Is it aesthetics? Performance? Engineering? Sentimental value? Nostalgia? Weirdness?..
I could go on, there’s as many ways to enjoy a car as there are car owners and I find it very interesting what people value in what is ultimately a tool of conveyance that is elevated by social and personal values.
I always love cars that are just a little weird, they have features that don’t quite make sense, they have styling that just doesn’t fit in with other modern cars, and they certainly don’t blend in at the grocery parking lot. They emanate a certain incongruence with the world around them.
I also like weird cars. Old cars, used cars. Just because it’s a useful object, as many in the thread have pointed out, doesn’t mean it’s not a special useful object. It takes me and my wife and our dogs on many road trips.
What makes a car special to me are the modifications we put into it to make it OURS. My grandmother-in-law has completely removed the back seats for her minivan and installed blankets and carpet there instead so her dog is more comfortable. I love that. It’s shaped around her and her life.
Yeah that was kind of part of my point of this discussion, you don’t have to be a gearhead to care about your car or have a strong preference for how a car should be for yourself. I too love seeing when people modify things to fit their needs. One size doesn’t fit all and I like that people don’t just accept things the way they are and create what they need/want in the world.