Which cars will still be acceptable in 10 years?

"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon) 12/18/2013 at 10:50 • Filed to: None

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I'm giving back my loaner 2013 Escape SE today. My CRV is repaired. I am not overjoyed. I'd take the Ford over the Honda 99 times out of 100 (the lone one time being reserved for the time I will need to transport 500 pounds of squirrel feces to the compost facility). It's officially a good car, and the best CUV I've driven (disclaimer, I have not driven all of them).

However, I have to wonder if the Ford will still be acceptable in 10 years? The exterior design is fiddly, like most cars these days. The tail lights remind me of a Pokemon. The interior is made from Good Stuff, but the overall look feels like it'll be dated and sad in a decade. I look at Audi and VW interiors from 10 years ago and they still look fresh. Even Volvo and Mazda maintain a bit of style.

Look at cars from the mid to late 90s. Especially GM. That's how I feel many from the 2010-present era will look to eyes a decade into the future. Instead of bars of soap, they're creased, folded origami experiments gone awry, with interiors of mismatched angles, surfaces, and materials, not to mention bricked electronics and barely functional convenience features.

So if you were going to buy a car that isn't A) going to disintegrate and B) look pathetically dated after 10 years of ownership, which ones would be on the list?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Chairman Kaga 12/18/2013 at 10:56

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One of the best approaches would be to buy something which has been updated basically never, and that would suggest, say, a Defender, a Mahindra, or something else trucky *if* they were legal to import. Which they're not. Dated, but impossible to say by how much - the equivalent of slightly stale but not decayed.

The next best thing is something that's updated very infrequently, and that pushes toward euro car interiors - in a lot of cases things like Benzes.

offroadkarter > Chairman Kaga 12/18/2013 at 10:58

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2011+ S197 mustangs will still be very acceptable in 10 years

SpeedSix > Chairman Kaga 12/18/2013 at 10:59

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Timeless

(Obvious Answer)

McMike > Chairman Kaga 12/18/2013 at 10:59

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Believe it or not. Corolla ( or anything that isn't outside of the box) will be acceptable.

They are bland, boring, non-flashy appliances.

Just like that dude from highschool that never wore anything outside of the Lands end/LLBean catalog. He never went out of style.

Chairman Kaga > Chairman Kaga 12/18/2013 at 11:05

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Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > Chairman Kaga 12/18/2013 at 11:07

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I think the new Mazda 3 and 6 will hold up pretty well over the next decade. Mazda got rid of the stupid grin on the 3, and the 6 just looks dead sexy.

Jagvar > Chairman Kaga 12/18/2013 at 11:09

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The Lotus Esprit is my go-to example of a timeless design. This beauty is an '88. It's nearly 26 years old, and still looks modern to me.

duurtlang > Chairman Kaga 12/18/2013 at 11:10

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A conservative design will hold up longest. Mind you that conservative and plain bland are not the same thing.

I'm only familiar with the European Fords, but in my experience they don't age well visually. They're very modern looking when brand new, and incredibly dated soon after.

quarterlifecrisis > duurtlang 12/18/2013 at 11:15

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Prime example of that being the Mondeo...or Contour/Mystique for us over in 'Merica. When they were released in 94/95 they were pretty cutting edge as far as design goes. Now, they're blobs.

duurtlang > quarterlifecrisis 12/18/2013 at 11:20

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Exactly. Or compare the first Focus with its contemporary, the mk4 VW Golf/Jetta. The Focus looked much more modern then, but look at them now, inside and out.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > offroadkarter 12/18/2013 at 11:22

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I don't think any retro pony car will be any acceptable once it leaves the production line.

offroadkarter > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 12/18/2013 at 11:58

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I dont know who is going to argue with a 400+hp 6spd manual mustang for like 8 grand in 10 years

maybe an idiot

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > offroadkarter 12/18/2013 at 12:18

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The article is clearly talking about looks and looks only.

offroadkarter > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 12/18/2013 at 12:24

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appearance opinions is in the eye of the beholder, and many people like how the 10-14 cars look

I don't know why the whole "retro" thing is hated so much around here, the current 13-14's look fantastic

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > offroadkarter 12/18/2013 at 12:43

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All of the S197 platform will be pleasing. They didn't go nuts. Clean lines with a touch of new mixed with classic.

2005-2007 saw large sales numbers with a pronounced drop off in '08 which the Mustang still hasn't recovered fully from. Part of this has to do with a growing competitor market which was non-existent in '05 (I'm sorry, but the GTO just wasn't marketed well AT ALL IMO and let's not get started on the Crossfire) along with the housing market dump and economic woes that came which have people taking a longer, harder look at their purchases on the whole. I know I'm much more frugal than I was 5 years ago.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Jagvar 12/18/2013 at 12:44

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The older these get, the more I like them.

offroadkarter > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 12/18/2013 at 12:46

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I don't think the GTO was really a direct competitor, I know it was the only thing GM had even close at the time, but the 04-06 GTO is more of a cruiser due to its size/weight.

But yeah it wasn't marketed well at all.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > McMike 12/18/2013 at 12:46

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Still in style:

Nope......

McMike > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 12/18/2013 at 12:54

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Carlton = Corolla

Will = Tiberon.

Chairman Kaga > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 12/18/2013 at 12:58

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Yeah, I think the Mazda6 is going to be THE midsize sedan of the decade, inside and out. The interior is MILDLY chintzy, but I bet it gets a refresh next year.

The Kia Optima is a great looking car too. Thanks, Audi!

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > offroadkarter 12/18/2013 at 13:21

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I prefer the treatment that the vehicle got in Holden Monaro form, even there I think the front end is lacking in being standout from the rest of the line up it was offered alongside. I like the side profile and who doesn't like a big pushrod V8 that actually has grunt? If it were a bit more distinctive I would have actually considered purchasing one. I'm not talking big gaping vents or anything, just a little touch to set it apart....

nope > Chairman Kaga 12/18/2013 at 17:40

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The BP/BL Subaru Legacy GT

and

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Chairman Kaga 12/19/2013 at 09:19

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Here's the two that immediately come to mind when I think "timeless design":