These Cars Instantly Tell You Their Owners Have Good Taste - Jalopnik

· 4 min read
A bright green Lotus Elise driving on a mountain pass

Watto Photos/Shutterstock

Earlier this week I asked you which car instantly tells you its owner has good taste, and it seems like you all liked this one, as there were tons of great answers. I'm encouraged to see how many people chose more left-of-center cars than the usual suspects like the Porsche 911, for example. Not that the 911 is bad — in fact, the 911 is an exceptional car regardless of what version you're talking about — it's just the de facto sports car. You don't need exquisite taste to end up in a 911, though it is a fantastic choice. All that is to say it seems like you all thoroughly understood the assignment with this one. 

I said that I can tell someone has good taste if they drive a Mini Cooper, and there are a lot of answers here that echo a similar sentiment as to why I reached that conclusion. It may not be the first car that comes to mind when you think of a hot hatchback, but its charming, tongue-in-cheek, spunky personality makes owning one a signifier of good taste in my eyes. This is a selection of a few of my favorite answers, but if I missed yours or you missed the chance to leave your answer feel free to head back and check out the other answers or leave yours in the comments below. 

Any performance wagon

rear three-quarters shot of a red Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo driving past dark trees

Porsche

Anyone driving a performance wagon stands out as having good taste. You know they specifically choose that car as it was probably more expensive than many of the other options they had yet they choose the long roof because it's what they wanted. Audi RS6 Avant, Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo, Mercedes E53, and the list goes on. They all deserve the nod of approval as they drive by, great choice of car and most likely a great sound coming from the exhaust too.

Submitted by: Mike

Anything old, clean, and unmodified

Just about anything old, but clean and well maintained. Bonus points if its a tuner favorite, but its unmodified. Its not a guarantee of good taste, but it is a solid indicator.

Submitted by: GrannyShifter

Cadillac CT4-V or CT5-V Blackwing manuals

front three-quarters shot of a yellow Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing parked on graffiti-covered asphalt in front of a gray cloudy sky

Logan K. Carter/ Jalopnik

Cadillac CT4-V/CT5-V Blackwing with 6-speed manual. This tells me the owner wants an excellent sports sedan, wants full engagement with the manual, and flies in the face of convention by not going with a German sports sedan. This segment is almost dead, the sport sedan with a manual, and that speaks volumes about the owner doing their part in trying to keep this segment alive.

Submitted by: Xavier96

Honda S2000

front three-quarters shot of a silver Honda S2000 driving around a corner on a race track past grass and trees

Honda

The S2000, particularly in the period just after it was discontinued and seemed more under the radar. It was cool, had good specs, and showed further consideration than the standard 2 seat roadster – the Miata (no disrespect) – but it was not flashy or overpriced.

Submitted by: BtotheS

Miata's always the answer

Zagreb, Croatia - May 20, 2019: Mazda MX-5 aka Miata stopped on the road. This iconic Japanese sports roadster became very popular in the eighties because it was affordable.

Supergenijalac/Getty Images

Well... Miata of course.

There's a reason we wave to each other on the road: we're reacting to each other's great taste!

Submitted by: dolsh

Any minivan

Kokomo - March 8, 2026: Chrysler Pacifica Select minivan display at a dealership. Chrysler offers the Pacifica with a 3.6L VVT V6 engine. MY:2026 by: Jonathan Weiss

Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

Anyone driving a minivan has good common sense and shows practicality in their decision making. Sure it is an acquired taste, but after all, beauty is skin deep.

Submitted by: Old_SLAAB_Guy

E38 BMW 7 Series

Anytime I see a mint condition E38 7 Series.

Submitted by: PLAN-B 77

Any Lotus

head-on shot of a blue Lotus Emira driving around a corner in front of a shrub-covered mountainside

Lotus

Any Lotus..... good taste but bad judgement!

Submitted by: Kevin Oke

Audi RS6 Avant

front three-quarters shot of a white Audi RS6 Avant GT parked on Willow Springs Raceway in front of a blue sky and mountains

Logan K. Carter/ Jalopnik

Current gen RS6 avant. That car is a sign of impeccable taste. I'm an M fanboy and own one, but there's nothing in the lineup that holds a candle to that car from this perspective. My M is gauche in comparison.

Mini wave 👋 from an r59 owner. Deeply agree with your sentiment.

Submitted by: Kihbasn

Fiat 500 Abarth

Fiat 500 Abarth. Practical – no, but a riot to drive.

Submitted by: TommyFurnace