QOTD: What So-called 'Special' Car Let You Down?

I was channel surfing over the weekend and stumbled upon 2002’s Die Another Day, the last entry in the Pierce Brosnan era of James Bond flicks. Arguably the worst of the four. I’m a GoldenEye man myself, in no small part due to the video game that was big among my social groups in high school and on into college.

Anyway, while watching Die for about the fifth time this month (hey, it’s on Showtime a lot, what can I say?), I took note of the scene in which Halle Barry’s character pulls up to the ice-palace hotel in Iceland in a Ford Thunderbird. One of those retro models sold from 2002-2005 that came out with much fanfare — it was even a Motor Trend Car of the Year — before sales fell off a cliff.

Thing is, I always thought that generation of T-Bird looked great. I still do. But it sold poorly after the first year.

That T-Bird was one in a long line of cars cranked out in the 1990s and the Aughts, mostly by the Detroit Three, that attempted to capture buyers based on retro styling but either was a let-down in terms of performance or simply wasn’t marketed well. In the T-Bird’s case, a quick Google shows that reviewers at the time praised its looks but dished out mixed feelings about its performance. They seemed to like the V8 and dislike the five-speed automatic, and were upset by shakes and rattles. The consensus seems to be that the car would sell well and be thought of as a boulevard cruiser and not a sports car.

Other cars on the list of “hyped then, looked back upon with wary eyes now” include the Plymouth Prowler, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Chrysler Crossfire, Chevrolet SSR, and Chevrolet HHR (non-SS).

There were other models that attempted to snag sales, not with retro looks but modernist styling, that also flopped like a just-caught marlin – think Cadillac XLR.

What car were you once hyped about, only to later learn it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be?

Maybe you test-drove one of these vehicles and found out the hard way? Or you bought one in a fit of temporary madness? Perhaps you had extensive seat time for some reason – someone else in your household had one and you drove it on occasion, or you worked for a dealer that sold these abominations and you had to drive one every now and then? Maybe, like me, you spent a month in one that the rental-car company foisted upon you while your Accord sat lonely in a body shop waiting on parts after being smacked by a Saab wagon that went wild due to black ice?

Yes, friends, I “owned” a PT Cruiser for about a month while my poor Honda awaited the surgeon’s touch.

This question has been on my mind not just because I saw a T-Bird in an 18-year-old movie, but also because the upcoming Bronco could disappoint. I don’t think it will, based on its specs and Adam’s first-ride report, but we won’t know for a while yet. Hopefully, the return of the Bronco goes over better than the return of the Thunderbird.

Until then, I want to know what car got you all hot and bothered, only to find out that it was the automotive equivalent of a cold shower?

[Image: Steve Lagreca / Shutterstock.com]