Why the cars of the 2000s were so good 

The sweet spot between modern technology and classic simplicity.

Agreed 100% about the 2000's era of cars being one of the best because they have the driving experience of a modern car without having all of the technology... The 2010's era (up to around about 2015) was also okay as most cars still didn't have screens that went across the entire dashboard... I'll miss those days... For me, my favourite era of cars is the 90's and 2000's...

I heard someone say recently that cars from the late 90’s/early 00’s peaked in terms of what you actually need from a car. I tend to agree. The amount of expensive technology now in modern cars is (for me) not needed.

The one thing I hate about "modern" cars is the shift to massive screens, or more specifically anything that is "touchscreen".. I just can't abide it. I like the tactile feel of a good knob (ooer) and being able to change settings almost subconsciously. I feel like todays cars are form over function and I find it interesting that with all the advances in safety someone thought it was a good idea to make changing settings in a car more taxing on the brain.

Honestly think I'll struggle to get into cars outside of the 2005 - 2015 window for future purchases. Such a wide range of options for coupes, hybrids, SUVs and more with decent to great mpg and, most importantly, the last cars to commonly have a CD player.

Great video - loads of nostalgia here. Completely agree with this period of cars being comfortably better than anything before or since. The infotainment / tech / sensors / electric everything just isn’t necessary - leave it on an s class & the like!!!

Of all the decades, I think the 2000s has the most premium-looking cars.

Spot on, I have to agree with you about that era. Too many things to go wrong on modern cars.

You nailed it man. I totally agree 👍. I drive a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix: I just do the basic maintenance in the car and it’s still running like a champ:

That 2000’s and the early of the 2010’s cars has my huge childhood cars!!!

I love cars from this era for sure. I kept my older 2008 Lexus IS250 because she’s quite lovely with such a timeless design . It isn’t full of technological stuff and I like that. Meanwhile my 2020 Toyota Corolla is a good car but has lots of stuff going on inside lol.

I drive a Honda Civic 2007, along with other cars like the Mazda 3 and 2019 Subaru Crosstrek, what I find about 2000s cars that I really like that is they have the perfect spot of control response on speed, break and turn. Future cars feel either heavy and/or too sensitive and older cars feel too stiff and clunky, they really have this nice feel to them that despise the Civic's lack of features, is a very comfortable car to drive.

I totally agree. Cars from the 90´s and 00´s have really great designs and really nice lines. Now they look like an air conditioner or a fridge with wheels... Audi looks like the exception with their new designs at least for me

Back when we did not have EV AI nonsense and carmakers could concentrate on real issues like packaging, NVH, MPG, MPH, ride and handling, etc.

Absolutely correct. Designed in the mid to late 90s and hitting the road in the noughties. No depreciation and only maintenance

facts, This was when cars were focused on the experience of the driver, and not how much the company could cut corners and save money.

Mk1 2002 focus owner 100% agree did 300 mile trip the other day didn't miss a beat

Definitely the period of peak car, I think. I've owned many 2000s cars and still have three today, I keep coming back to that generation. I'm not a fan of todays bulbous cars, nor do I think EV technology is where we should be headed. We should have kept more of the 2000s cars going!

Totally agree. I have a 2003 Honda Odyssey with 198k miles on it and it still drives great. No engine issues. A/C still works. When I end up getting a new car, I’ll be looking to stay in the 2000-2009 range. Best years for cars.

I would say 90's to 2010's. Thanks for the video.

What I love about this era of cars is how they look. They're all like... Matte grey, they look like they're made of plastic.

I spent much of my childhood in a Megane Classic until I was around 10. After I got into Uni, I drove there daily with my mum's vanilla Megane. I was devastated when we had to sell it because I screwed up the chassis in a car accident. I still miss it and I hope I can eventually find an electrical car with the same feel and simplicity.

ı like the 2000 to the 2015’s cars!!! Especially, the fiat doblo!!! (My 1st favorite car ever!!!) And I like these fiat doblo’s 2001, 2005 and the 2010 models!!! (V1, V2 and the V3 models!!!) But my favorite one is the 2018 model fiat doblo!!! (V4) And I saw the fiat doblo which was the 2001, 2005 and the 2010 models!!!

Generally, the economy was good and this era was before environmental and safety regulators went crazy forcing car companies to take focus away from producing good cars. Most car reviews these days talk about screens and infotainment. 😂

The 2000's were similar to 90's in simplicity (EFI, no CVT trans, typically naturally aspirated, no modern emissions demands) but added safety and size at the expense of hyper-efficient packaging and authentic interior materials. The 2000's was generally the low point in interior materials. Automakers worldwide shifted away from authentic metal, wood, and other interior materials in favor of plastics to save cost and keep weight down while increasing in size. The synthetic materials used in car interiors nowadays is much more agreeable; by comparison 2000's cars interiors look like the kind of plastics used in children's toys.

My mk1 Rabbit (Golf) was a relic compared to my mk4 Golf. my mk7 Golf was only a mild upgrade over the mk4. It's interesting how innovation sort of slowed down and went to infotainment and emissions. Electric cars are quite a jump, but I think the software is still too much in its infancy at the moment.

I like my 2010 fiesta, all dials and switches and no touchscreens. Modern cars are just computers on wheels

Honesty a few screens are actually kinda nice. But i see stuff like new Teslas, German cars etc. It is just too much for my tastes. I also just think lots of cars from the 90s and 2000s have aged terrible in looks. Especially interiors, take the car at 3:59 dear god that interior is just dreadful. Cheap black plastic dominanted cars. I just dont see the appeal with it personally. I appreciate the simplicity that video says we miss. But the deisgns are just terrible in my eyes

I 10000000000000000097897867 00900000099696857664366 agree the 2000 was the best ever carmakers for the UK THE BEST

Even as I drive a modern car now I’m always tempted to go back and buy a car from that era, I had far better driving experiences from past cars. I find them better looking and less generic like the cars now.

The Land Rover discovery 2 is probably the best of this decade

You guys really don’t know how good youse had it…

Personally, it's the 90's that pips it for me, but I agree with so much of what you say mate.

💯 agree, favorite 🤩

I do agree l own a 1997 Toyota Hilux ute and has only done 430000 kms but l did see one sold for aud $500 that had done 980000kms l don't think there are many british or European cars that could reach thise sort of kilometers without major problems also you mentioned a Toyota Corolla and there was a 2002 Toyota Corolla sold for aud $4600 that had also done 980000kms and there were photos if it and to be honest it wasn't trashed just looked like a 21 year old car even under the bonnet it was very clean and we owned a 2004 Ford Fiesta and it was a pile if crap it didn't break down constantly but l was replacing the wheels on a regular basis because if the low profile tyres if you hit a speed bump and any kind of speed they would dent as my Hilux has steel wheels and they are original and has extremely high profile tyres l think the late 1990s and early 2000 was a great time for Toyotas my Hilux is totally anolog l mean it will make it last a very long time and Australia were there isn't much no waxing no snow tyres and unleaded petrol and ULEZ and no emission testing in the yearly regestration inspection

I like cars from 2000s because I grew up with them.

yeh agree , i have a golf 4 4motion from 2002 is the best, love the 2000s

Agreed, the '90s and 00s were peaks of mechanical reliability and safety. Tech is generally reliable, tho sometimes you may have issue with oxidation/dust/moisture in electrical connections. But that's more of an issue being 15-30yo car. Park sensors/camera, Sat-Nav, rain sensor and many others were optional features or in top-level trims, so replacing those may be costly, but you can replace it with cheaper non-techy ones and just program them out.

'Good' is subjective to the listener/viewer. I think petrol cars peaked as regards technology and design in 2016, and have been in a steady decline since. This is mainly down to manufacturers being forced to develop EV's. But ...... efficiency and safety regulations forced vehicles to adopt a similar styling/shape, and thus the peak of ICE cars do tend to look similar. So, for me, personally, I think the peak of unique stylish vehicles was the mid to late 90's, and also the build quality of all cars seemed to take a downwards spiral since then. A vehicle like the BMW E39 5 series is probably the peak family car of all time, the styling was great, the build quality was the absolute best it could be for the price range it was sold at, reliability and performance was superb, as it was before all of the efficiency regulations forced manufacturers to put other factors first. I actually think the E39 540i was possibly the best petrol car ever made, and nothing has rivalled it before or after. My own personal current car, I think, is probably the peak of ICE cars, which is a BMW M2 (2016 model). After 2017, PPF's were fitted to all cars, which muted the beautiful exhaust sounds of engines which sounded fantastic. Also, the weight of my F87 M2 is not ridiculous, yet later cars just piled on the pounds, and numbed the steering feel / handling. My car also has a normal BMW dash layout, with analogue dials and buttons for most things, and the modern cars all have ugly screens. I do think my OG M2 is the last of a kind, and other vehicles of the same era mostly look awful, weigh too much, sound muted, and do not have any traditional soul.

The gmt800 in my opinion is still the best truck ever made, and if you get an optioned out one, you can get all the features of a new truck or suv and its simple enough to work on yourself. 300,000 mile trucks(if you fix the trans😂)

I think the introduction of Fuel Injection and Electronic Ignition were the two major factors in cars suddenly becoming reliable. I can remember cars from the 70's and 80's where you had to rev the engine upon starting it to keep it going until it warmed up. This together with power steering and ABS. Anything extra are just things to go wrong. Today's cars are just computers on wheels. P.S. - Proud owner of a 2003 Corsa. It refuses to break down !!

2000s cars are ugly

Yasss 😋 I drive a 2005 Civic mk7, and not planning to change it any time soon, it has everything I'd ever need - power steering, abs, power windows/mirrors/sunroof, air con, cruise control. Only had to upgrade the stereo ( both head unit & speakers). And it's easy to work on, so when something needs to be replaced, I only pay what the parts cost. Cheap and cheerful motoring 😇

I agree with you, some of these cars are awesome to this day, most of them have great built quality and have aged gracefully. I think we like them because of nostalgia, at least for me in my late teens, the BMW M3 e46 and the Golf GTI mk4 were the pinnacle of sports cars, and in my country, the latter is still a very desirable car, even by thieves, the insurance is still expensive.

In the early 2000’s, everyone complained that the car are made out of plastic and Gm in America made everything in cheap plastic that melted over time especially in firebirds

Great picture of you and the Cougar JJ

Another thing about cars of the 2000s to 2014s is their distinctive unique looks..eg you can easily differentiate between an S Class and a C class or E class and each car brand has its unique designs.unlike nowadays wen car brands look very much alike.

This is especially true for BMW. Those cars from the 2000s were CARS, designed by artists. Now theyve got huge, gaudy grilles and I hate it.

Hydraulic steering. No drive by wire throtle and manual transmission.

97' passat b5 still going strong. Just 3 More years and you can get historical status. The worst thing that can happen to 90's or 2000's cars - rust. So get proper anti corrion and maybe you will go with this golden agd car for decades

i think a lot of the japanese cars hit this point of good design just a few years before, but ultimately i agree. there weren't near as many bad looking cars back then, and many of them seem to be outlasting newer cars.

I've 1999 opel astra g 470.000 kmh still going on

Thanks for the drive by .

I feel like Peugeot is an exception to this rule. Having worked for a Peugeot Dealer, I can safely say Peugeot made their worst cars (207, 307, 407) in the noughties.

Interesting video there mate, well researched, I hadn’t really thought of cars of the 2000’s in that way. For me the 1990’s in particular post 1995 cars were my favourite period for cars, they were reliable, still straightforwards for a DIY mechanic to service and repair, not much tech to go wrong. My car is from the Noughties, a 2007 Fiat Idea with the 1.3 Multijet Diesel engine, it’s nippy, good on fuel but I’d still prefer a simpler car to work on. I think most manufacturers deliberately design cars in a way that makes them difficult to maintain yourself without a degree in electronics and every tool in the book, and a slim narrow pair of hands with double jointed fingers! 😁

Great video i tottaly agree! Keep up doing great work JJ

Yes m8!

06 honda jazz. 1.4 automatic. Great car

Curious about your thoughts on the 2002 Ford Thunderbird and its 1950's throwback design? It is my favorite car ever produced and I hope to be buying one with lower milage soon!

Great video and couldn't agree more. I've had some modern cars and now I have an 09 Prius and an 07 NC MX-5 :) love the analogue feel and sound.

2002 VW Golf 1.9 TDi was a great car for me. Had one for 2 years. A tank, bit of go, sturdy, affordable and enabled me to have a motorbike also with no huge concerns of a hefty service bill. Also held it's value very nicely as it was looked after with the minimal - service, small sensible MOT advisory works etc. meant reselling 2 years later for an approx. 15% drop in value (of around £2800/2900 initial purchase price. Now - A family (4 + dog) suitable 2.0 TDI Passat 2009 - 140hp. Great off the mark (0-62 says 10s on paper but it's near 3 seconds quicker than that - with me driving anyway), 6p manual, over 50mpg on longer journeys, over 43mpg around town when not thrashing it. Affordable to replace parts, will go to over 200k miles if looked after and it is comfortable. Ideal.

Great video, I don't think we realised it at the time ( newer is better surely!) But it was a fantastic era. As i get older I am also buying older and older cars, I have just got a 2001 Ford focus 1.8 Ghia saloon and it drives beautifully and feels up to date and modern in my eyes, cant imagine what it must have felt like back at the 1998 launch. I also have a 1995 1.1 Peugeot 205 that is a wonderful little car. I would happily let you drive either of them.

Mk1 Focus came out in 1998 😅

iyour right on the money , i run a 2001 audi a4 avant!

Yes I totally agree with you 00s cars are great I have got a 2002 1.6 zetec mk1 ford focus and I have owned it for 12 years now it's a amazing car I love it

I’ve had two cars up to this point and love them for different reasons. First a 1998 Chevy Lumina I know it’s boring to look at but had tons of room and was relatively simple to work on came with a 3.1 V6 and got me from place to place safely and reliably. Second I bought this one is a 2003 Monte Carlo SS and absolutely love it still has the reliability of the decade of gm before bankruptcy with the 3.8 V6 and still has a good amount of room for a 2 door coupe. My friends all have new cars but the older ones imo are better cause you have the option to fix or repair it cheaper than sending it off somewhere to get it fixed. I’m glad they are easy to purchase and cheap really helps in today’s overly expensive economy.

Agreed. And to add that even though some cars will cost a lot to fix, if you're not considering a luxury car, it will be cheaper than any big touchscreen car will cost to repair in a few years. These new small turbo engines and huge touchscreens will cost many thousands to fix. I really like these cars, they can be very reliable and great to drive without being annoying to use daily :)

The e60 was ahead of its time. Mid 2000s was just perfect.

Its the PD engines that do it I know someone that had a 1.9TDI Vw bora. 215,000 miles in 10 years of ownership. Passed every MOT with 0-2 advisories. As long as you service a PD they last forever. Currently on 270,000

Had a 2005 vw beetle in cyber green. I would have driven it until it couldn't drive anymore. Unfortunately last year while stopped at a red light a lady hit me head on, and while my car was a tank and did not look like it was in a head on collision, Unfortunately the insurance and shop deemed it totaled. To this day, I still get angry at that lady who drove distracted. My car only had 97k on it. I did work on her, I maintained the car, and I loved how cheap she was to own! I drive a 2014 Ford Escape now. While the room is nice and I have few complaints, if I could switch back to my old beetle, I would. That car was a beast! People underestimate the beetle, probably because of its looks and size, but that beetle was a tough one. Saved my life last year, and it was strong all around. Both physically and mechanically. My beetle would outlive the current vehicle I'm driving and any other vehicle in the current market.

I am absolutely obsessed with cars from the eraly to mid 2000s. I watch POV's of driving and a video of driving some random family MPV from 2002 is more fun to me than watching someone drive a super Lambo or Bugati, newest Audi or whatever. Don't know why, but maybe because I grew up as a kid with these cars or maybe because these cars are more relatable to me since I can actually afford them? Kinda like, when I see a supermodel girl I'm really not interested at all, but a random girl can be 100 x more attractive to me than a supermodel or some celebrity. Kinda like seeing no appeal in professional corn and preferring amateur corn. Ya get me right?

Loved the cars of the late 90s/early 2000s in particular. In my opinion, the new Mazda3 is one of the few cars that comes close in this present decade to enshrining the best of modern technology in conjunction with old-fashioned simplicity. At least, that's one of several reasons I bought one...

My favourite are BMWs from the 1990s right up to 2010 except for the X6. The X series, the BMW 1 m coupe, the M3 E90, the BMW 3 series - still more beautiful than current generation with screens across the dashboard, tonnes of plastic interior bits and big crass-looking grilles.

Totally agree. They were CARs, today they are devices, the same as a smartphone or a tablet. And also probably it was the last time when manufacturets could care about durability vs level of co2 emissions

Well my car isn't exactly from the 90s, it was built in 2000. So I say that counts too. xD I have a small Opel Corsa 1.2 built in 2000 and it is a simple, basic car. Yes, it has rust here and there. BUT it runs technically without any problems, and if something needs to be done it is “easy” to repair. It doesn't have any big bells and whistles, it has over 240,000 km under its belt. And I think if I continue to look after it carefully and keep the engine in good working order, it will last another 240,000km

The 2000's era was defiantly the best for car's, to be more specific for me it be the 1997-2004ish although I may be slightly biased since my dad used to own a lot of these cars. He owned about 30ish different ones in the past 13 years not because they kept braking but simply because he liked switching cars often. Also 2004 was the last year of Daewoo's here in Ireland which is a shame since I love them very much. Next year I will be getting a license and I already have my first car parked up and just waiting to be fixed, it's a 2004 Daewoo Lacceti.

I agree that the 2000s were a great era for automobiles. A few things I do not like about current cars: 1. Lack of elegance. Many cars today have exaggerated designs which seem to be geared towards the US and Chinese markets where overly "loud" designs seem to be appreciated. 2. Massive fronts. Related to the first point but probably also influenced by other factors, all modern cars have massive fronts, as if the design brief had been to make them look like they are pushing horizontally mounted wardrobes. Add egregious grill designs and massive logos and its a recipe for ugliness. 3. "Touch" everything. Having touch controls on steering wheels, putting climate controls behind menus (or having to switch to them because of a double use of a touch strip), are ergonomic regressions. Some manufacturers are slowly starting to use tactile buttons again, but for now we are dealing with a "touchscreen"-plague that probably will take a long time to abate 4. Smart everything. I've recently driven a loaner car that apparently randomly started beeping at me. It took me a while to figure out that the car was signalling that it thought I left too little distance to a car in front of me on the motorway. I'd rather not have a "nanny car", thank you very much. 5. Too much software. Modern cars now have bugs like computers. A Mercedes EQS won't let you in, if you left the key inside, and if you try to use the app, the latter thinks the car is already open so won't open it for you. Mercedes got this working 20 years ago, when their cars simply wouldn't lock, if you left a key inside. Now the software has become too complex and every update bears the danger of introducing more bugs than it fixes. Mercedes now also run a "feature subscription" scheme were certain pieces of functionality are only available, if you pay a monthly fee for them. Thank you, but no thank you. I'd rather own my car though and through and rather not worry whether the next firmware update will unintentionally break something or intentionally remove something.

I live in germany and when I drive through the residential area, every 5-10th car is from around 2000s it seems that cars from that decade is all what you need. A lot of people don't like to control everything via touch like I do, wich is understandable.

Mk5 Golf GTI. Refinement and build quality was a step down from the Mk4 but the driving dynamics more than made up for it. Still feels like a modern car today. The best GTI ever?

I have a 2009 subaru outback. It feels like an old car with the reliability and practicality of a new car without all the new modern car problems

1980 to 2000... best 20 years.... just one decade is too short but if there must be one it's definitely the 1990's for me. Cars look really ugly to me after the early 2000's sorry to say.. might have better technology but the looks got awful.

I've said this on many occasions and thought perhaps it was simply biased as it was "my era" Cheap finance and the rise of PCP after the financial crash made car companies change from quality to quantity of new models and variants - theres that many crossovers from the likes Mercedes and Audi that it really has devalued what it once meant to own them.

2006 megane 1.6 owner here ,It's a shitbox, problems with the ignition coils, it is slow and the suspension is better not to mention , but you feel in contact with the car at all times, I plan to put a stereo with Bluetooth or some AUX, the rest is almost perfect, no giant screens or luxurious leather seats, a simple display on the dashboard, electric windows and mirrors, that is, the philosophy of a car made for what it is, drive and drive

I have Honda civic 2000 plate last of the mk6 generation with just under 30 000 miles totally standard such a brill drive and solid all round

I hate modern new cars. They’re awful to drive and some tech heavy. Who wants to navigate a screen to turn your heating on or have the car move itself when you forget to indicate changing lanes. And they’re stupidly expensive too!

Great video excellent content keep up the good work ❤

I think you miss more about old cars getting into a new one, than vice versa.

The visibility got worse in the late 2000s because of higher safety standard.

I will never go electric until they force me to. And not even then probably. The whole thing is stupid!

I sold my Toyota Celica and that’s biggest regret ! I can’t find anything like that

On the look out for a Saab 93 for the next run about or honda accord. If I was given a band new car today I'd sell it and buy a clean naughties car.

I have an Volvo 850 from -96 and an 964 3,0 manual fro, -95. I lovethem, both.

Honda Accord & Toyota Lexus of that era make wonderful buys ...

My grandmas 2002 Mazda 626 still works well despite it now being around 23 years old, and I love how it still acts as its own self.

60s, 70s and 80s looks wise was the peak. 2000s is when every car started to look like a bubble.

This is a great script, the tonality and ambient music made it retro in a non disgusting way hahaha. Congratulations, your work certainly deserves more views and exposure. Thank you.

9th gen corolla not in u.s

even bmws were good in the 2000s

They only thing I am worried about is that I won't have the time to drive all of the 00s cars I want to..

I will just say Alfa Romeo. Introduction of the first common rail diesel in 1997 with linear power delivery, great tuning potential and proven reliability. Then designs like brera, 8c and the other more "normal" models that all have double wishbone suspention, and, do not get me started on Busso v6.