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Would you buy an ugly car

8 years ago

Disclaimer - this is my opinion only and I’m sure most poeple find it beautiful.

I’ve had 3 Honda Accords, have a 2015 now and I love it. However I find the 2019 versions of the Accord and Clarity to be ugly. Much too aggressive for me. BUT it’s still an excellent car.

Would you buy an excellent car that you have experience with but find unattractive or look elsewhere?

I saw the below review on YouTube and I agree with the reviewer.

Comments (85)

  • 8 years ago

    Yes but then I wear Uggs and Crocs. :-). Not a styling fashionista here :!/

    User thanked yeonassky
  • 8 years ago

    We owned a Ford Flex for a couple of years and I considered it extremely ugly. Ours was a pearly white and I called it Moby from day one; it was the first vehicle I've ever named. Ugly, ugly, ugly.

    I was so happy when my husband decided to trade it in for a truck. Even I think that the truck is very handsome.

    User thanked rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
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  • 8 years ago

    dees, ugly is in the eye of the beholder. But if it keeps potential customers from buying the vehicle, then it is a problem for the manufacturer. I know a lot of effort goes into the design, but it didn't stop the Edsel from being a dud.

    User thanked Annie Deighnaugh
  • 8 years ago

    Hubs says the Prius (all models) looks like a door stop.

    Annie, yes, Lexus is the high-end division of Toyota. And I agree with you on the front grill. I like the grill on mine so much better. This is my car - same color, same wheels, etc., but mine has the rear spoiler.


    User thanked Lindsey_CA
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    The Teslas are not as attractive as their price tag would imply. However, the interior is roomier than I thought it would be and they ride beautifully. Obviously, they are very quiet. Raising and lowering the vehicle to get in and out is great as is the retracting steering wheel. The huge touch screen in the center of the console is just plain cool. Nationwide charging stations in close proximity is still a problem.

    User thanked Elizabeth
  • 8 years ago

    Like my shoes, I prefer my cars to be comfortable. I can admire the spike heels and sleek sports cars from afar.

    User thanked Fun2BHere
  • 8 years ago

    I had a used, older brown Thunderbird once years ago and a brown pickup years later. I've always wanted another dark brown car - Lindsey, that is nice.

    User thanked schoolhouse_gw
  • 8 years ago

    Car styling seems to go in trends and I think that's why there are so many look-alikes now. I like German cars. I was looking for a new car a few years ago and found the brand i'd been driving had evolved into a more chiseled-aggressive style for most of its models and I found them unattractive. I bought a model from the other major brand instead (that has kept softer lines) and find I like it better.


    The beauty of the Prius is not how it looks but how it performs. Toyota hit a home run with its hybrid hardware and software systems and Prius (along with other cars in the Toyota/Lexus world that share the same basic hybrid platform) gets fantastic gas mileage and is uber-reliable. That's a big deal for people who rack up the miles. The downside of a Prius, like every Toyota and Lexus car I've ever owned or driven, is that the driving experience is BORING. My wife is happy with hers and its reliability is second to none. But boring, I won't drive it given a choice. I also won't personally own a Lexus as my car, for the same reason.

    User thanked Elmer J Fudd
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    YESSS..those big funky grills look terrible!! I see colors of cars and think, they'd have to give me a HUGE discount to buy that color car!!

    User thanked always1stepbehind
  • 8 years ago

    The 2018(?) accord looks mighty similar to the 2006 Honda Civic hybrid I owned until the first week of August 2017. I bought a Honda HR-V and took delivery in the second week of August 2017 once we arrived in our new state, Nebraska. It’s not terribly fancy but it’s AWD (something that proved quite beneficial following our first snow) and reliable. It’s also higher off the ground than all three civics I’ve owned - first car was 1990 Honda Civic, 2nd car was a 2000 Honda Civic 2door coupe, 3rd car (sold the 2000 to a cousin) was the 2006 Honda Civic hybrid (I’m a loyal Honda driver, lol). They’re perfectly sized for me, I’m 5’1.5” and need to be able to see over the dashboard and also have my feet reach the pedals at the same time. I really like the cargo area in my HR-V a lot , more than the trunks that all my civics had and especially the one in the hybrid. The hybrid trunk was much smaller than any of the others due to the design having put some of the vehicle’s systems behind the back seat firewall, thus shrinking trunk size and eliminating the ability to put the rear seats down to have the space to put long items the full length of the trunk and backseat. The HR-V back seat can be configured in various ways including fully reclined so the cargo area extends the full length with the rear seats laid flat - in case I ever need to haul lumber or take a nap back there. A couple blankets and a quick drop of the rear seating is all it would take to turn the back of the vehicle into a bed. ;)

    User thanked Jenn TheCaLLisComingFromInsideTheHouse
  • 8 years ago

    If boring means quiet, floats over bumps and has comfortable seats, I prefer boring. One thing I really miss about older cars is how comfortable they were. In the 70's and 80's we had a Cadillac coupe de ville and a Lincoln Town car. We were not happy during the oil embargo. But those cars drove like butter.

  • 8 years ago

    I was really young but I don’t remember the seats in the back of my dad’s station wagon or the dodge caravan that followed it, being especially comfortable to ride in. The accord station wagon was better, the ford ranger extended cab was...not...My family drove cars for years and years before trading in for a new vehicle - something that rubbed off on me where cars are concerned. It’s easier to save up the money doing things this way, so there’s at least a down payment near the full amount if not the full amount the car costs. Since a vehicle depreciates as soon as you drive off the lot with it, having a loan and accompanying interest to pay isn’t desirable.

    User thanked Jenn TheCaLLisComingFromInsideTheHouse
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    To me, boring means little or no road feel causing poor handling characteristics, poor acceleration and braking performance, uncomfortable ride, etc. I'm not a race car driver but with lots of unstraight and unlevel roads where I live, good handling characteristics are important.

    My parents had several Cadillacs. In the 80s, when we'd go to visit them, they'd insist I drive their car when we went somewhere together and I'd always politely suggest we take my car. One thing I remember about their cars, besides being too large and heavy in an unbalanced way to to handle properly, was how you could drive over a dip in the road and still be rocking back and forth a few seconds later, like a ship on a stormy sea. They got to like riding in my Mercedes and I suggested they get one too. They did and often remarked thereafter how much they liked it better than their previous Cadillacs.

    Everyone has different taste, there's no right or wrong.

    User thanked Elmer J Fudd
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I drove a 4-door Chevy Chevette for 8 years, nothing could be uglier (except perhaps a Pacer, the Gremlin, and that boxy Honda Element). I like the new Accord and the Lexus.

    User thanked diane_nj 6b/7a
  • 8 years ago

    I had 2 big Caddy's in the 80's and I loved that big marshmallowy feel. Climate control, big soft seats and so roomy. True land yachts. Delicious.

    User thanked Elizabeth
  • 8 years ago

    Hahaha - it’s the uneven roads (some might be comparable to driving on the cratered surface of the moon) here that make me glad my HR-V is higher off the ground. I had to be careful with my civic pulling in and pulling out of driveways to store parking, etc, or my front bumper was liable to get yanked off - potholes would hit the wheel wells and scrape underneath along the sides. I can’t imagine driving a civic in the snow, or how little protection it would offer should it skid on ice and flip over/strike something solid directly.

    User thanked Jenn TheCaLLisComingFromInsideTheHouse
  • 8 years ago

    I am thinking "cars" ... and tried a Jeep Cherokee limited ...but those seats were not comfortable for me but I liked the looks...but comfort won out! A friend suggested a FLEX ... no offense, but it was too ugly to even test drive! Guess I might be driving my good old Buick LaCrosse a while longer..,love that car, even though it has 131,000 miles on her!

    User thanked phoggie
  • 8 years ago

    I know someone who has more than 200k on her Toyota rav-4, so with proper maintenance it should be possible to drive most vehicles well past 100k miles on them.

    User thanked Jenn TheCaLLisComingFromInsideTheHouse
  • 8 years ago

    I'm sorry, but I don't get why anyone would call this ugly.

    User thanked lgmd_gaz
  • 8 years ago

    no i wouldn't buy a car i felt was ugly unless i really really needed it and it was a very very good price however dh and i are car people and we own and insure and drive 8 cars (2 of us). the present project car is the ugliest car of all and i am sooo excited about getting it finished (maybe 5 years from now) over the years (20) that we've owned this car it has grown on us BUT for my own daily driver, it needs to be one i like, i find i take much better care of a car i like...

    User thanked zippity1
  • 8 years ago

    We have a mini van. Dodge Grand Caravan Sport in a champagne color....its put the word ugly in the dictionary. Its old...not sure the year. I remember when we bought it used it had a plate on the front that said *Save the Planet, Kill Yourself* I removed it and tossed it but the van continued looking ugly even though the body was in mint condition. It has about 200 thou miles now and is even uglier but we must have a van, its paid for, and gets us where we need to go. Hubs used to teach auto mechanics at Vale Tech...good thing otherwise this would have died years ago.

    User thanked mamapinky0
  • 8 years ago

    1976 CVCC here, too. Mine was red. 5-speed and front wheel drive, that puppy got me through several winters in NE Ohio. It would go through anything! Hate when it died.

    "You may not care what your car looks like, but it may signal something to others." Guilty. So many cars now have LED front parking or running lights in a straight line or a Nike swoosh. When I see them behind me, I always think the car looks mad, and automatically apply that to the driver. I know they aren't all angry and impatient, but that's the first thing that comes to mind.

    User thanked aok27502
  • 8 years ago

    Dad used to say that his car's job was to get him from here to there and back without giving him any hassle.

    Being a farmer, he wanted his machinery to do its job, and being frugal, he didn't want it to cost a lot, either, whether originally or through its life.

    His concern with beauty was some distance down the priority list.

    Mine included a VW Bug (1957), Marquis, Rambler, Plymouth (don't remember model), Taurus, Dodge Colt, Ford van (when I sold corn-fired heating stoves), Mazda, Cobalt ... and now son's Pontiac Montana (that uses a LOT more gas than the Cobalt).

    I hope I can find another used Mazda.

    ole joyfuelled

    User thanked joyfulguy
  • PRO
    8 years ago

    WOW! They really have changed the Honda Pilot! It doesn't really look like a mini-van - more like the Audi Q7 - room for that 3rd row of seats.

    No, cars are far too expensive to buy one that one considers "ugly". But I often do have to get used to a style upgrade - still not used to the "new" Suburban - liked the older one better.

    And yes, that front on the Lexus is really ugly!!! It looks like a snarling mouth!

    I just keep leasing the same car over and over - I'm on my 4th Audi Q5. I always get black with a tan interior. I like it, the new ones always add a few new features (the 2018 added a LOT of new features - they're very nice!). I just wish the price didn't keep going up...

    User thanked Anglophilia
  • 8 years ago

    My uglIest car was our Volvo station wagon. I can't recall the year, but I'd guess the early 80's. It drove like a box as well, but we bought it when we started our family, as it had great safety stats.

    User thanked amicus
  • 8 years ago

    I'm a Lexus gal, but mine is a 2013 with the smaller grill. Surgeon I work with had a Lexus SUV and bought a Toyota highlander instead. I asked him why not another Lexus because I know he really likes the brand, and he said he couldn't stand the grill. So many don't like it. But I do, I think it is rather aggressive though. Kind of reminds me of a shark.

    User thanked sleeperblues
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Usually the new style changes grow on me, but not the ones the last few years. Toyota, Lexus with those big open wide weird grills and the boomerang shaped lights. Not feeling it.

    User thanked always1stepbehind
  • 8 years ago

    No. Life's to short to make these kinds of compromises. Besides my home, my car is the biggest one-time purchase I'll make.

    I suppose if it was good enough I could convince myself to see it as good looking.

    User thanked Patrick Blackmon (8a)
  • 8 years ago

    hmm..I don't find it to be ugly. But then, I could see one of these in my future. VW Beetle or the Smart Car. In that order. Maybe not red though.

    User thanked User
  • 8 years ago

    Don't get a Smart car. It doesn't move and it doesn't hold much. You'd be better off buying a Segway

    ;)

    User thanked rob333 (zone 7b)
  • 8 years ago

    I saw a Prius on the road today. It was grey, but the parts containing the rear lights were white. Ugly-plus-two.

    I loved my sports cars (Healey 3000 straight 6, Jaguar S 12), but once I could no longer easily get in and out of them, we had to part company. <sniff> I'm not sure I'm missing the cars or the younger Sue.

    User thanked chisue
  • 8 years ago

    I don't care what I drive as long as it goes forward and backward, has heated seats, remote start and 4 wheel drive.

    User thanked functionthenlook
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    When we first moved to our present location, we were looking for a 4x4 SUV for me to drive in the mountains. We found new Ford Explorere at a dealership, but it was a horrible bright blue and I just couldn't get past the color. We passed on that one and I ended up with a low miles deep red Ford Explorer that was a year old. I drove that car for many happy years and was sorry to part with it when the time came, but I'd pretty much worn it out.

    User thanked Rosie
  • 8 years ago

    Here’s my car. I’ve never been a Point A to Point B driver, no matter what. Lol

    This was taken around sunrise on Beartooth Pass between Montana and Wyoming in the summer of 2017. This car is a blast to drive and has assuaged my sadness at getting rid of my Mercedes Benz SLK. Somewhat. It’s fast and handles like a dream.


    User thanked User
  • 8 years ago

    Yes and I have. A Opal Kadett, brown. I was a poor airman and so bought what I could after the engine in my new Toyota Carolla went out.

    User thanked Kathsgrdn
  • 8 years ago

    "I don't care what I drive as long as it goes forward and backward, has heated seats, remote start and 4 wheel drive."

    I'm not concerned with all wheel drive -- my car is front wheel drive. Front wheel drive cars are lighter than all wheel drive cars, so they get better fuel economy. Also, front wheel drive cars are better at climbing hills because the weight of the engine is over those front wheels.

    My car does go forward and backward; has heated seats as well as ventilated front seats (love that cool air on my back and under my legs on those hot days); remote start; and a bunch of other cool features.

    User thanked Lindsey_CA
  • 8 years ago

    A couple of years ago when looking for a car for my younger daughter, I really liked the Subaru crosstrek. Got a Soul. Now that I thought to finally trade in the mom van (Toyota Sienna), I don’t like the new model. I don’t really want a brand new car in the first place. My husband is terrible with every new car for at least 2 years. Walking around looking for scratches, wiping imaginary ones off with his shirt. Conditioning the seats, vacuuming.... Thinking about it, I might stay with the van until it falls apart. At least it has room to haul plants and soil. And I like the hood. Even with the tiny Soul It’s so square and big It’s in my way.

    User thanked Iris S (SC, Zone 7b)
  • 8 years ago

    If I wanted it, I would buy it, but I don't buy new cars any more. I have had a lot of new cars. I used to get one every other year, and I have had a lot of new trucks, but I am over that. I get a "new to me" car or truck just about every other year. That is good enough for me.

    User thanked marilyn_c
  • 8 years ago

    I'm not big into cars, but if I thought it was ugly, I would not buy it.

    User thanked Georgysmom
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I would never buy any car that was a color I didn't like.

    User thanked Summer
  • 8 years ago

    I'd buy an ugly car. It would go just right with all my other ugly stuff. Maybe its appearance would help me locate on a parking lot. Cars all look alike to me.

    User thanked matthias_lang
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    For me, it has to look good. I have a 2004 GMC Jimmy. I <3 my Jimmy. I've had a few people offer to buy it from me. My husband? He owns a Pinto. Yes, you read that right: an ugly pea green Pinto. And a Pinto station wagon. Yup. Two Pintos. I have never, nor will ever go for a drive in either one.

    User thanked User
  • 8 years ago

    I don't think my car is ugly... not really either. It'd be on the ugly side for most people. but I don't have much of a problem finding it in a parking lot (except when I do - and think someone stole it - lol!). I realize this past week that it is now 22 yrs old. I think I've had it 10 yrs. or so now. maybe more. My sister thinks it's ugly and refuses to ride in it. I always tell her that if I see her broken down along the road, I'll wave...

    It's a Buick wagon and was on a curve down the road when my boyfriend took me out to find a different car. He'd given me a Volvo and that was nice (heated seats - don't use often in AZ) but the key got stuck in the ignition and i couldn't go anywhere (except my sister's house) and not worry about it being stolen. He couldn't find the 2nd key to it. I didn't worry about the car being stolen really, but it was around Christmas and I couldn't even Christmas shop and be sure I'd get home with what I bought. Anyway, we stopped down the road and this car worked and was cheap so I said 'this one is fine'. Plenty of room to haul the dogs and stuff. I'm planning to replace it with a Honda CRV (used) soon. I've asked my mechanic to put the old Buick front end on a CRV for me. I'm sure he's working hard on plans for that! The way people drive out here, I'm just not gonna feel safe going back to a smaller car. I drove a Buick wagon from '78 to '88 and loved it. Then bought a Corolla and then a used Cressida (liked both of those cars) after a PU hit the front end of the Corolla..

    I love that I don't worry about someone opening their car door into mine, or what the sun and desert dust storms do to it. or my dogs, or a plant toppling over in it, or pay high insurance or $s for the tags, or someone actually stealing it for the car.

    My mechanic told me years back that I only drive about 2,000 miles a year - and probably even less in the last 5yrs. It usually gets me where I want to go and home again. It's seldom that I drive more than about 13 miles from home. Sometimes it stretches to 20 mi (that'd be a doctor located out of my comfort zone). I really don't like the idea of a newer car either.


    User thanked desertsteph
  • 8 years ago

    I love the look of the boxy toy like cars, Pacer, mini Cooper and all. The ones with sharp angles like the Aztek and early 80s Japanese cars not so much. Not a fan of the giant black mouth like grills but liking the new slash lighting.

    I was coming from a mini van and loved the easy access rear and infinite cargo room so had to have a hatchback. Prius, despite the weirdness, topped the list and won me over. Got blue to disguise the 'interesting' metal work and actually wish the storm trooper white plastic was still inside. Visibility is better in the smaller car and handling is much better. Comparing a new car to an old whale but whatever.

    For me a car has to fit. CRV was too tall, hated the way the Mazda 3 hugged me, Fit bounced like crazy. Gave up apparently I really wanted the Prius weird bodywork, angry lighting and odd profile and all. So guess I would buy a car I thought ugly. Pretty color though!

    User thanked Kathy Yata
  • 8 years ago

    MY daily driver is a 1954 Ford F100 so take this with a grain of salt but I'd wait another model year before purchasing to see if Honda thought better of their poor design choices and made changes. The more you love your vehicle the better care you take of it and the longer it lasts- the car in the OP isn't exactly lovable.

    User thanked User
  • 8 years ago

    On of our local grocery stores has ended its "Monopoly" giveaway. Now it's giving shoppers a chance to buy a cake in its bakery department and possibly win a 1970 Pontiac.

    Q. Who thought that one up?

    A. Someone who wants to get rid of a 1970 Pontiac.

    User thanked chisue
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    "MY daily driver is a 1954 Ford F100 so take this with a grain of salt..."

    Rest assured that's the case.

    User thanked Elmer J Fudd
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I have a fond spot for the classic cars, reminds me of my youth :-)

    Is the 1970 Pontiac a restoration perhaps?


    I am not a lover of Ford vehicles, but a '54 F100 is a really nice body style.


    1954 Ford F100

    User thanked PKponder TX Z7B
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    oh boy, I really like the '54 Ford F100 style!

    if could get a good running one like that, it might be worth it - even if I needed a ladder to get in and out of it!

    I'm sure my sister wouldn't ride with me in that one either.


    User thanked desertsteph
  • 8 years ago

    We had a red '54 F100 years ago and it was a blast to drive and really fun to look at. We used to listen to 50's music while we rode around in it. We got lots of thumbs up.

    User thanked Elizabeth
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