Was 90s the best automotive decade?

Weird, they work for me :dunno:

 
The C5

560px-Chevrolet_C5_Corvette_Convertible_(Orange_Julep).jpg
 
You can cherry pick any era to present an argument as why its the best era.
We just tend to get nostalgic for the stuff we couldn't afford when we were growing up.

true. but the stuff we could afford, was so much worse than the stuff we can afford right now...
(and worse than the affordable 80s cars. golf II > golf III, E30 > E36, 80s escort > 90s escort, ...)
 
Sure you can cherry pick cool cars from any era and yes the 80's had cool stuff (GNX anyone?), I am myself impartial to the MkIII Supra for example but when you look at the sheer number of interesting cars from each decade nothing beats the 90's even if some cars of the 80's were cooler than their 90's counterparts.
 
You can cherry pick any era to present an argument as why its the best era.
We just tend to get nostalgic for the stuff we couldn't afford when we were growing up.

This.

I don't care too much about performance figures, which is the OP base for decade selection. To me, automotive industry hit its peak in late 70s/early 80s, as car of that era were fun to drive (not fast though in all cases), became mechanically reliable* and useable enough to serve as proper daily drivers even now. And I prefer the way things looked back then.

And surprisingly enough, that's the era of cars I grew up with.. :p

*German and Japanese cars at least, which I prefer strongly. :D
 
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BMW 6, ford capri & escort, opel kadett, VW golf MK I

what would look coolest? we'll make it like that!
i like the 70s as well!

(i think this is also a discussion about that you want. the 300zx, the nsx, the supra, ...all cool cars. but i will never get one. not the slightest bit interested. a 70s shell of a kadett or an escort, with which you can still do whatever the hell you want? sign me up! you can even prep those for track use, and still have some money left. good luck doing that with a supra)
 
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BMW 6, ford capri & escort, opel kadett, VW golf MK I

what would look coolest? we'll make it like that!
i like the 70s as well!

(i think this is also a discussion about that you want. the 300zx, the nsx, the supra, ...all cool cars. but i will never get one. not the slightest bit interested. a 70s shell of a kadett or an escort, with which you can still do whatever the hell you want? sign me up! you can even prep those for track use, and still have some money left. good luck doing that with a supra)

I agree. The 90s to me is things like this

Vauxhall%20Cavalier%20Mk3%20(3).jpg


Whereas every day cars of the 60s and 70s had more appeal.
 
70's? what are you smoking?

Hehe, predictable response. Ask for opinions and jump on ones that differ from yours.

I come from a different world (almost literally) when it comes to cars that are/were available. And choosing the best decade isn't an objective thing, it's just what you personally like. And here's a BMW heavy picdump for why I prefer that era to any other.

While 02 series were 60s cars, 73-74 production life makes 2002 turbo a 70s car for me. touring form was a 70s thing as well.
1974_BMW_2002_Turbo_For_Sale_Front_resize.jpg


The M1
bmw_m1_1980_ebay_images_001.jpg


The best car in the world!. :p E21, and one of my old cars for good measure.
IMG_1081.JPG



Big brother, the E12 is my favorite as well. An Alpina B7S for full style of the era -effect.
1981_bmw-alpina_b7_s_turbo-10986-142-800x0.jpg



Mazda had a good lineup of rotaries, of which RX3 and FB&FC RX7s are my favorites.
Grandmas-1972-Mazda-RX3-for-sale-Three-Quarter-Front.jpg


former_0036l.jpg


Toyota had good things going as well. Like the TA22 Celica
celica1.jpg


And of course the Corolla.
ae861.jpg



Then there's the hot hatch golden era of course (Lotus Sunbeam, Golf, 205, Clio, Charade, Swift, Civic). That doesn't really affect my opinion that much as I don't care for most of them that much. But since we're comparing eras..

And on a similar note, 80s made all those Group B homologation cars.. Few in numbers, but all kinds of awesome.

Late 80s also produced some cars that are seen as 90s cars, like R32 Skyline and S13 200SX.
 
BMW 6, ford capri & escort, opel kadett, VW golf MK I

what would look coolest? we'll make it like that!
i like the 70s as well!

(i think this is also a discussion about that you want. the 300zx, the nsx, the supra, ...all cool cars. but i will never get one. not the slightest bit interested. a 70s shell of a kadett or an escort, with which you can still do whatever the hell you want? sign me up! you can even prep those for track use, and still have some money left. good luck doing that with a supra)
Thinking more along the lines of 70's regulations destroying any kind of fun from cars (in the US at least). There are plenty of 90's cars you can get and track relatively cheaply, Miata is the prime example but also FDs are not hugely expensive neither are MR2s, Supra and NSX are really the only ones that would be pricey these days because of their status, most other 90's metal is pretty cheap.

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I agree. The 90s to me is things like this

Vauxhall%20Cavalier%20Mk3%20(3).jpg


Whereas every day cars of the 60s and 70s had more appeal.

Sure they look cooler but driving wise?

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Hehe, predictable response. Ask for opinions and jump on ones that differ from yours..
I addressed the 70's in my post above but yes this could be a simple geographical issue, here the 70's are a decade that produced by and large terrible slow cars due to heavy regulations. However I again want to point something out, every decade had cool cars, however I am struggling to think of as much variety of both "regular" and "exotic" sports cars that are as well regarded as stuff from the 90's.

P.S. I wouldn't qualify the M1 as AFAIK it was never a production model. I am talking cars you could go and actually buy.
 
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I addressed the 70's in my post above but yes this could be a simple geographical issue, here the 70's are a decade that produced by and large terrible slow cars due to heavy regulations. However I again want to point something out, every decade had cool cars, however I am struggling to think of as much variety of both "regular" and "exotic" sports cars that are as well regarded as stuff from the 90's.

P.S. I wouldn't qualify the M1 as AFAIK it was never a production model. I am talking cars you could go and actually buy.

I'm sure you're having difficulty identifying interesting stuff the same way I'm having difficulties picking anything interesting from 90s. It's just what you know and like. Without this thread I would've said 90s was the worst decade for cars, but there are definite upsides. 90s to me (like several other Europeans in this thread) is mostly about recession era jelly mold mobiles with uninteresting, but economical engines. But thinking about it, Subaru is a good example of a manufacturer that took up to 90s to make anything that would interest me. :)


Oh, and M1 is just as much a roadcar as XJ220 and McLaren F1, if a bit cheaper at the time. Both appeared here. 453, 275 and 106 produced, respectively. :)
 
Was 90s the best automotive decade?

I'm sure you're having difficulty identifying interesting stuff the same way I'm having difficulties picking anything interesting from 90s. It's just what you know and like. Without this thread I would've said 90s was the worst decade for cars, but there are definite upsides. 90s to me (like several other Europeans in this thread) is mostly about recession era jelly mold mobiles with uninteresting, but economical engines. But thinking about it, Subaru is a good example of a manufacturer that took up to 90s to make anything that would interest me. :)
Fair enough :)


Oh, and M1 is just as much a roadcar as XJ220 and McLaren F1, if a bit cheaper at the time. Both appeared here. 453, 275 and 106 produced, respectively. :)
I didn't realize it was actually produced and offered up for sale.

P.S. Apologies for being a dick about someone's opinion this isn't meant to be an "I'm right your are wrong thread"
 
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70's? what are you smoking?
pfItW5k.jpg

Assuming you got one with the 400 or the 403 and the WS6 suspension, you got a car that handled quite well and had very good performance.
 
recession era jelly mold mobiles
And, to your point, in the US the 70s was just that, except replace "jelly mold" with "bloated box". We also got hit with crude emissions control systems that sucked out any semblance of performance from all cars imported to these shores.
 
Late 80s also produced some cars that are seen as 90s cars, like S13 200SX.

God damnit, you're right. Didn't think about that...
 
Hell yeah the 90s were awesome.



Lest you think I'm being sarcastic, I really liked that truck. Dad bought it new in 97 and I had it until 2011.
 
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