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| #3 |
10-20-2020 @ 11:45:35 PM |
Posted By : DiRF  |
Reply | Edit | Del |
#2, I think they succeeded so well because discerning, bubble-era Japanese businessmen and families had the optimism and disposable income to purchase fancy coupes, luxurious sedans, tightly-engineered performance cars and well-appointed off-roaders... and those cars translated very well to Western markets, well, at least, to Western buyers who weren't biased against Japanese cars.
Post-bubble, with most Japanese consumers transitioning to toaster vans and kei-cars, those types of vehicles really didn't relate very well to Western market trends. Albeit, I absolutely adore toaster vans and kei-cars. But I'm not a typical Western car fanatic... not by a long damn shot.
So, because they now had to split their budgets developing cars that their domestic customers wanted, completely different from what would be competitive in the Western mainstream, they lost their edge. I mean, they still produce some damn fine cars, there's just no "spark" to set them apart, anymore.
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| #4 |
10-20-2020 @ 11:48:09 PM |
| Posted By : ricerocketboy |
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Agreed. I was actually just thinking about that, and I have trouble articulating what I mean, but I think you summed it up quite well. I think that's part of the reason I would much rather have a Mark III Supra over a BMW Supra. No doubt the BMWPra is a good driving car, it just, it doesn't have the soul that the Mark III does. I know the IV is the most coveted, but the Mark III is my favorite by a long shot and always has been.
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| #6 |
10-20-2020 @ 11:57:16 PM |
| Posted By : ricerocketboy |
Reply | Edit | Del |
Yep, I think so, too. The customers for both are/were very different. Most of the people I see with 124s here (or any Fiat here for that matter) are all about the WOI lifestyle, and are usually car enthusiasts with more than one fun car. In the case of the 500, its mostly single women, GLBTQIA+ couples, or people who want a fun little car. Unfortunately, rust is getting to them here, and they're slowly disappearing.
The 500L are not a common sight here, either, and neither are the X. I actually like the X quite a bit, but the FCA reliability has turned me off of getting one.
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| #8 |
10-21-2020 @ 12:03:19 AM |
| Posted By : ricerocketboy |
Reply | Edit | Del |
I always wondered that, too, but I guess they wanted a reason to build the Jeep Renegade, which I do like. Again, the FCA reliability scares me, and the prices are still too high (imo). I think the Panda would've been a great choice, as well as making the 500e more accessible. Same thing for smart, too, but we know how that played out.
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| #10 |
10-21-2020 @ 12:08:29 AM |
| Posted By : ricerocketboy |
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#9, It seems like smart itself has folded? I really don't know. The new-gen fortwos are pretty rare here. I haven't seen one for awhile, granted, I haven't been out of the house much really.
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| #13 |
10-21-2020 @ 12:35:05 AM |
| Posted By : ricerocketboy |
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#11, Oh, yeah I forgot about that. We had a program called Car2Go here that had a fuckload of smarts, but when they disappeared, so did the hordes of smarts, at least here.
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| #15 |
10-21-2020 @ 12:39:22 AM |
| Posted By : ricerocketboy |
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#14, I think that's part of the reason why I like 80s Hondas so much. The fliplight Accords and the Preludes particularly are awesome.
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| #17 |
10-21-2020 @ 12:47:40 AM |
| Posted By : ricerocketboy |
Reply | Edit | Del |
#16, Agreed. Same goes to Acura, too, but, I mean, it's Honda so.. But then there's the SLX and Passport. But we won't talk about those :P
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| #19 |
10-21-2020 @ 12:56:09 AM |
| Posted By : ricerocketboy |
Reply | Edit | Del |
#18, HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I mean, I am the resident Isuzu fanboy lmao but yeah.
I actually like the Passport and SLX but in their original form.
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