Unpure Thoughts...

[Sixty8panther]

I think of the 3000+ people on this forum, and the 100 or so who post here on a weekly

basis I am one of the most out-spoken and transparent ones. 99% of the time I do NOT

let my oppinion go unregistered if it is a topic I feel strongly about.

But here's something I do not confess very often. It is a dark secret of sorts, a true

paradox along the lines of the last temptation of Christ. I'm in love with a Japanese car

and it's NOT a Datsun... hell it's not even the usual 1970s hardtop 2dr that looks like a

Japanime version of a late 60s GM A-body or early 70s Mopar.

This car is, for all intents & puropses the ONLY car that (mechanically) resembles my old

1984 Datsun Maxima.

After all you guys know that after the V16 and V8 my third favorite engine layout is the

inline six. Not too many compact cars offer RWD these days, even fewer still offer a

manual trans. mated to an inline-six.

If by now you do not know what this modern She-Devil is scroll down.

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That's right. Every so often I lust for an Toyota Altezza, or as we call them, Lexus IS300.

It's no '59 Buick interior but it's better than most cars from the early 2000s.

This thing makes the BMW 1-series look like a KIA Sephia.

So what is your GUILTY pleasure, your lure to the dark side...?

[Cory Wolfe]

If liking that car is a guilty pleasure... I can't imagine what I like that's not then. But yes, it's one of my favorites.

For me, guilty pleasures would have to be large luxury coupes/sedans. It's not something that's my style in the least, but I oddly like them. Buick Park Avenues and Rivieras (the G-bodies), Cadillac Eldorados, Sevilles, and DTS's, Infiniti Q45s and I35s, BMW 7ers (pre-bangle), Jaguar XJ's, Lexus LS (first gen), Lincoln Town Car (the early 90's one) and so on. I have no idea why, but they appeal to me.

[speedingpenguin]

Silvester, I would have NEVER thought you would like a car like that! (I like them too but come on, YOU?!?!?!)

Anyway, as you know I'm a sucker for anything from the 1980's. Turbo dodge's especially.

[speedingpenguin]

BTW Silvester, that red Daytona I posted.... Remember last year up at the track, my buddy with the red WS6 T/A with the grey trim? That was his old car, I was a few weeks too late to buy it! If he hadn't sold it, I would have bought that instead of the Cobra!!!!!!

[FAPTurbo]

Heh. That's pretty funny.

I'm not sure why you should call it a guilty pleasure though... it has an inline-six, the transmission is mounted the way you like it, AND the power drives the rear wheels...

However, one of my friends' dad owned one, and *ouch* did it suck to try and get inside. The front passenger seat was OK, but the rear seat... I'm barely six-feet and it was painful to even try. The car itself was fun to drive and ride in, but it was by far no speed demon.

Still, it got decent mileage, and provided some fun.

[Sixty8panther]

I'm not sure why you should call it a guilty pleasure though... it has an inline-six, the transmission is mounted the way you like it, AND the power drives the rear wheels...

EXACTLY.... it's a wicked cool car all things considered. But it's still a freekin' T6Y6T6!

However, one of my friends' dad owned one, and *ouch* did it suck to try and get inside. The front passenger seat was OK, but the rear seat... I'm barely six-feet and it was painful to even try. The car itself was fun to drive and ride in, but it was by far no speed demon.

I'm 5' 9" with winter socks on so I my Datsun is PERFECT for me... the IS might be a tiny

bit cramped but I'd be willing to deal with it, it's a sport sedan after all, not my Super 88.

[capriceman]

This is the only Asian Car I would ever consider buying

In fact I was close to buying one. Instead I ended up with a vibe. not even the AWD or GT

I also love these cars.

[Sixty8panther]

oh and O'Shea: your 32 valve Cobra 5-speed was a MILLION times

cooler than any FWD car this side of 1969.... your Cobra will be on

the block at Barrett Jackson when that turbo Dodge is just another

old cheesy 80s car.

[MyerShift]

Silvester, I would have NEVER thought you would like a car like that! (I like them too but come on, YOU?!?!?!)

Anyway, as you know I'm a sucker for anything from the 1980's. Turbo dodge's especially.

I love cars from the 1980's (especially Chrysler's products, and of course, the Buick Skyhawk) and don't believe FWD is evil.

I guess those would be my guilty pleasures.

[Intrepidation]

Meh, I never liked that Altezz/IS car...always reminded me of a Civic.

If there were ever Japanese cars to lust over, these are my picks:

(but I'd wait for the coupe)

and of course....

As for that Dodge Daytona...I wouldn't mind owning one, especially after they got the new interior, which looked light years better than the old one.

Edited February 7, 2007 by Dodgefan

[Robert Hall]

Mmmm..guilty pleasures.

I'll admit I've long lusted after Suburbans..they are vehicles that make absolutely no sense for me, too big, too thirsty, too impractical, but for some reason I've always liked them... and I don't like trucks, but they are one truck I like..

I also have a soft spot for big cushy luxury cars...I always liked my parents' Lincoln Town Cars, Lexus LSes, '80s-90s Mercedes S-classes, the '92-96 Caddy Fleetwood, the '92-96 Buick Roadmaster...nothing remotely sport sedan about 'em, but I like 'em...and I'm not anywhere near retirement age...

The Ariel Atom. Totally insane, ultra light, impractical sports car. I'd love to have one for vacations on winding Ohio backroads..

'80s Camaro IROC-Zs and Firebird Trans Am GTAs... though I've been a Mustang fan and owner since the '80s (and a BMW enthusiast/owner for almost 10 years), I've always had a soft spot for the 3rd generation mullett-mobiles.

[balthazar]

I dunno, maybe a Porsche 911/Carrera with the power spoiler.

My automotive 'closet' is pretty empty; everything's spread out all over the floor as it is.

[K.C.]

Hmmm, good topic.

Ok, here goes. <deep breath>

Nissan Altima V-6, Maxima, 350Z, Murano.

Infiniti G35, M35/45, FX35/45, and Q45

Dont shoot me.

[aaaantoine]

Acura TL.

That's probably the hottest looking import IMO.

[Sixty8panther]

Dodgefan:

300ZX: Great car but V6s are not nearly as cool as Inline-Sixes, therefore I'd rather have a 1970 240z

G35: see above, although the coupe is damn sexy

Lancer Evo8: MitsuBitchy is probably trying to snuf out a pending lawsuit related to ANOTHER

million lemons... plus AWD should ALWAYS be REAR-biased. Just my humble opinion.

Balthazar:

I love most classic Porsches, and many modern ones (esp. air cooled 911 turbos) excluding

the Cayenne of course. So that's not a GUILTY pleasure for me... just one of the few imports

that I actaully care to own someday, if it is financially feasable.

[Camino LS6]

Well I do have that strange little Italian car in the garage...

[loki]

Silvester, I would have NEVER thought you would like a car like that! (I like them too but come on, YOU?!?!?!)

Anyway, as you know I'm a sucker for anything from the 1980's. Turbo dodge's especially.

a friend i met through my brother has a conquest TSi , it is pretty cool.

[Variance]

I guess one of mine is the 3rd-gen Avalon:

First, it's not what I'd call bland (unlike the 1st and 2nd gen). I think it could look pretty hot in the right color and wheels.

I've always liked the Avalon Pursuit car as well:

I don't think the interior's half-bad, either. I've definitely seen worse.

[daves87rs]

After driving a new Civic....I like them....coupe or sedan...

[Nick]

My sister has a IS300...Nice little car I suppose. It handles pretty well. It's nimble and tossable and feels light. I don't care for the steering too much, but it's not bad. It could definitely use some tuning. :AH-HA_wink:

[FAPTurbo]

What kind of dumbass drives his car onto a golf course... and parks it in the sand bunker?....

[Turbojett]

I like quite a few Japanese sports cars myself. But Sly, I got one that's even closer to your '84 Maxie...same brand in fact...that has an I6, stick shift, and Rear (biased) wheel drive.

Probably my favorite piece of Jap ever: the Skyline GTR

R34's are my favorite...but I wouldn't kick any previous generation out of bed, either.

R33's--particularly sexy.

R32's--not without their own charm as well.

and the not-oft-seen R31..however they didn't have a GTR variant per se, the top-line model was the GTS-R

I'm not even sure of the performance variant of the R30's...

..But you can't help but love the Originals

'71 model FTW

If you wanna say F the front drive altogether, there's always the rear-drive GT-t:

however that comes at a cost of one less turbo than the GTR...

Ah but Skylines...real Japanese Musclecars. I've always lusted after those beauties. It irks me that we never got them, until they decided to send over a few Nismo R34 Z-tune models over, but even then they were unbearably expensive, and I didn't like the body kit

Canada's lucky though. After a certain time period, you can actually have them imported and street-legalized. (only R32's are eligible, R33's have another year to go IIRC)

Edited February 8, 2007 by Turbojett

[Dsuupr]

Funny, I had just gotten a honda odyssey brochure and was thinking; If only it had a GM logo on it. Really though . . .

My true guilty pleasure would be the 1980s Citation. I'm not sure why I like it. Maybe it just reminds me of good times as a kid.

[Sixty8panther]

Back in the day I had many a fun roadtrip in my friend Mike's '79 Citation.

I remember one particular day we drove around in over a foot of snow &

beat the piss out of that car, just to get nakpinks with "Happy New Year"

printed on them for his parent's party.

Skyline R34s are ledgends in their own time, I have a feeling they will

always will be the coolest japanese car ever made. When I learned of the

Skyline's existance it as probably about 1993 and I read up on them with

great enthusiasm, kids in my high school, even many of the Honda/Toyota

driving rice boys had no idea what the hell a Skyline was. Before the

internet if you wanted to leanr about something like a japanese only

Nissan you had to get your hands on one of those crazy magazines from

the UK or Australia, there was no Google.

The 1970s Skylines are cool if only for their hardtop greenhouses, once

again a case of plagirism by the Japanese if I ever saw it.

Oh and the Starion/Conquest... don't get em started on those, I've got a

bit of an obsession with those cars too, but I try to remind myself they do

not exist with low miles and for a reasonable price. I came close once to

buying a White Starion from a real shady car dealer that I'm pretty sure

was a front for a drug smuggling opperation and another time a bronze

Plymouth Conquest was snatched up before I got to it. $2500 and it was

beat... needed a new turbo and the interior was rough, 160k miles.

Variance:

Sorry to hear about your Avalon affliction. :wink:

[Cory Wolfe]

Wagons. And going off Sly's first post... quite possibly the sexiest modern wagon:

And going off TJ's...

[Sixty8panther]

Skyline sedan w/ trialer hitch... LOL Crazy Japanese Rednecks!

[Intrepidation]

The Skyline (especially in GTR form)! How could I have forgotten?

[Intrepidation]

Hey...that looks pretty good!

[Dsuupr]

What kind of dumbass drives his car onto a golf course... and parks it in the sand bunker?....

One who owns a toyota, obviously.

[Turbojett]

Hey...that looks pretty good!

oh HELL NO. That better not be an actual CHP car. Man, the CHP used to be cool until now.

[Turbojett]

As for the Skylines, I must say I liked the first proto, but these new concepts (what the R35 will actually look like) are SEXY.

Oh Baby! :wub:

[2005 EquinoxLS]

My wierd guilty pleasures.

1976-79 Dodge Aspen 2-door Speciel edition(The one with the opera windows).

1980-84 Chevrolet Citation 3-door hatch.

My current Bonneville.

1977-79 Chevrolet Impala.

1980-84 Chevrolet Caprice.

1978-80 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

2007 Chevrolet HHR.

2008 Chevrolet Equinox.

2007 Monte Carlo SS.

[Farkas]

Some cars I wouldn't mind owning:

Nissan Silvia S13

Holden Ute SS

VW Type 2

Edited February 11, 2007 by Farkas

[Sixty8panther]

If you don't mind me asking, why is the Holden Camino Ute a GUILTY pleasure?

[Farkas]

Because it's the only truck I'd ever consider.

That and maybe it isn't such a guilty pleasure .

I merely stated that those were cars I wanted to own. :]

[balthazar]

'77-79 Pontiac Safari- fondly remembered. Another:

'70 Pontiac full-size (ours was a Catalina 400 4-dr sedan in Pepper Green),

but these are no where to be seen anymore. A few years ago I saw a

'70 Bonne 2-dr hardtop and it was period FANTASTIC.

[Robert Hall]

'70 Pontiac full-size (ours was a Catalina 400 4-dr sedan in Pepper Green),

That reminds me of a car I used to see a while back...in my neighborhood, someone had a light blue/white top '70 Catalina 4dr sedan.. red decklid and missing rear pan, but solid and rust-free...haven't seen it in 6 months or so.. seeing a car on the streets that's 30 years old or more is a pretty rare sight around here..

[Robert Hall]

<lots of Skyline pictures>

I've long been a fan of the Skyline, since I first read about it in Autocar around 1990 or so..then I built several Tamiya Skyline kits...didn't see one in person until 2000 in LA. There are several Skylines running around here, R32s and R33s imported by Motorex. I wouldn't mind having one someday, RHD and all..

The one Japanese sports car I've lusted about for years is the NSX..I will own sooner or later, a pre-facelift model. I've always wanted a midengined sportscar, and it's the one for me... there are some Ferraris down in the relatively cheap used price range, but they are old and very expensive cars to maintain..the NSX is pretty reasonable on the maintenance costs. After being around my buddy Steve's NSX and driving it a few times, I love it..

[Sixty8panther]

The name Catalina is pure SEX for me... so much better than Gee-Eight.