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.
In cities or close by cities this is not a problem. I’m from norway, the country is big, but with few people. So the train or bus doesn’t go where I need to go. Last week I was going to a place 25km away from my home. I was thinking of taking the bug but it would take 1h14m. with my car it is a little under 30minutes.
Then there taking stuff home. A few weeks ago I needed some planting soil for my garden. I only needed 3 bags with 40L of dirt. But imaging taking that on the train or the bus. People living a apartments in cities don’t have this problem. But other people leed other lives.
I know that there are legitimate uses for car. But for me it doesn’t make sense economically. Time save is minimal, when I need to use car for moving stuff I ask someone or have it delivered.
But we have pretty solid public transport everywhere. It is mainly because last regime (communism) and after revolution it stayed, car centric communities are build only for last 10 years.