9 Cars We Irrationally Love
What exactly do automotive journalists do when you put them in together in a room? The logical answer is complain about their last hotel room, or the size of the prawns at dinner, or the inability to get a first-class upgrade during their last manufacturer-sponsored event. But no, we don’t do that. (That’s what posting on Instagram and Twitter is for, obviously.)
But seriously, we asked the folks here at Hagerty Media about cars they irrationally love. Like a moth to a flame, they couldn’t resist sharing their thoughts and experiences to prove their irrational adoration for certain hunks of automotive iron. How ungrounded are these choices? You tell us in the comments.
1990-94 Nissan Pulsar GTi-R
Is there anything more irrational than loving a car you’ve only driven in a video game?
The Nissan Pulsar GTi-R in Gran Turismo takes the cake for me. It comes with items you rarely find in a car of this size, like a large (2.0-liter) four banger with turbocharging and all-wheel drive. With aftermarket modifications, this Nissan starts punching far, far harder than its demure size suggests.
When you need to dominate the short races in early stages of Gran Turismo (as you start off with very little money) this homologation special makes you a hero quickly and cheaply. And that makes it a rock star in my eyes. — Sajeev Mehta
Rental-Spec Toyota Camry
I made the joke to a colleague the other day that I may be a bad car journalist because I like boring stuff that won’t strand me and vaporize my wallet. A car that I irrationally love? The Toyota Camry. I’m 30 now, and over the last few years I’ve really come to appreciate predictability.
The Camry is, by my own words, “ruthlessly competent.” Sure, a great driving car with a few ornery habits can be entertaining, but only when you won’t get jammed on a roadside by them. When it comes to hoovering up miles, it’s hard to go wrong with a Camry, and for that reason, it’s earned a ton of respect from me. — Nate Petroelje
Grumman LLV
Never driven one, will likely never own one, never talked to someone who put miles on one, but something about the Grumman LLV has me captivated. It could be that a lot of fun motorcycle parts arrive in the back of one, or that I daydream about how it would be the perfect around-town motorcycle and bicycle hauler.
The LLV is small but designed to fit things inside with a low load height, enough power to run with traffic, and is sized for some hilarious paint scheme opportunities. This is a vehicle designed for one specific purpose and I find that charming, even if my attraction is wholeheartedly irrational. — Kyle Smith
Two Unexpected Race Cars
I irrationally love two oddball race cars. In 2020, a team I used to race with, RBank Racing, took a Honda CRX and a Saab 9-3 to Indy for a pair of eight-hour Champcar Endurance Series races. I’d driven both cars before, but this was the weekend where I came to really appreciate them. On that Saturday, I had the opening stint in the Saab and took it from 37th to second, behind a 944. We ultimately finished fourth overall due to some brake issues late in the race. At the time, the Saab fit the rules of the series quite well—it made great power, was comparatively fuel-efficient, handled just well enough, and was a breeze to drive. Almost no one (besides us) bet on Saabs, but they just flat-out worked at that time in that series.
The CRX was everything the Saab wasn’t, as it was always trying to crash you. If you were on the throttle, it was all understeer, and when you were off-throttle the back end always wanted to come around. I have never been so busy in a race car, and emerged from the CRX exhausted but smiling. I ended up turning a lap within about a second of my time in the Saab. I can’t think of a more different and quirky duo, and I fell in love with them both because of it. — Eddy Eckart
Honda Fit
Gotta be the Honda Fit for me. So basic, so unassuming, so utilitarian. Its most recent generation in the U.S. got away from the lightness and tossability that once made it such a surprising joy to fling around, but I still love it.
In the U.K., where it is known as the Jazz, the Honda Fit is known as an old-lady car. But who’s laughing when you can fit a grandkid and a big pile of grocery bags and still steal a barely-there parking spot? I crave a Fit for the sheer ingenuity and dedication to solving the problem of “affordable city car.” — Eric Weiner
Chrysler Crossfire
I have no good reason to like it, and I’m embarrassed to even admit it, but I have a soft spot for the Chrysler Crossfire. I have no particular loyalty to Chrysler, nor do I particularly like the Mercedes SLK platform underneath, but every time I see a Crossfire I let out a little “ooh.” Mainly, it’s the Art Deco details and the rear end that’s part goofy, part sexy. — Andrew Newton
VW Passat Wagon (B3)
My irrational crush is the Volkswagen Passat wagon—the B3 model offered in the U.S. from 1990 to ’93. The B4 that followed is essentially the same car, but for some reason I’ve always liked the blank, grille-less front end (IS THAT AN EV?!?), and I will never not appreciate the functionality of a boxy wagon with juuuust a touch of Euro flair. You could get them with the VR6, and in Canada they were offered with Syncro all-wheel drive. Practical and fun! — Stefan Lombard
3/4-Ton Diesel Pickups
I do not need a diesel truck with 450hp. I do not enjoy towing. I stopped toting around a Bobcat skid-steer when I got a job at a magazine and stopped working for my dad’s fence business. Still, every time I get behind the wheel of a modern turbodiesel pickup, I get it. The torque is effortless, the fuel economy is kind of not terrible, and modern truck interiors are nice. I’m forced to remind myself of how much more maneuverable and affordable mid-size pickups are and how I don’t need the $10,000 diesel option.
You’ve gotta hand it to Chrysler for thinking out of the box.
I own 3 XR4TIs and a high mileage aero-spec Saab 9000; I know irrational love.
Ramblers… especially the little odd 61-63 American (I’ve had 5-6 since 1979). It’s the old 50-55 Nash Rambler chassis that was reintroduced in 1958 as the Rambler American, restyled in 61 by Ed Anderson to be different while using as much of the old chassis as possible. That old unit body is one of the stiffest ever made, with sills (“frame rails”) that run from bumper to bumper. It can be made to handle surprisingly well, but it’s difficult to get much power from the old 195.6 OHV (let’s not even talk about the lower powered flat-head the base models came with!). I squeezed 170-175 hp (gross) from one, but there’s nothing you can do to make a 3.125″ bore/4.250″ stroke motor rev up quickly. As long as I kept it up to speed once it got there it was a blast to drive the way I had it set up (stock suspension with some tweaks!). It handled at least as good as a friend’s 79 Trans-Am, better in tight places. I just couldn’t let the speed drop under 40-45 mph or it took a minute to get it back up. So I didn’t slow a lot on Georgia back roads. Once we came up on a 30 mph marked curve and I easily whipped around it at 45. Car hung on like a slot car! My friend grabbed the dash and arm rest on the door in a panic. I asked why he did that, he knew the car would easily take that curve! His answer: ” I know it will, but it’s NOT SUPPOSED TO!”
I like the LLV
I would like to make one a tool truck around the Farm.
Welder/Gen set air compressor and a toolbox.
Good read, thanks. The cars we like don’t necessarily have to be rational, and there are cars I enjoy seeing on the road (VW Beetles, to name one) that I would not buy but still like to see running about. For me, my irrational attraction is a 1980 vermillion Triumph TR7 drophead coupe I bought new in early 1981 and still drive today; widely derided and viewed by many as rubbish, I’ve enjoyed 43 years and over 100,000 miles of smiles as the car ages more gracefully than I.
Former mailman and life-long car guy commenting here on the Grumman LLV:
It’s a wonderful, purpose-built vehicle that’s actually a hoot to drive.
Why?
1. It’s reliable beyond belief. LLV stands for “long life vehicle. The fact that every one of these you see is somewhere between 20 and 30 years old tells you something. When you have to deliver mail to between 700 and 1,000 mailboxes a day, reliability instills driving confidence. God bless the mechanics at the US Postal Service who “keep ’em flying.”
2. They turn on less than a dime. Drive an LLV and you’ll enjoy the thrill of a quick, local law enforcement approved, 180-degree U-turn on just about any residential street. Plus, once you’ve learned how to drive an LLV with its right-hand drive, you’re ready to get comfortably get behind the wheel of any British or Japanese car!
3. Grumman, who designed and built the LLV, also made WWII fighter planes! The thing is made of aluminum that’s riveted together for goodness sake! Yes, you’re a mailman, but as you drive your route you can dream of being an ace pilot, patrolling over the south pacific.
4. They’re great in the snow! With a positraction rear axle, rear-wheel drive and government-issued chains on all fours, I’ve outmaneuvered many a monster truck that ended up stuck in the ditch along my rural mail route.
5. I affectionately called every LLV I drove, “Herbie.” They’re white with red and blue trim like the Love Bug, they’re modest like Herbie, and the horn sounds happy when you honk it and wave back at admiring children who are waving at you as you trundle along your route.
6. It takes a while to spool up, but they can actually go 55 m.p.h. I’ve done it twice.
7. I’ve driven an LLV in 116-degree heat and the temperature gauge was locked in, only about 1/3 of the way across the dial. I’ve driven an LLV in 20-degree cold and the gauge was locked in at the same spot (It has a GM Iron Duke four-cylinder and bulletproof 3-speed automatic tranny, BTW). On the other hand, the LLV has the best heater/defroster in automotive history! On subfreezing mornings, the defroster would routinely melt the giant sheet of overnight ice that covered the pool table sized windshield, and the heater would blast out as much hot air as I wanted.
8. The Grumman LLV gives you no backtalk. Your boss may order you around, a customer may complain, a rude driver may run you off the road, but the little LLV remains loyal and does whatever you ask of it.
You have to swear an oath of allegiance to the United States of America to be able to drive one, but it was one of the best parts of my job as a mailman. Long live the Grumman “Long Life Vehicle.”
Terrific real world unsolicited reality check from an experienced LLV pilot !!!
Is our hobby this boring? Aaugh!
No interest in any of these cars, and I certainly would not want to herd around a giant pickup truck if I didn’t absolutely need one – and I don’t. A Crossfire convertible? Well, maybe…just not the weird mini-Marlin Crossfire coupe.
I have a numbers matching California shipped Avanti R2 and love driving it to the local car shows. it is always a hit. What I don’t love is the thought of driving it to the distant car shows (international meets, etc.) so I have a big Dodge 2500 Cummins that I use to tow it with. Even pulling the trailer with the car on it I get better fuel mileage with the truck than I would if I was to drive my car. Add to that I am not mileing out a 63K original miles classic and the truck has A/C, cruise, tunes and more. There is something to be said for the big Diesel burners.
When I was shopping for a new car 2003-4. I looked at a Crossfire but chose my Audi TT and never looked back. Still have it as my daily driver with 266K miles. Would drive it across the country if I needed to; never left me stranded. Best car I have ever owned. Here is the secret to most brand new car longevity – use the best synthetic oil and filter and change it religiously twice as often as the manufacturer recommends, but never exceed 4000 miles before new oil and filter. Cheap insurance.
With all the discussion about Crossfires–gotta put in my two cents worth about another odd little coupe: the BMW Z3 coupe, AKA Clown Shoe. Equipped with an M motor, it was a quirky as a Crossfire, but with the horsepower to back up the quirkiness.
The Crossfire SRT6 came with the M112 3.2L V6 supercharged making 330hp and 310ftlbs. That is 10 more hp and 50 more ftlbs than the top euro spec S54 in the Z3.
You had me at “Chrysler Crossfire” – the next collectible.
It’s the first time I ever heard anyone profess love for the Misfire….oops….I man Crossfire.
I’m with Yes Dear, “YAWN” I’ve never seen such lame editorial and the comments to follow are ever worse, the only two words that caught my attention were Porsche convertible and Allante which most of you kids won’t see little lone ever drive one, bought an 89 in pearl white with palomino leather interior, not even a nick on the bumpers, hard top had never been removed since new, nor had the car for nine years, picked it up from the deceased man’s daughter, took the original white wall gold lined tires off, plus brakes all around and drove it from Palm Desert to Toronto and around town for a few months until a 90 year old man bought it from me to give to his grandson as a gift because he knew how few were made and sometime down the road it will be a rare collector car, I had 4000 miles of pleasure driving it and doubled my money.
Having driven and worked on the LLV, just get over it. It is one of the most dismal to drive vehicles out there. It’s basically a rebodied early S10 pickup.
The 3/4 ton and up pickups with diesels, if you don’t have a use for pulling at or near 100% gvw or gcvw, they are a waste. They cost way too much, maintenance is ridiculous, and when the emission controls start giving issues, get ready to empty your wallet. None of the three have any reliability advantage over others. All of them have various issues.
Out of all on the list, the Fit is the one I actually like. Fun to drive, but scary as hell when on the road with all the modern whale sized vehicles and larger trucks. I had several customers with gen 1 Fits, all made nearly 300k.