Are cars less characterful than they used to be?

[sjc]

PositronicRay said:

Im in a similar situation after having sold a 94 Merc SL. I've also lost enthusiasm for climbing underneath cars.

Slightly different criteria though.
4 seater
Live un-garaged on a drive
Capable of everyday use
Capable of wafting across France
Convertible but preferably not a softtop.
Preferably lowish RFL
Up to £5-10k

So far I've only come up with a rather unglamorous Volvo C70

I could think of far worse, reasonably practical for tha type of car and a nice 5 cylinder note with the roof down.Prob a car that looks better now than when it was launched to boot.

[Turbobanana]

Sorry for radio silence over the last few hours, but the buyer has just been to collect the Saab so, while sad, I am now in a position to consider options.

Thank you for all the suggestions so far - some really thought-provoking material there. To add a bit: it doesn't have to be a convertible; it does need to be something that could realistically be driven 200 miles if the need arose; I don't believe anything Clarkson says.

I too am coming round to thinking that 20+years old is more likely to be my hunting ground. I haven't completely ruled out a hot hatch (although it would probably need to be 205GTI / late Golf Mk2 vintage) and I haven't completely ruled out something "properly old" either...

[PositronicRay]

sjc said:

PositronicRay said:

Im in a similar situation after having sold a 94 Merc SL. I've also lost enthusiasm for climbing underneath cars.

Slightly different criteria though.
4 seater
Live un-garaged on a drive
Capable of everyday use
Capable of wafting across France
Convertible but preferably not a softtop.
Preferably lowish RFL
Up to £5-10k

So far I've only come up with a rather unglamorous Volvo C70

Prob a car that looks better now than when it was launched to boot.

I'm coming to this conclusion too, i never used to give them a backward glance.

[CDP]

Turbobanana said:

Sorry for radio silence over the last few hours, but the buyer has just been to collect the Saab so, while sad, I am now in a position to consider options.

Thank you for all the suggestions so far - some really thought-provoking material there. To add a bit: it doesn't have to be a convertible; it does need to be something that could realistically be driven 200 miles if the need arose; I don't believe anything Clarkson says.

I too am coming round to thinking that 20+years old is more likely to be my hunting ground. I haven't completely ruled out a hot hatch (although it would probably need to be 205GTI / late Golf Mk2 vintage) and I haven't completely ruled out something "properly old" either...

Renault Clio 182s haven't rocketed in value yet.

[Finglescave]

I’d take a trip to your local Tesco/WHSmith for a purchase (read) of Modern Classics/Practical Classics magazine.

[P5BNij]

Fink-Nottle mentioned the Maserati 3200 earlier but thinking sideways (a bit) how about a fifth generation Quattroporte? It's coming up for twenty years old as a design now and even though I'm biased I think it still looks stunning today. The choice between the duo-select and ZF gearboxes divide opinion but both versions are worth looking into.... Pinifarina design, bags of character, a great engine and a wonderful sound when pressed hard.

Subframes are the killer with these though and need a thorough inspection before taking the plunge

Added caveat - they are rather long, if whatever you go for has to live in the garage it'll need checking for fit first.

[Fink-Nottle]

I see your QP V and raise you a QP IV!

It fits in the garage but is probably too understated to be fabulous. Except for those in Opal Green, of which there are thousands. In my dreams.

[Mr Tidy]

I seem to have fallen out of love with the majority of new cars too.

Possibly because I like RWD, and discovered BMW straight 6 N/A petrols in 2014 and have run three 3 series and 3 Z4 Coupes since then. Oldest was a 52 plate, newest a 56 plate.

I really don't like turbo petrols, fake piped engine noise with pops and bangs or flappy-paddles - maybe it's an age thing!

[Zener]

Are cars less characterful than they used to be? of course they are I'm surprised you asked TBH and I'm in an out of stuff all day long

[FHCNICK]

How about an Alfa Brera v6?

[P5BNij]

Fink-Nottle said:

I see your QP V and raise you a QP IV!

It fits in the garage but is probably too understated to be fabulous. Except for those in Opal Green, of which there are thousands. In my dreams.

Somehow I knew you’d come back with the QPIV! A good shout that, there are two or three for sale on car and classic at the moment.

[jamieduff1981]

aeropilot said:

lornemalvo said:

Perhaps it would be useful to know that one theory that used to do the rounds was that Saabs were often driven by architects.

Load of old ballcocks that was.

I did actually know of one architect in the early 80's that owned a 900.

But later on in all the 15+ years I owned various Saabs (and working in the construction industry alongside architects) that was the only one. Never knew one via any of the Saab forums either over that time.

Don't believe everything Clarkson says....in fact you shouldn't believe anything he says

Edited by aeropilot on Tuesday 7th June 15:29

It's similar to how MX-5s are all driven by hairdressers, yet they apparently aren't.

[Om]

jamieduff1981 said:

It's similar to how MX-5s are all driven by hairdressers, yet they apparently aren't.

Indeed. I am surprised by how many bald late-middle aged male hairdressers there are...

/damningwithfaintpraise

[targarama]

Rotary Potato said:

PositronicRay said:

Im in a similar situation after having sold a 94 Merc SL. I've also lost enthusiasm for climbing underneath cars.

Slightly different criteria though.
4 seater
Live un-garaged on a drive
Capable of everyday use
Capable of wafting across France
Convertible but preferably not a softtop.
Preferably lowish RFL
Up to £5-10k

So far I've only come up with a rather unglamorous Volvo C70

Peugeot 307CC

...
...
...

Not actually a serious suggestion!

Lexus SC430, hard top, coupe, convertible, wafter. Volvo is nice, but I think I'd prefer one of these given a choice of the two.

Edited by targarama on Wednesday 8th June 13:42

[austin]

Rotary Potato said:

I have had a Porsche 986 Boxster S as my only car since 2019.

It cost me just over £5k and does all the boring stuff well ... I use it at all times of year, to do everything from nip to the supermarket for the weekly shop, to take the dog places, to shlep hours down the motorway to visit friends. It also makes you feel special every time you drop the roof and find a quieter bit of backroad to enjoy.

The other week I had to get a 10 foot ladder to a friend across town. Fortunately it wasn't raining ... so dropped the roof and popped it in the passenger side! Got a few odd looks, but it did the job.

I can't think of anything I'd rather have - even if I doubled my budget.

It's a genuinely good (not great ... but good) sports car, but not so compromised that it can't also be a genuinely good (again ... not great) everyday car too.

I was going to suggest similar. I have an early Boxster 2.5. Most will tell you it doesn't have enough power etc to be a "proper" sports car. I don't care.

Coming from the world of slow older cars, (Morris Minors, 2CVs, Austin 7s etc) it's more than enough for me. And enough to get you into trouble if you really want to but on a nice day and a good bit of road it is a lovely place to be with that engine noise.

Other route could be the "restomod" thing?

My Morris Minor is currently undergoing a load of welding & upgrading. Disc brakes, anti-roll bar, 5 speed gearbox and later a Ford Zetec engine. They handle surprisingly well and are still relatively cheap. (And cost virtually nothing to insure!)

[Turbobanana]

Some great replies still, thanks all.

Boxsters intrigue me. I don't need more than a 2.5 because a) I don't believe myself to be Lewis Hamilton, and b) I think they're a bit less prone to the holy trinity of IMS / RMS / bore score than some of the bigger ones. I appreciate their build quality and reliability and, as someone above said, ability to be used every day regardless of the weather. But they're a dull bunch of things when it comes to colours, aren't they? I know there's Speed Yellow and Guards Red (Pink), and I know there's Boxster Red and Nephrite Green interiors, but most seem to be greyblacksilverdarkblue...zzzzzzzzzzzzzz Sorry, I nodded off there for a moment. Coming from a bright yellow Saab, I'd trip over one of those because I wouldn't see it. Same applies to 944s.

In other news: Alfa Brera - nice shout. Volvo / Lexus: no thanks. Worthy, but not really me. Volvo Amazon would be amusing though. MX-5: ticks 99.99% of the boxes but leaves unticked the one that says "Do I want one?". Ditto GT86 / BRZ. I could afford one or two of the 911 / 996s on offer at the moment, but that would empty the contingency fund for running the thing, so they're (reluctantly) out.

Money's in the bank now, so I'll start looking. I know I'm a fussy bugger, and thanks for your suggestions.

[Hoofy]

I've been thinking about this recently.

The problem is that modern cars are so good that they make normal journeys more dull.

My 20 year old car made yesterday's Tesco trip more of an event at normal speeds. I've done the same journey in newer and more comfy cars, and the problem is that it's really boring and makes driving on normal roads in normal traffic feel like the chore that it actually is.

I can't imagine what it must feel like in a brand new E class Merc. So comfy and numb that you actually hate the boredom of it and even listening to a podcast or audiobook isn't enough.

[Chunkychucky]

Turbobanana said:

I'd thought about the MR2 but it would have to be a MkII, as the later ones are about as appealing to me as a No 10 drinks party (even though I know they drive well).

Nicely put! I must admit I felt the same before getting to try one, and now having had a brief spin am quite glad they've gone up in value over the past few months otherwise there would probably be one parked on the drive...

[Turbobanana]

Hoofy said:

I've been thinking about this recently.

The problem is that modern cars are so good that they make normal journeys more dull.

My 20 year old car made yesterday's Tesco trip more of an event at normal speeds. I've done the same journey in newer and more comfy cars, and the problem is that it's really boring and makes driving on normal roads in normal traffic feel like the chore that it actually is.

I can't imagine what it must feel like in a brand new E class Merc. So comfy and numb that you actually hate the boredom of it and even listening to a podcast or audiobook isn't enough.

This is all true Hoofy, and I have a 4 year old E Class to prove it. It's a lovely waft, but about as involving as Jeremy Clarkson conducting an opinion poll.

Mrs Banana* is trying to lobby for something with 4 seats so the kids can enjoy it too, despite the Saab never really having had its rear seats bothered in the last 22 years. Must resist... although the restomod angle mentioned above is interesting.










* Do I have to change my user name now I don't own a yellow, turbocharged Saab?

[aeropilot]

Turbobanana said:

* Do I have to change my user name now I don't own a yellow, turbocharged Saab?

I've not changed mine, and its 11 years now since I last owned a Saab Aero.....