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Re: Are we all "enthusiasts"? Posted by PGAero [Email]  (#1143) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from PGAero) on Fri, 19 May 2006 12:13:26
In Reply to: Are we all "enthusiasts"?, Rod [Profile/Gallery]
, Fri, 19 May 2006 11:17:33
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I would certainly call myself an enthusiast.
I think that the Japanese car makers seem to know the market quite well. The Camry, Accord, Corolla, and Civic (Sport-models excluded... you could argue whether there are any sport models, except that the Civic has had a few) seem to be the bread and butter models for Toyota and Honda. Both companies have their respective luxury brands too (Lexus, Acura) and let them do the sport/lux thing. (And do it well, too.) They don't pretend to be anything but what they are, devastatingly reliable modes of transport... some more fancy than others.
Euro cars seem (to me) to be interested in providing the sport/lux market with great offerings. (The cars come with manual or DSG trannies as options, and stiffer susp.) They don't try to be anything but what they are... the logical extensions from the continent that has roads with no speed limits. No apologies.
Have you ever noticed that BMW's 3/5/7 series cars have remained the 3/5/7 series for decades, and the C/E/S class Mercs have done the same? (Sure, some new models have been intorduced...) And Toyota/Honda have evolved the Camry/Accord Corolla/Civic line for a long time.
The American companies seem to put mediocre cars to market for the masses, and concentrate on the flavor of the week for about a week too long. What happened to the best-selling Taurus (Except that unfortunate fall from it's high perch in the ugly tree back in the late '90s)? It was turned into the 500, or the Fusion, or the Sable, or the Montego... whatever! What about the Concord, Intrepid or Neon? Now, do I want a DCX 300C? A 300M? or perhaps a Magnum? And the names just keep changing! When I decide to buy a car, I know what I'm getting in a BMW 3, or a Camry, or, even, an F150 or Tahoe (Which used to be the Blazer (K5)). But what the heck is a Fusion? Then, the domestic companies have to educate the buying public about every new car. I'd be interested to see how much money Toyota spends to advertise their Camry, compared to what Ford has dropped on the Fusion/500/Freestyle introduction. Let the car's history speak for itself!
Anyway, back to the question at hand... Most buyers of new cars want an appliance. That pretty much takes the Magnum/300C off the list, because it's aimed at the enthusiast (for whatever reason). The Taurus would have been on the list, but where is it now? The Impala? Maybe. So, you end up with a Camry/Accord, or Corolla/Civic.
I agree with Rod that we're (nearly) all enthusiasts here, but Saab owners make up, what, 1% of the car-driving public? We are very particular about our cars (When's the last time you met a Saab owner who didn't really know what it means to own a Saab... or who owned it 'on accident'?) That makes us ethusiasts. The 8% does get the other 92% interested, but when was the last time you heard a bunch of piston-heads talking about the new Camry with glassy-eyed fanaticism?
I'd like to see cars that don't try to be everything for everyone. If I'm an enthusiast, I want a fast, sporty, fun-to-drive car that doesn't automatically come equipped with leather, DVD, Nav., rain-sensing wipers, and all the other Gee-whizzery when I opt for the 260hp engine. Likewise, I would also want, if I were not an enthusiast, to have options to make my daily driving experience more pleasant without having to get the alloy-wheel/big engine option.
I think I agree with you, Rod. The true enthusiast cars have been gussied-up to appeal to more people, while the appliance cars have been stiffened-up to appeal to the enthusists... and, generally speaking, neither with very good results, except for the (probably too many) folks who don't know what they want.
Wow, that was long. Sorry.
~Peter
'93 9000 Aero, 5spd, 72K.
posted by 153.90.195...
_______________________________________ Current: '03 9-5 Aero Wagon, 5spd, Polar/Black Past: '06 9-5 Combi, AT, Polar/Black '04 9-5 Aero Wagon, AT, Nocturne/Granite '03 9-5 Aero Wagon, AT, Steel/Charcoal '00 9-3 Viggen, 5D, Silver/Black '93 9000 Aero, 5MT, Cirrus/Black (Owned this one twice) '86 900 SPG, 5MT, Edwardian/Buffalo Grey
, Fri, 19 May 2006 11:17:33
, Fri, 19 May 2006 12:27:16, Fri, 19 May 2006 12:13:26 <-- Viewing This Message, Fri, 19 May 2006 13:39:36
, Fri, 19 May 2006 17:31:15
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