Our Readers Can’t Help But Love These Generally Unloved Cars

The flashiest and fastest cars may get most of the attention from the general public — before they go buy yet another compact crossover, of course — but one of the great things about car enthusiasm is that you don’t have to stick to what may or may not be objectively “the best.” If you love the Dodge Neon or Pontiac Aztek, not only is that totally OK, but thanks to the magic of the internet, you should be able to find others who share your enthusiasm. 

Of course, you may still run into a few keyboard warriors who use their parents’ internet to be jerks, but that’s fine. They’re still losers, and also, we finally convinced the Powers That Be to get rid of guest comments, so you should see a lot less of that around here. Heck yeah!

On Tuesday, we asked you about the cars you can’t help loving, even if they’re more broadly unloved, and we got all sorts of responses. Some were more predictable than others, because y’all obviously have great taste, but let’s take a look at some of the more popular answers.

Older American sedans, like a 2000-era LeSabre. They cruise down the highway at 85 without drawing a glance, they’re drive-all-day comfortable, generally reliable and inexpensive to maintain and repair. And this was from the era when GM was putting pretty darn good speakers in their cars.

Suggested by: BuddyS

I never felt like it was unloved until later in life, but I personally loved my mom’s ’83 AMC Eagle SX/4. I liked it WAY more than the Eagle wagon, which I think is much more fondly remembered. I drove that thing until the floor panels rusted out.

Suggested by: Chubby Cox

Hyundai Veloster Turbo. Most car reviewers always gave it bad reviews. Saying it didnt have enough power to be fast and the hatchback was too small to be useful. The design was weird with only 3 doors. But I bought one when I was 25 and it was great cause it was fast enough to be fun but still affordable on a budget. Bonus mine was this super bright orange and stuck out. Friends of mine used to always say they knew I was at a party as soon as they pulled up. Unfortunately I made a mistake and totaled it. But as a result, that car will always have a soft spot in my heart

Suggested by: Gerrit DeBoer

Second gen Ford Probe. They looked great when they came out, and have aged like a fine wine. With a couple of suspension upgrades they are a blast to drive. People, especially Ford people, will never be able to look past the “you know this was supposed to replace the Mustang”, but every time I get into mine I just smile. Good ones are hard to find, and they can be tough to work on, but they are totally worth saving.

Suggested by: Michael Eldridge

The second generation Mazda MPV – with 3.0 V6 and leather.

I wouldn’t call them unloved, but they certainly aren’t loved.

They are the most perfectly sized vehicle ever made. Big enough to carry 4 large adults along with bicycles and camping gear – or move furniture as needed. Small enough to hustle on a twisty road or maneuver in the city. They are dirt cheap to buy in good condition, with the biggest downsides being engine access and surprisingly bad fuel economy. I currently own 2 of them, and nearly bought a 3rd over the weekend. They are just such good and useful cars for the money.

Yes I have a problem.

Suggested by: Rapchat

Easy. The Jeep Patriot. I’ve never owned one myself, but I spent a decade selling Jeeps, and it was one of my absolute favorites, 2nd only to the Wrangler. It was delightfully simple—hand-crank windows, manual transmission, steel rims, cloth seats, no fluff. Just a square, honest little buggy that looked the part.

It wasn’t fast, it wasn’t luxurious, and it wasn’t a rock crawler—but that was kind of the charm. I sold Patriots to three different friends (and yes, we’re all still friends). Two are still running strong with over 100,000 miles after more than a decade. The third got totaled, but thankfully no one was hurt. One of my sales managers even racked up 250,000 miles commuting in his.

The Jeep Patriot may not have impressed the critics, but for those who appreciated bare-bones utility and rugged charm, it was a quietly dependable workhorse that deserved more love.

Suggested by: Papa Chris

The answer, as always, is a Miata. Not just any old Miata. We’re talking about the Miata Chris Harris felt compelled to review while wearing a paper bag on his head. The “hairdresser’s” car. The boat.

The NC Miata is derided the world over for being big and bloated and against the Miata mythos.

It’s also the best one. More power, while still being small and lightweight. Comfortable for tall human beings, or spacious for normal people. It has a great retractable hardtop that works forever, unlike pretty much every other one out there. But most importantly, I love the car. People make fun of the happy smile all the time, and Miata people will drop a “permission to come aboard captain!” or “mighty fine day for yachting isn’t it?” when they see you, but that doesn’t matter because the car is awesome.

Suggested by: dolsh

I unironically love the look of the first gen Chevy Spark hatchback.

It is way too tall and narrow, and the headlights are disproportionately huge for its face. They take the peeled back look to the extreme! The back edge is almost st the base of the windshield! They’re so weird looking, and I’d probably never buy one.

But any time I see one out and around, it puts a smile on my face.

Suggested by: Stillnotatony

The Saturn S series. There was nothing fancy about them…at all. I was never accused of being cool while driving mine. But it was a remarkably versatile platform (a decidedly sporty coupe, a practical wagon, and a surprisingly roomy sedan). Insanely inexpensive to buy and maintain, and very distinctive lines. Perfect for a teenager to wrench on and tootle around town with three buddies. I inherited one from a friend and drove it well past the 220k mile mark without a single major repair, finally selling it on facebook for a couple bills after more than a decade of faithful service. By that point, the ignition cylinder was so loose that I could start it up, remove the key, and put it in my pocket without the car noticing.

Suggested by: Dex_Meridian

The Nissan Cube. The last Nissan that Nissan really cared about, the Cube was tiny, well-built, and the company paid so much attention to detail that they built two separate, virtually indistinguishable Cubes for RHD and LHD markets just in case there might be blind spots.

Could you imagine a car company doing that today? No. Because they wouldn’t.

Suggested by: Jo Borras

I have always been curious as to why the first gen Lexus GS300s were so unloved and completely destroyed as beater cars. I was never in the market for one but at the time it was a great design and still looks okay today. If I found something that was in remarkable condition I would entertain buying one just to see what it is like. I also have a soft spot for late 90s Toyota Tercels. I helped someone remove a steering column on one a long time ago. The quality of the hardware and connectors was outstanding. It was better made than most $100K cars are these days. I would not buy one but do admire the ones left from a distance.

Suggested by: Tex

Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet.

The bravest a modern automaker has been in decades, likely permanently harming the brand and distracting teams from updating products in the brand portfolio, so it made no busines sense in any way by any measure, and for that it should be commended.

Now, if only more automakers would do weird things in the face of doubt, one might hit for us and we’ll have a whole new segment made.

Suggested by: potbellyjoe