You can feel noble about being forced to drive a cheap, old Oldmobuick beater, but according to our readers you should feel nothing but utter embarrassment driving one of these cars.
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10.) Toyota Venza
Suggested By: Dominic Chan
Why It's So Embarrassing: Hey! You got some of your crossover in my station wagon! Yeah? Well you got some of your station wagon in my crossover!
Stop, you're both right. It's a station wagon, and a crossover, but no one wins. Toyota's attempt at cashing in on the end of the SUV craze is just ugly and badly thought out. It's too big to be a wagon, but too small to be a crossover, and too ugly to be anything anyone with eyes should want. It's our least favorite entry into the "Strangely Proportioned Crossover Wagon" market.
9.) New Beetle Convertible
Suggested By: clevemire
Why It's So Embarrassing: Ok, so here's the deal with the Beetle. Old ones, they're cool. Newer ones built in Mexico up until 2003, they're also cool. The officially titled New Beetle though, that's not so cool. Sure, they might be slightly more powerful than their aged relatives, but in a car that weighs so much more than an Old Beetle, it doesn't make one bit of difference. Also, it looks like something Barbie would drive.
8.) Daihatsu Charade
Suggested By: subframespacer
Why It's So Embarrassing: Old or new, there's nothing neat about the Charade. As commenter TheOnlyRaphael points out, "Never was there a more aptly named vehicle." We couldn't agree more. This has got to be some sort of torture, masquerading as a car. Daihatsu Charade, you're not fooling anyone.
7.) Nascar-Edition Monte Carlo
Suggested By: I-Roll
Why It's So Embarrassing: What better way to pledge your allegiance to Nascar Nation than driving a car just like Junior's! Or Scooter's! Or any other strangely-nicknamed Nascar personality! GM was once happy to print up some stickers and slap 'em on the side of a Monte Carlo for you, the discerning and tasteful fan, so that you could feel just like your heroes on your way to work. I'm sure Jimmy Johnson gets stuck in traffic all the time in his office.
6.) Toyota Prius
Suggested By: PN-gopplesoft
Why It's So Embarrassing: We can't help but agree with this suggestion of the Prius. It's everyone's favorite over-marketed green savior of a car. Heck, if we all drove Priuses, I'm sure the world would be a better place. Whoops, did I say "better?" I meant to say "boring." There. That's better.
5.) Toyota Echo
Suggested By: luisthebeast
Why It's So Embarrassing: What's worse than driving a first-gen Prius? Driving its gasoline-only powered brother, the Echo. In what has to be one of the most unfortunately designed sedans ever, the Echo manages to embarrass us just by looking at it. I thought of one yesterday, and felt the sudden urge to hide under a big hat and sunglasses. In Japan, it's called the Platz. "Platz" is the German word for "square." I rest my case.
4.) PT Cruiser Convertible
Suggested By: AustintheBruiser
Why It's So Embarrassing: As if the regular Cruiser wasn't bad enough, some genius over at Chrysler thought it would be a great idea to lop to thing's roof off. This simultaneously made it even less rigid and enjoyable to drive, yet more appealing to the crazy people who already wanted one in hardtop from. The PT Cruiser is scary, it gives me nightmares, and I'm glad it's dead.
3.) Pontiac Sunfire
Suggested By: telkinsjr
Why It's So Embarrassing: I once had the misfortune of spending a week in Florida in one of these abominations. It was simultaneously the one of the best weeks (Disney World!) and worst weeks (Sunfire!) of my life. I was stuck in the backseat, which feels more like the solid plastic backseat found in police-spec Crown Vics than something cushioned and upholstered and sold to civilians. The car itself was slow and boring. It did have really cool air vents that could be turned any way I wanted though, so I guess there's that.
2.) Chrysler Sebring Convertible
Suggested By: mkbruin
Why It's So Embarrassing: Come on now. It's a Sebring. Don't even try to rationalize this one. You bought a Sebring, and now no one will ride anywhere with you. Dude, you screwed up. Nope, I won't even sit in it. Not even for a second. You could have easily avoided this by getting nearly anything else on the market today. But you had to have that Sebring, didn't you? Well, now you know. Let me know when you trade it in.
1.) Lexus SC430
Suggested By: Mobius
Why It's So Embarrassing: Many moons ago, when I was in my junior year of high school, I was talking cars with a member of our football team in class. He is a large fellow, and I was expecting him to tell me that his favorite car was a Hummer or something. Instead, he told me that he couldn't wait for his brother to give him his Lexus. I said cool. Which Lexus? He didn't know the name, so he Googled it. An SC430 appeared on the screen. I told him, surely you have the wrong car here, this can't be the one you want. He assured me that this was, in fact, the car he wanted. I wanted to tell him that what he wanted was a car for 45-year old cougars with facelifts, fake tans, big sunglasses and mocha venti triple shot soy cappuccinos. Not captains of the football team. I didn't though. He probably would have beaten me up.