Even my favorite cars have imperfections and flaws that disqualify me from buying them so that I am stuck with my 7-year-old Volvo which I may have to keep indefinitely. Here are some cars that I want to fall in love with but after close scrutiny must “disqualify” them.
1. The Acura TSX: A sleek classy car that fits in my two-car garage and has good reliability but has three flaws: overpriced, takes unleaded premium, and one of the biggest turning radius out there.
2. The Honda Fit: Sleek, great gas mileage, reliable, hatchback cargo space and youthful but will the shape become obsolete? Also my wife says it looks like an Ultra Mini Van.
3. Honda Civic: Best incarnation ever, great gas mileage, great reliability but even with the 17-inch wheel upgrade and iPod setup it looks plain and “economical” from the front and costs $21,000.
4. Toyota Camry: Best incarnation ever, decent gas mileage, great reliability, the SE looks good in silver with a spoiler, but from certain angles, especially the side, it still looks mundane. It’s a bit too wide for my garage. When people ask what you drive and you say “Camry,” you’re announcing your resignation to middle-class mediocrity.
5. Mini Cooper: Sleek and sexy and high-grade parts, fits in my garage, great turning radius, but expensive to maintain, the super charged version doesn’t get great gas mileage, too small for freeway driving.
6. Mazda 3: Sleek and sexy, a poor man’s BMW 3 series, great handling, ample speed, but AC lacks power so you get back sweat while you drive. Long-term reliability is iffy.
7. Scion TC: Sexy from the back, upgrade materials, great price for Lexus look. But looks toyish overall, and has a snub nose in the front. The front really ruins the deal. Give it an aggressive front to match the rear.
8. Lexus IS 250: Okay, maybe this one is perfect but underpowered for a car that costs close to 40K out the door. The back shape isn’t exactly a work of art either.
9. Acura TL. Almost a perfect car but from certain angles it looks porcine or pig-shaped. Its turning radius is too big. Too much power for a front-wheel drive.
10. Infiniti G35 coupe: Great shape and reliability but feels heavy and doesn’t fit in my garage. Even used models are overpriced.
11.Honda Element: I love this car, which so many people hate. But it bounces on freeway and may be too big for my garage. Gas mileage could be better for a car built on Honda Civic platform.
12. Toyota Matrix: I want to love this car in cosmic blue with all the upgrades, including 17-inch alloy wheels for 19K. Great gas mileage, reliability, sits high like an SUV, great cargo space. But from back it looks plain. I see them everywhere. Bottom line: I can’t fall in love with it, not yet anyway.
13. BMW 3 series: Sexy lines but taillights look weird. High maintenance costs. Mediocre gas mileage. Overpriced.
14. Volvo S40. I really love this in Barents Blue with the sport package but I own a Volvo S70 now and I resent the maintence costs. Also the S40 gets mediocre gas mileage and takes unleaded premium only.
We can see from the above, that the persnickety car buyer wants to find fault and is more interested in the hunt than in the acquisition. If only I could fall in love with one car and no for sure that it’s the one I want but alas such is not the case.
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