Infinite MonkeysDaily Bleat readers are aware that Lileks bought himself some new wheels a while back. He searched high and low, and eventually settled on one of those goofy-ass Honda Elements.
He appears happy with his decision, as he extols the car's virtues regularly; and though boxy, stupid-looking vehicles are not my personal cup of tea, I can not fault a man simply because his tastes differ from mine, and those of every person who has a nodding acquaintance with basic aesthetics and at least one functioning eye.
Anyway, a few days ago, I ran across one of these hideous things, sullying the streets of my neighborhood with its grotesque presence:
It's from Toyota, and it's called the "FJ Cruiser." "FJ", as in, "Are you Fucking Joking?"
Obviously, this too is not my style. But when I saw it I immediately thought of James. That's partly because it shares its design sensibilities -- or lack thererof -- with his beloved Element. But mostly it's because, when I saw this monstrosity, the first thing that went through my head was, "Oh, it's the Japanese Hummer."
And how do the Japanese pronounce "Hummer"?
That's right. It's a "Hummel". My God, it's the Lileks dream car! If only he'd waited a few extra months before plunking down his down-payment.
Posted by Poochucker at December 22, 2006 01:38 PMit's a Toyota FJ, not a Honda
Posted by: Mike at December 22, 2006 01:57 PMThey all look alike to me.
But I fixed it anyway.
Posted by: Poochucker at December 22, 2006 02:01 PMThree things:
1. I kind of like both the Element and the FJ, as practical entry-level all-purpose vehicles.
2. They're both underpowered for my tastes. If the Element came out with a V6, I'd be all over it.
3. For all of their flaws, at least they're relatively cheap. In contrast, the almost identically boxy Mercedes SUV's cost as much as a condo. Now THAT is ridiculous.
I have a Honda Element. I love it. It's very practical (the back seats easily fold to the side, or come out completely) and it was one of the first cars to have an audio-in for iPods. Plus, it's just fun. And I bought it for a trade-in (a jeep) and cash, so no car payments.
Posted by: Monkey David at December 23, 2006 03:46 PMHaving driven it, if you could do it again and pay a little extra for a V6, would you?
Posted by: Monkey RobbL at December 23, 2006 10:44 PMOh, I don't know--I went from a V8 Jeep to the Element, and I really didn't miss the V8 at all (especially at the gas pump). When I was going up and down Mount Soledad almost every day, I kind of wished it had more power, I suppose. Now, the turbo on the 280ZX I had right after college--that I miss.
Posted by: Monkey David at December 26, 2006 09:10 PMAh, well. There's no accounting for taste.
Posted by: Poochucker at December 26, 2006 11:32 PM