@old_mopar_guy. Sometimes a shorter wheelbase small car takes the bumps in the road better–sort of like a cork riding the waves in the ocean.
I’m over 6’ 2" and I have found some smaller cars more comfortable than the big land yachts.
The Rekord was a definite step up from the Kadett
A solidly middle-class car
Some of the later ones were pretty nice
I agree with that. And companies are slowly switching to hybrid or electric vehicles. But people do want these big machines…even though they don’t need one.
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Kadett was produced into early 90-s, where Rekord was long gone.
I used to own '91 Kadett Caravan (station wagon) and it was a great blend of style and practicality at a time, one of these cars I really miss, even knowing I operate 3 times more horses nowadays.
My wife’s 07 Lexus Es-350 is a LOT SMALLER then my 66 Caddy. But the Lexus is a smoother driving and much quieter vehicle. Advancements in technology and materials have made great strides.
A larger car doesn’t always mean more space. My parents had a 1954 Buick Special. In 1959, my dad was shopping for a new car as the 1954 Buick had about 100,000 miles. We tested a new 1959 Buick Invicta. The seats weren’t comfortable and sat low, and the trunk layout was terrible. We were happy to get back in our five year old Buick. When my dad did buy a new car, he bought a Rambler. The four of us could ride comfortably and the trunk held as much as the 1954 Buick.
People, at least back in the 1950s, liked the appearance of a big car. Chrysler corporation made the marketing mistake of downsizing the Plymouth and Dodge in 1953. These cars had as much cabin space as their rivals, but they didn’t sell well. The Dodge even had a modern OHV V-8 which was much better than the Pontiac flathead inline 8, yet Pontiac outsold Dodge. The 1953 and 1954 Plymouths were popular in taxicab fleets. I guess for the car buying public back then, a large car was a symbol of wealth.
I drive a minivan because I often have passengers with me as well as musical instruments. When I am by myself, it does seem wasteful of running errands in the Sienna. However, licensing and insuring a smaller vehicle as well as the Sienna doesn’t make economic.sense.
However, I do have my limits as to how small a vehicle I would drive. I once considered a Citicar, a battery powered vehicle that came along in the late 1970s as an answer to the gasoline shortage. I found a used one that I would have used around town, but it really didn’t seem safe. Back in the 1960s, I wouldn’t have wanted a King Midget.
If I could afford a Messerschmidtt KR200 I’d get one in a heartbeat, and I would drive it on nice days in the summer.
… Probably not on the interstate, though.
But then I’d also love to get my hands on an Owosso Pulse:
which is technically a motorcycle, but it drives like a car.
What can I say, I like tiny cars that look like airplanes.