Why don't cars captivate/mystify us like they used to?

[12,000 RPM]

You look at cars like the F40, 959, Countach etc.... or hell even something as mundane as an E30 M3 or Integra Type-R... seems like folks still  go nuts over these cars, even though most of them would get washed by a $50K Camaro SS. EVO recently did a video revisiting the 959 and Jethro was loving every minute of it. What gives? Are there any cars from today we will still be swooning over in 30 years? Is the nostalgia just hipster bullshit or the real deal and if so what's changed?

[MexicoCityM3]

Of course there are. Most of the reason we fawn over oldies is simply because they came out at a time when we were falling in love with cars or have some emotional significance to us.

[shp4man]

All's I'm sayin' is that there is nothing quite like a relatively light car with a big inch, pushrod, long stroke engine and low rear axle ratio. It's called brute force. Modern cars don't have it.
It's quite invigorating. You should experience it sometime.

[MrH]

There's more great cars out than ever. Stop using Jethro as a bench mark for whether a car is great or not. The dude power slides mclarens for a living. 959 is probably thrilling to him because it's something different to him.

[CALL_911]

They don't captivate u because u don't have as much time in your life to devote to them. I'd say this is a general theme across this board

[Laconian]

They don't captivate u because u don't have as much time in your life to devote to them. I'd say this is a general theme across this board

+10

When I was in high school, my thinking was "when I get some money, I'm going to get a whole fleet of fast cars!" My priorities are totally different now. I realized that the legal system, rapey insurance, and overall congestion in my region conspire to make daily driving kind of a shitty experience. Subaru is solid transportation and I'm perfectly happy with that.

[Rupert]

Why don't cars captivate us like they used to? Because we're adults with adult concerns.

[MX793]

In 30 years, when all cars are characterless, near-silent, self-driving, electric vehicles, nearly every car today will seem special.

[CaminoRacer]

All's I'm sayin' is that there is nothing quite like a relatively light car with a big inch, pushrod, long stroke engine and low rear axle ratio. It's called brute force. Modern cars don't have it.
It's quite invigorating. You should experience it sometime.

Hell yeah

[12,000 RPM]

In 30 years, when all cars are characterless, near-silent, self-driving, electric vehicles, nearly every car today will seem special.

This is what I am talking about.... adults our age have always been into cars... none of the cars I'm talking about were designed or primarily bought by teenagers

My priorities have definitely shifted but I don't think it's unreasonable to say something like a Countach is more interesting than its successors. I feel like cars today are a little too strangled by regulations and fiduciary obligations. And maybe we have just run out of ideas to a large degree.

[2o6]

Cars are expensive and less friendly to work on.


I'm still into cars, but I think the climate of the fact that most cars these days are pretty good now also ruins it

[CaminoRacer]

Cars are expensive and less friendly to work on.


I'm still into cars, but I think the climate of the fact that most cars these days are pretty good now also ruins it

Motorcycles and hot rods (maybe a kit car or two) is the direction I'm headed for that exact reason. Wrenching as a hobby is becoming less possible with new cars, so I'm focusing elsewhere.

[Rupert]

I just don't enjoy working on cars that much. Lots of hard to reach bits, grease, uncomfortable positions, and that's when nothing goes wrong.

[MrH]

Yeah. working on cars isn't fun. It's just too expensive to pay someone to do it all usually. I just like the end result I guess.

[CaminoRacer]

Maintenance isn't fun. Upgrading, hot rodding, building, etc is fun.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

I was just telling a friend that it's only a few cars that tickle my fancy! Maybe 4 that I can Afford and another 3 that are on my "First Cars To Buy If I Hit The Lotto" list!

[280Z Turbo]

Maintenance isn't fun. Upgrading, hot rodding, building, etc is fun.

I guess our resident pencil pushers wouldn't agree with that, but oh well.

[280Z Turbo]

I just don't enjoy working on cars that much. Lots of hard to reach bits, grease, uncomfortable positions, and that's when nothing goes wrong.

Maybe you're just not very good at it.

[Byteme]

Yeah. working on cars isn't fun.

I enjoy it.  To the extent that yesterday I bought a tire changing machine so I can mount/ dismount my own tires. 

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

I enjoy it.  To the extent that yesterday I bought a tire changing machine so I can mount/ dismount my own tires. 

I need one of those!

[VTEC_Inside]

Why? Because they all fucking suck.

Everything has gotten bigger, heavier, and the driving "connection" has gotten progressively worse with every generation.

I want a car with a belt line lower than my shoulder, that weighs <= 3000lbs, has steering that communicates, a gas pedal without lag, revs that don't hang, 200-250hp, and is somewhat practical (4 seats, usable trunk).

Its insane how much more in control I feel driving my RSX-S than my CSX. The RSX-S is involving and communicative (hydraulic steering, cable throttle), the CSX is alright, but has generally numb response in comparison (EPS, DBW). I realize that EPS and DBW can be done right, but its not often you hear that it is.

There isn't a single new car at a reasonable price (to me <40,000CAD) that gets me even remotely excited. If a tree crushed both my cars I would probably get a WRX, but the idea of brake based torque vectoring irritates me even if it is unlikely to overheat the brakes off the track.

Actually, I'd probably just go get a new 2.0L 6spd Civic, or try a Mazda 3 and just get it over with. It'd be easier to live with a car I don't really care about since no one else gives a shit out there either. I watched a bitch in a mini-van open her door into the CSX the other day as she parked off center next to it, not hard mind you, but it did leave a mark I had to buff out...

/bitterrant

[Cookie Monster]

They don't captivate u because u don't have as much time in your life to devote to them. I'd say this is a general theme across this board

I can feel that my interest has waned in cars, primarily due to motorcycles giving me a much more visceral experience, but I still think a big part of why I'm not as interested in cars is because the way new cars have been progressing is pretty depressing. Lack of manual transmissions, more gadgets and features I don't want, extra safety crap, more diluted driving experience and heavier weight all make me not really want to ever buy a new car past 2005 or so...

[Cookie Monster]

There's more great cars out than ever. Stop using Jethro as a bench mark for whether a car is great or not. The dude power slides mclarens for a living. 959 is probably thrilling to him because it's something different to him.

Great in terms of mag racing, sure, but I wouldn't agree in terms of driving enjoyment or engagement.

[280Z Turbo]

Millennials don't like mechanical things. Only electronic crap...and not the electronic workings of it, just the use of it.

[280Z Turbo]

Also, if the problem is that cars are too big and heavy now, why do baby boomers love the land yachts of the 60's? Even "midsize" cars back then had about 10ft more sheetmetal than they needed.

[Raza]

1. There's no passion left.  Cars are too much of a business now.  Skunkworks just can't exist anymore.  There are no engineers working secretly after hours to give us the next Miura.  They punch a clock, and the accountants tell them if they did a good job or not.

2. Because of this, cars generally suck now.  Yes, they're better appliances now than they ever were.  Appliances for transportation, appliances for speed, appliances that don't break down; but I've never once said I loved my microwave or wanted a poster of it on my wall (fully disclosure, I do love my fridge and dishwasher, but I still wouldn't want them as posters on my wall).

3. As people either demanded or perceived to demand higher and higher performance with no regards to feel, the limits of cars got higher and higher.  Because a 6 second to 60 Camry still has to drive the kids to school before John Middlemanagement takes it to the office.  Can't have him spinning out and wiping out his entire family because he didn't have his morning coffee.  Driving is inherently dangerous and people don't have the appetite for it anymore, which brings me to the next point....

4. The overstimulation of a generation means that the market as a whole as decided that driving a car is no longer an effort worthy of its time, attention, and focus.  The market would rather text than drive.  Therefore, cars have had to become mobile phone holders more than cars.  People need a place where they can text and drive, tweet "that wall is coming up really fast" as they fail to steer away from their grisly end, read emails, find restaurants, and play movies to pacify and eventually zombify their children, the next overstimulated generation, because disciplining your unwanted children is too much damn work when you need to spend more time SnapChatting about your fucking workout. 

5. There's no beauty in cars anymore.  Look at past designs.  Look at a Ferrari Daytona.  A Lamborghini Miura.  A pagoda SL. A 246 Dino.  The best looking cars these days are normal cars, and they're more and more becoming ungainly turds with weird noses and beltlines so high that windows will soon become a figment of the imagination.  Lamborghinis still excite the eye a bit, but the majority of Ferraris are downright ugly now.  Aston Martin is the only company still making truly beautiful cars (well, perhaps Jaguar with the F and XK as well), but that's pretty much because they built on the DB7's looks with the DB9 and Vanquish, and then ever since then, every car has been basically a slight variation on those two designs. 

I am clinging on to my Z4 for dear life because I think it's one of the last beautiful (and I know that's disputed), exploitable, and fun cars we may ever see.  It's engaging, it's raw, it's precise, the car feels mechanical; the shifter is taut like a rifle bolt, the clutch balanced and delicate like a ballerina holding a katana.  In short, the Z4, to me, is something truly special.  I can't really seem to say that about much else that's out there right now. 

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

1. There's no passion left.  Cars are too much of a business now.  Skunkworks just can't exist anymore.  There are no engineers working secretly after hours to give us the next Miura.  They punch a clock, and the accountants tell them if they did a good job or not.

2. Because of this, cars generally suck now.  Yes, they're better appliances now than they ever were.  Appliances for transportation, appliances for speed, appliances that don't break down; but I've never once said I loved my microwave or wanted a poster of it on my wall (fully disclosure, I do love my fridge and dishwasher, but I still wouldn't want them as posters on my wall).

3. As people either demanded or perceived to demand higher and higher performance with no regards to feel, the limits of cars got higher and higher.  Because a 6 second to 60 Camry still has to drive the kids to school before John Middlemanagement takes it to the office.  Can't have him spinning out and wiping out his entire family because he didn't have his morning coffee.  Driving is inherently dangerous and people don't have the appetite for it anymore, which brings me to the next point....

4. The overstimulation of a generation means that the market as a whole as decided that driving a car is no longer an effort worthy of its time, attention, and focus.  The market would rather text than drive.  Therefore, cars have had to become mobile phone holders more than cars.  People need a place where they can text and drive, tweet "that wall is coming up really fast" as they fail to steer away from their grisly end, read emails, find restaurants, and play movies to pacify and eventually zombify their children, the next overstimulated generation, because disciplining your unwanted children is too much damn work when you need to spend more time SnapChatting about your fucking workout. 

5. There's no beauty in cars anymore.  Look at past designs.  Look at a Ferrari Daytona.  A Lamborghini Miura.  A pagoda SL. A 246 Dino.  The best looking cars these days are normal cars, and they're more and more becoming ungainly turds with weird noses and beltlines so high that windows will soon become a figment of the imagination.  Lamborghinis still excite the eye a bit, but the majority of Ferraris are downright ugly now.  Aston Martin is the only company still making truly beautiful cars (well, perhaps Jaguar with the F and XK as well), but that's pretty much because they built on the DB7's looks with the DB9 and Vanquish, and then ever since then, every car has been basically a slight variation on those two designs. 

I am clinging on to my Z4 for dear life because I think it's one of the last beautiful (and I know that's disputed), exploitable, and fun cars we may ever see.  It's engaging, it's raw, it's precise, the car feels mechanical; the shifter is taut like a rifle bolt, the clutch balanced and delicate like a ballerina holding a katana.  In short, the Z4, to me, is something truly special.  I can't really seem to say that about much else that's out there right now. 

[Rich]

I want a car with a belt line lower than my shoulder, that weighs <= 3000lbs, has steering that communicates, a gas pedal without lag, revs that don't hang

Nailed it. 

I'm excited for the new Miata in theory, but I'm honestly scared to drive it.  The EPS and DBW give me a lot of doubt.

[Rupert]

I guess our resident pencil pushers wouldn't agree with that, but oh well.

Is this the snobbery of the underclass I'm seeing here?

[Rupert]

Maybe you're just not very good at it.

You have that reversed. I'm not good at it because I don't like it.

Also, I'm good at some of it-- lots better than most dummies with a wrench. I'm great at running wires. Still don't like it though.