What is the Most Overrated Car Of All Time?

[Rotary Junkie]

RWD can put power down better than AWD, at least on the drag strip. Why? When the front tires come off the ground, all weight is on the rears. While traction doesn't increase perfectly 1:1, there's a reason aside from weight why RWD is king of the drag strip.

And er, weight is enough of a limiting factor to mostly keep everything actually used for (road) racing RWD.

RE my name Vs my views: It's called being broke to be honest. V8s are cheap as chips to build power with here, any import, no matter what it is will be expensive as to build comparable power with. And then you have rotaries... Strike one, they're only in imports. Strike two, they share nothing in terms of design with a normal reciprocal.

Given the money, I'd have my hands dirty in that in a heartbeat, but that money is not exactly being dropped out of the sky.

 

[J-PaP]

Definitely the Veyron is the most overated "hyper" car.

1. It is overweight.

2. It is beaten by much simpler cars around nurbugring and top gear track

Yes it manages to be extremely quick without sacrificing anything and thus an engineering marvel. But it is not the ultimate car as many think. The car infact is boring. Just watch it around the top gear track and compare it to the zonda. The veyron must be the only thing in the world bar a 747 that can probably have you fall asleep at the wheel going over 300km/h.

 

[PAPAOSA]

Definitely the Veyron is the most overated "hyper" car.

1. It is overweight.

2. It is beaten by much simpler cars around nurbugring and top gear track

Yes it manages to be extremely quick without sacrificing anything and thus an engineering marvel. But it is not the ultimate car as many think. The car infact is boring. Just watch it around the top gear track and compare it to the zonda. The veyron must be the only thing in the world bar a 747 that can probably have you fall asleep at the wheel going over 300km/h.

Isn't the fact that you could sleep at over 300 km/h a testament to the Veyron's awesome characteristics. Despite all the technical wizardry what separates the Veyron from all supercars is the unmatched design and resulting performance while retaining all that weight in the comforts. The Zonda and all the other plastic cornering machines are built for one purpose, and that doesn't include comfort.

Love this thread, love the Veyron, interested in everyones opinion, great stuff.

 

[Ghost_drift]

RWD can put power down better than AWD, at least on the drag strip. Why? When the front tires come off the ground, all weight is on the rears. While traction doesn't increase perfectly 1:1, there's a reason aside from weight why RWD is king of the drag strip.

And er, weight is enough of a limiting factor to mostly keep everything actually used for (road) racing RWD.

King of the drag strip eh. But then again the R34 can do it all. quick in a straight line, and quick in the corners. not to mention is a nice family car with plenty of room for the kids in the back and enough room for your shopping in the boot. Drag racing is hardly a way to compare cars now is it. WOW it can go fast in a straight line. shame about when you want to drive it home round the corner though.

And just incase you didnt know the R34 is in all intesive perposes a RWD car. it only puts power to the front wheels when the rears start to loose traction.
Thats why you could just remove a fuse from the R33 and R32 models to make them a full time RWD.

So far the only reasons you have given to the fact of the R34 being over rated is the fact that it has an easy to tune engine, meaning it is a GOOD ENGINE and produces 127 bhp per ltr. And the fact that a RWD cars are normaly faster on the drag strip. And again I say, it deserves every hype it gets, due to it history and racing breed. and the fact I could actualy justifie owning one to the miss's. A race car on the track and a comfortable saloon car on the street.

 

[Ghost_drift]

Isn't the fact that you could sleep at over 300 km/h a testament to the Veyron's awesome characteristics. Despite all the technical wizardry what separates the Veyron from all supercars is the unmatched design and resulting performance while retaining all that weight in the comforts. The Zonda and all the other plastic cornering machines are built for one purpose, and that doesn't include comfort.

Love this thread, love the Veyron, interested in everyones opinion, great stuff.

Every thing about the Veyron is Lovly apart from the look of it from the front.

Veyron

Blow fish

But yeah you cant compare the Veyron to the zonda on a track, the Zonda is made for cornering fast, the Veyron is made for all sorts of driving.

 

[PAPAOSA]

Oh, what about every series of the Subaru WRX. You can throw all the stats and WRC wins at me, definately impressive, but it still looks like something my missus should drive to the hairdresser. Any man with a decent set of cahunas, and over 19 yrs old, should not be seen in one. I'll take anything that is slower, but has more muscle, anyday.

 

[J-PaP]

Like i said it is an engineering marvel. The car though I feel is overdone probably because of how it tried to achieve what it did.

I disagree about it being the Ultimate car as you hear time and time again. Maybe the people that say it think that the best car in the world should be that which is able to make you feel like you are doing 60km/h when doing 300. I for one don't. I love to feel when my tyres start to give way on the limit and being pushed in all different directions as the car moves. I love having to push the clutch pedal to change gears. I love hearing the engine roar and gearbox whine and all the sounds a car makes. Countless times I drive with no music just to hear the car.

That is what I hold value though. I am a person who chooses a car for that "one purpose" as you call it and why I would go buy an elise over an evo even though it is clear which of the two is faster.

 

[Paulie]

Would I get killed if I said the Toyota Corolla? I love how people keep saying that they run forever, you can't kill them, nothing goes wrong with them etc etc (at least that's what the guys at work try telling me), yet they're still getting problems with them........

Edit: Oh quick, I forgot to mention, I'm not saying that they're bad cars, not at all. They probably are more reliable than most cars out there, but to think you can buy a car that will never have problems is a little silly.

 

[PAPAOSA]

Rate your love of a car with feel. Couldn't agree more. Nothing could be more personal than a choice in ultimate car. Lookin forward to Bana and his beast. Is a 1974 Ford Falcon Coupe the ultimate car? Obviously it is to the Chop (Aussie reference).

 

[PAPAOSA]

WTF. ROLTFLMFAO!! What is with the polished shoes and gold watch holding a damn

>>Blow fish...

Classic...and yes it does look like the Veyron...unfortunately

Sorry bout the double post, but just had to comment on the fish, what a mouth.

 

[Jay]

Would I get killed if I said the Toyota Corolla?

No actually thats one of the more sensible suggestions in this thread.

 

[Ghost_drift]

I am actualy realy strugeling to think of a car that is truley overrated. of course there are lots of high performance cars that I dont like. But not liking is no reason for them to be classed as over rated. Its all about personel preference. After a recent trip to the stated on holiday I saw a few people all admiring a ZO6. now to me a car that has leaf springs and is made of stupid flimsy plastic parts, and the build quality of it, where I could probably park a London bus in its panel gaps is nothing to be admired. But other people love it. It is the problem to think of a car that every one will agree is over rated.

So I give in lol.

 

[PAPAOSA]

No actually thats one of the more sensible suggestions in this thread.

Agreed...and anything that wears a Peugeot badge after about 1990 rides the wave of WRC success in previous years and doesn't deserve the credibility that was born from the total domination that was achieved 'in rallying' by this company in the 80's

 

[homeforsummer]

the R34 is in all intesive perposes a RWD car.

Grammar Police hint: "to all intents and purposes".

Anyway, I used to think the R34 was overhyped (not really overrated though for the same reasons I mentioned earlier), but that was until the R35 came out. Very definitely not an overrated car, but overhyped to silly levels. There seems to be more tedious twaddle about the GT-R on the internet than there is porn. For every person who accepts that it's a great car there are at least another hundred who think it's a gift straight from God and those who don't like it are sinners.

Oh, what about every series of the Subaru WRX. You can throw all the stats and WRC wins at me, definately impressive, but it still looks like something my missus should drive to the hairdresser. Any man with a decent set of cahunas, and over 19 yrs old, should not be seen in one.

Have to disagree on this one. I'm not really a fan of Imprezas, save for a few models (Edition McRae, 22B, proper rally ones), but you can't say they're overrated. Firstly, because all the stats and WRC wins are impressive. Very impressive. Speaking as a Brit, I have Subaru to thank for both McRae and Burns' world rally championship victories, and I'm sure Petter Solberg likes them too.

Secondly, it's certainly not a girls car. It's one of the most masculine cars you can get! I saw a girl driving a WRX the other day and she's the first girl I think I've ever seen driving a WRX.

And god help the world if you think that only people under 19 should drive them. People over 19 drive them badly enough as it is, let alone letting teenage idiots drive them too.

Agreed...and anything that wears a Peugeot badge after about 1990 rides the wave of WRC success in previous years and doesn't deserve the credibility that was born from the total domination that was achieved 'in rallying' by this company in the 80's

Erm... that's tosh as well. 106 GTI. 106 Rallye. 306 S16. 306 GTI-6. 306 Rallye. 406 (in general). 406 Coupe. All very good cars that were successful on their own merit. And what about Peugeot's rally successes with the 206 WRC? Or the thousands of 205s/106s/306s that get used to great effect, again on their own merit, in club racing and rallying? To suggest that Peugeot ride on the success of a few wins with the Group B 205 and that anything later doesn't deserve credibility is ridiculous.

 

[eiriksmil]

Would I get killed if I said the Toyota Corolla? I love how people keep saying that they run forever, you can't kill them, nothing goes wrong with them etc etc (at least that's what the guys at work try telling me), yet they're still getting problems with them........

Edit: Oh quick, I forgot to mention, I'm not saying that they're bad cars, not at all. They probably are more reliable than most cars out there, but to think you can buy a car that will never have problems is a little silly.

I hate how Toyota is marketing their cars, when it looks like their reliability is going down. Today's Corolla seems overhyped to me, but it's probably still better than many of its counterparts. I've got one of the cars they can thank for their status as kings of reliable, the KE70 Corolla. The previous owner have trashed it for two straight years, I've thrashed it about the whole winter. The calipers stuck and the clutch is going out.. Still, twice I've needed to top up oil when there has been literally nothing left.. The chain hasn't been changed for atleast 80k km, but I'm pretty sure it's way more. If this car survives a couple of more years with me as the owner, it's a pretty crazy car indeed I didn't buy it for reliability though, I needed a rwd beater and a bud sold one. Around here, the Volvo 240 equals the Toyota Corolla's status as you mention. There are no flaws on them, at the same time they're easy to turn the wrench on.. Hmmm.. And in a 60 mph crash between a 240 and a tree, the tree loses. Let's put it this way, I agree with you in that the Corolla is overhyped, but mine is so far living up to the hype

I saw someone mentioned the AE86.. Why not use a TE70, KE70, TE71 or TA64, all with the same drivetrain and suspension (a little unsure on the TA64), but it's atleast not the haaaiichiii rokuuuuu

 

[slidesquad#1]

Umm...the fact that you don't like a particular car doesn't make it overrated. Different strokes for different folks and all that, doesn't make everything that doesn't appeal to you overrated.

I'll have to agree with homeforsummer on the overhyped issue though, and I'll say every single car ever built has a rabid fan following (of greatly varying sizes) that will maintain that said car is the best thing since sliced bread, and defend it at all costs. I've had conversations with people who will insist that their stock VH commodore would waste my "only a Mitsi" solely because it had a V8, and would not be convinced otherwise.

In the few cases where the car is genuinely good (or popular), such as the GTR/Supra/Z06, this fan base tends to be larger and more visible, which leads to an impression of overratedness. And I think we've all seen the results when two of the groups cross paths.

And I think that carries on in the thread as well, the WRX being a case in point. It's overrated because the poster thinks they look like a girls car. What?
I would drive the hell out of this girls car any day.

The Veyron? It was never intended to be a track tearing beast. It was meant to be a comfortable grand tourer thats insanely fast. It does this amazingly well, and I'd say it deserves every accolade it gets. Yes, the Pagani might be faster than it on a track, but so what? If you want a track car, by all means choose the Zonda, but that really doesn't make the Veyron any worse. They both fulfill their respective roles admirably, and which one you take depends on what your aims and desires are with the car.

Edit: Regarding the original post, the NSX had just as much power as it's contemporary Ferrari, and is arguably a better car all around than the 348. I'll agree with you on the price, it possibly cost too much, but only in terms of the badge it wore, not in terms of the car it was.

 

[niky]

I still disagree with you about the R35, homeforsummer... I see more people jumping on the "bash the GT-R with some senseless non-issue" bandwagon than the "OMFG, teh GT-R is God" one. That even some journalists jump in with the screaming meemies without researching their sound bites first strikes me as ridiculous.

I wouldn't say it's over-hyped. It just does exactly what it claims to do. It goes faster than the fastest Porsche at the time it was released, the Turbo (but is slower than the GT2, which wasn't around for Nissan to benchmark, at the time) and it does 0-60 mph in under 3.7 seconds, as claimed by the factory... and without the "Launch Control" cheat.

I'd rather say it's extremely over-exposed... in no small part due to the anti-GTR crowd, the internets, Porsche ( ) and amateur hacks and enthusiasts who really don't know what they're talking about (dyno issue... launch control issue... etcetera).

I'd still rather have a BMW M3.

I'm still not sure where I stand on the AE86. It's a good car... for its time... but that so many of the video game generation believe a modified AE86 can completely thrash a similarly modified, more powerful car of newer vintage just means that nobody actually gets the whole point of Initial D... it's all about the man... not the machine.

WRX - Great car. Very fast. I don't like them... and the older ones were understeering pigs, even compared to our Proteges... but they are very good cars.

 

[Paulie]

Secondly, it's certainly not a girls car. It's one of the most masculine cars you can get! I saw a girl driving a WRX the other day and she's the first girl I think I've ever seen driving a WRX.

And god help the world if you think that only people under 19 should drive them. People over 19 drive them badly enough as it is, let alone letting teenage idiots drive them too.

Umm, should I be worried about my sister who drives a WRX STi then? LOL, I don't think there are many sports cars (if any at all) that can be classed as either a girl's or man's car. Take a Chevelle SS 454 for example, one might be tricked into thinking that it's a man's car with its big block V8, 1970s American styling, and bellowing exhaust note, but frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to see a woman driving one, hell, I'd even be a little turned on by it. You want a woman's car? Maybe, just maybe, try the new Volkswagen Beetle, but don't stop there, make it a convertible Beetle.

Re: Age of WRX drivers. A LOT of Australian WRXs seem to be driven by people around the 18-25 age bracket. Actually, I don't recall seeing anyone older driving one. Yes, it's scary, I know.

 

[Jim Prower]

Can I tick you off? Can I tick you off real bad?

that car is the second-worst thing with a V8, four doors, and Rear-drive sold anywhere. The first is the Dodge Charger/Chrysler 300C.

And it's not that it's bad...It just doesn't scream quality to me, either, particularly compared to the Cadillac CTS. (based on impressions of Pontiac G8.)

 

[homeforsummer]

I saw someone mentioned the AE86.. Why not use a TE70, KE70, TE71 or TA64, all with the same drivetrain and suspension (a little unsure on the TA64), but it's atleast not the haaaiichiii rokuuuuu

The TE70 is quite a pretty little car too, like a Japanese Mk1 Escort. The AE86 is... well, just a bit ugly. And taking what Niky mentioned into consideration, probably a bit over exposed too because of things like Initial D and Best Motoring. I'm sure it's a great car but again, it gets treated like a God, when it's basically just a boxy Toyota with RWD and a good engine.

You picked the best Impreza too 👍

 

[Ghost_drift]

Umm, should I be worried about my sister who drives a WRX STi then? LOL, I don't think there are many sports cars (if any at all) that can be classed as either a girl's or man's car. Take a Chevelle SS 454 for example, one might be tricked into thinking that it's a man's car with its big block V8, 1970s American styling, and bellowing exhaust note, but frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to see a woman driving one, hell, I'd even be a little turned on by it. You want a woman's car? Maybe, just maybe, try the new Volkswagen Beetle, but don't stop there, make it a convertible Beetle.

Re: Age of WRX drivers. A LOT of Australian WRXs seem to be driven by people around the 18-25 age bracket. Actually, I don't recall seeing anyone older driving one. Yes, it's scary, I know.

I can think of no better car for my miss's than a Chevelle SS. except for her first choice of a MkII Escort RS.

And with the 18 year old drivers in england, giving them a WRX would be like handing a B1 armed with nukes to Bin Laden. In some ways thank god for the rediculas insurance premiums in the UK.

Like I said in my Previous post I realy cant think of one car that I can realy say is overrated, or should I say overrated without reason. Alot of cars are over exagerated. But all the cars mentioned in this thread so far (including the pugs) all live up to their status in some way shape or form. So none can be classed as overrated. Especialy by people that have never driven one of the cars they are slagging off. I am a massive Japanese car fan, love them for being cheap as chips but still very high performance. But my First car was a Pug 106, Rallye. And I can tell you that is in no way overrated. Loved everything about that car.

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

my First car was a Pug 106, Rallye. And I can tell you that is in no way overrated. Loved everything about that car.

The 106 Rallye S1 was the best handling car i'd ever driven until I got to take the wheel of a VX220T, Radical SR3 and some other track-focused cars.

It was only a 1.3L but went like stink as it weighed a bit less than a feather or two. I'd never own one though... I don't like my body being a crumple zone in a tincan car! Same story with the AX GT, Saxo VTR/VTS.

Oh, and about Corsa/Nova owners not knowing about the Glanza-V, they know of it very well but also know of the insurance group and the premium (both for insurance and buying the car in the first place) for it being an import.

The AE86 is over-rated, as others have said, mainly due to Initial D and Tsuchiya/Best Motoring. People see the car being driven very hard (flat-shifts, full-lock counters) and think that the car is capable of beating Skylines, Evos, Imprezas, etc, when really it's the driver making the 'magic' happen.

The R34 is a great car, don't get me wrong, but is wayyyy overhyped by all the fanboys. According to many 'petrolheads' in the U.K, it's a car that is capable of beating many a supercar in stock form. I think The Fast And The Furious and NeedForSpeed almost brainwashed some into thinking it was the best car ever built.

The R34 is a far different story from the days of the true R32 'Godzilla', as other manufacturers have matched or bettered it, whereas in the days of the 'Godzilla' it was 100% domination due to the leap forward that the R32 brought with it. So much so that I only ever call the R32 'Godzilla' as really it's the only Skyline that deserves the tag.

 

[J-PaP]

Can I tick you off? Can I tick you off real bad?

that car is the second-worst thing with a V8, four doors, and Rear-drive sold anywhere. The first is the Dodge Charger/Chrysler 300C.

And it's not that it's bad...It just doesn't scream quality to me, either, particularly compared to the Cadillac CTS. (based on impressions of Pontiac G8.)

I'm from Australia and I agree. But don't think fords australian offerings are any better. I have heard of (and experienced) cars with leaking diffs, blown engines, rust and leaking radiators.

As a result I will avoid buying an australian car like the plague.

I wish they would actually make a car that isn't just good for burnouts.

And I really think the only reason these cars are kept competitive in the australian market is because of ridiculous import taxes.

 

[Leonidae]

Overrated? anything with FWD.. though, new Focus RS might actually be as good as FWD can get without being a trackday special *cough*Megane boyracers*cough*

But if I have to mention a truly overrated car, it's anything with a small/bigblock V8 in it. their owners are just as bad the JDM crowd.

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Overrated? anything with FWD.. though, new Focus RS might actually be as good as FWD can get without being a trackday special *cough*Megane boyracers*cough*

But if I have to mention a truly overrated car, it's anything with a small/bigblock V8 in it. their owners are just as bad the JDM crowd.

I hope you're not saying the Megane R26R is over-rated? If anything the RenaultSport range is under-rated.

 

[Leonidae]

yes, I am saying that it is overrated.

 

[eiriksmil]

The way I see it, if anyone here state something is overrated based on how the car drives, I trust that they actually have driven them and have been disappointed. I mean, loads of people saying a car is good to drive doesn't make the car worse, or overrated. Only if it ain't worthy of it.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

*cough*Megane boyracers*cough*

epic understeer ftw

 

[Leonidae]

^my point exactly.

 

[mafia_boy]

Everytime I read the "WRX is overrated" comment I had to at it. Over here, the original (circa 1994-95) WRX's were renowned for being stolen by thieves, used for ram raids and getting away from the Police EVERYTIME because they were superior cars, having similar power at the time (155Kw vs 165Kw) and 4WD + 300kg less....the cops had no chance and thieves were getting away with everything.

Over the years however, development of the local offerings, anti-theft technology, government red tape (and whinging by the police ) caused the V8's to get a lot faster and the WRX's (and ADM Evo's) to be sort of power restricted (to 195Kw compared to 206Kw+ in Japan) and made heavier than their JDM counterparts, but also are a lot harder to steal nowadays too. Now the ball is back in the V8 court.
But it's nothing unusual here, in Australian motorsport there's a little rule in the CAMS (Confederation of Australian Motorsport) handbook that's written in pencil after the Group C/Group A (RX7, Sierra, R32 GTR) eras: "If it's quick and it's V8, RESTRICT OR BAN IT!".

As to the topic itself, I'm going sensible with Paulie but I suggest the Nissan Pulsar (Almera/Sentra/Sunny/Primera). Not the GTi-R, that's a decently quick car for it's era, I'm talking about the stock SR20's FWD's (Ti's/SSS's over here) that are stacked full of tryhards thinking their hard, wanting to race anything and losing everytime.