[wizee]

Aside from the Mazda MX-5 (which isn’t the most practical car), almost all small, simple, and light cars made today are econoboxes. They’re not designed to have the rich control feel, balanced and satisfying handling near the limits, responsiveness, material quality, suspension sophistication, etc. compared to say German luxury compact cars of the 1980s (BMW E30 or M-B W201). Even cars like 90s Hondas, while front wheel drive and built to a much lower price point, had rich control feel, liveliness, and agility that modern cars don’t give.

Modern luxury cars from essentially all brands around the world have become huge, heavy, numb, and over-complicated. They’re much faster and quieter than the say the old Benzes and BMWs of the 80s, but they don’t have the fun raw feel, small size, light weight, tossability, and simplicity of the old cars.

A BMW E30 or M-B W201 have a weight somewhere between a Mazda MX-5 and Subaru BRZ, but are far more practical than either for passengers and cargo despite being around the same width and only slightly longer.

The only modern cars with similar size and weight are some European market compact cars and econoboxes like the Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Micra, and Chevy Spark (which are also disappearing from North America). For steering feel, handling, general raw and connected driving feel, powertrain responsiveness, and interior quality, these modern economy cars can’t compete. Some of the European market specific B-segment cars come closest to those older compact luxury cars, but they still don’t match them for the qualities I described.

Kit cars generally suck from a practical perspective compared to well engineered 80s/90s cars and aren’t a very practical option either.

[makeitdouble]

> They’re not designed to have the rich control feel, balanced and satisfying handling near the limits, responsiveness, material quality, suspension sophistication, etc.

Sounds to me like you're looking for a Lotus or a 911 at budget prices. I agree with you that's pretty far from the "simple, simple, light" vehicle, and it's fully in the hobby realm.

If you're that deep into cars, I'd say more power to you, and spending ungodly amount of money time and effort on vintage cars is probably a pleasure as well.

[wizee]

That’s the thing - old German compact luxury sedans from the 80s had the control feel, balance, and light weight you get from a Porsche, while also being practical family cars. There’s nothing like that made today. They were also decently safe and comfortable and reliable and generally just good.

Also the bigger ones like the W126, while not as light and agile as a Porsche or Lotus, still had similar control feel, very comfortable and spacious interiors, and could glide over the worst most broken and potholed roads better than any modern car I’ve driven. They’re also much simpler than any modern luxury cars, much less to break, and they just keep going and going as long as you take basic care. From personal experience, a much younger used W220 or W221 S class needs far more maintenance and repair than an old W126.

The more powerful but still reliable engines and nicer transmissions of the late W140 or W220 would be nice to have in a W126 though. My problem with the newer S classes is the complexity and fragility of the rest of the car.

Of course, these are 40 year old cars and need more care and maintenance than a new car, but they’re not too bad either as long as you get a good example of the car. They’re pretty reliable once sorted, and can last a very long time and very high mileage as long as they’re at least somewhat cared for.