Ever had a vehicle that you didn't think much of and it winds up impressing you?

Or have you had high hopes for a vehicle and were let down with the reality?

I was surprised by the Mazda RX8. When it first came out I didn't think alot of it but after driving one I was quite impressed with the way it drove and even the power.

The one that was a disappointment for me was the Hummer H2. I thought it would be hoot to drive but it turned out it was like driving a suburban with really bad blind spots.

Toyota Avalon. Most people who know me know that I hate everything that comes out of toyota, but I was very impressed by this car. My friend gave me a ride in her 2006 model. IMO, it's everything the Impala needs to be.

We bought an 02 Trailblazer LT when the first came out. We ordered it so it came with every option we wanted....ended up being a piece of >>>> - we ended up trading it in in less then 2 years on a 04 Z71 Tahoe - lost our shirt on the trade but ended up LOVING the Tahoe.....it was a great SUV.

Toyota Avalon. Most people who know me know that I hate everything that comes out of toyota, but I was very impressed by this car. My friend gave me a ride in her 2006 model. IMO, it's everything the Impala needs to be.

I have a funny story about a Toyota. A friend of mine bought a Toyota Saquoia the first year it came (99-00?) and swore off American cars because of the trouble they had with the Expidition they traded for it. The funny part was how he ran down American cars and how crappy they are. Then about three months later I found out through his wife that the A/C compressor in the Saquoia went out and was in the shop for a couple days.

He was pretty quiet after that for a while and they actually bought another Expedition a couple years ago.

best / 08 Subaru Outback, 15K miles NO issues. Nice solid riding car in all weather.

every GM I ve owned always has issues when I first got them.

I drove a 03 Ranger for a couple of years. It was a basic truck, I only had AC added to the base trim. The truck was trouble free and solid, beyond expectations and the gas mileage was great too (base trim - 2.3 4 cyl with a stick shift).

I had an old Sundance turbo that was awesome. I forget what year it was 87, 88... It was a sleeper, fast and fun to drive. Felt like I was in a cockpit sitting in the driver's seat. It rusted apart though which sucked.

Similarly I had both an 89 and 91 Escort GTs that were a lot of fun. The 91 had a nice little Mazda engine in it and was super reliable and quick, but the other parts again all rusted out.

My 2004 Nissan Sentra surprised me in only 1 way. It looked smaller outside than it felt inside. It was small, but you could fit more into it than you thought.

2008 and 20009 Accord Coupes are pretty awesome, and the Altima coupe isn't bad either with the 3.5l engine, but that was not a surprise.

I forgot to mention my 05 Vibe. Even though I realized before that a hatch takes great amount of cargo this car still surprised me. Seemed like everything I ever attempted to put in it would just fit. Things like Christmas trees, 40" LCD TV packaged, a lazyboy, long 2x4s from Home Depot ...It was incredibly practical for a small car. Sedans, even mid sized ones just can't compare.

It was a mistake getting rid if that car that I have regretted many many times :(

Yeah, I've had 3 hatchbacks and they've all be surprisingly huge for storage even for small cars. I loved that.

I had an 89 Ranger that was a let down and an 85 Subaru Turbo Wagon that was such an awesome car, but was a let down because the transmission was garbage and not worth fixing.

I forgot I had an 83 Datsun/Nissan Sentra... that thing got over 40mpg, was surprisingly peppy for a sub 80hp motor, easy to work on, and ran forever. The engine was strong. I got into an accident, never fixed it and it kept running fine. I ran over a dead deer and decapitated it, no worse for the wear. The other thing that was strange, and good, was whenever I had a problem it seemed to fix itself. The starter was going and I had to keep a hammer on hand to hit it if it stuck. One day it just started working fine again and I didn't have a problem ever again. One day it started smoking a lot at stops (oil was dripping on to the exhaust), and as I was just going to drive this cheap POS into the ground, I did nothing. Eventually this went away and I stopped having to add oil. That makes no sense to me. There were electrical problems whenever it was moist outside, and that went away magically. The only thing that didn't self correct was the busted door handles, busted glove box, cracked windshield and eventually the worn clutch.

Another surprisingly good car was the malibu. I'd heard they were good as of 2008, but I had a negative image of them. I was dead set on another import, and then I drove the Malibu. It surprised me enough to research the car and compare it, and I was again surprised. Since owning it I've been surprised time & time again. The lower rating in HP for the V6 is made up for in torque and it's way faster than I thought and seems to be close to or beat the car I almost bought and others I liked in flat out acceleration.

I don't remember what year it was, but I bought a used, bright yellow Chevy Luv truck. It was 1 1/2 years old when I bought it. Used it as my daily driver, back and forth to work, which was 30 miles each way. Changed jobs and the commute went up to 46 miles each way. Ran like a bear, very dependable and came in handy for picking up lumber and things for weekend projects. I shudder when I think of how often I overloaded the thing. Still ran fine when I junked it. There was more rust than body by then.

Dare I say I once owned a YUGO :eek: nothing but an overgrown tin can but it ran beautifully, had all the bells and whistles(stereo,AC) put many a Nissan and Toyota to shame at red light races up to third gear :D:D:D

Dare I say I once owned a YUGO :eek: nothing but an overgrown tin can but it ran beautifully, had all the bells and whistles(stereo,AC) put many a Nissan and Toyota to shame at red light races up to third gear :D:D:D


Hahaha I've had many a lightweight & quick little cars that can also win any race.... up to third gear.

I don't remember what year it was, but I bought a used, bright yellow Chevy Luv truck. It was 1 1/2 years old when I bought it. Used it as my daily driver, back and forth to work, which was 30 miles each way. Changed jobs and the commute went up to 46 miles each way. Ran like a bear, very dependable and came in handy for picking up lumber and things for weekend projects. I shudder when I think of how often I overloaded the thing. Still ran fine when I junked it. There was more rust than body by then.

That reminds of a friend of my dads. When I was a kid (6 or 7 in early 80's) my dads friend bought an Isuzu pup with a diesel. I remember everyone making fun of the truck (it did have a total lack of power). He drove the heck out of that thing putting something like 300,000 miles on it until he retired form the USAF in 93-94. He kept and used it on his farm and if I remember right it got backed over by a tractor or somthing like that.

I had a Chevy S-10 ZR2 in 2000 that I loved. I got rid of it after only a couple of years. I still miss that truck more than I probably should... :(

The other car in my stable is a 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata. It is the best engineered car I have ever owned. It just feels amazingly tight and crisp. Love the new Malibu too, though! For a long road trip I'd take the 'bu over the Mazda any day.

The biggest surprise I've had out of any vehicle was my 01 reg cab 2wd 5 speed 4 cyl S10 I bought new off the lot. That truck did not go in the shop one time and I beat the ever living piss out of it. I overloaded it, raced it, got it stuck, and any thing else you can think of. It was the toughest truck I've owned.

The worst goes out to my Duramax. I love the truck and don't plan on getting rid of it, but wow. There must be 20 recalls on it that I can think of. Issues range from transfer case leaks because the pump rubs through the case to the stepper motors going out in the dash all the time. It makes me sick to think of the price I paid for this truck and all the defective parts GM built it with. You could take this thing to the dealership once a week and still fall behind on service bulletin work.

I never mentioned my disappointment vehicle. Back in '98, the wife fell in love with the Caddy Catera. I thought it's look was disappointing, but the interior was awesome. It even had a cooler built into the glove box to keep thinks cool.

After buying it and then driving it, it was just too small for me. The wife thought it was the perfect size. I brought it back to the dealer for routine service and was asked how I liked the car. I responded by telling the owner I was having a problem with the front and rear bumpers. Really, he asked. Yup, they're too close to each other, I told him. :D

While still new, I was taking my daughter to the airport and the serpentine belt blew off. Turned out to be a recall item that caused it. Daughter missed her flight and I was stuck in the left side shoulder of I95 in center city Philly. :eek:

I purchased my 1991 Dodge D250 truck 5 years ago and it's been dependable. It can haul 4000 pounds easily. The 5.9 liter engine gets about 12 mpg.

My 05 V6 Malibu, when we were looking at getting a new car it was not even on the radar.

Happened to walk in to a dealer, and the sales man got a Malibu and an Optra and told me drive both of them. Came back from the Malibu test drive with a huge :) on my face and for the 4 years we had it was trouble free.

So natch when it came time for a new ride the Malibu was tops on the list.

Well I was fairly surprised by the power of my 04 Cavalier 5spd base when I was finally able to drive it how I wanted. It was my first 5spd car and up til that point, I'd been driving a 1981 Malibu 4dr. The Cavalier is a HUGE step down from the Malibu in the thought of interior space and trunk space, but the difference in fuel consumption and power made me feel a little better about it.

Oddly, I miss my 81 Malibu 4dr like crazy. It was the 229ci 3.8L 2bbl V6 with a 3spd auto [no OD], it was about as slow as a car can get and the mileage was horrid [around 9-12mpg stop and go "city" before chopping the exhaust], but truth be told it was a VERY comfy car. I hope I can get my hands on another one some day...preferably with a V8 this time though :p

I bought my wife a 2007 Camry LE because of the rave reviews for quality, safety and reliability. 3 years later, the quality is still there and the reliability. The safety, not so much. The car, which we didn't realize didn't come with traction control standard on our trim level, has been horrible in the winter. Even with new tires, the car slides left and right when accelerating and barely will pull ahead. Even my old 2006 Cobalt with traction control pulled through the snow like it was a Jeep.

I was suprised to be let down by our Camry, that is for sure. Next up, 2010 Equinox.

I had two Saabs. Need I say more? :D

Intersting instances are there I liked to read it. But I always have been happy with my vehicles.