These Are The Automotive Heroes That You Regret Meeting

Well, you finally did it. You worked hard, you persevered, and you were finally able to get a spin behind the wheel of your dream car. The only problem is, now that you’re driving, it’s… a little underwhelming. It’s fine! Good, even! But compared to that mental image, that benchmark you built up in your own head, the real thing doesn’t quite measure up. You met your hero, and you now kind of wish you hadn’t. 

Last week, I asked you all for the automotive heroes you wish you’d never met. Today, we parse through your answers for the best, worst, or weirdest responses. We’ve got S2000s, M3s, Dodge Chargers, even 911s — I asked you all for the cars you wish you’d never driven, and you gave some truly spicy responses. Let’s dive through them, and attempt to be civil about everything in the comments. Please, I’m begging you, be civil.

I was sad when I did not like the s2000 after finally driving one. I retain respect for it (and I ‘get it’) but I think the praise is a tad overblown while the downsides are understated.

First, i’m used to/a fan of lower powered sports cars. I spent nearly a decade dd/autoX/tracking a Scion FRS, I love MX5’s (even though I don’t really fit in them) and plenty of my friends have/had really nice s2000s.

I’ve never really been a honda/vtec guy – and while I did appreciate the high revving engine i was unprepared for how gutless it was until the vtec switched over. I don’t mind a car that needs to be driven hard to get the most out of it, but the S2k needs to be beaten up to not be PAINFULLY slow.

I drove it for a few laps on a track and had fun but as a road car I would rather be in nearly anything else. I also think that in the real world, it’s a slower car than a frs/brz/86/etc or most miatas (at least NC/ND).

I liked the chassis feel, dynamics are fun (like a micro-corvette with the way you sit on the back axle over the looooong hood) and the inputs were awesome. But it’s just such a letdown to have a car that’s so ungodly underpowered when the chassis can handle so much more.

Great car, but I don’t ever need to drive one again and liked it more before I had my go in it.

Submitted by: Nathaniel Kuhn

I still desperately want to drive an S2000, I’ve never loved the seating position in a car more. I’ve ridden in one, but never had a turn behind the wheel. 

E9x M3. great sounding engine, but it definitely lacks in torque. its outshined by the 335xi which is more comfortable, works in all weather and seasons, also makes a great sound, pulls like a diesel and costs half. both are equally unreliable but with the 335 you dont pay the “M” tax at the stealership

Submitted by: adam f

An E93 M3 was actually one of the first cars I ever drove, albeit very slowly on a back road when I was a kid. Eventually, I got to take one out on a CarMax test drive and spin the rear tires on a highway off ramp. That, I will say, was a good time. 

1969 Dodge Charger RT.

I drove a restored one. Not a modified one. Stopping a 4,000lbs behemoth with 4 drums brakes is… an experience.

It looks amazing, and has tons of power, but the handling, stopping, and every other technology just wasn’t there yet.

Submitted by: Dr.Xyster

Don’t let the 1969 Dodge Charger guy hear you say that. I love the look of old muscle cars, but I can’t imagine they hold up to modern cars in really any measurable way beyond styling. 

For me, it was early WRXes. When I needed a four-door family car, I went straight to the WRX. I had an SVX and other Subarus, so that seemed like the right choice.

But, man, I just did not get along with it. Dynamically, I just didn’t enjoy the car. And the interior was…feh. I bought an RX-8 instead. It had its own drawbacks, yeah. But it was a real sports car and had so much

Submitted by: Poorsche

I really want to know what year is “early” here. Blobeye? Bugeye? Did you try a Hawkeye with the 2.5?

Maybe sacrilege, but old 911s. Yes they are iconic, but typically have no power by modern standards (the early ’80s 911SC for example produced a whopping 180hp), have very stiff clutch pedals and shift like trucks.

Submitted by: PJ

Old 911s are gorgeous, but they’re not exactly built to modern standards of short-shifting. Tech has advanced. 

RX7 FC. Granted, I got the NA version instead of the Turbo, but still, I liked quite a few things about it, like the interior, the drivability, and the popup headlights. But then came the bad things, and by far the worst part of it was the engine. Despite being 150hp, it was slower than my Alfa Romeo 155 with the same power on flat roads, and slower than almost everything else going uphill, and after only 4 weeks of owning it, I stoped the car after a relaxing drive, and it ejected all coolant on the parking spot. I then put it in a shop to be fixed and restored, but no one wanted to work on it, and parts were a nightmare to get. Sold it for peanuts to a couple of RX enthusiasts to be transformed into a trackway car. Lost like 90% of what I paid for it.

Submitted by: Tiago Bastos

I’m taking solace in this being about the naturally aspirated FC, so I can keep dreaming about owning Ryosuke Takahashi’s Turbo II some day. 

Had the opportunity to test drive a lowish (30k) mile 2004 Lexus LS430. Suspension felt kind of crashy (compared to my mk7 GTI which isn’t renown for a cush suspension), it had lackluster acceleration from a V8. Driving experience was a total snoozefest, heavy and unpleasant (I have fonder memories of plush luxury from an 80’s Jaguar XJ6 and Mercedes 300E. If I had to drive an LS430 as my only car, I’d feel like I was in auto purgatory, reliability aside.

Runner up–manual E46 M3 convertible–great engine sound, but everything else was kind of meh by modern performance car standards and I guess I’m spoiled by Hondas b/c that rubbery gearbox—eesh.

Submitted by: PutterJacks♡DeweyStreudel

I have to wonder how well-maintained that LS was, because hearing that its suspension was harsher than an MK7 GTI is absolutely wild. 

Couple not so popular takes I am sure.

Honda S2000. I love roadsters, I have owned half a dozen and driven many dozens more, from Austin Healey Sprite to Miatas and modern Corvettes.

On paper the S2000 sounded like the ultimate sports car, light, responsive, engine that loved to rev.

I test drove one and, while everything may have seemed a notch or so above a Miata (no ND Miatas yet at this time) I think I was expecting two or three notches. That and the dash display, that looked to me like it belonged in an 80s GM car.

I found the MR2 Spyder much more engaging.

Second is the E36 3 series, once again on paper a car I should have loved. Drove a nice coupe with a manual, it was all…ok…found the contemporary IS300 much more comfortable and fun to drive. Bonus it is easier to own and maintain too.

Submitted by: Greg Lemon

We already got the S2000, but the E36 is another bold claim. It’s a beloved enthusiast car, but maybe the lower trims just don’t live up. 

A FD RX-7 R1.

I love the RX-7 in general and got a shot to drive the top-tier performance R1 trim. It’s awful.

The suspension is uselessly stiff, the steering too heavy for how light the car feels otherwise, and overall it is such a downgrade to the standard turbo.

When I say stiff, I mean you could drive over a dime and know which side is up. It’s brutal.

Gorgeous car and I wanted to fall in love with it because Mazda had gotten every other suspension correct for playful track days, but this was such a miss.

Submitted by: potbellyjoe

Again, like the FC, I’m glad this comes down to a specific trim. The FD is gorgeous, don’t you make me think it’s not good to drive. 

Cub Cadet XT1 lawn tractor. Having moved out to the country to a lot of 2+ hilly acres, I asked around for thoughts about what brand and type lawn tractor I should get. The majority consensus was Cub Cadet. Armed with this knowledge, I went to the local dealer with a topo map of our property to determine what machine was best under our conditions and was directed to the XT1.

It has been a nightmare – the deck belt comes off nearly every time I disengage the drive (I have learned to avoid this by raising the deck to its highest setting before disengaging/re-engaging, but what a PITA); when switching out to mulching blades, the spindles were stripped and the dealer wouldn’t replace because it was more than 6 months after I bought it (I bought in October 2023; brought this up in May 2024; I live in WI so this was only after 3 cuts and less than 10 hours on the machine); and uneven cutting height between the right and left blades.

I’m trying to find a way to get rid of it and get a new one, but the SO is not real keen on dropping another few grand on a machine that is less than 2 years old.

Submitted by: 86eldorado

Go off, 86eldorado. You tell that tractor who’s boss.