Kids don’t know anything, and as a kid there were many cars that I thought were incredible until I grew up and my brain got better. Growing up in the 80s, I had the obligatory Countach poster on my wall, thought the DeLorean was fast for hitting 88 mph, and wished for nothing more than a talking Firebird. Conversely, I grew up reading the big four buff books and thought Japanese cars were cheap appliances that people only bought because they couldn’t afford a better car from Europe. Even as an grown-up who should’ve known better, I briefly indulged my childhood dream of owning a C3 Corvette, but as they say, don’t meet your heroes. If I only knew then what I do now, I could’ve saved myself a pricey mistake.
What car did you love as a kid but realized was terrible when you got older?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What automotive T-shirt do you wish existed?”
Though it wasn’t the goal of the QotW, we heard your many comments about the JNC shirts you wish we’d sell. We’ll make some adjustments to the shop soon and accommodate where possible. Sometimes there are logistical or copyright reasons that prevent us from doing so. We appreciate the feedback.
As for an actual answer of a shirt that deserves to exist somewhere in the world, the winner this week is brkr12002. We can’t make you this shirt, but we can send you some stickers!
Nissan Pigeons T Shirt. Yeah, a shirt dedicated to that classic commercial. There once was a shirt for the Nissan Toys commercial that was set to Van Halen, but I lost that shirt.
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
Top of the list would have to be the C1-C2-C3 Corvettes
Second: Mustang-Cougar/Camaro-Firebird/Barracuda-Challenger
Third: Jaguar E-Type.
It pains me to put the E-Type on this list, as it is one of the most beautiful cars ever made, but the expense of ownership makes a TR6 look like an inviting proposition
The FD3S RX-7. My first automotive love when I was 12 and it debuted on the world stage. Best looking Japanese car ever? Probably. Best looking car of the 1990s? Undoubtedly a top 3 contender. But the laws of physics, Mazda’s engineering, and the rotary engine did not reach a happy compromise; and the car is *ahem* challenging to maintain in operating condition as a result.
My heart still beats faster every time I see one. They’re such a rare sight now, especially in unmolested, original form. Never understood it though. Putting a bodykit on that car is like putting Ryoko Yonekura in a clown costume.
Those. Yes. Pretty much every rotary is like that. The particular “issue” with them is that they burn oil, but they have to by design. Shame that the people that bought them, though they were buying Honda Civics and treated them as such.
IMHO I think rotaries are maligned for two reasons.
One, owners have assigned too many NON-rotary specific problems to the cars. Fuel, cooling, ignition problems CAN exist in any Piston engine vehicle. But when it’s on an RX… ohhhh, rotaries suck.
Secondly, just follow the owners’ manual. Check the oil, change the oil, maintain cooling system. All is well.
This comes from someone who has owned at least one rotary since 1987.
Lastly, I’d buy an FD if they weren’t so overpriced. 🙁
Two words.
Pontiac. Fiero!
Couldn’t afford a Camaro so aspired to own its little sibling, Chevy Vega. Whew, close call. Almost got one! Not even a GT trim nor Cosworth. That four banger would have worked well as an anchor for my fishing boat. Or not….
My favorite car as a little kid was a Triumph TR7. It looked like it was from the future and, for a grade-school kid in the 1970s, that was enough. Fast-forward to the 21st century and I learn that the USA version of the TR7 had even less horsepower than my Datsun 1600 roadster from a decade earlier.
that would have to be the third gen firebird, always been a mythical car to me as a dark green trans am GTA would have been my granddad’s last car purchase.
now i never knew the guy but he was a car guy and at grandma’s house his old automobilia was still stashed away. somewhere around 04 little kid me came across the sales brochure for the Firebird, with his notes and scribbles in it.
seeing that pointy spaceship of a car and the link to a mythical man i only heard cool stories about made me decide ‘when i grow up i’ll have a firebird’ and i did get one as my first car, the t-tops leaked so bad it’d trickle ice cold water down your neck whenever it rained, steering was sloppy, shocks blown and in spite of the lack of power it’d swing the rear out every chance it got due to a ‘random slip differential’, not to mention that ALL of them smell like cigarettes and mildew by now.
terrible, absolutely, do i still browse marketplace for one each day also a big resounding YES!
I boxed-type/boxy Mitsubishi Lancer from the late 70’s and early 80’s. I remember an old conversation with my dad about wanting one and it being cool forever.
I did end up still wanting an Evo 4-7 but its just not the same thing.
My dad owned a silver Ford Mustang II hatchback. It had a manual, so it was fun watching him shift. When my older cousin drove it, he would do little burnouts. I think it’s still a cool looking car, but now people call it the Pinto-stang because it shared the Pinto chassis. The Pinto and Pacer were considered POS cars when I was in school.
I’m an outlier. I didn’t particularly like cars, and loathed that I would someday need to own one. Maybe this was because I grew up during the automotive malaise era. I didn’t really play with cars or car toys when I was a kid, either. Instead, I was obsessed with aviation… and LEGO.
Fast forward many years, and I am the first person in our family that hasn’t had a career in aviation since the invention of the airplane. I also love cars. In particular pre-war cars, and 60s-70s, and 90s Japanese cars.
The S2000. Granted, I still like them. They are very cool, but I wouldn’t want to own one. They are very special cars, but they are not meant to be driven in everyday traffic. I found out that it’s a difficult car to drive, for me at least. An ND Miata is very much the same but are able to take on the same kind of traffic much better. Ah well.
Quick story from when I was a kid:
The family used to frequent this particular part of town where a Honda dealership still is. Up and front of the dealership sat their S2000s. I distinctly remember this red one and later a yellow one sitting on those long, tall ramps, way up so you could see it from the raised highway. Beautiful sight. Every once in a while, you’d see them drive to and from the dealership. 🙂
Sadly, the car in the picture…Delorean. But I still don’t care. My brain is damaged from having watched “Back to the Future” so many times in my lifetime. Honestly, I’d still buy one given the chance, even if it doesn’t have a Flux Capacitor.
I bought a Camaro out of high school & it was singularly the worst, impractical, inefficient, bloated pig of a car I’ve ever been (embarrassingly) associated with.
That was my experience with a Camaro as well.
To pick a car I have some relative experience with, but the newer Dodge Challengers. I like the body styling, classic muscle look. But the visibility is horrible. I’m pretty sure the only cars worse than it are the C8 Corvette and the Camaro. That, and they’re one of the hottest cars on the market (hot as in stolen).
Love the look of a classic Corvette, but I’m not sure I’d want to buy a Corvette just because of the possibility of dealing with the Corvette pedigreeists.
The “pedigreeists” as you call them come with all brands of classic cars.
A Porsche guy is just a Corvette guy with more expensive shoes and a Rolex instead of a Timex.
Ignore them and buy what you like and enjoy it.
Ford Maverick…OG one.
Although the “new” one has some misgivings, too. 🙁
Lamborghini Countach, hands down. Its less aerodynamic than a Chevy Astrovan !!!