These Are The Cars With The Strongest Cult Followings

Cults are funny things. You might thing you are too smart or strong to get sucked into a strange way of seeing the world, but if they get you at the right time, you’re suddenly putting rubber ducks on your dashboard and waving at everyone who owns the same car as you. Cults are sneaky like that. I asked you about what car you thought had the strongest cult following in the automotive world earlier this week, and some of the answers were predictable; Miatas, Jeeps, and the cultiest of cult, Teslas, all made the cut. 

There were some surprises though. I never considered Corvette owners a cult, but their owners do seem to wear the same shoes and clothes… There was even a suggestion from Europe, which I would have never considered. Take a look at what cars your fellow Jalops think have the strongest cult following, and try not to get sucked in by the sauce. Just remember; your smarter and better than that. 

People seem to really love the Tacoma and 4runner. They think its an indestructible go anywhere vehicle. Which dont get me wrong they’re capable but not perfect

Is it the best off roader? No.

Is it the most reliable vehicle? Also no.

Is it the best equipped for the price? Definitely not way overpriced and under equipped

Is it the best Toyota they make? No way but its what they sell in the US.

From Gerrit DeBoer

I still see plenty of older gentlemen sporting their best jean shorts and bright white new balance grouped up in parking lots with their Corvettes

From Flashpoint Zero

I think Saabs are pretty well loved, even as the manufacturer no longer exists.

and

Here to attest. Still miss my slow, sturdy, brown 1980 Saab GLi 3-door that was totaled as the center car in a chain reaction collision.

and

Saabs of course.

I remember when I was growing up my best friend had an MGB it had a cult status too. At least in N.J in the 70s.

From David Flores and Michael Rosenfeld and Saabster and many, many others

Teslas or Jeeps.

But really, it’s Tesla. We all know it’s Tesla. Name one other car – excuse me, AI company – that has a fanbase willing to come out of the woodwork to defend their N*zi God at the drop of a hat. Name one other group that will give you a laundry list of things that go wrong with, fall off of, or they dislike about their cars and sign off with “still love the car, though!

and

Name another group that will try to claim the interiors devoid of usable and intuitive controls, quality materials, and creaks and groans are actually luxurious. Then if you challenge them on that, they’ll pivot to how great the software is, as if that’s the one and only feature that determines how good a car is.

Bossrday and DynamicPresence

The Grand National. There’s a subset of people for whom Buick perfected the automobile in 1982, and for whom it’s all been downhill since. Is the Grand National a good car? I don’t know, I was 1. Is it better than cars today? Probably not, it doesn’t have CarPlay. But if you’re a Grand National Guy, it’s THE car, full stop.

From Rayce Archer

WRX STi. Scoobie people are beyond dedicated. We suffer from significant cognitive dissonance and all of our head gaskets are just fine, thank you very much.

From JohnnyWasASchoolBoy

The Chrysler PT Cruiser. Widely hated for its awkward retro styling and being unpractical and unreliable. Yet these things have a dedicated following of owners who modify them and gather for meets. I remember reading one comment on Reddit about these. While I don’t recall the exact words, the commenter mentioned he knew someone who was obsessed with them. The subject in question had two PT Cruisers in the driveway and a collection of toy Cruisers on a shelf. So yes, people can be very hardcore when it comes to these.

From Giantsgiants

Since the answer is always Miata, the answer is obviously Miata.

From Clay Horste

People who are really into Porsche 911’s are, uh…. Special

From JaredOfLondon

Jeep Wrangler. They always park together, swap ducks with each other and modify them to be all but useless off-road.

and

I’m going with Jeep. Spend thousands to make them more rugged and barely any leave pavement. They love to let their leg hang out to be cut off in an accident. But most strange of all is their obsession with rubber duckies.

From Thomas Hajicek

Here’s a funny one from my home country: The diesel Seat Ibiza. Those things are ugly cars that are not really very good to drive when stock, but in Portugal (and some other European countries), those have a huge cult following. People will pour all the money they have into them to make them faster. Those engines are very reliable, and can be tuned to quite high horsepower and torque, provided you don’t mind leaving behind a trail of black smoke that would put a steam train to shame, and in turn, have the back of the car always covered in soot and contract some form of lung disease. There are other diesel cars that get the same treatment, but the Ibiza, because of its cheap cost of admission, is the most prolific one, and the symbol for that whole rolling coal group (the Portuguese equivalent to the British “chavs”).

From Tiago Bastos