On the other hand, there are plenty who have hundreds of hours in the game. I think those who are into simulations, roleplay, and/or destruction would enjoy the game. It's not just crashing, and driving has improved a lot over time. Driving is a large amount of fun on a wheel setup or even a controller. There are lots of mods as well, including multiplayer mods.

I think it's worth looking into for many reasons. One example: Build a rusty old diesel farm truck pulling a goose-neck trailer with a nicely built rally car on it. Drive down the road looking for a suitable rally spot and unload the car to race. Crash the car and go on a rescue mission to load the wrecked car and tow it back to the garage to be fixed (can be fixed anywhere, but we are using imagination here and will be towing it back).

Is it for everyone? No, I believe you are right that it is not. I don't think you can say it is barely a game though. For example, I think Stardew Valley is barely a game but large sums of people enjoy the game. I wouldn't try to talk someone out of Stardew Valley because it doesn't align with my version of fun in a game. Others may think the same about No Man's Sky, Minecraft, or really a lot of well-received and highly-enjoyed games.