Pick your favorite iconic car from any decade....

[FilterFunk]

It’s forgotten what poopy cars Chrysler had in the 80s, it’s the modern dark ages.
Imagine in 1992 with the Viper sitting in the lot next to the poopy K cars. I never got to experience that because I’m born in 92 but I can imagine it was wild.

Oh...those K cars were an embarrassment...

And so many Americans were angry with Japanese car makers for taking over the US market, like it was some kind of conspiracy. There was no conspiracy; they simply made better cars! Americans switched to Japanese cars during that time because the cars were higher quality.

 

[Jeff Scott]

...5 cylinder 2.5 TFSI engine from Audi

A friend of mine has an older S6 (?) with that engine in it.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Oh...those K cars were an embarrassment...

And so many Americans were angry with Japanese car makers for taking over the US market, like it was some kind of conspiracy. There was no conspiracy; they simply made better cars! Americans switched to Japanese cars during that time because the cars were higher quality.

This, x 14,037. Currently driving an 18 year old Honda after a series of American cars that never lasted half that long before falling completely apart. Son currently driving a 27 year old Honda Civic than was a hand me down from dad. It’s no longer pretty, but he still gets to work every day.

My family went though so many American junkers in the 80s and 90s I lost count. All absolute rubbish. My Mom, now 84, bought so many of these rolling hunks of abject poopie it’s not even funny. For the last 12+ years, she has owned a single Toyota. The damn thing just runs. She is not planning to ever own another car, and that’s a reasonable expectation.

I have no doubt that American cars are much better now. To be fair, they could hardly not be better than the Chrysler K car/Ford Fairmont garbage that was being pumped out in the 80’s. But they lost me then and I’m not going back. When my CRV finally gives up the ghost, my next and hopefully last car will be a Honda. Unless the one I have now outlasts me, which seems a distinct possibility.

 

[Mike N]

This, x 14,037. Currently driving an 18 year old Honda after a series of American cars that never lasted half that long before falling completely apart. Son currently driving a 27 year old Honda Civic than was a hand me down from dad. It’s no longer pretty, but he still gets to work every day.

My family went though so many American junkers in the 80s and 90s I lost count. All absolute rubbish. My Mom, now 84, bought so many of these junkers it’s not even funny. For the last 12+ years, she has owned a single Toyota. The damn thing just runs. She is not planning to ever own another car, and that’s a reasonable expectation.

I have no doubt that American cars are much better now. To be fair, they could hardly not be better than the Chrysler K car/Ford Fairmont garbage that was being pumped out in the 80’s. But they lost me then and I’m not going back. When my CRV finally gives up the ghost, my next and hopefully last car will be a Honda. Unless the one I have no outlasts me, which seems a distinct possibility.

Having been a professional auto mechanic for nearly 40 years, there's a reason my daily driver is a Subaru........ the domestic vehicles don't hold up as well as the Asian ones do.

But I'm a hard pass on the Euro cars...... Audi, VW, Mercedes Benz, BMW etc....... no thanks.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I've been driving Hondas now since 1976. Enough said.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Having been a professional auto mechanic for nearly 40 years, there's a reason my daily driver is a Subaru........ the domestic vehicles don't hold up as well as the Asian ones do.

But I'm a hard pass on the Euro cars...... Audi, VW, Mercedes Benz, BMW etc....... no thanks.

I hear you on that. When they run, they are a thing of beauty. I had a VW GTI that my mechanic said of “boy, she runs like a scalded dog”. And he was right. But the thing is, he said that every time he had to do a repair that stopped it in its tracks, which was way too often. With a Honda/[insert favorite Japanese import], you do the usual stuff: tires, batteries, brakes, etc. maybe a muffler when the time comes…. And for the rest, you just get where you’re going. Sure, you may not be styling or winning any 0-60 drag races, but you get to the gig on time without stress.

That GTI could flat out rip, and cornered like it was on magnetic rails…When it was running. But every morning when I turned the key, there was a little subliminal prayer that this wouldn’t be the day when it decided it needed a little more expensive love…..again.

 

[FilterFunk]

When my CRV finally gives up the ghost, my next and hopefully last car will be a Honda. Unless the one I have now outlasts me, which seems a distinct possibility.

My CR-V turns 20 next month!

 

[Stempelloos]

A friend of mine has an older S6 (?) with that engine in it.

I don't know all the types and engines used. The name Donkervoort is familiair and I remember seeing the cars now and then. That probably had something to do with the fact that the vehicles were produced near where I grew up.

 

[tpa]

Saab 96 - Wikipedia

 

[ViperTim]

Having been a professional auto mechanic for nearly 40 years, there's a reason my daily driver is a Subaru........ the domestic vehicles don't hold up as well as the Asian ones do.

But I'm a hard pass on the Euro cars...... Audi, VW, Mercedes Benz, BMW etc....... no thanks.

I call the German cars for a “fake perception of reliability”. It’s junk.
Volvo nowadays seem to be junk as well.
Asian is the way to go, I love American cars but my daily is and will forever be Lexus.

 

[tubedude]

I just want this but in British Racing Green. Jensen CV-8, factory Mopar 383!

 

[Jeff Scott]

 

[Eli_Kyiv]

Toyota's first car after WW2 - 1947 Toyopet Model SA.
Toyota's early models featured a 4-cylinder engine (instead of 6 cylinders), independent wheel suspension and an aerodynamic-shaped pontoon engine in the style of Volkswagen Beetle.
Only a two-door sedan was produced with the doors opening against traffic,
The windscreen was flat, one section, the only glass wiper in the centre was placed above.
The left-wheeled version has not been released.
"Toyota" specialists visited Germany several times before World War II and studied the peculiarities of Porsche and Volkswagen's construction - all four wheel stand, aerodynamic shaft, "comfortable" chassis, air-cooled rear engine, cost-effective production.
Most Japanese Car makers cooperated with American and British concerns in the post-war years, practically excluding the use of German technologies, "Toyota" was free of these responsibilities, which played an important role in its growth and development.
Invalid Link Removed

 

[Mike N]

I call the German cars for a “fake perception of reliability”. It’s junk.
Volvo nowadays seem to be junk as well.
Asian is the way to go, I love American cars but my daily is and will forever be Lexus.

The 79 Blazer in my avatar was my daily driver for almost 10 years, until gas went up to $4 a gallon.

 

[Pilgrim]

My opinion, served with a hearty "Harrumph!"

Most of the cars in this thread after the first page or two fall well short of iconic. They may be unusual, desirable, quirky, or many other things...but not iconic. Iconic vehicles represent something more than the vehicle itself, they embody looks, performance or concepts that are greater them the single vehicle.

There are very few iconic vehicles. The Mercedes 300SL Gullwing is one; the original Mustang is one; the Jaguar E-type is one; the 1964 Pontiac GTO is one; the VW Beetle is one; the VW Microbus is one. Early Buggatis would qualify, so would the classic English cab. The Cord might be one. Ferrari has made a few like the 1956 250 GT Berlinetta or Dino 246. A 1945 Army Jeep is definitely iconic.

The 1963 Corvette split window? Yes. It represents every Corvette ever made.

Maybe the 1967 Ford Mustang or 1968 Charger from Bullitt or the Fast and Furious movies would qualify. 1st series Chevy Blazer or Ford Bronco? Maybe...1950s Dodge Power Wagon? Maybe. Edsel? Maybe an icon of failure.

Discuss........

 

[tubedude]

My opinion, served with a hearty "Harrumph!"

Most of the cars in this thread after the first page or two fall well short of iconic. They may be unusual, desirable, quirky, or many other things...but not iconic. Iconic vehicles represent something more than the vehicle itself, they embody looks, performance or concepts that are greater them the single vehicle.

There are very few iconic vehicles. The Mercedes 300SL Gullwing is one; the original Mustang is one; the Jaguar E-type is one; the 1964 Pontiac GTO is one; the VW Beetle is one; the VW Microbus is one. Early Buggatis would qualify, so would the classic English cab. The Cord might be one. Ferrari has made a few like the 1956 250 GT Berlinetta or Dino 246. A 1945 Army Jeep is definitely iconic.

The 1963 Corvette split window? Yes. It represents every Corvette ever made.

Maybe the 1967 Ford Mustang or 1968 Charger from Bullitt or the Fast and Furious movies would qualify. 1st series Chevy Blazer or Ford Bronco? Maybe...1950s Dodge Power Wagon? Maybe. Edsel? Maybe an icon of failure.

Discuss........

Like O.J.'s Bronco?

 

[Jeff Scott]

There is some iconic/classic car relevance in this.

 

[Pilgrim]

Like O.J.'s Bronco?

That's iconic, but not for the vehicle.

 

[tzohn]

Sbarro Challenge

 

[FilterFunk]

My opinion, served with a hearty "Harrumph!"

Most of the cars in this thread after the first page or two fall well short of iconic. They may be unusual, desirable, quirky, or many other things...but not iconic. Iconic vehicles represent something more than the vehicle itself, they embody looks, performance or concepts that are greater them the single vehicle.

There are very few iconic vehicles. The Mercedes 300SL Gullwing is one; the original Mustang is one; the Jaguar E-type is one; the 1964 Pontiac GTO is one; the VW Beetle is one; the VW Microbus is one. Early Buggatis would qualify, so would the classic English cab. The Cord might be one. Ferrari has made a few like the 1956 250 GT Berlinetta or Dino 246. A 1945 Army Jeep is definitely iconic.

The 1963 Corvette split window? Yes. It represents every Corvette ever made.

Maybe the 1967 Ford Mustang or 1968 Charger from Bullitt or the Fast and Furious movies would qualify. 1st series Chevy Blazer or Ford Bronco? Maybe...1950s Dodge Power Wagon? Maybe. Edsel? Maybe an icon of failure.

Discuss........

I figured this thread would morph into "Cars we like" instead of strictly adhering to iconic cars. I can't speak for the OP, but I'm okay with it, because a lot of very cool, if not iconic, cars have been posted in this thread, and many of them are cars I hadn't seen before.