Cars that changed your mind

Oh another one I just remembered, the civic type r. The styling is......yeah. And though work we've all had a lot of interaction with modern hondas and they've all been fairly underwhelming. But we got a type r as a test vehicle and they left it at the office for a few days when it first arrived for everyone to drive and we all liked it way more than anticipated. It seemed like management finally let the tuners do their job without oversight for once. The different drive and suspension modes all worked like they were supposed to without being exaggerated and compromised like what tends to happen, and it actually drove really well. I could never justify the price for what it is, but if I was in a situation where I needed one car that could do everything decently including hauling a family around, it'd probably be at the top of the list. And while it's not great to look at, it is better in person than in most photos.

I love my E30s but I don't think that counts because I went into ownership already liking them/expecting them to be good. Same with the 944s and the SVX.

Neon definitely doesn't fit this category for me. I've only driven a few, and they were all "normal" trim levels, but I did not come away impressed.

I had a 2015ish Impala LT with the 3.6 in it on a business trip that was a few weeks long with a lot of driving. That car was excellent as a road tripper and for daily-type driving and completely turned around my opinion of those cars. The only thing I didn't really care for was the hood seemed unusually high (pedestrian impact stuff probably) and it seemed like there was less interior space than there should be for a car that size, but I feel that way about most modern cars.

A 401 CJ said:

I never liked minivans until I had to rent one back in '12 to haul myself and a bunch of training equipment 650 miles up to Albany.  It was at that point that I realized that the 3.6 Pentastar minivan platform with the Sto-n-Go seats is a damn fine platform for day to day duties.

Same. I bought my first one in late 2013 as a stop-gap daily driver while I did some major maintenance to my TDI daily driver and continued searching for a long-term van.  Nine years later, the TDI is gone and I'm on my second, newer (and better optioned) Dodge minivan.  As a vehicle for hauling expensive sports stuff (mtn bikes), a minivan is hard to beat.  It can pass as a camper, but not very comfortably (especially if the need for inside bike storage is a requirement), so I still want a larger van.  My next "want" is for an EV minivan that is similar in size to the G.C.

I disagree on the E30. I went into ownership with fairly decent BMW experience - ex- had a '97 M3 and an '03 R53 MINI.  I had been told, "you'll love the E30 - it's like a RWD MINI!"  No... No, it's not.  I thought maybe the car I bought just needed some minor freshening, but even after that it still felt rather terrible to drive.   Eventually I would just buy an R53 of my own and I've been happy with that.  For one, the R53 is way easier to work on. 

Datsun 1200. I dismissed them as hideous, ugly ill handling econo cars.

I am on season 33 of racing mine.......it's so much fun to drive.

Many months ago, my wife and I realized we were expecting our third. I, having been in the automotive world most my career have driven nearly everything non-exotic, knew right away I  wanted a Sienna and began the hunt.   She didn't understand, and wasn't really excited about the prospect of a van, continuing to present other vehicles to me. I entertained her by looking at a few for the sake of listening to her opinion.......knowing full well I'd never be on board with anything but a van.  It wasn't until I found our '11 limited that she got it. Priced right, *historically* reliable drivetrain, rear sliding seats, the power doors, widescreen dvd, and the cavernous trunk area, all creating a vehicle specifically designed to make being a parent easier. She watched the kids  easily climb in the low, sliding doors and take their seats. She marveled at the space still remaining to walk, with the kids car seats installed.

 The realization how perfect the van really is for our needs hit her so profoundly I actually watched it in her expression as the moment hit.  I couldn't pry that van from her now no matter what. Tall Gangly Mother trucker #3 is due next month. 

Myself, I've always thought the super truck/SUV trend was stupid. If you want to haul ass, why start with a 6,000lb brick? Terrible fuel economy, expensive consumables, and compromised everything.  There are better ways. But I drove a ML63 AMG. It was awesome. Made me laugh at every smash of the throttle. I get it. Its the gross excess of it all, the ridiculous nature is the appeal.  They are still stupid though. 

gearheadE30 said:

Neon definitely doesn't fit this category for me. I've only driven a few, and they were all "normal" trim levels, but I did not come away impressed.

They might be a hot ticket in the orange cones, but good LORD the rest of the stuff you have to put up with is pretty intense.  The first one I drove was a brand new rental with 126 miles on it.  I quickly discovered that if you went 75 mph instead of 65, the wind noise, tire noise, and engine noise would finally drown out some of the rattles, squeaks, and buzzes from every interior panel.  I had to stop every 100 miles to re-acquaint my bloodflow with my legs, and no matter what I did I couldn't get the seat to be in any position but dowdy, upright, and uncomfortably church-pew.  If you're only going to be in it 2 minutes at a time I can understand.  Might be a great AutoX ride, but otherwise not for me.

Ironically, my DDs at the time were a 74 Ford Maverick and a 73 Impala wagon... and the minty-fresh '05 Neon was a step in the less-desirable direction.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

A 2nd gen automatic is no basis for comparison. A 1st gen manual was a very enjoyable car, even on long trips. They were quick, handled well, and got 40mpg. They even felt reasonably well built, when new at least.

In reply to dculberson :

Not sure if I've ever driven a first-gen.  The one I drove just seemed as if they cranked it out with zero attention to design, engineering, or anything other than "we can legally call it a car."

It was also so much more than auto/manual.  I wasn't trying to judge the performance (edit: actually I wasn't judging any of the perfromance aspects) of the base model against a more capable SRT, it was the "bones" of the car, know what I mean?  Like I'm sure the SRT didn't have a different, quieter dash, or less wind noise.  I can respect a capable track car for two minutes, but I just got the impression that if I were driving an SRT it would still be a rattly, noisy, uncomfortable car... just handle better.

So, I've bitched about the El Camino, and I'll continue to bitch about it

BUT... but... that damn 4.3L V6 ran better half-dead than a decent amount of other vehicles I've known.

Also, not changing my mind in any measure, but I had to drive the truck in to work today, wife had to take the pup in for some UTI diagnosis and treatment.  Despite running on 5 out of 6 cylinders, despite sucking down enough oil to be a two-stroke (literally) it just keeps turning.
I need to treat it better

dculberson said:

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

A 2nd gen automatic is no basis for comparison. A 1st gen manual was a very enjoyable car, even on long trips. They were quick, handled well, and got 40mpg. They even felt reasonably well built, when new at least.

I agree.  Just for clarity's sake, my favorable comments regarding the Neon were based on my experience with the first gen manual DOHC.  I have never driven a 2nd gen.

This happened to me last year, looking for a beater to Rallycross.  I was thinking Focus, or GTI or Mini, etc  Local FB Market popped up a ragged out SE-R Spec V.  Looking at standard features, it checked a lot of boxed.  Needed brakes and had more than plenty of rust, but it was cheap.  I thought I would just run it a season at Rallycross and junk it.  I was dailying it to shake down any issues and fell in love.  The car is nimble, quick, gets 25+mpg, and parts are DIRT cheap!!  We started our secinnd season of Rallycross this spring.  I'm only sad that this one is so worn out.  

E28 M5. Why oh why did prices for those have to go to the sky? If values had stayed around 10 to 12k I would have sold the Corolla and drove the BMW for the next decade in the rain and snow like I did the first 6 years of ownership. When word got to me about the value going up it became precious. I drove it 3000 miles in the last three years I owned it, and only 500 of those in the last year. It was time to let it go and I did. I have to say, it was the most raw and visceral car to drive I have ever driven. That includes Mustang Cobras and 3rd gen supra turbos and V8 Camaros and MR-2s and everything else. I always felt that it was one of those cars that everyone should have the opportunity to drive. Then everyone would understand why we love cars. I bought back in to the 2 wheel world after selling it. If I had kept it I would have bought a cheaper bike. Funny thing is I don't miss it. I am glad to have owned it for a decade. Now the Corolla I should have sold resides for big grocery day and deep winter duty and I see no reason to get rid of the Corolla I have owned 21 years and is one of the most fun cars I have ever owned. That's right. Grandpa's secret 4 door sports car.

My father was a Ford man. As soon as I was out of the house I drove GM products. Fresh out of the Air Force in 1968, my first job as a mechanic working on British, French and Italian cars introduced me to the world of foreign cars. We shared the shop with the Dodge, Plymouth, Chrysler and Imperial, American Motors and Jeep mechanics. I would work on some of these occasionally.  It was normal for new cars (both foreign and domestic) to be brought back for adjustments and repairs after a short time. Repair orders of 1-2 pages of complaints were common with some as high as 4-6 (we called them books). Between 68 and 76 I purchased 5 new cars: 68 GTO, 73 Blazer, 75 Trans Am, 76 Honda Accord and a 77 Blazer. All of the domestics had to go back to the dealer for warranty adjustments and repairs. The Honda Accord was first introduced here in 1976. A 2 dr hatch with 5 speed manual for $3995. We put our names on the waiting list (2nd fuel crisis). After months of waiting, we picked it up and drove it. Took it in the to dealer for required 1000 mile service for oil and filter and never had a problem. We bought 2 more Accord in the next 10 years and switched to Preludes for another 10 years.

Ford Courier (Mazda pickup), daily driver for several years and passed on to son. Lack of mechanical/electrical issues led me to purchase a 323, 626, NA and NB, a 3 and a CX5.

I worked at a sign shop in Orlando in 2006. We had 4 major hurricanes in a span of 5 weeks. It was brutal, but it was also a good time to be in the sign business. after the storms a small business owner came in needing a pair of his signs replaced. explaining that his insurance was screwing him over and he didn't have much money. But he did have a car he could trade.

He gave us a '98 Chevy Metro 3 cylinder 5-speed hatch. Being car guys with fast or interesting cars we scoffed at it, but it was a little economic hatch back car that we could use for bombing the mile back and forth between the storefront and the production shop. We covered it with vinyl and just drove it like we hated it, because who cares. it's the worst car on earth and it was free, but it never gave up.

Within 6 months, everybody that worked there had bought one. Mine was an '89 speed that we stuck a firefly turbo on. They are just awesome little cars.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

The first generation Neon is a hoot to drive - always ready to play, like a puppy, especially with a manual transmission.  The 31TH auto is, well, a 40-year-old 3 speed automatic.  But even that doesn't dampen the enthusiasm of the chassis too much.  It dosn't even have to be an ACR.

Reviewers complained about how boisterous the chassis was, and dinged the first-gen for being noisy and firm.  Chrysler took the criticism very seriously and tried to make the second-gen softer and more mature.  It promptly got panned by the same critics for not being any fun to drive.  Well, DUH.  This was not a car designed for the BMW pricepoint.  You're not getting both fun and smooth for this MSRP.

So Chrysler said 'berk it' after the first couple years of the second-gen and just concentrated on making them cheap.

I had two Neons, both '95s.  The first was a loaded Sport with an auto, which I gave to DW when I bought my '95 stripped ACR in '99.  We kept the pair until 2004 when the Sport died in a flood.  I sold the ACR in 2006 when I wanted something a little nicer.

Fiat X1/9....When they were new cars I hated them. Worked on them for a living, and the engine bay is plain difficult. Stopped working on daily drivers not long after the 5 speed and injected cars came out and was out of contact for a decade. Then in 1992 I needed a car to do lead follow for a full day at Bridgehampton. Cheapest race prepped rental I could come up with was a rough looking X1/9.  70 laps later I was shopping, sort of half heartedly, but the memory stuck. In 2004 I had an insurance payout from 2 Volvos in a flood. I only replaced 1 Volvo. The X1/9 I bought then was amazing entertainment and transport for 80,000 miles, and just recently has been replaced with another. The engine bay is still difficult, but you don't need to go in all that often, and the rest of the car  (well, except the window regulators) is super simple, and parts are rediculously inexpensive.

Duke said:

The first generation Neon is a hoot to drive - always ready to play, like a puppy, especially with a manual transmission.

Based on what I'd read and heard that was what I was expecting.  So when a local dealer got one in I wasted no time in test driving it. That power in that platform should have been exactly what I was looking for but it wasn't. It's too bad because I really wanted to like it but it just felt flat to me. So driving it changed my mind but not in a good way.

First time I drove an RX-8, I was in love within the first 100 feet. 

I grew up in a die hard GM household. I worked at various Chevy dealers while in high school/college.  I was told imports were sub-par. Cue the GM collapse of 2008 and I find myself working at a Honda dealership. I have my ego that American cars are better. I sit and ride in an S2000 in my first day on the job at Honda. I'm in love. I start wrenching on them and I'm like "Wait you don't need SAE and Metric sized tools to work on these? And things are well engineered (for the most part)?" I've never even considered buying a GM since. 

I also never got the hype around Toyota trucks/suvs. A few years back I needed a body on frame 1500 in a pinch. I bought my 01 Sequoia from the original owner and it was in the Toyota beige on beige on beige package. 4 years and 100k miles later and I absolutely love this thing and will never get rid of it. 90% of it is easy to work on and makes sense and is fairly cheap to fix. The other 10% is manageable. Plus it doesn't feel like a monstrosity that modern trucks do when you hop inside. 

I've always appreciated Corvettes, but never really thought about wanting one. Of course that was until Wally let me use his 08 Z06 this past weekend. It has some mods, and is just stupid fast, and fun. On top of this you can drive it like a normal car such as a Camry if you want. I've never experienced the Jekyll and Hyde that this car offers. 

Thank you, Wally.