Automotive oddballs

The roadmaster shouldn't be on there.

I'd replace it with the Toyota Previa. Supercharged mid-engine/RWD van? What?

The motors are layed almost all the way down under the drivers and passenger seat too, it's almost half a boxer. It's got a shaft that runs to the front of the van where all the accessories are driven, so your alt, a/c compressor and p/s pump is all up front still. Plus the two sunroofs are funky and before their time. Same goes with the ice box on the floor.

Jensenman wrote: The 2 local Red Bull cars are X90's. They stuck a big ol' fake Red Bull can on top, painted them silver and they toss the keys to busty young babes to drive around and hand out free cans of the stuff.

There used to be one or two of those around here as well. I kind of felt sorry for the little car, having to carry around that stupid big can on its back.

lol, i love my VX! I think its the coolest truck ever made. i also almost bought a baja, and an aztec but they just cant tow well. but its not all bad, i am told i can dress myself okay and match quite well on a daily basis. things could be worse.....

The only 2 I would refuse is the nitro and R-class,

Always wanted a Baja STi, would take a bit of work to de-Outback the rig, but it would look pretty nasty if done right. Just wish it was a 2-door though.

I like the Vehicross and the X90, they just look cool and are about as useful as a Jeep or a Samurai.

Wasn't the roadmaster a hugely successful vehicle for GM?

I know lots of local businesses ended up with Aztecs. It's just an ugly mini-van and dealers were giving them away toward the end of production.

I've only ever seen a vehicross once in person. I think they're pretty neat.

I test drove a used X-90 once. My girlfriend at the time wanted it. Imagine an SUV with less interior space than a miata, the handling of an expedition missing a tire, no truck and the worst transmission ever.

the aztec was just an early attempt at the cross over, and I liked them when they first came out, but i was like 16

The X90 was kind of cool when it came out, even if it was weird. Now this of course was from the perpsective of a teenager with no buying power or need for a car. I wouldn't buy one unless it was real cheap today.

the VehiCross was really a bit ahead of its time, I think. I think I read somewhere that the designer of the VehiCross is also the designer of the NIssan Murano and the Infiniti cross over thingy, I don't know the model number. He's probably the designer of the Rogue, too. I thought it was a cool car. An attempt at the performance SUV way before the performance SUV, unless you count the Bronco Baja edition, which I don't.

i like the new rouge, i hear its like a rwd tall sentra

What exactly makes the Roadmaster an odball? Its a pretty standard station wagon, if you ask me.

The production VehiCROSS was Isuzu's answer to some smart aleck comments. Isuzu developed and perfected a method of making metal stamp dies out of ceramic, which makes the stamp dies dirt cheap to make compared to the older steel dies and even cheaper than GM's hydroforming technology. If you look carefully at a VX, they are loaded with all kinds of compound curves which would be really expensive to make with conventional stamp die technology. It was Isuzu's way of showing what was possible; an inexpensive way of restyling cars in a much shorter cycle.

There were two VehiCROSSes made as show vehicles and some reporter or other said the stamp dies would never work for long term production. So Isuzu proceeded to stamp out all of the production vehicles on the same set of dies used for the show cars. It was never intended to be anything other than a 'halo' vehicle.

I would own and drive a Baja.

mattmacklind wrote: An attempt at the performance SUV way before the performance SUV, unless you count the Bronco Baja edition, which I don't.

What about the Typhoon? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMC_Typhoon

Bryce

drove past an X90 twice this morning.

Automotive oddballs and no French cars???!!!

French cars are way too weird for those folk. I do believe their heads would explode if they examined a 2CV closely.

Yeah, there was a 2CV gathering at the Saratoga Auto Museum a few weeks ago. You'd see them sprinkled around town all weekend, fun to watch people's reaction.

It's funny but right after reading that and saying "what the hell is the X90?" I saw one driving up GA400, made me laugh...

Raze wrote: "what the hell is the X90?" I

A bastard samuri/ miata hybrid?

we almost got an X90 when it was new (1996).
I still wouldn't mind one, but it's wholly impractical for me these days (3 kids+wife+parts chasing)
Baja- Wanted one when new, still do. I'll wait til it comes down to $500
Aztek- Want one because of the utility ability, though they should have put much larger tires and wheel arches on it.

once any of the above vehicles start showing up for $500 or less, I'll probably get one.
For now, it's just 2 minivans and a maxima in my stable (Down from 2 minivans, 1 maxima, 1 legacy and 1 firebird).

I think thats a pretty retarded list....

I would own most of the cars on it. I just don't get the under powered comment on the Baja. I never thought they were that bad....

I know a guy who loves his X-90. He's modified it to be an off-roader. He has serious engineering chops and brains, so it's really well put together.

Of course, this is the sort of guy who paints his Miata turquoise (including the engine), so he's perhaps not indicative of the norm.

Jensenman wrote: French cars are way too weird for those folk. I do believe their heads would explode if they examined a 2CV closely.

No kidding. Between the ret...er...I mean...dorky roofline and hood that looks like it's on upside-down, MY head feels like it's going to explode when I look at an Ami.

i still wonder why when coming up with worst car lists that the pinto vega and yugo outstripe the trablant...