Toyota Echo Owner Talks About 'Having an Oddball Car'

"Telling someone I drive an Echo always has a caveat."

These are Harvey Duncan's words. Harvey owns a Toyota Echo he refers to as Phoebe. It's his automotive pride and joy. The car even has a Facebook page. I can totally identify.

I think Harvey's above statement is one that many subcompact car enthusiasts can relate to. I know I certainly can. Someone discovers I'm a "car guy." They ask what I drive and you tell them a Toyota Yaris, a Suzuki Sidekick, and a WRX. Most relate to the WRX. But when it comes to the Yaris and Sidekick, the person seems to tilt their head to the side the way a dog does when it's trying to understand you; sort of that "huh?" look.

My caveat to the Yaris and Sidekick is that one is lowered with swaybars, sticky tires, intake, header, exhaust, and drives like a go-kart. The Sidekick is lifted with a winch, winch bumper, skidplates, larger tires, rear locking diff, etc., and is my off-road toy. I then generally say that I tend to like all the little, slow, ugly cars no one else did. That's the truth, too. And over time, I've come to accept the fact that I'm going to run into people that will say, "But really, man—a Yaris?" Yes, a Yaris indeed.

Perhaps Harvey and my caveats help people understand that people can be passionate about the slow weird  cars that other people may find ugly, boring, or unenthusiastic. It doesn't always have to be the fastest, sexiest, or most desirable. In Harvey's video he does a good job touching on the passion he has for his "oddball" car. He also touches on other oddball cars and other owners' experiences. It's worth watching all the way through.

So here's to all the owners of all the oddballs; the rare and unique vehicles. Remember that you can find joy and passion in any vehicle, and don't be afraid to tell the world about it.