Never before have I been so uninspired/disinterested...

[CT Rob]

While I agree that most cars offered today are downright boring, and miss the mark of what some of us are looking for in a car, I disagree on where the blame lies. It seems totally unfair to blame the auto companies or the media. It is clear, at least to me, that the blame for boring car options, lays squarely at the feet of the consumer.

What the American consumer wants out of a car these days, is one that they can pack their 2 kids, and 2/3 of all their personal belongings, in a vehicle that is big enough to haul half of their son's soccer team and their gear. They want all the latest connectivity features, so they don't have to go through electronic gadget separation anxiety, by being momentarily disconnected from their social media and games. They want built in entertainments systems, cup holders, a/c controls for every row. They need two cup holders for every passenger, and enough USB ports for an airport terminal.

I totally agree with you on black interiors. They are just plain boring. It seems that the consumer has decided that an interior that hides dirt, so they don't have to do any real interior cleaning, is more important to them that having a beautiful interior. A black interior is just short of a total show stopper for me, while looking at cars. A car with a black interior would have to be a home run on all my other criteria, for me to buy it. And even then, I question if I would regret it, every day I ride inside a boring black interior.

Same. I hate all black interior.My Tundra has black interior and not a fan. My 05 Ram i had ,had tan interior and i ordered it that way. Never showed the dirt or dust

 

[CKN]

In 2015 we bought a new Highlander. It has 15,000 miles on it now..........still enjoy driving it. Haven't shopped new cars.

Just bought a nearly new 2022 Highlander. What a comfortable, adequately powerful, vehicle it is. Yes-it has a touch screen but a few minutes in the owners manual is all it takes to operate it.

Personally-I think there are several factors at play with the hate (lack of excitement) on new cars. Pricing is probably number one, safety features and anti collision devices (that many don't think is needed on here) and of course the touch screens. The "mature demographics" on here just are not adaptable nor do they like change.

I mean the excitement over 60/ 70's era chrome laden 2- 1/2 ton land barges on here is so funny at times. But then again-comments suggest many grew up in the 60's and 70's on here so........

 

[MCompact]

I turned 66 in January and I have yet to see my automotive enthusiasm wane. I looked at quite a few cars before I ended up with the C43 and there wasn't a bad pick in the whole bunch- everything from a Giulia Veloce to a GR Supra to an M240i and a Mach 1.
That said, I am about to prune the fleet back a bit, replacing the Clubman and the Wrangler with a JK or JL Wrangler.

 

[MCompact]

As far as car magazines go, there's not much decent content from the US. I'd say Car and Driver and Road & Track are the best of a mediocre bunch. I much prefer several of the British magazines- Autocar, CAR, EVO, and Top Gear are my favorites. Some of the more specialized titles are also quite good.

 

[4WD]

Wife wants me to order this one - hope I can hold her off

 

[loneryder]

It might be age too.
I really don't care about much these days except making sure my head is above water. And like most when fuel gets high I look at vehicles as a tool instead of a hobby. No enthusiasm right now for me.

With the prices so high, it's like going on vacation to an island where a coke is $10. You just don't enjoy it as much. There's no value to you in that situation. I recently went to 5 Guys. A small cheeseburger, small fries and small drink was over $19. I won't be going back.

 

[Zee09]

With the prices so high, it's like going on vacation to an island where a coke is $10. You just don't enjoy it as much. There's no value to you in that situation. I recently went to 5 Guys. A small cheeseburger, small fries and small drink was over $19. I won't be going back.

Yup I agree...
Saturated with BS. these days.

 

[Zee09]

While I agree that most cars offered today are downright boring, and miss the mark of what some of us are looking for in a car, I disagree on where the blame lies. It seems totally unfair to blame the auto companies or the media. It is clear, at least to me, that the blame for boring car options, lays squarely at the feet of the consumer.

What the American consumer wants out of a car these days, is one that they can pack their 2 kids, and 2/3 of all their personal belongings, in a vehicle that is big enough to haul half of their son's soccer team and their gear. They want all the latest connectivity features, so they don't have to go through electronic gadget separation anxiety, by being momentarily disconnected from their social media and games. They want built in entertainments systems, cup holders, a/c controls for every row. They need two cup holders for every passenger, and enough USB ports for an airport terminal.

I totally agree with you on black interiors. They are just plain boring. It seems that the consumer has decided that an interior that hides dirt, so they don't have to do any real interior cleaning, is more important to them that having a beautiful interior. A black interior is just short of a total show stopper for me, while looking at cars. A car with a black interior would have to be a home run on all my other criteria, for me to buy it. And even then, I question if I would regret it, every day I ride inside a boring black interior.

Nothing worse than a light interior for blue jean wearers.
The blue in time rubs off on the seats.
VW pictures made their black interiors look hideous but they weren't. I do agree if you are doing black they need to break it up with other colors or shades...dark can be depressing and hot.

 

[BHopkins]

Nothing worse than a light interior for blue jean wearers.
The blue in time rubs off on the seats.
VW pictures made their black interiors look hideous but they weren't. I do agree if you are doing black they need to break it up with other colors or shades...dark can be depressing and hot.

There is a fix for that. It is called interior cleaner.

Think about this. Those same stains you hate so much on light colored interiors, also exist on the black seats. But you choose to ignore them, because they don't stand out as much. After you think about that, isn't that just a little . . . icky?

 

[Zee09]

There is a fix for that. It is called interior cleaner.

Think about this. Those same stains you hate so much on light colored interiors, also exist on the black seats. But you choose to ignore them, because they don't stand out as much. After you think about that, isn't that just a little . . . icky?

Nope you got that wrong. My vehicles are spotless. When I sell them I have people waiting to buy them because they look new.

 

[Hermann]

Five Guys = the absolute worst french fries in the world. IMO YMMV

 

[ZZman]

The only vehicles that might excite me are far above my pay grade

 

[BHopkins]

Nope you got that wrong. My vehicles are spotless. When I sell them I have people waiting to buy them because they look new.

So, you believe that your blue jeans will stain light colored seats, but the black seats are magically impervious to those same blue jean stains? Let me think about that one for a while . . . Yea, NOT!!!

 

[BISCUT]

I feel similar. I'm itching for a lux vehicle but at 80k + I'm finding I love many interiors but find exterior styling to be lackluster at best.

 

[SaberOne]

My current ride suits me just fine and it is plenty powerful and has plenty of feel good features that keep me loving the car. Good size V-8 for that old-school thumb. The vehicle options available today are plenty but I don’t really care for most of them. Cost is a big factor because the prices have skyrocketed in the last couple of years. Also, I’m not getting any younger, so the fun-factor of driving has falling off a bit due to health. If I do end up replacing my SS, I think I would be looking at a mini Cooper Countryman John Works edition with all the options. Currently, that clocks out at about $51K. That’s about the most I could justify, but my goal is to milk every last inch out of my current ride. Frankly, this may be my last car with all things considered. I only have about 50% sensory in my feet, so my days of driving already numbered.

 

[dishdude]

Some of the best equipped, best looking and best driving vehicles are available for sale today. This goes for daily drivers, performance cars, trucks and SUVs.

 

[Zee09]

So, you believe that your blue jeans will stain light colored seats, but the black seats are magically impervious to those same blue jean stains? Let me think about that one for a while . . . Yea, NOT!!!

Whatever

 

[Skippy722]

I’ll be sticking with my truck. RWD with part time 4x4 because I just can’t stand FWD, no Nannie’s to yell at me (just my preference, do kinda miss parking sensors front and rear though), and a good ol’ V8.

If I had to replace it, I’d be hard pressed to find something…. My truck stickered for $43k, they’re now $5,000 more for the same exact truck. Probably pick up a used V8 300 or Charger. Or pick up a RX-8 with a blown engine and swap a LFX or LS into it.

 

[MCompact]

Nope you got that wrong. My vehicles are spotless. When I sell them I have people waiting to buy them because they look new.

Same here.

 

[AutoMechanic]

I agree I’ve been bored with new cars for awhile. I think it’s because I work on them. There is just no fun in them anymore. Like when I get in a car I want to turn a key I don’t want to push a button. I also want minimal power features. I’ll give an example the 4Runner it’s been the same for years as far as interior goes at least, it’s boring and hard to work on. They are due for a major change for 2024 finally except they are giving it the ugly Tundra front end. Hopefully they will go back to spin on filters too. I honestly don’t see how they still sell. I get so bored with all these new cars and features. To me a fun car is a base model, minimal add ons and a nice color like blue or red or anything except silver and white because those are boring. And let’s not forget a real key preferably without a chip so it can be copied anywhere but as long as it’s a real key we are fine. I’m sure all of us have a different view on what a fun car is but that’s ok. Everyone knows I’m old school anyway haha. My ideal car if new would be a 4 cylinder Tacoma 4WD in blue or black. It’s got the best of both worlds spin on filters and automatic or manual transmission for a Tacoma a automatic is better the manual takes some getting used too and is very touchy, real keys and easy to work on but underpowered slightly but still more reliable than the 3.5 in my opinion. And some of them have manual windows and locks from what I’ve seen. One thing I do like as far as features is a back up camera which is required on all vehicles now anyway. It makes things easier for people like me who are scared of driving.