Gotta rant

"TheHondaBro" (wwaveform) 10/14/2015 at 11:28 • Filed to: rant

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Why do we complain when a car maker doesn’t put out a performance car? Why do we spit on said car makers? Why do we have to label them with derogatory words like “beige?” Let me tell you something, you and I are not in the best interest of the car companies. They build cars to please the majority of buyers, and frankly, they couldn’t care less which wheels are being driven. What they want is a safe, practical crossover with a fuel-efficient CVT. Just because it wasn’t built to cruise the Vegas strip or carve the Nurburgring doesn’t mean it’s a lesser product that you all must shame.

The majority car buyers matter.

We don’t matter.

I’m Batman.

/rant

spanfucker retire bitch > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 11:36

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Why do we complain when a car maker doesn’t put out a performance car? Why do we spit on said car makers?

Because people get hilariously angry that they don’t make a vehicle they can’t/won’t buy when new so that they can pick it up 10 years later as a used vehicle so that the original manufacturer never sees a dime or a percentage point of interest. And then wonder why companies stop making said performance car.

they could care less

*couldn’t

Sam > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 11:37

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+1

It’s funniest when people say things like “looks like VW is trying to be Toyota”. OF COURSE THEY’RE WANT TO BE TOYOTA, TOYOTA MAKES A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF MONEY.

EL_ULY > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 11:37

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Lol I tried fighting that battle on the FP and on OPPO way too many times. All I gotta say now is that if they won’t hoon the “beige” cars, then I WILL!!!!!!

TheHondaBro > spanfucker retire bitch 10/14/2015 at 11:38

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Error corrected.

TheHondaBro > EL_ULY 10/14/2015 at 11:39

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You said that on the FP and lived to tell the tale...

You sir, have earned my respect.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 11:41

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“BU-BU-BU-BUT THEY NEED TO MAKE THE CAR I WANT SO I CAN BUY IT USED BECAUSE I WILL NEVER BUY A NEW CAR”

-The Internet.

And I’ve been saying thatfor years. Of course Nissan killed the IDx and Chevrolet backed out of the 130r. Everyone bitched about the toyobaru not coming out fast enough and then not enough bought it. Meanwhile, everyone makes hot hatchbacks because your break even point is low.

Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 11:45

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Capitalism 101. Customers only matter so much as to increase shareholder profit. Corporations exist to make money, full stop.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 11:47

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as long as there is something fun still out there...I’m content

TheHondaBro > Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed 10/14/2015 at 11:47

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Oh man, I could write paragraphs ranting about corporations.

TractorPillow > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 11:51

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Love ya but this has been said over and over and over.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 11:52

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You're absolutely right. As an enthusiast, I like to see the fun cars, and dream about what could be. But I'm also a realist who needs a fuel efficient vehicle that will be reliable and cheap to own. While I'd love to have that (insert fun car here), I'm also cheap. That's why I drive a Civic.

Azrek > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 11:54

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Performance cars will always sell less than the regular production lines of cars. I get asked all the time at work why I have a 400hps car in Maryland traffic. The car is more to me than a tool, but I (we) are the minority in the car world. It is why the manual transmission is dying (despite Europe still handing out manual transmission rental cars much to my amusement but dismay of coworkers as none of them can drive it) and there isn’t enough of a cry to save it.

But I look at it at like my tastes are very specific, much like the beer snobs and foodies. I am a Car guy...I am what those folks in their “Urban Assault Vehicles” driving kids to soccer or lumbering with 3 car seats want to be driving.

So I guess that makes me an asshole in a field of the world...and I am good with it. /prost

TheHondaBro > TractorPillow 10/14/2015 at 11:54

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It unfortunately has to be said over and over.

TheHondaBro > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 10/14/2015 at 11:55

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I noticed something very interesting regarding your first point. For years I dreamed of owning a GoPro. I was imagining what I could/would do with one and it was amazing. Then I got a GoPro and the magic instantly wore off.

I feel like the yearning is more rewarding than the possession. It’s better to dream of something than to actually own said something.

Party-vi > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 11:59

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Toyota used to sell cool cars. Now they sell perfectly fine and boring motor vehicles. Honda is doing the same. They gave up. They threw in the towel and took all their cool cars home with them. They are unforgivable, and have been labeled as “beige” to warn others. Every car maker wants the consumer to believe their vehicles are fun to drive and are sporty, but few really are. It pisses me off when I see a commercial for the Camry calling it “sporty” when you know damn well the only sporty car Toyota sells is a damned Scion.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 12:00

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Yup. I can’t tell you how much money over the years I’ve wasted on “stuff” only to never use it. I have probably 4-5 xbone games I've never even opened. I wanted to play them and then once I buy them I don't even turn on the machine.

fhrblig > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 12:00

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Can’t argue with that. The only thing that really bothers me is when a carmaker puts all its effort to being the biggest carmaker in the world, instead of trying to be the BEST carmaker in the world. Look at what happens to companies that have tried: Toyota’s quality plummeted, GM went bankrupt, VW cheated... Make the best quality car you can and you’ll probably be sitting pretty.

TheHondaBro > Party-vi 10/14/2015 at 12:05

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To be fair, the biggest reason Japanese makes backed out if the performance car market was because of the Japanese financial crisis in the early 2000s. Even with the recent earthquake, they’re still a little shaky about what to spend money on.

Tom McParland > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 12:17

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Word...the best we can hope for is that a really successful company makes a crap ton of money off their regular cars so they can throw us a bone every once and awhile. In that respect I think Ford is doing a great job. They have plenty of regular cars that sell well, F150, Explorer, Fusion etc, but to keep the hardcore fans excited they will give us stuff like the Focus RS, Mustang 350R, and GT. They understand the balance very well.

Baeromez > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 12:20

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You’re overlooking that the majority of car buyers are wrong. They are as uninformed about their vehicle purchase as I am about buying a washing machine.

Which is, of course, they way of the world. I have no intentions of trying to educate the average crossover buyer on the advantages of not having to sit a foot higher off the road.

HammerheadFistpunch > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 12:21

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Agreed. Counterpoint - Without a passion and a drive to make cars that are exciting...not necessarily fast...tends to move the needle the wrong way. When gm was after the fat part of the curve, it got lazy and suffered, When Toyota did the same, the same happened...people get tired of a company that has clearly lost interest in their own product or sees them as a commodity. GM is making it work again by showing us that they care (Cadillac) and Toyoda is working hard to bring life and excitment back to the Toyota brand and its starting to work. You can’t just build transportation boxes, you have to believe in your product and in the idea of cars as a way of life, or a life enhancer.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 12:22

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I’m Batman.

BloodlessWeevil > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 12:26

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Counter-rant incoming!

Today’s cars are universally stiff and sporty. What is the number one selling point for any car from economy to luxury? Power, handling, or some other performance metric. Guys, you won. You got your wish. The most beige of boxes have stiffer suspension and chassis than the last generation Miata, more power and grip too. Features that allow you to stop faster and corner harder are not just required on new cars, they are considered safety features. What are you all whining about? If you cannot have fun with even common cars today, the problem is the man not the metal.

TheHondaBro > BloodlessWeevil 10/14/2015 at 12:28

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Great point.

shop-teacher > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 12:29

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But I’m more important than they are!

(At least I do actually buy new cars occasionally)

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/14/2015 at 12:31

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You got a problem with hatches?

TheHondaBro > shop-teacher 10/14/2015 at 12:35

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Occasionally.

shop-teacher > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 12:40

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I’d do it more often if I didn’t have kids. They’re REALLY expensive!

DoYouEvenShift > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 12:44

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Because they have every capability and resource to do so thats why...That is unless the board of directors all decide they each need a summer home in the Hamptons. Then that usually means budget cuts, discounts on Camrys and higher than usual quartertly bonuses. And in those cases, we understand right?

wiffleballtony > TheHondaBro 10/14/2015 at 13:41

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We matter because ultimately we are the car buyer that people envision themselves as in the showroom. Everyone likes to think their car is sporty in some way even if it is an appliance.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 10/14/2015 at 13:48

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Not at all. I bought one. I’m a FiST owner. Brand new, ordered it myself. But there’s a reason why Ford has both the FiST and FoST but won’t make a baby mustang - when all you need is some enigne and suspension tweaks to make a good performance vehicle out of a car you sell 250,000+ of annually, it’s a much easier business case than making a bespoke sports car that will sell maybe 25k a year. Even if Ford only sells 20k Fiesta STs, the ST package made profits and was a fun car while 25k sales of the toyobaru is probably not enough to recoup the cost of development and tooling.

Chariotoflove > HammerheadFistpunch 10/14/2015 at 14:02

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It’s interesting that Toyota is trying to enhance the sporty image of its mainstream cars like the Camry with a concerted advertising push. They clearly believe that people want to think their practical transportation has the heart of a sports car beating underneath that beige hood, and their car maker has a passion for performance. Meanwhile, the original zoom-zoom company, Mazda, has always had that passion and needed to add the perception of reliability, practicality, and value to their image. Everybody’s looking for that sweet spot in the market.

Chariotoflove > Tom McParland 10/14/2015 at 14:07

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This, exactly. The only thing I would add is to emphasize the point I think Hondabro is making: those “regular” cars are actually pretty good too. We should appreciate them for what they are, not knock them for not being what we idealize.

HammerheadFistpunch > Chariotoflove 10/14/2015 at 14:09

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I think its less a “sweet spot” in terms of marketing. I think its more about maintaining a brand perception. You can only rest on your laurels so long before the brand promoters loose interest and then whatever else you do with your product becomes less appealing. Mazda is still in the game in spite of their reliability due to its passion and commitment to building interesting cars. Toyota lost a lot of brand promoters when it stopped building interesting cars but kept a different kid of promoter because it kept building good cars. When you can’t do either you end up with a Pontiac or Mitsubishi.

Tom McParland > Chariotoflove 10/14/2015 at 14:15

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Totally agree...and most of what I do everyday with my clients involve “regular” cars like Accords, Highlanders, minivans etc...there are lots of great cars out there it’s just a matter of figuring out the best one for a specific buyer’s circumstances.

Chariotoflove > HammerheadFistpunch 10/14/2015 at 14:38

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Yes, but that’s what I mean by sweet spot. You need people to believe that your cars are both interesting to drive and reliable, etc. That’s why Toyota wanted the FRS and kept saying “sports cars are in our DNA”, because as you say, they sat around so long that people forgot that and needed reminding.

Chariotoflove > Tom McParland 10/14/2015 at 14:42

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That’s why I’m glad that carmakers still make sporty versions of their mainstream cars, even though they don’t bring in much for sales. The Honda Accord coupe, for example, is a car I’m glad is still there because maybe you need an Accord for your life but want something with a little oomph for the weekend.