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New series: Listing my favorite unappreciated cars over the years
Ok, so I'm bored and decided I'd start a new thread to periodically list some of my favorite cars over the years that were really underappreciated during their production runs but which were actually spectacular cars in either styling, design, performance or all three.
1994-1995 ACURA LEGEND COUPE LS 6MT
So, for my first car on this list I am going with an obvious choice here on Azine as pretty much everybody around here already knows all about the "Legend-ary" luxury coupe from Honda back in the mid-nineties. As a teenager the Legend coupe was absolutely one of my most desired dream cars at the time and the decades that have passed since its demise have done little to curb my enthusiasm for them even today. The second generation Legends looked fantastic in any configuration IMO, but the coupes were the real standouts for me personally because of all the little changes made to the design such as the gorgeous curved rear end with its recessed and enclosed taillight design, the more aggressive front with the fogs in the lower corners and reworked headlights, the LS coupe-specific alloys and the little triangular rear windows that were power operated. On the inside the Legend coupe (in LS trim) was simply stunning and was a model for what a 90's luxury interior should be, especially in the black/tan combo. Lexus had always done a great job with their interior design since the LS400 launched but the Legend coupe absolutely measured up to the best Lexus had to offer in terms of design and materials quality. Most Acuras from the time resembled well-equipped Honda's but the Legend (particularly the coupe) was clearly well beyond the typical Honda and actually boasted some impressive luxury features for the time such as 2-person memory and heated seats, comfort access, power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, TCS, and crucially that buttery-smooth 6MT. The Legend even had soft-close doors just like high-end BMW's and MB's of today. While the 3.2 V6 in this car only made around 230 hp it was very smooth and plenty quick in a straight line, aided by that manual transmission. Just a great mid-90's Acura from a time when Honda was really trying to compete in the luxury segment (the succeeding first-gen RL was just a catastrophe in comparison).
Anyway, feel free to post your thoughts on this classic Acura. I think its a car that deserves to be remembered.
I don't know why but I swore that original Legend Coupe had 260 hp but whatever, it in my opinion as someone else pointed out, was not an under-appreciated car.
Both generations of the Acura Legend set the bar that Acura is only now coming back to after 20 years. I don't think they were under-appreciated at the time.
But there is a 2-door Acura that fits the bill. I think the 2003 CL Type S with the 6 MT is an under-appreciated car.
The 5AT was underwhelming, and none of the CLs of either generation had anything close to the styling of the Legend, but performance wise, the 03 Type S with the 6 speed is very fun to drive. I don't know exactly why Acura spent the engineering resources to develop a 6 MT only to drop it after one model year.
I was really talking about popularity when I placed this in the "underappreciated" list. The fact is that the Legend coupe was never close to a big seller especially in 6MT LS trim and the Lexus LS400 and SC400 quickly nabbed sales dominance in the flagship Japanese luxury segment. This is Acurazine after all and obviously members here will consider the Legend coupe as a classic, but in terms of normal people, the Legend never really made much of a mark which is a real shame (especially since I believe that is the biggest reason why Honda reversed course so catastrophically when they replaced the Legend outright with the RL). Anyway, I had recently watched a YT video of a guy who had just recently purchased a nice 94 Legend LS coupe and decided to start this list with an Acura since it seemed to fit quite well here on this forum. I too was very well aware of the car's greatness at the time it was on sale and I am not at all surprised that members here don't consider it underappreciated at all. I'll make sure the next entry in the list is more obscure for sure!
Legend 2dr Coupe L w/Cloth 5-Spd = $31,850
Legend 2dr Coupe L w/Cloth Auto = $32,650
Legend 2dr Coupe L w/Leather 5-Spd = $33,350
Legend 2dr Coupe L w/Leather Auto = $34,150
Legend 2dr Coupe LS 5-Spd = $36,250
Legend 2dr Coupe LS Auto = $37,050
Legend 2dr Coupe L 6-Spd Manual = $39,980
Legend 2dr Coupe L Auto = $39,980
Legend 2dr Coupe LS 6-Spd Manual = $43,850
Legend 2dr Coupe LS Auto = $43,850
Crazy how Acura brand could command those prices back then. $43,850 for Legend coupe LS back in 1995 is equivalent to $72,484.45 today (inflation adjusted). No way Acura could sell a $72,484.45 car now.
During the SLX’s production run, I recall visiting my local Acura dealership and seeing only SLXs in the service bay. Visit timing aside, probably speaks to how well Acuras were built and how poorly Isuzus were built back then.
OT, the 2G Legend Coupe was never under appreciated. But I do agree that the original Lexus SC was under appreciated. I sat in an SC400 at the NYIAS during the 90s and was amazed at its ergonomics.
Best handling FWD car of it's era, the 2G Ford Probe GT. Test drove a 5MT Probe GT while helping my sister-in-law shop for cars, really impressive handling and cornering. Nice interior, and a great Mazda V6.
Friend had one and unfortunately many (including his) had head gasket problems that warranted a few replacements and machining the heads. Other than that, it was a great FWD sportscar.
I always liked the Probe. Styling holds up pretty well even today.
Ford was right to make the Probe its own model, I recall reading somewhere that they considered making the Mustang FWD since so many cars were beginning to be configured that way at the time. Glad they didn't!
I've never had a problem with FWD though. 99% of the time most people don't drive in a manner that would really let you feel the difference. Even then, a RSB is a cheap and easy mod. If you have four passengers, bitch seat doesn't have to deal with the dumb driveshaft hump.
I always liked the Probe. Styling holds up pretty well even today.
Ford was right to make the Probe its own model, I recall reading somewhere that they considered making the Mustang FWD since so many cars were beginning to be configured that way at the time. Glad they didn't!
I've never had a problem with FWD though. 99% of the time most people don't drive in a manner that would really let you feel the difference. Even then, a RSB is a cheap and easy mod. If you have four passengers, bitch seat doesn't have to deal with the dumb driveshaft hump.
Yeah, the Mustang almost went FWD in the 80's IIRC and then Ford almost cancelled it in the 90's. Some die-hard Ford senior managers kept it in production despite exec's wanting to axe it.
There's a whole chapter in Pulitzer Prize winning book "Comeback: The Fall & Rise of the American Automobile Industry" about the Mustang.
I always thought the 2008 / 2009 Pontiac G8, especially the GXP was under appreciated. The GXP had an LS3 V8 with 415HP/415 LB FT. You could get it with a 6MT and it's 0-60 was around 4.5 seconds and 13.0 flat at 109 mph in the quarter.. It also came with the upgraded FE3 suspension with Brembos.. And cost right around $39K..
I guess it didn't help that Pontiac got dissolved when GM filed for bankruptcy in 2009.. It was a shame because IMO I felt that the G8 was finally a step in the right direction for Pontiac/GM but by the time it came out it was too late.. A friend of mine who I haven't seen now in years had one exactly like this.. What a fun car to drive..
Best handling FWD car of it's era, the 2G Ford Probe GT. Test drove a 5MT Probe GT while helping my sister-in-law shop for cars, really impressive handling and cornering. Nice interior, and a great Mazda V6.
Friend had one and unfortunately many (including his) had head gasket problems that warranted a few replacements and machining the heads. Other than that, it was a great FWD sportscar.
i had a 94 626 LX V6 5MT back in the day, effectively the same mechanicals as the PGT/MX6 LS
Definitely an underrated car. I remember getting into a good run vs a 94 Prelude VTEC on the GS Parkway and it more than held its own. (Wifey had a 95 626 LX 4 cylinder AT at the time which wasn’t quite as fun.)
Best handling FWD car of it's era, the 2G Ford Probe GT. Test drove a 5MT Probe GT while helping my sister-in-law shop for cars, really impressive handling and cornering. Nice interior, and a great Mazda V6.
Friend had one and unfortunately many (including his) had head gasket problems that warranted a few replacements and machining the heads. Other than that, it was a great FWD sportscar.
Ah man, I definitely should've thought of the Ford Probe GT! It was one of my favorite cars as my 16th birthday approached and I remember feverishly reading every magazine article about it (and the 94 Prelude VTEC and 325is as well) trying to decide what my first car would actually be. I even remember that exact picture in that original C&D comparison issue. Incidentally I was being a bit optimistic as my actual first car ended up being a 92 Civic LX, Lul.
The Chevy SS is hands down the most unappreciated sports sedan in recent memory. Blame (subjectively) bland styling, but this thing is the business. My prediction is that we'll all be kicking ourselves in 20 years when these things cross the block at Barrett Jackson for ~$100K.
Chevy SS and the GXP are awesomely underrated. I wanted a GXP so badly back then.
I know a guy who went from LS2 Miata to supercharged BRZ to an Exocet. Can't daily the Exocet so he got a Chevy SS for a daily. Sweet stable.
Originally Posted by Legend2TL
Yeah, the Mustang almost went FWD in the 80's IIRC and then Ford almost cancelled it in the 90's. Some die-hard Ford senior managers kept it in production despite exec's wanting to axe it.
There's a whole chapter in Pulitzer Prize winning book "Comeback: The Fall & Rise of the American Automobile Industry" about the Mustang.
Shows how much the suits know. Enthusiasts never die, they just get older. If anything, they get more money to play with.
Who'd have thought back then that they would have went from competing against Camaros to competing against Corvettes and M3s? We never would have seen it if they axed the Mustang.
The Chevy SS is hands down the most unappreciated sports sedan in recent memory. Blame (subjectively) bland styling, but this thing is the business. My prediction is that we'll all be kicking ourselves in 20 years when these things cross the block at Barrett Jackson for ~$100K.
Right there with you on this. I can't think of a more unappreciated car in recent memory.
I don't see them appreciating to ridiculous numbers, but could easily see them holding value well. The few I checked out online, locally, were all still pretty pricey.
The Chevy SS is hands down the most unappreciated sports sedan in recent memory. Blame (subjectively) bland styling, but this thing is the business. My prediction is that we'll all be kicking ourselves in 20 years when these things cross the block at Barrett Jackson for ~$100K.
You are spot-on about the SS, its a fantastic sport sedan. I drove one at a Carmax a few years ago and it was seriously fast. Interior wasn't my favorite but it had basically every feature I could think of at the time and that V8 could make me forget about even a bad interior (and the SS interior isn't bad at all, just not my favorite). Only reason I didn't get more serious about it at the time was the price was still too high for me (I think they had it listed at like $45k but it was still almost new back then).
All of Carmax’s prices are usually pretty high but towards the end of its lifetime GM was running crazy deals on them, almost as steep as their pickup truck discounts.
07-10-2018, 12:22 AM
at me. 
