2006 Honda Civic 1.8 litre, 5spd... bought as a winter beater with 200k kms... 3 years and 100kms later, I always have 2nd thoughts when I put it away for the summer season.... gets 38 mpg on the highway and has better heat/ac than my 2015 Frontier...
Yugo.
Yugo, Yugo, Yugo, Yugo...
YUGO!!
Shaun made me cry
1990 Toyota Tercel purchased for $50 with a bad head gasket. Replaced gasket with a MLS one and flushed the crud out of the engine. Added a set of 15" wheels and 195/50s and beat the piss out of it.
Subaru Impreza. No one makes a more Meh car than this...... but boy can it be fun.
Forgot a few- the 2000-ish Buick Park Avenue Ultra & Buick Rivieras I owned for short periods of time. Absolute BOATS, but the supercharged 3800 V6s in them meant that when you floored them they would take off like rockets. I don't regret trading the Riviera for the Rampage I took to the Challenge twice, but I would have had fun with the Riv as well had I kept it (The PAU's engine got pulled with the intent of using it in the DMC before I sold it to KYAllroad as a backup/parts source for his Fiero project's L67).
My 99 cavalier. Had to be matted to the floor just to go, but it would go. Winter is coming? $30/corner winter retreads and it would go into it couldn't clear the bumper anymore. Tough little cockroach.
One of our favorites, wife included, was the 2000 Accent Sedan GL. power windows, AC, tach and no cruise. Off little car. 90hp SOHC Alpha. But man.... it handled well and weighed nothing, got 40mpg for her and we sold it with 250k for half what we paid for it 7 years previous with 150k less miles. theres a photo of it floating around 4 deep at an autox.
2014 Impala LT. Had as a rental for a week. That car ate highway miles like nobody's business, and that engine felt really strong. Nearly as strong as a Charger Hemi I had as a rental can shortly afterwards. Must have been a situation of a really strong impala and a really weak chrysler, I guess.
My sister had a purple Saturn SL2 twin cam, automatic. I was surprised every time I drove that little car, and was really surprised that the automatic didn't kill the experience for me.
Another vote for twin-cam Saturn S-series. I've had an '02 SC2 as a daily driver for 19 years & 220k miles- it has always been fun to drive the wheels off of it despite how slow it actually is. Mods have def perked it up a bit and it makes all the right sounds, which has made it nigh impossible to finally let go
Another vote for the early 2000s Hyundai, I think it was an Elantra, I don't even remember. I thought it was going to be garbage, but it handled pretty well.
I drove a Ford Aspire that absolutely shocked me in high school. I guess that's why I own a Festiva now. Another car that I think belongs here.
Another vote for the Fiesta.
I also think the non-ST last-gen Focus was surprisingly fun. The one I drove had the Titanium sport package with the lovely 17x8" wheels and it handled very nicely.
And to me, a Prelude isn't really a "meh" car. I guess it depends on the person/perspective.
This thread is SO GRM.
Ford Ranger(1983-2012). All of them.
I have owned 8. I have lowered them, lifted them, turbocharged half the ones I have owned(plus a couple for other people), and generally abuse the daylights out of them. They are just an everyday meh vehicle, and I love them.
Right up until I purchased the wagon, I just assumed I would never be without a daily Ranger in my driveway. The Racetruck isn't going anywhere, but the wagon out shines my former daily Ranger enough that I have zero regret handing the Ranger over to my daughter.
My daughters automatic Fit. I should hate it because it's the crappy auto version of a car that is only sort of acceptable because it has a manual but I love that little crap box. Whenever she comes home I grab the keys and "go get gas" for about half an hour and then dislike the rest of my cars for a week.
gearheadmb said:Second gen hyundai accent hatch. I dont know why I loved it, I got in thinking I would hate it. But it was thoroughly enjoyable. I think part of it was as a mechanic I appreciate a very simple, basic car. Mix that with how light it was and the slow car fast thing, and it was really good.
I had a third gen hatchback. I hated it most of the time I had it. I was driving 35 miles of highway to and from work everyday. I think for all of the reasons I hated it at the time, I would like it today. Buzzy, lightweight, geared too short (but the shift feel was acceptable), etc. Basically, things that are fun in a car that doesn't do much freeway time.
Back when my DD Miata threw a rod while I was in college, I used ZipCar for a period of about 6 months to run errands. I would always seek out the AWD Ford Escape EcoBoost that was in their fleet by campus. It allegedly launched really hard from a dig.
1979 Datsun pickup. Standard everything. Nothing special about it besides the fact that it was the first vehicle that I owned that never broke, and it was very hoonworthy. I still have happy memories of sliding it around gravel desert roads, getting it on two wheels, but never rolling it.
In reply to LanEvo :
Morris Minor. My first one cost me $35 because they kept the new battery. Driving it home (well, being towed ) I noticed every time I let the clutch out to slow the car. ( no brake fluid) the dome light came on. 3-4 stop signs later I noticed the engine was running. No battery remember?
Yes the key was on. And as I let the clutch out the engine turning over generated voltage. ( generator not alternator) fuel pump pumped, ignition went to distributor and a running car. No battery.
Oops no brakes either. Bang! crashed into the truck towing me. Sorry.
Anyway I recycled a battery core and had a running car for $37.50.
I loved that car and all those that followed.
I won't say I loved it but I did drive a turbo PT Cruiser that was better than I had thought it would be
Some have mentioned the Impalas from a few years back and I concur. That 3600 VVT will honk in that FWD platform. A bunch of us were working out in Boulder about 2013 or so. One guy (me) had the Ford Fusion with the big EB. I'm not sure what size it was but I remember we looked it up and it was the biggest one they offered in that platform. I thought, great - Colorado is where this turbo will shine. And it did. That car would still burn rubber even way up at Nederland. Then my colleague comes in and picks up a plain old plain off-white colored Impala with the 3.6 from DIA. And you know what? That NA Chevy would stomp a mud puddle up the Fusion's butt.
In reply to A 401 CJ :
I'm not too surprised. Unless it was the very rare, few year only 2.7 V6 ecoboost in the Fusion (which I think was only on AWD sport ones), it would have been the 2.0. Which starts out about 60hp short of the 3.6 in the Impala (before adding altitude).
Mine was a 1988 Hyundai Excel GS. The rare "sport" model that came with a five speed, monochromatic paint (bumpers were colour matched instead of flat black) and the wider aluminum rims with HUGE 175/65/13s.
Thing was a beast in snow and dirt and once I removed/broke the front sway bar, it was amazing on the road. Even with all of 62hp, it stayed with most traffic.
My 2012 Passat TDI. Comfortable, quiet, and just quick enough to get out of its own way while getting 40 MPG. The DSG is probably the best automatic trans I've used, and with a larger rear sway bar and some Bilsteins and H&R springs, it handles pretty decent as well.
I'm looking forward to the dieselgate warranty expiring so I can tune it
I have driven and enjoyed so many meh cars that it is hard to keep track of.
I really enjoyed the H body GMs. I even went through the ordering process on one in 1980 but backed out on it when I was able to get my real dream car the TR250 I still have.
I had a 1981 X11 Citation and really liked that car a lot. Kids kind of required we get a four door so it was replaced.
The 2003 Jetta was one of the longest owned meh cars we have had. Very dependable and fun to drive. We had it for 15 tears and I think we had 340K miles on it when we finally let it go. I wouldn't mind getting another one..
I second the earlier poster about the Suburban. We have had ours since new ( 99) and it still sees regular use, not just for towing but everyday use.
Several. I find that cheap meh or even bad cars are my favorite, because I just don't care. The $500 jeep? What's a speed bump? Traffic blocking my turn lane? Up a curb I go? Does the thing even lock? Who knows! It's great. Driving is almost a pleasure because of the utter disregard for the vehicle itself. Sure my speed3 is fastish and handles on, but man there's something about el.generico vehicles that just works.
Mndsm said:Several. I find that cheap meh or even bad cars are my favorite, because I just don't care. The $500 jeep? What's a speed bump? Traffic blocking my turn lane? Up a curb I go? Does the thing even lock? Who knows! It's great. Driving is almost a pleasure because of the utter disregard for the vehicle itself. Sure my speed3 is fastish and handles on, but man there's something about el.generico vehicles that just works.
All of this. The "I can wad it up and not care" track mentality really does transfer to street cars. Parking in a sketchy neighborhood? If it gets stolen, insurance will pay me more than I paid for the car. Jamming it into a tight parking spot? No problems. It's liberating
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