It’s hard to ignore the types of cars that auto writers relentlessly prefer, even if few real, new car buyers do.

Despite reams of marketing information gathered by the automakers, and all-too-real feedback from new car buyers based on sales figures, we in the auto writing community still advocate vehicles that the rest of you really don’t need (or care about).

But, boy, they sure are pretty to look at.

Here are my top 10 examples:

More: The top 10 copycat cars

More: Top 10 new cars that should be discontinued

10. Anything from merry ol’ England

Based on the affinity for anything British, you’d be tempted to think most auto writers slept through high school geography and economics class — okay, I did.

But the reality is no current British auto brands are actually owned by the British.

Aston Martin is owned by a bunch of Kuwaiti investors; Jaguar and Land Rover by Indians at Tata Group; Bentley and Rolls-Royce by their respective German parents at Volkswagen and BMW; and Lotus by Malaysians at Proton.

So don’t be fooled.

9. The seventies muscle car

Talk about setting the bar low: Lumpy-at-idle, multi-carbureted, gas-guzzling engines; support-free seats; ox-cart handling; 12-month rust protection — these were the hallmarks of the seventies muscle car.

Yet many auto writers still go weak in our knees whenever a modern interpretation of a Challenger, Camaro, or Mustang gets launched.

Like outdoor plumbing or the bubonic plague, it’s time to move on …

8. The minimalist car

It’s d�j� vous all over again with the launch of this year’s new Scion iQ, a fresher take on the Mercedes-Benz Smart’s European-targeted ForTwo city car.

You’ll hear that the iQ is “all the car you really need,” a “gem to park downtown,” and because its about half the length of a typical car, “if we all drove iQs, there’d be less traffic jams and congestion”.

Go back in time eight years ago, when the similar-in-concept ForTwo came to Canada, and you’ll read similar commentary. But in the real world, most Canadian new car buyers need more from their set of wheels, and don’t live in crowded, European cities like Rome, London or Paris.

7. The unavailable niche brand

The current unrequited love amongst us journos is Italy’s Alfa Romeo.

Ever since Alfa’s parent Fiat took over Chrysler a few years back, about once a month, the Italians toss us a morsel on the much-anticipated return of the first Alfas to go on sale here since the mid-nineties, with hot Latin model names like Giulia or Giulietta.

Then, like a pack of Pavlov’s dogs, we journos prattle on how much we can’t wait for the return of the brand.

But why?

When Alfa left North America in the mid-nineties, the cars were uncompetitive, unreliable, and basically unsellable. Yet the love affair continues…

6. The convertible

We critics of the auto industry herald any new innovation or progress. So why do auto writers still go all goo-goo over anything with an open top?

It’s not because drivers actually like driving convertibles. When was the last time you saw anyone driving his or her convertible with its top down? Why do convertible customers demand creature comforts like metal-tops, wind blockers, or heated headrests?

Because they really want to drive a hardtop.

5. The supercar

Zero-to-100 in a blink of an eye. Three-hundred-kilometre top speeds. Low-slung, opposite-sex-attracting looks — hey, who doesn’t love the idea of a supercar?

I’ll tell you who: Anyone who has ever owned one.

Yet we auto writers will give up our first born to get a free ride in a Ferrari, Lamborghini, or McLaren, and casually ignore the fact none of the potential performance will ever be experienced by 99.9 per cent of supercar owners.

After all, it’s hard to unleash the beast at a top speed of 100 km/h on Highway 401.

4. The bare-knuckle off-roader

You’ve read the reports from exotic locales. More than likely involving extreme off-roading adventures with Land Rover, Jeep (and in the past, Hummer) where we auto scribes are jettisoned into some backwoods/mountain/jungle/desert terrain, then bash about in the automaker’s new vehicles over logs/boulders/swamps/sand.

Problem is—and just like under-used super cars—the majority of off-road vehicle owners never use the full capabilities of their vehicles.

Unless jumping the curb at a Timmies drive-thru counts as “off-roading”.

3. The stripped-down sports car

A cramped interior, back-breaking ride-quality, minimal sound-deadening, zero-storage space—all in the name of performance—it’s the type of formula new car buyers stay away from in droves, but we car writers love.

The stripped-down sports car is one of the most venerated types of cars auto writers wax on about. Too bad it’s the type of car that only a fraction of new buyers can afford to have in their laneway.

2. The station wagon

“If only they made it as a wagon” is a common moan from writers at the launch of many new cars. The ride and handling of a sedan, but with the added utility of that extra space in the back. Plus, European roads are jammed with wagons, so they must be a “good thing.”

But in reality, there are plenty of wagons being sold every day. They’re called crossovers, minivans and SUVs.

1. The manual gearbox diesel wagon

If the auto industry was run by auto writers, every new car sold in Canada would force its drivers to change gears by using a clutch pedal, be powered by a diesel engine, and have the aforementioned station wagon body style.

Unfortunately, there’s a gap between this recommendation and the cars people actually buy.

Despite there being almost 400 different new car models available on the Canadian market, the number of cars you can buy meeting this criteria is exactly one — Volkswagen’s Golf diesel wagon, a car that predictably pops up on year-end “best of” lists. That car is also — surprise, surprise — one of Jim Kenzie’s most beloved cars.

But then, we are the experts…