Question of the Day: What Car Did You Used To Hate That You Now Like?

Jonny Lieberman
by Jonny Lieberman
question of the day what car did you used to hate that you now like

Easy answer for me: Porsche 914. Justin and I talked about this (kinda) on today’s Podcast. He still hates it. But not me. I really, really admire the diminutive sports car. That’s right, I said sports car. Before I explain why, let me explain why I used to be a hater. There’s an entire class of cars I dislike because they were driven by the biggest assholes at my high school. Specifically, ’55 Chevys, all Chevelles, Toyota 4-Runners and Porsche 914s. VW Bugs were a mixed bag. The most date rapingest quarterback had one (I played center — I have issues) but so did a close friend. So, we’ll call it a wash. Anyhow, jerks drove the 914 and I had always heard that in Europe they sold it as “just” a Volkswagen. But a dear friend of mine — Davey G Johnson — showed me the error of my ways. By using facts! And while it is true that both companies sold the car, the bulk of the development was handled by Porsche. Any guesses as to who specifically was in charge of the 914 project? If you guessed Ferdinand Piech, pat yourself on the back. You may recall that Piech is the man responsible for the Volkswagen Phaeton. But, he also willed the Bugatti Veyron into existence. More importantly he brought about the all-crushing, all-dominating Porsche 917. Seriously, they canceled Can-Am because nothing could compete with the 917. Not one race, but the whole series. So, the 914 has some pedigree. Lots of success on the track, too. Don’t believe me? How does a 6th overall finish at Le Mans grab you? And yes, I know I said 7th on the Podcast. Again, not 6th in its class, but 6th overall. Why, that’s amazing! Especially when you consider the cars it beat, which include a bevy of 911s and Corvettes, Alfa Romeo T33/3s, several Ferraris, several Porsche 908s and even a 917. Hell yes I now love the 914. You?

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  • Bunter1 Bunter1 on Oct 08, 2008

    C2 'vettes. It was the "foreign cars are cooler" thing. '55 Chevy-one day I realized what a clean design it was. The '57 is a vile mess of '50s cliches next to one...or even sitting by it's lonesome. Original xB. Triumph of design justice. Yes, Bunter did say something nice about a GM product! Respectfully, Bunter

  • Jordan Tenenbaum Jordan Tenenbaum on Oct 09, 2008

    Honestly, the Jag E-Type. I now idolize it, but back when I was a wee little kid, I couldn't stand the looks of it.

  • Hunter Ah California. They've been praying for water for years, and now that it's here they don't know what to do with it.
  • FreedMike I think this illustrates a bit of Truth About PHEVs: it's hard to see where they "fit." On paper, they make sense because they're the "best of both worlds." Yes, if you commute 20-30 miles a day, you can generally make it on electric power only, and yes, if you're on a 500-mile road trip, you don't have to worry about range. But what percentage of buyers has a 20-mile commute, or takes 500-mile road trips? Meanwhile, PHEVs are more expensive than hybrids, and generally don't offer the performance of a BEV (though the RAV4 PHEV is a first class sleeper). Seems this propulsion type "works" for a fairly narrow slice of buyers, which explains why PHEV sales haven't been all that great. Speaking for my own situation only, assuming I had a place to plug in every night, and wanted something that ran on as little gas as possible, I'd just "go electric" - I'm a speed nut, and when it comes to going fast, EVs are awfully hard to beat. If I was into hypermiling, I'd just go with a hybrid. Of course, your situation might vary, and if a PHEV fits it, then by all means, buy one. But the market failure of PHEVs tells me they don't really fit a lot of buyers' situations. Perhaps that will change as charging infrastructure gets built out, but I just don't see a lot of growth in PHEVs.
  • Kwik_Shift Thank you for this. I always wanted get involved with racing, but nothing happening locally.
  • Arthur Dailey Love the Abe Rothstein tribute suits. Too bad about the car. Seems to have been well loved for most of its life.
  • K. R. Worth noting that the climate control is shared with (donated to) the Audi 5000 of the mid-late 1980s.
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