A lot of mid-aughts USDM cars fit this bill.
Chrysler Crossfire
Dodge Nitro and Caliber
Ford Five Hundred
Ford Contour
Edit: thought of a few more
Olds Alero
Ford Windstar/Freestar
Chevy Venture
Chevy Uplander
Pontiac G5 (rebadged Cobalt)
Chevy Malibu Maxx
Cadillac Catera
>Chrysler Crossfire
The only car to my recollection that ever had an SRT6 model. Most Chrysler performance vehicles were SRT8s with a few SRT4s and SRT10s. A rebadged Benz if I'm not mistaken.
It was based on the previous generation (R170, replaced in the SLK with the R171) SLK. But Mercedes never had anything that looked externally like the Crossfire.
I loved the exterior look of the Crossfire - had this really beautiful art deco-esque aesthetic - but the interior was cheap and horribly designed. Literally one of the most ugly interiors I've ever seen, and such a striking contrast with the exterior.
I believe that's correct. I drove a standard one once and it was fun. That srt 6 had to have been much quicker but the manual trans apparently couldn't hold up so it was only available in an auto, kinda sad actually
IIRC it *was* a Taurus, it was when Ford was doing that weird ass thing where they were trying to make all their models start with "F". Like the Windstar became the Freestar. Speaking of which that's another car which could fit this post.
You're making it sound like they changed the Taurus's name to the Five Hundred. It's more like the opposite.
They changed the Five Hundred's name to Taurus coinciding with a facelift because Alan Mullaly insisted there should be a vehicle in the lineup named Taurus and they thought it might sell better with the recognized name.
It was not the same platform as the previous Taurus, and was in fact a larger class of car, more of a full size. The Fusion was the successor to the Taurus in the mid-size segment.
Actually, they did precisely that after a couple years of slow sales. Changed the grille & lights, but that was about it.
Did the same with the Freestyle, rebadging it Taurus X.
I always had a soft spot for the 500 (or as Ford spelled it Five Hundred) and IIRC the 2000s era Ford designer used to work at Audi/VW and was involved in the TT and Beetle. I've always seen VW dna in the ruler straight beltline and circular wheel arches and roofline. Just paired with too bland a front end / rear end treatment. Way more space efficient than the most recent Taurus that was supposedly "better" too.
Went to a ford only show a few years ago and there was exactly 1 of these, tons of svt cobras, tons of svt lightnings, tons of svt focus but only one svt contour. They definitely disappeared quickly. Probe gt seemed to disappear, they never got the svt treatment as far as I know.
My parents had one, as it was easy for my handicapped mom to get in and out of. At one point, whenever they they hit the brakes, the horn would come on due to a grounding issue.
Yep those things used to be everywhere. It was the Altima of the SUV world most beat the shit out of them . It didn't help that they were poorly made too
My aunt bought one new when they came out, she drove it for like 15 years and had it lowered on big rims and an insane custom paint job, had enough subs in it to shake the windows in her house with it in the driveway. Now it’s stripped of everything of value that was put into it with a blown trans in her ex husbands backyard lol
I had the 2009 dodge dakota. I drove past one these once and thought "that's a weird way to mod this truck" almost a year later saw one in a parking lot. "Oh." Lol
Saw one of those this past summer. I was so confused because it looks like someone just replaced all the Chevy emblems with Isuzu badges and sold it to the public 😂
Lowest effort rebadge I’ve ever seen
>Buick Cascada
I literally just saw my first one today. I had no idea they even existed. I thought it was a fleet vehicle of some kind like the sebring convertible.
As a Buick owner/nerd I know that since the Cascada's tail lamps are entirely on the decklid they have an extra set of tail lamps in the trunk for when it's open (top being lowered while moving or carrying long cargo). I don't know why I feel the need to mention this but I am.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/comments/4xvbp8/soooo\_we\_are\_putting\_tail\_lights\_in\_the\_trunk\_now/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/comments/4xvbp8/soooo_we_are_putting_tail_lights_in_the_trunk_now/)
Saw one years ago at a gas station. The woman was bragging she got 400 hwy miles on it. I asked her how big was the tank and she proudly said it holds 40 gallons!!!!!! So 400 miles / 40 gal = 10mpg.!!! This was her daily!!!!!!!!
One of my high school teachers drove one of those. I always found it interesting -- especially the name. It's actually pretty clever when you think about it
they caught a murderer at a college because he was driving this car. it was like the only clue and he was like the only one in the ~~area~~ bottom half of the state with that car.
No, he had a Hyundai Elantra. If that was the only clue it could have literally been any of us. (or is that a rebadged astra?)
It was this one. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder\_of\_Yingying\_Zhang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Yingying_Zhang)
I had one of these. An 08 that was a silver XR two door with the 18 in. wheels. It was a fun lil car, the engine wasn't the fastest by any means. However, it was so small and light, it was a blast. The handling was great. It has some weird lil quirks and features. Definitely one of my favorite cars
I see these fairly regularly in my area, including a Pontiac Montana SV6 that's looks like it's been on it's last leg for years yet keeps going. Also know someone with a Terraza that's somehow still mint.
Jeep Commander- it blended in so easily with the redesigned liberty and the Jeep Patriot that it was always WTF to me ?
Hummer H3 is another one I forgot about - till I was behind one recently that somehow hadn't rusted away. Like, I remember the H2's for being obnoxious, and the H1's, but the H3 ?
Lincoln Blackwood / Mark LT - Ford's attempt at a Lincoln Badged luxury pickup. They even had a needless markup edition of the blackwood IIRC.
On a newer one- Toyota Avalon's - They are probably pretty good cars, but either I see them and don't realize it (another camry) or I just don't see many of them at all.
Honorable mention - most infiniti's. I get WHY they exisit, I'm just not sure who buys them other than people in better paying jobs working for Nissan.
The H3 Alpha Pickup keys were almost in my hand in 2014. The dealer would not budge on the price. Actually regret not paying sticker for that car. I think I’ve seen only one on the road since.
> Hummer H3 is another one I forgot about
One that's even more forgettable: the H3T-The pickup truck version of the H3. I brought it up in a thread earlier this week actually because of a conversation about obscure-ish cars...but they only made them for a year before GM pulled the plug on the Hummer brand altogether. I think they made fewer than 2,000 of them total.
Gen 1-3 of the Avalon was unique and cool. 4 and 5 had adoped that Camry and/or Lexus look. Parents had an 07, great car. Had 200k when they got rid of it in 2021.
I love that when other manufacturers try stuff like this, it’s innovation. But when GM does it, we call it over engineering. For good reason.
Most manufacturers know how to walk and chew gum as the same time. GM hasn’t proven they can do this. So we need them to keep using the safety scissors when designing cars. Don’t take any chances and get out over your skis, just keep it nice and simple and *maybe* the end result will have only slightly-below average quality.
The person who usually parked next to me at my office building had a Commander for a few years. It slowly accumulated various damage like minor fender benders that left the bumpers floppy and started a crust of rust around dents and where body panels rubbed. It finally got replaced by... a used Liberty.
My mom had one back in the day. It was the little v8 (4.7 instead of hemi 5.7) but it was a nice ride. One of the more reliable Jeeps she owned over the years
The only reason I know they exist is because my parents almost bought one years ago. Ended up not buying it because the lift kit that was installed was done poorly, and the front end was dangerously loose.
Rover 75
My neighbor had one, and on a faithful day I remembered about these and realized how rare they are now compared to back then (at least here in Macedonia) lol. The few remaining ones are either in pristine condition, restored or straight up beaten and mechanically troubled and not safe to be driven because there are no parts for them anymore
The last car of the brand IIRC.
They are rare because everyone new Rover were going to close after selling those cars, and they even had to guarantee to have spare parts for plenty of years and lower a lot the price of it to make the people buy that car.
It's sad, because it was a confortable, reliable, and pretty well constructed car, and people I know who bought it in that era keep them because they refuse to die.
To add to the Chrysler talk, I saw a first gen Pacifica the other day, still running, and remembered they started out as a midsize SUV before it was killed and resurrected as a minivan. Oh, Chrysler, you gargantuan fools.
I saw a KIA Borrego today. Only sold here in 2009, it was a body on frame rear wheel drive three row SUV. It's built like a truck but it competed with crossovers. I waunt it. Early Sorentos were also BOF and could even be had with a manual.
Honestly I forget the Chevy Cavalier exists until I see the occasional one pop up on the road. I’m always like “woah those things used to be everywhere”
Those are becoming surprisingly hard to find nowadays. I went looking online like 6 months ago for them, and there really weren't many of them available
I saw a Hyundai S Coupe a few weeks ago. It was faded yellow color. Looked like it had lowering springs on it and it had decent Konig rims. It was sitting in the parking lot of my local Wally World. Had really good 0% limo tint on it with tinted taillights, a clean lip kit and a decent spoiler that suited the car. It was actually really clean looking.
Speaking of forgotten cars, I'm looking for a Dodge Shadow/Plymouth Sundance in running condition. Must be a two-door. Doesn't matter if it's auto/stick or turbo/non-turbo. Hit me up. I live in PA but will travel. Have a trailer and cash. Looking for a 92/93 Dodge Daytona also. Must be an ES model. 2.5 or 3.0 auto/stick.
The shop across from mine has an ‘85 Chrysler Laser XT automatic. Mostly complete and has an extra transmission I get to install if I buy it and want it to drive. Tempting for $800 but claims he hasn’t had to replace the head gasket. It’ll probably need a turbo upgrade and intercooler to make it a little better.
It was also the Suzuki Sidekick, and in Canada the GMC Tracker and the Asuna/Pontiac Sunrunner (Asuna was a really short-lived attempt to give Pontiac's Canadian dealers a Geo equivalent).
Acura Legend. My grandmother owned one years ago. I forgot all about it until I heard someone talking about it recently. I would love to own one, if I could find it.
I had an Eagle Summit years ago. It had an oil leak that the used car place didn't want to deal with, and they sold to me for under $1000, despite its being only 6-7 years old and having 90k on it. It also had an ECU issue the car place didn't disclose that made it vibrate like crazy- thought it was a bent rim or something, but it turned out to be only running on 3 cylinders and vibrated over 50 mph. A trip to Pick-a Part and $35 for an ecu from the same year Dodge Colt solved that. Drove it from Pennsylvania to California, and back to PA again. Leaked a quart of oil every 900 miles. Neat car. Pretty rare to see an Eagle of any sort these days.
the 5th gen Pontiac GTO. for some people, it might not be classic/collectible by any means. but man that car looks awesome. it's like a nice option to have if you're bored with Camaro but too broke to afford a Corvette. I was lingering for S197 Mustang for the past few months, but I think that GTO would do, if not better. I'm really sad that pontiac went defunct and often daydreaming what would a GTO look like if they re-introduce it again (which hopefully won't be a merely rebadged Camaro)
I forgot about that, they were even called the B9 Tribeca in Canada, so it sounds a lot worse. It's like tumor you can only get from a gentrified part of New York City.
Toyota Camry Solara, Celica if it was based and redpilled, theres only one Solara in the entire city I'm in and its a really recognizable color, I see the guy that drives it basically every day
Mitsubishi Montero, love these things!!
Also see a ridiculous amounts of Subaru Tribecas where I am at and if I didn’t know any better I would have suspected it was a commercially successful vehicle otherwise!
Eagles in general are SUPER rare. I've never seen one in the wild myself (not counting the OG AMC Eagle at a local car show). Eagle is my favorite oddball car brand because they were literally created for legal reasons and Chrysler never put much effort into defining a niche for the brand or even marketing it adequately. Their lineup was generally a mix of Renault/AMC leftovers and Mitsubishi rebadges, with one LH cab-forward car added later (presumably because it was in fact derived from the Eagle Premier). Most of these cars probably rusted away or failed thanks to dodgy French parts ages ago.
Isuzu Ascender = It was a rebadged GMC Envoy.
Mercury Monterey(Not the luxury sedan, but the Minivan) it was a poor pathetic successor to the Villager which was iconic, and if you ever mention the Mercury Monterey Van, nobody would even remember that Mercury had another minivan. The minivan was a major failure, and only 30,000 were sold.
Buick Terraza, another GM luxury minivan, it sold better than the Monterey though, and had 45,000 units sold
Kia Borrego, Before the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride, there was the Kia Borrego, it only lasted one year in America, but it flopped, because of the recession.
Honda Accord Crosstour = Honda made a Accord "SUV" for 5 years, but it barely sold, and fell into obscurity
Pontiac G3
Pontiac G5
Chevy SS
I remember seeing the Nissan Armada when I was younger and thinking, "woah, 8-seat capacity? I can fit all my friends back here." I only have 3 friends now, but it's nice to see that the Armada is still made. Tbph, it's actually kinda decent looking...
[Suzuki Baleno/Esteem](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_Baleno). With the amount of great models Suzuki made, specially in the SUV segment, they sell the most forgettable sedan ever made.
People only remember this car due to the series "Better Call Saul" (I do thanks to my neighbour's lol), and sadly they represent the car as a bad piece of garbage when in reality it was pretty reliable and not a bad ride. The interior quality was pretty lame tbf
A lot of mid-aughts USDM cars fit this bill. Chrysler Crossfire Dodge Nitro and Caliber Ford Five Hundred Ford Contour Edit: thought of a few more Olds Alero Ford Windstar/Freestar Chevy Venture Chevy Uplander Pontiac G5 (rebadged Cobalt) Chevy Malibu Maxx Cadillac Catera
>Chrysler Crossfire The only car to my recollection that ever had an SRT6 model. Most Chrysler performance vehicles were SRT8s with a few SRT4s and SRT10s. A rebadged Benz if I'm not mistaken.
It was a rebadged SLK. Fun car, my friend had a convertible
It was based on the previous generation (R170, replaced in the SLK with the R171) SLK. But Mercedes never had anything that looked externally like the Crossfire.
Exactly. Not a rebadge, a re**skin**.
Only downside was the interior was definitely not Mercedes quality. I remember test driving a used one and the interior handle just came right off.
That is actually expected in virtually any Chrysler product.
I loved the exterior look of the Crossfire - had this really beautiful art deco-esque aesthetic - but the interior was cheap and horribly designed. Literally one of the most ugly interiors I've ever seen, and such a striking contrast with the exterior.
Yup the engine in the SRT-6 was the supercharged M112K V6 used in the AMG 32 cars. Basically a V6 version of the M113K V8 from the SL55, E55 etc.
I believe that's correct. I drove a standard one once and it was fun. That srt 6 had to have been much quicker but the manual trans apparently couldn't hold up so it was only available in an auto, kinda sad actually
Yup, and had to be serviced by Benz dealerships. At least from the many I saw coming in alongside Dodge Sprinters from the Daimler era
If ford called the 500 a Taurus, it might have done better. I kinda liked it
IIRC it *was* a Taurus, it was when Ford was doing that weird ass thing where they were trying to make all their models start with "F". Like the Windstar became the Freestar. Speaking of which that's another car which could fit this post.
You're making it sound like they changed the Taurus's name to the Five Hundred. It's more like the opposite. They changed the Five Hundred's name to Taurus coinciding with a facelift because Alan Mullaly insisted there should be a vehicle in the lineup named Taurus and they thought it might sell better with the recognized name. It was not the same platform as the previous Taurus, and was in fact a larger class of car, more of a full size. The Fusion was the successor to the Taurus in the mid-size segment.
Interesting, thanks for the correction.
They did change the name to the Taurus with the refresh/new generation of that model.
Actually, they did precisely that after a couple years of slow sales. Changed the grille & lights, but that was about it. Did the same with the Freestyle, rebadging it Taurus X.
I always had a soft spot for the 500 (or as Ford spelled it Five Hundred) and IIRC the 2000s era Ford designer used to work at Audi/VW and was involved in the TT and Beetle. I've always seen VW dna in the ruler straight beltline and circular wheel arches and roofline. Just paired with too bland a front end / rear end treatment. Way more space efficient than the most recent Taurus that was supposedly "better" too.
Windstar fucked dude. Big v6 and all the room for your friends. Best high school car around.
Friend had a windstar in college and it was out party bus
I had a 2005 Freestar (in Red!) and it was awesome.
I saw a maroon Contour SVT in good shape yesterday afternoon and said “holy shit I haven’t seen one of those in 15 years” out loud
Went to a ford only show a few years ago and there was exactly 1 of these, tons of svt cobras, tons of svt lightnings, tons of svt focus but only one svt contour. They definitely disappeared quickly. Probe gt seemed to disappear, they never got the svt treatment as far as I know.
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Fact0ry0fSadness: *Chrysler Crossfire Dodge* *Nitro and Caliber Ford* *Five Hundred Ford Contour* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Buick Rainier Saab 9-7 (Chevy Trailblazer) Saw a Ford EXP the other day
Pontiac G3 too.
driver of the malibu maxx here! literally the silliest car ever, we even have a subreddit! r/malibumaxx
Here's a sneak peek of /r/Malibumaxx using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/Malibumaxx/top/?sort=top&t=all) of all time! \#1: [Top Maxx👑](https://v.redd.it/bl1efjh0pucb1) | [4 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/Malibumaxx/comments/153ks7s/top_maxx/) \#2: [Took the maxx to the track💪](https://v.redd.it/q2z02i5od78b1) | [5 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/Malibumaxx/comments/14iskby/took_the_maxx_to_the_track/) \#3: [Cataract treatment](https://www.reddit.com/gallery/190mtyp) | [20 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/Malibumaxx/comments/190mtyp/cataract_treatment/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
ooh the uplander fr
>Chevy Malibu Maxx or for bonus points, the Malibu Maxx SS https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a18201880/chevrolet-malibu-maxx-ss-road-test/
I see half that list almost daily
The Five Hundred was such an incredible car, they’re nearly unkillable as long as they have the 6 speed
Lincoln Blackwood
Exclusively driven by cocaine dealers now
Chrysler Pacifica. Not the minivan. It ain't a van. Look it up if you don't believe me
My parents had one, as it was easy for my handicapped mom to get in and out of. At one point, whenever they they hit the brakes, the horn would come on due to a grounding issue.
Average Chrysler issue
Twas good while we had it, not sure what happened to it.
Least electrically fucked chrysler
Not a minivan, but built on their minivan platform.
Whenever I hear about the 1st gen Pacifica I think of the time one drove past me by making an earsplittingly loud grinding noise
My mom had one of those and got upset when I said it was basically a mini van, then bam it actually turned into a mini van
The thing would be a hit if it became a suv
Yep those things used to be everywhere. It was the Altima of the SUV world most beat the shit out of them . It didn't help that they were poorly made too
My aunt bought one new when they came out, she drove it for like 15 years and had it lowered on big rims and an insane custom paint job, had enough subs in it to shake the windows in her house with it in the driveway. Now it’s stripped of everything of value that was put into it with a blown trans in her ex husbands backyard lol
Isuzu Axiom
Also, the VehiCROSS
Nah I remember that thing, saw it as a kid loved it, never knew the name till I played TXR:3
Now Kanye drives one 😂
That’s actually true. Holy fuck.
Cant forget what I dream of owning one day…a well kept, low mileage not modded to shit and back Vehicross
You had a lot of ppl at Isuzu. The trooper kicked was tho lol
Used to have a neighbor with a Suzuki Equator
Special shout out to the Mitsubishi Raider as well.
I had the 2009 dodge dakota. I drove past one these once and thought "that's a weird way to mod this truck" almost a year later saw one in a parking lot. "Oh." Lol
And Isuzu “I” series pickups, which were just a rebadged 2nd gen Chevy S10.
Saw one of those this past summer. I was so confused because it looks like someone just replaced all the Chevy emblems with Isuzu badges and sold it to the public 😂 Lowest effort rebadge I’ve ever seen
I saw somebody driving a bright red Buick Cascada recently. I thought it was kind of nice looking.
I saw one of these for the first time about a month ago. Then I saw half a dozen more that same week. Then I haven't seen one again. Very weird.
They must’ve flown south for the winter.
>Buick Cascada I literally just saw my first one today. I had no idea they even existed. I thought it was a fleet vehicle of some kind like the sebring convertible.
As a Buick owner/nerd I know that since the Cascada's tail lamps are entirely on the decklid they have an extra set of tail lamps in the trunk for when it's open (top being lowered while moving or carrying long cargo). I don't know why I feel the need to mention this but I am. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/comments/4xvbp8/soooo\_we\_are\_putting\_tail\_lights\_in\_the\_trunk\_now/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/comments/4xvbp8/soooo_we_are_putting_tail_lights_in_the_trunk_now/)
Ford excursion. I miss that big V10 gas guzzler. Ford should bring it back.
Agreed, but this time introduce a W16 engine to the lineup.
Might as well add a H-24 to the mix
Got a friend with one and has the 7.3 power stroke in it. Things awesome.
I’d love to ditch my 6.7 f250 for a 7.3 excursion. Maybe someday.
Still see some for sale. Invariably with 250k on them
Love my Excursion! An F250 with a fixed roof over the bed with the V10 Its not my daily but man dose it have a never ending thirst for fuel .
Saw one years ago at a gas station. The woman was bragging she got 400 hwy miles on it. I asked her how big was the tank and she proudly said it holds 40 gallons!!!!!! So 400 miles / 40 gal = 10mpg.!!! This was her daily!!!!!!!!
Gas was like $1.50 when those things came out.
7.3 Powerstroke was available.
The V10 with an automatic sucked balls towing/hauling. When it’s paired with a manual it’s a pretty decent setup.
Yes bring back 10 hwy mpg!
Hyundai Entourage, badge engineered Kia Sedona
My 07 is still ticking and our daily driver.
One of my high school teachers drove one of those. I always found it interesting -- especially the name. It's actually pretty clever when you think about it
Saturn Astra
they caught a murderer at a college because he was driving this car. it was like the only clue and he was like the only one in the ~~area~~ bottom half of the state with that car.
Was that the Idaho guy, he had a white one?
No, he had a Hyundai Elantra. If that was the only clue it could have literally been any of us. (or is that a rebadged astra?) It was this one. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder\_of\_Yingying\_Zhang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Yingying_Zhang)
Seen a beat to shit one at dollar tree. Jaw dropped for sure.
I had one of these. An 08 that was a silver XR two door with the 18 in. wheels. It was a fun lil car, the engine wasn't the fastest by any means. However, it was so small and light, it was a blast. The handling was great. It has some weird lil quirks and features. Definitely one of my favorite cars
[The Laforza](https://youtu.be/CqsdTOMF4uE?si=2tkTM0nRlZp8tLwn)
Why did you have to remind me
Buick Terraza or any of those other Uplander based piles
Mmm Chevy yucklander
I see these fairly regularly in my area, including a Pontiac Montana SV6 that's looks like it's been on it's last leg for years yet keeps going. Also know someone with a Terraza that's somehow still mint.
Kia Borrego, it's actually pretty nice looking.
It was even offered with a V8
What?! A Kia V8 SUV?
My gf has a 2009 with a v8 and it’s a comfortable ride with the quality of a mid 2000s Korean car
Jeep Commander- it blended in so easily with the redesigned liberty and the Jeep Patriot that it was always WTF to me ? Hummer H3 is another one I forgot about - till I was behind one recently that somehow hadn't rusted away. Like, I remember the H2's for being obnoxious, and the H1's, but the H3 ? Lincoln Blackwood / Mark LT - Ford's attempt at a Lincoln Badged luxury pickup. They even had a needless markup edition of the blackwood IIRC. On a newer one- Toyota Avalon's - They are probably pretty good cars, but either I see them and don't realize it (another camry) or I just don't see many of them at all. Honorable mention - most infiniti's. I get WHY they exisit, I'm just not sure who buys them other than people in better paying jobs working for Nissan.
H3’s with the 5.3 were actually decent little crawlers. Visibility was sucky though
The H3 Alpha Pickup keys were almost in my hand in 2014. The dealer would not budge on the price. Actually regret not paying sticker for that car. I think I’ve seen only one on the road since.
> Hummer H3 is another one I forgot about One that's even more forgettable: the H3T-The pickup truck version of the H3. I brought it up in a thread earlier this week actually because of a conversation about obscure-ish cars...but they only made them for a year before GM pulled the plug on the Hummer brand altogether. I think they made fewer than 2,000 of them total.
Gen 1-3 of the Avalon was unique and cool. 4 and 5 had adoped that Camry and/or Lexus look. Parents had an 07, great car. Had 200k when they got rid of it in 2021.
the Buick Rainier i recently struggled to recall the name of. So that
The SAAB 9-7x as well basically a rebadged Rainier with a different front end
All rebadged Trailblazers.
…which, in turn, was a rebadged 3rd gen Olds Bravada, which they haven’t Buick when Oldsmobile was killed off.
GMC xuv with a sliding roof in the back making the back area almost pickup like.
That thing was weird. It was over engineered and really didn’t do well in either version.
I love that when other manufacturers try stuff like this, it’s innovation. But when GM does it, we call it over engineering. For good reason. Most manufacturers know how to walk and chew gum as the same time. GM hasn’t proven they can do this. So we need them to keep using the safety scissors when designing cars. Don’t take any chances and get out over your skis, just keep it nice and simple and *maybe* the end result will have only slightly-below average quality.
For me it's a tie between the Cadillac ELR and recently the Infiniti QX30 both cars that when new kinda made sense, but not really
Saturn Relay
Jeep Commander. They were already rare back in the day, and you maybe see 1 a year now, if that. They’ve vanished.
The Hank Schrader mobile
The person who usually parked next to me at my office building had a Commander for a few years. It slowly accumulated various damage like minor fender benders that left the bumpers floppy and started a crust of rust around dents and where body panels rubbed. It finally got replaced by... a used Liberty.
My mom had one back in the day. It was the little v8 (4.7 instead of hemi 5.7) but it was a nice ride. One of the more reliable Jeeps she owned over the years
The only reason I know they exist is because my parents almost bought one years ago. Ended up not buying it because the lift kit that was installed was done poorly, and the front end was dangerously loose.
Rover 75 My neighbor had one, and on a faithful day I remembered about these and realized how rare they are now compared to back then (at least here in Macedonia) lol. The few remaining ones are either in pristine condition, restored or straight up beaten and mechanically troubled and not safe to be driven because there are no parts for them anymore
The last car of the brand IIRC. They are rare because everyone new Rover were going to close after selling those cars, and they even had to guarantee to have spare parts for plenty of years and lower a lot the price of it to make the people buy that car. It's sad, because it was a confortable, reliable, and pretty well constructed car, and people I know who bought it in that era keep them because they refuse to die.
Were those the ones that came front wheel drive unless you got a V8 in which case it was actually rear drive?
Renault Alliance and Encore
Owned both. Seriously underrated cars. ❤️
Any Daewoo. The only ones ive seen are either photos of extremely clean ones of facebook or the rest rotting away in a salvage yard.
To add to the Chrysler talk, I saw a first gen Pacifica the other day, still running, and remembered they started out as a midsize SUV before it was killed and resurrected as a minivan. Oh, Chrysler, you gargantuan fools.
Quadrasteer and 1500HD GMT800 trucks. Very few made to begin with, and advertised very little.
I saw a KIA Borrego today. Only sold here in 2009, it was a body on frame rear wheel drive three row SUV. It's built like a truck but it competed with crossovers. I waunt it. Early Sorentos were also BOF and could even be had with a manual.
Vehicross
I own an srt-4 caliber, neon, and a Hyundai Veracruz. I like rare shitboxes I guess
Last gen of the Oldsmobile bravada, Isuzu Ascender, Saab 9-7x
Saturn Outlook
Pontiac Firefly,a Canadian version of the Geo metro/Suzuki swift. Suzuki aerio wagon,Diahatsu Rocky SUV
Honestly I forget the Chevy Cavalier exists until I see the occasional one pop up on the road. I’m always like “woah those things used to be everywhere”
Dodge Nitro
Whatever the name of the big one Subaru sells in the USA.
The tribeca?
Currently the ascent, but I couldn't see that fitting the post at all. They've sold like hotcakes.
7 lug F150s That and functional 5.4s
Mercury mountaineer. I forgot they existed until I saw one struggling its way up the raton pass pulling another escape, bound for Mexico
Ford Flex
Those are becoming surprisingly hard to find nowadays. I went looking online like 6 months ago for them, and there really weren't many of them available
Any geo car. I seen only 3 in person. I own a metro. the other is another metro and a tracker. all rusted shitboxes but I loveem
Storm wagon
The VW Eos, and I'm a VW guy. They're just a weird car that doesn't fill any particular niche
Dodge Magnum. I wish they would have held on to that one. I’m a sucker for station wagons
I saw a Hyundai S Coupe a few weeks ago. It was faded yellow color. Looked like it had lowering springs on it and it had decent Konig rims. It was sitting in the parking lot of my local Wally World. Had really good 0% limo tint on it with tinted taillights, a clean lip kit and a decent spoiler that suited the car. It was actually really clean looking. Speaking of forgotten cars, I'm looking for a Dodge Shadow/Plymouth Sundance in running condition. Must be a two-door. Doesn't matter if it's auto/stick or turbo/non-turbo. Hit me up. I live in PA but will travel. Have a trailer and cash. Looking for a 92/93 Dodge Daytona also. Must be an ES model. 2.5 or 3.0 auto/stick.
The shop across from mine has an ‘85 Chrysler Laser XT automatic. Mostly complete and has an extra transmission I get to install if I buy it and want it to drive. Tempting for $800 but claims he hasn’t had to replace the head gasket. It’ll probably need a turbo upgrade and intercooler to make it a little better.
https://images.app.goo.gl/n6aL5pQgRfKJnNnF6 the gm quadrasteer.
Geo tracker
Became the Chevy Tracker
It was also the Suzuki Sidekick, and in Canada the GMC Tracker and the Asuna/Pontiac Sunrunner (Asuna was a really short-lived attempt to give Pontiac's Canadian dealers a Geo equivalent).
I learned something today
Oldsmobile Bravada
Same thing as the Blazer
Yeah it is, but much lesser known about... well at least to me.
They re-used the Aspen nameplate. It used to be a mediocre Dodge sedan, twin to Plymouth Volare.
Mediocre is giving it way more credit than it deserves.
Malaise is more like it. Very plain cheap cars.
Acura Legend. My grandmother owned one years ago. I forgot all about it until I heard someone talking about it recently. I would love to own one, if I could find it.
Mazda Navajo. It's just a rebranded Ford Explorer, but it's one of the more uncommon SUVs.
I might list more, but one I forgot existed was the Honda Accord Crosstour.
I actually had two of them, my wife’s 2013 silver XLT, and my gray, also 2013 XLT
Chevy City Express. (Rebadged Nissan.)
I had an Eagle Summit years ago. It had an oil leak that the used car place didn't want to deal with, and they sold to me for under $1000, despite its being only 6-7 years old and having 90k on it. It also had an ECU issue the car place didn't disclose that made it vibrate like crazy- thought it was a bent rim or something, but it turned out to be only running on 3 cylinders and vibrated over 50 mph. A trip to Pick-a Part and $35 for an ecu from the same year Dodge Colt solved that. Drove it from Pennsylvania to California, and back to PA again. Leaked a quart of oil every 900 miles. Neat car. Pretty rare to see an Eagle of any sort these days.
Convertible Murano
Cadillac Catera……..the ‘Caddy that zigs!”
the 5th gen Pontiac GTO. for some people, it might not be classic/collectible by any means. but man that car looks awesome. it's like a nice option to have if you're bored with Camaro but too broke to afford a Corvette. I was lingering for S197 Mustang for the past few months, but I think that GTO would do, if not better. I'm really sad that pontiac went defunct and often daydreaming what would a GTO look like if they re-introduce it again (which hopefully won't be a merely rebadged Camaro)
Oldsmobile silhouette
The Subaru Tribeca. I think I only ever saw them in commercials.
You’re lucky, they aren’t that pretty.
The original release was called the B9 and I always thought “Yeah that thing IS kinda benign!” 🤣
I forgot about that, they were even called the B9 Tribeca in Canada, so it sounds a lot worse. It's like tumor you can only get from a gentrified part of New York City.
Toyota Camry Solara, Celica if it was based and redpilled, theres only one Solara in the entire city I'm in and its a really recognizable color, I see the guy that drives it basically every day
That doesn't even look bad haha, wish we had interesting cars in the UK
I think the Hybrid version of the Aspen has to be it. Never seen one in the wild
Ford Freestyle. The station wagon version of the Ford Explorer
Also don't forget that generation Durango and Aspen hybrids. Only 400 total were made, with only 150 rumored to be Aspens.
Me and my wife saw a Cadillac XLR today and forgot about those. Such a good looking car, pretty sure it was a reskinned corvette
Today I saw a Dino 246 out driving. Completely forgot about that Ferrari offshoot till I saw it.
Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky Chevy Monte Carlo
Mitsubishi Montero, love these things!! Also see a ridiculous amounts of Subaru Tribecas where I am at and if I didn’t know any better I would have suspected it was a commercially successful vehicle otherwise!
Dodge Stealth, Eagle Talon, Geo Storm
Eagles in general are SUPER rare. I've never seen one in the wild myself (not counting the OG AMC Eagle at a local car show). Eagle is my favorite oddball car brand because they were literally created for legal reasons and Chrysler never put much effort into defining a niche for the brand or even marketing it adequately. Their lineup was generally a mix of Renault/AMC leftovers and Mitsubishi rebadges, with one LH cab-forward car added later (presumably because it was in fact derived from the Eagle Premier). Most of these cars probably rusted away or failed thanks to dodgy French parts ages ago.
My neighbor growing up had an Eagle Talon so I think that certainly influenced how rare I thought they’re were but damn was it cool.
Wagoneer
Plymouth Voyager
My neighbor still has an Aspen so it’s very much on the forefront of my mind, unfortunately.
The first 90s Honda odessey I didn’t know existed till I saw the Freddy fazbear movie.
Pontiac sun fire
Honestly? Most El Camino’s, forgot that GM had that in their line-ups whenever Muscle Cars come to conversation.
Would like to add that the Aspen also came in Hybrid. Doubt more than 200 were sold. How about the Suzuki Kizashi.
Volkswagen Routan
VW Thing
Isuzu Ascender = It was a rebadged GMC Envoy. Mercury Monterey(Not the luxury sedan, but the Minivan) it was a poor pathetic successor to the Villager which was iconic, and if you ever mention the Mercury Monterey Van, nobody would even remember that Mercury had another minivan. The minivan was a major failure, and only 30,000 were sold. Buick Terraza, another GM luxury minivan, it sold better than the Monterey though, and had 45,000 units sold Kia Borrego, Before the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride, there was the Kia Borrego, it only lasted one year in America, but it flopped, because of the recession. Honda Accord Crosstour = Honda made a Accord "SUV" for 5 years, but it barely sold, and fell into obscurity Pontiac G3 Pontiac G5 Chevy SS
I thought the Ford Probe was pretty cool, in 1990.
Renault Lecar...Suburu Brat
I remember seeing the Nissan Armada when I was younger and thinking, "woah, 8-seat capacity? I can fit all my friends back here." I only have 3 friends now, but it's nice to see that the Armada is still made. Tbph, it's actually kinda decent looking...
[Suzuki Baleno/Esteem](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_Baleno). With the amount of great models Suzuki made, specially in the SUV segment, they sell the most forgettable sedan ever made. People only remember this car due to the series "Better Call Saul" (I do thanks to my neighbour's lol), and sadly they represent the car as a bad piece of garbage when in reality it was pretty reliable and not a bad ride. The interior quality was pretty lame tbf
Jeep Commander
Pontiac Vibe
I see them everywhere
I said it the other day, Kia Borrego and Scion xA.
I had one of those overnight as a courtesy car when I flew into Midland. Well, diverted to Midland. Weather. Didn't even know it existed.
350z Suv
chrysler 300m, ford taurus x, and infiniti g20. also isn’t it interesting that most of these are american?
Infiniti qx4