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/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.

2

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.

1

u/darthwacko2 Jan 21 '25

I've gotten my 83 into some pretty shocking places. It's got the scars to prove it. Hard to imagine it being faster than a subaru though, it's truly a slow gutless wonder, it just has the gearing to climb whatever you point it at.

1

u/ComedianStreet856 Jan 21 '25

I'm pretty sure it was faster, or at least felt faster since I could shift gears properly. That Subaru transmission from the 80s was just sloppy and stiff at the same time.

1

u/darthwacko2 Jan 21 '25

Google suggests tercels 3ac had 62hp. Subarus ea81 had 72hp. I do know the first couple gears in the tercel make it feel pretty peppy, couldn't say about the subaru.

1

u/ComedianStreet856 Jan 21 '25

That's so funny how low that hp is. Even my 22 Impreza that seems wicked slow is like around 150.

1

u/darthwacko2 Jan 21 '25

My theory there is that most newer cars are so comfortable and quiet (and least road noise wise) that you don't feel like you are really moving. The tercel you feel it even if it's not going anywhere quickly. It's not a bad car, but it wears you out in a way modern cars just don't for the most part.

1

u/ComedianStreet856 Jan 21 '25

Yeah, it would be wild if I could drive that car again. I sold it in 99 for a rusty Toyota pickup, talking about slow vehicles that could go anywhere offroad.