What about the guys from M.E.R.C. ?
I love to start with a bunch of losers... might be hard in the beginning but it pays off late in the game.
Gasket: Great mechanic and is definitely one of the funniest characters in the game.
Razor: apart from great physical stats, he barely needs to sleep (4h per day iirc).
Flo: She's good for bargaining with Tony at least, which is unique
I also love Conrad(awesome skills,funny, doesn't sleep much, although a bit expensive) and Hamous (very cheap and quite funny; if hired early on,can have marksmanship despite the very low wisdom.