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Japanese cars: fast-wearing style?

post #1 of 38
7/15/09 at 11:19am
Thread Starter 
So is it just me, or do others think that Japanese luxury cars tend to look dated and tired much more quickly than German and British luxury cars?

To me, most old BMWs, Mercs, and Jags age very well, looking classy even when they are 10 or 15 years old. But Lexi, Infiniti, and Acura, however, look really flat when they are even one generation out of date.


Thoughts?
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post #2 of 38
7/15/09 at 11:28am
It's the continuity of styling. Most European brands stick to their identity, versus Asian brands trying to find theirs. Only lately have you seen styling continuity in some of the Asian brands, e.g. Acura. Because of this, in an old European car, you might think of it as a classic; an old Asian car is just...old (few exceptions, of course).
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post #3 of 38
7/15/09 at 11:46am
timeless
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post #4 of 38
7/15/09 at 11:52am
^ Yeah, the older cars are classics.
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post #5 of 38
7/15/09 at 11:56am
I think americans are worse at that (see most offerings from chrysler, pontiac, etc), and japanese are close second.
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post #6 of 38
7/15/09 at 12:00pm
Some more here: http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/inde...ction=profiles

A lot of these cars have huge followings, particularly with the racing crowds.
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post #7 of 38
7/15/09 at 12:04pm
I think a lot of the old Z-cars are quite attractive.
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post #8 of 38
7/15/09 at 1:13pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by limping_decorum View Post
timeless




Quote:
Originally Posted by robin View Post
^ Yeah, the older cars are classics.

OK, good point. I can think of a few notable exceptions in the older cars, like old Zs, old rotary Mazdas and some old Datsuns. But the modern ones blow. Late model Lexus, Acura from just a few years ago look really bad these days. In the interest of full disclosure, I drive a Japanese car myself - RX-8 - I hope that the uniqueness of its style won't make it look sad in the future.

BTW - What is that orange car? Its pretty cool looking - Datsun?
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post #9 of 38
7/15/09 at 1:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jekyll View Post
I think a lot of the old Z-cars are quite attractive.
+1
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post #10 of 38
7/15/09 at 2:28pm
I do think some Japanese car design is pretty good in terms of staying power. Toyota has had some good stuff with the Supra, older ES300 and LS, etc. I also think NSX aged gracefully, and maybe nissan with some of the GTR series and others. I think s2000 will still look good in 20 years as well. RX7 and Miata as well. Notice the pattern here. Also, old Jap SUVs like Landcruiser, Patrol, and perhaps Bighorn are all pretty damn cool as well.
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post #11 of 38
7/15/09 at 2:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Louche View Post

BTW - What is that orange car? Its pretty cool looking - Datsun?
yes.
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post #12 of 38
7/15/09 at 3:46pm
I think the Japanese are capable of coming up with very nice designs. It`s just that the big automakers have to appeal to the mass, and in their minds that usually involves copying what is widely accepted at that particular time.

We laugh at the Chinese for making copy Ferrari, Lexus, etc., but the Japanese are basically doing the exact same thing, just slightly more subtle, as the average car buyer doesn`t really follow car design.
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post #13 of 38
7/15/09 at 3:50pm
Were'nt a lot of the early Datsuns Italian disigned?
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post #14 of 38
7/15/09 at 3:51pm
Wasn't this about luxury cars? Last time I checked a Datsun 510 wasn't a luxury car.
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post #15 of 38
7/15/09 at 3:51pm
japanese luxury cars, as in Lexus, Infiniti and Acura? which until a few years ago, probably only Lexus was considered a true luxury moniker. there are still many old Lexus LS400s and Infiniti Q45(?)s on the streets these days, they look on part with german 4-wheelers from the same era. and I'll take Acura NSX over Testarosa anyday you ask.
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