Pistonheads vehicles you don't "get"

[Poopipe]

RobM77 said:

And the MX5? It's a driving and handling thing. Not everyone needs or wants performance.

They don't handle that well without fiddling though - theyre soft, baggy and understeery as standard.

Given some attention they liven up considerably - at which point the absence of power becomes an issue.

Id have another in a heartbeat though - bags of character

[MattHall91]

GT86/BRZ.

Relatively slow, not cheap, ugly looks (IMO of course) and uninspiring.

I admire Toyota/Subaru for trying to create an affordable drivers' car, but I think they could have done so much better. Especially with both their respective histories of some great cars.

[Depthhoar]

More LandRover Defender hate here.

Drove a LWB one, that I didn't own, more frequently than I would have liked a few years ago more often than not with 6 burly blokes in the back + rucksacks, up and down winter roads occasionally closed by snow. Terrifying handling and body control on any down hill bend when fully loaded, made worse by carrying a load of gear on the huge roof rack. Like a galleon in full sail during a storm.

Tractor-like to drive. (Actually, tractors may be a better drive).

Have to say though that off road they take some beating.

All the local garages hate them too since they seem to have no end of problems with general reliability & oil leaks here, there & everywhere. Quite a few of the local "huntin', fishing & shooting" estates run them so they're driven by over-enthusiastic gamekeepers & ghillies who thrash them mercilessly (which might explain the mechanical issues).

[Patrick Bateman]

SidewaysSi said:

Depends what you look for in a car. I adore mine - no FWD hatch gets remotely close IMO.

Cars I don't like are:

E46 M3-Very dull and lacks any focus or feel
Audi R8-a 911 will always be better
All Minis-as above but replace '911' with 'Clio'
All Boxsters-as above but replace 'Clio' with 'Elise /Caterham'

Not really the same like for like comparison as the previous two.

[WarnieV6GT]

Deadlift said:

None of those are 'PH' cars though?

Ferrari F40 - does absolutely nothing for me, weird looking thing. Much prefer the 959.

M135i - I have no urge to own one, and despite what CH said; I'd much prefer an RS3 as a hatchback.

True.

My prejudices towards all 3 took over me.

I can't think of any PH ones though, apart from the love affair with omega's a few years ago.

[MarshPhantom]

OwenK said:

I've never thought of it as anything other than an ugly, dated, ill-proportioned, generally unfortunate-looking fish of a car. No thank you.

I used to think the 928 looked amazing but now I pretty much agree with every word here. It hasn't aged well.

[anonymous-user]

Mercedes Benz W124.

I'm sure they were an excellent car back in the day, but I don't get the fawning over them in 2015 with what else you can buy for the price of a good one.

They don't handle, aren't fast*, poorly equipped in most cases, aren't particularly good looking and I'll be brutally honest, the interior quality ain't that amazing, or rather my expectations had be built up so high before hand from comments on here that I was rather disappointed.

!* I'm talking about the ones you can actually buy for sensible money, before someone posts up the hammer.

[Mikeyjae]

Defenders keep coming up, Iv driven loads and I want one. Why? no idea as they are terrible on the road which is practically 99% of PH drivers comfort.

Take these things off road thou and I dont mean up a dirt track but in the right rough stuff. Wading so deep water is coming into the cabin, steep incline and decline terrains or even deserts then you will truely appreciate how good these machines are. I can only think of a wrangler that even comes close to a Defender.

I totally get a Defender and everytime I see one on a road I smile, hopeing they are getting used for the purpose they are intended. If not then what a waste.

[superlucent]

VW Up!/Skoda Citigo/Seat Mii.

The Auto magazines and National press say they're "funky, well made, and great to drive". As a Mii I-Tech owner I disagree. They are dull inside and out, standard City Car build quality, and driving one is an anodyne and slow experience. I don't "get" the praise but I've got one for another 33 months.

[Speed 3]

Ignis - seems to be pages devoted to it on PH

[maxdb]

TVR's - as much as I try and like them, they just don't do it for me. They just remind me of a kit car.

[Al U]

ORD said:

The Golf was the worst super-mini of a few that I tested last year, by quite some margin, and it was also the most expensive.

If a golf is a super-mini, what does that make a polo or better still an up?

[ORD]

Al U said:

If a golf is a super-mini, what does that make a polo or better a still an up?

Probably right. 'Family hatch'? 'Medium-sized hatch'?

The UP! is, I think, technically an abomination.

[Depthhoar]

279 said:

Mercedes Benz W124.

I'm sure they were an excellent car back in the day, but I don't get the fawning over them in 2015 with what else you can buy for the price of a good one.

They don't handle, aren't fast*, poorly equipped in most cases, aren't particularly good looking and I'll be brutally honest, the interior quality ain't that amazing, or rather my expectations had be built up so high before hand from comments on here that I was rather disappointed.

!* I'm talking about the ones you can actually buy for sensible money, before someone posts up the hammer.

Kind of see where you're coming from.

They were very good at what they did back in the day without fussy or aggressive styling (had a sort of simple, clean-cut elegance), plus they were durable and comparatively simple cars. They appeal to a certain demographic who remember Mercedes as a peerless manufacturer...engineers rather than accountants...and all the other time-worn cliches.

Yes, not fast and they don't handle especially well, but great cruisers with awesome long-distance capability. I've had 3 of them and can attest to the quality (or should I say durability) of the interior. Mine were trimmed in the hardest, most unyielding leather I ever come across, which appealed in a masochistic sort of way. (Actually, would have loved one with 'Hamburg taxi'-spec MBtex which has close to ballistic resisting properties!)

You're right they fetch good money nowadays, the sort of sums that may get you something faster, modern and digital. Everything in fact that the W124 is not. Which in part, I guess, explains its current appeal.

[talksthetorque]

Shedding Sheds.
Who wants to drive around taping/cable tie-ing their car together to keep it working for a year?

[Heaveho]

I'm 100% the other way on the poster who said a 911 will always be better than an R8. 911s are on satellite delay, steering wise, compared to an R8. 997 C4S was one of the most surprisingly disappointing cars I ever drove. I'd rather have a Boxster for immediacy of steering.

[Al U]

New mini. I can't speak for the lower models but my girlfriend has an R56 cooper S. I hate it. The ride is much worse than my much lower standard car that is lowered. The steering feels heavy but vague. The handling is nowhere near as good as it should be for the compromise in ride quality. It has no water temp gauge. The HVAC controls are not ergonomic at all. They have taken the conventional indicator and made something so simple a chore to use. Anything more than half an hour driving it gives me back ache. I could go on. So I shall.

You can get more shopping in the back of my 2 seater convertible. The rear seats are useless for adults. The dipstick design is useless for determining the oil level. The speedo is in the wrong place. The sport button makes the heavy steering heavier with no change in feel. Light bumps unsettle it dangerously at speed. The gearshift is similar to that of a ford transit. The stereo is like a teen at a bus stop playing music on loudspeaker on their mobile phone. The volume button is in the wrong place and totally away from the stereo. The seatbelt height is not adjustable and digs in my neck.

Good brakes is the only thing I like about it.

[Nickbrapp]

talksthetorque said:

Shedding Sheds.
Who wants to drive around taping/cable tie-ing their car together to keep it working for a year?

I heard it's the smug sense of self satisfaction you get over people driving their diesel financed rep mobiles or something as equally as pretentious

[cerb4.5lee]

maxdb said:

TVR's - as much as I try and like them, they just don't do it for me. They just remind me of a kit car.

TVR`s are very marmite for sure but they do get under the skin and other than my 200sx everything else I have owned or driven since hasn't compared in any shape or form, in fairness though I have only had a E92 M3 and a Z4M since and other BMW`s so you cant really expect the mass produced German cars to compare for thrills.

I just like the focus that TVR`s had in terms of the relative light weight and no silly nanny aids, its just you who is in control of driving and the right foot...the noise and power to weight appeals as well, I appreciate they aren't for everyone though.

There are plenty of cars nowadays that offer low emissions/turbo`s and auto/twin clutch gearboxes with silly paddles and unresponsive electric steering but I just personally prefer the old way of doing things...those days are long gone now though.

[Willy Nilly]

I don't "get" the knackered old German crap that gets people on here salivating and nor do I believe they actually work properly or that they will do 30mpg.