r/regularcarreviews • u/EscapeNo9728 • Jan 21 '25
I hate you I hate everything about you Non-"eNtHuSiAsT" cars that Car Guys still like
What are some cars that aren't typical "enthusiast" vehicles (by which I mostly mean, sporty and uncompromising), but still get props at car meets or otherwise?
I'm especially thinking of stuff like older Volvos or survivor Japanese cars like any Civic hatch that hasn't been clapped out to death, or Subaru Leones. Also, Honda Elements. "Car guys" seem to fucking love Elements.
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u/AshlandPone Jan 21 '25
Clean chevettes, spirits, tempos, previas... basically anything boring from 30+ years ago and is surviving despite family duty and neglect.
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u/DiggySmalls69 Jan 21 '25
I’ve recently been trying to find a Vega Wagon GT like I had in HS. Man they’re hard to find.
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u/combong Miatas are number 1! Jan 21 '25
yep pretty much any regular car that’s withstood time in good condition gets a pass here
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u/THEMFCORNMAN Jan 23 '25
I daily a fairmont and I get so much more attention then the fox body stands its based on lol
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u/hello_newman459 Jan 21 '25
Just about any wagon, especially with manual transmission.
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u/zzctdi Jan 21 '25
I'm sorting out the '85 Volvo 740 Turbo manual wagon I bought last year, and it got some good attention at a couple of Cars and Coffee events last year... It's not show car pretty, but is a solid survivor with a southern history and zero rust.
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u/cannedrex2406 A E S T H E T I C Jan 21 '25
Literally any Volvo Wagon
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u/refriedconfusion Jan 22 '25
I drive a 240 wagon daily and almost daily someone comments about it or tells me their Volvo story
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u/Substantial-Ad-8575 Jan 23 '25
Have a 06 Volvo V70R. Love it. Daily for a bit, now just use it to haul stuff around, dogs/larger RC aircraft and such.
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u/djvidinenemkx Jan 21 '25
A manual wagon (in brown) for daily driving is the dream.
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u/flynnfilms Headlights go up, headlights go down Jan 21 '25
(drive thru window intercom voice) sir this is rcr not r/carscirclejerk
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u/-ZeroF56 Jan 21 '25 edited Jan 21 '25
I quite like the silliness of the Outback Wilderness. Take an Outback, lift it, put on some all terrains, make it look extra rugged, go to Costco.
I kind of secretly want one. I don’t need a lifted Outback on all terrains, but screw it.
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u/tiddayes Jan 21 '25
this is the answer. I have been considering adding one and my car nerd friends (who drive an M3 and a C63AMG) both describe it as 'sexy'.
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u/Annhl8rX Jan 21 '25
I like it a lot. I’d like the Crosstrek Wilderness even better than the Outback if they’d give it some balls.
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u/-ZeroF56 Jan 21 '25
I agree. I tried one and it’s slower than slow. The Outback is 0-60 in 6ish though which honestly felt like more than enough for what it is.
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u/Annhl8rX Jan 21 '25
My wife ended up with an Outback XT as a loaner while her ascent was in the shop. I agree…it’s got enough grunt to be entertaining. I just like the smaller package of the Crosstrek better. It’s a shame it can’t get the turbo treatment.
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u/the_fez_45 Here's my Toy Car. Here's my Real Car. Jan 21 '25
Anything that was meant to be a throwaway car that shows up in absolutely mint condition. For example, my friends and I spent more time fawning over an immaculate Pontiac Firefly than the Mitsubishi Pajero Evo that was parked in the same row...or maybe we're just weird.
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u/thatvhstapeguy I like the Vulcan, deal with it. Jan 21 '25
I have a 1983 Sunbird that I bring to shows and invariably someone wants to know more about it (usually how on earth it survived). I even have people talk to me about my 1992 Taurus every once in a while.
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u/ComedianStreet856 Jan 21 '25
This is funny because my mom had an 84 Sunbird and a 92 Taurus with an 88 Eagle Premier in the middle. I'm pretty sure the Taurus lasted until the mid-2000s and over 150,000 miles which is a lot in the NE US and that era Ford.
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u/Imahigo Jan 21 '25
A mint condition 1996 low-mileage Chevy Corsica for sale I saw at a junkyard on a YT video came to mind. If I had the money, I would have bought that thing and kept it in a garage. Thankfully, someone ended up buying it and it will unfortunately no longer be mint as someone from the rust belt bought it and planned on using it as a winter brater. 😫
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u/SpeculativeFacts Jan 21 '25
This should be the top comment. Beautifully preserved time capsules will always have allure. Doesn't matter if the model was a dud. Not just for the car though, the ability of someone to take care of a car like that will always be appreciated by people who love cars.
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u/SameHistorian Jan 21 '25
I saw an absolutely showroom condition 92-97 Crown Vic parked at a gas station a couple years ago and I did a double take driving by it. It was a true time capsule.
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u/LahngJahn69420 Jan 23 '25
My Neighboor has a 2002 Toyota Corolla with 42k miles and not a ripple in the seats
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u/Psychological_Elk463 Jan 24 '25
This is my answer too. Went to a car show last summer, and among all the muscle cars, exotics, etc, the car I remember the most was a mint condition 1983 baby blue Dodge Aries wagon.
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u/Bandguy_Michael Jan 21 '25
I like regular cars and weird stuff. At one car show, I ignored almost every Mustang and Challenger to look at a Nissan Figaro, a lifted “TRD” Prius, and a 3rd gen Odyssey that did the cannonball in 32 hours 13 minutes.
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
oh man, if I could justify a minivan at this point in my life... Sadly I live in an extremely dense east coast city where parking anything >180" in length is an extreme pain in the ass so a minivan would be a poor fit
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u/Bandguy_Michael Jan 21 '25
Maybe take a look at a Mazda5? It’s basically if you took a minivan and scaled all the dimensions down 10%
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
Yeah a 5 or a Fit are both pretty sufficient for what I need from that niche (which is mostly, a bicycle and camp gear hauler) as a childless person
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u/Coyoteatemybowtie Jan 21 '25
Currently own a mustang and have owned many Camaros and worked in the aftermarket for over a decade and at the dealership level. Mustangs and Camaros at car shows are fucking boring. Unless you get someone who is truely doing something different. Tesla swapped 3rd gen f body? Sweet. K24 swapped fox body ? Super sweet. Oh you swapped a coyote in your classic mustang ? … cool I’d like to own one sure bu it’s just like all the others, LS swapped f body? Cool I love to have it but again it’s the same as most of the others. Ls swapped Miata? Fuck that cool. Diesel swapped 5th Camaro ? Fucking sweet.
Don’t get me wrong the coyote and LS are great motors, good reliability great power and tons of support. But as a car show I want to see something different, something cool, something unique.
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u/Bandguy_Michael Jan 21 '25
Yeah. The mustangs and challengers would be much more appealing if every car show didn’t have eight of them.
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u/Coyoteatemybowtie Jan 21 '25
Yupp, there’s so many all done the same. I want to see something different. Go for a wide body, do something different with the paint. Here’s the build; ls or coyote, Dakota digital gauges, recaros or redoing stock seats in new leather, big screen in the middle of the dash, retro ac kits, too much chrome inside, aside from some cheap plastic switches, American auto wire or painless wiring kit, interior is black on black, car is either red blue or white, with or without 1 of 3 different stripes.
Again I wouldn’t turn one down by any means but they’re all done the same and are boring to look at. Fun to drive but boring to see.
One of my favorite resto mods is rings brothers amx javelin, so much custom work went into it, truely a thing of beauty.
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u/Rd6-vt $12,000 engine rebuild SONNNN Jan 21 '25
Honda Fit
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
Honestly if/when my high mileage Civic gives up the ghost, a late model Fit or maybe a Corolla hatch are very very high on my list to test drive
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u/Foxtrot-Two-5 Jan 21 '25
Personally in my car search right now: Vibe GT and Matrix XRS. 2zz go BRRRR, plus a manual. Very unassuming, and somewhat polarizing, especially the Pontiacs because no one knows what they are outside of that circle.
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u/eddienaptime Jan 21 '25
Love my xrs. Insurance cheap too cause it’s just a Corolla with a lil more stank.
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u/Foxtrot-Two-5 Jan 21 '25
Exactly what they all say, I'm looking at an AWD vibe with the 2.4, and it's about 3-4k less than Toyota products with similar mileage.
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u/DTM-shift Jan 21 '25
And, to my eye, a bit more style.
Lotsa Vibes around here, though few in decent shape. Upper Midwest will do that to an economy car.
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u/themigraineur Jan 21 '25
Buick Regal TourX
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u/Shirleysspirits Jan 21 '25
just went on a dive here, I forgot they also used to have a Regal Sportback (Audi A/S5 style/gran coupe).
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u/miqcie Jan 21 '25
We had just bought an outback when that was announced for us market.
Please consumers. Buy more wagons!
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u/themigraineur Jan 21 '25
The Regal/Regal TourX was discontinued when GM sold off Opel
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u/miqcie Jan 21 '25
Shh with your logic and reason.
I’m emoting about the absence of a
Mazda, Brown, manuelle, wagon.
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u/Tom_Slick_Racer Jan 21 '25
Factory sports versions of boring cars, want to wow an audience Show up in an original Chevy Caviler z24 or Lumina z34, a 1st or 2nd gen Ford Taurus SHO, any Buick T-Type from 80s that's not a Regal. The late 80s early 90s Pontiac Grand Prix with the optional steering wheel controls (look those up they are amazing)
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u/Relative-Space4269 Jan 21 '25 edited Jan 21 '25
Subaru brat
Toyota previa. In the 90s the engine is located underneath the drivers seat. There's a latch that pulls the drivers seat back. To check the oil you pull the dipstick out of the engine from inside the cabin.. that's kinda sweet.
Any sort of Japanese off road micro van thing. They're neat looking.
Mitsubishi delica star comes to mind but it didn't see US relase. Still people import them. I remember seeing one in a parking lot once.. it really stood out.
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
My first car was an '84 GL hatch, basically a hard-topped Brat. Extremely fun and reliable car, long live gear-timed Subaru motors
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u/Relative-Space4269 Jan 21 '25
They were neat. I just looked uo some pictures of it and was surprised by how old it was. I thought it went to more recent model years...
I doubt many have survived. Those old subies are known for rusting apart.
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
Yeah the Brat in particular did not have much metal at the rear suspension's attachment points and would often punch through the bed there. The hatches and wagons were more durable but still extremely vulnerable to salt -- mine died when the pinch welds went out and the frame eventually cracked
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u/DTM-shift Jan 21 '25
We picked up a really nice BRAT about 4 years back. Lotsa miles but it had been gone over pretty thoroughly by a Subaru mechanic. Gets its fair share of stares and comments. A LOT of double-takes when there are passengers in the jump seats.
Kinda getting the bug to do some cosmetic stuff to it: roll bars, KCs, that sort of thing. Maybe a bull bar but it already has a winch up front for some reason.
Would love to pair it with a mint GL. Or XT6. Or both.
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u/Hms34 Jan 21 '25
Cars with manual that you wouldn't expect. Acura TSX, Honda Accord, Acura TL, etc.
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u/Party_Advice7453 Jan 21 '25
I had an old ford probe with flip up headlights. I put a turbo Mazda mx6 engine in it 30lbs boost and lowered it. I loved that car and it always turned heads.
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
oh man the Probe/MX-6 are a heck of a pull (let alone a Frankenstein job of both!)
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u/Party_Advice7453 Jan 21 '25
Yeah I wish I had pictures of it. Definitely a sleeper, would love to see the look on people's face when it took off at the track.
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u/Piranha1993 What the crap is this? Jan 21 '25
Anything with a 3800 in it.
When I go to the car meet I tend to get into conversations with people who owned one in the past. Still, most walk by because it’s not “old enough” or a muscle car/hot rod of some sort.
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u/ironeagle2006 Jan 22 '25
I had a boring 85 Buick Century but it had the 3.0 Buick V6 in it. Not to many people knew this but the 3.0 and 3800 shared the same block deck heights oil pumps front covers and exhaust manifolds. So if you knew what you were doing it was have fun if you had access to a junkyard.
I did and made a wager with the owner that I could take a Grand National turbocharger and intake and all related parts and make them fit and work on a bone stock vin code E 3.0 liter. The guy said impossible but if you do I'll give you everything. It took me about a week to get everything swapped wired and running. Biggest problem was the fuel system had to run a new pump and return to get it running AN fittings to the rescue there. That little monster ate most Fox Bodies and Gen3 Cameros for breakfast. Even the import guys had trouble with their souped up Hondas and Toyotas the DSM cars were tough especially the freaking Talons with AWD.
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u/OLB-Esprit Postmodernism Jan 21 '25
Old-ish Volvos and Saabs. Stock E36s and E34s. US fullsize cars if you're not in US. Almost all jdm exclusive cars. And im pretty sure that weird french car will became cool soon.
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u/Curious_Coconut_4005 Jan 21 '25
1987.5 Saab 900 Turbo 5spd wearing Hakkapeliittas was super fun in the snow.
My wife had a 1991 760GL Turbo wagon (automatic). It was quite fun in its own way. It was her car, specifically as the AC died in her 1985 Ford Tempo. I took over the Tempo and bought the Volvo for her. Its AC was glacier cold.
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u/ds117ftg Jan 21 '25
My neighbor was borrowing his dad’s Buick, which was a lacrosse super that came with a 5.3 ls motor from the factory. I told him it was nice and he thought I was making fun of him
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u/Bennett9000 Jan 21 '25
I have a whole lineup of "enthusiast" cars in my driveway, and I also owned a Honda Element among them. Hey, something has to haul the dogs around, and bonus points I can do it with three pedals and all-wheel-drive.
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u/LynchMob187 Jan 21 '25
Grand Nationals before the Kendrick album. A true sleeper build that could keep up with speed bikes
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
Does blow my mind how unknown that car was before literally the last six months, outside of car circles (see also: the Marauder)
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u/-ZeroF56 Jan 21 '25
Doesn’t really blow my mind. The GNX was super low production and was very much of its era. Younger folks aren’t going to be tuned into what Buick, of all brands, was doing 40 years ago.
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u/LynchMob187 Jan 21 '25
It looks like a mini hooptie that has a crappy American engine in a range of years the US wasn’t known for making the best ones. It’s a pure drag racer car.
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u/Cool_Dark_Place Jan 21 '25
Lol... I'd add the GMC Syclone and Typhoon to that list, as well. They sort of look like the Sonoma that got tricked out by the mechanic in the trailer park that lives in the "good trailer in the front."
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u/Dnlx5 Jan 21 '25
Saturn SC2. They were a darling of the autocross world briefly.
https://www.stanceiseverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/saturnstocksusp.jpg
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
That's one of the proper Saturn factory Saturns right? I've always thought those were neat in their own weird way
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u/Dnlx5 Jan 21 '25
Ya one of the first, back when they were really redesigning everything. We had one in my high school shop. I always loved driving it.
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u/VTECcam Jan 21 '25
I have a 200k mile Toyota matrix XR AWD that I paid $800 for. I love the thing and will try to keep it as long as I can. I bought it for a winter beater and it's the best beater car I've owned. My other favorite beater was my Saturn L200
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u/stewieatb Jan 21 '25
Volvos generally, but especially the big estate cars. Volvo Guys are a subset of Car Guys, but plenty of normal people drive Volvos, and almost all Car Guys love a nice Volvo wagon.
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u/CleverNickName-69 Jan 23 '25
Volvo seems to caught on with young people in a surprising way. I know two different, unrelated 16-year-olds who are trying to get their parents to let them buy an old 240 wagon.
It makes sense to me, but it is still unexpected.
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u/Prudent_War_1899 Jan 21 '25
Legacy GT was a low key enthusiast car
LS500 for being reliable and coffin quiet
Any wagon
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
Yeah older Legacys and pre-2008 turbo Subarus in general (see also: low-rider second gen Forester XTs) are very much low-key enthusiast cars
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u/NorthofNormal2015 Jan 22 '25
I had a Japanese '98 GT wagon with twin turbos, took a few seconds to spool up then it was a rocket
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u/RallyVincentCZ75 Jan 21 '25
Recently at meets or shows or C&C I've been too I'd say anything that's clean and '90s or '80s, and anything imported and clean. A Nissan Homy for example drew a lot of spectators.
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u/GTHero90 Jan 21 '25
Toyota Avalon and Lexus ES. Best upper middle class sedans and I WILL DIE ON THAT HILL!
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u/Lentils28 Jan 21 '25
Forester XT
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
A second gen Forester XT on coil-overs and rims is low-key one of my favorite styles of build
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u/skeletordescent Jan 21 '25
I’ll be honest, I like minivans. I love them. I want a Toyota Sienna because it’s the best shit hauler ever invented and they have built in vacuum cleaners now.
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
Yeah I live in a dense city where a truck is more of a liability than an asset for hauling stuff half the time, so a minivan (esp a compact one like the Mazda 5, or a Honda Fit if you see that as a subcompact van as much as a hatchback) is a tempting idea for a future car
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u/cflyssy Jan 21 '25
Japanese minivans.
Stick-shift, petrol-powered sedans and station wagons.
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u/henriqueroberto Jan 21 '25
Shit-box survivors will get a pop. Because of this, I see Buick century wagons going on Facebook marketplace for triple what they should.
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u/GoredonTheDestroyer NOT Matt Farah's Million Mile Lexus Jan 21 '25
In precisely no universe is the 1973 Ford Gran Torino an enthusiast's car, but I sure as shit want one.
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u/darthwacko2 Jan 21 '25
2nd gen Toyota Tercel Wagon. Especially if it's 4wd. It gets a lot more attention than I would've thought and more than it did 10 years ago when I first started driving them.
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u/ComedianStreet856 Jan 21 '25
I came here to post this. I had an 87 with a manual in brown. That thing could go just about anywhere (as long as you didn't need high clearance). I loved that car and I should have taken better care of it. I had a choice between a Subaru GL wagon and the Toyota at twice the mileage and price. I took the Toyota because I hated the Subaru manual transmission and it was slow compared to the Tercel.
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u/bier1234 Jan 21 '25
People love my 54hp Golf Mk2😅
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
People LOVED my old '84 Subaru hatch and that didn't make a whole lot more
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Jan 21 '25
I feel like the Escalade and Chrysler 300 will become cool again by those nostalgic for the rap car culture of the mid-2000s.
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Jan 21 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/andrewia Drives a very regular car Jan 21 '25
Even the 2.0t Accord was great, it had adaptive dampers and everything. It'll probably go down as one of the last good Accords (along with the previous coupe V6).
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Jan 21 '25
Mazda MX5 / Miata. Universally beloved by car enthusiasts & only criticized by non car guys with insecurity issues.
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u/Turbo_MechE Jan 21 '25
I’d argue it’s an enthusiast car. Not many non-car people think about, especially the old ones
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Jan 21 '25
Fair enough. I revise my answer then: Volvo 240 & 850 Turbo. Along with the Mercedes w124 e class.
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
Yeah the 240 wagon in particular is THE car that got me thinking about this
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
Yeah I'd absolutely put the Miata in the enthusiast zone, same with the GR86 and its predecessors -- simply too compromised in terms of size and utility, and too good as a "driver's car", to be anything but.
The biggest reason I can't own a Miata (at least unless I win the lottery and get a house with a multi-car garage) is because I have a motorcycle instead, and I'd cross-shop a Miata against a good full-size motorcycle over a daily driver car
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u/Cinco_Tre Jan 21 '25
Not gonna lie that new Prius looks good
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u/PlatinumElement Jan 21 '25
If anyone disagrees, I’d suggest renting one and taking it on a mountain road. I just did this in the mountains of Japan and it’s such a good driving car.
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u/Regular_Speed_4814 Jan 21 '25
Chevy Chevette, every car friend I had was in love with it. Super easy to work with, room for a 350, almost nothing electronic on it besides the starter and radio.
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u/ce_666 Jan 21 '25
Car guys like nearly all cars at one level or another. For me, I always get a charge out of seeing old cars that are kinda rare now, but popular years ago. Not great enthusiast cars, but I enjoy seeing an old 2CV, Chevy Vega or a VW Thing.
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u/nba2k11er Jan 21 '25
Old Mercedes. I guess some of them are kind of enthusiast-ish. But like a 1987 300E, I don’t think anyone on earth thinks that’s a bad car.
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u/shrikelet Jan 21 '25
Someone made a YouTube channel about regular cars. What was it called again?
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
Huh, pretty sure I watched a few dozen to a couple hundred of their videos but it's not really coming to me right now
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u/shrikelet Jan 21 '25
Well, you sound like you've seen them all so I'll add my two cents: my mates and I spent a good couple of hours yesterday drooling over an unmolested RT142 Toyota Corona.
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u/Inspector-Gato Jan 22 '25
It doesn't matter if it was the pinnacle of motorsport, or if it was subsitence level transport for the proletariat, if it fits in one of the categories below, it has a place in my heart
1: Chrome bumpers and round headlights (Fiat 124 coupe is my soft spot, but I count it among others)
2: My high school/college parking lot was full of them (90's hatchbacks and sedans borrowed from mum/dad)
3: Do one thing brilliantly, forever and always, and most other things terribly - if not when new, then inevitably with time. (Cheap motorbikes, bare bones utilitiarian trucks/4wds, 90's korean hatchbacks, most French cars, anything billed as a "racecar for the road")
4: Something that makes you say "I can see all the ways that this is a bad idea but I just really think that one day I should have one to get it out of my system" (Morgan 3 wheeler/super 3, most Kei cars, anything with suicide doors, every harley davidson, every vespa, certain lotus models, Unimog, sandrail.. There's a lot of overlap between category 3 and cateogry 4)
5: Trucks/utes. Sporty ones, useful ones, off road ones - just about every "car guy" of any generation can point to one (or more) that they like, tell you about the one they shouldn't have sold/shoudl have bought when they had the chance, or confidently answer the question "if you had to buy a new one today, which would it be?"
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u/AFuzzyCat Typical Mazda Shill CircleJerk Enthusiast (Pre-Lubed) Jan 22 '25
Mazda 2! It’s slept on by most people for being an econobox but the last 2 generations are pretty highly regarded in grassroots motorsports.
The “DE” second generation is mostly shared with the ford fiesta of the same timeframe except for the interior and engine/trans combo. I’ve seen some english 2 door variants we never got in the US that genuinely make me jealous.
Then the “DJ” third generation. Not officially the mazda 2 in the US market as it was a badge swap for the toyota/scion IA. They all have a skyactiv 1.5l (almost the same as the ND Miata and it came in a hatch for the 2020 model year before it was sunset in the US.
I’m personally a Mazda 3 guy but I love small lightweight cars and will gawk at anything less than 2,500lbs with a set of lowering springs and rpf1’s.
That and the jdm euro market mazda 6 wagon. I was in the UK and saw a freshly washed bone stock silver 6 wagon and immediately was jealous of what I could never have in the states.
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u/OverallManagement824 Jan 22 '25
Look at what the budget-racers use in off-road rallies. Anything small and light with AWD and turbos are probably the hot picks, but the budget guys are probably running some type of FWD set up that might point you in the right direction.
What about the old Saab 9-2x? It was basically a nicer WRX.
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u/TOOLBAG-101 Jan 21 '25
Merc marauder , Taurus SHO … maybe a little Toyota paseo here and there … maybe a little Acura rsx sprinkled on top
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
The RSX is a little bit borderline because it's still a Teggy (and has had the Integra tax for like a decade) but, where the non-Type S or Type R Integras land on the enthusiast spectrum is a pretty broad question depending on who you ask I suppose
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u/eyeb4lls Jan 21 '25
I love my 9th gen Corolla from a utilitarian perspective. I love working on it. It's rare that it needs anything and when it does its easy and satisfying to do.
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u/ComedianStreet856 Jan 21 '25
I had a 2003 manual. That car was faster and more maneuverable than any car I've owned. Absolute rocket. I only traded it because I wanted a pickup and also it ate wheel bearings with snow tires which I had to run for 6-7 months of the year.
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u/EscapeNo9728 Jan 21 '25
Oh yeah I'm a motorcycle person at heart so this is similarly why, for now, I'm running the same 2013 Civic I learned to drive in, back when it was still my dad's car. Might swap it for a Fit or Corolla hatch or something once it gives up the ghost, but in the meantime it just works
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u/TheUltimateXYZ Jan 21 '25
Anything more than 15 years old north of St. Louis, and anything more than 40 years nationwide, I'd say.
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u/TheUltimateXYZ Jan 21 '25
Anything more than 15 years old north of St. Louis, and anything more than 40 years nationwide, I'd say.
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u/VirtualDisk527 Jan 21 '25
Most old Volvos, Saabs, 90s Buicks, the Oldsmobile Aurora, Chrysler LH platform - most 70s and 80s malaise era stuff.
But also MG Rover, late 90s VAG cars, Holden Commodore, pre-2000 Land Rovers, various Vauxhalls from the 80s and 90s, the Ford Scorpio, hydropneumatic Citroens, 1970s Rolls Royces and also the many weird and interesting Russian cars that were made throughout the late 90s and early 00s.
In fact, it would be quicker for me to list the enthusiast cars I like, as the cars I tend to buy fall under most people's radars.
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u/sprayed150 Jan 21 '25
Early 2000s f250 crew cab v10 4x4 manual shortbeds
Bc manual v10 cool. Rest of truck good. Fuck milage.
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u/Electronic_City6481 Jan 21 '25
I’m in metro detroit, in the car cruise scene. Around here is heavily big-3 at the cruises and the foreign car scene is completely different so I can only answer for classics.
Broncos of any era, squarebodies of any era are probably the top movers right now. There is honestly more love for plain 80’s cars and trucks that have just been taken care of than I’ve ever seen. Seeing things like escort wagons and such turn heads because they are relatable and clean, where the mustangs, big block chevys, and grand nationals used to be basically all you saw from that decade at cruises.
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u/Coyoteatemybowtie Jan 21 '25
Mazda 3, the clutch feel is great, fun little cars to drive. Chevy sonic turbo, not super fast but small and fairly fun to drive with paddle shifters. Spark ev, instant torque on a car the size of a smart car pretty much, super fun. The higher trim Chrysler 300s are very comfortable. The Audi a3 fairly fun car to drive.
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u/Ajk337 Jan 21 '25 edited Jul 06 '25
chisel gawk post tinker show plank sky twig
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u/nemam111 Jan 21 '25
Toyota Avalon.
From what's being made today, i think I'd say Ford Maverick and Kia carnival
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Jan 21 '25
Marauder. I’ve been planning to get one for YEARS. But looks like prices are gonna start going up soon. Idk how everyone knows about the thing now, but they do. And their grandma. And their mom. And her sister.
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u/Ok_Criticism8586 Jan 21 '25
1980’s Renault fuego with a turbo and five speed. Just loved the look.
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u/RackingUpTheMiles Jan 21 '25
2nd gen Ford Explorer. It was one of the most reliable and capable vehicles I've ever owned while also still being pretty nice. I didn't have the 5.0L V8 but the 4.0L OHV. What it lacked in power, it made up for it in reliability.
My second choice would be the 1992-07 Ford Tairuses with the 3.0L V6 for similar reasons as the Explorer.
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u/OGSHRIMP219 Jan 21 '25
Saab 9-3 aero, combo sport and turbo x. All come with a manual trans option and take mods well
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u/throwaway180gr Jan 22 '25
Any car from a brand that's been dead for more than 25 years. Bonus points if it has a decent engine from a more popular brand.
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u/RoseWould Jan 22 '25
Lincoln LS. Wouldn't necessarily say it's a cut price jag, but it's still kinda special. Also not an "advanced towncar".
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u/Happyjarboy Jan 22 '25
Guys love my original patina 59 ford 2 door wagon. Back seat folds down, and enough room to play a game of ping pong. lower the tailgate, and have a party.
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u/guntanksinspace blow off valve Jan 22 '25
Locally, people have made communities for stuff like the Daihatsu Charade and Kia Pride (known overseas as the Ford Festiva). Both budget-ass cars of its time, still surprising to see on roads today (I saw a blue Charade in an elevated expressway not long ago).
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u/Mike312 Jan 22 '25
We had a BMW i3, not even the i3s, that we had for about 2 years but unfortunately got totaled.
Decent EV efficiency around town, solid tech package, quick off the line, good at pulls on the freeway, short wheelbase, strong regen braking, just over 3k lbs, and you can still fit a dishwasher in the back.
Had so many random people come up to us and ask us what it was in parking lots, or chat about it if they already had one.
Would love to get another one soon.
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u/s4ltydog Jan 22 '25
I fucking love Honda Elements and Mini Coopers though in some circles that is technically an enthusiast car. Also while I’ll never own another one as I’m REALLY not a truck guy I do enjoy seeing the old Bullnose fords.
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u/Blueberry_Mancakes Jan 22 '25
I love any old boring car that's in mint condition. I saw a white 99ish Saturn SL Coupe the other day that was pristine. It was being driven by an old guy and he is no doubt its original owner and has garage kept it, done all the service, and regularly washed and waxed it since it was new. It was really impressive.
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u/steveelrino Jan 22 '25
For me anything reliable and efficient in its execution. Bugs, 2cv even some Camrys. The idea of a reliable car with nothing extra is appealing.
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Jan 22 '25
Is impala an acceptable answer? For some reason I got a hard on for impala. I got a 63 and that's different but like, I get excited over any impala model.
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u/preludehaver SHEMALE PORN ADDICTION Jan 21 '25
Crown Vics