I’m gonna keep the ball rolling here with over- and underrated cars because it’s clear that a lot of drivers have strong opinions. Let’s turn the previous question on its head. What do you think is the most underrated car of all time?
The thing about overrated cars is that they won drivers over with hype — regardless of their good or bad qualities — but underrated cars got left behind because there was little-to-no hype for them at all.
Of course, this is both good and bad. It’s good because it means that most drivers overlooked them...and so did the market. You can get a great deal on an underrated car. A few years or generations after release, you could probably buy these quietly great cars cheaply on Craigslist.
These are cars that for whatever reason fell short of being automotive darlings or maybe just had the misfortune of sharing a lineup or a particularly competitive segment with the cars that everyone says are the best (or are overrated.)
Think of post-GM Saabs. Maybe the Jetta GLI in the shadow of the GTI. Or, the Cherokee in the shadow of the Wrangler, which is what most people associate with the word Jeep. Both the GLI and Cherokee are great cars in their own right that get some praise, but probably deserve more. Again, you can buy a used GLI or Cherokee for less than the GTI or Wrangler.
I don’t mean to blow up your spot if you have a particular favorite car that you know is worth more than it sells for. But let’s take a second to celebrate these cars that don’t get their due because the bad thing about being underrated is that awesome cars were unfairly characterized as just OK cars. Which cars come to mind? What do you think is the most underrated car of all time?