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I did have a a Celica (gen 7) for a couple of years...loved it...but as said, not a four seater.!..but it was great to drive, economical and very reliable..and nowt would have cost he earth had it ever gone wrong in any way.
I think it was a lovely looking car too.
I agree too that you can gain that extra fun factor with a convertible..I had a Saab 93 2 litre LPT "vert" for a couple of years...that was really good at long distance stuff as it was incredibly comfortable.(as most Saabs are)..went very well too.!
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The '96 W124 Merc coupe (same dimensions as convertible) we still have is about a foot shorter and considerably lower than the saloon/estate it was based on, very expensive when new.
Personally i prefer the looks of the saloon/estates as well as the extra cabin height, not a lot of difference in driving compared to an equivalent spec saloon they all corner at ridicuious speed as if on magnetised rails, i doubt there was much difference in weight either given the extra shell strength needed for the coupe and convertible, both of which are B pillarless, the floor reinforcements are serious indeed.
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Depends on the kind of fun you want from a car. Convertibles generally are not as stiff as a coupe so invariably the experience isn't the same. We have the perfect climate for a convertible.
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It's quite easy to imagine that a man who has a coupe probably, even now, still has a medallion too, and will almost certainly favour slip on shoes.
Convertibles attract a more complex demographic, and often conflate with male pattern baldness or, female obesity and blonde hair dye.
:-)
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This chap who has still a coupe must remind one Alby that it is in fact SWMBO car, phew.
No medallions, one discreet tattoo denoting my lapsed religious devotion, Dewalt workboots, CAT boots for leisure wear, Cheaney country boots and finally Sargeants formal Dundee boots for other wear, all lace up, all polished regularly...note it annoys one or two scruffier colleagues that i keep my workboots polished, hence they get polished even more.
Full head of hair still, that special shade of old frat grey that some of the fair maidens spend fortunes on to give them the distinguished look that comes naturally to those of us well past our sell by date.
:-))
Never owned a convertible, nearest was an American T Top Chevvy 80's coupe, cool eh.
Edited by gordonbennet on 20/04/2020 at 12:23
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Don't think I'd realised that you still have that old Merc GB.
Is it still a runner or is it off the road now?
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Don't think I'd realised that you still have that old Merc GB.
Is it still a runner or is it off the road now?
Still a runner but stood it the last year, gets so little use i wasn't sure what to do with it to be honest, the present debacle which is likely to herald a serious recession at best is likely to knock values for six, we'll see.
3 dogs now, and they are our family so if we go anywhere its either of the two other cars get used, plus i'm kind of addicted to SWMBO deceptively rapid Forester XT, also running LPG for the win :-)
Anyway enough about me, all good with you and yours i hope, and trust your work side of things will come out of this in good shape, thankfully (and not being smug here but extremely grateful) my work could not be more secure for various reasons, 10 years here now, best thing i ever did knocking on the door and i know it, we've worked through obviously.
Have you still got that Cashcow with the mirrors held on with wing nuts ))))
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I've never heard of 'pattern baldness' - sounds quite alarming. Although Alopecia sounds like a nice girl's name, along with Asphyxia and Hernia (O what rupture...,)
:)
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The Reverend and Mrs Fawlty-Follicle and their daughter Alopecia...?
;-)
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I've never heard of 'pattern baldness' - sounds quite alarming. Although Alopecia sounds like a nice girl's name, along with Asphyxia and Hernia (O what rupture...,)
:)
Alopecia sound like a good name for an Alfa or a FIAT MPV.
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Talking of Italian names; I saw that a Ferrari Testarossa would be a Smith Redhead in English!
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What is the point of a coupe, you get less space for more money.
Couple of recent(ish) examples.
Friend retired early and with his payout decided to swap his 5 year old Golf TDi for a brand new Scirocco TDi. The car was ordered, top model loaded with extras including a tow bar for his caravan. When it arrived he went to collect it and immediately spotted no tow bar. Salesman told him a tow bar was not homologated for that model but mate pointed out that it was in the price list and on his order. After much arguing and meetings at the garage he was ordered a Golf to the same spec which came with a tow bar. A year later when he was in the garage having the Golf serviced he was looking at a Scirocco brochure and spotted that whilst certain models could be had with a tow bar the model he ordered could not.
Hatch 1, coupe nil.
Young colleague at work bought a Leon Coupe. Another colleague pointed out to him it was simply a 5 door hatch with 2 doors removed and less rear leg room and had cost him more.
Hatch 2, coupe nil.
After a couple of years of being told he had a Leon 3 door hatch and not a coupe he bought an Astra 3 door that again he insisted was a coupe. Same as the Leon, less space and cost more.
Hatch 3, coupe nil.
Only an idiot would fail to see they were being ripped off.
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How was I ripped off with my Accord, Civic and BRZ coupes?
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A coupe gave you style but retained enough space to serve as a family car. It was dearer to buy but typically depreciated more slowly. Think of the Calibra in the 90’s. It had a huge boot and decent space in the back. It was based on the mundane but robust Cavalier but added a bit of flair and a less steep depreciation curve. These sold well as did most coupes including the Tigra and Puma well into the age of the SUV. The convertible hardtop is probably more to blame for their demise to be fair though.
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Ah yes, but they look nicer, and the proper coupes (not the Leon SC, which you are correct about in terms of the engineering, but it is a nicer looking car [as is the Golf equivalent] than the 5dr version), like saloons, are stiffer than hatchbacks because most mave a solid back window and a proper boot, so they handle a bit better.
My Mazda3 saloon also is all of 0.1sec quicker to 60 than the hatch and must be a bit better on the mpg too, as it likely has a better drag coefficient. proper coupes even better on that score.
To be honest, most of it is the styling.
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It's about what brings you pleasure, coupes should look pretty and to be fair most do, its nothing to do with showing off it's being prepared to pay to enjoy looking at the car you drive when its sat on your driveway as much as anything.
Those who know the price of everything and the value of nothing may not get this, we don't all want the very best value or the car that everyone else buys because its better value or some motoring magazine advertising dept tells you it's best, thankfully for the time being we are still allowed to buy what car we want to, i urge you to do so because the new puritans are itching to take that small pleasure away from you in their quest to dictate how you should live.
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Amen GB!
I used to lean over the couch in my front room and just look out the window tracing the lines of the BRZ from its haunches over the rear wheels to the curves on its bonnet. To me it was a pretty car that was made to stare at (as well as drive!).
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Amen GB!
I used to lean over the couch in my front room and just look out the window tracing the lines of the BRZ from its haunches over the rear wheels to the curves on its bonnet. To me it was a pretty car that was made to stare at (as well as drive!).
I never even knew Subaru made a coupe! Quite nice looking for a Subaru.
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Come to think about it, I knew they made coupes in the past, I just didn't know about the BRZ. Something of a gap in my encyclopaedic motoring knowledge (!!!)
Edited by Sofa Spud on 25/04/2020 at 14:12
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That's part of the problem for them Sofa Spud, it falls under many people's radar as they only notice it's sister car, the Toyota GT 86.
That and it's too dear now and was never properly marketed.
A two-wheel drive Subaru!?
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Amen GB!
I used to lean over the couch in my front room and just look out the window tracing the lines of the BRZ from its haunches over the rear wheels to the curves on its bonnet. To me it was a pretty car that was made to stare at (as well as drive!).
I never even knew Subaru made a coupe! Quite nice looking for a Subaru.
It's the same car (apart from the badge and a small bit of detailing outside) as the Toyota GT86, but they're all built by Subaru. I like the exterior styling (of both, not they're that different), but can't stand the cheesy 1980s interior styling, which looks cheap and nasty.
Oh for Mazda to make a Mazda3-based coupe (the current Fastback is a real looker anyway) but with their 2.5T petrol engine in it and not the SA-X (nice, but not really a performance engine or a real punchy cruiser) or rotary engine (which apparently will return in their next RX model). Great exterior and interior looks. As long as it's got a decent sized boot and a spare wheel/tyre. TBH I loved the looks or the last RX-8.
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No mainstream manufacturer will be making a coupe anymore.
They don't make money outwith the US.
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No mainstream manufacturer will be making a coupe anymore.
They don't make money outwith the US.
Perhaps, but who would've thought that compact crossovers would be big business now, given they don't actually provide much (if any) more interior space than the standard cars they are based on, but cost between 10-25% more, handle less well and return lower mpg/higer emissions due to their higher drag coefficient and higher weight.
Fashions go in cycles, thus coupes may come back, in some form. Then agaim, we may all be riding in travel pods in 25+ years time!
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I was thinking about getting an old Celica probably 2004 to 2005. Fun car dirt cheap. But looking at the mpg naught to sixty and top end. The 1.8 is pretty much a match for my 1 litre turbo Swift cept a tad more thisty. Has nice styling but that's about all , so the Swift stays.
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I was thinking about getting an old Celica probably 2004 to 2005. Fun car dirt cheap. But looking at the mpg naught to sixty and top end. The 1.8 is pretty much a match for my 1 litre turbo Swift cept a tad more thisty. Has nice styling but that's about all , so the Swift stays.
I bet that Swift has more room in the back as well. I had the displeasure of being a passenger in the back of a Celica of that era when at work, and it's only made for kids in the rear. TBH, the Swift Sport (not the current one, the previous gen car) in either 'Ford' blue with a white stripe down the middle or black with a burgundy rooftop are the best colours, and in 3dr form.
What I found amazing was how the introduction of the rear spoiler on the Celica made such a huge improvement to its looks.
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yeah you'd be right lot more room.
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