Hooniverse Asks: What's the dumbest car fad… that you secretly love?


I want to drive a donk. This is a ridiculous vehicle with insanely oversized wheels and it’s usually finished in a bright color or with an oddly branded wrap. I should hate the donk… but I love the donk.
What oddball automotive fad do you secretly love?

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41 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: What's the dumbest car fad… that you secretly love?”

  1. MJ Avatar
    MJ

    Ambient lighting. It’s such a gimmick, but I find that I enjoy the quirky things that make driving with me fun for my kids.

  2. GTXcellent Avatar
    GTXcellent

    Bro Trucks
    I like trucks. I like big trucks with big lifts and big tires. Please don’t think less of me, and please don’t tell anyone else – this secret stays here!
    https://www.ford-trucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/F350.jpg

    1. P161911 Avatar
      P161911

      How do you even get in something like that? As a fat 45 year old with bad knees, I would need a step ladder. Do they keep a step of some sort in the floorboard? Is there a rope ladder that drops down? I’ve seen several bro trucks around, just never observed the ingress/egress.

      1. crank_case Avatar
        crank_case

        It’s like a fat 45 year old trying to get into a Lotus, except completely different and without the assistance of gravity (for reference, the correct order of the “Lotus Position” is arse, head, legs, and getting out is the revers while trying not to faceplant)

        1. P161911 Avatar
          P161911

          It wasn’t that many years ago that my daily driver was a C4 Corvette and even fewer years since a lowered Z3 daily driver (I was about as fat back then too). I don’t mind a car that I can fall into and eventually pull myself out of. Getting in a Bro Truck looks like it would be about as graceful as trying to mount a horse without stirrups.

          1. crank_case Avatar
            crank_case

            I’ve had a few similarly low daily drivers too (Miata, MR2, etc), but getting into a Lotus is another level it’s not just the lowness, it’s the wide high sills. It’s sort of like trying to post yourself into a little plastic and aluminium mailbox.

      2. GTXcellent Avatar
        GTXcellent

        Good question. We always had to carry a little stool around so my Grandma could get up in a non-lifted 4 wheel drive.
        Maybe a pair of these?
        http://www.animationartgallery.com/images/WBC/WBCPD15.jpg

        1. P161911 Avatar
          P161911

          We have to do the step stool thing for my mother with the Jeep Wrangler at their lake place (non lifted YJ with YK 18″ wheels). After a certain age ease of getting in and out become the primary consideration in vehicle choice. I’m still several years from that.

      3. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
        SlowJoeCrow

        When I first saw lifted trucks it seemed like the slickest idea would be a clamshell door with steps built into the lower section like the airstair on a Lear jet, Alternatively a larger version of the AMP Research retractable running running boards or a slide our ladder under the seat.

      4. nanoop Avatar

        A rope ladder would eliminate the need for cup holders: you can’t get in with a beverage in your hand anyway…

    2. Harry Callahan Avatar
      Harry Callahan

      Do axle ratios get changed when bros install these much taller tires? If not, acceleration and towing capability must be catastrophically compromised…..

      1. outback_ute Avatar
        outback_ute

        Same applies for brakes too

      2. GTXcellent Avatar
        GTXcellent

        I’d guess that 99% of the bro truck owners do not care about acceleration or towing or even going off-road.

  3. Victor Avatar
    Victor

    Low Riders …
    Something about the amount care and attention they put into their cars. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d904a85d741227ea671595f169148ed21240062823e09c934b4f859e02ada5ad.jpg

    1. crank_case Avatar
      crank_case

      Don’t like the style, respect the level of passion.

    2. Victor Avatar
      Victor

      Had a few Lincolns back in the day , loved them all ( Except for that one ) .

    3. salguod Avatar

      Do low riders count as a dumb car fad? Or even a fad?

  4. neight428 Avatar
    neight428

    Probably not big enough to be a fad, per se, but it’s definitely odd.
    https://hips.hearstapps.com/roa.h-cdn.co/assets/16/38/1474651362-sep-23-2016-13-22-13.gif?fill=320:161&frame=1&resize=768:*

    1. Professor BananaHot Avatar
      Professor BananaHot

      I want one.
      Also, the SWB Ram Vans aren’t dimensionally very far from the modern Odyssey/Sienna

      1. Fuhrman16 Avatar
        Fuhrman16

        Yeah, apart from height, modern “mini” vans are about the same size as fullsize vans used to be 20 years ago. The dimensions for a 1998 Ram van: 193-211″x 79″x 80″, a 2018 Honda Odessey: 203″x 79″x 70″. To put that in perspective, the original Plymouth Voyager minivan was 175.9″x 72″x 64.4″.

  5. smalleyxb122 Avatar
    smalleyxb122

    Battlecar/safari builds. I lump these together because they can have a similar aesthetic, and more often than not, they are purely aesthetic. But I like ’em. I’m going to build one.
    I’m also not against “track car” builds with no intention of seeing a track. Race cars are cool even if they don’t race. They’re cooler if they do, but if you want to strip out your interior and throw in a roll cage for no particular reason, I think we can be friends.

    1. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      There was a time in Australia when basic ‘safari builds’ were available as factory options for your family car! My ute is an example of this.
      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c281362f99bc82f2706e8dd67b24d238a14d98c73cbc9d96f08a781bf85e1530.jpg

    1. XRSevin Avatar
      XRSevin

    2. GTXcellent Avatar
      GTXcellent

      Can it still be a fad when they’ve been cool for over half-a-century?

      1. mdharrell Avatar

        Somehow calling it a fetish doesn’t seem like much of an improvement.

      2. outback_ute Avatar
        outback_ute

        Only slightly longer than lowriders or lifted pickups then?

    3. Tank Avatar
      Tank

      I had one on my Integra in High school

  6. XRSevin Avatar
    XRSevin

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/60bfd5ec1416259f8805775b519c1368912f523c756d47e9c52babdd285f2230.jpg
    Art Cars. I like the concept of Wasteland Cars too, but I hate the idea of that much dirt and dust.

    1. smalleyxb122 Avatar
      smalleyxb122

      I either like or abhor art cars. As long as the artist has a vision beyond “I’m gonna glue a bunch of shit to my car”, I like ’em.

  7. Alff Avatar
    Alff

    Classics on late model 4×4 frames, but only if done cleanly. That’s rarely the case, but I saw a ‘57 Chevy wagon/half ton mashup at World of Wheels that gave me a serious case of want.

  8. SlowJoeCrow Avatar
    SlowJoeCrow

    Professionally done donks always strike me as well executed bad ideas, Lowriders are probably equally silly in their own way, but I like lowriders.

  9. P161911 Avatar
    P161911

    Electric cars. It started when my state made a Nissan Leaf lease almost free after tax rebates. It then spread to buying a used Volt. Just something nice about 85+mph for the last 44+k miles. The funny thing is I am doing it for purely economical reasons, I’m far from convinced of any environmental benefits.

    1.  Avatar
  10. tonyola Avatar
    tonyola

    Pimped-out ’70s luxury coupes. Wonderful and horrible at the same time. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/07ba31851ab1990bd6f052833be4014fd0d1fb8de8219c0fbbe1451be0fcf934.jpg

  11. PaulE Avatar
    PaulE

    SLABs, with a proper set of swangas and Vogues, on a luxury car, rolling slow, tunes thumping. That scared me to read that sentence back to myself.