The process of falling in love with a car is such a wonderful thing. You make a discovery and in short order, you’ve fallen head-over-heels. Maybe you didn’t expect to love that car so much, but now you’re finding yourself buying posters of it. One day, you will buy that car. For our readers who grew up with smartphones, maybe that car got plastered all over your screen. No matter how you fell in love, seeing and talking about that car probably gets you excited, which is great! Not so great is when your friends just don’t get it. What car do your friends make fun of you for loving?
I can relate to this question. Back in May 2008, my father retired a Ford Ranger. I forget if it crashed or its transmission left the chat, but the result was the same. The truck was gone and he needed something new. My parents heard about some sort of second coming of the Geo Metro, something called a “Smart Car.” As it happened, a dealership had just opened up in nearby Lake Bluff, Illinois, so we hopped into the family GMC Envoy XL to check it out. I had visions of some sort of sleek car that drove itself or something.
What I got was something totally unexpected. In that dealership, which resembled an art gallery, but with tiny cars, a salesman dressed as if he were going to a ball showed us around three Fortwos. Mr. Janka explained how these cars were engineered by Mercedes-Benz and a lot of work went into making a real car fit into a footprint less than 9 feet long. I was about 15 years old at the time and my teenage brain was blown. Everything was so exciting. My eyes grew large and beady as I found myself amazed at the dent-resistant panels, the colorful interiors, and the full transparent roofs. Janka explained how the funky contrasting steel underneath the plastic panels was hiding a high-tensile steel safety cage. So these tiny cars were as safe as something a bit larger.
My parents stopped being interested the moment the salesman said there was a waiting list a year long. Me? I nabbed a brochure and read it front to back that same day. I still have that brochure in my collection of Smart stuff. It wasn’t long until I had every bit of that brochure memorized, from the torque numbers of the puny engine to each color choice for those swappable plastic panels. The next time I went to school — I was a high school Freshman — I proudly proclaimed that my dream car was a Smart Fortwo. I even chose the first song I’d play when I bought one.
My friends and classmates? Well, they mocked me mercilessly for it. See, a lot of teenagers back then loved things like the new Chevrolet Camaro, Italian exotics, the Ford Mustang, or whatever souped-up classic their dads were driving. Cars like the little Fortwo were seen as too girly and stupid. That day, I became known as the Smart car person and was teased for loving them through every single year of high school. My parents had worse things to say about my appreciation for the Smart.
I drew Smarts in my art classes, I wrote about them in my English classes, and I even figured out ways to incorporate Smarts into science classes. I became Smart USA’s best PR person and I didn’t even work for the company. Smart USA noticed my love and over time, trusted me enough to give me press releases before the media even got them.
Everyone thought I’d grow out of it, but I didn’t. In 2012, I brought my first Smart home. Suddenly, the haters disappeared. They realized I was serious and that for me, it was a dream come true. Many of the same people who teased me apologized before congratulating me. I still have that car above today, and it helped me become the person I am now.
This is a very long way to say that even your friends may question your car choices. Has that ever happened to you? If so, what car do your friends make fun of you for? Of course, we’re pro-car here. We don’t care if you drive a Yugo, a Gillig BRT, or a Tesla Cybertruck, we love them all.
(Topshot: Smart USA)
The GM W-body cars are a mixed bag for a lot of people. My first car had been a 1992 Lumina 4-door (3.1 auto base model). I remember that car fondly and thought it was the best car around (I was a teen with my first car at the time so of course I thought it was rad). The idea to me at the time that there was a hotshot version of my car called the Z34 with all the coolest features a car could have at the time (spoiler, ground effects, manual transmission, screaming V6, hood vents, big plush sport buckets) was just too much to handle. The Lumina Z34 was then and still is now my favorite car ever. Ironically, I never purchased one. Maybe I feared that owning one would diminish the magic, or perhaps the LQ1 “money-pit” V6 would be a crushing affair to tolerate (still my favorite V6).
I ended up having a one-off custom Z34 model made by a company that builds and creates models of automobiles. As far as I know, it is the only model Z34 in the world (if you don’t count the NASCAR versions).
I have had two each at the same time. An ‘11 Quest SV and a ‘17 Quest SV along with an ‘04 Taurus SEL wagon and ‘05 Taurus SEL wagon, both Duratecs. Loved all of them and pretty much had them at the same time in the same driveway.
Pretty much any vehicle I’ve owned has been the butt of the joke out here in BroDozer country.
I’ve driven VW Vans of various years and models since sometime in the ’80s. Not a TRUCK!
I’m now driving a ’93 Toyota Corolla sedan–again, NOT A TRUCK!
That seems to be all that matters out here, although some SUVs (BIG) and Jeep (and Jeep-like) rigs are somewhat acceptable.
My own. A 1990 Pontiac Sunbird. I cherish and treasure it like it’s a storied muscle car. It is sitting in the garage right now for winter storage, in fact.
Sunbirds are kickass. My uncle used to have one many years ago. I got a ride in it once. I have checked out the market for Sunbirds in the past.
Well over on the other site, people make fun of me for loving Teslas… and they’re my ‘friends’, right? RIGHT???
I’m a younger guy and drive a C6 corvette.
The “retired dentist” jokes never cease!
Nothing wrong with a C6. C4-C6 Vettes are my favorites.
‘66 Corvair convertible. Fiat 500c. Chevy Volt. ‘91 Olds Custom Cruiser. Nissan Stanza Wagon. Mercury Capri (the NottaMiata one.) ‘56 Cadillac Sedan de Camper. Datsun F10 wagon.
I’m tough. I can take it.
I’ve long since gotten rid of anything my friend(s) might mock, but I was a die hard Corvair adict when they were decidedly uncool. Fast forward 45 years and I find myself inordinately proud of a 1974 Chevy 3/4 Ton flatbed with 255K miles on it, still running its original engine, trans, rear end and suspension.
Only the suspension was in need of immediate attention. I endured constant ribbing, and of course constant predictions of future grief. When I finally sold the truck I knew I was making a mistake. I wasn’t wrong because the old SOB is still on the road right here in my hometown where it taunts me everytime I see it!
The minivan in general.
I generally get some comment about “becoming a dad”, but they’re just so darned practical. I found this out through ownership of a Highlander and wondering why they didn’t build it like a minivan.
And also the Nissan Altima
Actually, my love for the Fiat 500 is probably the one that earns me the most ridicule…
I drove a smoke-bomb Corvair in high school. Enough said.
I got a conversion van back in high school, and had it for 7 years. It got varied reactions from people, from sex criminal jokes (despite the big windows and such, and red exterior) to some digging it.
Certainly, anyone obsessed with performance or off-road ability (off-road being somewhat relevant in middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania, where we were) would laugh or disregard it, but I have gotten some converts (or at least, appreciators) after several day trips and vacations with friends, experiencing the captain’s chairs and bench seat and luxurious interior in general.
I enjoy van aesthetics, but really, it’s about the people and experiences inside (get your mind out of the gutter…) more than it was ever about the mechanical bits.
Postscript: at one point, for my DJ business I was considering buying a decommissioned ambulance. In this case, I’m glad that both the market and my friends dissuaded me from that. We still refer to that time in my life as “Ambulancegate.”
Volvos, especially the long-roof ones.
I’m on my 4th, and it’s my favorite of the cars I’ve owned. It has a Yamaha V8, AWD, and Bridgestone tires that don’t want to lose grip even when I might want them to. It has such a confidence-inspiring drive, handling, and visibility.
Anecdotally, Jeremy Clarkson has owned two more than I have, and I completely understand why, as he points out they seemed to have been designed by people with kids who actually use their vehicles.
I really, really like my Lancer. I don’t want to get rid of it. It’s not an Evo. It’s a CVT. This earns me endless mockery from all sorts of people, but it’s a great-handling car that just won’t die. I’d like to freshen it up considerably, and get all of the cosmetic bits looking nice again, and the response I get is “why?” from a lot of people. I love this car! That’s why.
Small, cute and not so fast cars like my Figaro or former Twingo, some of them are afraid their dicks might fall off, if they express positive feelings for anything with less than 100 hp.
I’m so virile myself that I had to drive an Aygo at some point to keep
the testosterone at bay 😉
In high school I was made fun of for liking cars like the Citroen DS and BMW Isetta, mostly by people whose dream cars were Ferraris and Lambos. In general, I got teased a lot by everyone with some semblance of interest in cars, until I started showing up to school in my ’66 Thunderbird. Then I was mostly teased for staring at it in auto class lol.
Back then I couldn’t get enough of weird/obscure cars, as I figured all the mainstream popular stuff is too expensive and you see a lot of it at car shows, so I was dreaming of assorted microcars and French engineering. Ultimately the T-bird ended up being inexpensive and interesting enough for my tastes while being actually possible to repair, and I haven’t seen anyone from that high school since I graduated so nobody has a problem with my liking weird cars anymore.
The answer is always Pacer, it is OK to love Pacers. There are online groups for that kind of sickness. Admitting the sickness is the first step…. If they really want to make fun of my car lust, The Ford Pinto wagon on page 6 of the 1980 Brochure with the Rallye pack will definitely bring them grief. What kind of person couldn’t love an 80 Pinto wagon with bubble port hole windows in the sail panel? That kind of person wouldn’t appreciate the silver paint with the blue striping, either. 2.3 litre hot rod motor and crappy 4 speed to boot. Some folks are just asses I guess
Well my coworkers love to make fun of me for my personal vehicle. I’m a truck driver at a company that uses primarily 389 Petes. The chromed out, long nosed, lights everywhere, old school type. The ego trucks. And mine has more lights and chrome than all the rest. (And I have the ego to match.) Well, since we are egotistical muther truckers, and damn proud of it, all my coworkers drive pickup trucks and brodosers. Except me. I drive a 2019 Mazda 2… I mean Toyota yaris. It has the 6mt and it is a blast to drive slow car fast. My coworkers cannot figure out how I can go from a queen of the highways to an economy sedan. Me, I love that little car more than any of the pickup trucks I owned before it.
Mazda based Yaris FTW. The people who know, know and we’re the ones that really matter anyway.
Ooh, those Yarii are great little cars.
Secret Mazda Toyotas are great, though I’m not a fan of what they did to the front end, though it’s possible to swap Mazda parts over without much difficulty.
Fun fact: you can legally import an actual federalized Mazda2 – even the hatchback! – from Puerto Rico. Since it’s PR they have to meet US FMVSS, so they’re legal in all 50 states. Yeah, importing them isn’t the cheapest thing (but cheaper than importing a 25-yo JDM vehicle, for example), but it’s a far sight easier since they’re already legal, and in states’ DMVs already.
I’ve been tempted to de-Toyota mine. Just need a bumper cover, I think
We just got Mitsubishi Mirage Ralliart. It’s got huge silly stickers down the side, fender flares and little mudflaps. I unironically genuinley like this stupid thing. All the magazine and website reviews are totally wrong about it. It holds 4 people with no problem, does 80 on the highway with no problem and can keep up with traffic with no problem. I’ve seen as high as 43 mpg and it has a 10 year warranty, how can you hate it?
That sounds AWESOME.
I just bought a ‘24 Mirage G4. I can relate and concur.
My T-bird. I still haven’t gotten everyone to come around on it yet…
I got relentless grief from my friends and family for my first car: a 1971 VW Karmann Ghia.
I bought Lucy the day I turned 16 and even though I’d never driven a stick outside of an arcade managed to make the 20 mile drive home only stalling out at one light (my proudest moment). The car was a beautiful matte blue and primer with a dinner plate sized dent in the driver rear panel and a few hard-to-miss holes in the rockers. This fine German auto also came with a revolutionary road visualization system where with a little foot maneuvering on the floor mats, voila! you could watch the road race by underneath you through the about 3in hole in the floor pan.
Within the first month I had to replace the generator, carb, clutch, and exhaust manifold. Within the first year I got a brand new (to me) 1600cc to upgrade the one that decided to blow up about 3 months in and a large assortment of other mechanical and body parts (some of which even eventually found their way on/in the car rather than just decorating the carport).
I caught a lot of questions about when I was going to get a real car or usually just “what the hell were you thinking”. After it got towed out of my girlfriend’s driveway the first time I tried to pick her up for a date (loose wire), her parents never failed to mention it in all future visits.
In spite of that I loved that car. It was an absolute hoot to drive when it wasn’t raining/snowing/cold, and no one ever asked me to help them move with it (in fact in spite of the my friend group being largely car-less, I rarely even got requests for rides).
Traded it to my mechanic for an early 80’s Volvo 240 when I decided I needed a car w/ working heat and still regret it 30 years later.
“I even chose the first song I’d play when I bought one.”
Curious minds must know what song that was and if you played it?
I came into cars through the Fiat world. My heart and soul is in Fiats, Lancias, and general Italian heaps. I am decently known for this. Most of my car friends are Fiat people. So naturally, they give me shit about owning a Toyota
It started with my very first car: a tiny box smaller and lighter than a Smart Fortwo with a 500cc 4-stroke carbureted V-twin and 4-speed column shifter called ‘Dacia Lastun’. Even with 4 people in it, if a truck came the other way, the air in its wake would cause the entire car to shift left into the other lane and I had to be quick to counter-steer and move back, or else get flattened by the next incoming vehicle. The crappy fuel pump had to be ‘primed’ every morning by sucking a mouthful of gas from the carb fuel line, spit the gas in the carb, re-attach the line, then start the engine. It once got me and a friend stranded in a blizzard in the middle of nowhere because the faulty voltage regulator boiled the battery.
Afterwards I started buying old Alfas, fixing/maintaining them for cheap and driving the shit out of them, and somehow never breaking down or getting stranded, to the dismay of all my friends and family.
“Oh so you’re a car guy?”
“Sure am.”
“So what do you drive then?!”
“An ’03 Stratus Coupe, a ’94 LeBaron, a ’93 New Yorker and a ’94 Buick!”
(silence, looks of disapproval)
That’s like telling people you’re into blondes, then bringing out a plate brownies.
77 Cutlass, 403 with T-tops of course, 98 Mazda B-4rd Ranger with 280,000 miles, and a 98 Grand Cherokee. I officially have the oldest cars in all of my friend’s driveways and the parking lot at the office. Do I care? NO! Also, I really, really want a Pontiac 6000 STE AWD. I catch a BUNCH of shit when I bring that up.
Pontiac 6000 STE AWD gets Hero status. Great profile name as well!
No body, I mean NOBODY makes fun of a 77 Cutlass with T-Tops. I’ll even forgive a v6 motor in that one. And an 6000STE AWD? I suspect we were separated at birth LOL Forgive me for looking for a Ford Temp AWD? Will you hate me forever if I say Topaz AWD?
No hate here! A Topaz AWD would be badass also!
If I weren’t aware of your knowledge and rehabilitation efforts of your vehicles, I’d have guessed that your car lineup was a selection of vehicles at a nursing home circa 2003-2006ish.
That’s kinda exactly my style – you nailed it and thanks for noticing!
Old folks know what’s up.
Early Pinto shooting brakes. Obviously my friends were INSANELY jealous. It’s the only explanation that makes sense.