13 Cars We’re Sick of Seeing at Car Shows 

Gearheads love to attend car shows! They’re packed with awesome cars and like-minded people — how can we not love that?!

Car shows are not all sunshine and rainbows, though. Sometimes, you’ll come across cars that don’t really belong there. How dare these people show off something that’s not even as cool as your daily driver?

We’ve gathered 13 cars we’re sick of seeing at car shows. Obviously, we don’t expect everyone to agree with our choices, as this is 100% down to personal preferences.

Rusty Cars

Certain rusty cars can look cool, such as rat rods or cars built specifically to have that rusted look. Rusty Slammington, the e28 BMW 535i by Mike Burroughs, is a prime example of a cool, rusty car.

However, showing up to a car show in a 1990s Honda Accord with an ill-fitting body kit and rusty wheel arches won’t fly.

Brodozer Pickup Trucks

Besides the people who drive them, not many people like the overly modified, lifted brodozer pickup trucks with low-profile off-road tires — especially if it’s rolling coal. More often than not, the owners fit a certain stereotype, and the trucks are a danger to other road users.

You’re only forgiven for rolling up to a show in a brodozer if you’re part of the Diesel Brothers cast.

New Mass-Produced Cars

We don’t care whether the owner just bought it or it’s a dealership that wants to show off a new model. Brand-new, standard, mass-produced cars don’t belong in a car show. We can literally see them in the mall parking lot.

That said, if the dealership sponsors the show, we think they should be allowed to show off a couple of new models. Another exception to the rule is if the owner has modified it and it’s no longer standard.

Non-Modified Malaise Era American Cars

The Malaise Era killed the American performance car. Unless you’re showing off one of the few truly special vehicles from that era, such as the Trans Am 455 SD or Dodge Lil’ Red Express truck, nobody’s interested.

Most American cars from this era didn’t look particularly good and lacked performance, so they’ll need to be properly modified to fit in.

Base-Model “Muscle Cars”

We love the late-model Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, and Dodge Challenger, and owners have modified them in more creative ways than we care to mention.

At practically every car show, you’ll find that someone decided to show off their bone-stock V6 Challenger, Camaro, or EcoBoost Mustang. Thanks to the popularity of these cars, the base models are now among the least special cars out there. Unless it’s got some seriously cool mods, it belongs in the parking lot.

Overly Modified Jeep Wranglers

We don’t have anything against modified Jeep Wranglers. In fact, when done right, they offer both great looks and excellent off-road abilities.

Unfortunately, some Wrangler owners don’t know when to stop, so they throw every available aftermarket part on there and finish it off in a fluorescent high-viz yellow, green, or orange wrap.

Poorly Built Kit Cars

When done right, kit cars can be awesome. Most of us will never get the chance to drive a real Shelby Cobra, Ford GT40, or Porsche 356, but a kit car is the next best thing… at least if it’s well-built.

We don’t want to see a Porsche 356 replica with a cheap, bargain-basement interior, cracked fiberglass, and a 1.1-liter Beetle engine at the back.

Cars With Massive Sound Systems

Remember when ICE (In-Car Entertainment) was a thing? Every magazine-featured car had a trunk filled with subwoofers and amplifiers.

We still love cars with a proper old-school ICE system. The problem is that the owners of these cars want to show off and play music with the volume turned up to 11 whenever someone asks them about their setup. Even when you’re several yards away, the vibrations will cause your inner organs to fail.

First-Gen Mustang

The first-gen Mustang has become one of the cars that non-car people buy in an attempt to seem cool. There are always a bunch of them at every show, and they’re all chrome-laden and/or restomodded.

If it’s a proper build, like the late, great Ken Block’s Hoonicorn Mustang, we say go for it, but other than that, the Mustang is a dime a dozen at this point.

Outlaw Porsche 911s

This one hurts a bit, but it needs to be said. Both the internet and Porsche sections of any car show are filled to the brim with “outlaw” 911s. Which is great… except many of them aren’t particularly well-built, and they’re just copying what everyone else is doing.

If you’ve spent way too much money on a 1980s Porsche 911, keep it stock for a while, and when you can modify it properly, show it off. We see several outlaws rolling on replica Fuchs rims with scuff marks and curb rash, and the only mods are a missing side mirror, some lowering springs, and a Mobil 1 Pegasus sticker. At the very least, get some air vents on the fenders and rear side windows, and install the obligatory backdate parts and RS body kit.

SUVs

SUVs are great for school runs, and commuting. Some can even be used off-road. They’re super-practical, so it’s easy to see why people want them, and some even pack a serious punch.

However, there’s a difference between wanting an SUV for practical purposes, and truly desiring it because you think it’s the coolest vehicle ever. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Lambo Urus or a Dodge Durango SRT; they’re too practical and too common, and because they try so hard to be cool, they’re the exact opposite.

Electric Cars

Electric cars are everywhere now, and unless you attend car shows to look for a new vehicle that can handle the daily commute, there’s no point going to the EV section of the car show. The owners rarely modify them, and all the cars there look identical.

The people you find there usually have interesting conversations about 0 to 60 mph times, charging times, and range. Once in a while, someone will tell you about their hypermiling attempts that involved them driving 30 mph below the speed limit.

Cars That Don’t Fit The Show Theme

Those who’ve attended a car show with a certain theme will know what we’re talking about. It can be a show focused on Japanese cars, but for some reason, the organizers allowed someone to bring their stanced VW Golf.

Another example is a classic car show where every other car is too new. It can even be annoying when a car is parked in the wrong section of a regular show, like a VW Beetle in the muscle car section.