What car changed your mind?

In the 70s and 80s I was an american muscle car guy. Big v8, fat rear tires, 4 speed, steering wheel the size of a bus. I had Chevelles, Monte Carlos, A Cutlass, a 71 Camaro RS... all very pretty horrible cars. Occasionally I would lust after little british cars but no one I knew had one so they were just pretty things at car shows.

I dated a girl who's daddy bought her a shiny new '84 318 for her birthday. She got really drunk on white russians (classy!) and I had to take her home. It was an Epiphany. The shifter was snickety, the clutch didn't need a powerlifter's leg. The steering didn't have a 2" dead spot in the middle. It was soooo happy to rev and made sweet noises.

She was probably going to throw up anyway but the extra hour I spent ripping all over country roads in that thing really did her in. I'm sure if that car still exists somewhere the owner gets a whiff of spoiled milk on hot days. I saw her again a few times after during that summer but she was not a keeper. The car though... I've owned about 10 E30s and probably 20 BMWs all-together since.

It strikes me that a lot of these experiences have to do with using the exact right tool in the exact right situation. Using a vehicle that was designed with one specific thing in mind is a true joy when doing that one specific thing. For example - a luxxed-out diesel pickup would really suck at autocross, but towing a racecar home in the rain after a hard weekend would suck in a Miata. Unfortunately, most vehicles are designed to do everything in some generic, half-assed way instead of being built to a vision for a purpose.

ultraclyde wrote: Unfortunately, most vehicles are designed to do everything in some generic, half-assed way instead of being built to a vision for a purpose.

Which is precisely why I had 7 cars for a while, in a 4-driver household.

I grew up in the 70s, a child of older parents, both of whom grew up in the Depression. They were American-car folks, as were all their friends, all of whom aspired to a Cadillac. I never knew anything but American cars, and I loved them - as a small child you admire your parents, and their tastes are yours.

Then in the 6th grade, a new kid showed up in school, he lived near me, and occasionally his mom would give me a ride home. In her 1975 Volvo 245.

That car was an epiphany to me. It had 90% of the interior room of a Caprice wagon (what everyone else's mom drove) in about 60% of the footprint. It wasn't American-car fast, but it got the job done with 60% less engine displacement.

It changed my world. I became a huge fan of space-efficient and fuel efficient cars. It took me a while to buy one of my own, but once I did, I never turned back.

I used to be a hardcore import fanboy until I owned a 350Z. I wanted a 300ZX really and after a while messing around, this was like 10 years ago so forgive it, street racing people and getting annihilated by people with 80s RX7s and older cars like that. The car not being that great overall. Later buying a Skyline GTS-T and that car being just flat out superior to the 350Z all around.

The current era of American cars like cars since the LS2 GTO and focus ST turned me off to modern imports all together. I have no reason to consider an import. American companies do the same thing but better aside the Miata. I still think 90s cars like the FD RX7, cars that are like 2700lbs and had like 200-300hp turbo engines, are superior and still like the old era of imports. I do not like how electronic throttle and steering cars drive and I dislike bloat despite driving a Mustang GT. But I think that as more of a GT or touring car than a proper sports car.

My mind hasn't been changed. I've always been a small, light, nimble 4 cylinder kind of guy and still am. Over the years, the horsepower has been on a continuous upward spiral, as has the weight, unfortunately.

NA Miata

I've always been and still am a muscle car guy. Never hated other cars just not interested in them much. I started autox a few years ago and was amazed at how well the miata handled. I found one cheap just to use for autox and now I drive it daily. I drive it more than my other cars, its fun.

I constantly get my balls busted about driving such a cute car, I just tell people cute is what I was going for.

After owning one I can say that I will probably always have one.... its just a great car!

The closest thing i've had to a revelation in a miata was noticing how much easier it was to drive around an autocross course when your right foot never moved (big r-comps). I traded my Miata for a broken 924. At least now i can say i tried.

the new ram opened me up to diesels, other than that i've always been into v8's and things that can corner as well as go fast.

the datsun though, that sold me on having a purpose built racecar around. always wanted a true track car, but always took my street cars to the track. if i break the racecar i load it back up and fix it when i can. if i break my driver i'm screwed.

Was not a huge fan of convertibles, then I drove a Miata when I was shopping the FR-S. The top flipped back so easily, making the world around me a bit more carefree. Bought a lightly-used NC last year.

1. Late 70's or Early '80's Datsun B210 hatch. Light, RWD, stick, skinny bricks for tires. Drift monster at below legal speeds...so easy to get sideways and do stupid stuff in.

2. 350z. Made me realize how boring a "fast" car can be and how much more fun it is to hoon a slow car.

3. Miata. The reason for my screen name. I came to realize how much of a driver's car it really is. Of course with all the idiots that are too busy to pay attention to their responsibility behind the wheel I'm now terrified to drive one on the road and am no longer in possession of "The Answer"...

Warning... long post. In the summer of 2004 I was working part-time for a friend that was starting a sign company. He was doing OK, but he was still working out of the trunk of a 2 door Saturn. He used to call me and ask to borrow my wagon to move supplies all the time. Then came Charley, Francis, Ivan, and Jeanne. It was a good time to be in the sign business. One day a man wandered into our shop and told us his lighted sign had been destroyed and his insurance wasn't going to cover it. He didn't have a big budget but he did have an old car he could trade. The job was a pretty simple vinyl over plexi lighted sign that took us like 30 minutes to print, weed, and apply. We delivered it and drove away in a '98 Geo Metro hatch. 1 litre, 3 cylinder, 5 speed. "What a heap" we thought. "13 inch tires? We'd better not go over 40 MPH or they'll melt and we'll have to go to the hobby shop and buy more." But it was a hatch and would hold a few cases of coroplast and it was free. It got a vinyl wrap and nothing else. we just ragged on it because who cares, it's just a metro. The business took off, and the metro was eventually replaced by a 20th Anniversary GTI. Jazz blue,1.8 turbo, 6 speed manual. factory recaro interior 18 inch OZ's with Michelin Pilots. The metro found itself parked behind the building. This is how it was for a month or so. But we kept finding ourselves grabbing the metro for those quick jaunts out of the shop. Something about winding up that little sewing machine until the check engine light comes on and that slamming it into the next gear without caring whether it lives or dies. the freedom that little car offered was amazing. I don't know what happened to that car, but over the years I've owned one myself and helped another friend build an '89 turbo hatch.

TL;DR: I though Geo Metro was a stupid little econo box. They're actually amazing little runners that love boost.

Na miata made me like open cars. I always thought they were effeminate, now I dont care.

I grew up a mustang kid.

My dad had grown up loving them, had owned a couple and had just gotten back into one(91 GT I own now) after selling his 78 King Cobra 17 years before.

My brother and all his high school buddies had fox bodies (in 1997), and I, like them, thought they were testosterone on wheels.

Well, on a whim, one of The fox body kids shows up at our house in his dad's new ride; a black FD rx7 with exhaust and a couple other modifications. It looked like something out of a Sci fi movie to me. He took me for a ride and I was blown away. It pulled and pulled. I'm sure it's not fast by any measure of today's standards, but to a 13yr old it flew. It was at that point I began to covet mazdas.

I've not yet crossed over into rotary territory yet, but that FD definitely influenced me toward getting my 3, 6 and my NB.

And like many others said, I didn't care for convertibles until I drove a Miata.

I was a Mustang kid too, but in 1989 I bought a new Civic Si. It was affordable, reliable, quick and handled great.

Eight years later, I was able to buy the Mustang of my dreams: a '65 Fastback. It wasn't a clone, but I built it up to Shelby specs, exactly the way that I wanted it. The thing is, it was a terrible car compared to the Civic. The Honda was quicker, handled better, stopped better, was more comfortable and I didn't smell like gas when I got out of it. I kept the Mustang for seven years, but I kept the Civic for twelve. The Civic was the first car that changed me.

But then a funny thing happened as the Honda got older. It still had all the same great qualities that I loved, but then I noticed that I was getting dusted at lights and in corners by moms in minivans and SUVs. And I was working a lot harder than they were.

That was the next big change for me. Old cars can be cool, but new stuff is almost always better.

The last car that really changed me was my 2004 WRX, because AWD Turbo. Everything that I had practiced for so many years to become a smooth and precise driver went out the window the moment that I drove it off the dealers lot in 2003. You almost had to be a sloppy driver to make that thing work but, damn, was that car fast and fun. I really miss that one.

My x type made me realize that a large car could be sporty and fun when needed.

I miss the confidence that the awd inspired taking off ramps way in excess of the legal limits.

Oh and the "S" button took it up another level. All the while it was " just a Jag"

I miss that car.

Two for me.

Growing up, my family was a firm believer in the maxim that Japanese cars were evil, boring, unreliable crap boxes. The $200 dollar E70 Corolla I bought at age 13 that is still my favorite car to this day set me straight on that account.

I also used to believe that FWD was evil, boring and frustrating. Then I bought a $700 dollar 88 Civic sedan that got more out of its 155/13s than it had any right to.

Kind of in reverse, I used to be a V8 muscle car fan. I still like V8s, but muscle cars - not so much. Anyway, 4th generation Camaros did that.

1988 Automatic Mercury Tracer taught me autos could be fun.

2003 Ford Focus ZX3 reminded me small cars were fun.

After those two, other than for me to fit myself and my family, I see no need for a large DD.

When I was young, I also thought American muscle was the only way to go. Then I read about the Eagle Talon and it's twins, and how they ran with the pony cars with half the cylinders. I bought the first one I could afford, a well used '90 Eagle Talon. The turbo rush, the grip, and the short gearing blew me away. The car had a K&N filter, exhaust, and boost controller when I bought it. I paid $40 for a boost gauge about a month later. The boost had been set to the stock 10psi, so I turned it up to 15psi. The first time I floored it was an eye opening expirience to say the least. The car continued to suprise me with how well it responded to little changes for years. It pretty much ruined me for modding the engine in most other cars, my dollar to HP expectations were set too high. It was also the first car that I drag raced, auto crossed, tracked, and rally crossed.

My '04 Nissan Titan- tremendously versatile vehicle, one I couldn't see being without. No sports car, but fun to drive in it's own way.

Blah blah blah Miata, Blah blah blah. I grab the keys whenever I get the chance. Probably the only underpowered car that I enjoy driving.

Shelby Mustang GT 500. Not surprising because it was fast, but surprising because of how easy and relaxed it was to drive. Way more refined that I was expecting. It just gathered speed, you didn't get a sense of it until you looked at the speedo.

EVO 8. I've owned a few DSM's, and on paper it was easy to build an EVO beater for a fraction of the price. But the car is much more than the sum of it's parts, everything just works so well together. Also a car that is anything but relaxed, completely opposite the Shelby Mustang.

Honda oddysse minivan. I'm a car guy. Minivans are unmanly.
We had a Grand Prix gto that we were using for baby duty, my wife rode in a friends minivan and loved it and pestered me until I relented. I want going to be driving it after all. I became a believer on a Sunday afternoon with a torrential downpour. Me and 3 other guys were going to fix some water damage at our church. We meet up after church and they all say we'd have to do it the next week because there was no way to get the drywall to the church dry. I live in Texas and they all had diesel pickups. Minivan to the rescue! Rolled to Home Depot, loaded 3 sheets of drywall with 4 adults in the car comfortably while there manly tucks couldn't get the job done.

In reply to Boost_Crazy: Amen on the Evo 8.

Those things are so incredibly aggressive. The steering is insane. The turbo lag is insane. The powerslides are insane. I want one so badly I'm probably going to endure Mitsubishi build quality again one of these days.

As a teen my first car was a stripped and caged 84 Z28, later getting a vortec headed, hot cammed 355 that I built myself. I thought nothing but a V8 and rear drive would be worth getting into. I grew tired crawling through the cage, the aluminum kirkey seats hurt after 30 minutes, and the gas usage drove me to buy another car just to get to work ect, enter the Ford Festiva! To this day was the most fun car I've ever had, it taught me that light makes right. Now I have a Miata lol

At 16 my first car had a 312 4bbl w/duals. For the next 10 years (62-72) GTOs, Corvettes, SS Camaro were daily drivers. I took a job as a mechanic at a large dealership and was placed in the import shop. I was introduced to British, French and Italian cars. Opened my eyes to small displacement, light weight cars that were more than point, shoot and hope the steering and brakes do their intended job. Over the years I drove MGs, Saabs, Opels, Subarus, VWs, Hondas, Mazdas, and Toyotas. I continued to buy V8 powered cars and trucks as needed. Today I have an Echo, a Mazda 3, an NB and a V6 Tacoma. I enjoy driving them all for different reasons.

In reply to dean1484:

Didn't think it was that big, swear it was shorter than the altima my brother had at the time. I miss mine too though, 5 speed and I threw on the sport suspension. Great car, should have kept it.

Not a change of mind, but rather discovering a new perspective. I grew up with mostly (relatively)larger, older American cars. Mom had a fox LTD then 2 '85 panthers. Dad had an old Ram. Late 90's they downsized to smaller FWD American cars, '88 escort hatch for dad, '93 Acclaim for mom. A little different, but not much. Then in '00 dad replaced the escort with an '88 Accord. Everything about it was a complete 180. I learned to drive in the Acclaim, stick in my B-I-L's escort, then that Accord was my first car. Raged as it was with a quarter million miles it was so much more than the domestics.

Now the forum views CVT as a worse 3 letter fate than HIV. I have long thought the concept was fantastic. The domestics that tried it dropped it shortly. I have no words for Nissan. Then mom picked up a Legacy. At first the feel was a little off, but it just worked fantastic. It let the engine do what it needed to, and it has a 5-10 mpg boost over a previous gen with a conventional auto. Address reliability, program it right, and they are great.