The Quirky Among Us

[arleigh]

I'd be happy with a fliver but with a toyota engine and drive train and steering.

[Mandalorian]

Yes, the weird shapes generally don't do too well. Often they compromise visibility/utility and are actually less useful because of it. There's a reason most cars look fairly similar, they're all sort of circling the "Optimal" design.

Take the Dodge Magnum for example. Kind of an unusual muscle-wagon. Rear visibility was horrible and cargo space was lacking. It actually lost usability there.

[blktoptrvl]

I have to say, I like cars that people would consider quirky - especially other Americans.

But my list does not include any of these:

• Scion XB
• Nissan Cube
• Chevy HHR
• Nissan Juke
• Kia Soul

Mostly because although functional, I find them unattractive. My list of quirky cars - that I do desire, includes:

• 1976 Jaguar XJ-S
• Merkur xrt4i
• 1986 Mustang SVO
• 1978 Subaru BRAT
• Autozam AZ-1
• Alfa Romeo GTV6.25
• Maserati BiTurbo
• 1974 Ford Capri
• Suzuki Samauri
• Fiat X/19
• Lancia Stratos
• Meyers Manxter

Unfortunately, a few of these cars are better to look at than to actually drive.

I think the reason most people here would not like the cars on this list is because they are not practical (=expensive, or not suited for a family drive) and average people's finances are too stretched to afford a toy.

[Vannort54]

I thought the VW Thing was ugly.

[outafocus]

The quirkiest car I ever had was a 1969 Renault 10. It was one of my favorite cars of all that I have owned. The turn signal lever was on the right side of the steering column. The heater controls went from right to left instead of left to right. The large front trunk held four times what a 1969 VW Beetle could carry. The water cooled engine in the rear was extremely easy to service and maintain. It had the most comfortable seats of any car I ever drove, and the ride was smooth, quite unlike econoboxes of the day. It always got 35 mpg, and was pretty reliable for a French car.

[theedgeoflight]

I owned a 13 Nissan Cube for about a year. It was a really fun car to drive. Great visibility because of the large windows. The killer was it was really prone to being blown around in cross winds. Even with dedicated snow tires here in MN it was a toe curler when it was windy and the roads were icy! Would I ever by another one? No.

[JWG223]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

I appreciate cars with distinct styling. I am bored silly by vehicles such as the Ford Expedition, which doesn't have an interesting line on it.

But not all distinctive cars are attractive.

The HHR is a blatant rip off of the Chrysler PT Cruiser. The HHR is a GM's version of a nostalgia car and should be vaporized from the planet.

The Juke looks good from the rear, but not so good from the front.

The Honda Element had a long run - ultimately dying because Honda didn't refresh it and sales dropped.

Like the S2000
Like the NSX
Like the prelude
Like the Integra
Like the RSX

Like every other car that Honda made that REALLY hit a home run in its niche.

[sonarrat]

Quirky, that makes me think of the Aston Martin Cygnet. They sold them for 3 model years.. it was a rebadged Scion iQ with upgraded interior for $50,000 (UK). They only sold 143 of them. Now they are a collector's item.

[Tourian]

Isuzu Vehicross

[eaton53]

There a minty one of these running around these parts:



Sterling 825. Definitely quirky.

Here's another:



Merkur Scorpio. Big hatches in the USA are inherently quirky.