Cars of the last ten years you would consider "unique"

[A Horse With No Name]

Eliminating exotics like the Ferrari Enzo and our favorite muscle cars (Camaro, Firebird, Challenger, Vette, Viper, GTO, et al) as well as trucks and SUV's (Cyclone, Wrangler 4 door etc.) what cars of the last ten or 15 years do you consider creative and unique?

My list

Miata (I like the first two generations better than the current gen, but the current gen is still a fine car)

CTS (Current and previous generation)

RX-8 (Rotary power)

Audi TT (the first gen had better styling I thought)

Solstice

Sky

Boxter perhaps? (mid-motor)

Malibu Maxx (streched family sedan, a good idea I thought)

Volvo C-30 (cool rebirth of a neo sports car from Volvo, really kind of like the interior, seems very "Scandanavian in design somehow)

Buick Reatta (a little old for the list but one of the guys at work has one and its wayy cool)

Mini Cooper S

Cadillac Allante

What obvious cars am I missing?

Chris

[caddycruiser]

Hmm...I agree on that list, and also add this one:

'95-99 Buick Riviera

Not just because it's a GM (no influence), but more that it was probably the most unique and different vehicle ever to come off the G-platform, and a great car in reality.

There's lots of others...but I'm drawing a blank...

[NOS2006]

SSR

[A Horse With No Name]

Ditto on the SSR and Riviera. One of the guys at my former place of work had a pristine Riviera of that generation and managed to total it driving drunk. Some people should just not be allowed to own cool cars.

Chris

[PurdueGuy]

Saturn S-Series

Sure, I'm biased, but unique points:

-polymer panel/spaceframe (not the only car with it, and Fiero had it first, but still a rare design feature)

-beautifully simple engineering

-engineering seperate from rest of GM (for better or worse. lol)

-3rd door on '99.5+ coupes

-good combo of power and economy

-independent rear suspension

[A Horse With No Name]

Again, one of those guys at work thing but...

I would have to agree. Tom, whom I work with bought one for his wife. It is a very unique car in the ways that you describe it.

Also have seen it have some success at auto-X and SCCA style road racing.

+1 esp on the engeneering part.

Chris

[Z-06]

Pontiac Aztek

[Drew Dowdell]

93-95 Cutlass Supreme Convertible. It is the only convertible since probably the 85 Eldorado choptops that actually had a usable rear seat AND a usable trunk. With the top up, there was no intrusion into trunk space from the convertible mechanism... you had exactly the same amount of room as a hardtop Cutlass coupe would. In the back seat there was *gasp* legroom! The 3.4 DOHC V6 would run with the Mustang V8 of the day and would easily chirp 2nd gear when it wasn't eating alternators. Yes the timing belt was an issue, but as long as you were good about changing it every 60,000 miles you'd be fine. There hasn't since been a single convertible this side of the Arnage that has the room AND performance that the Cutty did.

[siegen]

Scion xB

Toyota Yaris

Lexus LS600h

[siegen]

Saturn S-Series

Sure, I'm biased, but unique points:

-polymer panel/spaceframe (not the only car with it, and Fiero had it first, but still a rare design feature)

-beautifully simple engineering

-engineering seperate from rest of GM (for better or worse. lol)

-3rd door on '99.5+ coupes

-good combo of power and economy

-independent rear suspension

My friend had a '99 coupe with the 3rd door. I drove it a lot (usually when he was too drunk to drive), and I hated everything about it. But then I was comparing it to my Integra. :AH-HA_wink:

[454]

+1 for the Riv.

I love my 96 Riviera, great power from the L67 and some pretty sweet styling.

[Camino LS6]

You might exclude these, but you shouldn't

GM Quadrasteer pickups

Envoy XUV

Avalanche (midgate)

[toesuf94]

2002 Camaro SS Convertible

2005 SSR in Aqua Blur or Silver with 6 speed

Ditto on the Cutlass Vert...make mine teal. It will be 1 of 3 FWD cars on my list.

1998 New Beetle - white over black TDI...just like the one I gave my wife on our wedding day.

2006 HHR LT2 Orange please.

BMW M roadster

BMW M5 - any year/color. Even take a rare Touring model.

Chevrolet Nomad Concept - hey it is a WISH LIST.

1996 Impala SS

BMW 840Ci

[Intrepidation]

1st and 2nd gen LH cars.

[regfootball]

Pontiac Aztek

the aztek is in my garage and the SSR is in my neighbors garage!

[Intrepidation]

I'd even put the LX in there because it represents the rebirth of the affordable, large, American (yeah yeah, it uses E-Class parts I know) RWD, V6 or V8 powered car.

[vonVeezelsnider]

Dustbuster Van

Olds Aurora 1st Gen

[!!!TED!!!]

BMW Z8!

A sexy throwback to the 507, only lasted 3 years in production.

[pow]

Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, GM EV-1

[Camino LS6]

BMW Z8!

A sexy throwback to the 507, only lasted 3 years in production.

I would jump ship for one of those.

[siegen]

the aztek is in my garage

I feel for you. But hey, at least things can't get any worse, right?

[griff7774]

fiero

[PurdueGuy]

fiero

certainly a unique vehicle, but it missed "the last ten years" by quite a bit. I'm sure there are a few others people have listed that do as well, though...

[griff7774]

damn poor eye sight sorry

[Sixty8panther]

Past 15 years? So that's '93 MY and newer?

Most cars newer than early 1970s suck IMHO.

As far as "unique" there's a small percentage

of modern cars that do not suck. That is

unique I suppose.

But if I had to choose just a few:

1. Last gen. B/D-body, even the non-LT1s, esp. Caddy F.B.

2. Anything off the Sigma platform, esp. the pushrod-V8 CTS-V

3. BMW 850 hardtop

4. current Mercedes CL600 hardtop

5. current Mercedes CLK550 hardtop

6. Chevy/GMC trucks with a Duramax t.d./allison & quadrasteer

7. 4th gen. F-bodys (duh!)

8. 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)

9. 1995-8 BMW M3

10. Kappa, the Solstice and Sky are both freekin' awsome!

and yes there's plenty of other cool stuff like

the '93 Fox body Cobra & exotics like the McLaren F1

Edited January 31, 2008 by Sixty8panther

[CMG]

First car I thought of when I read this thread stood out like a sore thumb.

PLYMOUTH PROWLER!!!!!

I would say

Plymouth Prowler

Chevrolet SSR

Ford GT

Dodge Magnum

Azzzztec...

BMW Z4 and it's various little relatives..

PTCruiser/HHR

Many imports, some for good reasons, some not so good....

:AH-HA_wink:

[Intrepidation]

I feel for you. But hey, at least things can't get any worse, right?

[CMG]

One import I think is very unique, but I'm sure it's VERY expensive...

Mercedes CLS AMG 63. I think that's the name... LOL

The long swoopy Mercedes sedan.

[Lamar]

One import I think is very unique, but I'm sure it's VERY expensive...

Mercedes CLS AMG 63. I think that's the name... LOL

The long swoopy Mercedes sedan.

$94K, and it's a "coupe!"

Audi R8, and I'm going to relish seeing it on the road

Nissan XTerra

Cadillac XLR and XLR-V... I know MB has their luxury roadsters, but there's something about this Caddy that turns heads....

[FAPTurbo]

SSR

[Delta Force79]

I agree with the people who voted for 95-99 Riviera's, hell I own one

my list:

first gen Aurora

I agree with the last gen Cutlass convert as well. The only W-body in it's history to lose it's top, and gain a cool roll bar in it's place.

94-96 Impala SS

Mercury Maurader, a few years too late to compete with the last REAL Impala SS, but a sweet ride (for a Ford)

SSR-it's just f'n cool

Plymouth Prowler, a letdown performance wise, but what a sweet looking ride.

Chrysler Chronos concept car, 10 years later and I still want it to be built as is.

[Drew Dowdell]

Mercury Maurader, a few years too late to compete with the last REAL Impala SS, but a sweet ride (for a Ford)

eh, 10 years after the last Impala SS and the Chevy still pwned it.

in fact, even a same year Accord V6 is faster.

[Delta Force79]

Yeah but it looks a lot meaner than the Accord, even if its only a blacked out paint job.

[siegen]

So are we including SUV's and crossovers now?

Because if so, the Element and Ridgeline definitely quality as unique. And yes the Aztek does as well. I think the Tahoe Hybrid also qualifies as unique in that it's the first full-size SUV to receive a hybrid powertrain.

The Solstice/Sky are only unique in as much as they were the first cars from GM that attracted people who would otherwise never consider a car made by GM. They were unique for GM, but from what I can tell, they didn't do anything differently than the Miata, except offer a turbo. I'm not knocking them, because I would absolutely love to own a Sky Redline.

The S2000. 120hp per liter naturally aspirated (under 2000 EPA rating system), x-frame made it stiffer than most coupes, without the weight penalty of a convertible. Usable trunk.

[aaaantoine]

First car I thought of when I read this thread stood out like a sore thumb.

PLYMOUTH PROWLER!!!!!

Yes.

Also, the GM CSVs, for being minivans that try to look like SUVs.

And the Mazda5, for being the ONLY non-van in the US that has sliding doors. For this I give much credit, and I hope to see more manufacturers take this approach.

[A Horse With No Name]

1st and 2nd gen LH cars.

People laugh at 80's and 90's cars but the Cutlass Ragtop Oldsmoboi mentioned and the LH cars you mentioned are really great cars. The handeling of the LH in particular was just outstanding for a large FWD car.

Loved my Concorde. Every so often I dream about still owning it and wake up and it's gone, just like the Cutlass I dated my wife in 20+ years ago. Would love to have both back.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

...also wish I'd have thought of the Prowler.

Chris