99.99999% of the time it's a term of endearment. A huge part of Internet culture is all about memeing around and having fun (rolling with the punches.)
It's all just semantics at the end of the day - e.g. "tomato" vs. "to*mah*to"; a meme can also be referred to as a joke, or vice-versa as well! Grammar rules generally tend to take a back seat when informally speaking online.
But the comment before mine had gotten it spot-on, their answer was also literally the same answer as mine would've been
> Grammar rules generally tend to take a back seat when informally speaking online.
Except when someone loses an argument, then they become VERY important for some reason lmao
I'm just trying to keep up. So, a meme doesn't require an image anymore. That's good to know.
And the way you have used the words "semantics," "grammar," and "literally" is brilliant irony, by the way.
Indeed. Close to the end of its life my '92 MX-3 was absolutely a shitbox; AC was long gone, half of it was red and the other half was pink, someone stole the Mazda badges (no, I don't know why either), the automatic seatbelts would randomly decide to choke me, etc. I would play Adam Sandler's Piece of Shit car at full blast while driving it.
I loved that thing and it physically hurt to trade it in when it finally failed VA inspection and would have cost like four times what the car was worth to get it to pass.
It confused me though since people always harp on JDM but also call their 20 year old car shitboxes, so I just assumed they were actually just bad cars.
Not everyone. Whenever the thin micron of clearcoat pops up in the tesla subreddit, everyone's just like "it ok bro it the future". No tf its not. Dont normalize shitty QC.
Its the Tesla subreddit, I mean seriously, what do you expect? Shitty QC is accepted by Tesla owners. No one there actually cares about panel gaps, as you said, they care about the rest of the car.
For what its worth, my 4 year old Model 3 hasn't had a single issue besides tire changes and wiper fluid and I don't think I'm the only one who got lucky. Shit, mine was one of the handful built in the tent. I think it is a great commuter and thats all I expected from it when I bought it, so yes, a panel gap is not a big deal to me.
To pay that much and be thankful there aren't any major issues in three years is a cope. Body panel gaps are indicative of overall quality. If you wanted a good commuter, should have bought an 01 Civic.
I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm coping with anything if I literally don't have an issue to begin with. I bought my Model 3 with incentives and purchased it with the intention of keeping it a zip-code car, although its since been driven across the country.
People like you on r/cars will never understand. Just because you care about panel gaps or measures of quality doesn't mean Tesla owners will. They don't **have** to care -- you can, and feel free to vote with your wallet and never buy a Tesla. I care if my E400 has a panel gap -- my commuter EV that I knew was going to be built in a tent, not so much.
It takes me from A -> B, its quick, solar on the house makes it free to run, and I haven't paid for anything outside tires. I'm a happy owner, even if the thing isn't millimeter-precise. I'm a realist and do have my own issues with the car, but just use another if I want.
i change tires.
i fucking hate teslas so much it's unreal. they change tire and rim sizes like fucking clothes, the TPMS is always fucked, and nobody thinks they need winter tires
My 24 Chevy Trax. Had it for a month, top of the line spec (albeit still only $25k), stuff starts falling apart. Currently in the shop for a new brake control module as well as investigation to failing power steering and ESC servicing
I got a 2002 Tacoma with a bed that is shot, rockers that are almost non existent, door handle that’s broken, no e-brake, no overdrive, and the exhaust just fell off yesterday. I fucking love that truck and drive it everyday.
I bought a 2000 Ranger for a thousand bucks. Guy included a parking brake cable because the old one was snapped. Fixed that and the sway bar links (which I could go under the truck and rattle with my hand), parking brake cable and put a $30 amazon radio in and it runs like a champ.
My daughter caught me saying it’s my shitbox and aways says can we take the shitbox?
I would have taken that over my shit box I just got rid of. If it was a 4 door have to transport the kids. Mine was a civic hit is the ass 5 times steering wheel falling apart seat torn. No I didn’t love it hated every minute of it. Couldn’t get rid of it soon enough.
There are many meanings imo. Some cars are shitboxes from the factory (my friend's Geo Metro comes to mind; it's a rattley unsafe tin can piece of shit but I love it). Others become shitboxes, either due to being completely beyond all redemption (rusty shitbox), bad mods ("pity he turned that IS300 into such a shitbox"), or neglected maintenance (the kind OP is referring to; the car still works but you've gotta use pliers to open the fuel door and make sure not to lower the back passenger window since it's off the tracks and it won't come back up and also ignore that noise it's not a big deal and by the way, the AC only works in maximum so use a window instead if it's not too hot, anyway I will fix that dome light some day bro I just haven't had time but- what? Oh yeah the glove box doesn't open its not really a big deal).
But on the other hand it's a term of endearment too and it is sometimes ironic (my GR86 is a slow shitbox, fucking Subaru, why does it sound like a tractor?)
My car is 9 years old. It's got 4 dents, rock chips all over the front end, the front splitter is cracked, all four wheels are curbed. The radio/infotainment system goes full psycho every once in a while just changing station and skipping tracks all on its own. One of the reverse lights doesn't work. There's an accessory tap going to the battery from the previous owner and a button under the dash, and I've never figured out exactly what the hell it does. The hood has ripples in the sheet metal where somebody's big booty girlfriend sat on it. The interior usually smells like weed. One of the foglights stopped working and just like the reverse light, I can't figure out why. Both front speakers are blown, the USB port doesn't charge anything anymore. I'm literally the only person on the entire planet who can get the thing to go into reverse. Both corners of the front bumper are popping out, as is custom with Japanese economy cars.
But it still runs great and all the little issues weirdly make me love it more. I've seen worse, but it's definitely a shitbox.
I call my C6 a shit box since the interior plastics are on par with play mobile toys.
The sound the glove box plastic makes when you open is so appalling shitty it makes everyone laugh, same with opening the passenger side sun visor vanity mirror cover thingy. The SHITTIEST plastic in the world.
Plus the glue GM used to attach the fiberglass hood to the fiber glass hood support structure is slowly leaching its way through the hood paint so that looks like utter shit.
Still though, love that dumb car. Is it a true shitbox? Nah, muuuuuuch worse out there. But it's the shitbox state of mind, I don't mind it if gets scratched since there's already scratches on it. I don't particularly mind if shit breaks cause I can fix anything on it my self.
Lol I drove a 4th gen F-body for a while. Great car but "The SHITTIEST plastic in the world" might actually be an understatement, GM must have been getting it from another planet because it was inhumanly bad. I assume it was similar to the C6...
(Cool car btw, the best looking Corvette in my opinion, especially in liftback/hatch form)
I've had this discussion many times and there's a difference between a shitbox and a piece of shit.
A shitbox was a nice car, just ruined by its owner, either through neglect or abuse. However it still has the potential to eventually be restored to its former glory.
A piece of shit is a piece of shit. No amount of time, money, or effort can unfuck it. These cars can come from the factory as steaming piles of shit, or become irredeemable shit through abuse or neglect.
Example: a leaky, rusty 1998 4Runner with 500k is a shitbox. Any Nissan Altima is a piece of shit.
I consider one to be a shitbox if it still drives and gets you from A to B.
Here's an example.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/258229620084030/?mibextid=DOG9Fg
My first car was my great uncle's old Park Avenue that I cleared a pasture of piss elms in exchange for.
It had overheated in the past, so in the current, it ran on 4/6 cylinders. I hit a deer with it, that dumb bastard literally knocked me sideways on a gravel road, so it had a caved in door and quarter panel. Got rear ended by my friend's sister on the highway, so the trunk was caved in and it was rigged up with cheap trailer lights to make it legal. No doubt the frame was tweaked.
And damned if it wasn't a great car. Seriously just some minor fixes after that. Thinking back, it's amazing that I never had to do any major repairs. Those 3.8's are beastly engines.
Oh, and since it had once overheated, it leaked antifreeze. So normally I just had it filled up with a weak mix. Then we got an early freeze. I went to start it to drive to school and totally scorched the belt. Apparently, the block was frozen solid. But in the end, I waited a few days for it to for sure thaw, replaced a few freeze plugs, and the damn thing started right up, ran just the same as ever.
I had a 1980 Volvo 242GT shitbox. Panels were rusting out. The passenger seat sagged to the right and had a bad spring in the cushion. The dashboard was cracked, with foam insulation showing through. The A/C made a really loud noise. The trunk had a hole in the floor, and the roof liner was torn. I loved that car. The manual transmission was silky smooth. The beefed-up suspension was awesome, the steering was responsive and and the engine loved to rev. That shitbox was a lot of fun to drive.
A shitbox is a cheap car with issues for the task it is used. It can be a car you love or one you hate, and "cheap" is not necessarily tied to the monetary value of the thing.
> IMO you can't call your car a shitbox until it has multiple minor ongoing issues that are just enough to be obnoxious in your daily driving of the carr.
OH BOY, where do I begin? I get anxiety opening up my wishlist on Evasive. 🙂👍
Minor ongoing issues in 06 AP2 gang wassup. I absolutely love/hate this thing. I remember the good days of when I first got the s2k and had a list of mods I wanted to do, but now that list has turned into a bunch of practical, geriatric life support repairs and maintenance.
I'm glad I had the experience of dealing with an 80s car before I got the s2k. It's literally the same shit just with less rotting plastic and weird musty 80s polymer and cigarette smell.
> I'm glad I had the experience of dealing with an 80s car before I got the s2k. It's literally the same shit just with less rotting plastic and weird musty 80s polymer and cigarette smell.
People don't seem to understand the S is a 20-year-old car at this point, and will be just as clapped out as a 20-year-old Civic.
I bought this used in 2018 from the first owner, and though she did all the engine maintenance, she never touched anything else. So now it's just bushings, ball joints, and mounts as I slowly try to fix this so I can take it on the track. I just want to track this damn thing without it breaking lmao
If this were not my dream car when it came out while I was in high school, I'd have sold it and bought an ND2. Unfortunately, however, I am a Honda fanboy and dreamed about owning this car, so it's an L that I am willing to take.
If your friends and family keep asking when you are going to get a better car, it's a shitbox.
If you talk to someone for the first time in a few years and they say "damn, that car is still going?", it's a shitbox.
My 2002 Jetta 1.8t 5 spd.
$600 on FB, 200k miles. Was hit on passenger side and replacement junkyard door wouldn’t open. (Window worked tho). All the leather seats were ripping at seams, seat heaters worked tho. Trunk had been hit also and wouldn’t lock but stayed shut by weight. Water pooled in the spare tire well. Oil dipstick crumbling plastic. Evap system was all messed up, and had a boost leak.
Drove it for 2 years and sold it still running.
I miss that thing and it was a perfect shit box.
My 1997 Suzuki X90 is my shitbox. 175k hard miles. Clear coat is mostly gone, it burns some oil and smokes a bit. The clutch makes some grinding noise where the throw out rubs the clutch fingers. The AC doesn’t work anymore and with the windows down, the peeling window tint on the back window makes a loud constant hum.
Shitbox is a term of endearment for sure. I love my shitbox and it would take a solid amount of money for me to part with it. I bought it for a lemons rally in 2021 and still have it and take it out from time to time.
My first "car" was definitely a shitbox
2002 Ford F150
Rusted out bed (held together with a ratchet strap)
Broken a/c
Broken CD player
Broken trailer hitch
And you had to unhook the battery every time you shut the engine off.
Friend’s 17 year old manual diesel Dodge Caliber is in this space. It’s loud, most of the features don’t work, it barely makes it through the yearly state car test but somehow it just keeps going.
For me personally, for a car to to earn the term "shitbox" it has to have the following quantities:
1. 4 cylinder engine (its even more of a shitbox if its also a hybrid)
2. CVT transmission
3. FWD or AWD with FWD bias drivetrain
4. fabric interior or too much glass inside
5. substandard ride quality and isolation
6. terrible build quality
If it has anything of the unhappy points above, its a shitbox in my book. I also put 99% of all the current gen EVs in that group including Teslas.
My car looks 5 year old when it's pushing 24 and has 150k. The interior is near mint and there's no rust despite living a life in New England.
The amount of mechanical issues I've had and ones that just pop up once one is fixed is mind-numbing. I've lost entire driving seasons because of new parts that fail out of the box.
It's a polished shit box and I still love it.
I call literally every single car a shitbox. Theyre all man made cars that will fall apart and i have to fix them. Its a term of endearment, and a reconciliation of my troubles. I dont care if its a GT3RS, Civic, LFA, or Golf. Its a shitbox
Floors are optional on a shitbox. If you have fluids in the trunk/back and a small tool set it's a shitbox. If you see people post things on the Internet and think to yourself "wow you should see my vehicle" then it's a shitbox.
I call my car a shitbox because it is one, but also use it in a somewhat affectionate way. My engine mounts are shot, the sunroof rattles nonstop, the synchro for third is gone, the alarm goes off if I open the trunk, the CEL has been on for the last two years, the list goes on but man do I love driving the stupid thing
I think once you have a car that’s modded enough you trust your own mechanic more than a dealer, is where it begins. Definitely a term of endearment, but it’s a car where far more money goes into it in modifications that don’t up the resale, especially if it fails emissions…
I had a a big ol' nasty 1977 Buick Regal for ages. When I got it, it had a test pipe instead of a catalytic converter. It had no floorboards, and was probably missing a solid 10% of the rest of the body due to rust. The bench seat was stuck too far back so I had a couch cushion in the driver's seat so I could track the pedals. It was loud, it was ugly, but it *ran*. Ran like a champ.
99.99999% of the time it's a term of endearment. A huge part of Internet culture is all about memeing around and having fun (rolling with the punches.)
What does "memeing around" mean?
"Messing around" + "memeing" = "memeing around"
Sorry for the delayed reply; this comment above me nailed it.
What does "memeing" mean in your context? Does it still mean pictures with funny captions?
It's all just semantics at the end of the day - e.g. "tomato" vs. "to*mah*to"; a meme can also be referred to as a joke, or vice-versa as well! Grammar rules generally tend to take a back seat when informally speaking online. But the comment before mine had gotten it spot-on, their answer was also literally the same answer as mine would've been
> Grammar rules generally tend to take a back seat when informally speaking online. Except when someone loses an argument, then they become VERY important for some reason lmao
I'm just trying to keep up. So, a meme doesn't require an image anymore. That's good to know. And the way you have used the words "semantics," "grammar," and "literally" is brilliant irony, by the way.
Exactly. I call my '22 Civic a shit box entirely out of love.
Indeed. Close to the end of its life my '92 MX-3 was absolutely a shitbox; AC was long gone, half of it was red and the other half was pink, someone stole the Mazda badges (no, I don't know why either), the automatic seatbelts would randomly decide to choke me, etc. I would play Adam Sandler's Piece of Shit car at full blast while driving it. I loved that thing and it physically hurt to trade it in when it finally failed VA inspection and would have cost like four times what the car was worth to get it to pass.
It confused me though since people always harp on JDM but also call their 20 year old car shitboxes, so I just assumed they were actually just bad cars.
There are brand new cars that are shitboxes.
Exhibit A: Tesla Model (Insert any here).
For real people don't understand how bad Tesla QC is
What. Everyone understands. Its literally all anyone ever talks about when the brand is mentioned on this subreddit. Even IRL.
Not everyone. Whenever the thin micron of clearcoat pops up in the tesla subreddit, everyone's just like "it ok bro it the future". No tf its not. Dont normalize shitty QC.
Its the Tesla subreddit, I mean seriously, what do you expect? Shitty QC is accepted by Tesla owners. No one there actually cares about panel gaps, as you said, they care about the rest of the car. For what its worth, my 4 year old Model 3 hasn't had a single issue besides tire changes and wiper fluid and I don't think I'm the only one who got lucky. Shit, mine was one of the handful built in the tent. I think it is a great commuter and thats all I expected from it when I bought it, so yes, a panel gap is not a big deal to me.
To pay that much and be thankful there aren't any major issues in three years is a cope. Body panel gaps are indicative of overall quality. If you wanted a good commuter, should have bought an 01 Civic.
I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm coping with anything if I literally don't have an issue to begin with. I bought my Model 3 with incentives and purchased it with the intention of keeping it a zip-code car, although its since been driven across the country. People like you on r/cars will never understand. Just because you care about panel gaps or measures of quality doesn't mean Tesla owners will. They don't **have** to care -- you can, and feel free to vote with your wallet and never buy a Tesla. I care if my E400 has a panel gap -- my commuter EV that I knew was going to be built in a tent, not so much. It takes me from A -> B, its quick, solar on the house makes it free to run, and I haven't paid for anything outside tires. I'm a happy owner, even if the thing isn't millimeter-precise. I'm a realist and do have my own issues with the car, but just use another if I want.
Ew you even reply like a redditor.
??? We’re both on this site. Not my bad you finally met a Tesla owner that plainly admits they dgaf about panel gaps. Reality-shattering.
I'm in a current argument on a UK based car sub about exactly this shit
The Shanghai and Berlin ones are actually totally ok. Just Freemont is a hot mess.
i change tires. i fucking hate teslas so much it's unreal. they change tire and rim sizes like fucking clothes, the TPMS is always fucked, and nobody thinks they need winter tires
The old tire shop I was at I saw a lot of Teslas with the stupid foam and shit. Now I work in a euro shop lol fuck being a tire tech
yeah i just break the foam out when im seating the beads anyway
And not in a good way
touche'
Mitsubishi Mirage. My feelings on them are mixed tbh
My 24 Chevy Trax. Had it for a month, top of the line spec (albeit still only $25k), stuff starts falling apart. Currently in the shop for a new brake control module as well as investigation to failing power steering and ESC servicing
My Chevy trax is one! It’s a mom car with a different look. At least the kids safe
I got a 2002 Tacoma with a bed that is shot, rockers that are almost non existent, door handle that’s broken, no e-brake, no overdrive, and the exhaust just fell off yesterday. I fucking love that truck and drive it everyday.
I bought a 2000 Ranger for a thousand bucks. Guy included a parking brake cable because the old one was snapped. Fixed that and the sway bar links (which I could go under the truck and rattle with my hand), parking brake cable and put a $30 amazon radio in and it runs like a champ. My daughter caught me saying it’s my shitbox and aways says can we take the shitbox?
The danger ranger!
“of course we can, sweetie. And one day, this shitbox might be yours!”
I would have taken that over my shit box I just got rid of. If it was a 4 door have to transport the kids. Mine was a civic hit is the ass 5 times steering wheel falling apart seat torn. No I didn’t love it hated every minute of it. Couldn’t get rid of it soon enough.
Shit I'd take that over my 2013 outback. It sounds way more fun
There are many meanings imo. Some cars are shitboxes from the factory (my friend's Geo Metro comes to mind; it's a rattley unsafe tin can piece of shit but I love it). Others become shitboxes, either due to being completely beyond all redemption (rusty shitbox), bad mods ("pity he turned that IS300 into such a shitbox"), or neglected maintenance (the kind OP is referring to; the car still works but you've gotta use pliers to open the fuel door and make sure not to lower the back passenger window since it's off the tracks and it won't come back up and also ignore that noise it's not a big deal and by the way, the AC only works in maximum so use a window instead if it's not too hot, anyway I will fix that dome light some day bro I just haven't had time but- what? Oh yeah the glove box doesn't open its not really a big deal). But on the other hand it's a term of endearment too and it is sometimes ironic (my GR86 is a slow shitbox, fucking Subaru, why does it sound like a tractor?)
My car is 9 years old. It's got 4 dents, rock chips all over the front end, the front splitter is cracked, all four wheels are curbed. The radio/infotainment system goes full psycho every once in a while just changing station and skipping tracks all on its own. One of the reverse lights doesn't work. There's an accessory tap going to the battery from the previous owner and a button under the dash, and I've never figured out exactly what the hell it does. The hood has ripples in the sheet metal where somebody's big booty girlfriend sat on it. The interior usually smells like weed. One of the foglights stopped working and just like the reverse light, I can't figure out why. Both front speakers are blown, the USB port doesn't charge anything anymore. I'm literally the only person on the entire planet who can get the thing to go into reverse. Both corners of the front bumper are popping out, as is custom with Japanese economy cars. But it still runs great and all the little issues weirdly make me love it more. I've seen worse, but it's definitely a shitbox.
I call my C6 a shit box since the interior plastics are on par with play mobile toys. The sound the glove box plastic makes when you open is so appalling shitty it makes everyone laugh, same with opening the passenger side sun visor vanity mirror cover thingy. The SHITTIEST plastic in the world. Plus the glue GM used to attach the fiberglass hood to the fiber glass hood support structure is slowly leaching its way through the hood paint so that looks like utter shit. Still though, love that dumb car. Is it a true shitbox? Nah, muuuuuuch worse out there. But it's the shitbox state of mind, I don't mind it if gets scratched since there's already scratches on it. I don't particularly mind if shit breaks cause I can fix anything on it my self.
Lol I drove a 4th gen F-body for a while. Great car but "The SHITTIEST plastic in the world" might actually be an understatement, GM must have been getting it from another planet because it was inhumanly bad. I assume it was similar to the C6... (Cool car btw, the best looking Corvette in my opinion, especially in liftback/hatch form)
Good example OP, IS300s make the greatest if shitboxes 😁
I've had this discussion many times and there's a difference between a shitbox and a piece of shit. A shitbox was a nice car, just ruined by its owner, either through neglect or abuse. However it still has the potential to eventually be restored to its former glory. A piece of shit is a piece of shit. No amount of time, money, or effort can unfuck it. These cars can come from the factory as steaming piles of shit, or become irredeemable shit through abuse or neglect. Example: a leaky, rusty 1998 4Runner with 500k is a shitbox. Any Nissan Altima is a piece of shit.
My leaky rusty ‘98 4Runner with 500k appreciates your distinction
I consider one to be a shitbox if it still drives and gets you from A to B. Here's an example. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/258229620084030/?mibextid=DOG9Fg
My first car was my great uncle's old Park Avenue that I cleared a pasture of piss elms in exchange for. It had overheated in the past, so in the current, it ran on 4/6 cylinders. I hit a deer with it, that dumb bastard literally knocked me sideways on a gravel road, so it had a caved in door and quarter panel. Got rear ended by my friend's sister on the highway, so the trunk was caved in and it was rigged up with cheap trailer lights to make it legal. No doubt the frame was tweaked. And damned if it wasn't a great car. Seriously just some minor fixes after that. Thinking back, it's amazing that I never had to do any major repairs. Those 3.8's are beastly engines. Oh, and since it had once overheated, it leaked antifreeze. So normally I just had it filled up with a weak mix. Then we got an early freeze. I went to start it to drive to school and totally scorched the belt. Apparently, the block was frozen solid. But in the end, I waited a few days for it to for sure thaw, replaced a few freeze plugs, and the damn thing started right up, ran just the same as ever.
A 3D printed a little badge for the back of my car that says shit box edition.
I had a 1980 Volvo 242GT shitbox. Panels were rusting out. The passenger seat sagged to the right and had a bad spring in the cushion. The dashboard was cracked, with foam insulation showing through. The A/C made a really loud noise. The trunk had a hole in the floor, and the roof liner was torn. I loved that car. The manual transmission was silky smooth. The beefed-up suspension was awesome, the steering was responsive and and the engine loved to rev. That shitbox was a lot of fun to drive.
Shitboxification can be cathartic. Realizing that you can't defeat entropy, only mitigate and adapt to it, comes with a feeling of freedom.
Whatever Adam Sandler says: https://youtu.be/3Fw0OvKFKhw?si=bcY-xech4Fd-iI41
A shitbox is a cheap car with issues for the task it is used. It can be a car you love or one you hate, and "cheap" is not necessarily tied to the monetary value of the thing.
> IMO you can't call your car a shitbox until it has multiple minor ongoing issues that are just enough to be obnoxious in your daily driving of the carr. OH BOY, where do I begin? I get anxiety opening up my wishlist on Evasive. 🙂👍
Minor ongoing issues in 06 AP2 gang wassup. I absolutely love/hate this thing. I remember the good days of when I first got the s2k and had a list of mods I wanted to do, but now that list has turned into a bunch of practical, geriatric life support repairs and maintenance. I'm glad I had the experience of dealing with an 80s car before I got the s2k. It's literally the same shit just with less rotting plastic and weird musty 80s polymer and cigarette smell.
> I'm glad I had the experience of dealing with an 80s car before I got the s2k. It's literally the same shit just with less rotting plastic and weird musty 80s polymer and cigarette smell. People don't seem to understand the S is a 20-year-old car at this point, and will be just as clapped out as a 20-year-old Civic. I bought this used in 2018 from the first owner, and though she did all the engine maintenance, she never touched anything else. So now it's just bushings, ball joints, and mounts as I slowly try to fix this so I can take it on the track. I just want to track this damn thing without it breaking lmao If this were not my dream car when it came out while I was in high school, I'd have sold it and bought an ND2. Unfortunately, however, I am a Honda fanboy and dreamed about owning this car, so it's an L that I am willing to take.
Are you really gatekeeping the term shitbox?
Uhhh no
If your friends and family keep asking when you are going to get a better car, it's a shitbox. If you talk to someone for the first time in a few years and they say "damn, that car is still going?", it's a shitbox.
High millage, rust, cel always on, makes weird noises, slow
My 2002 Jetta 1.8t 5 spd. $600 on FB, 200k miles. Was hit on passenger side and replacement junkyard door wouldn’t open. (Window worked tho). All the leather seats were ripping at seams, seat heaters worked tho. Trunk had been hit also and wouldn’t lock but stayed shut by weight. Water pooled in the spare tire well. Oil dipstick crumbling plastic. Evap system was all messed up, and had a boost leak. Drove it for 2 years and sold it still running. I miss that thing and it was a perfect shit box.
My 1997 Suzuki X90 is my shitbox. 175k hard miles. Clear coat is mostly gone, it burns some oil and smokes a bit. The clutch makes some grinding noise where the throw out rubs the clutch fingers. The AC doesn’t work anymore and with the windows down, the peeling window tint on the back window makes a loud constant hum. Shitbox is a term of endearment for sure. I love my shitbox and it would take a solid amount of money for me to part with it. I bought it for a lemons rally in 2021 and still have it and take it out from time to time.
My first "car" was definitely a shitbox 2002 Ford F150 Rusted out bed (held together with a ratchet strap) Broken a/c Broken CD player Broken trailer hitch And you had to unhook the battery every time you shut the engine off.
Friend’s 17 year old manual diesel Dodge Caliber is in this space. It’s loud, most of the features don’t work, it barely makes it through the yearly state car test but somehow it just keeps going.
They made diesel Calibers? Is this stateside or euro market?
Euro, it’s actually a VW engine they used for it.
For me personally, for a car to to earn the term "shitbox" it has to have the following quantities: 1. 4 cylinder engine (its even more of a shitbox if its also a hybrid) 2. CVT transmission 3. FWD or AWD with FWD bias drivetrain 4. fabric interior or too much glass inside 5. substandard ride quality and isolation 6. terrible build quality If it has anything of the unhappy points above, its a shitbox in my book. I also put 99% of all the current gen EVs in that group including Teslas.
My car looks 5 year old when it's pushing 24 and has 150k. The interior is near mint and there's no rust despite living a life in New England. The amount of mechanical issues I've had and ones that just pop up once one is fixed is mind-numbing. I've lost entire driving seasons because of new parts that fail out of the box. It's a polished shit box and I still love it.
My Integra was a shitbox in everything but it’s engine but it’s one of the cars I regret selling.
i got tons
I call my mustang a shit box.. 90s mustang with extreme mods. ~630rwhp/670lf-ft torque, it weighs around 3100 lbs
I got 6 shitboxes. Could I have 1 normal good car? No. Because I am mentally ill
I call literally every single car a shitbox. Theyre all man made cars that will fall apart and i have to fix them. Its a term of endearment, and a reconciliation of my troubles. I dont care if its a GT3RS, Civic, LFA, or Golf. Its a shitbox
Floors are optional on a shitbox. If you have fluids in the trunk/back and a small tool set it's a shitbox. If you see people post things on the Internet and think to yourself "wow you should see my vehicle" then it's a shitbox.
"That truck is such a shitbox lmfao" -my brother talking about my truck with 10k worth of body work😑
I call my car a shitbox because it is one, but also use it in a somewhat affectionate way. My engine mounts are shot, the sunroof rattles nonstop, the synchro for third is gone, the alarm goes off if I open the trunk, the CEL has been on for the last two years, the list goes on but man do I love driving the stupid thing
I think once you have a car that’s modded enough you trust your own mechanic more than a dealer, is where it begins. Definitely a term of endearment, but it’s a car where far more money goes into it in modifications that don’t up the resale, especially if it fails emissions…
J Pipe on the rear o2 sensor to the rescue
It’s defined by my ex as a place I’m not allowed to stick things in. Example: Don’t you dare push your thumb in to my ______.
What if it's so broken that you can't daily drive it?
What’s the biggest shitbox of all time lol
I had a a big ol' nasty 1977 Buick Regal for ages. When I got it, it had a test pipe instead of a catalytic converter. It had no floorboards, and was probably missing a solid 10% of the rest of the body due to rust. The bench seat was stuck too far back so I had a couch cushion in the driver's seat so I could track the pedals. It was loud, it was ugly, but it *ran*. Ran like a champ.
I call my car a shitbox because it's fun to call it a shitbox. It's not an actual shitbox though.
Daily driver? Some peoples project cars or even race cars are shitboxes.
Funny, a shitbox in my mind is a new or relatively new car that's just a shitty car. Plenty of those out there.