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.
Feeling comfortable in it as the driver, especially with the design of the front console and cup holders.
When I was shopping for my first new car ever, there were several cars that I thought I probably should consider (Honda Fit '16ish, Scion xB were a couple of them) but they just felt so uncomfortable sitting in the driver’s seat. Now, I don’t mean the seats themselves were literally physically uncomfortable, but the general environment of the driver’s seat.
When I sat in a Scion iM it immediately felt right. The cup holders were accessible and not tucked under the console, the console itself felt clean and minimalistic, useful but unobtrusive. It also still has a turn-key start, rather than a button, and it’s silly but that’s important to me (and I also worry about being locked out of push-to-start cars should the key fob die). Got it at 30k miles and plan to keep on going for as long as I can take it into the 100k+ amount! Hopefully by the time I have to replace it, the electric and hybrid car options will have increased even more.
Comfort is important, a car can have everything but if it isn’t comfortable you won’t want to drive it, amazing when you find a car that fits you perfectly.
Just a tip, just about every keyless entry/push to start car has a backup key, hidden in the key fob, usually with a hidden tumbler under some removeable trim and there’s a spot on the car where you can put the key where it will work even if the battery is dead/nearly dead. On Mazdas you just push the button with the fob and it should start. Others have labeled spaces to put the key, my Alfa has a little cutout in the shape of the key in the center console.