in one of those quasi-race car wannabe Pontiac Grand Am's (circa 1998-2006). Please, Pontiac, those are awful, they really are. They look like they were designed on one of their granddaughter's etch-a-sketch's over a 10-minute period of time.
What, you don't like bloated styling and dramatic body ribbing??
I've yet to meet anyone who really likes the Grand Am's styling, but clearly there's got to be some...I believe the car was Pontiac's best seller. :surprise:
When the Tempo first came out, a friend of mines mother rushed in and traded her '69 Torino GT for one (she got $300 for it, which is about what the GT hubcaps will run you on e-bay).
We, in turn, imediately took it cruising. I liked they way it handled for a front-drive car and it had some of the nicest feeling steering I had felt at the time.
It was a warm spring night, with a light rain, just enough to get the ground wet. I catch a light beside a 383 Super Bee Coronet, so I pop the automatic into N and rev the little 4-banger. The guy ignores me, so I keep reving it. When the light turns green I pop in into gear at about 4 grand. On the wet pavement the car squeals throught the intesection and the "computer" quits. (It might have had 1000 miles on it).
The thing stuttered and hopped all the way home, fortunalty, the warrenty covered it.
Ubber, I can't believe you'd admit to something like that. My mom had a Mercury Topaz. Not a bad car, but I wouldn't have raced a 6 year old on a skateboard in it. It was SOOOOO SLOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW.
Almost anything nowadays with whitewalls is pushing it. Isn't there some stipulation that a car must be at least 2.5 tons and 7 feet wide before it can have whitewalls on it. :confuse:
Even on my dad's new Grand Marquis the whitewall is one of those skinny ones.
"Michael Jordan is rich. Even with all the money he made playing for the NBA and in endorsements for Nike, he'd have to work 216 years at the level to match Bill Gates who is wealthy!"
You have defined "wealthy" in terms of the richest man on earth. This is not a useful definition. Clearly, by most anyone else's definition, MJ is wealthy. And lots of folks with less money, as well.
Even though I have some pretty old cars, only two of them have whitewalls. My '57 DeSoto has the wide whitewalls, but honestly, a car like that would almost look naked without them! My '67 Catalina has the narrow whitewalls, simply because that's what was on the car when I got it. It needs new tires though, and I'll probably just put on whatever I can find. It has 215/75/R14 tires on it, a size that doesn't exactly have a lot to choose from! I think that's a common size for horse trailers, though. Everything else I have either has blackwalls (Intrepid) or raised white letters ('85 Silverado, '79 NYer, '68 Dart, '76 LeMans)
With the way most cars these days have such low-profile tires, I don't think they look good with whitewalls anymore. Back when tire sidewalls were taller and wheels were narrower, the whitewall helped to break up the monotony of the black tire, and add a little contrast. But with a 45-60 series tire mounted on a 16-18" rim, there's just not that much black area to be broken up anymore.
well if someone gave me a million bucks (after taxes) I think I could find a way to drop out of the workforce and live happily ever after. It helps to live in a house that's mostly paid for, though.
I can't think of many cars made since about 1990 that can wear whitewalls - although I've seen many newer cars with them, usually driven by clueless oldsters. I once saw a 97-01 Camry with medium width whitewalls, ones that would look good on my fintail! When my mom went and got tires for her 00 Taurus, I made it a point to tell her to make sure she gets blackwalls. IIRC, the last MB to have whitewalls was the W116.
As for being rich...I'd still work with a mere mil, but I wouldn't really worry about money - I'd buy a place and invest. But for like 5M, I'm retired.
I know people here in south Mississippi who would love to have that car. It's definitely a head turner - I'd have to turn my head away to keep the driver from seeing me laugh! :P
Geeze! I'd have to be smoking massive boulders of crack to do something like that to my ride! Besides, it barely fits in the garage as it is. For that treatment, I'd have to gut the second floor of my house and possibly raise the floor on the third!
Every time I see one of these vehicles on the road I can't help but think the owner has this vehicle because they only think inside the box. Also, the xB looks like a shiipping crate for a Minicooper.
Theres a lot that advertises in a weekly rag that specializes in sporty imports. For a long time they had OK stuff - drifter style Nissans, Honda turbos with few exterior mods, a few tackier cars. But lately they've gone off the deep end with Lambo door conversions. They have two up for sale now, of all things a 2001 Corolla and a 2001 Hyundai Elantra with Lamo doors! Why??? Shock value of having the most boring cars with those doors?
But lately they've gone off the deep end with Lambo door conversions. They have two up for sale now, of all things a 2001 Corolla and a 2001 Hyundai Elantra with Lamo doors! Why???
Practicality. High School parking lots (and Fry's parking lots) tend to have really tight spaces.
Ok, maybe not. They're aimed at a demographic that can afford mods but not a new car, and many of them weren't really allowed to choose what car they ended up with. They're also less constrained by the limits of the mature, beaten-down-to-conformity mind. It's not as far as a stretch if you start from that perspective.
Good point. There's almost something ironic about Lambo doors on such vanilla cars. Maybe there's some humor sought in it too. They should get a LeSabre or a Crown Vic and do the same.
The same company who sells those cars is also lately slapping bodykits on just about everything they sell...and not tasteful ones, but ones that flare out and have those huge lips on the front bumper. Not pretty.
The V6 automatics have historically been referred to as "secretary cars." Of course, the post didn't differentiate, but I'm guessing that was done specifically to get a rise out of people.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I knew a guy who has the previous Mustang in a 6cyl auto - gutless wonder. It was like a 2 door Taurus (yet louder and cruder), and the shifting points were optimized for a 20 second 0-60 run I am sure.
Modern ones with a manual and a 6 are rare, aren't they?
The first new car I ever had was a mustang with an I6 and an auto in it back in the early 80's. It held its own pretty good. While it would surely lose to a V8 of the time it was mighty good for a 6 cylinder.
Modern ones with a manual and a 6 are rare, aren't they?
I am sure they are but I am pretty sure I was behind one today, had one tail pipe and the brake lights were out sitting at a stoplight.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
In the early days of this thread I bashed on Hyundai a bit.
After visiting a Hyundai dealership last week, I wish to withdraw my posts. The new Sonata is a really, really nice car for the money. I was beyond impressed; while I don't trust them enough to actually buy one yet (and the resale is still in the toilet), they're much closer than I had thought. Zoom-zoom V6, heated leather seats, 6 disc MP3 changer, moonroof, climate control, power everything & then some for $20k? Incredible!
In recent times from 1995-1998, the V6 Mustang was a little underpowered compared to where everything else was at the time. It had 145 HP I think. But in 1999, Ford upped it to 190, and it could hold its own pretty well.
I think the current version has like 210...closing in on the power offered the previous-gen GTs.
I'd e reluctant to purchase anything that weighs over ~3,500 pounds, due to the handling characteristics of heavier vehicles. Most of today's hybrids are unappealing to me for similar reasons.
Works for me. Oh wait, you mean the Kia. Never mind.
Agreed 100%, the Sebring is an unmitigated disaster. When I think of how stunning the Cirrus was in '95 (Stratus was better, IMO), and this is where we've ended up...
I think you pegged it. It falls into the same gratuitous category as the old Pontiac ribs, and the last generation Eclipse semi-ribs, the Testarossa Sonny Crocket vanes, etc.
Totally unnecessary on any well-contoured design, it can only be interpreted as a sign of a design team's total frustration!
Comments
<<----- THAT way
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Rocky
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I've yet to meet anyone who really likes the Grand Am's styling, but clearly there's got to be some...I believe the car was Pontiac's best seller. :surprise:
Who would be content with humdrum like that year in and year out, I ask anyone within cybershot? :surprise:
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
We, in turn, imediately took it cruising. I liked they way it handled for a front-drive car and it had some of the nicest feeling steering I had felt at the time.
It was a warm spring night, with a light rain, just enough to get the ground wet. I catch a light beside a 383 Super Bee Coronet, so I pop the automatic into N and rev the little 4-banger. The guy ignores me, so I keep reving it. When the light turns green I pop in into gear at about 4 grand. On the wet pavement the car squeals throught the intesection and the "computer" quits. (It might have had 1000 miles on it).
The thing stuttered and hopped all the way home, fortunalty, the warrenty covered it.
Even on my dad's new Grand Marquis the whitewall is one of those skinny ones.
A new twist indeed, since this may be the first death wish to be posted on Edmunds.
You have defined "wealthy" in terms of the richest man on earth. This is not a useful definition. Clearly, by most anyone else's definition, MJ is wealthy. And lots of folks with less money, as well.
With the way most cars these days have such low-profile tires, I don't think they look good with whitewalls anymore. Back when tire sidewalls were taller and wheels were narrower, the whitewall helped to break up the monotony of the black tire, and add a little contrast. But with a 45-60 series tire mounted on a 16-18" rim, there's just not that much black area to be broken up anymore.
As for being rich...I'd still work with a mere mil, but I wouldn't really worry about money - I'd buy a place and invest. But for like 5M, I'm retired.
Now here's something not to be seen in:
Rocky
I just hope that poor W126 was a junkyard car before it got the inbred treatment.
Rocky
Rocky
To me, it's even stupider than gigantic chrome wheels on an econocar, but I guess to some people, it just screams "style"... :confuse:
Rocky
Heck...I already drive a funny Cayenne....
Was bidding on a nice Alfa 1974 GTV....but the price went too high....
that would be nice....
I would not mind most cars....none here have really pushed the envelope...
Practicality. High School parking lots (and Fry's parking lots) tend to have really tight spaces.
Ok, maybe not. They're aimed at a demographic that can afford mods but not a new car, and many of them weren't really allowed to choose what car they ended up with. They're also less constrained by the limits of the mature, beaten-down-to-conformity mind. It's not as far as a stretch if you start from that perspective.
The same company who sells those cars is also lately slapping bodykits on just about everything they sell...and not tasteful ones, but ones that flare out and have those huge lips on the front bumper. Not pretty.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
And the worst truck to be seen in is anything lifted more than 6 inches. Defiite size issues.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I knew a guy who has the previous Mustang in a 6cyl auto - gutless wonder. It was like a 2 door Taurus (yet louder and cruder), and the shifting points were optimized for a 20 second 0-60 run I am sure.
Modern ones with a manual and a 6 are rare, aren't they?
Modern ones with a manual and a 6 are rare, aren't they?
I am sure they are but I am pretty sure I was behind one today, had one tail pipe and the brake lights were out sitting at a stoplight.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
After visiting a Hyundai dealership last week, I wish to withdraw my posts. The new Sonata is a really, really nice car for the money. I was beyond impressed; while I don't trust them enough to actually buy one yet (and the resale is still in the toilet), they're much closer than I had thought. Zoom-zoom V6, heated leather seats, 6 disc MP3 changer, moonroof, climate control, power everything & then some for $20k? Incredible!
I think the current version has like 210...closing in on the power offered the previous-gen GTs.
I wish to withdraw my posts
Sorry - no do overs. But I'm very sure someone else will be more than happy to bash Hyundai if you're no longer gonna.
It beat the Camry and the Aura in a recent C & D comparo.
On the other hand, this is just a complete mess:
Works for me. Oh wait, you mean the Kia. Never mind.
Agreed 100%, the Sebring is an unmitigated disaster. When I think of how stunning the Cirrus was in '95 (Stratus was better, IMO), and this is where we've ended up...
It's like they took a page from the styling book that even Pontiac has disgarded...
Totally unnecessary on any well-contoured design, it can only be interpreted as a sign of a design team's total frustration!