In today’s Used Car of the Day feature, I pointed out that the Volvo C30 helped me rekindle my automotive enthusiasm, which was flagging a bit at the time both for professional reasons and because of the state of that era’s new-car market. The C30 was not the only car that got me back to the Barnes and Noble magazines section to buy buff books, but it helped — merely by looking cool.
Of course, times change, and the C30 isn’t a car I think about much anymore. And truth be told, my enthusiasm for new cars has waxed and waned over the years — some years just had cooler fleets than others. I am lucky that since the early ’90s, when I first really started to car about cars, the overall vibe has been good — we’ve long had performance cars that would dust anything from the muscle-car era, cars are safer and offer more convenience features, and while not all tech advances have been good, most have.
Still, there are times when I feel my passion sliding — and then perhaps a new car launches or a current car gets a thorough redesign, and something about that car’s looks and/or performance remains me why I care about something that 80 percent of the world (or more) simply writes off as basic transportation. I am reminded why I’ve stuck in this business — meaning automotive in general and automotive media specifically — when I could be working in an industry that faces fewer challenges and offers a more lucrative income.
I suspect this happens to some, maybe most, of you, too. Of all the car people I know, both within the automotive press and without, I don’t know a single one who just loves new cars unconditionally and uncritically. Everyone seems to go through a phase of malaise, but then something new reminds them why they spend time at sites like this one.
That said, my evidence is purely anecdotal.
So what say you? Is there a car, or multiple cars, that rekindled your automotive fire at a time you were feeling down about the state of market?
You know what to do.
Sound off below.
[Image: Virrage Images/Shutterstock.com]
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