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I've had a couple of true wagons -- an '84 Ford LTD and an '87 Olds Cutlass. I liked them both, they were nice-driving and economical machines, and we could sleep in them every night for weeks on end on cross country trips. For camping, though, they had the disadvantage of a low ceiling, which made our later minivans more practical for that purpose. And also the minivan seats could be easily removed, and put to use on the porch.
19 posts and no one has used the archaic term "shooting brake" which is popular on some auto-related sites.
I don't think wagons are necessarily ugly, but I don't find them attractive either. They are a purpose built vehicle, and as such the focus isn't on aesthetics.
Saab 9-5 wagon/estate is the best car I have owned. Also had Vauxhall Cavalier and Opel Manta hatchbacks in the past and they are great all purpose cars too.
Our family ride today, Toyota Sienna minivan.
19 posts and no one has used the archaic term "shooting brake" which is popular on some auto-related sites.
I don't think wagons are necessarily ugly, but I don't find them attractive either. They are a purpose built vehicle, and as such the focus isn't on aesthetics.
The best all around practical that is also a great fun sporty car you can have is a Hot Hatch like the VW GTI, Ford Focus ST, Mazda speed 3 and the Subaru WRX.
I heard of that car form, but I am not sure exactly what it means, and I don't really know what main stream brands carry such form. I
A shooting brake is often (but not always) smaller than a conventional station wagon, has sporting intentions, has a lower stance than a conventional hatchback, and two doors rather than four. Contemporary examples include the Ferrari FF, or from last decade, the BMW Z3 Coupe.
I cannot wait for the new VW GTD to come in USA, I think it is one of the best value small cars available in the market today.
An interesting comparison between GTI & GTD:
My question is, frankly, regardless of vehicle type, why do Americans care so much about a vehicle's looks? I'm too practical for that (and I'm American), I care about what it can do for me, not how pretty it is. I save pretty judgments for women in bathing suits (or tank-tops, short dresses etc) or for photographs, not for a 1½ ton hunk of metal operating on dirty motor oil whose reason for existence is to haul people and cargo on tar-covered roads. Besides, when you are actually interacting with the car, you're inside the car. Very little time is spent outside the car actually looking at it, so why does it matter so much?
But yes, Americans are obsessed about appearance, and this explains why it's hard to find the hatchback body style because Americans think cars with trunks look better, never mind that hatchbacks hold a lot more cargo. Me: even as a 20 year old, back when the Nissan Sentra was popular (and it was available in hatchback but the sedan style was far more popular), I nonetheless opted for a Ford Festiva, because it was a hatchback and could hold a lot more. I wanted a date with a cute girl as much as the next guy, but to get it by driving a Nissan Sentra when a Festiva was what I really wanted, nope, not going to go along with that game. No matter how good a girl looked in a bikini, if she was that shallow, I didn't want her.
Yeah, it's only Americans that are "obsessed" with a car's appearance. That's why only American car companies have design-house budgets running into the tens of millions.
Some people regard their car as an appliance and don't mind if it looks like one. Meanwhile, others want more out of their car and don't want an item they just spent tens of thousands of dollars for to look like a toaster on wheels.
My question is, frankly, regardless of vehicle type, why do Americans care so much about a vehicle's looks? I'm too practical for that (and I'm American), I care about what it can do for me, not how pretty it is. I save pretty judgments for women in bathing suits (or tank-tops, short dresses etc) or for photographs, not for a 1½ ton hunk of metal operating on dirty motor oil whose reason for existence is to haul people and cargo on tar-covered roads. Besides, when you are actually interacting with the car, you're inside the car. Very little time is spent outside the car actually looking at it, so why does it matter so much?
But yes, Americans are obsessed about appearance, and this explains why it's hard to find the hatchback body style because Americans think cars with trunks look better, never mind that hatchbacks hold a lot more cargo. Me: even as a 20 year old, back when the Nissan Sentra was popular (and it was available in hatchback but the sedan style was far more popular), I nonetheless opted for a Ford Festiva, because it was a hatchback and could hold a lot more. I wanted a date with a cute girl as much as the next guy, but to get it by driving a Nissan Sentra when a Festiva was what I really wanted, nope, not going to go along with that game. No matter how good a girl looked in a bikini, if she was that shallow, I didn't want her.
Would you wear this shirt outside?
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