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What happens when you get an NV200


windguy
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  • 5 months later...
3 hours ago, Fifty150 said:

Does anyone else have a Mitsubishi 80's flashback?

Reminds me of my Toyota Mini van!   This is a stock photo.  Mine was "copper" colored.  Way back in 1984.

I actually really liked that van.  I was able to fit two large dog crates in that plus gear. 

Also had a utility trailer I used for a motorcycle hauler to go with it.

photos_toyota_van_1984_1_1280x960.jpg

Edited by Tiller
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I've heard that the minivan market in The U.S. was huge, until all the people who drove them, didn't care for the "image".  A matter of form over function.  

 

Minivans became thought of as a "soccer mom" car.  So much so, that not even soccer moms wanted to be seen in one.  imagine that, a soccer mom didn't want to be seen as a soccer mom.  Is that why they have "mom jeans" and "dad pants"?  The soccer moms moved into SUVs.  Minivans either went big, or went home.  The Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, and Dodge Caravan are probably the only survivors, and they had to bulk up to compete with Denali, Suburban, Expedition, Explorer, and whatever else a soccer mom wanted to look sexy in while driving her kids around.  Does a Hummer make your ass look better?  

Whatever happened to station wagons?  When I was kid, Brady Bunch wagons were everywhere.  There were 9 of them, including the maid, plus they even brought the dog along.  Sure, there's a little Audi wagon, and Subaru has something that looks like a wagon.  But nothing in today's market even comes close to those old school wagons with bench seats that all the surfers had.  

 

I'll give $1 to the first forum member to paint their van like Scooby Doo.

 

scan0048-3_zpsc5b67818.jpg

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On September 15, 2016 at 11:18 PM, G B L said:

FordEconoline.jpgThat's a modern flashback! Try this one.

 

My friend, Greg, had one of these - not in this good condition, however.  The first clutch I ever put in.  The rolled-on Lucite puke-green housepaint paint-job - an improvement over when he got it! And the price was right, what with gas over $0.20 a gallon!

I started out with  a Dodge Tradesman van - in orange! 318 and 3 on-the-tree. Amazing what some 8" rims and some radials did for that beast. Eventually had a Yellow VW Microbus - Westfalia camper version.

As for wagons, I currently have two: a VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI (which I will be keeping), and a BMW 528it.  Great vehicles.  Now I add a TC to the stable.  I lament that Volvo, BMW, Audi and the now defunct Saab don't bring wagons in anymore. (sigh)

Wagons and Minivans suffered the same problem: Marketing. Sensible vehicles that did not have "sport" in the name, so they got relegated to soccer moms and (gasp) families.  The Minivan actually is one of the most practical vehicles on the market as far as interior space is concerned.  SUVs are big on the outside, surprisingly tiny capacity for their external mass, and everyone has to have one.  They're sporty.  Yup. Thanks CAFE and EPA for making such monsters.  And they all friggin' look alike. Ugh. 

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10 hours ago, kxrf said:

Sensible vehicles that did not have "sport" in the name, so they got relegated to soccer moms and (gasp) families.

European manufacturers figured this out quickly and simultaneously started to produce sportwagons, you can have AMG Mercs, RS Audis etc. I think Alfa Romeo 156 was the original sportwagon giving the kick in the butt for everyone. Now there are sportwagons available from Cadillac, who would have thought.

Pretty nice for a 20-yo design:

alfa-romeo-156-sport-wagon-ii-2004-wallp

I drive to Germany a couple of times a year. The leftmost lane on the Autobahn is occupied by Porsches, Lambos and wagons.

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4 hours ago, mrtn said:

European manufacturers figured this out quickly and simultaneously started to produce sportwagons, you can have AMG Mercs, RS Audis etc. I think Alfa Romeo 156 was the original sportwagon giving the kick in the butt for everyone. Now there are sportwagons available from Cadillac, who would have thought.

Pretty nice for a 20-yo design:

alfa-romeo-156-sport-wagon-ii-2004-wallp

I drive to Germany a couple of times a year. The leftmost lane on the Autobahn is occupied by Porsches, Lambos and wagons.

(drool)  And stick-shifts, too.  US has almost achieved their goal on completely non-interesting, non-fun vehicles in the (ahem) affordable sector.

Funny though, can't get the Cadillac Sport Wagon in the US any more.

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And apparently, Ford does not see us buying the Ranger.  So that was taken off the market.  Bad move.  People bought little trucks like Tacomas instead.  Now, the ranger is coming back.

 

But given the choice, I would still drive a little "City Van" like a transit connect, as opposed to those long station wagons of The 70's.  The only reason I ended up with this wagon, was because in my local market, Nissan, Chevy, Ram, & Mercedes are all cargo vans without seats.  That will be changing.  I expect to see the other manufacturers offering city vans with seats shortly.  They must see the market potential since all these Ford wagons are being sold.  Mercedes will have to offer a version that is a lot more luxurious.  I may move into one of those if the interior is more comfortable, and I can get a Mercedes diesel under the hood.

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