- 3,023
- Peruibe, SP
Yes, I do find them a bit ugly in a way but at same time, it's hard for me to not stop looking at one of these. I do somehow like it.
Automotive Guilty Pleasures
- Thread starter Turtle
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Yes, I do find them a bit ugly in a way but at same time, it's hard for me to not stop looking at one of these. I do somehow like it.
- 27,205
- United Kingdom
I'd not have considered the original Twingo a guilty pleasure really. Some will wonder what the fuss is about a front-wheel drive city car of course, but I'd say it's entirely healthy to like Twingos on certain factors alone. It was fairly game-changing - a one-box design in a world of two-box small cars, and that gave it the interior space of - if I recall correctly - the Renault 21 at the time, which was Renault's mid-size car. A Ford Ka may have driven better but it wasn't nearly as clever.
Was clever in using relatively old mechanical technology without any significant drawbacks too - it drove like a contemporary small car, but by limiting the range to just one engine and transmission of a relatively simple design, it was cheaper to produce/buy/fix.
If you get a kick out of clever design and engineering, it's an easy car to like. The original Mercedes A-class would be a car like this for me - traditional Merc types probably hate them, but it's hard not to be impressed by a car with the footprint of a city car but the interior space of an S-class.
I'd say the second-gen Twingo is more of a guilty pleasure - it's conceptually similar to the first (down to using well-proven tech in a new body, albeit this time from the second-gen Clio) but unlike the original Twingo it broke absolutely no new ground. Looks a bit weird too, yet it's redeemed by the Renaultsport variant, which was whole heaps of fun.
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- United Kingdom
Renault's current design language works well on pretty much anything. It's good to see, as the cars that sat between the Avantime-inspired ones and this current range were rather bland.
- 29,726
- a baby, candy, it's like taking.
- TexRex72
Bustleback Sevilles--I'm sorry, I think they're gorgeous considering the bland sheetmetal they share with their predecessor.
1978-80 Monte Carlo--no redeeming qualities beyond the creased sheetmetal below the beltline, and whenever I see a G-body of this era ('78-87), it's either a heap with plastic-covered window openings or has been "donked."
1978-80 Monte Carlo--no redeeming qualities beyond the creased sheetmetal below the beltline, and whenever I see a G-body of this era ('78-87), it's either a heap with plastic-covered window openings or has been "donked."
- 904
- Usa
Did someone say Mustang? Hey look, it's Aston Martin's attempt to be Ford before they were part of Ford. 1977 (yeah right) Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
And this BMW 325i (E30) that Richard Hammond drove. Any old BMW with makeshift and useless aftermarket accessories fascinates me.
- 5,065
- Fort Worth
- That_sneaky_azN
- 4,487
- YorkshireLand
- SVTlover
That V8 Vantage is a 1983 model. But that shape dates back to the late '60s in the form of the DBS.
- 904
- Usa
It's a 1968 Aston Martin with BBS wheels and a wide body kit. That's all that's different on the outside from a original.
Interesting. I still don't understand why they still made it look like an out of date Mustang until the 1980's though...strange.
- 4,487
- YorkshireLand
- SVTlover
- 27,205
- United Kingdom
Saw a few of these recently:
Definitely a guilty pleasure. I have no use for an SUV, certainly not one only available as a petrol V6 with CVT (mainly thanks to UK fuel prices), but you can pick one up for about £4k here now which is hugely tempting. Was the first SUV I actually remember really liking, because it actually looked like someone had taken the time to design something attractive. Having the 350Z's engine doesn't hurt either, and the sporty-looking interior is neat too:
Definitely a guilty pleasure. I have no use for an SUV, certainly not one only available as a petrol V6 with CVT (mainly thanks to UK fuel prices), but you can pick one up for about £4k here now which is hugely tempting. Was the first SUV I actually remember really liking, because it actually looked like someone had taken the time to design something attractive. Having the 350Z's engine doesn't hurt either, and the sporty-looking interior is neat too:
The87Dodge
(Banned)
- 3,186
- Seattle, WA
- rizkeat
Nissan was pretty daring to make the Murano in Orange, @homeforsummer. Wonder how many people actually purchased it in that color.
- 5,065
- Fort Worth
- That_sneaky_azN
Oh, a LOT.
- 1,513
- Pacific NW
- ThrasherDBS
- ThrasherDBS
Was literally my favorite car of all time when I was young, and I still have some adoration for it today.
This also goes for the Cobra R.
- 904
- Usa
Was literally my favorite car of all time when I was young, and I still have some adoration for it today.
This also goes for the Cobra R.
I love the SN95. I used to play this game, Midtown Madness. Unlike the in game mustangs, One thing I noticed is that almost every GT on the road has a spoiler. I found only two SN95's without a spoiler, one was a base model, and another was a beater GT. They both had drill holes where the spoiler went.
- 27,205
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Always quite liked the SN95. Even the pre-Edge ones. Think it's simply because it was the Mustang around (in a relative way - we never got them in the UK) when I was growing up. But the styling works well too I think, provided the car is in good condition. It makes the retro-style model that followed look quite bloated.
- 86,852
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
There's a blue one in the car park at work - and oddly not the bit of it we use... Do like.Saw a few of these recently:
Definitely a guilty pleasure. I have no use for an SUV, certainly not one only available as a petrol V6 with CVT (mainly thanks to UK fuel prices), but you can pick one up for about £4k here now which is hugely tempting. Was the first SUV I actually remember really liking, because it actually looked like someone had taken the time to design something attractive. Having the 350Z's engine doesn't hurt either, and the sporty-looking interior is neat too:
GTP_Ingram
Premium
- 1,916
- London
- GTP_Ingram
- NowtDaft
Saw a few of these recently:
Definitely a guilty pleasure. I have no use for an SUV, certainly not one only available as a petrol V6 with CVT (mainly thanks to UK fuel prices), but you can pick one up for about £4k here now which is hugely tempting. Was the first SUV I actually remember really liking, because it actually looked like someone had taken the time to design something attractive. Having the 350Z's engine doesn't hurt either, and the sporty-looking interior is neat too:
For similar-ish reasons, with the right engine I'm quite a fan of this:
The first gen Ford Kuga came with a mildly detuned version (slightly less top-end power, but the same torque) of the 2.5 five-cylinder engine from the Focus ST. Having driven one before, it's amazing what a lovely noise and decent performance can do to an otherwise slightly dreary crossover/SUV-type thing.
- 27,205
- United Kingdom
I expect they've depreciated a ridiculous amount now too.
- 904
- Usa
For similar-ish reasons, with the right engine I'm quite a fan of this:
The first gen Ford Kuga came with a mildly detuned version (slightly less top-end power, but the same torque) of the 2.5 five-cylinder engine from the Focus ST. Having driven one before, it's amazing what a lovely noise and decent performance can do to an otherwise slightly dreary crossover/SUV-type thing.
Looks like an uglier version of the Escape.
EDIT: Wait a second...they changed the front ends.
GTP_Ingram
Premium
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- GTP_Ingram
- NowtDaft
That version of the Escape is the equivalent of the second-gen European Kuga. Looks similar from that angle, but it's on a new platform, has a longer wheelbase, and an interior more like the current Focus (a bit of a mess, in other words).
Strangely not as much as you'd think. Cheapest one on Autotrader just now (59 plate, 36k miles) costs £9,000. Maybe it's because they sold hardly any in the first place..
- 27,205
- United Kingdom
That's disappointing. At about three grand it'd be quite tempting. The other six grand would do for fuel, given that people quote pretty miserable figures for that engine even in a lighter, sleeker Focus...
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