I have a real fondness for the period of time between 2000 and 2010, which is maybe an odd thing to say given that my experience was book-ended by the 9/11 attacks and a global financial crisis. For all that was bad, it was also a time of listening to The Whitest Boy Alive on my iPod Shuffle en route to a Scrubs viewing party at my friend’s house. It’s when I graduated from high school, went to college, somehow got my dream job, and met the love of my life.
For the first time ever, RADwood is going to have a Millenia class for cars built between 2000 and 2010 (come to RADwood, we’re going to be there!), which hits me hard. This was my heyday! I was excited to hear from Art what he and his team selected to fill this historic first-ever display, and while it was not 90% Volvos as I’d assumed, there are some poignant picks.
Here are just a few of the cars that’ll be appearing, and what makes them particularly representative of that era in time.
The Lexus IS300 SportCross
There has been exactly one Lexus wagon sold in the United States, and that it was sold in the 2000s is a sign that the decade that brought us The O.C. also was able to produce a car that fulfilled a lot of enthusiast desires.
The IS was already a car that caught my attention, thanks in no small part to the Altezza-style (since this was the Altezza in Japan) taillights. Lexus was a pioneer of the clear-framed rear lights that suddenly became a hallmark of the era, like low rise jeans or butterfly tramp stamps. With an engine upfront driving the wheels in the back, it’s no surprise that the car was the work of Nobuaki Katayama, who also made a little car called the AE86.
Did I mention it came with a naturally-aspirated version of the 2JZ-GTE motor found in the MkIV Supra?
With its steeply raked d-pillar and narrow little trysail of a window added on, the SportCross barely even qualifies as a wagon. I feel a thrill every time I see one, though, and the only real downside of the IS was that only the sedan was available with a stick shift.
2000 Mitsubishi Evo VI Tommi Mäkinen
While Subaru had realized first that Americans would buy a rally-inspired car even if they didn’t know or car about rally racing, it took only took Mitsubishi a couple of years to decide that it wouldn’t be too hard to sell their own Evo in the United States.
This means that we missed out on a few special editions (I-VII). The designation of the most desirable Evo is probably something hotly debated in Mitsubishi circles, but I remember being obsessed with the performance and aesthetics of the EVO VI, and the Tommi Mäkinen Edition is the special edition version of that, so you could make an argument this is the one to have.
Some of this is just simply because we didn’t have them in the United States (we would get the Evo VIII), but the idea of having a car named after Finnish rally hero Tommi Mäkinen that looks remarkably like the actual race car is just too appealing.
997.1 Porsche 911 Turbo
The Porsche 911 is one of the few cars that has been built continuously for decades and never had a bad year. Is there a best, year, though? I’m a sucker for a 997 911, which combines the power of a modern water-cooled flat-six with the old-school, high-feel steering of classic 911s.
This isn’t to say I don’t adore a modern 911 Turbo, because I do. It’s the modern supercar of choice for me, in that it combines incredible performance with a low-key aesthetic and extreme livability. The 997 Turbo, though, might be the ultimate sweet spot between the feeling of utter power in the past and the 911 Turbos new turn towards a more luxury experience.
If you’re going to have one European high performance vehicle to represent the era, it’ll have to be the E46 M3 (don’t worry, there will be one there, too). It is the video game/poster/dream car for many people who grew up listening to and/or avoiding Nu Metal, and still remains maybe the best M3.
If you’re going to have two, though, I think a 997 Porsche is a no-brainer, and the 997.1 Turbo is the ultimate version (if you’re going to ask, and it sounds like you’re going to ask, a 997.2 GTS is the one I’d want).
What Says The 2000s To You?
Honestly, there are so many good ways to go. If you lived through the era (even if you were smol), what is the vehicle that stands out in your mind? What’s the most Milennia-coded car you can think of? If you’re anywhere near the Bay Area this weekend you can get a free ticket and join us at the event and see if your ideal car showed up!
Top photo:
GMT800 Escalade
G8 GT, but I won’t be there.
2000s was the era of the big honkin SUV, then 2008 hit and it was now the Prius era.
Would love to see
Excursion, with the 7mpg v10 option
2nd gen Escalade, poster child for “bling bling”
GMT800 2500 Suburban. Black, the one all the G-men drove around in. It was probably armored and some had a mini gun from a helicopter that popped out of the roof.
Parked next to that should be a 1st gen Honda Insight, 2nd gen Prius and a TDI VW, maybe a new Beetle.
Oh and there should be a Pontiac section, 2002ish Grand Prix GTP, Trans Am Ws6, GTO, G8, white G6(AND YOU GET A CAR!!!!) and a 1st gen Vibe. I miss Pontiac, even the ribbed for your pleasure Grand Am
996, 360, db7, termi mustang, c5 vette, h2, gmt 800s, excursion, svt lightning, panthers, e46, b5 s4, Acura TL/CL, EK9 Civic, w220
I could go on but man the 00s is easily the best “modern” generation of cars
Scrolled through two pages of comments looking for someone who said the Contour SVT just so I could like it and move on with my day.
I’d say the Contour SVT is a Radwood car, since they were mostly produced in the 90s. 98, 99, 00.
If we’re doing the 2000s category, I’m bringing the Excursion. Big-ass SUVs were a hallmark of the decade.
I spent the early 2000’s driving Proton Gen2s that had an almost 2CV-like ability to survive constant thrashing, but much, much faster. Still not actually fast though. The 1.3/1.6 was my first Lotus Engineering project.
Shortly after that came the S2 Exige supercharger project, and the 2ZZ engined Elise and 2-Eleven.
One of each of those would be a great 4 car 2000’s garage. Plus an Evora for when you have to take three passengers but really hate two of them.
The 2-Eleven seems the most California Radwood choice.
The Proton is more of a Festival of the Unexceptional choice.
C5-C6 Corvette. I have a core memory from childhood where my dad pointed at a black C5 Corvette at an intersection, and said “Look, there’s a sports car!” I asked what a sports car was, and he told me it was like a race car, but for the road, and had nothing to do with sports (this was a relief, as I hated sports).
I’ve been obsessed with cars since I was 6 months old, and I had known about race cars up to that point, but that was the first time I remember being aware that there were fast cars similar to race cars which you could actually see out on the road, and the shape of that car made such an impression on me that I can identify it from memory as a C5 Corvette… or maybe an FD RX-7, it was a long time ago, but I’m about 90% certain it was a Corvette.
In addition to that, someone gave me a book of all the Corvette generations up to C6 when I was a kid, I had a snap-together scale model of a teal C5 Corvette, and a knockoff transformers toy which transformed into a blue C5 Corvette. And someone who works at the church within view of my childhood home has commuted there in a red C5 Corvette every day for as long as I can remember. Just an ever-present 2000s car shape from my childhood.
The other cars that symbolize the 2000s to me were PT Cruisers (there were a ton of them around, and they certainly stand out) and late-model Ford Econoline vans, specifically because those vans were used by our church to transport kids to annual summer and winter camps, so I remember being crammed into those things and spending hours on end joking around with friends until we reached our destination. Fun fact about those: The hubcap design features 7 fake plastic lug nuts, while the actual steelies underneath are 8-lug wheels, and this discrepancy will never cease to baffle and mildly infuriate me. Why do the hubcaps have 7 lugs instead of 8? Why do they even HAVE fake lug nuts? We may never know…
Really hope they hold another event in the Midwest so I can bring our new (to us) 01 Vehicross.
Other aughts models that ought to be there:
Acura RSX Type-S
Isuzu Axiom
Isuzu VehiCross
Chevy Avalanche (WITH cladding)
Saab 9-3 (Viggen?)
Toyota Celica
Lexus LX 470
Lexus RX 400h (first electrified luxury car)
Chrysler Sebring Convertible (a true relic of a bygone era)
Honda Element
Subaru Baja
Jeep Commander
Scion xB
The list goes on! Was 2004 peak automotive industry?!
I don’t know about peak automotive industry, but there’s a lot for enthusiasts to love. While I love the cars of the 80s and 90s, the 2000s started to offer a lot more of what those cars couldn’t – safety. Electronics started to become more prevalent, but enthusiasts with a good OBD2 scan tool can read and clear what they need to. A service manual could still be a book instead of a five volume tome.
Late 90s early 2000s is my favorite time of cars, BMW E46 is the best of 3 series and Audi TT for its design, both made late 90s but for me they represent this era.
The H2 is total 2000s for me.
The Bangle Bimmers scream ’00s to me. Seemed like they ushered in a new age for cars.
(I didn’t say that new age was good)
Such a good answer.
Bonus points if it’s got a built-in phone.
I suppose technically my wagon is a year too new, but the model debuted in 2006 – close enough? BMW 328i wagon in proper RWD/6spd form.
And since mine is the best one BMW ever built, they badged it 328! at the factory. Extra Radpoints? https://flic.kr/p/2mjy4Cj
Well I’m officially old now I think. So many great cars from this era but I’m biased by growing up during it of course.
Saab 9-3 Viggen… keeping it weird…
Good choice!
Well I’d bring my 03 Maraduers, 04 T-Bird representing two types of retro. For the future forward 00’s, with its IRS, Tall spindle coil over IFS and full time AWD how about an 03 Mountaineer, but it is also some old school charm with its V8, and full frame RWD archetecture.
The final era of Mercury is so 2000s.
Too bad I no longer have my ’87 Quantum Syncro. Though I do know where it is currently parked. They probably would have rejected it anyway.
Honda had some bangers in the 00s.
Element. S2000. Civic si egg. Even the crv of the time has a good look.
Also Fit.
I want to see some freshly importable Renaults:
-Avantime
-Clio V6
-Sport Spider
A Morgan Aero of some sort or some oddball ‘90s Astons would be cool too, plus maybe some Panoz cars or a Qvale Mangusta, which has local roots.
2000-2010 for me is peek car for DIYers. The technological revolution of the ‘80-90s was well-sorted, with reliable / efficient / powerful fuel injection, turbos, and computers. OBD2 makes troubleshooting simpler. Rust proofing was better. Safety tech was pretty good.
Manufacturers were still willing to take some big swings (Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and S2000, Sky & Solstice, etc).
Plymouth, Mercury, Saturn, Oldsmobile & Pontiac were still there for at least some of the party.
Cars were sophisticated enough, yet still simple enough to be user serviceable. Mmm, the good ol’ days.
I definitely think reactive safety was then as good as it’s gonna get for awhile. Airbags, ABS, traction control coupled with seatbelts were relatively simple but reliable tech that won’t be really improved on for a bit I think.
I agree, manufactures weren’t afraid to take some risks and do niche and retro inspired vehicles. Electronics were at their peak they did the important things like power train and safety but not to the excess and of course everything still had its own button/switch. OBDII of course was sorted and makes DIY repairs and modifications easy.
Geeze, Both of my daily drivers now qualify for Radwood. The 2004 Camry with a 5 speed might even draw a bit of interest.
I don’t know what is worse. Feeling old because not only the cars of my youth are in shows, but now the cars of my present qualify as well. Or it could be wondering what the hell happened that I haven’t had car payments for over 10 years, and that idea of “keep making payments to yourself and you can afford to replace your car with a brand new one!” has turned into needing to use a credit card to put a water pump on one of the ancient cars to get it to run a bit longer.