Slow Car Movement (snicker)

[ARCHINSTL]

http://www.gq.com/cars-gear/cars/201008 ... -collector
While the Mighty Tercel 4WD Wagon is not mentioned - I believe we can all heartily relate!

I note that, of the 6 lead photos, I owned two of those cars; but I would not characterize the Volvo as "slow."
The Morris Minor? Friendly and could out-corner many/most 'Murrican cars of the day - even at speed. True!
Tom M.

[danzo]

Excellent article that I agree with wholeheartedly! Older cars most certainly do make one a better driver. Frankly I'm surprised we don't see tons of high-speed wrecks (not accidents - wrecks) due to driver incompetence. Maybe peeps wreck more often, I'm not privy to this, and they simply survive more due to their 17 airbags/car. Maybe today's misguided youth just doesn't have the guts to drive fast enough to raise the highway death toll. Maybe it's a combo of a bunch of factors.

But I must say that the BMW 2002tii (in the photo) has no place being called slow. 140hp carrying 2200lbs. is no rocketship, but slow equals 0-60mph in more than 14 seconds. Our T4wds certainly qualify.

[Petros]

The problems is that when car makers offer a low power economy version, and a more powerful option, the more powerful one outsells the economh version. How many 4 cyl. pick-ups and minivans to you see? how many small engine SUVs? They discontinued them because they are poor sellers. Consider it cost as much to develop a low power version of the same car as the high powered one, and high powered one out sells the econo version 10 to 1, so why bother.

We are a victim of our own success, most people are willing to pay the extra in both purchase price and fuel costs to get the more powerful car. All of the government regs do not help either, 40 years ago there were dozens of import cars you can buy that weight under 2000 lbs, now there is not one! Too much safety regs (many of which DO NOT improve safety, like massive bumpers). Some of the most interesting small cars sold today are only available in 3rd world countries, too bad they can not sell them here, they would find a small but loyal market segment that would buy them. That was how the early POS VW bugs were sold.