?  They didn't succeed.  It was just a Chevy Cavalier with more power gizmos.  They also did not go the distance.  The only person I knew who owned one was also a turd.

heh, I think that's a commonly held opinion of that car. 

Here's one... 

Platform gripes aside, I think the Lincoln Continental is a very handsome and capable car. I would absolutely own one over an E-Class or 5-series without regret. 

[trinacriabob]

18 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Platform gripes aside, I think the Lincoln Continental is a very handsome and capable car. I would absolutely own one over an E-Class or 5-series without regret. 

I like most vantage points of the current Lincoln Continental, especially the front, but do not like how the rear tapers and is sort of weak for being meant to be a commanding "boulevardier."