Most people “get” most cars pretty easily. There are very few economy cars that would be mistaken for luxury and vice-versa; anything sporting or muscular tends to announce itself as such; and trucks gonna truck, even if the truck is something weird like a Hyundai Santa Cruz or a Cybertruck.
Then there are the cars that people didn’t (or don’t) get. The AMC Eagle comes to mind first and foremost, and I can recall my Dad musing with the other car guys in the neighborhood about just what the heck AMC was going for with what time would reveal to be the template for modern crossover SUVs.
Another example might be the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, which certainly looks like a very capable sports car by the standards of the era, but was merely dressed as one. I say “might” because I don’t think customers in significant numbers were confused by the Ghia, and VW’s ad is just an imaginative scenario. But maybe?
As usual, I put the word out to The Team in case they wanted to contribute, and Stephen (of Walter Gossin fame) piped in thusly:
I nominate the second-gen Chrysler Sebring convertible as a much-misunderstood car, especially after it took a massive depreciation hit. Here was an affordable “drophead” with full-fat GT body proportions (check out the length of that quarter panel!) and a handsome, sharp design for its time that was mostly ridiculed throughout its life. The Sebring was designed and launched as a near-lunxury GT-styled convertible with top “Limited” trims going for $30K in ’01, but was misunderstood as just another OK coupe, a mere rental car, nothing special.
Not helping: Having lower spec cars with cloth and cheaper interiors, having many sunshine state rental agencies purchase fleets of them when new, and having some oil sludge issues on the 2.7L v6 (only pre-02 cars – they quietly added a heater EGR and altered some internals (supposedly) to fix the problem doomed them from the start, especially with car culture.
When was the last time you saw one at Cars & Coffee? Or just saw one in general that was in good condition and looking like it isn’t about to head to the local Pick & Pull?
The cloth/canvas tops last about 13-15 years in the sun before starting to deteriorate. This lets moisture into the car, which eventually molds and ruins the interior. You literally have to buy a replacement top, or roll on with a ton of duct tape by age 15. Most of the time, Sebring soft top owners just get rid of the car by then instead of investing $2K into a new top on a $2K car.
And now, I put the question to you:
What Cars Did (or Do) People Just Not Understand?
Top graphic image: AMC
Apparently a lifted CJ-7. I was walking out of a Wal-Mart and there was a woman looking at my Jeep and I heard her say, ‘Whoever owns that is a fool.’
Was she wrong? Maybe it wasn’t the Jeep so much as it’s aura? Maybe she noticed the parking brake cable wasn’t routed correctly?
So many follow up questions
Ironically, it was in a Wal-Mart parking lot…that’s like an open invitation for Jeep insults. Especially if lifted.
Was one front wheel driven up onto a pile of snow?
Was one front wheel driven up onto a pile of snow?
Oh I hope so! That means “hero” not fool..
And they insult lifted Jeeps at Walmart, but not the SUV drivers that get stuck on bollards?
Triumph TR7,
Hm, nothing springs to mind.
I think people really don’t get the new Charger (with the Hurricane engine). Or rather, they don’t get the concept of a full-sized sedan anymore. It’s not meant to compete with the Mustang in weight, handling or performance, because it’s not in the Mustang’s market segment at all. The driver has a ton of space in every direction, there’s zero chance you’ll bump elbows with your passenger, struggle to get a suitcase into the back or have to slide your seat forward because the person in the back seat is cramped, because the car is just huge. If you have tall offspring or feel compelled to cart your in-laws around all the time, there’s nothing with an engine at that price level that can touch it for performance or style.
It’s not a slower, more expensive Mustang pretender, but a faster and cheaper alternative to an Explorer ST.
The FJ Cruiser had Wrangler-y/retro-but-not-cartoony style, off-road chops, and Toyota build quality. People who wanted Wranglers didn’t want a Toyota, and people who wanted Toyotas didn’t want a Wrangler.
IMO the FJ was just a goofy looking, worse 4Runner.
The Mazda5. It was the better choice for 75% of people buying small SUVs that would never leave pavement.
The Buick Regal Tour X. We finally got a European-style wagon in the United States at a reasonable price point with some finer features but noooooooooooo we had to have another crossover and another SUV instead of a glorious, practical wagon.
I still stop and look every time I see one. If I hadn’t just bought a new car (another wagon) before they came out, I absolutely would have picked one up.
And don’t forget that the Regal also had a hatchback option AND a manual!
I was the wagon version the other day and its still a darn good looking car.
I sat in a TourX once, the material quality was abysmal. Maybe it didnt sell, not because people dont want wagons, but because it sucked.
I don’t remember anyone complaining about the Insignia, so was that a Buick-only thing?
I absolutely LOVE the RegalX. Put the late Volvo V90 wagon in that as well, it was a gorgeous car that hardly anyone bought.
I tried to test drive a used one on the way to test driving an Outback (which we bought) and CX5, but the Ford dealership assholes were more interested in the Mustang meet being held in the parking lot.
My biggest beef with the Tour X was that it was only offered with the turbo engine and AWD. It was a good alternative to the Euro wagons (and perhaps the Outback XT), less so if you want something cheaper that gets decent fuel economy.
The Mazda RX8!!
It was priced too low and 15 years too early. If it was sold today, its attributes will be better appreciated. If it was priced higher, it would be treated more like an exotic to be taken to the mountains on special occasions. A 9,000 rpm rotary is one-of-a-kind car that was lost in a crowd of other great cars of the time (when M3 had a V8, and the Cayman wasn’t so numb).
Today, against the backdrop of X4Ms or Model Ys that are so fast, a low-slung momentum car with a very unique engine would be much better appreciated.
I remember Clarkson raving about the RX8 on old Top Gear.
The strange half-doors made a lot of sense, especially compared to a pure two-door, but I do think the looks suffered because of it. It put the RX8 in its own category, and not in a good way for the average car buyer. It might just be one of those vehicles that just didn’t fit the American market as well as it should have.
There’s a job for the Bishop: restyle the RX8 into a 2-door RX7.
I seem to remember an episode where Hammond was raving about it as well. Maybe he bought one for one of their challenges?
I always thought the RX8 looked cool, but the rotary turned me off. Unique doesn’t always mean “good”.
Especially since the rotor seals have a short lifespan.
One of my original points is that, if you price it high enough, engine fragility becomes a feature, not a fault.
The best RX8s are engine swapped RX8s.
It’s a great wrapper for a LS swap.
Sure, depends on what you were looking for. That’s one of my original points though — price it high enough so people don’t try to get Accord miles out of it, then the fragility becomes a feature. For example, the Valkyrie.
I’m going to flip the equation. DaimlerChrysler – really just Daimler but never mind that right now – did not understand Americans.
And lo, the Chrysler Crossfire.
People did not understand the Duryea Motor Wagon. Most thought it was a buggy. “Get a horse!” they said. Now who’s laughing?
2006 Lotus Europa. It’s a slightly more comfortable Elise/Exige coupe that’s easier to get in and out of and has a bigger trunk. A touring Elise/Exige.
Sadly it was launched the year after the Porsche Cayman, which was much, much easier to get in and out of, but nothing like as engaging to drive. So everyone (apart from 458 heroes) who wanted something slightly easier to live with just bought one of those instead.
Well but also it looked like something people sell breakfast tacos out of in parking lots.
I’m not talking about the original Europa that looked like an elephant sat on a van, but the 2006 one.
There was a BRG Twin Cam (or maybe it was a Special) in my neighborhood back in the mid-70s and personally I thought it looked pretty cool.
O yeah my bad lol. Sorry, I should have read your whole post I’ve only seen that old Europa.
What car is people not understand?
About 1/2 the cars that GM canceled right as they were getting good.
From the Corvair to the Fiero to the Volt to the Aztek and a 1/2 dozen other cars that were too far ahead of their time.
I confidently say that a 2020’s version of the Aztec would sell like mad.
It was the original off-roady crossover. Just about 2 decades too early. The plastic cladding it had is no worse than what you’ll see on some new Subarus.
It’s not just the plastic cladding.
Hell, a 2005 version of the unmolested concept car would sell like mad in 2005, if the public had gotten ahold of it before the GM bean counters did.
I came here to nominate the Pontiac Fiero – not as a car that the American public didn’t get, but one of many on the long list you suggest that the American public got, but somehow GM didn’t.
5th and pre-facelift 6th gen Camaro. Basically street legal race cars.
82-84 Dodge Rampage L Body pickup truck. Real half ton payload rating and handling that was pretty good for the time on smooth roads. Mini El Camino with sporty styling. Just never understood by the buyers of the time , with its shorter bed length, it previewed the short bed length that are accepted and common now with 4 door pickups. It’s a shame the 84 styling and interior design update wasn’t given a chance by Chrysler to last till 87.
Yeah, it does suck that the updated styling on the Rampage only lasted one more year. If it had stuck on through to 87, we might have actually seen a Shelby Rampage with the full turbo engine and suspension tweaks. Maybe even a Shelby GLHS-T?
The thought of a Shelby Rampage made me laugh out loud. Thanks.
The bed is significantly narrower than a full size truck bed.
I hauled full size sheets of plywood (6) inside the bed walls sitting on the top of the inner wheel wells in mine for a friend from a Lowe hardware store, the width of the pickup bed was designed to just accommodate the sheets width. The shorter length meant they were laying on top of the tailgate sticking out past the rear bumper, red flag ???? attached to the exposed plywood edges, so they angled upwards from the floor of the bed at the cab wall, over the wheel well and over the raised tailgate. I didn’t have any 2×4 wood bracing to level it out with the tailgate down at the time. Used the Prospector trim package chrome bed tie down brackets to secure them from shifting. Wasn’t fast with the plywood load, but drove ok.
It’s also significantly lower. Much easier to load things like a lawn tractor.
And with the front wheel drive, no rear axel differential, just a solid beam axel on leaf springs, so the depth of the bed floor was 4” to 6” deeper than the equivalent at the time rear wheel drive S10/Ranger/Toyota/Nissan mini trucks
I do miss my 84 Rampage, but not the carburetor wear issues, always thought transplanting a 88-90 efi engine and wiring from a 4door Omni/Horizan, (from the dashboard forward the two door chassis is the same as the 4door except for the windshield angle), and with a 90 model you could have a driver’s side air bag along with a 5 speed manual. Now I just need to pick the right lottery numbers to make it happen.
Not just 1987, stick a Shadow grille and headlights into the nose and go to 1994 with it.
VW Type 4: Looked like a dopey old sixties Type 3, but had basicly all new technology and shared engine with the Porsche 914.
The “411” designation was said to stand for “4 doors, 11 years late”.
Off the top of my head, those three:
– Toyota iQ
– Audi A2
– Fiat Multipla
They all share the same traits, behind the odd or funky exterior all share very clever packaging and / or engineering. And the three were complete sales flops for their respective manufacturers.
Strong second on the iQ
The Subaru SVX. The main problem was people went “ooo japanese 2 door” and lumped it in with the Supra, RX7, 3000GT, 300ZX, etc. All of those cars had high perf turbo versions, and the SVX did not. All of them came with manual tranmissions, the SVX did not.
Now, I’m not going to say that the SVX is “better” than those cars…. BUT.
Basically, people were taking Subaru’s flagship as a sports car, which it is not. It is a grand touring car. I hit 143 mph in my old SVX (forever ago in south dakota somewhere) and it was still climbing, it topped out at 155mph. It was GREAT at high speed long distance driving, NOT canyon carving or race tracks.
I still miss that car sometimes, it was a really really really good car. It just was NOT what people tended to think it was.
I thought the price was what really did those in?
Guess there are quite a few cars that could be mentioned.
For me it’s definetly Audi A2 and VW Lupa, both with the 3L version. A fuel efficient vehicle? Naaah.
BMW 02 touring. Back in the day called the ugliest BMW ever. But this thing was quite a practical car. Foldable seats, flat trunk area.
AMC Pacer, larger car interior volume in a smaller package.
The Jowett Javelin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsV5PMC_Z5M
The best car I ever owned that was never really appreciated (by sales) was a Saab 93 convertible. It seems the majority of America thought it was just a toy and too weird, but OMG, was that a fun car. Always got comments on it’s looks, handled better than any FWD car I’ve ever been in, and would go like the wind when pushed.
I live where my former drive to work had a stretch of about 10 minutes over a twisty 2-lane mountain road that was, to put it simply, fun. Occasionally there’d be some exotic that would end up in front or back of me (and a C6 or 2), that would push like hell when they had a short straight, but couldn’t push it through the turns. So I would ride their ass or leave them behind in the 93. The looks I got and the hand signs showed they respected what the 83 could do.
Maybe it was I knew the road, which was every bump, but that car gave so much satisfaction, I never understood why the general public ignored these cars.
Had a clerical error, it was a 93 turbo I’ll never forget.
The Saab 93 was a three-cylinder two-stroke sedan that did not come as a convertible. Did you mean Saab 9-3?
“it doesn’t have to start every time..”
No you’re right, forgot the dash. That’s what I get writing late at night.
They were quite expensive when new… enough so that you could just buy a BMW 3 series convertible instead. We talked our son into buying a used 9-3 for his first car. Still has it; we all love driving it. In 2006 the sticker was in the high $40k range.
The BMW Z3 coupe fell through the cracks when it debuted, people just didn’t appreciate the quirky shape. Once enough years had passed it was like the wallflower girl in high school you never really noticed becoming the radiant and beautiful woman who took your breath away at the reunion.
Except that unlike my bad analogy, the car didn’t change; everyone’s perception of it did.
Ferrari Luce
I’d respectfully disagree. A broad consensus understands that it is an expensive turd.
People didn’t understand the Mirage and Spark. Too many idiots, especially so-called “journalists” gave them shit for no reason, comparing them to more expensive cars and expecting them to be like expensive cars, and they also think people shouldn’t be able to afford new cars and should be stuck buying used.
No, a Spark is not as fast as a Corvette or as luxurious as a Lexus, but it doesn’t fucking have to be. Yeah, a Spark SS would’ve been nice, but you know what? The engine it came with is perfectly adequate and economical too. You could even get heated leather seats and a sunroof, and if you want it sporty, a manual transmission too,. It was even available in cool colors 🙂
It’s sad but seemingly part of the American DNA that we’re conditioned to think of small cars as automatically cheap and less desirable. It’s tough to overcome. I’m old enough to have been around for the Japanese car invasion of the 80s, where it was fascinating watching people being genuinely torn between a smaller but demonstrably well built car and a dated piece of indifference that had the virtue of being bigger.
I drove a friend’s 5-speed Mirage a while back.
The journalists were right. The only good thing about it was the mileage, but you could also have just bought a reasonable civic hybrid and done better.
It felt like a throwback from the 90s; reminded me of something like a Ford Aspire. Cheap and unpleasant in every possible way. Not comfortable, not special in any way, not like a Fit where the seats folded to make a ton of room inside. Not good looking, not quirky or desirable. It’s a slow as you would imagine and probably slower. Driving it on the freeway was awful, just felt like riding a blender it vibrated from every surface. When a semi would go past, you’d get tossed all around. For how little it is, you think it might have fun nippy handling. Nope, it goes around corners poorly and the suspension is mushy and dull.
Friend clipped a deer with hers. Took WEEKS to get bumper skin, quarter panel, and other parts because who the hell stocks them?
It was just a cheap crap car for the ultra-cheapskate in your life who loves money and hates cars. For similar money you could have bought several other cars that were far superior and had none of the compromises.
When my friend was car shopping, I sent her a list of thing like A Ford Fiesta ST (or even a regular one), Honda Fit, Civic hatchback, even a Sentra. At the end of my message I added “if you hate life and want everyone else to know it, buy a Mirage”. I have no idea why she bought the fucking thing.
There is nothing to get about these things. They were not competitive when new and they aged poorly.
Completely agreed. There are some cars that are just straight up total penalty shitboxes. To me, some of the worst cars ever made are the Fix Or Repair Daily/Found On Road Dead Aspire, Festiva, Tempo/Topaz, Fairmont, Granada, Pinto, Escort (I’d rather have a real “sexy escort!” ha ha). Chevy Chevette (Shitvette), most K-cars especially the Dodge Aries/Plymouth (Un)Reliant.
Also Geo Metro: Yeah, I know there are Metro fans and fans of all of these…but I’m not and don’t have to be. I don’t have to like every car; we all have different tastes/opinions. Inevitably, there’s always the “well, actually they are good and here’s why”
Well whatever, good for you- I’m glad you like them and they work as a car; I still don’t have to agree/like them. I love most shitboxes/”junky” cars but there are certain ones that are automatically off the table due to being total trash, ha ha
So yes, the Mirage SUCKS!
I owned a ’79 Pinto, have ridden in multiple Escorts and a Tempo, and have driven a Festiva…they were all just fine. I’m surprised you’d consider them to be so bad. Neither was any worse than the ’94 Aerostar my parents had.
The Reliant my parents owned before the Aerostar, though…I think I’m with you on it.
BMW X6 (and any other ‘coupe SUV’). Less practical that the wagon version, and yet more expensive…
The Honda Crosstour was in a category all it’s own…now half of all automakers have a tall slopeback sedan with extra ground clearance.