Comments on: Future collectible cars – 2005 Auto Show – Part 1 of 3

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:18:24 +0000

the first company to market a cheap, attractive, accessorisable
and easy to service automobile will break away and hold the mar-
ket for the foreseeable future; but the car must be servicable in the way that cars once were but now no longer are; this car must
enable the buyer to do the tune-up and maintenance and servicing
. even if it means a return to carbs and points and distributors.

which is not neccessary if the car is made with sensors that may be
easily and by the owner diagnosed correctly and then easily and conveniently accessed and removed and replaced and replaced as cheaply
as a set of points or a spark plug. there is simply no reason whty
this cannot be done. the whole world is watching; and the whole world ain’t just general motors and chrysler and ford anymore; hint: there’s a billion chinamen that want a car. and there’s more than a few sharp asian financiers and businessmen that see the opportunity. we’ll see.

God speed the american automobile manufacturer!

By: GINO

GINO — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 07:59:39 +0000

In response to the comments above, I dont see much difference between the Element or the Scion xB. The are both ugly boxes that their owners will surely trade in quickly if they are not totaled in a low speed crash. No matter how trendy or fuel efficient they may be, neither trait is worth your life.

As far as future collectors lusting after Subarus and Honda’s, who are you kidding? Those are throw-away cars that can never hope to survive past their second owner. Most Asian cars are fads made popular by the fuel efficiency but people forget that efficiency means more than saving gas. How environmentally sound is it to pollute the Earth by first making a Honda and then to pollute the planet again by throwing it away after 6 or 7 years? Our society must stop thinking short term and take better care of it’s machines. I have never seen a clasic Honda on the road let alone a Museum. Having faith in collectors with good taste like the presenter of this site, no one is going to be collecting Subarus.

By: Steve Oberg

Steve Oberg — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 20:35:41 +0000

Please be aware that collectors in 2030, though they will largely still be men, will be lusting for the nostalgia of Subaru WRX sedans and, yes Honda S2000s. Not likely that they will want a throwback design like the two-seat 2005 Thunderbird, no matter how neat us presently 50-somethings may think it is. Though the Scions and other econoboxes don’t perform much, and sometimes lack safety, the 2006 Civic sedan is worth a look for its balance of safety, affordability, spaciousness, and yes – styling interest. It is not so tall and narrow as the Matrix you ridicule. But, since American males are sucked into proving their masculinity by the fire-breathing
luxoboat they buy, the Honda Civic will not be a collectible. Besides, for a few years, the Civics have lost their attraction to young people and are perceived about like Accords and Grand Marquis’s – -as old people’s cars.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 22:27:47 +0000

Please note that the vehicle you picture and identify as a “2005 Honda Element” is actually a “2005 Scion xB”. The Element is also a boxy proto-van, but aimed at a much different audience. The Element has two doors, a hoseable interior, uncomfortable (albeit versatile) back seats and aspires to resemble an SUV. The xB has four doors, is very comfortable (lots of headroom, TONS of legroom in the back), is highly efficient and is being marketed as a “trendy” car instead of the practical econobox it is (gas mileage in the 30s, low maintenance costs, lots of room inside but small outside, etc.).

This isn’t me attacking or defending either vehicle, mind you; just thought you’d like to know.