Question of the Day: What Car Did You Used to Love That You Hate Now?
Supercars used to be the world’s fastest hairshirts: hot, restrictive, smelly and uncomfortable. They were also completely unreliable and as dangerous as a Cape buffalo (with roughly similar handling). On the right road, under the right conditions, with all cylinders firing, they still sucked. I burst that bubble the first (and last) time I got behind the wheel of a Maserati Bora. But hope (coil) springs eternal. Until I drove enough icons to think, oh God, here we go again. What’s the rattling under the hood the Lotus Espirt? A loose rubber band? At some point, supercars cleaned-up their act. They’re now as docile as most modern Audis– if not actually being a modern Audi. Suits me fine. Now when I get into a bad ass car, I expect everything. And get it. BUT there are a few machines I’ve owned that started-off offering me everything and ended-up giving me Arpege. (’70’s joke.) The Jeep Grand Cherokee was a bad ass hot rod that got cheaper every ten minutes, rattling more than a church full of snake handlers. And I couldn’t wait to get rid of my 4.3-liter TVR Chimaera, a bad ass hot rod that got crazier with every drive. So what car did you start off loving– whether from near or afar– that ended-up like the first wife from Hell?
More by Robert Farago
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MB: MB has moved from being the most serious and sophisticated car manufacture in the world to a maker of over-wrought, poor quality puesdo-luxury cars. MB used to hands down make the BEST cars in the world. MB luxury used to be born out of MBs superior quality. It was the fact that a Benz was the best engineered car in the world that propelled MB to the top of the heap. Today Lexus is where MB used to be in it heyday. MB is now the car company that Cadillac has always wanted to be! VW: Volkswagons used to be simple, fun to drive, useful cars, The reason they worked (kinda like MB) was because VW did not install anything that could breakdown. Today VW was adopted the stupid image of "so-called" affordable German luxury and the cars have become absolute disasters. For the sake of some nice feeling vinyl interiors VW appears to have short-changed engineering. Toyota: While I still own a 93 Camry wagon I have come to hate the direction that Toyota has moved in lately. Toyota IMO has become GM but they are to full of themselves to see it yet. Their cars are boring, the once rich, high quality is gone, the over-engineering is also gone. Toyota used to lead the Japanese in terms of introducing new technology and sophistication into their cars now they are fightings on volume and price. There was once a time were an Accord was like the Camry's very eager little brother now the Camry is a joke compared to the Accord. Does anyone else remember when Toyota used to have that print add with all of their performace models in it. You had the Supra Turbo, The Celica All-trac, the MRs Turbo, and the Corolla GTS. Toyota is going to wake up 5 to 10 years from now and realize that marketshare and volume are not what makes for the best/ most successful car company in the world.
My 1978 Datsun 280z 2+2. My second car of four in high school. No AC in Florida(pew) and the dash lights didn't always work. Which didn't matter because I was usually doing my level best to peg the speedo anyway. Oh and no radio either just the sweet sound of an inline 6 being caned within an inch of its life. I loved it until the electrical system began to make regular, large withdrawals from my savings account. Then the flywheel shattered......sigh. Up next to bat was my 1980 Accord hatchback. That cracked its block. ugh.
Toyota Corolla: I bought a new 1989 Corolla SR5 in late 1988 when I graduated Ga Tech and was commissioned as a 2ndLt in the USMC. This was my Lieutenant-mobile. The 1.6L 1 bbl carbuerated engine was smooth, a high rever, and the 5 speed manual was a hoot to drive. This car had that (sometimes intangible) feel of quality to the rich interior and with the engineering. I had fun with that car, and only sold it in '94 when I got caught up in the 90s SUV craze and bought a Mazda Navajo (Ford Explorer). Fast forward to 2005: I bought a new 2006 Corolla CE (Classic Edition - stripper). I needed wheels fast as the previously mentioned Navajo died hard. I assumed the Toyota Corolla was still the way to go based on my pleasant experiences with the '89. I have grown dissappointed in the '06. Yes, I test drove it, but as mentioned earlier, I needed wheels fast and was not being too picky at the time. This car is the most boring appliance on 4 wheels. The interior is chintzy and cheap with the hard plastic and the tupperware feel to it. The 1.8L engine and the NVH in general is rough and crude. This is not an easy car to bond with or even like. This thing will drive me to drinking with how damn boring it is! Like driving a clothes dryer.