Can a dodgy interior put you off a car?

[anonymous-user]

So, I think I found the perfect car for me on paper. Turbocharged, RWD, manual, 4 doors, huge after market and even light enough that using it for the occasional track day isn't a completely horrible idea.

It's the Toyota Chaser JZX100. For a 90s Japanese saloon they even look surprisingly handsome.



The catch? Seemingly when you open the doors and go to have a sit inside:






Stripy cloth seats with matching cloth door cars, acres of dull grey plastic, light sprinkling of fake wood/Carbon fibre and the overwhelming sense that it will feel like sitting in a low rent mini cab.

I've had Jap cars before, but this looks really crap. Like 'it belongs in a mid 90s Avensis crap,' not the 'crap but since its a high end car at least they were trying' that I'm used to and its really, really putting me off them despite nearly everything being perfect.

And of on top of everything they're rare in the UK, meaning the first time I'm likely to sit in one is when I'm driving it loading it on a trailer at the docks...

I'm interested in hearing other people's thoughts on this.

[hman]

typical japanese interiors though - bland

I was looking at an M3 the other day, opened the door BLUE leather seats in a silver car. That was the end of that.

[cib24]

If it's an old 80s or 90s GM product then yes, but a crappy interior didn't stop me from buying a Mazda RX-7 because it was a bucket list car for me. It's not so bad once you are inside though.

[benters]

996 interior puts me off

[LordGrover]

That chaser isn't too bad, for the era.
I'm more put off by the modern retro tosh they're pushing, the BMW minis for instance. So twee it's horrible.

[mat205125]

I'd never think of it as a deal breaker, however it is somewhere on the priority list when considering potential purchases.

It's contributory to me having never yet owned a Japanese car, and a part of the reason why I've owned a fair number of German cars (but never a Merc) ....... It's definitely part of the reason I owned an Alfa 156. I loved the interior of that car.

I've never bought a car because of the interior, however I have bought a car despite the interior .... step forward the Escort Cosworth. Horrible place to be. Even the Recaros, white dials and boost gauge was not enough to hide the fact that you were sat in a really cheap and nasty interior, with the "touch points" being pretty shonky quality too. Still loved it though. What a car!

[mat205125]

LordGrover said:

That chaser isn't too bad, for the era.
I'm more put off by the modern retro tosh they're pushing, the BMW minis for instance. So twee it's horrible.

Mood lighting and the dodgy cliché messages that pop up on the dash .... "Let's go on an adventure!"

I don't want a car where the infotainment is written by Teddy Rukspin thank you very much.

[SlipStream77]

Early Esprits were pretty horrible IMO. Love the later interior in the Sport 350 though.

[iva cosworth]

I see my car has already got a mention,rightly so.

Apart from the items listed,the dash is the same as the poverty model.Horrible plastic.

[Emeye]

Dodgy cloth interiors can usually be save by retrofitting leather - if you can find some - easier on a BMW or Merc, not so on an old Jap I guess?

ETA - or strip it all out, add buckets and a cage?

Edited by Emeye on Tuesday 25th August 16:21

[anonymous-user]

For a daily driver interior comfort and ergonomics are among the most important aspects for me, but I guess if it has enough other positive attributes I might still buy it. It's an odd person who doesn't consider the environment in which they will spend all of their time when using the car to be important. I do think certain aspects of interior design and materials are rather overstated by motoring journalists desperately looking for something to differentiate largely identical cars though. The first few times I was in a modern Audi from all the uber hype about the interior I expected to come away impressed, however they always seem to be much the same in terms of material and quality to any higher end mainstream car with several quite serious ergonomic faults.

I have always found Jaguar interiors to be a big selling point of the car though, also modern Volvos.

[shake n bake]

Just get it re trimmed?

[Crusoe]

Green just doesn't work for me, factory shouldn't have let these out the door IMO

[KaraK]

I'm not a complete interior snob (I've been driving Imprezas for over ten years FFS how can I be? ), a properly crap interior can put me off though yes - after all it's what you are going to experience for most of the car's use to you!


That Chaser interior is sortable if you're prepared to spend a bit of cash though - you could get the seats re-upholstered for a few hundred quid, there are companies who can do bespoke fitting so not having the horribleness of naff-looking covers either. Stuff like the door cards and trim bits are probably fixable pretty cheaply as well.

[8bit]

I looked at endless XKRs before buying mine, most of which seemed ideal - right spec, nice colour etc., then I got to the interior shots and saw tan, caramel or duck-egg blue leather and/or awful wood dash trims.

I just don't get this thing about red interiors in cars either, especially inside a car which is painted Metallic Resale Silver etc.

[TommoAE86]

Negative, I'm looking out the windows, so long as it's comfortable and I don't slide around (in the seats)

[JohnoVR6]

279 said:

Off topic slightly, but when I was a lot younger, the times we were allowed a Friday night chippy tea, my parents insisted that the fish and chip ship we had to go to was one that was the best part of a 40min journey away - each way. As a result, we used to eat the food in the car, and then drive back. Out of all the cars we made that journey in, the one that sticks in my mind was my dad's Camry. It had a similar interior to the Chaser's one above - in terms of materials and style at least. The overriding memory of it though? It would retain the smell of the chippy for weeks at end. Even with the windows open over night, air fresheners and whatever other limited cleaning products Halfords stocked at the time before 'detailing' became a thing, liberally applied all over. I've slept since, but from memory the seats were near identical to those in that pic...and they had a horrible, almost crushed velvet, feel to them too.

Maybe that's more than slightly off topic...sorry!

[Alg123]

JohnoVR6 said:

Off topic slightly, but when I was a lot younger, the times we were allowed a Friday night chippy tea, my parents insisted that the fish and chip ship we had to go to was one that was the best part of a 40min journey away - each way. As a result, we used to eat the food in the car, and then drive back. Out of all the cars we made that journey in, the one that sticks in my mind was my dad's Camry. It had a similar interior to the Chaser's one above - in terms of materials and style at least. The overriding memory of it though? It would retain the smell of the chippy for weeks at end. Even with the windows open over night, air fresheners and whatever other limited cleaning products Halfords stocked at the time before 'detailing' became a thing, liberally applied all over. I've slept since, but from memory the seats were near identical to those in that pic...and they had a horrible, almost crushed velvet, feel to them too.

Maybe that's more than slightly off topic...sorry!

Cracking story. Would read again.

[toasty]

I always fancied an Impreza but couldn't live with the interior.

If they just spent a few quid more on a better dashboard console they might have sold a few more.

[mat205125]

toasty said:

I always fancied an Impreza but couldn't live with the interior.

If they just spent a few quid more on a better dashboard console they might have sold a few more.

I'm absolutely the same when it comes to the R33 Skyline GTR. I've had the means on a couple of occasions to consider one, and they've been way up on my list of wants, however the interiors are dire.