When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I'll start. I don't think I've ever had any car that I expected to hate or I would have never purchased it. I will say that I didn't expect to love my current Audi S5 as much as I do because I owned '10 and '11 S5 Cabriolets and just thought it might be more of the same. I've actually found out since that the A/C has been upgraded, the car now has 3G connection, and the nav is Google Earth. Since the coupe also has more structural rigidity I LOVE it.
There was one car that I expected to love and hated instead. I bought an '01 BMW 330Ci (coupe) brand new. Honestly, it was an impulse purchase because I had always wanted a BMW and loved the styling of the coupe. I'm kind of an audiophile, so I asked the salesman if I should get one with the Harmann Kardon sound system. He said it wasn't that important. I ended up HATING the standard sound system because not only was it bad and screechy, it had speed sensitivity that couldn't be disabled. That meant that every time I floored it the crappy sound system got loud and annoying. I also quickly grew tired of the orange lighting in the car. The car was beautiful and fun to drive, but only with the sound system off.
I traded it for a Lexus GS after 8 months and never looked back.
Footnote: I got a call from the Lexus dealership afterward asking where I had had the spoiler installed (which was at the BMW dealership) because it fell off the car when the person who had bought it was driving. That's when I knew I'd made the right decision.
What car did you expect to love but ended up hating?
Several Detroit-produced FWD compacts from the late 70s/early 80s, but, among modern cars, probably the Chevrolet HHR. Upon looking at its first pictures, I liked its retro-design and late 40s/early-50s look....kind of like a somewhat later companion to the late 30s-look of the Chrysler PT Cruiser. But, upon actually reviewing and test-driving one (I did a full-review), I could see it was the same GM low-quality body, paint, interior, and hardware.....on top of a chassis and drivetrain that drove like an underpowered appliance and had an awkward tipsy feel at that. [quote]
What car did you expect to hate but ended up loving?
Absolutely no question about it..........the Buick Verano pleasantly surprised me more than any new vehicle I'd seen in decades. When I first saw a picture and story on it (here on CL, I think), that it would be shown off at the Detroit Auto Show, I thought to myself....."Yeah, that's just what we need....another crappy, poorly-designed, poorly-assembled, fall-apart, Chevy-based GM compact". I honestly expected it to be like the rental-grade stuff I'd seen from GM for decades. Good Heavens, was I wrong....big time. When I went and actually saw the car for myself, examined the durable and high-quality Opel-sourced interior, thunk-solid door closings, silky-smooth drivetrain, large cush-tush seats, library-quiet ride from the Buick Quiet-Tuning, sharp handling, reasonably good ride/handling combination for my tastes, and, best of all, the reasonable 25K price and Lexus-matching warranty, I was sold. I could immediately see that this was not an American-designed Buick, but a redone German car. I went home, got my checkbook........and the rest is history.....been happy ever since
Is it perfect? No, no car is. Among a few other things, I'd like to see a small V6 in it (like the Lexus 2.5L) and 16 or 17", higher-profile tires in the 55-60 range instead of the present 18" tires with 45s, but they certainly weren't deal-breakers.
Haha too easy for ole fogies who've had a lot of cars.
Worst car: 1990 Pontiac 6000 ste awd. A total piece of junk that cooked its tranmission when it wasn't vibrating like a... well a vibrator.
And another one in the same vein: 1992 Olds 88 with a 3.8. What a great motor. What a total piece of junk! It killed its transmission on the highway and left me stranded. Nowadays I'm a recovering car buyer who never even looks at a domestic Detroit brand.
Best car: 1988 Toyota Tercel four door hatchback borrowed from a friend. What an amazingly smooth car. Sooo quiet and zippy. Astonishing quality.
And: 1996 Toyota Camry 2.2. Just as good as the Tercel and then some.
I expected to really like the Hyundai Sonata when they redesigned it a few years ago.
My ex bought one, and it felt tinny and floaty. The doors felt like they were made of coke cans. It was quite attractive from the outside, but the whole experience driving it felt terribly cheap.
Around the same time, I was impressed with the build quality on the VW Jetta. It felt very solid, especially for the fairly low price. Initial build quality I should say, because I sold it around 50k when the A/C failed.
My LS....loved it when I bought it.......I cheered when the engine blew up.
I respect your opinion, but you are probably the first person I've ever seen who disliked an LS. Did you get a used one that had been abused, wrecked, or had problems?
Originally Posted by mrsinsyder
I expected to really like the Hyundai Sonata when they redesigned it a few years ago.
My ex bought one, and it felt tinny and floaty. The doors felt like they were made of coke cans. It was quite attractive from the outside, but the whole experience driving it felt terribly cheap.
It was a slight letdown from the superb previous-generation Sonata in some of the build-solidness and interior materials used (I mentioned that in my review), but, according to Consumer Reports, was still fairly reliable.
Hmm, I have never regretted buying a car, but when I worked at Saleen I bought a new 1994 Mustang GT conv with the plan to convert it into a Saleen S351. I never liked Fords seems there is always some part that needs replacing. Well that was kinda ok since Saleen replaces enough parts to be considered a OEM manufacturer anyway. Being a Pontiac man I noticed many Ford shortcomings in this latest & greatest Mustang. 302 engine only made 215 HP, 5-speed shifter was awkward, suspension rode rough & prone to snap oversteer, seat upholstery looked & felt like burlap. I began my improvements & loved the looks, especially the "chrome yellow" metallic paint & leather recaro seats. Soon hated working at Saleen when ownership changed hands & moved further from my home. Decided to leave Saleen so never finished the conversion.
I was pleasantly surprised with the 1st new car my wife & I bought, she choose a black Honda Prelude Si in 1986. (1st black car offered by Honda) This was the best car we ever owned, sold in 1994 to buy the Mustang. Prelude had 131,000 miles with all original parts except: timing belt, cv boots & sparkplugs. I loved autocrossing it, comfortable ride, great seats, & best shifter ever driven to this day.
Hmm, I have never regretted buying a car, but when I worked at Saleen I bought a new 1994 Mustang GT conv with the plan to convert it into a Saleen S351. I never liked Fords seems there is always some part that needs replacing. Well that was kinda ok since Saleen replaces enough parts to be considered a OEM manufacturer anyway. Being a Pontiac man I noticed many Ford shortcomings in this latest & greatest Mustang. 302 engine only made 215 HP, 5-speed shifter was awkward, suspension rode rough & prone to snap oversteer, seat upholstery looked & felt like burlap. I began my improvements & loved the looks, especially the "chrome yellow" metallic paint & leather recaro seats. Soon hated working at Saleen when ownership changed hands & moved further from my home. Decided to leave Saleen so never finished the conversion.
I was pleasantly surprised with the 1st new car my wife & I bought, she choose a black Honda Prelude Si in 1986. (1st black car offered by Honda) This was the best car we ever owned, sold in 1994 to buy the Mustang. Prelude had 131,000 miles with all original parts except: timing belt, cv boots & sparkplugs. I loved autocrossing it, comfortable ride, great seats, & best shifter ever driven to this day.
My biggest disappointment was my '06 Scion tC. Fun little car, and I had the TRD Supercharger installed, but it was constantly in the shop for rattles, headlight issues, radio issues, etc. I had 16 warranty repairs in under 30k miles.
My biggest surprise is my current RX. Bought it for the wife to drive as a pure family moving appliance and am so pleasantly surprised at how much I like driving it. So smooth, confident, and effortless. Also, nothing ever goes wrong with it.
cars that i liked then hated after i bought was 04 crossfire,06 350z convertible,09 accord.here are pictures of two of them.
the cars i cannot sell ,love driving are my 86 mr2 and 06 ls430.
reasons 04 crossfire was the most uncomfortable car ever and the 06 350z was a big disappointment after coming from a 01 s2000.it was a wet noodle in cornering and it felt like it was twisting apart when crossing railroad tracks.the 09 accord was a gutless boring unattached from the road car you can possibility drive.
the 86 mr2 is more fun then my 04 corvette was,its a monster in the corners and a joy to drive and its reliability is unbelievable.the ls430 well you just read the 430 forums will tell all.
I would not say it was love hate but when I saw the 2006 Acura RL in pictures I did not like it, I saw a red or blue one with dealers plastic on it driving around and did not like the looks of it and was very disappointed with the design and that they did not go with a RWD car with a V8. A few weeks later I went to a dealership and saw the RL's in black, silver, and grey and liked the styling much more, then I got in one and was blown away by the interior. It was beautiful and so well put together with such a nice design. I drove it and was very impressed too. I respect those cars now and really like them, still hard to top that interior. I checked out the previous RL closer they had on the lots and saw its interior was very nice, nicer then my GS.
I remember waiting and following the revival of the 350Z for years and was so excited about it and to see it. When I saw the styling I was not that impressed. When I got to sit in one I was really disappointed with the interior and totally let down by the car but then I fell in love with the Infiniti G35 coupe, I almost got one but needed something with more room and ended up going with a Lexus sedan.
06-19-15, 07:07 PM
