I’d totally dig on a 2CV. I met a guy a couple weeks ago with a yard full of them, so maybe it’ll come to pass.
I have loved the Hyundai Accent (2 door hatchback version only) since 1998. I finally got one in 2008, only to have a jerk total it for me 7 months later. Luckily for me, my fiance has one so I get to drive it all the time. It’s just fun.
I still miss my '93 Geo Metro. 
Tiny hatchbacks are just so me.
I had an Olds Cutlass Ciera I liked. Even Consumer Reports called it a “boring car.” My dad called it a “late-model sedan.”
I really liked my boring old '98 Saturn hatchback (they called it a hatchback. It was a station wagon with curves.) Not needing to worry about dents and dings, thanks to the plastic panels, was pretty fantastic. However, it had the turn radius of a stubborn drunk cow, so there was that.
Now I have a boring base model 2013 Honda Pilot, about a month old to me. I’m rather in love with it. It’s the newest car I’ve ever owned r/t purchase year, so it feels much fancier to me than it actually is. It’s also the biggest vehicle I’ve driven on a regular basis, and while the dash, center console and view over the hood is very, very trucklike (it’s massive in there), the handling is just exactly like a car.
And I’m very enamored with the back up camera. It makes hooking up to my trailer hitch infinitely easier!
Subaru Outback – which happens to be what I’m driving. It’s about as exciting as Chartered Accountancy but it does the job well.
Speaking as someone who actually bought a new 1979 Chevrolet Chevette, I’m hardly picky about these things.
the Toyota Camry. Doesn’t do anything great, doesn’t do anything bad. most boring piece of shit on the planet. If you gave me one to drive across the country, I’d take it, but it’d be a cold day in hell before I’d even think of buying one.
I’ll go you one better; I owned the Chevette “Scooter” version. You talk about bare bones, that was it.
I loved my 1983 Datsun Nissan Sentra Diesel (yes, it had all those plates on the trunk lid!). It would do zero to sixty by sometime that day. It took a while to get up to speed, but it would run on flat roads at 75-80 mph and pull down close to 50 mpg. Lost it when it got sandwiched between two pickup trucks, but I’d had it for close to 8 years and 90,000 miles.
Another car I’d love to have again is a Ford Festiva. With diesel still more expensive than gas, its 45 mpg on the highway would really come out better than the Sentra’s 50 these days. I got the one I had at 93k miles for $1000, put 90k on it, and was planning to rebuild the AC and front suspension. Then it met a tree due to no fault of my own. The other guy’s insurance company paid me $1500 for it.
I guess I dislike dull cars.
I’ve always driven something that is, at least to me, somewhat exciting or different – and always with a manual transmission. Never anything too boring or run-of-the-mill, at least given my budget at the time.
I’ve owned a handful of two-seaters, a 35-year-old pickup, a V8-swapped small pickup, high-performance sports coupes like the BMW M3, and turbocharged all-wheel-drive performance cars like my current car, a Subaru WRX hatchback. The WRX is actually the first four-door car I’ve ever owned, and I was 33 years old when I bought it (and only because I became a father).
My wife has somewhat similar tastes in avoiding dull cars, although she cares a lot less about performance. She’s had a Saab recently (always quirky), and currently drives a diesel-powered wagon (VW Jetta Sportwagen).
I like the Sportwagen, if I had a really long commute I could probably drive one of those every day if it had the optional manual transmission. I really like the fuel mileage, and the fact that it’s a diesel makes it interesting enough that I could deal with it not being a “fast car.”
I really can’t imagine driving a Corolla or a Camry or anything similarly “boring” to me…I’d just as soon pick up an older German luxury car for the same money. But given the choice, a fast car is by far the best. The WRX has been fantastic for me: hatchback, turbocharged flat-four (boxer) engine, slightly unconventional styling…right up my alley.
I’m pretty happy with my 2002 Saturn SL1. the reason is, driving around here just isn’t much fun-the local streets are jammed, the main roads are traffic, and so, the car has become an annoyance. When I pass some guy in a $150K Maserati, i wonder if he enjoys his investment-stuck in the same traffic that I am.
That’s like asking if the people in first class are enjoying their trans-atlantic flight more than those in coach. The answer is: YES, yes they are.