I don’t know if you’ve ever driven a really fast Tesla, but I assure you it’s not as exciting as it sounds.

Very true, but I think when looking at some of those you listed, the WRX, the Legacy GT, and the Charger would arguably be dropped because they’re all sedans.

Nissan is in an odd position because base Mustangs have gotten much better and more powerful, there’s a greater amount of competition around that price and performance point (from things like Camaros, Challengers, and formerly the Genesis Coupe), and Infiniti has the Q60.

Even after the 05 Mustang dropped, the HR in the Z was great competition and a much better driving car.

I really doubt the new Z will compete directly with a Supra. The Supra was aiming for the Boxter, both in performance and in refinement. The Z has historically been entry level, or one step above entry level. Also, during the 350Z/370Z era, the base price was usually very close to an equivalently powered Mustang.…

BRZ was $30k when it first came out in 2012 or so, I highly doubt in 2020 with much higher prices they’d start a 4 cylinder at anywhere under $35..

I would love to see a cheap variant that is meant to compete with the BRZ and the Miata.

Fair enough, the “repair on your own” is not always a feasible option, and the savings in money are often paid in time spent.

Oh, I’ve known plenty of people who daily drive cheap shitboxes, and refuse to fix any small issue because of laziness.

1st gear - The problem with higher demand. Sure you will get more for your used car but then to replace it higher prices. There are two ways to win here:

The previous jellybean phase fizzled out in the early 90s. That is one fairly predictable cycle, Hard lines exaggerating, being replaced by softer lines, soft lines exaggerating, being replaced by hard lines.

Might I wager a guess why you find your late 90s F150 so comfortable? I would guess that it’s the horizontal space, room to spread out and adjust position?

I had a 67 Tempest with a vinyl bench. Never once had an issue with sliding around, and I drove it hard. But then, I wore my lap belt.

The problem is that bench seats aren’t “sporty” and for some reason the public is obsessed with having something “sporty”, whatever that means.

For those of you that abhor the idea of a flat bench, there’s the compromise of the bench/bucket hybrid seat.

Speaking as someone who grew up in sedans and pickups with bench seats....

True, explorers were getting popular at that time too, but that doesn’t disprove the popularity of the van at that time.

I’ve never seen it as cyclical. Harley Earl moved the industry from tall and boxy to low and long, and everything since then has been a slow progression back.

The idea that crossovers won’t be cool so people will move onto... minivans doesn’t hold.

Admit it dude, the coolest thing about the Prowler was that front suspension and front-wheel get-up.