FANTASTIC old cars you dislike for purely emotional reasons?

[1935Packard]

No, I don't think so.

[Joe in Canada]

No use for the Pierce Arrow with the lights molded into the fenders as they just look out of place. Would not take a second glace at one unless it was the back of the car. 

[Joe Cocuzza]

9 hours ago, JamesR said:

Someone on the forum recently mentioned that they like the '54 Olds better than the '53 Olds for visual reasons. I like the '53 a lot better than the '54, but I think it may be for at least some emotional reasons. I recognize that both are beautiful cars, but looking at a '54 gives me some negative feelings.

 

About twenty years ago, an acquaintance who was going through marital problems wanted me to buy his '54 Olds four door sedan. He really really wanted me to buy it. He kept brow beating me about it. It was affordable and in decent shape for what he was asking, but I just didn't need another old car. I felt bad for his marital predicament, and aside from the brow beating, he was generally a nice guy. I gave him other options for selling a classic car, e.g., I'd sold old cars in that price range in a day or two by parking them near a well traveled street with a for-sale sign on them. Nevertheless, he wanted ME to buy the car. I suspect that he had designs of coming back a later date to buy the car back from me at the same price. Kind of manipulative.

 

I never did buy the car, but the experience left me with negative feelings. To my surprise, all these years later when I see a '54 Olds I still get the same negative feeling. Again, I have to stress that I really do think the '54 Olds is a very attractive car. I just have no desire to own one. Interested to hear if anyone else has similar experiences.

 

Edit:   Feel free to contribute, but this ISN'T about BASHING specific old cars, so please don't. It's about the unreasonable emotions we sometimes have about old cars...many times positive, but sometimes negative.

 

 

You really opened up a can of worms with this post !!!!🤐🤐🤐🤐🤐😁😁😁

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Hmmm, maybe an unusual topic but when one looks carefully at the OP's question, why is this a moderator concern?  I mean, not looking to offend anyone but if one gets their panties in a bunch over someone else's opinion maybe mods should politely advise them to grow up.  By definition, someone has an emotional reason for not liking a car, merits aside.  Other than interesting (or not) reading, who cares?

 

BTW, some guys feel that way towards Jr. Packards the thought process being they cheapened the brand.  Having had 2, that sentiment doesn't keep me up at night.  I certainly wouldn't think anyone expressing "Jr. Packards suck" here would warrant a complaint ...

 

Just a thought but maybe a stop whining edict from Mods might benefit all... 🤔😉😁

[Dandy Dave]

Ugly old cars are like ugly old women. They need lovin too. 🤓 Any that takes you where you need to be is good in my book. 😃

[8E45E]

13 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

Hmmm, maybe an unusual topic but when one looks carefully at the OP's question, why is this a moderator concern?  I mean, not looking to offend anyone but if one gets their panties in a bunch over someone else's opinion maybe mods should politely advise them to grow up.  By definition, someone has an emotional reason for not liking a car, merits aside.  Other than interesting (or not) reading, who cares?

One can compare this to a house & neighborhood they once lived in.  Some may really miss the old place and the neighborhood because it brings back pleasant memories, while someone down the street who moved away does not miss their old place at all, and glad to be gone.  The reasons all vary.

 

Craig

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Exactly Craig.  I actually thought this thread might fizzle but saw it was "hot", so I took a look.  Was hoping for more amusing stories actually! 😉😁

[joe_padavano]

As an Oldsmobile fan, I unfortunately have to nominate the 1942 Olds, with a face only a mother could love.

[8E45E]

9 minutes ago, joe_padavano said:

As an Oldsmobile fan, I unfortunately have to nominate the 1942 Olds, with a face only a mother could love.

A later 'blackout' model with the wood bumpers?  

 

Craig

Edited March 8, 2023 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[alsancle]

13 hours ago, TerryB said:

I am NOT a fan of convertibles, sorry they just don’t look all that great with the top down in my very unique opinion.  I just can’t imagine people paying extra money for not getting a real metal top on their car.  I do give a little leeway to vintage MGs and Triumps since they were designed to be that way😀.  

I was 50 years old before a buddy of mine who is  into some of the same musclecars as me explained that convertibles were for "chicks".   Since then I have heard it from more guys.   I typically leave the tops up on all my cars anyways and have gotten more in to close cars in my old age.   

 

When I was in HS I HAD to have a GTO Convertible.  If I had known then that I could have gotten away with a hardtop I could have saved a lot of money.

[Grimy]

1 hour ago, alsancle said:

I was 50 years old before a buddy of mine who is  into some of the same musclecars as me explained that convertibles were for "chicks".   Since then I have heard it from more guys.   I typically leave the tops up on all my cars anyways and have gotten more in to close cars in my old age.   

 

When I was in HS I HAD to have a GTO Convertible.  If I had known then that I could have gotten away with a hardtop I could have saved a lot of money.

That view may have something to do with the increased incidence of skin cancer at that stage of life....

[John Kelso]

corvair, emotional reasons I care not to share.

[Rusty_OToole]

"I’ll bet the first thing after the war ended folks with wood bumpers and no spare bought shiny metal bumpers and a spare tire. "

 

For a short time in late 1945 or early 46 new cars were delivered with painted wooden bumpers and a spare wheel but no spare tire.  In the glove compartment were receipts or coupons. In due course the owner got a letter from the dealer asking him to bring the car in to have bumpers and spare tire installed.

 

It was a matter of getting as many cars made as possible in spite of a shortage of tires and steel. Leaving off the spare tire allowed them to deliver 20% more cars for the same number of tires. Later as shortages eased they made good the deficiency.

[TerryB]

1 hour ago, alsancle said:

I was 50 years old before a buddy of mine who is  into some of the same musclecars as me explained that convertibles were for "chicks".   Since then I have heard it from more guys.   I typically leave the tops up on all my cars anyways and have gotten more in to close cars in my old age.   

 

When I was in HS I HAD to have a GTO Convertible.  If I had known then that I could have gotten away with a hardtop I could have saved a lot of money.

Along that line of thinking when I was young and impressionable, guys drove Camaros and the ladies drove Mustangs.  All these years later, I see how silly that was back then.  In full disclosure, I did buy a new Camaro Z28 in 1983 because I liked its style better than the Mustang of that era.

[Rusty_OToole]

There are some cars I did not like, but got over it. For example I thought the Chrysler Cordoba was a terrible idea, a throwback to an obsolete design that was out of date in the age of more efficient front wheel drive, 4 cylinder and V6 cars. I no longer feel this way and would not mind a good early Cordoba now if I could find one.

[SC38dls]

One car and driver stands out in my memory. A 1968 4 door Buick Electra 225 if I remember correctly and a 20 something female driving it. I had stopped on the highway going back to Ft Belvoir from a night in DC driving my 1962 midnight blue Thunderbird that did not have a scratch on it. The reason I stopped was we were first on the scene of an accident that a VW convertible and a delivery truck had. The driver of the VW was laying in the road. So either I drive over him or stop on the shoulder. We flagged cars down and sent one to call the police. They came plus an ambulance, lights flashing, I’m standing there talking with the cops. The “evil Buick” comes along at about 50 mph ( cops estimate) looking at all the flashing lights drifts over to the shoulder and hits my beautiful Tbird. My rear bumper is now thru the rear window gas is all over the place. The cops were not sure what to do at first. So they took the dead VW guy out of the ambulance and put him in the back of a police car and put the “evil Buick “ driver in the ambulance. The first accident was in one county and mine was in another county. Literally the county line was between the accidents. So now more cops come and I get a ticket for parking on a highway! The other cops tried to explain things to the new cops. My buddies are now asking if we are going to jail or if we are going to be in trouble for being late back to base? I’m trying to explain why I stopped, to the cops, stop or run the guy over and get arrested for that. My car is totaled. The firemen that came are washing down my car and the “evil Buick”. The first cops finally gave us a ride back to base and explained why we were late. I went to court and one of the first cops showed up to verify my story. The second cop got reamed out by the judge. The judge then sent a letter to my CO commending my actions that night. My beautiful Tbird was totaled!  That is why I do not like to see copper colored 1968 Electra 225’s anywhere. They remind me of the “evil Buick” of old. 
dave s 

Edited March 10, 2023 by SC38dls (see edit history)

[JamesR]

3 minutes ago, SC38dls said:

One car and driver stands out in my memory. A 1968 4 door Buick Electra 225

Wow what an amazing and depressing story. How could you NOT have bad feelings about the kind of car that destroyed your beautiful T-Bird? And after all of that, you had to justify - or at least document - your conduct to your superior officers.

 

These were the kind of incidents I was thinking of when I started this thread. Most of us like '60's era Buicks, but pure circumstance left Dave with a negative feeling towards that year and model that lasted for decades. It has NOTHING to do with the car, or its looks, or its performance, etc. etc.

[JamesR]

4 hours ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

Hmmm, maybe an unusual topic but when one looks carefully at the OP's question, why is this a...concern? 

Thanks, Steve. I figured that most people would get the nuance of my post, and I think Peter the moderator did, as well, but he was likely concerned about those few who might miss it.

 

Quote

By definition, someone has an emotional reason for not liking a car, merits aside.

That's a good way to put it. That's how I should've phrased it.

[JACK M]

Early VWs.

All my rowdy (Hippy) friends had them.

I couldn't drive one without my huge feet hitting two pedals at the same time. Car or bus.

I had an Econoline for entertaining.

[Pfeil]

6 hours ago, joe_padavano said:

As an Oldsmobile fan, I unfortunately have to nominate the 1942 Olds, with a face only a mother could love.

 1942, Oh look! Here comes a B44, and everyone is looking at the sky as the Oldsmobile goes by. 

[Buffalowed Bill]

I like most cars. It's hard for me to say that I hate anything. I do wonder how many guys who say that they hate a particular car have ever owned or even driven a car like it?

 

I know that I will never own a car that would require me to have a camera to see what's behind me. But I understand why it is necessary for safety reasons. Too bad that it has come to that.

Edited March 9, 2023 by Buffalowed Bill (see edit history)

[Pfeil]

3 hours ago, TerryB said:

Along that line of thinking when I was young and impressionable, guys drove Camaros and the ladies drove Mustangs.  All these years later, I see how silly that was back then.  In full disclosure, I did buy a new Camaro Z28 in 1983 because I liked its style better than the Mustang of that era.

Some girls

 

 

 

Girls? Who said anything about girls???

[8E45E]

1 minute ago, Pfeil said:

Girls? Who said anything about girls???

I wonder how much he paid per day to rent that from Hertz at the time.

 

Craig

[pkhammer]

 Early 70s Plymouth Valiant 4 door. A girl up the road that was a year or two older than me and my brother would pick us up and take us to school sometimes. I was grateful for not having to ride the bus but it was still taking us to school! ☹️ Green exterior, green interior, slant six automatic but the worst thing was those clear plastic seat covers with the star pattern embossed. Uncomfortable and they smelled bad too. Made the whole car stink! Remember those? Then I saw the movie "Duel"!

  

Edited March 8, 2023 by pkhammer
punctuation (see edit history)

[Df824]

16 hours ago, Peter Gariepy said:

One's humor is another's attack.  Example:

"

70's Renault products simply make me cringe! "

A 70's Renault fan would very much defend his emotional investment in his preference for that vehicle, and find the statement anything BUT humorous.

Make that same statement in this club and forum and it would NOT go over well:

http://www.renaultclub.us

https://forum.renaultclub.us

 

I would say if someone was that thin skinned then perhaps the internet isn’t for them. 

[Rusty_OToole]

Lots of people hated those Darts and Valiants because they refused to die no matter how much they neglected and abused them. All they needed was an excuse to buy a new car but the old slant six kept chugging along until they grew to hate it.

[1937hd45]

7 hours ago, joe_padavano said:

As an Oldsmobile fan, I unfortunately have to nominate the 1942 Olds, with a face only a mother could love.

Looks fine while you are driving it. sales brochure is in the classifieds. Bob 

[joe_padavano]

7 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said:

Looks fine while you are driving it. sales brochure is in the classifieds. Bob 

That's a 1941 Olds. This is a 1942 Olds:

 

[Peter Gariepy]

30 minutes ago, Df824 said:

I would say if someone was that thin skinned then perhaps the internet isn’t for them. 

Or maybe people should be more considerate.  

 

Before you speak (post or comment) ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid." - Bernard Meltzer 

[CHuDWah]

Unlike JamesR, I've never had somebody beg me to buy a car - usually it's me begging them to sell one.  Anyway, there are some cars I like better than others but I can't think of any, specifically or generically, that I dislike.  Some owners OTOH...

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Most posts here don't quite fit James' criteria.  I tried thinking of this based solely on emotion, and it was not easy.  To me style and mechanicals are not emotional.  I got one.

 

Triumph TR-7, never owned one and, when compared to a Fiat X/19 or some other contemporaries, they are not horrible looking.  The later convertibles & the TR-8 look even better.  BUT emotionally all I see is the car that killed Triumph.

 

Oddly, the Stag may have been equally responsible but I don't have that reaction with those.

 

And people around me say I am not an emotional guy...

 

 

 

[CHuDWah]

31 minutes ago, Peter Gariepy said:

Or maybe people should be more considerate.  

 

Before you speak (post or comment) ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid." - Bernard Meltzer 

 

 

I completely agree and I try (not always successfully) to practice it.  But the anonymity of the net seems to bring out the worst - folks may post what they'd never say in person.  And it's hard to discern nuance in the written word, so the reader's interpretation may not be what the writer intended.  If posts here sometimes seem inconsiderate, untrue, unkind, unnecessary and/or unhelpful, check out a political forum.

[CHuDWah]

2 hours ago, Pfeil said:

Some girls

 

 

 

Girls? Who said anything about girls???

 

Yeah, the drivers aren't girls but are the cars really Mustangs?

[alsancle]

When I was in HS I HATED the 80/81 Z28 because they were like *ssHoles.  Everyone had one.   5 years later I changed my tune and bought one.   By then 50% of them had been wrecked and they weren't quite as ubiquitous.

[TerryB]

Girls like MoPars too, especially convertibles.

 

[CHuDWah]

9 hours ago, Dandy Dave said:

Ugly old cars are like ugly old women. They need lovin too. 🤓 Any that takes you where you need to be is good in my book. 😃

 Cars or women?

[1912Staver]

The cars that I used to almost be able to afford. Facel HK 500's, Maserati 3500"s , Aston Martin DB series cars up to and including DB4 's and at least a dozen more  { early GT 350's anyone ? }. They were all cheap enough that one time that I really just had to get a few things settled in my life and I would own one. 

 Then back to Uni, a career change and a house put it all on hold for a decade or so. Lost track of prices over that time and next thing I knew all those $5,000.00 - $8,000.00 , somewhat down at the heals examples were $75,000.00 - $125,000.00 and climbing fast.

 Don't hate them, but it's gotton to the point that I pay them ZERO attention . If ownership can only come about through a Lottery win , what's the point ?

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[CHuDWah]

2 hours ago, 8E45E said:

I wonder how much he paid per day to rent that from Hertz at the time.

 

Craig

 

Per Hemmings:

 

If you can find one of the 1,001 made today, it'll cost upwards of six figures - a far cry from the original $17 a day rental fee.

 

That's about $160 now - still a bargain, especially since some were returned minus their Shelby parts.

[Df824]

2 hours ago, Peter Gariepy said:

Or maybe people should be more considerate.  

 

Before you speak (post or comment) ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid." - Bernard Meltzer 

We agree to disagree 

[Df824]

56 minutes ago, alsancle said:

When I was in HS I HATED the 80/81 Z28 because they were like *ssHoles.  Everyone had one.   5 years later I changed my tune and bought one.   By then 50% of them had been wrecked and they weren't quite as ubiquitous.

I loved those. And yes. They were driven usually by d bags back then. But I was a sucker for that sticker performance