G
g.t.
The Lexus IS 350 thread got me thinking, the amount of cars with any sort of personality are disappearing. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of fine cars out there, probably more than ever. But leather seats, a bunch of electronics, and a swoopy body by themselves do not make a car have personality, and it's sad that it's getting to the point where only the grill or emblem is the way to tell what kind of car it is you're looking at.
So I started this thread to see which cars people think still have some character. It's different for everyone obviously, for me the criteria is a car that combines true style, some form of heritage, and a car with the driver still in mind. Something that doesn't look like it's been designed necessarily in a wind tunnel or a focus group. Driving dynamics are also important to me. I've broken it into categories, obviously in the sportscar and exotic segments there are still alot of cars that offer character, so here goes my list.....
Sports Cars / Roadsters:
Honda S2000
Lotus Elise
Mazda Miata
Chevrolet Corvette C6 (awesome bang for the buck IMO)
Porsche Boxster & 911
Nissan 350Z
Luxury Sedans:
Jaguar (mainly for their styling, still not diluted like all other Luxury Manufacturers)
Maserati Quatroporte
Compacts:
Mini Cooper / Cooper S
Mitsu EVO
Subie STI
Exotics:
Ferrari (pretty much all of them)
Aston Martin (all)
So there's my list of desirable cars to me, cars I would consider buying in each segment if I had the money. I ommited many cars which I think are great. For example, BMW. I love BMW's, the way they drive, and they're still great. I also happen to like the way they look even currently. They just have lost a bit of their soul IMO. Kind of like with the new IS, great car I'm sure, but it seems at the end of the day it's just another car, and if I'm spending big money on a car, I want to be driving something that puts a smile on my face every time.
Now lets see all of yours!
So I started this thread to see which cars people think still have some character. It's different for everyone obviously, for me the criteria is a car that combines true style, some form of heritage, and a car with the driver still in mind. Something that doesn't look like it's been designed necessarily in a wind tunnel or a focus group. Driving dynamics are also important to me. I've broken it into categories, obviously in the sportscar and exotic segments there are still alot of cars that offer character, so here goes my list.....
Sports Cars / Roadsters:
Honda S2000
Lotus Elise
Mazda Miata
Chevrolet Corvette C6 (awesome bang for the buck IMO)
Porsche Boxster & 911
Nissan 350Z
Luxury Sedans:
Jaguar (mainly for their styling, still not diluted like all other Luxury Manufacturers)
Maserati Quatroporte
Compacts:
Mini Cooper / Cooper S
Mitsu EVO
Subie STI
Exotics:
Ferrari (pretty much all of them)
Aston Martin (all)
So there's my list of desirable cars to me, cars I would consider buying in each segment if I had the money. I ommited many cars which I think are great. For example, BMW. I love BMW's, the way they drive, and they're still great. I also happen to like the way they look even currently. They just have lost a bit of their soul IMO. Kind of like with the new IS, great car I'm sure, but it seems at the end of the day it's just another car, and if I'm spending big money on a car, I want to be driving something that puts a smile on my face every time.
Now lets see all of yours!
