By Jeff Glucker
A few weeks back, I asked you which good car has the worst owner base. It seems a lot of us feel the same way about Tesla owners at the moment. Others offered up Corvette owners, while Porsche 911 and Harley-Davidson owners seemed to round out the rest of the general consensus. Today I want to flip this question around though, and find out which “bad car” has the best owner group.
Hooniverse Asks: What’s the best car with the worst owner base?
Yes, Doc Harrell, I’m sure you’ll do well here today. Even if we all actually love your cars.
The Delorean is actually a pretty mediocre car. But every owner I’ve met is so excited to talk about their cars. To share their passion for their DMC-12. Lada Niva owners, the ones owning them for fun or ironically at least, seem to be having a good time. My Montero, which I don’t think is bad but I could see arguments against it, could be another example, as the owner base is eager to share parts and lend a helping hand wherever possible.
So what are some “bad cars” owned by good people? Sound off below.
There’s a guy within a few miles of us that restores Chevettes to varying degrees of crazy. He works at the local AutoZone and there’s always one parked out back. His actual restorations are fantastic little time machines and instantly brought me back to the 1984 that my sister and I shared for a couple years. His big block drag one is hilariously wrong in the best sort of way.
I definitely want to build a fantasy Trans-Am Chevette road racer.
I think owners of early ‘60s thru late ‘70s British roadsters have a good shot at this award. Not Jags or Aston Martins or Jensen Healys – those have enough snooty collectors to disqualify them – but MGs, Triumphs, Sunbeams, and some Austin Healys (Bugeyes, of course). Love is the only reason to buy, restore and drive these cars. They are slow, cramped little things subject to endless electrical gremlins. Unsafe, too, though the odds of getting one up to a high enough speed long enough to truly endanger the driver is probably slim. But on a clear, mild day on a twisty road with the top off and someone wonderful in the passenger seat – bliss. Of course, if rain starts, putting the top ‘up’ often meant first getting the top and its frame out of the trunk and then attaching the frame to the car, then stretching the canvas over it. And it’s hard to be arrogant whilst bolting your discolored Plexiglass side windows in place. Humility is dished out daily with one of these cars.
Even within the cheap British sports cars, there is a hierarchy, but anything that would be worth <$20k fully restored probably has a pretty amiable owner.
MG clubs in particular are basically guaranteed to be very active with lots of motorsport participation.
I’d nominate the Hillman Imp, which is a red-headed stepchild among the British car scene, but attracts people who like to have fun with their cars.
As the former owner of a couple of MGs, I’ll note that the MG Car Club does spell out its expectations quite clearly at the bottom of the first page of the membership application:
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They’re usually pretty nice, those this side of the Atlantic, it can be 50/50. They’re usually older guys and some are great, while others can be snooty about anything Japanese being a “real” classic.
I don’t know whether it still exists this far after the GM-ification and eventual demise of the brand, but the first generation of the Cult of Saturn were very proud and supportive of their new cars.
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I’ve had nothing but good experiences with other AMC owners. Not that I think they’re bad cars, but I’m aware there’s a reputation or stigma to them. Guys happy to lend a hand for free, sell you a needed part for pennies, etc. And on the whole a good attitude about the hobby.
I feel like the less the car is “popular,” the more likely the owners genuinely enjoy wrenching, are more likely to have put the time in themselves, and therefore less likely to be some pretentious snob.
You beat me to it– I agree completely. My experience with other AMC owners has been nothing but positive.
A ’60s Rambler American and an ’80s Concord are both on my bucket list.
And both are great examples of older cars that can still be had for very cheap. I don’t know the going rate for an American off the top of my head, but Concords can be had for nothing.
Lately I’ve been thinking I’d like to have a Marlin someday. And I still want a Rebel wagon with a badass 401 under the hood.
Concords can be dirt cheap, but I’ve seen low-mileage examples rising in value, now that the malaise era is starting to gain modest appreciation. I too like the Marlins (especially the early ones) for their unique fastbacks. I drove an Ambassador sedan (basically a four-door Rebel) for a few years in my 20s, but it only had a warmed-up 360. It was fun, though, in a grandfather-car kind of way.
I once had the chance to buy a mid-60s Rambler American in nearly mint condition, but passed it up because I had several other projects going and was out of space. I’ve always regretted it, because it remains one of my favorites. I’ve kept this image of a restomod ’65(?) Rambler American on my phone for years as a reminder what could have been.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48870215376_3fffca9dbc.jpg
Concords can be dirt cheap, but I’ve seen low-mileage examples rising in value, now that the malaise era is starting to gain modest appreciation. I too like the Marlins (especially the early ones) for their unique fastbacks. I drove an Ambassador sedan (basically a four-door Rebel) for a few years in my 20s, but it only had a warmed-up 360. It was fun, though, in a grandfather-car kind of way.
I once had the chance to buy a mid-60s Rambler American in nearly mint condition, but passed it up because I had several other projects going and was out of space. I’ve always regretted it, because it remains one of my favorites. I’ve kept this image of a restomod ’65(?) Rambler American on my phone for years as a reminder what could have been.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48870215376_3fffca9dbc.jpg
I still have a 1960 Rambler American 2-door station wagon in storage awaiting restoration. Unfortunately, it won’t be getting any attention until my kids are through college. My intentions include a 2.3L/5-speed swap from a mid-90s Ranger. Sounds pathetic, but I really liked that engine, and I think it would suit the character of the little Rambler.
As a kid I rode around in Mom’s ’71 Hornet and later her ’78 and ’84 Concord wagons. As a teen I occasionally drove winters in her ’86 Eagle wagon, which my father kept.
I’d like to find a ’78 wagon and install the grille, round-lens-square-bezel headlights, and fender flares from a ’78 AMX. It’d be sort of an AMX-T.
I think I’d use an EFI-fueled AMC 150 4-banger from a Cherokee before I’d put a Pinto motor in there, just for brand continuity.
Despite my fairly broad experience with AMCs, I have zero with the AMC 150. I stuck mostly to AMC inline sixes and V8s, and my only experience with a four-banger AMC was a Spirit that my dad bought. It had the Iron Duke 151, which to this day remains one of my least favorite engines of all time. I absolutely despised it, and because of that I avoided four-cylinder AMCs altogether.
The AMC 2.5 has a good reputation for reliability, and might be a good fit. I would honestly prefer a 4.0L I-6, but these cars have a pretty intrusive sloping firewall (and deep inboard fenders). I think I’d be about 5″ short on longitudinal space.
Corvair owners tend to be a nice crowd as are most orphaned GM brand owners. Especially true of Pontiac owners I’ve met, including Fiero and Aztek owners. Then there are the Scion owners who have a big weekend show in my little burg in the Ozarks. They love their cars and don’t take themselves too seriously. I know this was supposed to be about bad cars but I really haven’t run across any really bad car brands or their owners.
Agree– Corvair owners tend to be unpretentious and fun to talk to.
Aztek owners are always good for a score of disco biscuits for the weekend EDM festival too.
There aren’t any bad cars, just misunderstood cars.
You are able to deny the existence of any bad cars, I presume, because legally, if it has fewer than four wheels it’s a motorcycle?
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There aren’t any bad three-wheeled motorcycle-ish contraptions, just misunderstood three-wheeled… Hmm. I admit that’s a harder case to make.
Rumor has it that the Ford Tempo Fanatic is a pretty cool guy.
My sister drove a Topaz in high school. Anyone who can love that car must have a huge heart.
That’s a great way to look at it, haha
People who willingly own anything crap while fully acknowledging its crapness are usually pretty easygoing, with a good sense of humour. e.g. owners of former eastern block cars, microcars, etc. Where I work, which on the surface is your stereotypical big tech company, there’s a lot of people from west of Berlin and a surprising amount of them either own classics from their former country or are considering importing one. I gotta get me that Polski Fiat 126 or a Skoda Rapid at some point if I want to stay in with the cool kids. It’s not all ‘leccy scooters, teslas and fixed gear bicycles in the “tech” industry.