# Do modern cars have character? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 26, 2008, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663 "2008-10-26T18:55:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/21 "2008-10-27T15:07:12Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > I see Porsches every day. Porsche have made the 911 series continuously for four and a half decades. It’s changed quite a bit over time, but it still retains pretty much the same basic shape. (This was more true up through the 911/993, but the 911/996 and 911/997 still have the genes.) ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/22 "2008-10-27T15:23:52Z")
> [@Usram](#): > > [ETA] That said, I have also noticed the silver thing mentioned by **TheLoadedDog**. It’s amazing how many cars on British roads are silver now. I think the colour became popular because it is associated with upmarket makes, particularly Mercedes. Yeah, that was my guess as well. I remember back in the 80s, cars had a lower profile boot (trunk). Then the expensive models started sporting a higher one with a slab-sided rear end. I thought it was ugly. Sure enough, over the last twenty years, all the cheaper makes have copied this. I still think it’s ugly (follow a white car in traffic these days, and it’s like driving behind a refrigerator). ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/23 "2008-10-27T15:33:04Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > Looking back at many car picture books (too many) , perhaps it’s more that each era of car design has almost a generic shape, with several somewhat different models that stand out in that era (often by breaking the mold) Very true. I used to be great at identifying the models and years of cars, but I’m lost when it comes to certain eras, including those in the past. To me, all cars from the 1930s and 1940s look alike (long hood with a streamlined point, bulbous passenger compartment, little or no distinctive trunk shape). In the 1950s, there’s so much chrome and wings and other shiny bits that make most models difficult to identify; most look like rolling Googie and bling offspring to me. The early-to-mid 1970s are much the same; shapes seemed to simplify through the 1960s, but around 1972 things got really ugly, and American cars at least began to look as if their focus groups consisted entirely of middle-aged Italian-American couples fond of living rooms furnished in clear vinyl-covered Rococo furniture. As for the “old cars have more character” argument, it sounds like the Rust Belt-style glory days nostalgia that permeates the Great Lakes region: old houses are always built better and architecturally more interesting than new houses, old cars are always more reliable and better designed than new cars, old anything is always better than its modern equivalent. The same houses people called “ticky tacky” in the 1950s and 1960s are considered as “classic mid-century Americana” today, at least in my neck of the woods. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/24 "2008-10-27T15:34:19Z")
Modern cars have about as much character as a used bar of soap. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/25 "2008-10-27T16:01:45Z")
Let’s see…(checks manual) Card Holder. Cargo Net. Catalytic Converter. Center multi-function control panel. Child restraints. Child Safety. Doesn’t appear my car has any character. ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/26 "2008-10-27T16:21:08Z")
I think there are plenty of cars with character being made. How far back can we go and still call them modern? The 1990’s? Heck, back in 1991/92, Dodge made a [plain-jane 4-cylinder](http://www.allpar.com/model/spiritrt.html) that was the “quickest production sedan in the world”. There were big, honkin’ sedans like the [Chevrolet Impala SS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Impala#1994-1996) and the [Mercury Marauder](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_Marauder#2003-2004). Buick made the [Reatta 2-seater](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_Reatta), and some [Buick Rivieras](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_Riviera#Eighth_generation_.281995-1999.29) were supercharged. The PT Cruiser’s been mentioned and there’s also the [Chevy HHR](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_HHR). And how about the [Pontiac Aztek](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_Aztek)? Perhaps it was aberrant character, but it sure had character. We have the new Mustang and Challenger, and the Camaro is alleged to be coming Real Soon Now. I’m not fond of them, but the Chargers, Magnums, and 300’s from Chrysler have a distinct look and a lot of fans. When the redesigned Ram pickups came out in 1994, they really shook things up. Heck, the Ford Taurus was revolutionary when it first hit the market. I see stuff like an xB or an Edge on the road and I think ‘WTF is _that_?’ - that’s character of some kind. My truck is as ugly as a 1950-something Studebaker pickup…character galore! ---
**Author:** ![MrPeabody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@MrPeabody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrPeabody)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/27 "2008-10-27T16:26:43Z")
I drive a Crossfire. I love it and the look. I am getting ready to buy another just based on the fact it seems to have a type of style. Love it or hate it is unique. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/28 "2008-10-27T16:38:05Z")
> [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](#): > > The OP has already excluded supercars from the list. The Viper is not a super car. They like to compare it to super cars and then denounce it for not being one. It’s a car with character, not a McLaren and never meant to be one. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/29 "2008-10-27T16:51:55Z")
My Volvo C30 has plenty of character. So do Smart Cars (not that I think they are such a hot idea). The new Ford Flex has character. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/30 "2008-10-27T16:54:57Z")
I agree that most cars look alike. I have a silver '06 Nissan Altima that looks like every other car in the parking lot. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/31 "2008-10-27T17:15:01Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > I agree that most cars look alike. I have a silver '06 Nissan Altima that looks like every other car in the parking lot. That’s because they are all computer designed for streamlining, giving you better milage, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/32 "2008-10-27T18:28:50Z")
Sure they do. In the case of most of them, however, its all bad. Nor is it an issue of having to do streamlining and add safety features that causes the blandness in the designs (after all, there _are_ modern cars with character that _do_ meet existing safety/fuel economy rules). The problem lies with the organizational structure of car companies. At one point, every car company had a “Styling Czar” like Harley Earl at GM or Virgil Exner at Chrysler. They didn’t design _every_ car, but they did design _one_ signature model which would be used as a “stamp” for the other models in the line. They also approved the final designs of the cars. Then the bean counters took over, and things started going to hell. They got rid of “one designer one car” (i.e. where each car was designed [cosmetically, at least] by one person) and replaced it with “design teams” and “focus groups.” They also decided that rather than producing one or two “mass market” designs and then several “targeted market” designs, they’d simply go with several “mass market” designs and one or two “targeted market” designs, if any. So, what you wound up with was a bunch of cars that all looked alike. (Then there was the whole “rebadging” fuck up of 70s/80s where every GM car looked like every _other_ GM car, just with different stickers.) The _domestic_ car makers also decided that rather than trying to compete with the imports, they’d put their efforts into lobbying Congress to do something about the imports. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/33 "2008-10-28T11:54:44Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > I wish I could remember the approximate year when I first wasn’t able to tell that a Jaguar was a Jaguar without looking at the hood ornament. > > Joe That would be around about the time that Ford bought them out. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/34 "2008-10-28T18:39:54Z")
Most cars, no. Your average Honda, Nissan, or Toyota sedans look much the same in most cases. There are a few that stand out though. I’ll second the [Ford Flex](http://www.trucktrend.com/multimedia/photogallery/163_0804_2009_ford_flex_gallery/photo_05.html). It has retro character at least. I also like the [Mazda RX-8](http://www.edmunds.com/media/roadtests/comparison/2005/mustang.rx8.350z/05.mazda.rx8.r34.500.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/35 "2008-10-29T04:01:20Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > I’m not a car guy, so maybe I’m missing something, or being whooshed, but… what? Why would you want that? > > Joe Because when I heated the drag radials up, I could rev the car real high and dump the clutch. Instead of fishtailing like normal, the car would launch very hard. I drag raced that car a lot. I’ve only drag raced my current one a couple of times, but I’m sure once I mod it properly I’ll start racing here and there again. With drag radials, you can kind of drive around in the rain, with a true slick you’re smarter to drive something else. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/36 "2008-10-29T18:53:24Z")
I’ve driven a black 2000 Nissan Altima for seven years, and I couldn’t tell you how many times in parking lots I’ve walked up to black Honda Civics, Maximas, and even some smaller BMW and Mercedes sedans I’ve walked up to, all ready to stick my key in the door. Cars mostly do look alike these days, or like “squashed turds” as I’ve heard it said. With the newer ultra-efficient cars, now it’s a little bean they all look like; and ragtops and other fun stuff goes out the window like it did in the 1970s. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663/37 "2008-10-29T19:15:07Z")
Virtually all cars built since the 70’s have as much character as a Rubic’s Cube. Without the colored stickers. or moving parts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-modern-cars-have-character/469663.md?page=1)