bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

I saw a Fit on the road the other day. I tried to like it, but it's ugly.

mmarshall

I agree, bit, that it is no beauty like the new Mustang, but it is probably no uglier than its bigger brother the new Civic, and the Fit's interior and dash IMO is far better done than the new Civic's quirky two-tier one.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Well, maybe not ALL Japanese cars, but I agree most are mind-numbingly boring, espcially Toyota. When I go to Europe, even some of the econoboxes I've rented there are fun, funky, different. When Japanese brands try to do 'different' it's usually just fugly.

But most people WANT boring. Most people WANT an appliance. They just want to drive and go. Yes they want style too, but not too much. It's like putting a cover on your cell phone. It's still a boring cell phone underneath but now it has a green cover. Toyota plays to this. Their vehicle designs are the epitomy of SAFE. Sometimes with a veneer of 'ooh look at me' but not too much!

I went to a Toyota dealer the other day and despite all the hoopla over the new Camry, I was ready to throw up. Most of the ones on the lot had foul wheel covers on what, 15" rims? I saw one SE with it's tacked on body kit, and it looked awful. Talk about boring, AND UGLY. I retain my view that Camry is for people who HATE cars but have to buy one, which is, MOST PEOPLE.

Not all Japanese vehicles are boring though. Check out the new Civic Si. It's definitely not boring. It's innovative, fun to drive, the best stick shift I've ever experienced. Now it IS slow though unless you want to drive at 7000rpms all the time.

Go check out SUBARU. Not boring. The H-4 engine is neat, the AWD excellent, the interior's different enough, and Subies always have a few things different from mainstream vehicles.

I agree. Japanese manufacturers would never build and don't understand something like the Ford Mustang. Now many of you are saying "Thank God!". But hey, go listen to a V8 Mustang START and if that doesn't stir you more than any Japanese car, then check your pulse. It sounds AWWWWWESOME. Is it very practical? No. Is it reliable? Well maybe a tick below the Japanese. But many say who cares, it's FUN! It's CHEAP! It's NEW!

Credit Toyota for building the Supra though, but that was more an abberation. Since then, very little excitement.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Have you driven a Mazda, VW or Subaru, though as magneto suggested? And if you don't like them, what is it about them you don't like?

SteVTEC

I hardly ever post here, only post in Car Chat, and really just came to this personal conclusion of mine quoted above in the past week or two. Not only that, I know I'm not alone either. So I think you need to lighten up, and that obviously you're blowing this way out of proportion. How could I spam up the forum on something that I just came to the conclusion on recently "thousands" of times if I only have a whopping 200 posts since 2003? In fact if you search on my name and the word "boring" in Car Chat you'll see that I've only used that word in 4 other posts including this one. The others were talking about the Avalon, one about fanboyism and how it isolates manufacturers from the competition and can tend to produce dull and "boring" products, and the last one was about NASCAR racing.

You just don't like what I have to say and don't want to hear it, but to each their own. I already did make a suggestion to DX3, to consider looking at things other than Japanese cars. I like to try and experience different things, and I can't get away with that with women (anymore) so I might as well do it with cars.

XeroK00L

Agreed. The reason I didn't recommend the Fit was only because of its "boring look". If Dx3 doesn't mind an econobox/mini-minivan look then the Fit will certainly be a good fit.

Otherwise I stand by my Celica recommendation.

STIG

that car also is pretty damn ugly.


I vote for honda civic Si.

SteVTEC

The last time I was in Europe on business I had a Seat Toledo rental. It had a whopping 1.6L 4-banger with a whole 105 hp or something, but I had far more fun driving that than I do in my Maxima with almost double the power. Not only that, the steering was precise, the shifter had short throws, and it handled pretty darn good. It was FUN. When I got back to the states and picked up my car, I couldn't believe how loose and disconnected it felt. It was glaringly obvious how poor the steering was, how long the shifter throws were, and how loose and sloppy the handling was. I seriously thought something was wrong with my car, lol.

Agree completely on the Camry. I thought the SE with the bodykit stuff was just plain gaudy. Not only that, they screwed up the rear seat room with how aggressively the front seat backs arch rearword, right into my knee space. I could barely sit back there. I fit in the back of a 3-series better just because of the knee space issue. So what mid/large sized car am I supposed to buy from Toyota then? The Avalon?

I would pass on the Civic Si and hold out for a Mazdaspeed3, although I do agree that the new Si is definitely a much cooler car than the previous ones have been. I came very very close to buying a WRX once but passed b/c it was just too small. I really like the Legacy GT too and think it's an outstanding car, but too cramped for me. I do fit great in the Mazdaspeed6 though, but it's only available with a 6MT and I promised my wife I'd get something that she could drive too.



You're right that "boring" is what most people want. Heck, it used to be what I wanted too, because I NEEDED 100% reliable transportation, at the cost of everything else if necessary. But times change, priorities change, and at least with myself I've found that that just isn't true anymore. Like I've said, my Japanese cars have served me exceptionally well, but now I want something else, and bulletproof reliablity is no longer a requirement either. What made that a reality for me before is no longer my reality.

SteVTEC

The Fit is definitely a good choice. I've seen a ton of these on the road in east Asia and they at least look awesome, and apparently handle pretty darn good too.

mmarshall

Well, this gets back to what I said earlier about the Miata. It has many of the same characteristics the Seat Toledo does....right-now steering, seat-of-the-pants chassis and handling, short-throw shifter and clutch, more HP ( 166 vs. 105 ), and Japanese reliability to boot. In addition, you can have fun in the sun with the simple-to-operate ragtop. In other words, the Miata, if you can fit in it, is FUN...just like a Toledo.