What the hell is wrong with car manufacturers?
Why is it so hard to make a car that people like? Nissan Versa, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Accent, Suzuki Swift, Kia Rio, Mini...
Apart from the Mini, they all -almost without exception, suck when stock. They're about as exciting as a washing machine. Some, like the Yaris and Accent, do have a little bit of flair and can be built up into something exciting. However, where did the fun of driving go? Every year I see cars getting safer, more fuel efficient and better for the environment. This means that they're heavier, slower, more expensive and almost totally impossible to drive in a sporting manner.
I seriously do think that we're living in an anti-car culture. Having a car means the freedom to go anywhere and that bothers rich capitalists. It also means not having to take the bus like a commoner, and that bothers the left wing socialists. It bothers the nanny state because it costs money to train people to properly operate a car and money for medical care when they hit a wall going 120. It bothers the greenies because cars pollute and it bothers a lot of whiny little nancy boys because cars in general are an aggresive statement. It's not "nice" to own a car, especially a sporty one.
The plan, of course, is to slowly change the public perception of the car. They wanna make us think of it as merely transportation. And trust me, the Prius is barely even that. Then the trick will be to make us think about how awful it is to have to drive ourselves around. How costly as opposed to the bus. Never mind if you live out in the sticks and NEED a car. They'd rather you take an inefficient mostly empty bus spewing out 10 car's worth of smog 50 times a day than use your own car once a day. After they convince a few to stop driving new cars (except for the rich of course, who will be able to afford it) they'll ask us to stop driving our old cars. Invoke some sort of clunker law. Make it cheaper to trash old musclecars than maintain them on the road (except for the rich... of course).
I know this is far fetched, but when it happens you heard it here first.
Today a bland car, tomorrow... no cars at all!!!
hehehe... the above is much funnier if you read it with a Cherman agzent.
I hate to say it, but if you're buying a bottom-of-the-barrel subcompact economy car, all you're going to get is basic transportation. Which is why the Mini costs almost twice as much as the others on that list, because it's in no way comparable to a Yaris, other than being small in size.
yeah, I always wondered why hybrid and 40+ mpg were always associated with ugly cars. Couldn't they put the Prius's engine in something that is actually nice looking? It's almost like car designers think people who want good gas mileage want a 4 door box-mobile or egg-mobile...
Here's a thought. Most of the United States/Canada could care less how 'sporty' their car is. Many people buy a car as a means of transportation, not as a status symbol. A perfect example is my friends dad, whom owns a used Dodge Neon, simply stated that he, "doesn't need a fast car, an expensive car, etc. I just need a car to take me to and from work."
People buy these cars for how economical they are, aside from Hybrid's. They get 40MPG and are cheap. Sure, they may look like garbage to some, but to others it is probably what they need.
Sub compact= Practicality.
Sub-compact!=exciting.
Sub-compact + built engines + body kits = F&F/Rice Rockets.
This is what the average consumer thinks. They also buy Magic Bullet blenders, Thighmasters, and Flowbees based on advertisments. They assume American Cars are crap because they've been told that for 20 years, even though It's been American cars the last 4-5 years winning awards from JD Power and other automotive groups... They still buy name-branded drugs when the exact same thing is available as a generic at less than half the price. They Voted Republican when Gilligan not only dropped the ball on 9/11, but continued with Afghanistan, Iraq, No child left behind, Foreign Policy, Taxes, Domestic Policy, Immigration, etc...etc...
The average person is a whole lot more closed-minded and moronic than they like to admit to themselves.
Jason wrote:Here's a thought. Most of the United States/Canada could care less how 'sporty' their car is. Many people buy a car as a means of transportation, not as a status symbol. A perfect example is my friends dad, whom owns a used Dodge Neon, simply stated that he, "doesn't need a fast car, an expensive car, etc. I just need a car to take me to and from work."
People buy these cars for how economical they are, aside from Hybrid's. They get 40MPG and are cheap. Sure, they may look like garbage to some, but to others it is probably what they need.
If that were true there wouldn't be any differences in any of the cars, people would all drive the same vehicle..cars wouldn't come in different colors, etc. People do buy certain cars for more than transportation that's just a fact. It's not practical to spend 25K on a car when you could go buy a Kia for 10K and still get from A to B..there's more to it than the A to B.
I think people buy Hybrids for status symbols a lot of times. From what I've read, if you go out and buy a Prius as opposed to buying a cheaper car that averages about 30 mpg..you don't save money unless you keep the car for a long time, so it's less economical.
People I've met that own Civic hybrids or Prius's typically go about saying they drive a Hybrid...instead of calling it a Civic or a Prius...That'd be like me saying, "Oh, I drive a turbocharged and intercooled inline 6."
I'm with Knoxfire and GAM.
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Those cars you stated started off in another country. Their taste is a lot different from ours. The majority of people do not care what the 0-60 or quarter mile time is. The ones that do won't be buying a Yaris, etc. If car manufactures built cars just to be sporty and fast, they would lose lots of money. It's not needed in the majority of cars.
Going back to the bottom of the barrel, Budweiser is cheap and bland tasty for a reason. They are designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
At least you can add things to those cars to make them better, Budweiser is hopeless...
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overall, i think its a bit too much of a conspiracy theory type of thing to get into. the companies make @!#$ty looking cars because they sell. its cheaper to do a quick redesign of an existing car than to come up with another one from scratch. after all, middle of the road is a safe bet.
also, america is too large for mass public transportation to be a viable option, now or anytime soon. hell, its 30-45 minutes for me to get to either school or work from my house....and i know plenty of people who live even further out, so that means that the lefties or greenies or whatever wont be able to take our cars from us because there isnt any type of alternative (except for those who live in the cities)
Quote:
they'll ask us to stop driving our old cars. Invoke some sort of clunker law. Make it cheaper to trash old musclecars than maintain them on the road
^^^^THIS is what the biggest problem is. california has already tried to enact laws against classic cars....we need to hope it doesnt catch on to other states.
California and other states that tried that found out the hard way how fast SEMA's SAN can act up.
SPITfire wrote:yeah, I always wondered why hybrid and 40+ mpg were always associated with ugly cars. Couldn't they put the Prius's engine in something that is actually nice looking? It's almost like car designers think people who want good gas mileage want a 4 door box-mobile or egg-mobile...
good gas mileage and hybrid cars are in fugly cars because car manufacs dont actually want them to be succesfull. they make them because of consumer pressure, but they dont want them catching on too fast. think about whos pockets their hands are in.
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Knoxfire wrote: "except for the rich of course, who will be able to afford it..."
...That's the biggest problem of all. It's the rich who are the ones who make these stupid policies and they don't give a crap about the little man. Speaking of this brings a certain movie to mind...
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Sunday, June 24, 2007 8:49 AM
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GAM (The Kilted One) wrote:Nathaniel O'Flaherty wrote:SPITfire wrote:yeah, I always wondered why hybrid and 40+ mpg were always associated with ugly cars. Couldn't they put the Prius's engine in something that is actually nice looking? It's almost like car designers think people who want good gas mileage want a 4 door box-mobile or egg-mobile...
good gas mileage and hybrid cars are in fugly cars because car manufacs dont actually want them to be succesfull. they make them because of consumer pressure, but they dont want them catching on too fast. think about whos pockets their hands are in.
And vice versa.
Hmmm. Normally Id say your comments are short of the tinfoil hat lines.
However, considering how GM got snubbed the the gubment and the fact that they are putting hybrid engines in the Escalade (Rumors, substantiated with photos) Id say GM putting hybrids in it's pretty cars is giving a collective "@!#$ you" to everyone else.
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Jason C. wrote:Knoxfire wrote: "except for the rich of course, who will be able to afford it..."
...That's the biggest problem of all. It's the rich who are the ones who make these stupid policies and they don't give a crap about the little man. Speaking of this brings a certain movie to mind...
Hey, I have an idea: let's sell those rich assh
oles their own fat asses back to themselves!!!
The penalty of not getting involved in Politics is being ruled by someone that is inferior to you.
You can pick up a new Mini for $16K (Newspaper price) around my neck of the woods.
I would not down play Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris performance as being boring. Fit has exceptional handling and Yaris' straight-line speed is impressive for what it is.
I think what you people want is car capable of competing with a ZO6 while still being under $18K. That ain't gonna happen, unless the ZO6 is running on 3cyls.
Being that auto makers are out to make money, putting more for your money is not their business modo and if/when they do, consumers will see the higher price, type of product and realize that for the money they can go one category class level up and get more.
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