Car styles these days????

[bersaguy]

I did an experiment today. I walked out in my front yard with a lawn chair and a pair of binoculars. I sat down with Binoculars in my lap and I was going to see how many cars I could recognize and call by name brand at about 35 feet from road to chair. I had a list of the 12 most popular cars of today. I would guess what brand it was and check mark next to name. Then I would us binoculars to verify my guess. I guessed at almost 250 cars on my two lane road in 3 hours.

 

 

Out of all of my guesses I got 11 correct and there was 17 that I never got to see the manufacturers emblem so didn't have a clue what they were. The reason I did this was I have been listening to the local news recently and when a crime is committed and there are witnesses over the last 2 months also doing a survey on this of all the witnesses that saw the get away car which was a total of 42 in 3 month not 1 person could tell you a make or a model.

 

 

They could only said it was a white 2 door or 4 door or a dark colored sedan. The only four that the witnesses could identify completely was a Chevy pick up 2 Dodge pick ups and 1 Ford pickup. i have also noticed over the last several years that I cannot tell a Mercedes from a Hyundai or a Toyota from a Nissan.

 

 

Does anyone else have these problems identifying different brands of automobiles or is it just folks like me that have not been new car shopping in the last 30 years? Have the auto makers just decided it is easier to copy the competition than it is to employ actual designing engineers to design cars and trucks for them so they can stand out in a crowd?

 

I use to look forward to the Fall of the year when the new car models would get released for the up coming year. They don't do that any more. They come out with new body styles or new car information all year long now. Now each Fall they all run big money off sales to try and unload the previous  year model cars before what they call the new cars hit the dealerships.

 

 

More crimes might get solved if folks drove cars that looked like Fords, Chevie's and Chrysler's of the 50's and 60's. You could at least tell one car brand from another

 

Ok done with my soap box.....................Someone else's turn.....................JMHO     

 

 

[hipower]

Will reserve comment on the OP as to his abilities to recognize cars. lol we are too close in age.

 

But these days aerodynamics play such a part in design that I find many makes are quite similar to one another.

[Garufa]

Most new sedans all look the same.

[bigun]

Paint them all black and you are truly lost. In the good ole day you could tell them apart by year make etc at 100 yards or more. New models was a big deal. Everyone went to the dealer to see them.

[Guest Field Boss]

I can remember when the new 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air came out. Almost everyone near us went to the dealerships those days to see the new cars. Now it is no big deal.

[musicman]

I am a car guy, and never have a problem identifying a car since I started paying attention when I was 13 yrs old. (1995, btw)

In fact, I have the reverse problem of the OP. Every box sedan from the 80s looks the same to me. Gee. Square headlights. Whose original, unique idea was that?!

I really think this is the same as music preference to what you listened to in your formative years; when you paid attention to what was popular and formed your tastes and preferences. We seem to keep with it for a few decades, then stop paying attention and stay in our bubble, then complain about what's new and say it all sounds the same. It doesn't, it's just passed us by. We're left yearning for the cars and music of our youth. Just like your parents did when they put down what you listened to as teenagers.

[bersaguy]

I am a car guy, and never have a problem identifying a car since I started paying attention when I was 13 yrs old. (1995, btw)

In fact, I have the reverse problem of the OP. Every box sedan from the 80s looks the same to me. Gee. Square headlights. Whose original, unique idea was that?!

I really think this is the same as music preference to what you listened to in your formative years; when you paid attention to what was popular and formed your tastes and preferences. We seem to keep with it for a few decades, then stop paying attention and stay in our bubble, then complain about what's new and say it all sounds the same. It doesn't, it's just passed us by. We're left yearning for the cars and music of our youth. Just like your parents did when they put down what you listened to as teenagers.

Well, I am glad someone can tell them apart. I was watching a car commercial on TV the other night and they had a Mercedes, a Mazda and a BMW in the commercial and it turned out to be a VW Jetta commercial and I had to wait till they told what car they were talking about to know who was paying for the commercial................jmho 

[runco]

I guess I am not crazy, I too play the car guessing game when I have to travel on the interstate, or maybe we are all crazy?  :screwy:

[Peace]

... at night, headlights in the rearview mirror.  I'm usually right on.

[justinjr21]

... at night, headlights in the rearview mirror.  I'm usually right on.

Me too I can at night as well but headlights are a sure in. I have been into cars since I was old enough to drive. It drives my wife crazy that i can pick a car out in our rear view mirror before it comes beside us. 

[Murgatroy]

Cars are my first passion. My wife has never been comfortable with this. But she accepted it enough to marry me.

 

I can identify make and model within a few years on nearly anything. Often just by headlight/taillight signatures.

 

I have been into cars since before I was in school. When I was in school I would sit and watch the cars drive by the windows. I paid more attention to the cars than the school work.

 

I have owned/built/hotrodded something around 200 cars in my life. Import and domestic, car and truck.

 

My daily driver is late model Mustang, my collector car is a classic Chrysler and my 'hotrod' is Toyota coupe. I currently have six cars. Half of them are Ford.

[Wyldk2]

My driveway is becoming a car lot. And I own only one of them.

 

I can usually tell vehicles apart, being raised up around cars most of my life, even though I have only owned 3 vehicles( not all at the same time).

 

Its usually the newer car that gets me though, unless I have seen one before, It takes me a little while to decipher what it is.

[LagerHead]

There are a couple of things at play here. First, cars looked the same back in the day too. Sorry, but it's true. How many of you, the first time you saw the movie "Christine" thought it was about a Chevy and not a Plymouth Fury? I know, I know. You knew, but I didn't. How different does that Fury look from some of the Cadillacs of the day? How about the similarities between the later GTOs and the Chevelles? I know, both are GM, but come on. 

 

Second, back in the day there was the big three and then all the rest. Now the big three aren't even the big three. Toyota is now the biggest auto manufacturer on the planet. There are way more variables than there used to be. But honestly, you can tell at least the manufacturer if you learn the traits that they repeat. For example, who doesn't know a BMW by seeing just the grill? Chrysler is making a lot of kind of boxy cars these days, so they're pretty easy to spot. Nissan is making all of their cars with that wide rear end and the flared fenders. Toyotas are pretty easy to spot because of the shape of their headlights. Audi...well, you get the point. 

 

I think the main problem folks have nowadays is that there are just so many more brands of car on the road. And hey, that's a good thing. Choice, aka competition, brings out the best in the industry as a whole. It's why you can now buy a regular family car with a nav system, DVD, custom wheels, etc.

[shaftbass]

I find styles that I love and styles that are repulsive from any and every period in automotive history.

 

That's why I have one car that's 48 years old, another that's 21 years old, one that's 11 yers old, and one that's 3 years old

 

:)

Edited October 8, 2014 by ReefBlueCoupe

[monkeylizard]

I'm good at telling them apart. Except Hyundai. They copy other designs so much that they look like a Mercedes or a Toyota from a distance. They're getting better about making their own deisgns, but they still look like copies to me.

[shaftbass]

Hyundai has definitely gaffled some design ideas from Jaguar.

[Motasyco]

The original post could have been written 20 years ago and still been true.  Cars started losing their identity in the 80's.  A couple of cars readily identifiable to me these days are the Challenger and the Mustang.  Probably because they resemble what they looked like in the 70's.  Certainly there are a few others that look a bit different, such as a PT Cruiser, but most cars have very similar lines.  With just a few exceptions, the car market is pretty bland.  Trucks are a little better.  I can still tell a Ford from a Chevy from a Dodge.  Just don't confuse me with one of those Japanese models.    

[bersaguy]

I think  the auto makers have not had as much concerns over appearance as much and they have zeroed in on accessories and what new magic options they can come up with for the car to do on it's own. Like stop it if your not paying attention, warning your drifting out of your lane. telling you there is a car in your blind spots and so on and so forth. I noticed Chevolet has just began advertising their own Wi-Fi in their GM vehicle including their trucks.............jmho 

[Motasyco]

I think  the auto makers have not had as much concerns over appearance as much and they have zeroed in on accessories and what new magic options they can come up with for the car to do on it's own. Like stop it if your not paying attention, warning your drifting out of your lane. telling you there is a car in your blind spots and so on and so forth. I noticed Chevolet has just began advertising their own Wi-Fi in their GM vehicle including their trucks.............jmho 

 

We wouldn't need some of those magic options if people would just drive instead of playing with their phones.

[bersaguy]

The original post could have been written 20 years ago and still been true.  Cars started losing their identity in the 80's.  A couple of cars readily identifiable to me these days are the Challenger and the Mustang.  Probably because they resemble what they looked like in the 70's.  Certainly there are a few others that look a bit different, such as a PT Cruiser, but most cars have very similar lines.  With just a few exceptions, the car market is pretty bland.  Trucks are a little better.  I can still tell a Ford from a Chevy from a Dodge.  Just don't confuse me with one of those Japanese models.    

Yep, there are a few out their that still can be defined pretty easy, Mustangs, Camaro's  Challengers, along with most of the Chrysler lines. Dodge Magnums, Chrysler 300's but then Chrysler has always been a little different and would stand out in a crowd in most cases...................jmho 

[LagerHead]

I think  the auto makers have not had as much concerns over appearance as much and they have zeroed in on accessories and what new magic options they can come up with for the car to do on it's own. Like stop it if your not paying attention, warning your drifting out of your lane. telling you there is a car in your blind spots and so on and so forth. I noticed Chevolet has just began advertising their own Wi-Fi in their GM vehicle including their trucks.............jmho 

 

Probably some truth there as well. There are several cars I can think of that are nothing short of ugly that are supposed to be pretty decent vehicles according to those who own them. However, I shop quality first with appearance and features running a close second. There are too many options these days to drive an ugly car or motorcycle. 

[tnguy]

Hyundai has definitely gaffled some design ideas from Jaguar.

 

I think Ford did too from their short period of ownership.

 

I have to agree with the premise of the thread too. I am a VW guy but they have lost a lot of their distinctiveness in the recent models.

Edited October 8, 2014 by tnguy

[tnguy]

I think  the auto makers have not had as much concerns over appearance as much and they have zeroed in on accessories and what new magic options they can come up with for the car to do on it's own. Like stop it if your not paying attention, warning your drifting out of your lane. telling you there is a car in your blind spots and so on and so forth. I noticed Chevolet has just began advertising their own Wi-Fi in their GM vehicle including their trucks.............jmho 

 

Yep. Cars have become so reliable at their base level that they need to add more crap to break to get you back in the dealership.

[Bubba0031]

Cars have become generic.  I recall when you ordered a car and there was a list of options with everything from tires and wheel covers to radios and seat covers.  Now you have two chooses and order a GL, GX (or whatever) trim package and have to take what is included meaning you may have to buy the sunroof to get a good sound system or nicer wheels.

 

I agree with the OP sometimes I look at a vehicle just to try to figure out what it is.

[seez52]

I've got to make more time to sit out on my porch and look at cars. Yep, no doubt about it.