DITPG (down in the parking garage)

"DirtyDodge" (dirtydodgeshouseofmopar) 06/08/2020 at 23:22 • Filed to: None

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Saw this cool Toyota Corona today.

Also I got my Ram back on Saturday, very happy about that.

fintail > DirtyDodge 06/08/2020 at 23:31

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Plates on the Corona are pretty new with that sequence, probably under 6 months old. Compare that size to the DLO fail edition Camry beside it.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 06/09/2020 at 00:24

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I was thinking the same thing about this four door Geo Metro today that somehow looks even smaller than the two door hatch I always see around.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > DirtyDodge 06/09/2020 at 00:26

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Oh wow! Very few of those were cared for enough to survive, since they were seriously uncool for quite a long time. I actually like the way they look, but I can't deny they are anything but sleek. I've never seen an intact example, but I've seen a few in a junkyard.

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/09/2020 at 00:46

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Those 2nd gen trunkback sedans can have odd proportions, maybe making them look smaller than they are. Once a car hits a certain size, a trunk doesn’t look right, and needs to be a hatch.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 06/09/2020 at 01:06

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It looks ok from that angle but once you see how narrow and how small it is, you just wonder. It doesn't make sense as a sedan at all. 

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/09/2020 at 01:14

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The rear quarter angle is funny, and the side similar.

Another one with the same awkward syndrome, the ~2011+ Versa sedan.  

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > DirtyDodge 06/09/2020 at 07:52

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Wow, that Corona is gorgeous! I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in person up here...most rusted away :(

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 06/09/2020 at 09:32

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No, this is not as bad as the Versa at all. It's more of the width that keeps it from looking normal. All the rest of the proportions are just downsized. It doesn't look like someone cobbled it together from whatever they had on them.

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/09/2020 at 12:48

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One thing about the Geo is that, to me anyway, it looks too tall, maybe because it is narrow like you mention.  

The Versa is just awkward, but it is a Nissan of a certain era and all.  Cars of a certain size just can’t be proportioned correctly to wear a trunk, and need to be a hatch for space efficiency anyway.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 06/09/2020 at 12:53

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Yes, I think the Fiesta sedan was particularly unruly. The Geo wears it okayish, but it is just such a narrow and short car in person.

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/09/2020 at 13:00

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Forgot about the Fiesta, gack. I think that style might not have even been offered in Europe - for some reason this less sophisticated market loves its trunks.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 06/09/2020 at 13:03

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Remember how the Versa used to be a hatch? I still see them all over the place so I can’t imagine why it went sedan only.

The Focus also used to have a north America only coupe, which no one bought. We are weird. Was the Elantra coupe the same story?

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/09/2020 at 13:12

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Hatch became the Note, which is maybe a tad smaller but the same idea. I think the sedan was virtually built for rental fleets and maybe cheapskate customers with hatch aversion.

That whole generation of Focus was odd looking (just a reskin I believe) , and only for NA, I think - ROW got a more modern car.  I suspect Elantra coupe (and Forte Koup) were trying to compete with the Civic coupe, which has always had a fanbase.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 06/09/2020 at 13:20

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The Civic coupe has sold like crazy here except for this gem, which is strangely enough my favorite one. It is a good looking well proportioned coupe.

The Altima coupe also sold very well here because Nissan has a strong following here. So did the Accord could, fortunately, since that means more V6 6mt coupes to choose from one day down the line.

Speaking of rentals, this is the nicest Captiva I’ve seen in a long long time. Most looked worse after a week in rental fleets. LTZ trim I think was pretty well optioned.

You can see an SI and a Fiesta sedan too. I can't even see a trunk on that Ford. ROW has always had a more modern Focus too.

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/09/2020 at 13:37

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Oddly enough, I always thought the Forte Koup was decent looking, for what it was. Not my kind of thing though, even as a single person, 2 doors will eventually annoy me.

Civic coupe is still a big deal here, and Accord coupe was too. There was a youngish somewhat professional often female demographic who loved them - maybe now moved on to cloned CUVs.   Altima wasn’t as popular , maybe a regional thing.

A Captiva, I remember that, the rebadged final run Vue.  I recall going to Orlando in 2013 with a friend, we each got our own rental cars.  He had a silver Captiva.  Eventually will be rare.

ROW has more modern offerings in many ways. The lighting differences alone are astounding.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 06/09/2020 at 14:02

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US lighting requirements are baffling and antiquated. I do like the side marker lights though. It still annoys me when people put on their hazards for some reason and then you can’t tell when they are braking.

That silver bar on the Captiva was where my window line was. Just stupid.

Most Accord coupes were driven by secretaries, but secretary’s cars have a history of making it big. Those V6 6MTs are proper sleepers. Altima coupes are mostly driven by young black men that I’ve noticed , since Nissan’s aggressive financing was particularly effective in getting them into new sleek coupes or jelly bean CUVs.

Nissan is really big here and pulls big sales numbers. The Altima, especially the 2.5 S, is on basically every corner. Great cars if the V6 doesn't blow up or the CVT implode.

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/09/2020 at 14:12

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Yeah, the US has been behind the times in lighting for 50 years or more. I am amused when drivers are so unskilled that their braking looks like hazard lights.

That seems to be Nissan’s MO everywhere - easy financing and lots of commercials making the cars look appealing. Honyota are the leaders out here. A relative had an 00s Altima from a time when there was some kind of engine issue (maybe a V6) - it shit the bed at a relatively young age, and that was it. They look better now anyway.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 06/09/2020 at 14:17

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Nissan was very appealing and futuristic in the aughts, but their lineup didn’t keep up after that. The 37 0Z is still living in that early Gohn heyday. The long term cost cutting problems didn’t turn up until after the money had been made. I understand their appeal.

When the CHMSL is out and the hazards are on, you can't tell if someone is braking. Happens far too often. I've narrowly avoided some accidents from that 

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/09/2020 at 14:25

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I remember Nissan was a big deal in the late 80s/early 90s. The Sentra was very popular with young buyers, the Maxima was seen as a premium offering, the Pathfinder was a real SUV and not a glorified minivan, the hardbody trucks were rugged and cool especially in 4x4 trim, the bubble era Z was like something from the future, and the first Altima was seen as a slightly premium product, too.  There was also the JDM style NX for a short time, for fun.  Sometime later, the cost cutting set in, fleet sales went crazy, and I think even non-car people fear the CVT now, too.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 06/09/2020 at 15:06

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You would hope. They've really lost their way, but people still buy them in droves. 

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 06/09/2020 at 15:08

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Easy financing and a “new” car can forgive a lot of sins.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 06/09/2020 at 15:10

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Indeed. It got people in Versas.

oldmxer > DirtyDodge 06/10/2020 at 03:07

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my first wife brought a Corona like this with her to the deal, it was worse than the present corona, that engine was not one of their best efforts