I don't care what anyone thinks, I whole heartedly believe that The Sixth Generation Toyota Celica and the pre-facelift SN-95 Mustang are some of the best looking sports cars to come out of the '90s. Even when they're faded, busted up, and rotting in someone's back yard, I still think they got lines to admire. "But buteos," you interject. "What about the NA Miata? That car holds up really well too!" You're right. It does. It truly, truly does. But it came out in 1989, so technically, it's an '80s car. Maybe you disagree that that's a disqualifier, and that's okay. I think we can all agree that The Fourth Gen Camaro looks ugly and GM should write us an apology letter for green lighting that design. Got a new phone recently. Another flip phone. Somehow in the effort to try to copy the phone book from my old phone over to my new phone, the SD Card got corrupted. So now I have to copy everything over manually. It's a chore, but I'm okay with that. Interestingly enough, when I "downgraded" from a smartphone to a flip phone a few years back, the people at the phone store had zero poker face and were kind of baffled that I was making that choice. This time around though, they seemed to be pretty enthusiastic about getting me all taken care of and they all actually thought both the old phone I was getting rid of and the new phone I was getting were pretty nifty. Either they have different attitudes towards ludite tech, or they have much better poker faces. I think maybe the second, but I still appreciate it, it made for a more comfortable buying experience.
I must be older than you. Because holy crap I hated the "marshmallow curves" design trend that you seem to have loved. I honestly can't see any difference between the Fourth Gen Camaro you despise and the Mustang you revere. And that Celica was just the most ridiculous thing I'd ever seen... I thought the design had gotten melted in the oven, and nobody bothered to fix the droopyness. Born in the 60's, I came into cars in the 1970's, so my idea of the perfect cars was way pointier. The Dodge Dart is still the one I'd do almost anything for today. My grandmother drove this very model - same color and everything - and there was a chance it would go to me. But I already had a car when she stopped driving, and my cousin didn't, so she got it, and destroyed it in a year. Despite being brought up in the 70's with a Dad who was a (retired) race car driver, the muscle cars weren't my thing. My first car - and it was AWESOME - was the GMC Jimmy. It was better than the Chevy Blazer in every functional way... but just didn't get the cachet that the Blazer did. The back seat was raised 4 inches, so the people in the back had a GREAT view. The tailgate and rear window worked better (and more reliably) than the Blazer. The top came off more easily - and more importantly, it went back ON better, and reformed a watertight seal between the removable top and cab, unlike the Blazer which would leak. There's a photo of me somewhere from High School, where I am sitting inside the engine compartment, ass on the radiator, feet on the opposite wheel wells, adjusting the carbs or whatever. There was plenty of room to work under the hood, and everything just made sense in there. When I blew up the original 350, we dropped in a 400 ci engine, and it just got better. Oh. And after I moved out and got married, my wife had a Mazda Miata that was an amazing little vehicle, and I'd have another one in a second. No question at all. Finally, we agree on the Nissan 300zx. The Z32 model was kleinbl00's Porsche, but done RIGHT. Every line is perfect on that 300zx, while the Porsche always looked... odd to me. I hope never to ever drive the 300zx, because it can't match up to my idolization of it. Nowadays, I am utterly thrilled with my Chevy Volt. Haven't used any gas since, like February, and the batteries are getting better and better. My model - the 2015 Volt Premier in white - is the epitome of the Volt design. The other models - Gen2 specifically - have some klunker elements that just gak the design, like the black trunk lid, or non-contrasting interior colors. (The contrast colors look amazing.) But mine looks like it came directly out of the Apple design studio that built the original iPod. It's gorgeous./stories/2013/10/19114588-700-0.jpg)
I am saving this comment to succinctly discount any aesthetic choice you champion at any point in the near or distant future. mmmmmmmmmdelicious. Me and my done-wrong Porsche aren't even offended because you had a damn MGB GT in the carport and you're here pining after a - say it with me - Dodge Dart.The Dodge Dart is still the one I'd do almost anything for today.
Something about that ridge down the front fenders, the grille, and the bench front seat. Oh, and that straight-6 motor. I also love the way it sits... a little tall... a little proud... And I'm not saying anything about your lovely little Porsche that you didn't already know...! :-)
Slant 6 love is the QAnon of car fandom. It's a joke that grew out-of-hand and became a cult. And I mean... I made fun of friends with Ford Mavericks. You could get those with V8s. I made fun of friends with AMC Javelins which, in retrospect, wasn't a wretched car. I had a friend with a Pacer - he wasn't entirely rational and it was best to let it be. And I was saddled with a Falcon Futura, one of the least-appealing deathtraps to emerge from Detroit. But do please go on. I would love to see an image of your platonic ideal of Dodge Dart. Remember, this is for posterity.
That straight-6 in the Dart is just a good engine to work on. Simple, straightforward, ubiquitous parts, aftermarket upgrades galore, reliable, and can be worked on with basic hand tools. A good friend of mine in high school had the Dodge Dart Swinger, and we were always monkeying with it... and no matter what we screwed up, the engine forgave us, told us what we did wrong, and let us fix it before blowing up anything expensive. I just have an affection for that motor....
This is true of literally every American V8 made between 1948 and 1990 with the notable exception of the Cadillac 8-6-4. Clearly. So long as we both agree that it doesn't make it objectively good.That straight-6 in the Dart is just a good engine to work on. Simple, straightforward, ubiquitous parts, aftermarket upgrades galore, reliable, and can be worked on with basic hand tools.
I just have an affection for that motor....
The 305 in my El Camino ran like a top. The alternator, distributor, radiator, and a bunch of other do-hickies on the other hand . . . Project cars are money pits. I know this. That said The Tercel sold for less than three grand. If there wasn't an impending economic apocalypse, that's a pretty decent starting point leaving enough financial room to make a mistake or two.
Thee and me will never have to compete for cars, clearly. Gen4 Camaro is best camaro. Which, admittedly, isn't saying a lot. In the land of "affordable" the best sports cars of the '90s are the Gen3 RX7 and the Gen2 MR2. In the land of utterly unaffordable sports cars of the '90s, you've got the Diablo, the McLaren F1 and the shoulda-been-a-contender Jaguar XJR220.
I owned an 02 base model firebird, which differed from the base Camaro by only the headlights and trunk lid not-quite-a-spoiler lip thing. The pop up headlights are a pain, and I kinda hated it because by the time I had it every plastic trim piece was cracking and every rubber hose or seal was rotting. But the firebird's trunk lid was the best thing. Throw a blanket on there, recline against the back window, and it was the perfect spot for watching a meteor shower or fireworks.
There was a time in my life that I wanted a Firebird SO BAD I can't remember which of Edward Abbey's books it was that he suggested any young man willing to trade a vasectomy for a brand new Mustang or Camaro should be given the opportunity. He wasn't wrong but I mean...
I love both the RX7 and MR2 for different reasons, but by '90s pay, they'd be just outside of my budget, much like the Z32 300zx (which like the Miata, came out in '89). Though of the three, I really like the RX7, cause it kind of has these classic '60s/'70s lines on it. I look at it, and it reminds me of the Toyota 2000GT or Jaguar E-Type. It's just got that low roofline, those sleek sidelines, and an engine compartment that really commands your attention. I think what a lot of people don't see, that people who like cars often see, is past the faded paint and dents and rust. I think if a lot of people see a busted Lincoln or Toyota from the '80s drive down the road, they'd say "Whoever thought those cars looked good?" But if they saw the same car, sans dents, fresh paint, new windshield and headlight covers, they'd say "Oh, yeah. That's not bad looking." Well, usually. I mean, does anyone ever think of The Virage when they think of cool, memorable cars?
I drove maybe three of those vintage 300Zs. they were delightful. At one point Road & Track declared it the most beautiful sports car ever made. Thing of it is, though? That vintage put big nerfy plastic bits everywhere. I built a 4x4 TR-7 a good 30 years before "battle wagons" were cool. The only place I could find one in New Mexico was a junkyard that was also the official Aston Martin repair shop for the mountain west; the guy who ran it was a raging drunk who had a number of interesting critters lying about (2 dead Lotus 7s, a Lotus Sprint, a whole bunch of Abarth stuff). Occupying center field was an Aston Martin Lagonda that he had apparently been working on for two and a half years without getting it back to its owner. One of the things I hate about this timeline is the Aston Martin Lagonda I didn't buy in the early 2000s is now a $350k car, despite the fact that everyone acknowledges what an utter and total piece of shit it is.
I mean, does anyone ever think of The Virage when they think of cool, memorable cars?
Yeah man I remember when you could get into an e-jag for less than $20k. They're positively stratospheric now. I think if I were to pick one horrifically-impractical parade float of unreliability from that era it would be the Ferrari Dino 246. Have you ever really thought about how much fun it must have been to have been Roxette? Like being Abba but there's only two of you and you have power chords. Shit. The girl died in December. I guess I have to spend the rest of the day listening to Roxette and dreaming of Ferrari Dinos. PROTIP: if you set your sights on truly unattainable cars, you will never be tempted to murder.
that little Dino is.... cute? it makes me think of those Fiero Ferrari kit cars people assemble. It's awesome in all the right ways. the shot of the jag's mechanical throttle made my heart race. What a beautiful car.I guess I have to spend the rest of the day listening to Roxette and dreaming of Ferrari Dinos.
unattainable cars
I think without the Fiero the kit car industry would have died in '84. SO many different flavors of "almost" are based on that chassis. To me a Dino is a mid-engined sports car that isn't trying too hard. It was supposed to be like the Ferrari Lite of the era; if you truly wanted to go fast, you bought a 365 like a real man. They're stratospherically expensive for what they are, too. 2.4L of Italian unreliability for a mere $250k? Sign me up please! But they're the curviest little creatures. If I could buy one for a tenth what they go for I'd sure think about it.
I've talked with two different people before that both say they regret selling their Acura NSX's about a year or two before the prices sky rocketed. I can't say I have any regrets, but the two special cars I came closest to buying was a used 2003 Mach 1 Mustang that I decided was way too much car for me and the guy at the dealership was overly aggressive in trying to get me to buy it, so I wasn't comfortable and a first generation Toyota Celica on Craigslist that I could have afforded to buy, but it was in no way a practical daily driver and buying it would have emptied my savings account. To this day, I regret selling my El Camino, especially for so cheap, but you know, when rent is due in two days and your roommate at the time is unreliable, you gotta do what you gotta do. I loved that car. It was rusted and ugly and beaten up and barely ever worked, but it was awesome.One of the things I hate about this timeline is the Aston Martin Lagonda I didn't buy in the early 2000s is now a $350k car, despite the fact that everyone acknowledges what an utter and total piece of shit it is.
I was at a trade show in Vegas in 2000 or 2001. That's back when the Imperial Palace still had a "car museum" in their penthouse; it had been a Duesenberg museum and was in the process of converting to a used car lot before the whole thing went away. Up at the top, tucked into a corner, forgotten and ignored, was a Lancia Stratos. This Lancia Stratos. I think they wanted $30k for it, but they said they'd take $25k. Which was definitely more than I could afford, and substantially less than the $475k it went for in 2018, and substantially less than the $1.5m several models went for in 2003-2006. A $25k car bought in 2002 and sold for $475k in 2018 would be a 19x appreciation factor. That used to bug me a bit. Then I bought Ethereum at Frontier and decided that regret never gets you anything. My auto shop teacher had a 1931 Mach 1 with the Boss 429 Hemi in it. It sat there rusting away, year after year. He drove it every day but never did anything about the salt damage. Still breaks my heart.
Why did you have to remind me that this awesome website exists? It fills me with "wants" and "gimmes" and nothing even extreme. I mean, look, at less than $2,000 currently, I really, really want this Toyota Tercel. Dala, baby, this car will fix 2020 for us, I just know it.
The cars I lusted for and couldn't afford, contemporaneously, were modest. A friend's little sister was straight up gifted a Subaru XT Coupe at sixteen while I was running carbs through the dishwasher to try and get my donor RX-4 running. We used to haunt the car lots because it was something to do and there was just something about the perpetually-unattainable Mazda MX3. DOHC 1.8L V6, y'all. A kid showed up at college. His dad had bought him one for graduation. He was a nice enough guy but forever a spoiled brat in my eyes. Another kid in school had a family tradition where Grandma and Grandpa gave them $15k towards the car of their choice the minute they turned 16. I had very carefully calculated that to be more than enough money to buy a 1982 Lotus Esprit and put a Rover/Buick 215ci V8 in it with either a Porsche or ZF transaxle. Fucker bought a Prelude. I drove a '77 Buick that I had purchased for $125 because its oil seal was leaking. Ended up fixing the oil leak and driving the fucking thing because the car the mill was supposed to go into took a whole lot longer without the promised parental support. Another buddy got a cherry '67 Camaro that he wrapped around a lamppost within a month while racing his buddy with the '67 Mustang Fastback that he wrapped around the same lamppost a month later, rebuilt, and wrapped around a different lamppost six months later. Meanwhile the TR-7 I spent forever fixing was eclipsed by a different kid whose dad gave him a choice between an '81 TR8 convertible or a '74 Elan. TR8 was dead in eight months, so he also got the Elan. I probably drive a Porsche convertible to avenge my high school self. I doubt I'm the only one.
I briefly worked with Steve Wozniak in the early 1990's when the NSX first came out. He had one in each color, and two black ones... he said he accidentally bought a second black one because he thought he didn't have one, so he let one of his team drive it every day. Woz was driving me to his office in his favorite NSX, and he'd wired up the car stereo to a cellular radio scanner, and we were driving around listening in to people's cell phone calls... It was surreal. Woz was the most careful, meticulous driver I have ever ridden with. The NSX was completely wasted on him. I've talked with two different people before that both say they regret selling their Acura NSX's about a year or two before the prices sky rocketed.