Social conscience and the X1/9

[Dr.Jeff]

[The following commentary is solely for entertainment, please do not take it seriously]

The thought has occurred to me that the X1/9 may be one of those cars that could be considered a "chick car". Hope that isn't sexist but not sure what other term to use; is "Barbie car" any better, or as the British would say "hairdresser's car", and I can certainly think of other terms that would offend much worse.

I'm referring to cars like the Mazda Miata, the old VW Rabbit Convertible, the Dodge Neon, the new VW Beetle, and many other examples of 'feminine' cars. In its stock form, the X isn't exactly 'manly'; its small size and cute style are further softened with tiny wheels/tires tucked way back into deep wheel wells, and its complete lack of power only supports that image more.


However the X1/9 does not have to be that way. With larger wheels/tires filling aftermarket fender flares, a spoiler or two, engine/exhaust upgrades, removal of the huge impact bumpers, and other custom style changes it is transformed into more of a "sports car". Something a man could drive without others questioning his gender preference.


But this then raises another quandary. When are you too old to be driving a "pimped out", "boy racer", teen's ride? At what stage in life do you just become the overcompensating, midlife crisis, geezer in a child's car?

This should evoke some fun replies....let's hear your thoughts.

 

[kmead]

Well, since the X was the first car I bought as a rough and tumble 20 year old MALE, and I still own one at 58, my childhood has been continuous from then to now. I continue to love it for what it is but as I have two, I hope one will continue to be a hairdressers car and with luck before I retire the other will be the start of my overcompensating, late life crisis, geezer mobile.

 

[carl]

Now that I have been 70 for about half a year I have thought about getting a nice Crown Victoria or Mercury equivalent or perhaps a mid 80s Buick.

You are too old to drive a fun little car when you physically cannot climb down into or crawl out of the damn car.
I saw a youtube Leno's garage episode with the old Kawasaki 750 H2 and now I want one...I only had Yamaha 350s back then.

 

[Fiataccompli]

I have found that my stable of Fiats tends to trend towards one in rather stock form paired with the same model modified. Sort of....my X1/9s seem to both be trending towards modification, just different ones. I’m no fan of late (‘75-up) US bumpers on any European car, so that aspect will change for most any Fiat I own if it has big bumpers.

As far as politically-incorrect classifications, I had always thought the X1/9 was a more masculine (and unscientific observation has been it appeals more frequently to males) but the 124 Spider in stock form is an ideal “chick car.” (And as a corollary, I found that in the early 2000s driving my ‘74 124 sedan with big bumpers, it was a “chick magnet”...go figure).

Working for the gov’t, I have had fleet access (even official drive-home assignment at times) to Crown Victorias...all with the police interceptor type option package. I tell colleagues who complain about the Crown Vics that the good thing about them is that when they are brand new they drive like a big soft sofa with a rubber driveshaft ...then when they have 165k miles, they drive the same. So, they don’t seem to deteriorate nearly as remarkably as the Ford Escapes, Fusions, Explorers, Jeep Cherokees, & whatever else has been in the fleet. So, there is that.

 

[Brad Garska]

Now that I have been 70 for about half a year I have thought about getting a nice Crown Victoria or Mercury equivalent or perhaps a mid 80s Buick.

You are too old to drive a fun little car when you physically cannot climb down into or crawl out of the damn car.
I saw a youtube Leno's garage episode with the old Kawasaki 750 H2 and now I want one...I only had Yamaha 350s back then.

Funny about the H2, I sold mine a few years back, had it since the early 80's. I now think I want one again - but I think I know better....

 

[fastx19]

I use to have a 128 Rally along with my 74x. It is amazing to me how many people would walk right by the X and over to the Rally. Women loved it. The 128 is a Chick magnet. The X, not so much. However over time it seems to be getting more attention, so not sure if it is an appreciation for a design which is not followed anymore or not. For example, in the 80's and 90's, most people would assume it was some type of Fiero or MR2.

 

[gene cooley]

Funny about the H2, I sold mine a few years back, had it since the early 80's. I now think I want one again - but I think I know better....

I had an early '72 H2 (#359 if I remember correctly). Bought it new. Put 17,000 miles on it the first year. Because of a weak swingarm it was dangerous at speed--"speed wobble"--we called it.
When the Z1 came out in '73 I bought one of those and sold my H2 to a friend. Another friend bought a late '72. By mid '73 my H2 had crashed and burned. The other one fell victim to the speed wobble and was totaled soon after.
For my mid life crisis I bought a new '94 Zx-11.

To get back to the original thread I don't think anyone thinks of the X as a "girls car". Not enough power for sure, but most seem to admire it.

 

[7982X]

Never thought of it as a "chick's car", just a fun car to drive. With that in mind, I might compare it to the color pink. While a manufacturing & equipment maintenance manager for Storage Tech, back in the 80s, I frequently wore a pink tie &/or a pink shirt. When I got any flak, I just said "It takes a guy that's sure of his manhood to wear pink". It usually shut them up. I had a 124 spider at the time. We also have an S10 pickup, which many don't take seriously....."a throw away pickup", and certainly not a man's truck. When they find out that we have had it for 30 years, and it has an LS1 under the hood, they usually change their tune. In the end, we who love the X1/9, don't really care what the rest of the world thinks, especially when we head down a winding country road with the top stowed in the frunk.

PS- I have to agree with Carl, about as long as you can get in & out of the car to drive it. I screwed up my left knee last year, trying to get in, in a really tight space, in the garage, with the top on. I have just had to relearn how to fold myself up to get in, but I am still driving it!

 

[Tom Ginefra]

I "most definitely" would not lump the X in with the likes of a VW Cabriolet, or Beetle convertible (new version or otherwise).
While it's small and "cute" and unfortunately underpowered in stock form, it has the proper bona fides of a "real" sports car. Cool distinctive design, mid-engined, superb handling, and a removable targa roof. Besides a few more HP...what else could you ask for? Even in stock form it's an absolute "blast" to drive. It's cute enough for the ladies to like, but cool enough for a guy to own. This of course, is in no way meant to offend our female forum members, who clearly have a much deeper understanding of and appreciation for not just this car, but many other things "mechanical". My new mantra is and will continue to be, "Ferrari In Affordable Trim" - Thanks Dan S., your the one I first heard that from.

 

[carl]

There is a distinction between chick car and a chick magnet. My NA Miata was silver and I didn't consider it a chick car.
My experience with 124 and 128 sedans was that men would approach me all the time, very excitedly saying in a European or middle east accent how their parents had one while they were growing up in the old country and my car brought back many childhood memories. My spiders were mostly ignored. Oddly enough, my Xs were chick magnets in that boomer aged women would walk by with sexy smiles (hey, they were sexy to me, OK) and comment on the nice car I had. I never could figure that one out. Apparently any SUV is a chick car.

 

[Dr.Jeff]

There is a distinction between chick car and a chick magnet.

Totally agree with this statement. As I read the replies I was thinking the two are actually opposite; a chick car is one a female would want for herself, while a chick magnet is one a female would want the man driving it. Sorry for the sexist nature of that, but it's the best way I could describe it.

Lots of interesting views.

One thing I always think when I look at any vehicle is what it SHOULD have looked like, not how the final factory product came out to look. It is a automatic thing my mind does, envisioning how I would customize and modify a vehicle to make it look "correct" to my eyes. I guess that is why I've customized every vehicle I have owned, to turn them into my own vision. And that is the difference I see with the X1/9's style; stock it seems too 'soft' (dare I say "feminine"), but modified it seems very "masculine". Please don't misunderstand, I completely appreciate the efforts involved to restore a vehicle to its stock original condition and respect the desire to do so. So I'm not trying to debate the "stock" vs "modified", which is best. I am only saying the two yield very different response in the case of the X. In my opinion it is one of those cars that completely transforms its image when altered.

As for the age aspect. I guess my question here has more to do with the "age appropriateness" of driving a car that has been 'stylized' (highly modified/customized). You know, a car that looks like a young teenager should be driving it. And that might nod toward the stock X being more appropriate for a older person?
Just so long as a 'mature' man driving a X does not look like one of those old guys in a new Vette.

 

[7982X]

As far as age is concerned, I don't think age itself matters much. The old guy (or gal) in the new Vette is someone that didn't build or work on the car and may just have it for the image. The old guy (or gal) on this forum is likely one who has worked on their cars for years and isn't an "image person", but one who enjoys the journey. He (or she) know they're old and their biggest concern isn't that they look cool, but that they can get up off the floor when done working on the car, or that they can get in & out of it with relatively little pain or embarrassment. If one builds their car, whatever the style, I think that it is appropriate to drive it as long as they can do so safely. Now, if they drive like a teenager, that's a different matter. We won't go there.
Male or female, the car doesn't make us, we make the car.

 

[Joe F]

I just turned 70 and could give a rat's ass what other people think of me and my cars. Between my Fiats and my Mustang GT, you could pin a whole slew of labels on me and my psyche, but the bottom line is I truly enjoy driving. I schedule time every day just to drive and to truly enjoy my drive time, I need a truly enjoyable ride and the GT and X offer a full range of driving experience and fun. Adjectives for cars are a dime a dozen, but when people ask me why I own an X, I tell them to sit in the passenger seat and buckle up. They either get it or think I'm crazy...I'm happy with either conclusion. Just my $0.02.

 

[Jefco]

I think the X is not a Barbie car for 1 major reason- no automatic; wouldn't want to take the chance of chipping a nail.

 

[Dr.Jeff]

Totally agree with those comments about age. As most of you have figured out by now, I am very immature and have the mental/emotional capacity of a child. So acting like a teenager comes natural for me. Hell, it's a step up from when I actually was a teenager and acted like an infant. So I've never cared about what other people think. And although that has prevented me from achieving many things in life, it has also allowed me to really enjoy my life.

Regarding the gender issue. Good point about the lack of an automatic in the X. My '79 was definitely what I would call a Barbie car when I got it. It was baby blue metallic, with a ton of cream and turquoise pinstriping EVERYWHERE. Cream interior with makeup stains and one of those old school hard-mounted "brick" cell phones...you know, so she could tell Ken what to do when she wasn't actually with him. Skinny chrome trimmed wheels and tires. That chrome add-on panel under the door sills, covering the rocker panels. And chrome side moldings all the way along the middle. Chrome luggage rack on the truck with the cell phone antenna sticking right through the middle of it (making the rack unusable). Chrome fender lip trims, side mirrors, and any other add-on trim piece available. Under the seats were loose bedazzle sparkles, lipstick case, and something I won't mention. And so much more. But it never occured to me, she was driving a manual trans car. I guess Barbie had balls after all.

[Again, apologies for any sexist references, just having a little fun. The truth is a highly admire women that have any interest in cars. It is excellent that the automotive industry is finally attracting more women to participate in every aspect of it. Complete respect to all of them.]

 

[avusblue98]

When the X came out, it was the time of the wedge F-1 cars - Lotus 72, etc. The X was the most modern, up to date, sports car available. In short order, mine had CD-31's, Koni's, 40 DCNF, cam and exhaust. Fire extinguisher on the bulkhead. Every light was the start of the Italian Grand Prix. Still the most satisfying street car I've ever driven. Gandini's design is perfection. I really can't think of it in the context discussed here....

 

[aarpcard]

When the X came out, it was the time of the wedge F-1 cars - Lotus 72, etc. The X was the most modern, up to date, sports car available. In short order, mine had CD-31's, Koni's, 40 DCNF, cam and exhaust. Fire extinguisher on the bulkhead. Every light was the start of the Italian Grand Prix. Still the most satisfying street car I've ever driven. Gandini's design is perfection. I really can't think of it in the context discussed here....

Ditto. If anything is a "chick car" then it must be a crossover SUV. They've become the new minivan.

People sometimes refer to the MR2 as a hairdresser's car as well. I don't see it. If a hairdresser owned an X1/9 or MR2, then she must have good tastes and is probably an interesting person. How many of us know females who own rear mid-engined manual cars?

 

[carl]

Ummm….not all hairdressers are women.

 

[Fiataccompli]

As some of you know, I currently have a big garage construction project going on at my house. Because of this, I usually have a couple of cars parked in the front yard to be out of the way of construction/trucks/etc (and the back yard is also a big grading site). So, last weekend we had my folks & my brother over to celebrate my dads birthday & have a meal. It’s interesting that among the group of really NOT car people there were comments about what a nice shape the X1/9 has....and this is one with a dent in the nose, no grill, no bumpers & sparkly paint...anyway, I thought it was interesting that the comment came up pretty much apropos nothing except that the car was parked outside the window.

 

[Dr.Jeff]

Ummm….not all hairdressers are women.

Ya, the term "hairdresser's car" is referring to gay male hairdressers. And I don't mean they are 'happy'. In other words it is saying it's a ***'s car.