vader1

You could show that again with Civic vs. Cavalier with the same pattern.

Saki GT

1982 Chevy Cavalier:



Who wouldn't want that car?

The second generation came out in 1995:

no_really

anyone who's ever driven a Corolla or Civic of the day?

jasonw

A Celebrity!

PTDANO

Yes... Your Car... I like veri muuchhhh
Wah Wah Weh Wah...
Very sexy!

Saki GT

The 1982 Civic:



Not much to look at, for sure.

The third-gen Civic in 1984:



The fourth gen in 1984:



The fifth gen in 1992:



And the sixth gen, in 1996:



The Honda wasn't much to look at in 1982, but it developed a lot faster than the Cavalier over those years. The Cav received various engine and some sheet metal changes, but the original car remained for a long time.

no_really

to be fair, the Cavalier was a hell of lot more car in 1982 than the Civic, and if the most recent incarnation had been indistinguishable from the Civic, the Civic would have still "developed a lot faster" but been no better. And let's face it, Honda was trying to make a Civic into a car that would compete with the Chevy Chevette, Sprint, or Pontiac LeMans, while the Cavalier would not have benefitted by aping the Civic at any time as it was a more expensive car then Chevette with more powerful engine options and more room. Emulating the Honda Civic would have downgraded the Cavalier.

You can do all you want to try and suggest the Civic was the equivalent of the Cavalier, but the Civic was far inferior in pretty much every way throughout the 80's and beyond. Next you'll be trying to say the Accord developed faster than the Cadillac Seville :/

Face facts. Honda came into this country on the bottom rung of the food chain. They learned from competing here, and improved their cars by emulating the domestic manufacturers. I guess I don't see what your point is. The Civic NEEDED to change drastically, because it was ridiculously out-classed on day 1. Now it is simply an over-priced car that isn't really comparable to the other options in the price range, like the Golf, the Cobalt, and others. It's a different car, which is fine. Some people like it, most don't.

Saki GT

The whole Civic thing is OT, but someone asked so I threw up the redesigns.

I'm more interested in people's opinions regarding how/if the VER caused car prices to go up because it limited the number of Japanese cars in the USA and artificially raised their prices.

Also, if USA manufacturers faced downsizing in the face of Japanese imports, did the VER put off the downsizing we are seeing today while allowing the Japanese companies to grow stronger and more able to fully compete against USA manufacturers...

gladwins

[QUOTE=no_really,Jan 17 2007, 01:37 PM] to be fair, the Cavalier was a hell of lot more car in 1982 than the Civic, and if the most recent incarnation had been indistinguishable from the Civic, the Civic would have still "developed a lot faster" but been no better.

no_really

^ most people don't buy Civics. Ergo...

And yes, this is getting far off topic. You can feel free to disagree with a single statement, but there is no reason to turn this into a debate over semantics.