One Man's Favorite Car--that You May Not Have Heard Of

Today, my colleague Slava told me about the first car that he had when he came to the U.S. It was a Nissan Axxess. He loved it and put more than 160,000 miles on it. He also developed a fondness for Nissans from that experience.

Do you remember the Axxess? Known as the Prairie in Japan, it was a small minivan with sliding doors on both sides. It was sold here only in 1990-92. Small and economical, but also roomy, it was a niche vehicle and came and went quickly. But--today, you can buy the swoopy 2012 Mazda5 and get nearly the same kind of thing. The new Ford C-Max minivan, coming out soon, will also offer a compact way to transport lots of folks.

What's your favorite oddball car? Mine is the Nash Metropolitan (see post of January 19). I also like the Volvo 1800 ES--a sportwagon from early 1970's. In modern cars, it's the MINI Cooper--especially the extended Clubman version.