Automotive Guilty Pleasures

[Ingram]

I don't see Grandis' so often nowadays. But walking past one earlier reminded me of how much I've always admired what basically looks like a larger, more stylised Mitsubishi Colt. These things really stood out among the MPV crowd a decade ago and have aged rather well.

As MPVs go, they don't look that bad. However, I've driven one of those before, and.. *violently shudders*

 

[INEEDNAWZZZ]

Saw all three in the past few days; they're instantly forgettable but they're strangely likeable, and quite uncommon these days (barring the Daewoo).

I've always liked vans that have been turned into people carriers, though I've never actually pinpointed why. Especially the old Tourneo Connect, mainly on the basis that I've only ever seen a handful in my life.

Honourable mentions go to the Mercedes Vito, the Renault Kangoo and the Citroen Berlingo. Another one I quite like.

I've heard they're abysmal to drive, and interior quality is equally horrendous, but I do like it. The rear reminds me of the Minica Dangan Kei car as well, which works remarkably well on a car of this shape and size.

 

[High-Test]

Not really guilty, since I've heard they aren't actually bad at all, but I do like the mid 90s Toyota Soarer/Lexus SC. Its more of a case that they're just generally forgotten about now and that makes them somewhat cool.

So 90s that it hurts.

The interior was all the same shade of ugly gray, but god it was gloriously 90s. God help you when you get one with electrical issues. It's all electronic, they're all old, and most stuff broke a long time ago. The simple things like fuses have to be sent from Japan. And that was ten years ago when I had mine. In any case, it's a damn cool car. Plus, the naturally aspirated 2JZ has a sublime singing voice in any year. Goes down the road straight without any driver input at all.


Something strange happened the other day. I was at the grocery store and saw an absolutely cherry late 80s Ford Tempo. It was in better shape than the 2013 Malibu next to it. Not so much as a scratch anywhere. The wheels were perfect, and to my surprise, the interior was spotless. Go, little blue Tempo. you have things to do and people to make smile.

 

[CSMDuty11]

I usually say that the "Two Upper Grilles" Chevrolet design doesn't work.

....Usually.

 

[Grandea GTR]

I usually say that the "Two Upper Grilles" Chevrolet design doesn't work.

....Usually.

What Chevy is that? Never seen it before.

 

[CSMDuty11]

The Orlando, not sold in the US i think.

 

[Niku Driver HC]

What Chevy is that? Never seen it before.

That would be the Orlando, if my memory is not failing me. A European market MPV of sorts, that didn't really sell all that well.

 

[Grandea GTR]

That would be the Orlando, if my memory is not failing me. A European market MPV of sorts, that didn't really sell all that well.

Looking at it again...

Is that a Ford logo on the side of it?

 

[CSMDuty11]

Looking at it again...

Is that a Ford logo on the side of it?

Im guessing that is something to do with the dealership, a dealership that sells Chevrolets and Fords, considering theres also a Chevy logo next to the Ford Logo
Also featured somewhat on the Transit

 

[Niku Driver HC]

Looking at it again...

Is that a Ford logo on the side of it?

That Ford logo is on the side of that Transit van, it must belong to the dealership as a service car. If you look closely, you'll also see a Bow Tie logo next to that. That would imply that it is used by a Ford/Chevy dealership, as CSM said.

 

[Grandea GTR]

That Ford logo is on the side of that Transit van, it must belong to the dealership as a service car. If you look closely, you'll also see a Bow Tie logo next to that. That would imply that it is used by a Ford/Chevy dealership, as CSM said.

Ah, okay, I was getting slightly confused

 

[Liquid]

Avert thyne eyes!

I absolutely love Harlequin Volkswagens.

 

[Niku Driver HC]

Avert thyne eyes!

I absolutely love Harlequin Volkswagens.

My god it's rainbow fun. How did those cars come to life? I'm curious about their history...

 

[Liquid]

VW did it at an Auto show in about 1996, reaction was surprisingly positive so they made a limited number production run on the Mark III Golf and Mark III Polo.

It's a simple enough job; just swap different colured panels. The base colour of the car is the roof running down to the rear wheel arches. That is not repeated on the rest of the car.

A few thousand of each were officially made but I suspect a lot you might see are aftermarket trade jobs.

 

[Niku Driver HC]

Well ain't that interesting; even when it was a mismatch of different coloured body panels, the reaction to these cars was mostly positive...

Are these cars worth any special amount, compared to your average Mark III Golfs and Polos?

 

[Liquid]

Are these cars worth any special amount, compared to your average Mark III Golfs and Polos?

A two year old, and therefore finished, eBay sell says a harlequin Polo is £1,200. Not much more than you'd pay for an excellent condition normal Polo, I'd say; a normal but terrible Polo or Golf from that time can be £300-£800.

 

[Niku Driver HC]

A two year old, and therefore finished, eBay sell says a harlequin Polo is £1,200. Not much more than you'd pay for an excellent condition normal Polo, I'd say; a normal but terrible Polo or Golf from that time can be £300-£800.

So it's a used Polo/Golf's average value, huh? Not entirely surprising, really. Other than the paint, these cars are your normal petrol/diesel mid-to-late 1990 VW cars. Still, it turns heads, if anything.

 

[Sage Ages]

 

[ViscousTraction]

 

[INEEDNAWZZZ]

I love these things when I really shouldn't.

These are more of a UK based choice, since they are the car of choice for the elderly driver. Though that isn't such a bad thing, since it means that the majority of them are ridiculously well maintained, and since they're a bit tragic looking these days go dirt cheap.

Speaking of Daihatsus...

 

[Wiegert]

Speaking of Daihatsus...

View attachment 370325

Ah, yes. I believe this won the award for Most Felicitous Model Name in 1996.

I do remember an older lady on our old street used to own a purple/silver two-tone Gran Move. Bit of strange sight back then. Never saw any others like it since.

In a similar vein to those Daihatsus, I had a soft spot for the second gen Move. Or the Perodua Kenari as it's known in the UK. More so with the wonderfully pointless door sticker available on some models:

 

[INEEDNAWZZZ]

Gran Moves and Daihatsus in general are pretty rare sights over here, whilst Perodua badged variants seem to sell by the boatload for whatever reason. Barring their 4x4s, the only model I see frequently are the mid 2000s Charades. Their scarcity and oddity make them somewhat appealing. It helps that they're dead reliable as well so you won't have to worry about sourcing spares too much.

 

[High-Test]

Is it bad that I have the mother of all soft spots for the Saab 9-7x? Even though I argued with a recalcitrant salesperson who could not admit it was a GMT600 and was a Trailblazer/Bravada in drag? "No, sir. It's 100% Saab." Saab never made a 327. /rant

I love the thing. It's the only one of the GMT600 siblings that shouldn't be recycled for crimes of ugly. It's.. pleasant. And it removes the gripes I've had with the Trailblazer the whole time. I love the thing.

 

[SVX]

Recently I've had a slight preference for the third generation TSR wagon - something about the naturally aspirated throttle response leads me to believe it'd be a hoot on a good road.

Perhaps even a 250TB with Belstein suspension goodies...

 

[Grandea GTR]

Recently I've had a slight preference for the third generation TSR wagon - something about the naturally aspirated throttle response leads me to believe it'd be a hoot on a good road.

Perhaps even a 250TB with Belstein suspension goodies...

I would get a Legacy Wagon, the want is so bad. Too bad they're practically like unicorns from where I live.

 

[SVX]

I would get a Legacy Wagon, the want is so bad. Too bad they're practically like unicorns from where I live.

Can't say the same here, at all. Practically everyone and their dog owns ones here, it's crazy. The fact you can pick up a third generation GT-B for ~4k seals it.

 

[Grandea GTR]

Can't say the same here, at all. Practically everyone and their dog owns ones here, it's crazy. The fact you can pick up a third generation GT-B for ~4k seals it.

We get the wagons over here as the Outback, the crossover versions.

America doesn't really like wagons.

 

[SVX]

We get the wagons over here as the Outback, the crossover versions.

America doesn't really like wagons.

We got those too. In fact, I saw numerous at the junkyard last weekend.

 

[The87Dodge]

 

[Cowboy]

View attachment 371809