Cars you like even though no one else does...
Discussion
996 911. A family member bought a standard Carerra 2 and I was astounded by it's abilities and I even liked the looks.
Nova GTe. Criticised for being a bit old tech compared to others around and the boy racer car of choice before the Corsa. They were basic but looked great (pre GSI version) and handled well.
Calibra. I bought one before they became chav chariots and absolutely loved it. It wasn't the "drivers" car of choice but it served me well (until the engine died on 88k miles).
Believe it or not I'm really not a Vauxhall lover but this thread has brought out old school love in me.
Nova GTe. Criticised for being a bit old tech compared to others around and the boy racer car of choice before the Corsa. They were basic but looked great (pre GSI version) and handled well.
Calibra. I bought one before they became chav chariots and absolutely loved it. It wasn't the "drivers" car of choice but it served me well (until the engine died on 88k miles).
Believe it or not I'm really not a Vauxhall lover but this thread has brought out old school love in me.
DUMBO100 said:
The original Japanese hot hatch, fast, loud and s
t but still funXJ84 said:
Just a random thought I had...
I could probably think of loads, but for now I nominate the MK3 Golf.
Hated and slated even by many VW fans. But my dad had one, just an ordinary 1.6GL, and it was an absolute trooper of a car. One of those motors that just went on and on and on without ever going wrong despite being used and abused, never serviced or looked after or even washed most of the time.
Had over 220k on the clock when he passed it on, (for free I might add) but it was still MOTd and fully functional, and happily driven away by its new owner.
This was a few years ago mind, no idea if it's still around. I suppose I could check out the reg number if I could be arsed....
...But yeah, I digress. I believe the MK3 Golf deserves a hell of a lot more respect than most people give it, or at least this one does.
So what you guys got?
At the risk of ruining the thread, I'll second that. Never thought I would like one, was given one (1.8GL auto), became one of my favourite cars. Tough as old boots, comfortable, unfazed by weaving through London or torrential rain on the motorway. I couldn't find a way to hurt it, let alone kill it. Sadly, someone else was a bit more determined than I was, reversed his 4x4 with towbar into the radiator at what must have been a considerable speed, and the cost of repairs meant that was that.I could probably think of loads, but for now I nominate the MK3 Golf.
Hated and slated even by many VW fans. But my dad had one, just an ordinary 1.6GL, and it was an absolute trooper of a car. One of those motors that just went on and on and on without ever going wrong despite being used and abused, never serviced or looked after or even washed most of the time.
Had over 220k on the clock when he passed it on, (for free I might add) but it was still MOTd and fully functional, and happily driven away by its new owner.
This was a few years ago mind, no idea if it's still around. I suppose I could check out the reg number if I could be arsed....
...But yeah, I digress. I believe the MK3 Golf deserves a hell of a lot more respect than most people give it, or at least this one does.
So what you guys got?
Chevy Cruze - got given one as a hire car in the US and expected it to be awful, but in comparison to its peers it handles well, is well put together, a reasonably nice place to be insider and fast enough........if I get that class of rental car now I go out of my was to pick a Cruze from the lot.....
I would consider one as a daily over here if my circumstances changed........
I would consider one as a daily over here if my circumstances changed........
I'm perverse because I instinctively try to buy cars that no one else likes:
Do far the stable has included a DAF 33, Citroen XM (two petrol, one diesel), an Alfa 166 V6, Rover 213 (the old Honda-engined saloon one) and a Triumph Stag. Current is a Saab 9-5 estate, which is the most popular and praised-by-the-petrolheads car I have ever owned.
I also have a hankering for a Renault Vel Satis...
Do far the stable has included a DAF 33, Citroen XM (two petrol, one diesel), an Alfa 166 V6, Rover 213 (the old Honda-engined saloon one) and a Triumph Stag. Current is a Saab 9-5 estate, which is the most popular and praised-by-the-petrolheads car I have ever owned.
I also have a hankering for a Renault Vel Satis...
Nissan 100NX
I only had mine for a short time, but I had a lot of fun in that. Yes the front end is rather ugly, but overall I loved its simplicity, fun handling and fairly pokey with its 1.6 engine. I'd have another one now if they hadn't all but rusted into oblivion.
Here's my old one; it cost me about £500 if memory serves, and although the wheel's didn't really suit it I loved it. (Shame it was mainly composed of rust, hidden underneath the side skirts amongst other places)
I only had mine for a short time, but I had a lot of fun in that. Yes the front end is rather ugly, but overall I loved its simplicity, fun handling and fairly pokey with its 1.6 engine. I'd have another one now if they hadn't all but rusted into oblivion.
Here's my old one; it cost me about £500 if memory serves, and although the wheel's didn't really suit it I loved it. (Shame it was mainly composed of rust, hidden underneath the side skirts amongst other places)
hoegaardenruls said:
I've got a strange desire to buy an Allegro, with the intention of ripping out the A-series engine and adding something much more entertaining in it's place..
Don't buy a 1300cc one and you won't have the A-series in it anyway. You could get the 1500 O-series, or even the powerhouse 1750cc! 
boyse7en said:
hoegaardenruls said:
I've got a strange desire to buy an Allegro, with the intention of ripping out the A-series engine and adding something much more entertaining in it's place..
Don't buy a 1300cc one and you won't have the A-series in it anyway. You could get the 1500 O-series, or even the powerhouse 1750cc! Something like a Rover T16 turbo in it would be quite interesting although I think the 1.8 turbo unit from the 75 would be a better fit as its physically smaller and lighter than the T-series.
Would probably be a squeeze as the Allegro was designed with a gears in sump transmission not an end-on box.
DanielJames said:
Proton Satria GTI.
Always fancied one.
This.Always fancied one.
Protons are totally under the Radar on places like PH and in Car magazines BUT you look at the entry list and subsequently leader board of any Road Rally taking place in the North of England and they are dominated by Protons.
BL Fanboy said:
boyse7en said:
hoegaardenruls said:
I've got a strange desire to buy an Allegro, with the intention of ripping out the A-series engine and adding something much more entertaining in it's place..
Don't buy a 1300cc one and you won't have the A-series in it anyway. You could get the 1500 O-series, or even the powerhouse 1750cc! Something like a Rover T16 turbo in it would be quite interesting although I think the 1.8 turbo unit from the 75 would be a better fit as its physically smaller and lighter than the T-series.
Would probably be a squeeze as the Allegro was designed with a gears in sump transmission not an end-on box.
Haven't given it a great deal of thought though, and the scrappage scheme seem to remove quite a few potential candidates..
Loving some of these replies. Though I think many of them are actually decent cars with an undeserved poor reputation.
I have an unhealthy fetish for old 'crap' BL stuff too. I'm gonna spend the rest of the day daydreaming about just how awesome a turbocharged Austin Allegro would be, preferably in hearing-aid beige with a bit of rust and standard steel wheels. Thanks for that...
I have an unhealthy fetish for old 'crap' BL stuff too. I'm gonna spend the rest of the day daydreaming about just how awesome a turbocharged Austin Allegro would be, preferably in hearing-aid beige with a bit of rust and standard steel wheels. Thanks for that...
V8forweekends said:
Hooli said:
A900ss said:
I don't like 911‘s but I do like 928‘s so I guess that goes against the flow.
Are you me?Or indeed, me?
There are a few normal everyday cars that I think are fantastic, but get a ribbing on here:
Toyota Yaris: A few years ago my girlfriend at the time bought one of these. We compared the on paper specs with the equivalent Fiesta and the Yaris absolutely obliterated it in every single objective measure - cost, warranty, mpg, power, performance, boot space etc. As for the subjectives, I actually liked the way it drove; the suspension was comfortable without being wallowy, the controls all responded linearly, the ergonomics were good. I couldn't think of a single bad thing about it. That was several years ago, and as far as I know it still proves 100% reliable and cheap to run.
Honda Civic: My wife briefly looked at the standard FN2 before buying a Type R and I was really impressed on the test drive. I much preferred it in every single way to its competitors from Peugeot, Ford, Vauxhall etc.
Nissan Micra (mk2): My comments above for the Yaris pretty much apply here too. My girlfriend at the time bought a 1999 model way back in about 2003 and as far as I know nothing has needed replacing other than the tyres once due to age. Bargain motoring and a really good quality car.
As for performance cars:
Mercedes SLK55 AMG (mk2): I'm not a fan of autos, but I really like these. Tidy handling, great engine, lovely driving position (the best of any road car I've ever driven in fact), solid build. If I was every in the market for a GT I would snap one of these up in a second. The UK press slated them throughout their production run, but curiously the Japanese press view them as a benchmark. The only faults I can think of are a lack of manual gearbox and the folding hardtop, which makes its weight felt compared to competitors such as the BMW Z4.
Honda NSX. Nobody seemed to buy these at the time, but I always thought they were worth every penny. A truly astounding car.
Z4 Coupé: Again, BMW sold very few of these, but I preferred them to the competition (in fact I bought one). A slight lag on the throttle and an overly nervous ride were the only downsides to a superb car and one of the few sports cars / small coupés with a decent boot too.
Small engined BMWs: You get exactly the same handling as the bigger engined ones, but without the power. In fact, you could argue that you get less weight with a smaller engine and therefore better turn in, and I would definitely argue that the smaller wheels and tyres often specced with more humble models make the whole car drive so much better than the massive wheels and tyres often specced with the headline models. If you're not in a position to use the power of a bigger engined one (i.e. most B and C roads), then I don't see the point of it - you come out of the average bend at 45mph and if the limit is 50 or even 60, what's the point in all that power? I drove a 116d M Sport last year and thought it was brilliant; extremely slow, but the handling was utterly delightful. I'd like to think I have a right to this opinion, having owned a 325i, 328i, 330i and Z4 Coupé 3.0si and driven the last two generations of M3 a fair bit; it's not like I can't afford the bigger engined cars or don't like them, I just think that the more humble models are just as good in every single respect, if not better, it's just that they lack the power, and that really is all.
Small engined Caterhams: see above.
Toyota Yaris: A few years ago my girlfriend at the time bought one of these. We compared the on paper specs with the equivalent Fiesta and the Yaris absolutely obliterated it in every single objective measure - cost, warranty, mpg, power, performance, boot space etc. As for the subjectives, I actually liked the way it drove; the suspension was comfortable without being wallowy, the controls all responded linearly, the ergonomics were good. I couldn't think of a single bad thing about it. That was several years ago, and as far as I know it still proves 100% reliable and cheap to run.
Honda Civic: My wife briefly looked at the standard FN2 before buying a Type R and I was really impressed on the test drive. I much preferred it in every single way to its competitors from Peugeot, Ford, Vauxhall etc.
Nissan Micra (mk2): My comments above for the Yaris pretty much apply here too. My girlfriend at the time bought a 1999 model way back in about 2003 and as far as I know nothing has needed replacing other than the tyres once due to age. Bargain motoring and a really good quality car.
As for performance cars:
Mercedes SLK55 AMG (mk2): I'm not a fan of autos, but I really like these. Tidy handling, great engine, lovely driving position (the best of any road car I've ever driven in fact), solid build. If I was every in the market for a GT I would snap one of these up in a second. The UK press slated them throughout their production run, but curiously the Japanese press view them as a benchmark. The only faults I can think of are a lack of manual gearbox and the folding hardtop, which makes its weight felt compared to competitors such as the BMW Z4.
Honda NSX. Nobody seemed to buy these at the time, but I always thought they were worth every penny. A truly astounding car.
Z4 Coupé: Again, BMW sold very few of these, but I preferred them to the competition (in fact I bought one). A slight lag on the throttle and an overly nervous ride were the only downsides to a superb car and one of the few sports cars / small coupés with a decent boot too.
Small engined BMWs: You get exactly the same handling as the bigger engined ones, but without the power. In fact, you could argue that you get less weight with a smaller engine and therefore better turn in, and I would definitely argue that the smaller wheels and tyres often specced with more humble models make the whole car drive so much better than the massive wheels and tyres often specced with the headline models. If you're not in a position to use the power of a bigger engined one (i.e. most B and C roads), then I don't see the point of it - you come out of the average bend at 45mph and if the limit is 50 or even 60, what's the point in all that power? I drove a 116d M Sport last year and thought it was brilliant; extremely slow, but the handling was utterly delightful. I'd like to think I have a right to this opinion, having owned a 325i, 328i, 330i and Z4 Coupé 3.0si and driven the last two generations of M3 a fair bit; it's not like I can't afford the bigger engined cars or don't like them, I just think that the more humble models are just as good in every single respect, if not better, it's just that they lack the power, and that really is all.
Small engined Caterhams: see above.
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