What's an automotive brand or product everyone else loves, but you couldn't care less about?

Gecko

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I was talking to a friend about this recently and the conversation became quite interesting -- and humorous. What are the brands or products that other people seem to love, but you do not care about?

I have two:

Product: VW Golf. As long as I've been a car enthusiast, the Golf has had this special cult following of people who love it and proclaim it's one of the best cars on the planet, it's lauded by the media... and yet... I simply do not get it and never have. I've been in plenty of them, driven a few of them, and I always find the car to be underwhelming and expensive for what it is. But maybe I'm the only one who feels that way?

Brand: Porsche. I know this is probably very unpopular, but I remember growing up and just thinking that Porsche cars never really changed and were always less exciting than comparable Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Aston Martins, and sometimes even Corvettes. Years later, now I come to realize that this is what people love about them - the consistency and heritage. But to me, paying $90k for a 911 or $250k for a car that looks the exact same has just never computed in my head. I have immense respect for Porsche engineering and product, but I would never spend the money to buy one because they just don't look special or exotic enough to me.

What about the rest of you?
 

Will1991

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Product: Dacia Spring, I just don’t understand how someone looks into that and thinks, “That’s it!”

Brand: SangYong, how can they do only bad looking cars?
 

maiaramdan

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Product: so called SUV coupe / CUV coupe what a waste of space and not that good in twisty roads in comparable to in non coupe sisters/ brothers

Brand: current Audi-Benz all lookalike, the design team of every maker just design one car and spread it, I hate the Russian Dolls syndrome, and am thinking this is just a lazy 2 makers
 

mmcartalk

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Product....Jeep Wrangler. Unless you are using it for what it does best (being a Mountain-Goat), on paved roads (which is most of the time) I find it crude, uncomfortable, and a PITA, although I will say that the latest ones are somewhat less-punishing than older ones....they have evolved quite a bit from their military origins.



Brand.......BMW. Much of my respect for that make ended with the Chris-Bangle redesigns, I-Drive, thinner sheet-metal, confusing E-shifters, and the conversion of the superb power steering (arguably the world's best) to electric units.
 

mikeavelli

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Cuv 4 door b.s coupe not great at anything not trendy to car people but trendy to non car people. I’ll never get that segment

VW couldn’t sell anything here, they then make a bunch of bland and bottom feeder cuvs and Americans go nuts. Says a lot.

Subaru I also don’t get at all. And before it was fine before they started selling. Now a bunch of ugly is parked in the fast lane.


gecko that Porsche comment is fighting words 🤣
 

mmcartalk

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VW couldn’t sell anything here, they then make a bunch of bland and bottom feeder cuvs and Americans go nuts. Says a lot.


Part of VW's problem in the U.S. is not so much their products (IMO they actually drive quite nicely) as it is inept dealerships and an inability to deal effectively with customers.
Subaru I also don’t get at all. And before it was fine before they started selling. Now a bunch of ugly is parked in the fast lane.

Subies, at one time (I'm thinking of the 80s/90s/early 2000s) were built like tanks...arguably more-so than any other Japanese low-priced make. But, along the way, the bean-counters not only decontented them but gave them unreliable engine parts and CVT transmissions. I have several neighbors with Outbacks, Foresters, and Crosstreks that have had CVT failure before 100K miles.
 
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I was talking to a friend about this recently and the conversation became quite interesting -- and humorous. What are the brands or products that other people seem to love, but you do not care about?

I have two:

Product: VW Golf. As long as I've been a car enthusiast, the Golf has had this special cult following of people who love it and proclaim it's one of the best cars on the planet, it's lauded by the media... and yet... I simply do not get it and never have. I've been in plenty of them, driven a few of them, and I always find the car to be underwhelming and expensive for what it is. But maybe I'm the only one who feels that way?
One of my favorite cars when I first became interested was a GTI, particularly the Mk2. I had plenty of Hot Wheels Rabbits and MBX 2 GTIs that I loved playing with when I was a kid, but that was until I found Japanese cars and got stuck with Toyotas lol. Nowadays, I still respect the GTI but kind of ruled them out in my last car purchase. I did test drive a MK7.5 at Carmax and enjoyed the drive, but the prices were more than what I felt comfortable with, not to mention being a bit uncomfortable in owning a VW long term.
Brand: Porsche. I know this is probably very unpopular, but I remember growing up and just thinking that Porsche cars never really changed and were always less exciting than comparable Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Aston Martins, and sometimes even Corvettes. Years later, now I come to realize that this is what people love about them - the consistency and heritage. But to me, paying $90k for a 911 or $250k for a car that looks the exact same has just never computed in my head. I have immense respect for Porsche engineering and product, but I would never spend the money to buy one because they just don't look special or exotic enough to me.
joey-porsche-friends.gif
 

ssun30

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Product: Buick GL8. How could a 30-year-old product still be so successful? It's baffling how no other car maker paid attention, until Toyota found out they could charge absurd amount for minivans.
Similarly: Lexus LM. It makes zero sense a 160hp minivan costs more than the LFA.

Brand: anything British.
 

IS-SV

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Brand Mini and product Golf. I'm not big on cartoon cars or unattractive econobox hatches , but that's just my preference.
 

Sulu

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Product: Honda Accord. I don't understand how and why some worship it as a sporty sedan. I have been driving my wife's 2013 Accord and do not find it to be sporty. It drives and rides no better or no worse than my old 2015 Lexus ES Hybrid; in other words, it drives like a large sedan. My new 2022 Camry Hybrid SE drives and rides much better, in my opinion (and I would not call it sporty either), because of its very good (for a Toyota Camry) rear suspension.

Brand: Tesla. I find Tesla to be similar to an earlier Microsoft, a cultish organisation ruled by a love-him-or-hate-him leader, someone who you either love and worship, believing he can do no wrong, or someone you hate with a passion, believing he rules with the force of hubris.

Like the earlier Microsoft, the quality of its products is mediocre at best; and they have become the standards of the world not because the products are so much better than what others can make, but because of questionable business practices that no one (including governments) seems willing or capable of speaking out against.
 

mmcartalk

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Mini is definitely a good one too. I don't understand how they're still in business (or why).
In my area (Northern Virginia/Washington D.C. suburbs), they are a magnet to females...as used to be the case with VW Beetles. Women young and old love them. Not a stereotype, just a fact.
 

NXracer

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"Flame Suit On"

Toyota Avalon.....why did this exist when their exists an ES. It seemed as vestigial GM product planner was assigned into the Toyota product planning team to rebadge the touring K (seemed like the codename was tribute to Lee Iacocca) platform.
 

Gecko

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"Flame Suit On"

Toyota Avalon.....why did this exist when their exists an ES. It seemed as vestigial GM product planner was assigned into the Toyota product planning team to rebadge the touring K (seemed like the codename was tribute to Lee Iacocca) platform.

Originally, the ES was an (semi-sporty) entry level Lexus with room comparable to a Camry while the Avalon was Toyota's full size cushy sedan, so there was considerable difference between them. Over time, as the ES grew and became more luxury focused, the case for the Avalon became pretty moot - especially since there's not much of a price difference between them. But yes, it probably could have died before the current model change without much pushback.
 

ssun30

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Brand: Jaguar/Land Rover

Model: Kia Stinger
I once test drove a Kia Stinger 2.0T imported from US. I was completely unimpressed. That car has the worst packaging ever. As large as a GS but less space than IS. It's completely impractical. The engine is neither smooth nor powerful and uses a lot of fuel. It is a lot slower than 330i and C300 and feels as slow as the IS300. The interior is garbage, flimsy start button and A/C switch. The auto brake hold system is unbearably slow and unresponsive. The blind spot monitor is useless, it only blinks and beeps when you are about to crash into someone. I have zero idea how the media consider it the best thing since sliced bread, like everywhere it gets 10/10. Is it just the value of the 3.3T model? Everyone says it's super fast and sporty and ignores it does 0-60 over half a second slower than the 340i.
 

Levi

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Brand: Audi, BMW (since 2011), Mercedes (also since 2011), Land Rover/Range Rover, Tesla

Model: VW Golf, Porsche 911