The 50 Most Underappreciated Cars of All Time
InsideHook,
by
Benjamin Hunting
Original Article
Posted By: Gobbledyg00k,
11/20/2020 1:43:01 PM
Generational shifts almost always wreak havoc on accepted pop-culture wisdom. As one cohort ages out of a particular scene — be it music, movies, fashion or design — a new group rushes into to fill the gap, bringing with them their own ideas about what’s cool, what’s not and most importantly, where you should turn your attention next.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
DaddyO 11/20/2020 1:51:58 PM (No. 611627)
Have to disagree about the Scirocco and the Mini Cooper. Owned both, easily the worst cars for reliability I have ever owned.
4 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
jimboscott 11/20/2020 1:57:31 PM (No. 611633)
Fiat X1/9?
That car should have had an accessory package that included 4 cinder blocks.
I had a 1983 Rabbit GTI and a friend of mine had an X1/9. That little Rabbit ran circles around the Fiat in every category except looking like it should have been fast.
6 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Jennie C. 11/20/2020 2:03:58 PM (No. 611636)
My grandpa had a Lark Studebaker. When I was in college, he and grandma moved to FL permanently, and were only going to take her car. I BEGGED him to give me that car. I suspect my dad dissuaded him. He probably thought I was too young for a car of my own. He was probably right :)
3 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
karo 11/20/2020 2:16:02 PM (No. 611648)
Agree about the Mercury Cougar - my first car was a 1967 Cougar in Sage Gold (sort of a pale gold metallic with a bit of green), parchment (off-white) vinyl top and parchment interior. It had a lot of options for the day including air conditioning and the swing-away steering wheel that would pop up diagonally out of the way when you opened the door (it tilted up and down, too). Some pesky and odd features, including vacuum-operated headlights that tended to leak, making the covers go up if the car sat for long, and sequential rear turn-signals that blinked 1-2-3 on each side. They worked via a small electric motor in the trunk that had a little camshaft to open up each connection one by one. But the powertrain was rock-solid, with a 225-horsepower 289 4-barrel V-8 and C-4 automatic transmission. I have a '66 Mustang convertible that is essentially the same car (also a 289/automatic), but a lot less refined. It's Nightmist Blue (dark blue metallic) with a white top and blue interior.
The Corvair entry reads 1965 but it should be 1965-69 (the car in the photo is a '69). It was essentially unchanged for five years following its first major restyle (the first generation was '60-'64) One of the most beautiful designs of all time, IMHO. So clean and understated; they were all hard tops (except the convertible of course), even the cheapest 2-door 500 series. The engineering is quite unusual, flat-six, air-cooled, 4-wheel independent suspension, etc. I'd love to own one someday.
4 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
web 11/20/2020 2:31:08 PM (No. 611658)
My best friend had a Corvair back in the 60s. It was a deathtrap, and nearly killed us when the fuel line got clogged up on a mountain road. His dad made up for it by having a Chevy Chevelle 396. I've now got a Pontiac G8 GT, with a 6 liter V-8. GM could have kept the Pontiac line and scrapped everything else, as far as I am concerned.
4 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Omen55 11/20/2020 2:40:53 PM (No. 611672)
I purchased & enjoyed driving my VW Fox for years.
It was a nice simple car.
Very underappreciated.
3 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
hershey 11/20/2020 3:48:32 PM (No. 611743)
Er, can't say I agree with him....had a lot of cars in my 79 years and a few stand out...first car out of the Service was a 63 Corvair convertible...don't remember how many times I caused the fan belt to pop off...then followed the remade Corvair...and a 73 Dodge Challenger and a Dodge Charger...got into Jeeps back in 2000 and have had my share..current rides are a 16 Grand Cherokee and a 17 Dodge Challenger...
3 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Vesicant 11/20/2020 4:04:43 PM (No. 611758)
Underappreciated, rightfully forgotten, tomato, tomahto. Much better is the "Detroit Style: Car Design in the Motor City, 1950–2020" exhibit.
dia.org/detroitstyle
2 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
ByteGuru 11/20/2020 4:20:03 PM (No. 611774)
Having experience with several of the cars on the list I must say that the common denominator among them is why they are 'under-appreciated' - most were pure junk, poorly designed and poorly built. One car was an exception IMHO, the Chevy Corvair v2.0. The 'box' Corvair was all that Nader said it was. But the 'bullet' Corvair ('65-'69) was indeed a sweet ride. I had the '65 180 HP turbo coup. It was fast, handled well, got good mileage, and was not real expensive. Unfortunately it was T-boned by a drunk woman who ran a giant STOP sign at 50 mph. I survived with only a broken thumb but my passenger spent a few days in the hospital. The good news was that I paid cash for a '69 240Z with the insurance settlement.
5 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
kono 11/20/2020 4:45:36 PM (No. 611793)
My favorite for looks and driving pleasure was always the '69 Olds Cutlass S, with a 400 cubic inch V8 engine and a growl that got my pulse going. Even more powerful was the Rocket 455 engine powering our '72 Olds Custom Cruiser station wagon. I still have fond memories of out-dragging a Camaro with that in '77. The switch under the gas pedal defeated all the power-draining stuff like A/C when the driver floored it.
3 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
kono 11/20/2020 4:47:02 PM (No. 611795)
'scuse me - the wagon was a '73, not '72.
2 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
jhpeters2 11/20/2020 6:07:09 PM (No. 611882)
I had a Datsun Fairlady. Not reliable by current standards. Silly carburetion. Fun to drive until about 30000 miles, after that a daily fixer, and it felt like driving a bucket of bolts.
2 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
karo 11/20/2020 6:08:09 PM (No. 611883)
I have a soft spot for the '69-'70 Mercury Marauder X-100 as well. I grew up on a 1970 Ford Country Squire station wagon (the same car as the big Mercury underneath; the exact Ford counterpart would have been the XL, another two-door fastback like the X-100). It was Medium Ivy Green Metallic with green vinyl interior (wood grain sides of course), lots of options (A/C, power windows, power seat, AM/FM stereo, seating for eight, etc.), plus the 429 V-8 (2-barrel, premium fuel)/C-6 automatic. Tons of torque and easy power; it would pull a boat or anything else and easily buried the 120-mph speedometer (to the delight of my 16-year-old self).
Friends had a similar Mercury in a 1968 Park Lane 2-door fastback; Saxon (pale yellow), white vinyl top, black interior with two power seats, AM/8-track stereo and the 428 4-barrel/C-6 automatic. Very fast also.
Dad also dabbled in some foreign cars; he had a '76 Saab 99 GL WagonBack in a weird cheese-color called Topaz yellow. Great in the snow; the 4-speed was a little buzzy at higher speeds. First car I ever saw with heated seats and underseat heat. The Swedes knew about winter!
1 person likes this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
Folsomguy 11/20/2020 6:20:04 PM (No. 611895)
I had 3 different Corvairs from the time they were introduced until Dumba** got GM to stop making them. Loved each of them. All three were convertibles. The last was a white Spyder.
2 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
bad-hair 11/20/2020 6:23:51 PM (No. 611901)
You know you're getting old when out of 50 cars you've owned 15 of them and can think of 10 more that should be on the list. Jag XKE (6 gawdawful cylinder) but probably the prettiest car ever made and most any Alfa Romeo before 1990.
2 people like this.
I never had another car that gave me that feeling that came when I put it to the floor in my 1969 Camaro.
2 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
Timber Queen 11/20/2020 10:04:35 PM (No. 612016)
My first car, at 16, was a red '64 Covair Spyder, four on the floor. Ralph Nader was right. The left rear tire blew doing 65mph on the 405 fwy in the middle of the San Fernando Valley. The car spun around 180 and we traveled backwards looking at the traffic that was once behind us. We skidded backwards into the guard rail over Parthenia Ave. My friend and I were OK and assisted by a truck of hunky young bricklayers. I could do a figure "8" with the gear shift. Only had her for six months, but she was fun.
My favorite car is my current ride, a 1996 Jeep Cherokee. TK has promised we will do all to keep her on the road. I've owned her for 20 years now. She turned 306,000 miles the other day. I've only had two major repairs in all these years. She only needs regular oil changes and maintenance. She got me over the ridge in 18 inches of snow and through multiple horrendous rain storms. I'd be buried in my Cherokee Sue, but TK would have to sell the house to afford the cemetery plot. Americans love our cars because they are the definition of personal freedom.
Happy driving, fellow Ldotters.
2 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
LadyVet 11/20/2020 11:29:03 PM (No. 612045)
#16, I also loved my '69 Camaro. I did put it to the floor a few times. Exhilerating!
1 person likes this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
ladydawgfan 11/20/2020 11:38:41 PM (No. 612049)
My first car was a '65 Chrysler Newport (not on this list), handed down from my grandparents. Big arse boat of a car, but I loved driving it.
From this list, I had a '93 Previa, which had 342k miles when I had to turn her in due to body rust. Her engine still ran like a top but her body needed about $9000 worth of work to keep her on the road. If I could have afforded to have her restored, I would have gladly paid it. She was an absolute blast to drive, and also gave me an excellent view of the road a d surrounding traffic, thanks to her massive windows. I loved my van, and even now I wish I still had her. Why Toyota stopped making Previas, I will never know!!
1 person likes this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
AbingtonJim 2/22/2021 10:28:24 AM (No. 704688)
Interesting list and have owned several of them with my favorite being the Datsun SRL311 that I bought new in 1968 it's AKA Datsun 2000. There's also the SPL311 which has a 1.6-liter engine but is nowhere near as much fun to drive. When fitted with Stromberg carbs instead of the stock SU's the SRL was blazingly quick. IMHO, missing from the list would be a Ford Cortina GT, a sweet little car.
0 people like this.
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