Hot take: Modern cars are BORING

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Oh that's easy, buy an older car and drive it.

I found the 91 Escort LX I crushed a few years ago pretty exciting, on the road feel and noise level department. I just hate driving it because of the lack of AC and worn struts.

I'd like to stay with a 2600lb car and 100hp, handling well instead of going fast.
 
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I just read today in an industry newsletter that modern muscle cars (Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette, and the Dodge Challenger and Charger) are waning because of the aging baby boomer population. The new kids aren't as interested in muscle cars as us older folk.
 
OP'er has a 2005 Honda Odyssey and looks like he previously had a 98' Honda Accord. Talk about boring.
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I like a boring car for my daily driver. It's slow, simple, reliable, comfortable, and good on gas.

My fun car is my Jeep. It isn't fast but it's 4x4 capable for exploring the desert backroads.
 
Just bought a well used 97 F150 with 5-speed manual transmission.....I didn't realize how much I missed driving a standard again...the idea of being proactive rather that being reactive is huge to me.
 
New cars don't really do it for me either. I like the Challenger for sure and considered it. The Camaro and Mustang are simply not my taste looks wise even though they are good performers. Nothing else really grabs my attention except maybe some cars in the "I could not afford it if I lived to be 200" category. Lol!
 
Originally Posted by Nick1994
OP'er has a 2005 Honda Odyssey and looks like he previously had a 98' Honda Accord. Talk about boring.
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The Accord replaced a 1986 non-turbo Jetta diesel, so make of that what you will, lol.

Anyway, I'm not actually 100% on-board with the "hot take" provided in the original post, and I don't really have enough experience with truly modern cars to have a valid opinion. I may be clouded by nostalgia to a great extent as well. But -- I wanted to see what the folks on here thought and hoped to read some interesting discussion.
 
I drive a boring 2017 Hyunda Santa Fe. Smooth. Quiet, 290 HP. Yep, boring.

Do I miss my 1985 Z28 5 Spd with T-tops?



Not one bit.
 
Different strokes man, some people just want a fast car or one that handles well. Old cars can be fast or slow and still be cool, most of the old cars I see have a stock-ish engine. No one thinks a 2018 Sonata is cooler than a 57 Chevy.
 
Originally Posted by brages
Cars today are far better than cars of years ago. They are unbelievably smooth and quiet. They are incredibly fast... even Grandma's Camry has 300 hp now. They are amazingly fuel efficient, reliable, and durable. Today's automatic transmissions are so good that even driving enthusiasts are picking them over the manual option.

But they are boring. Horsepower wars... 500+ hp V8's out the door. Big whoop. Who needs to go 0-60 in under four seconds in a giant insulated barge? So it's fast, big deal. How much can you actually use that speed on the road?

Consumers are trending more and more towards crossovers and SUVs. Apparently, the public doesn't care about driving excitement. Maybe they see today's crop of amazingly competent yet uninspiring cars and just let out a collective yawn. How about you, are you yawning too?


Not sure that we're thinking of the same thing, but there was a time when very good economy cars could be very nice to drive.
The first few generations of Civic had great shifters to compliment their 6K power peaks along with go-cart handling and fuel economy that would look good today.
Since we owned these cars back in the day and drove them for many miles, I can write this with some authority.
The Gen 5 and 6 Accords we've had were also very good driving cars, although the later cable shifters were not nearly as nice as the rod linkages on the earlier Hondas.
Putting 500 bhp in a fleet sedan merely makes for a fast version of a fleet sedan. It does not make of it a really entertaining car.
 
Originally Posted by fdcg27
Putting 500 bhp in a fleet sedan merely makes for a fast version of a fleet sedan. It does not make of it a really entertaining car.
FYI, in case of the Charger, it's not just an engine... suspension, brakes, exhaust, trans programming are all different, which does add to the entertainment factor.
 
Originally Posted by OVERKILL
I find my Jeep quite fun
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That's certainly true, but look at the vast majority of vehicles offered. Of course, everyone has their own opinions, and to some, a Camry, for instance, might be very attractive and interesting, just like I find Caprices and CVs and their brethren interesting, whereas others find them boring old cars. But, I see very few interesting new vehicles out there that I'd want to buy. However, in opposition to the main topic here, I'd say that's applied for a lot of years already.

Given a reasonable handful of cash, there is little I'd want to buy on the market today. That also would apply if you transported me back to last year, the year before, and all the way back to the 1970s. Take me to 1990, and I'll like the Town Car and Caprice. I won't be jumping up and down over the Cavalier, though.
 
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Originally Posted by d00df00d
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
you can buy a Hemi Challenge with bright orange paint... Called Go Mango. What's boring about that?

Basically everything else about it.

Really.

So a 485 HP muscle car with a manual transmission, SHAKER HOOD, fat tires, and big Brembos is "boring?" It's available in colors like Lime Crime, Plum Crazy, and Go Mango...

What excites you?
My guess is something that's about 1,500 lbs lighter.
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Pretty much.
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I want handling. Not just grip. Handling. Feel, feedback, response, agility, balance, accessible and transparent limits.

I want the sensation of speed. I'm honest enough with myself to admit that the only reason I'd want to go fast is to feel like I'm going fast. If the car does the opposite, no thanks.

I want razor-sharp throttle response. I want an interior that doesn't feel like it's part of a rental fleet, like it's trying to wow me with gadgets, or like it's trying to shout at me about how much money I've spent. I want at least some semblance of authentic steering feel and feedback. I don't see driving as something to be withstood, distracted from, or insulated from; I see it as something to be actively involved in and enjoyed, and I want my car to elicit and reward that involvement.

The Challenger is almost the exact polar opposite of all of that -- except with a bunch of horsepower and "performance" bits tacked onto it, as though that changes what it is underneath. Lipstick on a pig. Again, no thanks.

Chasing speed is futile anyway. No matter what you buy today, it'll be slow in 2-3 years. But a fun car is always fun.

As for aesthetics... Is it nice to have a good looking car? Absolutely. Is it disheartening to have an ugly one? Sure. But the idea that a neat-looking exterior makes a car "nice" or "fun" is almost unintelligible to me. I basically have no intuitive understanding of cars as status symbols or fashion items. On some level I actually find the idea kind of offensive. Not saying that's right or wrong; it's just me. So no, things like SHAKER HOODs and crazy colors don't mean jack to me. The best-looking boring car on the road is still boring.

A manual transmission is a game changer. But that's not all that relevant here; one of the premises of this thread is automatics replacing manuals, and almost nobody buys a Challenger with a manual anyway.

What's an exciting car? An MX-5. A BRZ. A Cayman or Boxster. A 911. A Civic Si or Type-R. An F430. An RSX Type-S. An E28 5-Series. Even a barebones 128i is better than most cars on the road.

What's not? Most family sedans, most luxury vehicles, all crossovers, and almost all rocket sleds.
 
Originally Posted by d00df00d
Chasing speed is futile anyway. No matter what you buy today, it'll be slow in 2-3 years. But a fun car is always fun.

It's more fun to drive a slow car quickly, than a fast car slowly.
 
I've had a few little "exciting" cars, they aren't for me. I love my fat pig of a Challenger!
 
Originally Posted by d00df00d

What's an exciting car? An MX-5. A BRZ. A Cayman or Boxster. A 911. A Civic Si or Type-R. An F430. An RSX Type-S. An E28 5-Series. Even a barebones 128i is better than most cars on the road.

What's not? Most family sedans, most luxury vehicles, all crossovers, and almost all rocket sleds.

So, Barbie sized cars?
 
Originally Posted by Carmudgeon


It's more fun to drive a slow car quickly, than a fast car slowly.


I can enjoy my fast cars even at lower speeds. The bikes on the other hand are an exercise in patience at lower speeds. Fortunately, I know of lots of lightly traveled roads away from civilization, to let 'em run a bit.
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Originally Posted by MCompact
Yes, my modern DD/track car is just unimaginably dull...


That car is an absolute hoot to drive but looks I know subjective are quite boring. So many great cars fall into that category.
 
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