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Today’s Question of the Day is remarkably simple, but it took a reader suggestion to make it appear.
Reader David J. wrote in this morning, stating
TTAC is not short of opinions about cars. I would like to see each submitted state the car or truck, SUV, etc he or she owns or leases. Here’s a start for me: own a 2010 model Prius V and a 2014 Audi Q5.
We know that some commenters are linked with certain cars (Davefromcalgary and his Verano 2.0T 6MT, CoreyDL and his Audi) but I’d be interested to see a snapshot of what everyone else drives.
I’ll start: 2015 Mazda3 Sport. Previous cars are a 2003 Mazda Miata Shinsen, a 1998 Volvo V70 (5-speed manual) and a 1997 Miata in British Racing Green.
895 Comments on “Question Of The Day: What Do You Drive?...”
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2006 Acura TSX, sadly with the wrong transmission, but I still enjoy driving it.
1998 BMW 328i sedan, silver/light grey, 5-speed, 135,000 miles and still looking and driving like the day it was made.
2008 MDX. Seven seats, takes 4×8 sheets, launches standup jetski. Drives way smaller than it feels-Pilot engineers target X5.
2003 330i. The ultimate BMW 6. Smooth. Everyone else is still trying to copy it. 310k and still rockin ‘ No AWD, last one before electronics got out of hand.
2012 TDi. Torque is all. You love torque. 40 mpg at 80 mph
Clatter out !
2 manuals, one autobox.
2004 Toyota Seinna 223k miles, 1998 Toyota 4Runner 280k miles both look and run great!
Exactly the same here, Brian. Love it, but… :-/
From little ‘ol NZ:
1977 Triumph 2000TC (307km, first car, still have it, Perpetual Project Car)
1974 Triumph 2500Mk2 (133km, too many problems, sold)
1980 Mercedes 500SEL (300km, awesome cruiser, too thirsty, sold)
1990 Toyota Corona GL (155km, work hack, reliable, too boring, traded for…)
1992 Toyota MR2 (189km, replaced engine, window regulator, frost plugs, alternator, etc etc all within 2 months, most troublesome car so far, getting rid of it very soon!)
I like the British beasts, despite their issues and foibles. Classic car nut since Day One and they are about the only kind of affordable classics you can actually drive on a daily basis here. Won’t have the finances to broaden my automotive horizons for the next few years, but it’s a long enough list for a 22 year old I’m sure!
‘British beasts’ – I like that. I have two Austin-Healeys–aka ‘The Handsome Brute’–a 1967 3000 and a 1956 100M. When I’m slummin’ it I drive a 2008 Mustang Bullitt.
2013 Dodge Charger SRT8 – Daily driver, year round. 12.80’s in the 1/4, runs in 4cyl mode (MDS) 60% of the time, gets around 500km per tank of 91 octane in mixed city/highway driving.
It’s seen as good as 31mpg highway according to the EVIC. Great car, could never drive anything less quick or feature-rich as this. Been 110% flawless too, only had oil changes and it gets regular beatings / track outings.
I want a Hellcat but don’t want to sacrifice mileage, so if I do make the change I’ll need a new driver for work. Right now this car is the perfect balance – I am in a predicament!
2008 Mazda Miata 6spd manual
2012 Mazda5 6spd manual
Did you buy the 5 because of your love towards the Miata? I just bought my first one, and am in it every chance I get. Today was over 50 degrees when I got off from work. It was dry so I put the top down and spent the next three hours driving around randomly.
My cars starting with the most recent.
Current:
2013 Miata Club, 6-speed manual
2011 Subaru Impreza 2.5i, 5-speed manual
Former:
2000 Nissan Sentra GXE, 5-speed manual
1995 Ford Ranger Regular Cab, 5-speed manual
2007 Subaru Impreza 2.5i, 5-speed manual
1993 Volkswagen Passat GLX, 5-speed manual
1988 Volkswagen Fox GL, 4-speed manual
2012 VW CC 6-speed is my daily, but I’m thinking about replacing it with the 2015 Chevy SS 6-speed or possibly a 335i 6-speed.
1969 Mercedes 220 Diesel is my project/weekend car
The wife has a 2014 Honda Pilot, kept it nice and simple after some problems with her 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel unicorn.
2006 Subaru Legacy GT wagon 5-speed (Canadian model), 102,000 miles and still running strong.
Daily: 2005 BMW 330Ci ZHP (6MT)
Fun & Games: 2007 BMW Z4 M Coupe (6MT, the only way they roll)
Wife: 2015 VW Golf TDI (6MT, her first manual ever, fantastic car)
41 years on the road and still haven’t owned anything with an auto transmission. And don’t plan to deviate from the plan.
2006 Citroen C4 1.6 Diesel. A common ish sight on uk roads here. I have owned it 5 years and not had a problem. 65 miles to the gallon is enough reason to go diesel!
2007 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT with the wrong transmission. Owned for 6 weeks. Bothered by CELs. Bought with 142k on the clock, but it was a steal price.
Latest CEL: Cylinder 1 misfire. Yay.
Otherwise, I love it. Didn’t think I would.
Admittedly, owned three previous N/A Mr2s, all manual. ’91, ’93, and ’01. Wished the ’93 drove like the ’01.
1997 Lexus ES300
2001 Ford F-250
2011 TSX Longroof and 2015 CX-5 GT, both with the only transmissions.
2008 Subaru Forester premium with 65k miles
2001 VW Jetta GLS 2.slow with 110k miles
That 2.0-liter engine was a lot more acceptable ten years ago, but it’s not acceptable now, and I can’t believe that it carried forward into 2015.
I can’t believe how many current-gen Jettas I see running around with that 2.slow. I’d have to estimate that 1/4 to 1/3 of the Jettas in my area have that ancient engine. I can only hope they aren’t selling near MSRP
Is it really just the old Jetta/Golf inline 4 from the 80s? Like my mom’s boyfriend’s ’92 Jetta had?
I believe so…
Yes. The base “S” has the 2.0-liter. Most of the ones I see are the “SE” w/o Convenience, which is the next step up from the S. Upgrades over the S include (of course) the 1.8-liter TSI engine, body-colored mirrors with integrated indicators, leatherette, maybe a partial power seat, and some other things I’m forgetting. But with the bare SE, you still lack alloys, Bluetooth and steering wheel audio controls.
2011 Boxster Spyder
2012 STR spec Miata
2014 BMW X1
Hey Dan, where are your doing your sim racing?
Pretty much all iRacing. I’m on a team (KRT motorsports) participating in the Master of Endurance 1000km at Suzuka race tomorrow and I’ll be streaming at twitch.
Cool. I’ve just started up, and currently am driving in the Spec Racer series.
2014 Nissan Versa Note.
2006 Dodge Charger R/T (w/AEM intake, Flowmaster Cat-Back)
2005 Lexus SC430 and 2009 Lexus RX350
How do you like the SC430? It strikes me as a car that reviewers condemn but owners, probably with good reason, like.
I did not agree with the Top Gear condemnation of the SC430 as the Worst Car Ever.
Me neither. The styling often gets put down, but I’ve always thought they look quite nice in person.
It has certainly aged better than several European cars from that were highly-praised. In fact, the styling has aged quite well.
And the criteria they said were basically a) expensive and b) from a company that should have known better.
There are plenty of expensive, poorly designed, and UNRELIABLE things from companies that should have known better. Some Italian cars spring to mind. Some 80s Ferrari that was terrible to drive, not pretty, unreliable, and ludicrously expensive would have been a better choice. Ferrari knows better, and did not care.
I do agree with the x3, however. From great rootstock, crap grows.
Like it a lot. Very reliable. More a GT cruiser than sporty.
Googled SC430. So THAT’S what the little bugger is on my way to the grocery store.
Sure looks ironic parked in front of that tiny Mellenkamp bungalow.
They don’t make em no more, don’t worry.
2004 BMW 545i sport. 6mt, rwd, black and yes, I drive like an entitled a-hole. Of course, I did the same thing in a Maxima, but now I have the car to match the bad attitude.
It’s my first v8 and I don’t know how I lived life before this point.
1995 Lincoln Town Car signature
Dark Green with green leather interior
183,000 miles finally showing rust after almost 20 years in Chicago
photos available upon request
Request.
:)
First Panther in this list, if I’m getting this right? Lots Volvo history, too, and an overwhelming majority of “sane” Japanese machinery. Colour me surprised.
Cool–I always liked the looks of the ’95-97 Town Car!
My goodness…. green on green! My heart just skipped a beat
I once got a green-on-green TC of about that vintage as a cab in Washington DC. It was in much better shape than the usual cab, but with all the green was a vaguely hallucinogenic experience.
Another Panther owner here – 2001 Crown Victoria police auction special. Also a 1995 F150 with the 4.9 L inline 6. Previously owned a 1978 Ranchero GT too. In my book, those early 90’s Town Cars are still the best ones you can get.
2005 Scion xB, 5-speed, 85k miles
I almost bought one of those (a ’06, but same thing) not once but twice. It’s really the only car I regret NOT buying, especially seeing how they’ve reworked it into a not-quite-as-attractive PT Cruiser and left it on the vine to wither.
That car was genuinely fun, and delightfully weird.
2011 VW GTI 4-door
1990 Mazda Miata + 1.8 swap + FM turbo
83 MB W123 300 CDT.
Respect.
Why ? .
It’s a nice car yes , I have one too , with simple mods it makes a good Road Rally Car too but is fairly pedestrian , no ? .
I don’t see how to attach a photo .
-Nate
If you bought it new and kept it, you may be the smartest person on this list.
Currently:
2002 Nissan XTerra 4×4 Supercharged 5speed
2013 Toyota RAV4 XLE AWD (wife)
1985 Pontiac Fiero GT (Don’t judge me)
Past… get comfy.
From first car to current-
1988 Toyota Celica GT-S
1986 Pontiac Fiero GT
1989 Toyota Celica GT
1997 Dodge Avenger ES
1994 Plymouth Laser (1.8L FWD)
1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4×4 4.0
1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
1993 Eagle Talon TSi FWD
1999 Honda Accord EX
1996 Volvo 850 GLT Sedan
1985 Volvo 760 Turbo Sedan (337k miles!!)
1998 Volvo S70 GLT-SE (scored it for $45.00)
1995 Eagle Talon (base)
1998 Chrysler Sebring LXi coupe
2005 Ford F150 Lariat
1992 Dodge Stealth RT/TT
2002 Ford F150 XLT Supercrew 4×4
2006 Chevy Equinox LT (worst car ever)
2007 Mazda 6i Sport
2008 Mazda CX7 GT FWD
2013 Ford Fusion SE 2.5
Yes, I’m 31 and I have a slight case of automotive ADD. I’ve accepted it and moved on.
At least you admit to having a problem. You may need to check into the Henry Ford Clinic though.
good one!
I prefer Ford trucks to any other brand just because of heratige. As for all the Volvo’s, they’re all pre-Ford and I worked at a dealer. Between all three, I’d say I spent $5500 combined… including repairs.
I get bored with cars quickly. I learned long ago that driving is a priviledge and should be an emotionally connected experience. I forget where I read it, but I saw a quote once that said “If you get out of your car and don’t turn around to look at it, it’s time for a new car.” I understand the financial implications of that statement, but if the means are there…
That Volvo streak…cool! A driving S70 for 45 bucks?
No. $45 because it belonged to a rich trust-fund kid who let the timing belt break at 220k miles. I spent $2000 replacing all 20 valves and resealing the head.
It was a model that I’d never seen before. It had suede inserts in the seats and dark brown suede piping on its light tan seats and door panels (very S90-esque). It was also a metallic blue that I’d not seen, so I had to have it. I expressed interest in it after we told him the bad news- that it could need an engine but we wouldn’t know until we tore it apart, so he told me that I could have it if I paid the diag bill on it thus far. As an empolyee, that was $45. He didn’t know that obviously.
Great deal anyway, especially if you did all the fixing yourself.
Any favorites you care to mention?
I actually REALLY liked the 1985 760 Turbo sedan. It had 337k miles on it when I bought it for $250 needing a new fuel computer, but original driveline, turbocharger, etc. The guy I bought it from was a long-time customer of mine that purhcased the car new from the dealership I worked at. He had it serviced every 5k miles as it was called for in the owners manual and had every reciept for everything done. I got a folder that was over 3″ thick and totalled over $11,000 in maintenance and repairs. I put a new fuel computer in it ($50 from one of my technicians) and drove it for another 50k miles. I sold it to a college kid for $2000.
Runner up? The 1996 Volvo 850 sedan. Why? I don’t know. Just something about the comfort and that exhaust note. It needed a LOT of work. I paid $895 for it as a trade in. It was roached out and dirty inside, the check engine light was on, the tires were shit, etc. I spent 6 hours cleaning out the interior. All of the liquified smegma that was in the spare tire well was like molasses. The interior smelled like wet dog and rotting food. Once I replaced the “Park/Neutral safety switch” on the transmission, the car ran great with no error lights. The car was a diamond in the rough.
My ultimately missed car? The 2005 F150 Lariat. It was a gem. It was a low mileage truck (36k, sold with 61k) but I sold it as a knee jerk reaction to purchasing a home. I didn’t think I could swing a truck payment with a mortgage even though the numbers said I’d be well more than ok. I kick myself for selling that every day. Seriously.
Three in particular.
The ’85 760 Turbo sedan. Purchased for $250 from its original owner in 2006. Needed a new fuel computer ($50 from one of my technician buddies). It was purchased from the dealer I worked at brand new and had been serviced there every 5k miles as the manual called for. He handed me every reciept when I got the title from him. A 3″ high stack that totalled over $11,000. Had 337k miles on it when I bought it, drove it for nearly 50k more. Sold it to a college kid for $2500.
The 1996 850 Sedan. Why? No real reason. Purchased for $895 as a trade in in 2007, needed a little work. Check engine light was on, transmission service arrow flashing. I replaced the “Park Neutral safety switch” and everything was dandy. Interior was absolutely trashed. I spent 6 hours detailing just the interior. It smelled of wet dog and rotting food but cleaned right up with enough chemicals and elbow grease. I was a detailer before I worked the service drive so I was used to that. Oh, and that exhaust note…..
Mainly missed vehicle? The 2005 F150 Lariat. Gem of a truck. Purchased with 36k miles on it in 2008, sold it with 61k as a knee jerk reaction to buying my first home. I didnt think I could reasonably afford a payment and a mortgage even though all of the numbers said I’d be more than fine. The numbers were right. I kick myself every day for selling that truck. Seriously. I can’t get over that one.
Don’t kick yourself too hard, the 5.4L 3V engines in that year were problematic.
I’d be totally like that except that the process of buying and selling cars is too painful. So instead I actually buy a car about every four or five years and then waste a lot of time “buying” cars on the internet.
Agreed. I feel my car buying skills are vindicated by me not having to spend the value of the car 2 times over, like it happens in a lot of befriended families. I also even earned 1200$ on a two week flip once.
But…it takes money to gamble. If one botched sale would tighten family economy to “blue balls level”, it’s just not a feasible hobby.
I’d like to hear the story about scoring an S70 for $45.00. Considering that thing is worth $200 just as scrap metal, that’s an awfully good trade.
Full disclosure: I once scored an ’85 240 wagon for $350 and still feel like that was one of the best cars I’ve ever owned.
As I mentioned above, it was a deal that I got while working at a Volvo dealer from a rich college kid who let the timing belt break on his (inhereted from mommy and daddy) 1998 S70 GLT-SE. It was a total of $215 diagnosis and towing bill to him. Facing the possibility of needing a replacement engine, I asked the kid if I could buy it from him and he said that if I paid the bill thus far, he’d bring me the title. I knew the owner of the tow company so he made the bill disappear and then my employee labor rate brought the shop bill down to $45.00, thus netting me a 1998 S70 SE for $45. It did have 227k miles on it at the time though.
He couldn’t have too rich of a college kid if all he had was a hand me down Volvo with 227k miles on it.
2015 BMW M235i with manual.
2012 Infiniti G37 Sedan with auto.
Late post, but how’s the M235i treating you? Seems like a sweet car.
1988 10th Anniversary Edition Mazda RX-7
Sweet! I drive an RX8, but it was my Uncle Kent who drove an 80’s RX7 when I was growing up that influenced me. Love the rotary, but sure do wish they’d manufacture a new version, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards for now.
2008 Honda Accord EX, 5MT
2013 Prius (ducks to avoid barrage of rotten tomatoes)
Funny how Prius is such a hated brand.
I blame South Park.
I come by my Prius hatred honestly – from highway commuting experience. If I ever have children, the two pieces of life experience I will be sure to pass on are:
1 – never get behind an elderly black woman in the grocery check out line.
2 – never get behind a Prius in rush hour highway traffic.
Oh hey! Neat. I bet your kids will grow up into fine upstanding racists, too.
LOL good one.
There is a very frequent poster here who wrote a reply to a post of mine that was basically a fictitious, wrong story line, and an assumption about my driving style in my Prius. It was condescending, it reflected pre judgment, and stereotyping.
If people have not experienced aggressive (active, not passive) prius drivers, they are not paying attention.
I never notice Prius drivers, they seem like everyone else.
The last car I found that I really wanted to avoid following was Volvos back in the 80’s. Now the Volvo drivers drive like everyone else.
I would try to avoid following waste transfer trucks, though. They’re both slow and smelly.
2012 Mazda 3i Touring Skyactiv sedan 6AT. Gotta love those long-winded model names!
2014 Impala LT 4cyl daily driver
2008 Mustang convertible, premium model 6 cyl Auto, April – October.
Mikey,
you need to move south to take better advantage of the Mustang!
Me: ’08 Civic LX 5MT, 78k. Very happy with it except for the slit windows.
dream car: late ’60s/70s Peugeot 404 station wagon, 4 on the tree
I do love that generation Mustang design and that new Impala is a looker as well. Nice garage.
Thanks guys….I went through a “mid life crisis /crazy phase” with vehicles. Today… I’m very happy with my “fleet”
@ David..I’d move south tomorrow. However the Canadian government won’t let me take the Health Plan with me.
2014 Mazda2.
Other than a faulty dealer installed cruise control (with homicidal tendencies) it has been a great car.
Is your 2 a Sport? I was playing with Mazda’s online configurator a year or two ago and came to the conclusion that I didn’t want or need any of the Touring-only extras except cruise control. Will dealers install it on a Sport?
There are a few minor things the base model (Sport) does not have (like map lights) but overall it has everything I needed in a car.
P.S. Most Mazda dealerships should offer an aftermarket speed control but apparently there is a glitch with the most common one (Rostra). On my car it is interfering with the traction control system.
2011 Scion tC, manual. Paid off (just got the loan to get the discount), 67K miles.
I love the vehicle; it’s a modern reincarnation of the late 80’s Accord 3-door. It’s such a goldilocks-car: A functional back seat without four doors. Hatch with lots of cargo space and a fold-flat seat. Peppy engine that doesn’t drink premium. No turbos, touchscreens, or DCTs to fail. Handles well, comfortable, and has absolutely superb ergonomics for a long-limbed Ichabod-Crane frame (so much legroom!).
The advertising is cringey, and I had to redo the seats in leather for myself, but you can’t have everything.
The tC seems like a too-maligned car; its nowadays-relatively-large 2.5 liter engine puts out decent power for its naturally-aspirated displacement, but people complain about its (to be expected) fuel economy. As a 4-seat hatchback, it is also inappropriately compared to the FR-S, which is basically a 2-seat sports car. And its simplicity – lacking the problems associated with turbos, DCTs, and direct injection – I see as an advantage for long-term ownership. As a matter of fact, I think I’ll buy one, before it’s “modernized.”
It’s quick enough to be fun and the stiff suspension and wide tires do an admirable job of pointing it in the right direction. The biggest downside is the steering – it doesn’t feel slack and overassisted (hello Fusion), but it also doesn’t provide a lot of feedback. The best comparison is to Honda: It splits the difference between a Civic EX and an SI coupe. My want list was two doors, fairly cheap, functional back seat, stick shift, sunroof. That’s a mighty short list these days! Even if I could manage the Mustang’s useless backseat, I can’t believe they won’t put a sunroof in it! I love the new Focus, but it wasn’t out at the time, and I don’t like small cars with four doors.
The too-maligned bit – there’s definitely an element of high-school-cool on car forums. The tC is a bit like Nickelback, Dave Matthews Band, and M. Night Shyamalan: people poke fun at them to show that they fit in with the cool kids. Meanwhile, you don’t insult the Miata (a car that is the butt of many jokes outside of car forums). The diversity of preferences in cars on here is pretty astounding – look at the Panther-love! When someone goes on a weird “The tC is a poser-car for losers” rant, it’s a fair bet that it’s a teen or 20-something making an adolescent effort to fit in, so it’s easy to ignore.
Wife has one (sitting with friends in the US while we are assigned to Saudi Arabia). She had no idea what it was until she saw one on the interstate. We test drove it, and she loved it. Cement gray. I am a little disappointed in the overall quality of the interior, which seems much cheaper than my son’s 1997 Tercel. But on a nice day, with the sunroof back, it really is a nice ride. Misunderstood, unappreciated…but a nice ride. And since the wife loves it, nothing else really matters!
I had the Accord in question, and understand that comparison completely.
2012 Avenger R/T
1990 Turbo 2.5 Caravan
1992 Dodge Diesel 3/4 t pickup
1990 CONSULIER GTP Targa LX (one of 8 made)
“1990 CONSULIER GTP Targa LX”
This is unlikely to be topped as far as I’m concerned.
I agree, I waited 20 year to get this car. Here is the story about it…..
http://www.consuliergtp.com/consulierstory.html
Probably the only car that could top it is a Bricklin
Only if it could fly.
Mosler FTW!
2013 MazdaSpeed3 (lightly modded)
2011 Mazda2 (Wifes)
Dirty truth, is that I love hustling that little 2 hatch around almost as much as I enjoy my Speed.
2010 Volvo XC70 T6.
Wife has a 2007 Subaru Outback 3.0
We just bought a 2010 Mercedes E350 4Matic from my in-laws to replace her Subaru.
You have one of my previous cars (the Subaru) and one of my dream cars (the Volvo).
Approved.
Has the Volvo been reliable? Thinking of getting one before it’s too late although they are getting long in the tooth.
I have an 2011 XC70 T6, and it is not reliable. It is a nice car though.
other cars:
2007 W203 Benz C280 52K miles – nice car and surprisingly reliable
1989 Jeep Comanche 150K miles – unkillable and the most reliable car I have ever owned.
99 Chevy S-10 Ext Cab with 5 speed manual 2.2 I4;
08 Isuzu I-370 CrwCab4x4 with heated leather seats tow pkg 3.7 I5; 13 CRV AWD with heated leather seats & Nav.
Wow, don’t see many of those isuzus, especially optioned as so. I’ve only seen one around town and it’s a base model
@anti121hero–I bought my Isuzu new when Isuzu was closing them out. I saw it on the lot and even though I swore I would never own a black vehicle I test drove it and made an offer. The dealer was anxious to deal so after some back and forth negotiations I got a truck that MSRP at 31k for 21k. I never have seen another one like it even in Colorado/Canyon forms. Black leather interior, heated seats, power driver and passenger seats, tow package with hitch and plug in for trailer lights, auto dim rear view mirror, digital outside temperature and compass display on rear view mirror, 4 wheel drive, and a few other things. I added chrome running boards bed liner, tonneau cover, tinted window visors above all four doors, and front and rear mud flaps. It is a nice truck and resembles a Hummer H-3 truck except the bed is longer. The 3.7 I-5 has 242 hp and is fairly quick except it could use a 6 speed auto instead of the 4 speed it came with. The engine has surprising power but the transmission does hold it back. It is a very smooth rider for being a midsize. I kept my S-10 because at the time I bought the Isuzu they offered me 3k for it even though it had 82k miles with new tires, new clutch, tune up, new brakes. I use the S-10 a lot especially for picking things up and hauling things off. I have spent very little on the S-10 over 6 years since I had all the repairs and maintenance done on it before.
2014 BMW 328 xdrive
2010 Mazda RX8
I came *so* close to buying a 2011 about a year and a half ago. Great car.
2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid
2010 Lincoln MkT Ecoboost AWD
2013 Little Tikes Cozy Coupe (30th Anniversary Edition) Hybrid child feet/Dad powered
Would love to hear more about how the C-Max is doing.
My C-Max just hit 34K miles. It has been a great car so far. I find it to be the perfect urban/suburban small family car. It is safe, has an open feeling cabin (because of the windows and roof height), is easy to get kids in and out of, has the cargo capacity of a small CUV, is fuel efficient, and has great NVH for a small car.
Currently, I am averaging 41.1 MPG. That number will drop a bit as it gets colder. The hybrid system loses some efficiency in the cold, plus I have winter tires on it now.
I’ve found it to be most livable and flexible vehicle I’ve ever owned. While it’s a fun drive compared to CUVs and other hybrids, I do find it boring compared to the GTI and Focus ST we owned before our C-Max and MkT.
More importantly, tell us about the Cozy Coupe! I’m not convinced by the crash test ratings or interior use of plastics, but that greenhouse space is amazing! It’s like 60 percent of the car’s volume. And flat tires seem like a thing of the past.
There are definetely no soft touch plastics. The dashboard is a step above the Mitsubishi Mirage though. I like the two tone paint and white rims, but I am not sure about the new grille with eyes on it, or steering system. It has enough storage for a few bags of Cheerios, but lacks a cupholder for juice/water. I also don’t think it did well in that small overlap crash test (still did better than the Nissan Quest). For $40, its still a good deal.
I love the C-Max. Although MyFordTouch gets knocked, it’s fun to play with. I enjoy driving for MPG at night, and my lifetime MPG is 44.1. Last winter it went down 2 mpg and worked its way back up during the warm months. (80% light city driving) I just read about Bert Reynolds selling his 1977 Firebird Trans Am. At 0-60 in 8.6 seconds, believe it or not, the C-Max is exactly as quick as the 1977 Trans Am. That’s about a second quicker than the Prius hatchback and two seconds quicker than the Prius V. If you buy a C-Max, make sure you get the winter package (heated seats). Using the cabin heat cuts the MPG far more than summer air-conditioning. The seat heaters are enough most of the time.
I think we have the same car in different colors. SE with 203A and the winter package?
2000 Mazda Miata (what a surprise!)
1977 Triumph Spitfire
2008 Subaru Forester (my wife’s, but she lets me drive it when it snows)
I also have a 1961 Rover P5 sedan, but I don’t drive it as it’s in the process of being restored.
Rover P5, eh! Triple smileys. Those beasts with the F-head 3 litre six always struck me as a real motor car, properly built. And the proportions are just right. Good luck in the restoration.
Thanks much – not many folks have any idea what a P5 is, at least here in the USA. It’s a very British car, sort of a gentleman’s club on wheels.
I never thought I’d experience a true barn find, but it had sat in a dry heated garage since 1975 due to engine problems. The interior looks like new, and the paint is original and has polished up nicely. I’m going through the mechanical bits gradually and hope to have it on the road soon.
Aside from being glacially slow (I can see they they later upgraded to a V8), it’s a pretty cool car, and with only a few hundred sold here, I’m unlikely to ever see another one on the road coming towards me.
2014 Dodge Charger SXT AWD.
1967 Buick GS340.
1975 Buick Gran Sport (350).
Great lineup!
1990 760 Turbo Wagon
1991 740 NA Sedan
1993 940 Turbo Wagon
You are true to your word. … or online handle.
Amazong!
More like poor impulse control…and a refusal to pay more than $3500 for a car.
… and likes to walk, a LOT
1985 Toyota Landcruiser FJ60 – 126K
1988 Mercedes Benz 560SL – 155K
1994 Mercedes Benz E320 Wagon – 96K
2014 Nissan LEAF – 6K
I like your style
94 E-Class wagon.
Timeless. STILL an estate fixture.
Much respect.
If I still had my 80/series Land Cruiser I’d probably ba e a leaf too. The only thing I’ve driven wi
th comparable mileage was an Abrams Tank
We have a fan of Bruno Sacco here. I like your 2 Benzes.
I currently live in Germany, where I have no need/financial ability for a car. But in the States I own…
–1991 Mercedes 300E (my sister uses it when I’m away)
and I have regular access to…
–2003 Saturn L200 (inherited; used as family back-up/replacement car)
–2006 Mercedes SL500 (dad’s car; it’s starting to hurts his back so he often takes my car long distances)
–2014 Audi Q5 (my mom’s car; I don’t drive it much except when chauffeuring her)
Before buying the Q5, my mom had a 1999 Dodge Durango since new. I drove that truck quite often because she started hating the size around the time I got my license.
My favorite SL was the fat @ass one, 91-02. Especially the later model with the xenons and slightly revised fenders and wheels. Last night I was watching a Sopranos episode, and Tony went to buy an 02 SL600 black/black (to sleep with the saleswoman).
Me too. I remember being really excited when my dad bought his a few years ago, but the Chrysler-era pleather interior was a huge let down.
Even on the 600 model? :(
The 89-02 models were much better. Those were also before Chrysler parts started to trickle up the stream into Mercedes. The following generation (03-08) though…jeez.
The seats in my dads 06 are fine, but everything else covered in “leather” is not convincing. It could be some sort of sun damage, but usually sun-damaged leather gets dry and flaky, not smooth, shiny, and rubbery.
1995 Saab 9000 Aero
Yes please.
My dream car!
Right now, main car 2011 Jetta TDI wagon w DSG,sorry not brown , 2005 Saab 9-3 vert 5 speed summer car, 2005 Honda pilot , wife’s car, 2001 Volvo xc 70 wagon , mile ranges from 85k Saab, 100k VW, 90 k Pilot, 180k Volvo
07 Honda Element 5-speed, just turned 100K
05 Pontiac Grand Am GT, probably trading for an 07 Scion xB soon
And my daily driver: 1987 Specialized Rockhopper, single-speeded.
Looks like the edit function is broken
There was an ’06 xB (gen1) and an ’08 xB (gen2) but no ’07 xB.
OK, early 2nd-gen then.
Yay an honorable mention! Though I have not owned an Audi since late 2010.
Present:
09 Infiniti M35x
Past:
01 Lexus GS430
97 Subaru Impreza L Wagon
00 Audi A8L
97 Daewoo Lanos (S. Korea)
97 Infiniti I30
93 Audi 90 S
87 Audi 5000 S
You should have the word “Audi” in your handle somewhere!
That would be even harder on the spam filter, as it has an “i” in it.
I had to LOL when Derek gave you the shout out for being synonymous with a car and then brainfarted to an Audi when the Infiniti is even in your avatar. Fellow owner here.
07 Infiniti M45 Sport
02 BMW M3
I like my M alright but I don’t exactly love it nor does it inspire passion like my M3 (not fair I realize) or my old Pathfinder. Wonder if that would have been different had I ponied up for the facelifted 08-10 version with the updated interior, iPod integration, and smaller taillights.
The interior and gauges made a big difference to my mind. I feel the smaller lights in the back helped it look more cohesive too.
In my driveway right now:
2015 S4
2002 Tacoma
2006 A3
2013 A4
all are stick.
The Tacoma has all that TRD offroad crap on it that I thought was so cool when I was 25.
I’d peg the Tacoma as being ever so slightly higher in reliability than the rest of the pack for the 170k miles on it, but it’s a total leper of rust and recalls (for rust).
Why do you need three small Audis? Do you get your friends together and race them on weekends? Play family car soccer?
Never heard that “Why do all Jaguar owners have two cars?”-joke?
Just imagining.
I don’t. we have more than one driver in the household.
my S4, my wife’s A3, my father in law’s A4, and my pickup.
Just leased a 2014 Honda Civic LX 5 speed manual.
Currently
95 Ford Bronco XLT
09 Toyota Camry LE
It’s a rough time at the moment with cars.
Past
97 Honda Prelude SH
07 Ducati Monster S2R800…not a car but lots of fun
95 Bronco.
Yessir!!
2003 Mitsubishi Montero
2009 Toyota Venza, wife’s car.
2012 Jetta Sportwagen (aka Golf wagon) TDI, about 33000 miles with a DSG. Would have preferred a manual but couldn’t because if mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. I’ve become accustomed to the DSG though.
Wife has a 2014 Jetta SE with the TSI/automatic and about 9000 miles.
Any minute now somebody is going to ask…if mama has her own car what does it matter what tranny is in yours…so I might as well be the one.
OH YEAH…and I drive a 2011 GTI Autobahn. 6MT. 5-door, Shadow Blue, APR Stage I.
And my trusty 2003 5-door SVT Focus. With a couple mods.
Fun Car; 2005 Dodge Magnum R/T
Daily Driver POS; 2002 Chevy Cavalier 4dr base
Prior:
2003 Hyundia Tiburon GT 6-speed manual
1993 Cadillac Eldorado Sports Coupe
1999 Pontiac Grand Prix GT
1992 Honda Civic DX 5-speed manual
1977 Monte Carlo
1987 Plymouth Lazer
1986 Honda Prelude Si 5-speed manual
searched for 1987 “Plymouth Laser” That must be like the rarest of rare cars. Chrysler Lasers ran through the 1986 model year, and Plymouth Laser’s first year was 1990. (1990 turbo model mothballed for the winter behind my garage at this time)
2014 Hyundai Elantra GT 6MT
2006 Honda Odyssey EX (wife’s)
2002 Dodge Ram 1500 4×2 V8 5MT
1988 Dodge Ramcharger D100
2007 BMW 328xi. 71k on it. Looking to make a change to an SUV type vehicle to avoid the pounding from these damned potholes.
2015 Subaru Forester Premium – 6 spd manual
2012 F250
2007 Audi A4 manual bought used with 17K miles. Four years later: 78K miles, one non-routine problem covered by Audi. Fingers crossed very tightly.
2014 Mazda CX-5 GT
2011 Mazda MX-5 Special Edition
Love my 1998 VTEC Honda Odyssey, within 20k of 200k and still going strong.
I don’t know what I’d replace it, with great vehicles, nothing currently in the segment appeals to me, I’m hoping for something great from the new FCA minivans as I want to buy something new after the winter.
2012 Subaru BRZ
I drank the kool-aid, and it was tasty.
I’d get one of those if I didn’t have a family to carry around.
I thought 2013 was the first year…
I’m driving a 2013 Subaru BRZ.
Previous/other cars: 1991 Toyota Supra Turbo, 1987 Toyota Supra, 1995 Nissan Pickup, 2005 Subaru Legacy GT wagon, 1995 Subaru Legacy wagon.
Planning on picking up a 2015 Volkswagen GTI soon for my wife.
Mini Cooper S Countryman 2014
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 2014
My previous cars were
2012 Fiat 500 Sport
2007 Fiat Panda 1.2
2010 Seat Ibiza
2001 Chevrolet Astra
At present, I drive a 2010 Volkswagen Golf .
Past:
1969 VW Beetle
1989 Toyota Corolla
1997 Mazda Protege
1997 VW Jetta
2003 Mazda Protege 5
2005 Hyundai Elantra Hatchback
The daily drive:
2005 Saturn Relay FWD3 – paid for – 152K miles and still going
The toy:
2009 Pontiac G8 GT Holden Conversion (featured on TTAC) paid for
The future wife:
2006 Subaru Forrester – base stripper model – paid for
Previous cars:
2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
1998 Pontiac Trans Sport FWD SWB
2002 Chevy Avalanche 1500 Z-71
1998 Pontiac Trans Sport Montana FWD LWB
1997 Ford Thunderbird LX 4.6L V8
1995 Chevy S-10 Extended Cab 2WD V6
1993 Subaru Legacy L FWD
1989 Ford Probe LX
1989 Porsche 944 S
1987 Merkur xR4Ti
1987 Ford Tempo GL-S two-door coupe
1985 Ford EXP
Learned to drive in a driving school provided 1981 Honda Civic and the family’s 1981 Chevrolet Caprice
Here are the vehicles currently registered with my DMV:
2008 Honda Pilot EX-L, 102k miles w/ original transmission
2005 Subaru Outback 5MT, 185k miles w/ original clutch
2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Willy’s Wheeler, 6MT
2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302
2001 Polaris Ranger 4×4 w/ plow
Methinks its pretty hard to go wrong with a Pilot.
Current:
2009 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew 2WD – 52k miles, 4.6L V8, 6 auto
2008 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4×4 – 64k miles, 4.7L V8, 5 auto
2006 Ford Mustang GT Premium – 62k miles, 4.6L 315-hp V8, 5 manual
2015 Cannondale CAADX SRAM Rival Disc
Past…
2001 Jeep Wrangler SE 4×4 – 2.5L I4, 5 manual (88 mph!)
2007 Nissan Frontier SE Crew Cab 2WD – 4.0L V6, 6 manual (F-150 is better almost every way)
2007 Honda Accord – 2.4L I4, 5 manual (nothing to say here)
2004 Ford Explorer 4×4 – 4.0L V6, 5 automatic (biggest automotive mistake)
1998 Mazda 626 ES – 2.5L V6, 5 manual (still miss this one!)
1990 Honda Accord EX – 2.2L I4, 4 auto (most troublesome car on the list at 100-140k miles)
1989 Jeep Cherokee Laredo 4×4 – 4.0L I6, 5 auto (bought and sold with well over 200k miles)
1991 Mazda 626 – 2.2L I4, 5 manual (wrecked it real good)
(1) 2015 Lincoln MKC (because I like it; really, I do! Must, ’cause I traded a 2012 GTI in on it. The failed high pressure fuel pump at 46K did the GTI in for me, plus a growing 4 year old child helped the decision along, too.)
(2) 2011 Audi Q5 (because it’s my wife’s car.)
My favorite past vehicle: 1978 Honda Civic CVCC. Learned to drive a manual as I drove it home after I bought it. Plus it was simple enough I could do most minor repairs myself, and it was small & light enough I could push it out of snow drifts as I visited my girlfriend 20 miles away in the next town in upstate Michigan.
2000 Mazda Miata (Canyon carver/Tracktoy)
2004 Corvette C5 z06
2014 Ford Fusion Energi plug in hybrid
Previous cars:
2002 Ford Focus ZX3 hatchback
1991 Ford Aerostar tow vehicle
Van Diemen RF84 Formula Ford
1989 Honda NT650 motorcycle, totaled at 48,862 miles
1987 VW GTI, 8 valve version
1981 Mazda RX-7
1977 Fiat Spyder
1972 Datsun 240Z
1974 Opel Manta
1972 Honda CL175 motorcycle
Rupp minibike
I should all all had a manual transmission but the Fusion, the Aerostar, and the minibike.
Wife’s cars:
Current: 2014 Ford Explorer
Previous:
2006 Honda Odyssey
1999 Lexus RX300
1993 Honda Prelude
1987 Honda Accord
Chevy Monza, not sure of the year
2009 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT Limited (stick)
2011 Acura RDX SHAWD (wife)
1996 Jeep Cherokee 4×4 (stick)
I got a Volvo 240 wagon. Kept the interior. Dropped in a VW diesel engine. Added an old Subaru all-wheel drive system and a 6 speed manual transmission. Painted it brown and added some Ford Country Squire ‘wood’ cladding.
Have the coolest car in the neighbourhood. My kids always beg to drive it instead of their mother’s SUV.
You won’t get away without pictures and – hopefully – a proper TTAC-post. This is…the holy grail!
My kids prefer my Honda minivan to my wife’s Toyota because the headrests have holes in it and they can see through them. On the passenger side, anyway.
Everybody’s got to cling on to the little cool they get handed out, haha.
This has to be the coolest car in this entire thread.
Pics or it didn’t happen.
Actually, I guess here it’d have to be links to pics.
I’m actually really interested to see this… assuming you’re not jerking our chains.
No way this happened. As the other poster said, pics. Detailed pics.
I want to believe!!!
I’ll buy it when I see a video of it running without kids running away in horror.
Pull the other leg, it’s got bells on it… Funny, but not likely.
Me: 2007 Nissan Altima 3.5SE 6MT. Bought with 122,000 miles, just hit 128,000 this week. Will pass this down to my stepdaughter when she gets her license (late 2016 or sometime 2017). Wouldn’t mind getting another at that time, but a better color (this one is light gray, but not quite silver. And I HATE silver). I had a 2010 Kia Forte Koup SX before that.
Fiancee: Burgundy 2005 Chrysler T&C, bought with ~94,000 miles. Been running great so far, but might need a starter soon. She had a 2011 Juke SL 6MT before that.
Right now we’re car payment free and loving the fresh air. But if I was rich, I’d have a dozen cars.
2005 Subaru Impreza WRX Wagon
2003 Honda Civic Si
Current:
2006 Acura RSX-S
2007 Honda Fit
1986 Mazda RX-7 GXL
Past:
2009 Chevrolet Cobalt LS Coupe (I will never forget so that I may learn from my mistakes)
2006 Mazda Miata (wrecked in ice storm, I miss it)
1994 Acura Integra LS
1992 Nissan 240SX
1991 Honda Civic DX Sedan.
2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250R
Daily driver: 2005 Scion xB, 1.5 I4, 5 manual, 50k
RV and tailgater: 2008 Kia Sedona, 3.6 V-6, 5 auto, 95k
Work truck: 2003 Ford Ranger XLT stretch cab(2wd), 4.0 V-6, 4 auto, 71l
Play car: 2006 Pontiac Solstice, 2.4 I-4, 5 manual, 47k
Fiance’s ricer: 2006 Kia Spectra LX, 2.0 I-4, 5 manual, 83k
Motorcycle: 1988 Harley-Davidson FXR Superglide, 14k
Scooter: 2003 Honda Metropolitan, 4k
Recently deceased after hitting a deer: 1995 Triumph Trident, 117k
The Solstice is getting sold shortly, as I don’t drive it enough. Given a choice between sports car and motorcycle, two wheels wins out 99% of the time. The fiancee is also considering selling her Kia.
2011 Mazda RX8 (one of the last)
2009 Mazda 3 Sport
2006 Mazda 3 Sport
I’m curious why you have two 3’s. Hatches or sedans?
2013 Prius V
2008 miata…fine it is a mx5
2000 buick lesabre….winter beater
First Car was a 1972(?)Plymouth Cricket. I did not get a lot of action in high school
Should have tried rebadging it as a Hillman Avenger.
Never heard of it, did an image search and man did it bring back some memories. Knew the cricket was built in England but that was all. Here is the ad introducing the cricket to North America
2015 Honda Accord Hybrid, just replaced my 1998 Honda Civic.
How are you liking it? Curious in particular about the noise level on acceleration.
I love the car. I have no issues with the noise of it, either in volume or quality (of course, going from a 98 Civic might have something to do with that). It is a bit odd, tho: my friends like to say that it sounds like a slipping transmission when the engine is running under acceleration.
Perhaps the weirdest thing about the car is that it transitions back and forth from engine direct drive to electric drive at highway speeds. Engine runs a little while, then disengages and shuts off, car keeps going, engine spins back up and matches speed, reengages. Repeats this cycle maybe once or twice a minute.
Mercedes-Benz C320 wagon.
BMW R1100r motorcycle
Piaggio Fly 150 scooter
Mazda Miata NA because the answer is always Miata.
2002 Acura RSX Type-S
2008 Audi A3 2.0T
Past
1991 Toyota Corona
1993 Acura Integra LS Coupe
1999 Mazda Protege LX
2000 Chevy S-10 extended cab pickup
2013 Jeep Wrangler 4 door to replace a wrecked ’06 Chevy Malibu Maxx SS
2008 Infiniti G37S (good weather only), 2013 Ford Focus SE, 1998 Subaru Legacy GT wagon (winter beater), all with manual transmissions.
Previous cars were 2 air cooled VW beetles, 2 Corvairs, bugeye Sprite, Volvo 145 wagon, BMW 2002, Datsun Maxima, Isuzu Opel, Plymouth Champ, Honda Civic, Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon, all with manual transmissions.
Currently: 2013 Ford Escape
Past:
2005 Ford Focus Wagon
2003 VW Passat Wagon
1998 Jeep WJ Grand Cherokee
1994 Ford Taurus
1988 Isuzu Trooper
1985 VW Golf
1976 Saab 99
1965 Buick Skylark
I’m keeping it current, because that seems to be the spirit of the question.
2010 Toyota Highlander V6 AWD, three row. I’ve really been loving the headed mirrors and wiper channel the past few mornings. We’ve only been getting rain but the vehicles have been icing over. Truly appliance like until you drive 8/10ths and beyond, then the chassis and the abilities shine.
2005 Pontiac Vibe (wife’s) occasionally I drive, biggest plus is the manual transmission that makes it engaging.
2004 Ford F150 Heritage, 4.6 V8, automatic, flatbed and subject of a Piston Slap article. I’ll keep it as long as possible.
1967 Ford Mustang convertible, 289 V8, 2 barrel carb, automatic. Family heirloom that I’m restoring as I go.
When I was married and all, wifey and me almost bought an ’09 Highlander. Triple black, fully loaded. ‘Twas a beauty- nice, buttoned-down presence (which I love), but decided against that.
Oh yea, Classic Mustang for the win!!! Had me a 72, one of the “big ones”. Standard coupe (recessed back window) with 302 bored over to 306. Rust was a killer on that. Had to chuck it, had it hauled away. Damned leaky cowls. Bad rust. Bad.
The highlander, sounds like you’re anticipating a lot of kids!
Kudos on the ‘Stang. Very nice that you’re preserving some important automotive history. Same year as Newt Gingrich and Pres Clinton had (Clinton’s is in a museum, I don’t know whether Gingrich still has his.
Yes I have one child now (4 month old/daughter) but my wife and I would like to have 3 or 4 total. I am a car nut but I don’t enjoy the process of buying, I’d rather buy and keep. As much as the B-body/Panther fanbois don’t want to admit it the Highlander is very much in the vein of those old wagons. Soft riding? Check. Good passenger room in the first and second rows? Check. Roof rack? Check. Great combo of power/fuel economy for the era? Check. Car based? Check. Great road trip car? Check.
I’m very lucky to have my wife, she is very supportive of the Mustang. She knew I would own a classic, she’s just glad I own one that I know the history of.
Congrats, PD! My twins are almost 5 now and I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world.
This is fun.
Current:
2006 Scion xB (love it…rides rough though)
2002 Miata 6spd
Past:
1993 MR2 turbo
1993 Miata, supercharged
1995 Suzuki GTi
???? Mk1 GTI
1971 Honda CB550 (bike)
???? Kawi EX550 (bike)
Several other cars that were transportation although the 2000 Altima 5spd was a very good car and I still wish I had my 1987 Tercel wagon 4wd 5spd + extra low. Red. Black and white houndstooth int. 347000kms. RIP my friend.
2005 Honda Civic LX (stick) – daily for now, soon to be sold and replaced with my in-laws 2009 Accord EX. I’ll miss the stick :(
1993 GMC Sonoma – hauler and backup ride
2005 Honda Accord LX – the wife’s
Previously:
1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
1985 Dodge Power Ram
1992 GMC Sonoma (was single cab, replaced with the extended cab I have now)
1993 Nissan 240SX
2004 Chevy Impala SS
2008 Mazda3 GT sedan 5AT (aka 3s Grand Touring)
2011 Mazda3 iTouring 5MT
2009 Highlander 2.7Base + Winter
Just sold 1998 Protege ES 5MT 195K miles
Just bought 2010 Mazda3 iTouring 5MT
2005 Suzuki Burgman 400
Current:
2010 Cadillac CTS Wagon (CPO car)
2009 Kawasaki 650 Ninja
Previous:
2006 Cadillac STS V8 (CPO car)
2003 Cadillac CTS (CPO car)
2000 Taurus Wagon (Brown!)
1993 Mercury Sable Wagon
1990 Mercury Sable Wagon (bought at auction in Brooklyn, best $1200 I ever spent on a car!)
1998 Ford Ranger (2.3/5-speed) (leased)
1998 Maxima SE 5-speed (leased, left to ex-wife in settlement)
1996 Ford Ranger (3.0/5-speed) (leased)
1996 Maxima SE 5-speed (leased)
1993 Maxima SE 5-speed (leased)
1989 Maxima SE 5-speed (bought new after first child)
1985 Mustang GT 5-speed (bought new)
1970 AMC Hornet Wagon, 3-on-the-tree
1980 Mazda RX-7 (bought as first new car)
1970 Triumph GT-6+
1971 Dodge Challenger 440 4-speed
1969 Ford Mach One Mustang 351W/4-speed
1969 Dodge Charger 318 / A-904 automatic
10 other motorcycles over the years since 1973
Daily driver: 2005 Scion xB, 5 manual, 50k
Hauler: 2003 Ford Ranger XLT (2wd), 4.0 V-6, 4 auto, 71k
RV: 2008 Kia Sedona, 3.6 V-6, 5 auto, 95k
Toy: 2006 Pontiac Solstice, 2.4 I-4, 5 manual, 47k
Toy: 1988 Harley Davidson FXR Superglide, 14k
Toy: 2003 Honda Metropolitan, 4k
Fiancee’s ricer: 2006 Kia Spectra LX, 2.0 I-4, 5 manual, 83k
Recently retired (thru hitting a deer at 60mph): 1995 Triumph Trident, 117k
The Solstice is going up for sale, as I use the motorcycle(s) way more. Fiancee is also considering dumping her Kia.
Wait until your fiance becomes wife. The toys are out and the furniture and new kitchen/bathtub/curtains/paint will replace them. Don’t do it!
Nope. Maggie loves the motorcycles and sports cars. The reason the Solstice is going is because it had the misfortune to be preceded by a Porsche 924S. There is absolutely no comparison between the two cars. While the Solstice is fun, has a retracting top, and handles very nicely, it’s a buckboard with no storage space whatsoever. In comparison, the Porsche handles at least as well, is much more comfortable, refined, and practical. Once I replace my late, lamented Triumph (new motorcycle, probably Honda or Yamaha this time around), I’m going to be looking for another 924/944/968. I love front engined Porsches.
currently i have: 1992 ram d150 318 bored to 328 with 82,000 miles, 1992 ram d150 with almost 550,000 miles on origninal non rebuilt engine and tranny both bought at the same time for $800 for both at actuion.
Previous cars:
1991 chevy cavalier coupe
1994 dodge dakota ext cab slt
1993 plymouth acclaim
1998 f150 ex cab long bed
1993 chevy cavalier z24 turbo
1993 isuzu amigo
1978 mercury monarch
1994 mercury sable
2001 dodge ram base model
2002 ford ranger 52,000 miles
the chrysler products have been the most reliable for me imo. btw all these cars and im 17, good hobby though ;)
78 Monarch?
Interesting….
Yeah that had to be the best riding and most fun car I have had. Someone had taken a picture of themselves while driving and posted it on Facebook, and in the background I saw the front of the car sticking out of a barn, so I tracked down where they took the picture, it was about an hour out of town, so I went there with a battery and fresh gas prepared to buy it. Talked to the property owner for a while and it turned out that the original owner of the car was his dad who only lived a few blocks from where I currently live, once the owner died in 1981 the car got ran out of gas and put in the barn and sat there and never moved till I went to see it. I asked how much he would sell it for and he just said, “well it’s gonna need tires. So put a good set on to roll her on the trailer and she’s yours.” I went and spent $70 on four used tires, put them on, and for shits and giggles poured the 5 gallons of gas i brought in the tank, hooked the battery up, and she fired right up! Ended up driving her all the way home and didn’t do any other work to her the whole time I owned it. Then sadly a couple of months and 16,000 miles later the rear main seal went out in a time when I just couldn’t afford to fix her, so I sold her for $1500 to a man who wanted the engine for a v8 geo tracker swap. It had the 302, fully loaded car but had manual choke, and 61,000 miles when I sold it. Wish I still had it.
2015 VW GTI Autobahn(6MT), black over black, 8,300 miles
Majority diesel household here…
2011 BMW 335d (mine)
2011 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI (hers)
2002 Subaru Outback (winter/bad road car)
Previous:
2006 Volvo S60R
1987 Porsche 944
2001.5 VW Passat
1988 Dodge Aries
Current:
2007 Corolla LE Automatic (new)
2013 Scion FR-S Manual (new)
Had a ’96 Camry LE hand-me-down from my parents before as well.
2010 Toyota Prius
2014 Kia Soul
1999 Ford F-150
Previous vehicles:
2005 Ford Crown Victoria
1985 Ford F-250
1994 GMC TopKick C6500/22 foot box and liftgate (miss it, but the laws in my neighborhood prohibit parking it on the road and I have no back yard access from the road)
Mine are:
2005 Jaguar XKR
1997 Toyota T100
1967 Corvette
2007 Pontiac Grand Prix GT
2004 Subaru Forester XT
2007 Mini Cooper S convertible 6 speed
2006 Toyota Tundra
Current:
mine 2014 Honda CRV ex-L with 8,000 miles
hers: 2013 toyota prius persona 25,000 mi
past:
2012 Subaru legacy 2.5i
2011 jeep liberty limited jet package
1999 chrysler 300 m
1998 bmw 528i
1995 bmw 525i
2004 toyota corolla
1994 honda accord
1999 jeep cherokee sport 4.0
1995 plymouth neon
2005 Corolla “Transportation Appliance”
2007 F-250 (extended cab, long bed, 5.4L)
A car…
2002 Mazda Tribute ES, 3.0 Duratec V6 AWD. Every option on the sheet except heated seats. Can (apparently) get 26+ MPG even in the winter if I keep it in overdrive. Enough ground clearance to get through a hay field without worry. Old enough that I don’t mind getting it dirty. 137K miles with no major problems, plan on keeping it until the wheels fall off because hail damage apparently=damaged title.
Present holdings in our household:
1. 2014 Chevrolet Corvette convertible Z51 manual
2. 2009 Nissan Altima hybrid
3. 2002 Buick Century
4. 1995 Ford Probe GT manual
5. 1992 Mercury Stable
6. 1972 Plymouth Fury
Do you prefer driving the Fury or the Corvette? Because both sound pretty awesome…
They are so different so its not a matter of preference….more of what you are in the mood for….
06 Accord Coupe v6 6speed (6…6…6… ooooooo scary)
03 Silverado extended cab. Vortec v8, poverty spec’d!!!!
Ok, ok…
Previous cars:
86 Pontiac Sunbird GT hatchback. Non-turbo (doh!).
72 Mustang Standard Coupe.
89 Lincoln Town Car
02 Ford Escort 4door. Auto. Escort Escort. Not ZX-2 Escort.
00 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L 4X4.
99 Chrysler 300M.
02 Mitsubishi Galant (don’t ask).
94 VW Jetta 5MT. <– Unkillable
2011 Mercedes GLK350 4MATIC
That's it. I think.
2007 335i, owned since Jan 09. Paid $29k with 28k miles, CPO. Almost bought a corvette until I drove this. What a combination of speed, planted handling, comfort, efficiency, and subdued good looks. Very confidence inspiring, and the turbos make up for my high altitude. Easy to modify, too.
1995 Jeep Cherokee, owned since 2000. 215k miles and as primitive but reliable as an anvil. OK…in its old age, the AC makes a weird sound at idle on a hot day, it has a few leaks, and for some reason, when warm, the right rear wheel has brake-force spikes under the lightest pressure. It makes that wheel lock up super easy, so it’s dangerous. I’ve replaced ALL of the brake hardware, but nothing helps. I’m stumped- any ideas? When it’s cold, it’s less of a problem. When it’s hot, you can almost feel it at low speeds without even touching the brakes.
Other than that, the things still regularly pulls down 20-22 mpg, whether it’s commuting in town or going 80 down the freeway. Not very powerful up here though.
I assume that’s a drum brake, and I wonder if it is out of round.
Drum brakes that are grabby when cold but soft when hot are usually brake fluid soaked….
Re lined shoes are dirt cheap .
I spun and rolled my beloved 1953 VW Split Window Beetle because of this….
Stupid I was .
-Nate
Yeah- I’ve replaced the drum and shoes three times, and also replaced all the hadware in there, so there shouldn’t be a leak. It happens once per revolution. Could it be a tweaked wheel flange?
2007 Ford Freestyle
2013 Toyota Prius C
1995 BMW M3 Lightweight
I don’t use my turn signals when I’m driving #3.
2008 BMW M3 sedan 6MT
1993 Toyota Supra turbo 6MT
2006 Honda Pilot AWD
Love all these cars.
Future:
2015 WRX Base 6-speed (shopping now)
Current:
2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i Auto (missus)
2012 Mazda 2 Sport 5-speed (mine)
Previous:
2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i auto
2003 Toyota Matrix XRS 6-speed
1982 Volvo 240 DL 4-speed + OD
1986 Volvo 240 GL auto
2002 VW Beetle 2.0 auto
1995 Toyota Camry Base auto
1994 Toyota Camry XLE auto
1995 Nissan Altima XE 5-speed
1981 Honda Civic Wagon 5-speed
1983 Honda Civic DX hatch 5-speed
1987 Honda Accord LX-i 5-speed
1986 Nissan PU 5-speed
1995 Honda Civic VX 5-speed
1996 Saturn SL2 5-speed
1995 Nissan 200SX SE-R 5-speed
1995 Plymouth Neon 5-speed
1986 Nissan Sentra Auto
1973? Ford Ranchero Auto
1987 Dodge Omni Auto
Suppose the incredible fit and finish and overall build quality of the Ranchero and (*GASP*) Omni chased you away from the domestics, eh?
Nope, those were both from my parents, and the Omni saved my life in a rollover.
But the two I bought on my own dime (Saturn and Plymouth) certainly did the job!
Ten points for you for giving credit to the lowly Omni, Sir.
You know, I’ve always wanted an Omni.
That’s a (AHEM!) G-L-H-S Omni. :)
Yeah, growing up in the 80s there were a good number of high-powered FWD Mopars running around.
What I really wanted was a Conquest/Starion, though ^.^
2014 Dodge Grand Caravan Blacktop
Wifey drives a 2008 Mercedes ML550 which we’re trading in tomorrow on a new Jeep Grand Cherokee.
2013 Subaru BR-Z
1989 BMW 325is
2010 Audi TT (hers)
current :
2005 Honda Element EX (MT)
2013 Kia Rio5 (AT – wife’s commuter)
past :
1997 Volvo V90 Wagon (AT)
1998 Subaru Impreza Wagon (MT)
1993 Nissan NX2000 (MT)
1989 Suzuki Swift GTi (MT)
1983 Volvo 245 Turbo Wagon (MT)
1988 Chevy Cavalier Z24 (AT – first car)
Truly loved ’em all.
That is one global approach to car-buying!
Grew up in a Chevy family… Grandpa had a 200k mi ’78 Monte Carlo, Dad a 250k mi ’82 Camaro, and mom a 350k mi ’78 G20 Nomad… all had obliterated malaise expectations, but I still felt the need to go exploring. The ’88 Z24 was a very good car, but that stickshift Volvo Turbo was a revelation that started me on the path to import hatchback utopia.
There are also 16 motorcycles, including BMWs, Suzukis, Hondas, Vespas, and Indian LML’s…
2004 Nissan 350Z 6MT
2006 Kawasaki EX650 (Ninja 650R with the plastic removed after a crash)
Past (hope you like to laugh):
1993 Honda Accord EX 5MT (worst car purchase ever. Car was in bad shape)
1999 Nissan Maxima 5MT (sold after a road bike accident, needed cash)
1992 Honda Accord LX 5MT (2nd worst car purchase ever. No PS or AC in NYC. Fun car though. H22A, Quaife LSD, Neuspeed/Koni suspension. Gave my friend’s S2000 stoplight scares)
1993 Honda Accord EX 5MT (still my favorite car to this day. Stock motor, Neuspeed/Koni suspension… this was the car that I used to learn how to wrench on. Very personal. Hit a deep NYC pothole and about a month later oil pump just died. Cried when I sold it, used the money to move out of my parents’ house)
1995 Nissan Maxima SE 5MT (didn’t get to enjoy much. Hand me down from dad, beautiful car- black on black leather. Crashed it one summer, didn’t have the money or know how to fix it. Saw it fixed up looking good and lowered in my parents’ neighborhood every now and then)
I’m hoping to get a 4 dr GTI and some kind of mid 00s 1000cc Japanese V twin sportbike to replace the current rides next spring/summer.
1995 Nissan Maxima SE 5MT — I wanted one of these in the worse way when I was in my early 20’s, couldn’t find one on a sales lot to save my life.
Was a really good car when I was 20. The engine is still awesome, the interior is awesome, and it eats up highway miles like nothing. But the suspension and transmission were absolutely awful, even with mods. That motor though…
I never knew about the transmission, that makes my inner 20-something frown a little.
Hell, I drove a 93 Sonoma with a 5MT at the time, I probably wouldn’t have noticed.
My sister just retired my 93 Maxima SE 5MT at 250K, overall probably my favorite car I’ve ever owned.
A 2014 BMW 328i M-Sport in Estoril Blue II.
1998 Camry LE – 207k
2002 ES300 – 206k
2002 LS430 – 267k
Hoping to keep all of them for another 6-7 years, at which time I’m looking to switch to PHEV or EV SUV’s. Home renovations and kids will absorb my discretionary income for the next little while.
Current
Mine – 2013 Chevrolet Volt (Blue) – I love the quiet, instant torque and forgetting the last time I put gas in it.
Wife’s – 2010 Toyota RAV4 Sport (Silver, AWD, 4cyl) (AWD system kinda sucks in the winter, but she likes it so I shut up)
Previous
2012 Ford Focus SE Hatchback (Black, auto) – Started falling apart after 20K, traded in for the Volt
2004 Mazda RX-8 (Yellow, and damn right it was a manual) – Hilarious, but the $400/month for gas was NOT)
2004 Mazda3 S Hatchback (Silver, auto) – Great little car, but rusting badly after 9 years in the Midwest.
2000 Audi A6 3.6 (Green, auto) – Solid German engineering that failed catastrophically, repeatedly
1996 Jeep Cherokee Sport (white, auto, 4.0L) – Makes driving in deep snow fun!
2002 Nissan Altima SL (red, auto, 4 cyl) – Comfortable, but kinda boring
1998 Acura CL 3.0 (white, auto) – The first car I bought myself!
1986 Honda Accord EX (Gold, auto) – All the AC button did was turn on a little green light. Stereo install doubled the value.
’92 Nissan Sentra SE (not a SE-R, just looks like one)
’93 Kawasaki Concours is the summer whip
’52 Ford F-3 stored at my parents house, and driven when I’m in town.
’83 Toyota pickup thats parked and slowing growing moss
Previous,
’83 Toyota pickup (different one)
’84 Chevy Suburban
Fun fact, the bike is the newest and most expensive (purchase price) vehicle that I own.
current:
2011 Ford F-250 Crew Cab 4WD King Ranch Diesel with camper shell
2005 Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab TRD package 2WD
past:
2007 BMW X5 I6
2003 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew 4.7 4WD SLT
2001 Toyota Tundra single cab v6 manual long bed base model
1987 Ford Taurus
1986 Ford LTD Wagon v8
1986 Nissan 300ZX
1980 Datsun 280ZX
1978 Chrysler Lebaron Wagon v8
1972 Chevelle v8 4 door
forgot one: 2005 Subaru Impreza Wagon “outback sport”
>1978 Chrysler Lebaron Wagon v8
Now there’s a rare one.
I drive a 2007 Kia Spectra… and I use it for work! Not a common choice, I know, but I bought it due to the cheap, cheap price (7,750 CAD with 28,000 KILOMETERS and two years of factory warranty left) and it’s been nothing short of an amazing car. The drivetrain is shared with many other vehicles and is solid. The 141hp 2.0l engine isn’t gutless with the 5 speed, dare I say peppy, I average about 28-30 US mpg with mostly urban driving and lots of idling, the interior has some surprisingly nice touches such as a full soft-touch dash and richer materials on the door panels and interior than most other compacts from the late 2000’s era. It now has 152,000 kilometers and I put the 124,000 kilometers on it in the last two-ish years and I have enjoyed every second of it. I am only 22 and coming from a 1992 Mazda Protege with 330,000 kilometers it was definitely an upgrade. I love my delivery vehicle!
Maggie will agree with you, she loves hers. Now, you do a few minor ricer modifications to it, and things get really interesting.
Something silver.. I think it’s a Taurus. It’s my neighbor’s but she hardly ever uses it since her legs swelled up so bad.
2008 Honda Civic Si Coupe
2009 Mazda Cx-9
Future: VW GTI/or Golf R
2008 Mustang Premium (6 cyl) w/Pony Package
1994 Mazda Miata M
1973 SAAB Sonett III
2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT (wife)
Past:
1999 Crown Victoria
1985 SAAB 900 (base)
1985 Chevy C10
1994 Bonneville SSEi
1987 Bonneville SE
1990 Chevy Lumina
1983 SAAB 900 Turbo
1987 Taurus GL
1974 SAAB Sonett III
1982 SAAB 900S
1984 Pontiac 6000
1979 VW Rabbit Diesel
1978 Oldsmobile Firenza
1976 VW Scirocco
1974 Volvo 144 GL
1974 Volvo 144 DL
1972 Mercury Montego
1973 VW Thing
I like your style.
OMG, I’ve always wanted to drive a Saab Sonett…please let us know what it’s like. BTW, love your choices.
Current:
2002 Sable wagon (green, tho, not brown)
2005 Malibu Maxx (knock it off, the wife likes it)
My favorite and least favorite thing, simultaneously, with the Malibu Maxx is that it’s one x away from being a bad porn name.
Current:
Own 2014 BMW 435i auto – bought new
Own 2001 Honda S2000 manual – bought used
Past cars (all owned):
2011 BMW 135i manual – bought new
2010 Ford Mustang GT manual – bought new and sold back to Ford as lemon
2008 VW GTI DSG – bought new
2005 Subaru Legacy wagon auto – bought used
2004 Nissan Titan auto -bought new
2002 Mazda 6 V6 manual – bought new
1998 VW Jetta GT manual – bought new
1991 Honda CRX Si manual – bought used
1992 Honda Civic CX manual – inherited used
Past motorcycles (all owned):
2001 H-D Sportster 1200 Custom – bought new
2003 H-D Dynaglide – bought new
2005 Kawasaki Z750S – bught new
2004 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 – bought used
Total depreciation suffered – one gazillion dollars
Current:
2010 Accord sedan EX-L M/T
2009 VW Routan SEL (wife’s)
Past:
2005 Subaru Outback Sport SE M/T
2008 Honda Fit Sport M/T (I/H/E, adjustable struts, lowering springs, rear sway bar, C-Pillar bar) It was incredibly fun to drive.
2003 Saturn Ion M/T (wife’s)
1995 Subaru Legacy
I learned to drive stick on my dad’s 1986 Dodge Ram extended panel van with a three speed and overdrive.
2014 Subaru Outback Limited -16,000 miles
2011 Toyot Avalon Limited – 70,000 mikes
Previous cars this century:
2012 Scion IIQ (it not my fault – better half wanted it)
2007 Toyota Solara XLE convert.
2007 Acura TSX – best car ever but needed a cruiser, hence the Avalon
2005 Prius
2003 Honda Accord EX
2001 Lexus RX300
2000 Honda Accord EX
2000 Honda CRV
Great List….
Currently:
2006 Mazda6 Wagon Grand Touring (not stick, not brown, but dark cherry)
2014 Accord EX-L (Leased for wife)
I think it’s the only 6wagon on all these lists
2002 Honda Stream 1.7 – 125hp petrol 7 seater
2002 Toyota Camry 2.4 – 156hp petrol
Long history of ancient Volvos (145, 242, 245), and in sorrow need to return back to it when financial and time needs for house and small kids are met. Eventually.
Have you ever packed 7 people into the Stream?
No, I think it is to tight for “people”, as it sits on a Civic platform. The third row is a Turkish prison. But I’ve loaded up with four kids or three grownups and two kids.
Apart from space, the engine is also pretty torque-free. Very willing to rev and stuff happens then, but one has to be willing to row the gears.
Happy with the car in general. Only 141 were ever sold in Norway, rarity drives used car prices down for minivans.
I love MPV things. I wish we had more cars like that in the US.
I’d really prefer a Volvo V70R* with seven seats, but the Honda is cheap, reliable, and small kids can be lifted in and out of it rather easily because of the upright, high seats. I guess that’s what makes MPVs a great choice…
*Just as 2 of 3 others here, I assume.
Current:
2004 Mazda 6
1971 Dodge Challenger
Past:
1994 Mercury Sable Wagon – 2 boys, hockey, Carpools and the thing disentigrated
1990 Nissan Maxima
1983 Honda Accord Hatchback, 5 spd. My first new car
1973 Toyota Celica
1966 Ford Mustang Learned many life lessons about money with this car.
2009 VW Routan Comfortline, 2012 Mazda 5 GT manual. Previous included virtually every water-cooled VW built since 1984.
Since people are listing their entire history, here goes mine, in more or less chronological order:
1987 Chevrolet Celebrity 2.8 V6
1986 VW Jetta GL TD
1984 VW Rabbit GL gasser
1997 VW Passat TDI
1997 VW Golf TD
1996 VW Passat TDI Wagon
1992 VW Eurovan CL 5-speed
2002 VW Cabrio GLX
2005 VW Jetta TDI Wagon
1985 VW Jetta diesel 2-door
1989 VW Jetta Flair gas 2-door
1997 VW Jetta TD
1987 VW Jetta gas
1990 VW Jetta TD
2006 VW Jetta TDI black
2006 VW Jetta TDI graphite blue
2001 VW Cabrio
2004 VW Passat 1.8T 4Motion 5MT Wagon
2009 VW Eos 6MT
2006 Mazda MPV GT
2010 VW Passat 2.0T Wagon DSG
2012 Mazda 5 GT 6MT
2010 VW Routan Comfortline
2-Wheeled:
1984 Yamaha Riva 180 Scooter
2007 Suzuki GS500F
2009 Suzuki GSA 1250 Bandit with hard cases
2003 BMW R-1150 RT
Current:
Mine: 2004 Audi A6 Avant 3.0 Quattro
Wife’s: 2005 Toyota Sequoia SR5 4WD
Past:
Like CoastieLenn, I have a debilitating case of Automotive ADD. A full list would number over 30 cars – too much typing, but there were some oddballs and beauties that I dearly miss.
2008 Ford Expedition 4×4 EL
:)
Love the truck coming up on 80K.
Current – 2007 Suzuki SX4
Past – 1973 Plymouth Barracuda
1977 Dodge Van
1979 Ford Mustang Turbo
1985 Plymouth Colt Turbo
1985 Honda CRX
1990 Ford Ranger XLT
1996 Nissan 200SX SE-R
Interesting to look this list over and to understand your preferences in the past. I’m up for another as my son will soon take my “The Best Slow Car To Drive Fast” SX4.
Any ideas???
Mazda CX9 2009 Grand Touring. A pass me down from my wife while waiting for better days…
Before:
Audi Q5, 2010 (best car I have ever owned)
Audi A4 3.2 2007 (hit a deer with it)
Audi S4 2.7 2000 (modded to 300HP)
Audi 80 TDI 1996 (went over my asking price when I sold it)
Audi Cabriolet 1994 (a fun but expensive ride)
Maserati Biturbo Spyder 1986 (swapped a 1984 engine for the better carburators)
Ford Sierra 1989
Honda Civic 1988
Fiat 127 1979 (my first car)
Kinda curious what are the Q5 attributes that make you declare it the best one you’ve owned. The Maserati biturbo is an interesting one!
me
current: 2004 BMW 330i sedan, sport pkg and 6MT. 156k.
past:
1997 Acura CL 2.2 5MT. Sold at ~225k.
1993 Honda del Sol Si 1.6 5MT. Brother wrecked it at ~133k.
wife
current: 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5 Limited 6AT. 60k.
past:
2004 VW Passat GLS 1.8T 5AT. Sold at 166k.
2001 Nissan Altima. Sold at ~100k due to leaking head gasket.
2007 Lexus IS250, 152K, bought new.
2013 Chevy Volt, 31K, bought used.
The 2IS was the best compromise at the time since I could only afford one car. Reliable, comfortable, quiet, just sporty enough. Now my commute is much more traffic heavy, requiring me to get a carpool lane eligible Volt. I like to tell people I bought the HOV lane sticker and they threw in the car for free. The only upside is that now if I replace the Lexus I can get something a bit more focused on fun. Those F-types seem to be depreciating quickly…..
2014 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring 7K
2013 Toyota Land Cruiser 39K
Soon to have mothers 2002 Toyota Camry 59K
Past Cars
2009 Cadillac CTV V
2009 Lexus LS460 AWD
2007 Mercedes R320 CDI
2013 T&C
2004 Audi A8L
2003 Toyota 4 Runner
2003 Lexus LS430
2007 Evo X
1996 Lexus LS400
1999 BMW 328i
1990 Mercedes 560SEL also known as the Coming to America Benz
1994 Jetta
1986 Honda CRX
1990 Nissan Altima
Bravo for Land Cruiser.
That’s one hellacious vehicle that just doesn’t get enough recognition, IMHO.
Thoughts on the Evo X? I don’t know why I want that car so much, but I do.
2015 Challenger R/T Track Pack
2003 F-150 Crew FX4
2001 Intrepid R/T
1976 Charger SE – warmed up street/strip car
1963 Thunderbird Hardtop – slammed cruiser
I won’t bother going into the past because the comment system is broke enough as it is without having to process all of that. Lets just say in the hundreds of cars from assorted makes.
Those “bullet” ‘Birds are the best looking T-Bird IMHO. That and the ’63 Riviera are on my short list of cars to own.
I agree, they really nailed the jet-age look. I never really sought out to buy one, though. I was trolling Craigslist one day, saw it, and imagined it slammed with some traditional kustom modifications. I called and met the guy that day and bought it after it wouldn’t restart at the gas station (points LOL).
So far I’ve been putting on about 4000 miles a year for the last 2 years I’ve owned it. It’s just a nice carefree ride that I can pile the wife and kids into and go to car shows, cruises and all kinds of other summer events.
Nice car but I’m more partial to the 64 model.
Recently sold a Elva Courier project that wasn’t going anywhere and traded my 2007 A3 for a 2014 Acura TSX Sport Wagon. Still have a 1999 Silverado but I’ll be selling it soon. For fun a 1965 Lotus Elan. Girl friend drives a boring a 2013 Camry SE, but I think she has “stolen” the Lotus on occaision.
Requisite demographic info: 30 year-old male, living in a mountainous part of Montana (grew up in Ohio near Baruth-land).
Current ride: 2006 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Wagon. 2.5 n/a, 5-speed manual, 113k miles, silver (aren’t they all?). Owned since new. Sadly wasn’t available in brown or diesel or I probably would have ordered it that way.
Pros: Cargo room, engine note, fun on unpaved USFS roads, otherworldly snow performance with Blizzaks.
Cons: Rattles, rust, poor reliability post-100k. I’m finding that Subaru’s reputation for bulletproof-ness is mostly fictional. It also drinks fuel like a midsized CUV. I’ve had fun with this car but I’m not certain I would get another Subaru. Especially since the new ones have had all of the character sucked out of them.
Past cars:
2001.5 VW Passat 1.8T wagon: Didn’t have this one very long. Great to drive but expensive to run. Still kicking around the family at 170k, racking up annual four-figure repair bills at the specialist shop in Ohio.
1991 VW Vanagon GL Westfalia, 2.1 Wasserboxer, 4 speed manual: A terrible car by every objective measure, but I miss it every day. Sold it to a friend for peanuts in 2005 before late model T3 prices skyrocketed. He still has it and refuses to sell it back.
1995 Ford Taurus SHO: In hindsight, this was a terrible choice for a 16 year-old’s first car. Dad was my partner in crime and passed it off to mom as “just a practical used Taurus”. It probably saved my life by being broken most of the time I had it.
My ’06 Impreza was blue! Still living on with my sister. Spot on with your +/-
I drive a 1998 Ford Contour SVT in silvermist. Body has 240K, and engine has a little over 100K. It has a BAT suspension kit and custom wheels, but is stock other than that.
Wife has a 2012 Ford Fusion, with the 4 cylinder, which she loves.
I’ve had over 40 cars over the years, so no point in boring everyone with that… notable favorites are a ’89 Nissan 240SX, a ’81 Toyota Corolla SR-5 coupe, and a ’72 Camaro…. oh, and one 1964 Chevrolet Impala 283ci 4 speed.
Current:
Mine: 1995 Ford Taurus GL wagon
Wife: 207 Dodge Durango
Past:
1977 Plymouth Volare wagon (hand-me-down from Mom and Dad between having the Reliant wrecked and buying the Spirit)
1980s Chevrolet Celebrity wagon (another hand-me-down from Mom and Dad that did double-duty with my newlywed’s Celebrity sedan)
1990 Dodge Spirit (first car purchased, sold still running with well over 200,000 miles on it)
1983 Plymouth Reliant wagon
1974 Plymouth Fury II
Future:
Current gen Ford Fusion
2011 Ford F150 Ecoboost, 110k kms
2011 Ford Taurus SEL, 90k kms
Not a car, but it has 4 wheels and a motor…
2008 Arctic Cat Prowler 650 XT (for fun on the weekends and evenings) :)
Past:
2012 Hyundai Veloster
2007 Ford Ranger 4×4 4.0L
2007 Saturn Vue V6
2007 Saturn Ion 2.4
2002 Mazda MPV
1999 Dodge Caravan
1998 Saturn SL2
1998 Hyundai Accent GT
1997 Chrysler Cirrus
1992 Saturn SL1
2004 Acura TSX
2005 Honda Odyssey
Current:
2013 Ford Focus ST1, bought new, just under 20k miles so far
Past:
2005 Mazda3s hatch, auto, bought used at 52k, sold at 105k
1997 Infiniti QX4, hand-me-down with 180k miles, sold at 200k
Wife: 2012 Honda Accord EXL I4 sitting on Michelin X-Ice right now (may be replaced with 2016 Pilot or Explorer…expanding family)
Mine: 2002 Ford Escape XLT V6 AWD (inherited but good for backup)
Work: 2014 Ford F-150 STX V8 4WD (take home but with company logos and zonar, prefer to not drive it too much)
April-October I bike to work and leave the truck there.
2004 Cannondale R700
2002 Cannondale F700
Current Daily Driver (me): 2003 GMC Envoy SLT 4×4 4.2L I6
Current Daily Driver (wife): 2004 Buick Rainier AWD 5.3L V8
Play Toy #1: 2001 T/A Convertible 6-speed manual (Hurst Short Shifter, UMI Strut Brace, UMI 3-Point Subframe Connectors, Bilsteins, Strano Springs, Strano Hollow Sway Bars, SLP Intake, Longtubes, Magnaflow Cat-Back)
Play Toy #2: 1963 Dodge Polara 2 dr Hardtop (383/4brl, Torqflite Pushbutton Tranny, 742 Sur-Grip, TTI Exhaust) See Avitar …….
Thumbs way up for V8 Rainier!
Wife loves it!!!
x2. I’ve had the sick idea of giving a Ranier the Trailblazer SS LS2 treatment for a long time.
That makes two of us … but the better half says “leave my ride alone ….. you’ve got the Trans Am and the Dodge to play with.” Oh, well, maybe when she gets tired of the Rainier!!!! LS2 and airbags to drop the ride height a bit ……
Forget the LS2 chaps, use LS3 instead…
Truthfully, I’d probably just stick with a Gen III block, like the LS6 I’m building at the moment.
Current:
2014 Audi S6
2013 Hyundai Sonata (2.0T, Limited)
Previous:
2012 Acura TL (SH-AWD)
2001 Toyota Solara (hardtop with the I4)
1989 Toyota Corolla (I kinda want this one back…with an LS1, of course)
2010 Dodge Challenger
1952 MG TD
2011 Dodge Caliber (daily driver)
2007 Volvo V70 (wife’s car)
2010 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited (Daily)
2008 Chevrolet Malibu 2.4L (When getting gas for the Mrs.)
I love my slab side Legacy and the wife’s Malibu as well, think they are both great cars, but my perception may be limited due my past cars.
2002 Ford Taurus (with hill hating Vulcan, but hey it made it to 260,000 miles)
2000 Chevy Malibu (Never ran right ended up trading it for the 02 Taurus that was my loaner car when it was in the shop the majority of the month I owned it)
2000 Chevy Cavalier (base, base model not even a tape or cd player in it)
1988 Pontiac Sunbird (inherited after my mom lost her vision)
1975 MGB (British Racing Green, with the Laycock overdrive)
2006 Subaru Outback Sport (Blue, 5-speed)
Myself: Honda Ridgeline and 1984 Porsche Carrera ( guards red)
Wife: Honda Pilot
Past, Honda CRV, Mitsubishi Mirage, Honda Del Sol, Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Buick Skyhawk.
Current:
2012 Nissan Pathfinder LE 4×4
1989 LaForza (when it’s not in the shop for electrical issues)
Past
2006 Ford Ranger
2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser
1987 Chrysler LeBaron sedan
Request AMA segment on LaForza!
LaForza!!!!!!!
Ahhhh… 5.0L….
I once read that Kevin Bacon owned one. 6 degrees of?
I’ve actually seen a LaForza around here. Been intrigued ever since.
I wouldn’t have many answers. I’ve had it for about 6 months – impulse eBay buy over the summer – and it’s been parked for about 4 of them. It’s currently been at the mechanics for a couple weeks (friend of a coworker). Evidently LaForza electrics are on par with Jaguar.
So you’re regretting the purchase?!
Mine: 2013 Ford C-Max SE
My wife’s: 2006 Acura TSX (also “wrong” transmission)
My teens: 2007 Honda Odyssey EX-L
2013 Ford Focus Titanium Hatch
2005 BMW R1200GS
2003 BMW K1200RS
1997 Chevy S10 4×4
1976 BMW 2002 (with 1991 M42 / 5-speed swap)
I love my 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, in Dark Toreador Red with pale grey leather. With only 73,000 miles on it, I may never need another car! It’s quick, spacious and beautiful, and does everything I ask of it with aplomb. And yes, I always turn and look at it when I leave it.
’99 Miata
-Silver
-Aftermarket 15″ wheels with Ultra High Performance tires
-Moderately upgraded suspension: 90% stiffer springs, lowered 1″, adjustable shocks and sway bars
-Underbody chassis bracing
-Still no horsepower
I love it, but I think I’d be tired of commuting in it within about 2 weeks if I had a job which required me to do that.
Me – 2012 Volkswagen GTI 4-door with 6-spd manual. Great driving car -horrible reliability (when compared to Honda). Outrageously priced spare parts. Very prissy to maintain.
Wifey – 2013 Kia Optima with 2-liter turbo motor. Very fast, comfortable touring car. As well built and reliable as any Honda I ever drove (I drove Honda’s exclusively for 23 years). Would highly recommend Hyundai/Kia products to anyone.
Wish I had a Citroen SM to putter around in.
2006 Pontiac Vibe, 320,000 mi.
1987 Ford F-150 longbed, 140,000 mi.
1995 Honda CB750 Nighthawk
1955 Chevy BelAir 4dr.
Huh….WHA….??
320K?
Yep. 100 mi daily round-trip commute that is 95% highway = under-stressed. Fluids, tires, belts/hoses, brakes, & ECM replaced under recall is all I’ve had to do to it. It’s the very definition of “appliance” but for all the money I haven’t had to spend on it, I can put up with a little boredom.
Current:
2013 Chevy Volt :-D
2005 Subaru Outback LLBean 3.0 :-)
Past (US)
2003 Merc C230 Coupe :-(
2003 Honda Pilot :-|zzzzzzz
2007 Mazda RX8 :-D
2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS :-)
Past UK
2001 Soda Octavia TDi :-D 1.9 – 110hp :-D
1998 Rover 200 Td 2.0 105 hp :-)
1991 Toyota Corolla 1.3 no horsepower :-|
1991 Mazda Miata, near-mint condition, same blue as a Bugatti Type 35, autocrossed regularly, and daily driven whenever the weather’s nice.
2001 Saturn SL2, daily driven whenever the weather’s not nice enough for the Miata. Bought this new for my wife and it refuses to die. It is the most reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned.
2006 Buick Rendezvous. Wife’s car. Sominex on wheels, but useful.
Surprised there aren’t more Miata drivers on here. Guess it isn’t always the answer.
I’m with you on the Saturn. I have owned three S-series cars, and sold them all in good working order. SO cheap to maintain!
I’m sure most of the Miata owners are out driving rather than posting on TTAC…
2005 Infiniti G35X
1978 Beechcraft C24R Sierra
2008 Soulsucking Mistake with the special Extended Financial Commitment option.
I thought this thread was about cars, not ex-spouses?
A Range Rover?
2012 A6 3.0T, 31K (Daily Driver)
2007 XC90, 3.2 AWD, 32K (Wife’s)
2002 Olds Aurora, 92K (kids’)
A6 3.0 here as wel, a 2014. Has 19k 10 of which put on by myself. What a machine. My wife’s 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid is hardly 10% of the car for half the price, not surprisingly it’s currently being returned under lemon law.
The wife’s daily driver (she drops me off at the train) is a 2012 Centennial Edition Corvette “narrowbody” Coupe.
The extreme foul weather/carting the parents around car is a 2014 Chevrolet Impala LTZ (with the V6).
As follows:
– I drive a 2010 Infiniti M35 w/Advanced Tech.
– Wife drives a 2013 Infiniti QX56 Touring w/Advanced Tech.& Theater.
– Our 3rd car is a 2003 Honda Accord EX-L V6 Sedan.
When “kids” come to visit:
– Daughter drives a 2013 MINI Cooper Countryman Turbo-S.
– Son drives a 2003 Nissan Pathfinder LE.
Not a single complaint ’bout any of ’em!
2000 Lexus LS400
2012 Honda NC700X (my dd)
2002 Yamaha Roadstar
Currently :
2015 Mazda 6 Touring
2008 Toyota Sienna LE
Previously :
2006 Subaru Legacy SE Wagon
2007 BMW 328i
2002 SEAT Ibiza Sport TDi
1999 VW Golf S
1995 Peugeot 306 XS
1989 Austin Metro 1.3L
2007 Volvo XC90 3.2 FWD 142k miles
Current:
-2013 Ford Fusion SE with the EcoBoost
-1978 Porsche 924
Past:
-1968 Olds Cutlass S fastback coupe
-1973 VW Thing
-1990 VW Fox
-1991 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible
-1994 VW Golf
-1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T
-1996 Honda Accord LX
-1990 Buick Century Limited
-2004 Hyundai Sonata
-1997 Infiniti I30
-1999 Nissan Pathfinder
-1997 Olds Cutlass Supreme
Currently:
2009 Honda Civic EX Sedan
Occasionally (family cars):
2010 Honda CR-V EX
2004 Honda Accord LX-V6 Sedan
2000 Honda Civic LX Sedan
Past:
1998 Honda Civic DX Hatchback
1991 Honda Accord LX
1987 Honda Accord LX
1996 Saturn SL1
1995 Chevy Caprice Classic Wagon
2010 BMWi xDrive Touring
2006 Porsche 9114S (MT) – 128,000km and counting
1996 RYCA CS-1 (aka Lucky Strike)
1974 Honda CB550
2008 Chevy 2500HD Crew Cab sporting some Hankook iPike Snow Tires for the winter…loving the winter gas mileage.
2012 Chrysler Town & Country…also sporting some snowies to get the family around right now.
Previously:
2008 Saturn Aura…back in the 3 car days when I didn’t daily drive the truck.
2008 Chrysler Town & Country…when the wife first came around to the fact that we needed a minivan when we had twins.
2006 Nissan Altima…first new car bought with my wife.
2002 Chevy Malibu…wife brought this into our marriage.
2006 Silverado z71
2001 S10 Blazer
1997 S10 Blazer…met a bitter end.
1992 Chevy Caviler…my first car in 1996…as basic as the came…previous owner put on aftermarket cruise…the passenger rear view mirror was not an included “option”…cranking them windows for the 45-65 AC.
Current:
– 2003 Audi A4 1.8T quattro manual (CPO) – 316,xxx km (mine)
– 2008 Chrysler Town and Country (bought new) – 140,xxx km (wife’s)
Previous:
– 2003 Accord SE (wife’s, replaced by the T&C when we found the 2nd child was twins..)
– 19?? Chevrolet Caviler 2Dr (wife’s)
– 1993 Honda Civic Si Hatch (mine, sold with 350,xxx plus km when 1st child dictated a 4dr)
Current:
2012 Nissan Leaf 1-spd auto (now in the body shop, hangs head low)
2013 Kia Optima Hybrid 6-spd auto (no CVTs here!)
2009 Kia Sedona 5-spd auto (shout out for Kia’s great minivan)
2011 Hyundai Sonata 6-spd auto (son’s car & money, in my name).
Past:
2001 Hyundai Elantra 4-spd auto (201k miles)
1999 Dodge Grand Caravan 4-spd auto
2005 Scion xB 5-spd stick (reliable as the day is long)
2005 Honda Odyssey 5-spd auto (my oft-mentioned lemon)
2002 VW Passat V6 5-spd auto (troublesome)
1996 Plymouth Grand Voyager 4-spd auto
1995 Dodge Stratus V6 4-spd auto
1985 Chrysler LeBaron GTS 5-spd stick (non-turbo) (owned 12 of its 15 years, 206k miles)
1982 Ford LTD 302 4-spd auto
1980 Mercury Bobcat 3-spd auto (really horrid)
1976 Ford Pinto 4-spd stick
1974 Fiat 128 SL 4-spd stick
1971 Ford Pinto 4-spd stick
Future:
Possibilities include the mythical Tesla Model 3, the new Jeep Renegade, a hybrid, or another Leaf.
I learned to drive on a 1978 Ford Fiesta and 1974 Ford Maverick V8 – loved them both. My 05 xB1 drove just like the 78 Fiesta.
All of my cars have had some good qualities I’d like to meld into one vehicle, except maybe that Bobcat.
Six of these cars (including 2 current ones) are white. Other colors include orange, blue, black, purple, green, silver, and red. I won’t do silver again.
Summer: 2008 Mustang Bullitt, 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth
Winter: 2000 Roush Cougar V6, 2003 SVT Focus #2370
All have three pedals, FWIW, and all but the Focus have 5 gears (the SVT has six).
’01 Ford Ranger S
’10 BMW 335i Sport
’07 Toyota Yaris
’11 BMW M3 (garaged and about to be sold)
All manual transmissioned.
2015 Hyundai Genesis 3.8
1996 Canyonero.
Does it still have that new-steak-smell after all these years?
I’ll bet it’s parked next to The Homer
I rarely post, but why not. The current list
2014 Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-spec – daily driver
2008 BMW 528i – wife’s car
2000 F250 4×4 crew cab short bed 7.3 diesel – toy truck/heavy hauler
1998 Porsche 911 C2 cabriolet manual transmission – the toy
2003 Honda Civic coupe manual transmission – needs to be sold.
Current:
2012 Ford Galaxy diesel 6spd manual
2008 Mini Cooper Clubman S 6 spd manual
2001 Smart Pulse auto clutch 6 spd manual
Past:
2002 Ford Focus Wagon diesel 5 spd manual
1965 Chevrolet Corvette 327/300 4 spd
1964 Austin Healey 3000 MkIII 4 spd O/D
1996 Renault Clio 5 spd
1989 BMW 318is 5 spd
1976 BMW 2002 4 spd
1987 Honda CRX SI 5 spd
1974 BMW 2002tii 4 spd
1978 BMW 320i 4 spd
1971 BMW Bavaria 4spd
“2012 Ford Galaxy diesel 6spd manual”
Look at you with your forbidden European fruit. How awesome is it? I looks like it is awesome. Which diesel is it? I covet the Galaxy and S-Max.
Nice sized with a footprint slightly smaller than a BMW 5 Series, yet comfortable seating for 7 and still some decent space for luggage. Best handling MPV on the market other than the S-Max sister, and with 140 HP turbo-diesel I average about 40 mpg in daily mixed driving, but can do up to mid-40s on highway stretches if kept below about 70 mph. It is far nicer in every way that any of the US market MPVs, but I think Americans would find it a bit small in size for the money, which I suspect is why Ford has no chosen to sell it stateside.
2007 BMW X5, 4.8i
2001 BMW M Roadster, 5 speed
2014 Honda Odyssey, Elite
2012 GT500
2011 Outback (wife’s DD)
2001 F250 7.3 diesel
1996 Saturn SC2 (winter beater)
1960 Cadillac Coupe Deville (work in progress, only auto trans in the bunch)
That is the best year Caddy. Fins with clean lines in the back, so much better than the 59.
Agreed and about half the price to pick one up in the same condition, with almost all the non-trim parts carryover from the 59.
Currently:
2000 Lexus ES300, 155K – just bought in Oct. as a daily driver all year round. Clean, solid, comfortable. First Toyota product I’ve driven in the past twenty years.
2006 Mazda MPV, 102K – the family van. Great maneuverability and space for the four of us. Had it since new. Pretty reliable overall. Getting ready to think about replacement – we are moving out of minivan stage
1982 Honda Prelude, 143K – my summer fun car. Bought used in 2012. Mint and pristine. Runs like a champ (with some carb work). Very rare on the roads in the north country. Even with an automatic, it scoots. Love the big sunroof.
Past:
1996 Volvo 850 R wagon – total sleeper car. Very fast. Nickle and dimed me to death on repairs, even if it was well engineered overall.
1990 Volvo 240 Wagon – only had for about 10 months. Bought used from a little old lady. Was immaculate. Got totaled by a student who thought a stop sign was just a suggestion
1983 Mercedes 240D – bought used and had for a year. Built like a tank and about as slow. Driving it in the MN winter was challenging. Well built, but repairs were PRICEY!
2000 Volkswagen Passat 1.8 wagon – had a stick. First new car I ever bought. Loved it — never had major problems in over 90K miles. Would love it today, if it hadn’t gotten totaled as well. I still miss it.
1998 Honda Civic – first and only leased car. Even with a stick, it was not that peppy. Reliable. Pretty boring. Not sorry to see it go when I turned it back in.
1993 Mazda Protege – first stick shift car. A lot of fun to drive. Very eager. Choppy ride. Had the annoying automatic shoulder belts. Sold it once we had a kid.
1983 Nissan Stanza – got it from my folks as the former family car. Learned to drive on it. Decent car overall. Never quite as reliable as you’d think it should be as a Japanese car from that era.
1976 Old Cutlass 4 door – bought for cheap from my uncle. The yellow sub. Drank gas like there was no tomorrow and had the most wimpy V8 I had ever seen. Rusted out in the trunk. Still, it was the perfect car for NYC — big, fit lots of folks, didn’t care about dents.
2008 Cadillac CTS 3.6 Premium trim
Avatar pic is from a previous vehicle, a 1999 Mercury Cougar V6
2011 Chevy Cruze Eco (manual, the beater)
2008 Pontiac Grand Prix (wife’s)
2005 Pontiac Bonneville GXP
2002 Pontiac/SLP Firehawk Formula
1973 Pontiac Firebird Esprit (Rockford Files car look-a-like)
Don’t want to take up too much band with writing on past cars, lets just say I have 99 problems and they all revolve around buying cars too often. It’s been 3.5 years since my last purchase and I’m seriously jonesing!
2012 Ram 1500 4X4 Laramie Crew cab
2011 Mustang convertible 6 speed manual
1973 Dart 340
1972 El Camino 350, 700R4
If there’s one thing people will comment on, it’s a question about themselves.
I presently drive:
1967 Chevy Impala (the Land Ark)
2007 Subaru Legacy GT wagon
2006 Pontiac GTO
2009 Toyota Tacoma
Mrs. Land Ark drives:
2009 Subaru Legacy GT
2006 BMW Z4si convertible
I am betting she doesn’t appreciate being called “Mrs. Land Ark” :)
Fortunately, for both of us, she is better represented by the Z4 than the Impala.
What’s more fun to drive, the BMW Z4 or the Pontiac GTO?
I think both the Z4 Coupe and GTO are some of the best sports car values out there and was considering one of them in the next couple of years. My next choice was a 2009 or newer RX8
I haven’t had a lot of seat time in the Z4, but I have to admit, it is a lot of fun. If you’re looking for a true sports car, it’s the way to go.
The GTO power is intoxicating. I sometimes think I want something that handles better, but the effortlessness with which it accelerates keeps it in my driveway.
The GTO interior is nicer, the Z4 seems super cheap. But she has M seats in it which are great for someone with a smaller frame. The GTO seats are probably great for a fat guy.
If I had to replace the GTO, I’d either get a Focus ST or FR-Z.
Ok, where do I start…
Previous cars (I’m 35) ;
’68 Ford Taunus 20M, 2.3 v6 project(rusted to death)
’83 Honda Quintet, shared with my brother
’80 Audi 100 1.6, DD totalled after 3 days
’80 Honda Prelude, bought and sold her back after a week
’78 Volvo 242L B19 DD , my first Daily Driver, after actually getting a license.
’78 Buick Century wagon with a 76 Chevy 350
’78 Opel Ascona,project only car I’ve ever made money on
’69 Ford Taunus 17M, 2.3 v6, lacking paperwork, long story…
’85 Peugeot 505 Gti, wouldn’t run, scrapped it.
After these, and in between the rest I’ve owned roughly 12 Ford Sierras of different years and models, including two rusted out Xr4i’s, one of which had more than 300K miles on it when it was scrapped.
About half of these were DD’s, the other half projects or just bought for parts. Still own a baby blue metallic ’84 5 door, and enough parts to build a reasonably fast 2.9 V6 for it.
’89 Ford Scorpio 2.4, DD traded back after 3 days, wouldn’t run properly
’80 (EU) Ford Granada 2.3 wagon DD , free car :)
’90 Accord 2.2 DD
’87 Audi 100 2.2 Quattro DD
’97 Renault Laguna 1.8 DD, beatiful ,comfortable excruiatingly slow…
’85 Ford Scorpio 2.0i DD, lovely car, but rusty. Only had 250K (miles) on it.
’93 BMW 525iX wagon DD, piece of ****, broke my hand, saved me lots of gas money, but cost too much in parts.
’03 Honda CR-V,DD with the third kid on the way I wanted something large and reliable, having owned a BMW for 9 months made me hate working on cars…sadly totalled the the same night Paul Walker died. Apparently a very safe car :) .
And then finally the two running cars I own now.
’07 Honda CR-V, DD, automatic…needed a new car after we totalled the other…boring…currently for sale.
’94 Audi 100 2.6 fwd, the ‘toy’ car. Painted flames on it, drive it when we don’t need the space in the CR-V. Also for sale, but may keep it as a DD for a while if I can sell the CR-V. (only 170K on it yet though)
I may have forgotten a couple of cars, possibly just cars bought for parts anyway, but I’ve never owned a VW or Toyota. Yet…
And so far only 2 of my DD’s have been auto’s.
Current:
2000 Saab 9-5 Wagon
1996 Miata (for sale when it comes out of winter storage)
1991 Saab 900SE Turbo convertible
A few of the pasts:
02 Mazda Protege5
00 Mazda Protege Sedan
89 Saab SPG
92 Saab 9000S
00 Saab 9-3 Base
94 Saab 9000 Aero
…plus a bunch more old Saabs. I’m 24. I have a problem. I know.
Oh man, why’d you ever sell the SPG? I’d kill for one of those…
It was a great 30ft car, but too rusty to consider preserving.
If it makes you feel better, I’m confident I’ll have a nicer one some day, and my dad still drives that one in the winter.
In the car business we used to say: Behind every Saab owner there is a sob story.
The SPG had one serious flaw: Rust
But I’ll have another someday, and my dad still uses it as a beater in the winter.
As for the ol’ obligatory “Saab Story/Sob Story” commenter:
I actually as recently as this year owned 0 Saabs and 2 Mazdas. I couldn’t bring myself to leave that situation alone, so I sold my reliable Protege5 that was an excellent driver for my 9-5. I’ve spent more on repairs for the wagon since buying it than I paid for the P5, and I really don’t care.
You’d be amazed at the reliability and economy of owning a Hyundai, for example. But something tells me you don’t really want that.
You’d be amazed at the thrill of driving a turbo Saab with its gobs of character and tank-like durability, but something tells me you don’t really want that.
PartsUnknown wins this sub thread.
True. But I’ve owned a Fiat, and I’d do it again.
@ PartsUnknown: Just having fun – definitely did not mean to offend. Dedicated people impress me.
SCE – no offense taken whatsoever. This is a fun thread. And anyway, this “dedicated” Saab guy now drives an Audi (out of warranty too – the horror). Always on the lookout for an old Saab though- just can’t quit ’em.
“I’m 24. I have a problem. I know”
You’re not alone on that. I am looking for a 9-5.
Daily drivers: 2014 Chevy Volt 8,000 miles (90% electric)
2003 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner XtraCab V6 115K
Classics: 1941 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet
1964 1/2 Ford Mustang Convetible 260V8
1965 Lincoln Continental Convertible sedan.
Current
04 BMW 325IX Touring 77k bought used
01 Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 (Brown)82k bought used
13 Hyundai Sonata GLS (wife)38k bought new
Past
10 Honda Odyssey (wife) new
06 Jeep Liberty (wife) new
91 Acua Integra used
02 Jeep Wrangler used
91 Jeep Wrangler used
95 Mazda Protoge (wife) new
93 Ford Probe GT new
84 VW Quantum Hand me down
Current:
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP (manual)
2013 Subaru Forester XT Touring (wife’s and outdoor car)
Past:
2006 Honda Civic EX (manual)
2004 Acura TSX (manual)
1989 Ford Taurus SHO
1988 Honda Accord LX (auto)
1987 Ford Taurus GL (Vulcan V6)
Other cars I’ve been deeply connected to:
1992 Audi V8 (Euro-spec 4.2, dad’s car for many years)
1989 Subaru Justy (1.2, manual, pushbutton 4WD)
1989 Land Rover Discovery (3.5 V8, 3-door, manual)
1982 BMW 525i (Euro-spec, manual)
1981 Chevy Chevette (four on the floor, top uphill speed 35 mph, somehow went past 150,000 miles in my mom’s care)
1979 Honda Civic CVCC Hondamatic (don’t ask)
Currently driving:
07 Hyundai Accent hatchback
97 Dodge Ram w/Cummins 12v
88 Nissan Sentra Sport Coupe
Currently not driving:
92 Nissan Sentra SE-R (#2 cylinder stopped firing 2 weeks ago)
91 Nissan 240SX (broke a bolt for the idle control valve, leaks like a drunk who can’t find a toilet)
66 GMC 3/4T (transmission has no neutral, but I did find the correct rear axle at the junkyard last month)
I have the correct 1966 Muncie SM465 tranny for you….
-Nate
Ah, but mine is the wacky close-ratio GM version of the NP435- 1st is a 4.55 or so. I’m going to take the top cover off to see what’s up, then go look for another cover with provision for a backup light switch.
2013 Kawasaki Concours
2011 Nissan Titan Pro 4X for those rare days I don’t ride
2011 Kawasaki KLR as a backup bike
Lots of previous vehicles, but the most interesting of them was an 81 F-100 with a straight 6, a three-on-the-tree manual transmission, and no options at all (it didn’t even have panel vents).
Daily Driver:
2003 Toyota Mark II iR-V Fortuna Yamaha Power (4-speed auto)
Project Car:
1997 Toyota Chaser Tourer V (5-speed manual)
Sold:
2008 USDM Mitsubishi Evo X MR (6-speed DCT)
1997 Mitsu Evo IV GSR (5-speed manual)
1995? USDM Mitsu 3000GT SL
Wrecked:
2000 USDM Jeep Wrangler 4.0 Sport
iR-V Fortuna Yamaha Power
Wow never heard of this one before! I love the Mark IIs, wish the US got these classy looking cars. 1st gen GS300 may be related though?
GS300 = Toyota Aristo. Much larger and heavier car, but at least it’s still JZ-powered. I think the Lexus GS family in general is more closely related to the Toyota Crown.
And I agree Toyota definitely missed out on a great opportunity by not importing their entry-level luxury RWD sedans to the States. The Mark II has been bulletproof so far (mine has ~115,000 km), only needed an alignment (beyond tires and regular oil changes) and I drive it pretty hard.
That iR-V has got the front of an 04 Corolla, the s!des of an 08 Camry, and the rear of an 01 C-Class. Ain’t nothin original on it!
So that’s what happened to the Cressida…
Past:
1975 Volkswagen Beetle
1984 Ford Mustang notchback V6 (I traded the bug for this thing)
1969 Volkswagen Fastback (Traded the Mustang for this, it was basically a Bug but with the engine space of a Subaru)
1990 Plymouth Horizon (Rusty and ugly but trusty, a shift into park at 40mph killed the transmission)
1989 Toyota Tercel (Crappy car that got my license)
1992 Volvo 240 (Great car, good profit)
1984 Mercury Grand Marquis (Electric issues that no one could sort out)
1992 Honda Accord (Very overrated cars these are, felt like my Tercel)
1996 Volvo 850 (Countless emission faults that were robbing me)
Current:
1990 Volvo 240DL wagon (Would’ve picked a 945, but this ones low mileage and was dirt cheap)
Future?:
Saab 900, “last of the real Saabs”
BMW E30 or earlier
Mercedes 190E
MAYBE a Lexus or Acura of some sort, depends on how they fair against rust.
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4X4, Pentastar
2007 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE with the famed CVT
Previous for which I pine the most: 1983 Volvo 240 Turbo
Get a 740 turbo or a 900, same engine but with less electric bugs and a safer, more rust-proof body.
I currently own:
1969 AMC Rambler station wagon 105k
1969 Dodge Dart Custom sedan 64k
2001 Pontiac Aztek GT WITH tent! 240k
And as a sales manager at an auto dealership, many varied drivers.
I usually lean toward driving:
Camaros/Challengers
Sierra/Silverado/Ram trucks.
Some past cars:
1993 Isuzu Stylus
2004 Isuzu Axiom
1959 Chevy Biscayne 2 door sedan
1966 Pontiac Catalina 2 door hardtop
1972-1977 Chevy Vegas (6 of them, plus 2 Pontiac Astres)
1973 Plymouth ‘Cuda 340 4 speed
1972 Buick Skylark 2 door hardtop
1971 Chevrolet Bel Air Townsman Wagon
and about 40 more!
Funny little Euro market things (UK)
2014 Audi Q3 2.0 TDi (177) Quattro S-Line S-Tronic
2014 Honda Civic (5 Door) 1.6 iDTEC ES Manual
Likely replacements?
2018 Audi SQ5
2017 Something by Honda which like the current one is very tax efficient put through my business. Sexy, I know.
1997 Lincoln Town Car, triple black
1999 Buick Riviera Silver Arrow
2008 Chrysler Pacifica with the 4,0-l engine and 6-speed B-W trans
sandberg
Nice Riviera…very sweet ride.
Riviera Silver Arrows come up for sale every once in a while in Hemmings. Tempting …
Great question David and great post Derek.
Current: 2013 Chevrolet Suburban…I live in the Philippines now and have a driver. I do miss drivng.
Past:
1967 Mustang given to me by my grandfather In 1988 as a 16 year old….I was a lucky guy.
1990 Ford Probe bought brand new after the above Mustang was sold after being difficult..I like the car business..I don’t like fixing cars.
1995 Chevy Cavalier….bought new…simple good car. Stripped version.
1995 BMW 318…bought used,..,best car I’ve ever owned. Never should have traded it.
2002 BMW 328…bought new. Got to know my BWM dealer well under warranty….cost me an arm and a leg out of warranty until…
2002 Ford Focus SVT…bought used….fun to drive but had issues that made me buy…
2010 GMC Terrain new…sold it recently..was a good car while I owned it.
’09 Chevy HHR SS Turbo, Stick
Fast, fun, economical, practical, it’s my “have my cake and eat it too” car. Of course, GM stopped making it. If I had to replicate this car today, the closest would probably be a Focus ST.
Current:
2004 VW Jetta Wagon, 1.8T auto, 71k miles
Past:
1968 AMC AMX, 343 auto
1997 Jeep Cherokee
1990 Eagle Talon
1985 Renault Encore
2004 MINI cooper S ordered with almost all options and delivered in March 2004 the best car I have ever owned all around and I am 6’3″ and 260 lbs. pure fun to drive. the only car I have ever ordered just how I wanted it.
1948 jeep CJ 2A bought new by my father the month I was born and mine since 1964
Previous
1989 Range Rover … Sold privately in 2004 for 6000 ( yes I take very good care of my cars) it was amazingly problem free except for the window switches used hard on very soft sand beaches for over a third of its miles.
1985 VW rabbit convertible this was a problem car from about 2 years old
1980 jeep Cherokee bought used in 1982 after the Saab was totalled
1976 Saab 99ems a great car I would have kept longer except it was rear ended by a drunk in a wagoneer while it was parked and driven into the three cars in front of it… The drunk backed away from the 4 of us and drove off leaking all fluids police found car in the the street 4 blocks away with the drunk passed out on his front porch unable to unlock his front door… He had a broken back too
1968 mbenz 250SL bought used in 1973 became a maintenance hog in 1976 sold privately to get the Saab
1969 Chevy blazer bought new an early build vin showed it was the 75th built lots of problems with the fibreglass top (tops it went through 3 courtesy of GM I put a larger fuel tank in it as well as a pair of saddle tanks from Hickey For a total of almost 60 gal useable lots of off road mods but sold on 1973 due to the fibreglass top problems and early tin worm signs.
Current:
2014 Honda Accord Sport 6MT
2011 Dodge Grand Caravan R/T
Former:
2009 Honda Fit 5MT
2001 Chevrolet Impala
1995 Obese Marquis
1994 Volvo 940
I…. see a lot of obese people driving the obese Marquis!
BA-dum-CHING!
I couldn’t resist responding to this. Here’s what 50 years of driving will do to you!
All of these cars were owned by me or in my family. The last five cars are currently
owned by me and in service. As you can see, I’ve been having fun.
1950 Buick Super 2-dr. Sedanet
1951 Ford Victoria 2-dr. sedan
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-dr. sedan
1947 Buick Roadmaster Convertible
1959 VW Beetle (36 hp) 2-dr. sedan
1961 Morgan Plus 4 Coupe, drop-head
1965 Saab 96 GT850 2-dr. sedan
1963 VW Microbus Van
1968 Lancia Fulvia 1.3 Coupe
1968 VW Microbus Van Camper
1970 Citroen DS19 4-dr. sedan
1972 Citroen DS21 Wagon
1967 Pontiac Firebird Coupe
1966 Dodge Polara Wagon
1973 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon
1983 Nissan Stanza 4-dr. sedan
1985 Honda CRX Coupe
1986 Honda Accord 4-dr. sedan
1990 Honda Civic Wagon
1992 Mitsubishi Galant VR4 4-dr. sedan
1995 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 Spyder Convertible, Hard-top
1999 Honda Odyssey Van
2002 Audi S6 Avant Wagon
below are currently owned and in use:
2005 Morgan Aero 8 Roadster
2006 Honda Element SUV, small
2011 Mercedes C63 AMG 4-dr. sedan
2014 Jaguar F-Type Roadster
1975 Lancia Fulvia 1.3 Monte Carlo Coupe
@DMoulton — you have had (and still have!) quite an interesting fleet of cars! You should write some guest columns on them. Two Fulvias and two Morgans??
my hero
2012 Chevy Sonic LTZ Hatchback!
That reminds me, I think I owe everybody a long-term test update.
Dang, where did you disappear to?
Yes, please — I’m particularly interested in how livable it’s turning out to be.
Gosh.
Where has this lady been?
Gosh, did y’all miss me? :)
I’ve been a busy gal. I moved to a new town and started a new job.
I do owe Derek a couple of stories though…just gotta get around to putting pen to paper (virtually speaking)!
00 Jaguar Vanden Plas Supercharged;
99 Jaguar XK8 Coupe
79 Jaguar XJ6 (with BBC 502 and nitrous)
Notice a theme?
Lots of other stuff in the garage, but none would qualify as DDs (ie, 87 911 that only goes out on sunny days…)
“79 Jaguar XJ6 (with BBC 502 and nitrous)”
I must know more…
So wrong, and yet so right!
This thread certainly brought all the lurkers out of the shadows. Nice to see so many unfamiliar handles.
2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring.
History:
2000 Toyota Camry
1997 Saturn SL1
1991 Oldsmobile Calais
1984 Ford Tempo
1971 Mercury Comet
1972 Plymouth Duster
I almost bought an Elantra Touring SE. What a fun little car in a great package.
2014 MINI COOPER F56, Moonwalk Grey, with manual transmission, and LOADED! Love it! Beat out the Mazda3 and VW Golf for me. (No offense, Derek)
2003 S2000, currently in storage
2011 Acura TSX, boring DD
2008 VW Jetta, Wife’s car she just slammed into a deer and totaled
2015 Acura RDX AWD Tech, the likely replacement in the next week or so.
A 2011 Kia Sportage EX. Great car. Holds all my music gear and grandkids.
I nearly bought a used Sportage. It’s still on my short list of “next” cars.
2012 FIAT 500 Lounge (hardtop)(daily)
2002 Jeep Wrangler Sport (4.0L)
Previous: 2004 Acura TSX, 2001 Ford Focus ZX3, 1989 Toyota Camry (2.5L V6)
Current Rides
2002 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed
2011 Subaru Forester
Previous Cars in order of ownership:
1989 Saab 900
1989 Saab 9000 Turbo
1991 VW Jetta GL
1991 Nissan Hardbody
1998 Subaru Legacy GT
1991 Acura Integra LS 4dr
1998 Subaru Forester L (Wife’s Car)
2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i
2002 Dodge Stratus
2003 Ford Focus SVT
2014 Acura TL
2004 M-B CLK320
1986 VW Cabriolet
2005 Subaru Outback 195,000 miles
1989 Subaru Justy 2dr CVT 46,000 miles
Three cars at present (two drivers plus two with permits):
2003 Subaru Legacy SE wagon, 5-speed, purchased new
2006 Subaru Forester Premium, 5-speed, purchased in 2010 from a sibling
2007 Subaru Forester LL Bean, automatic, inherited
Previously:
1966 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, 389, with factory a/c, power windows/locks/bench seat, etc. (the car of my protracted adolescence, 1974-1991)
1983 Honda Civic base 1300 three-door, 4-speed, 12-inch wheels, no armrests (hand-me-down from sibling)
1986 Subaru GL wagon, 5-speed, manual steering (spouse’s car when I met her)
1990 Subaru Legacy LS AWD wagon, automatic, air suspension (those air shocks were costly when they went bad! – hand-me-down from parent)
1999 Chevy Prizm, 5-speed (our first of two new car purchases; no radio or speakers initially; the only options were a/c and rear defog)
Impossible/unlikely future dream car: Re-creation of my family’s fully optioned 1967 Pontiac Executive wagon, but with modern drivetrain, brakes, and safety equipment, and possibly without the woodgrain vinyl. One of the prettiest wagons ever made. (Also, I was looking at a $5000 1995 Nissan 300ZX 5-speed convertible in the Hemmings classifieds a few weeks ago, but as our house has no garage, I think I’d better stop looking at such ads…)
Currently I drive a 2014 Mazda6 Touring 6MT. I also have a 2014 Buick Enclave (family hauler)
Past:
2012 Honda Odyssey
2011 Nissan Maxima
2009 Ford Flex
2006 Mazdaspeed6 (6MT)
2005 Nissan Pathfinder
2003 LR Freelander
2002 Mazda Protégé 5 (5 MT)
1991 Nissan Maxima
1983 Volvo 240 Turbo Wagon (4MT with OD)
1979 Volvo 240 Sedan (4MT)
2012 Acura TSX Sportwagon (me)
2015 Acura RDX (her)
1954 MGTF (weekend)
Yes. I’m that one guy who likes Acuras.
2009 Toyota Corolla XRS – the sport version of the lame car, not embarrassed at all.
I like this post, shows that this site is visited by all stripes.
Great question!
Current daily drivers: ’14 Lexus ES350 (mine), ’12 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited 3.5L AWD (wife’s).
Current toy: ’03 Miata 5MT, sitting out the NY winter
Past: ’99 Acura TL (229K); ’96 Subaru Outback; ’91 Audi 100; ’86 Audi 5000; ’89 Plymouth Acclaim (don’t ask); ’79 Volvo 244DL; ’78 Caprice; ’73 Olds 88 convertible; ’70 Peugeot 504.
It depends – Current fleet consists of:
1987 Chevy G20 Conversion van with 169,000 miles
1991 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon with 245,000 miles
1993 BMW 740iL with 140,000 miles
1994 BMW 740iL with 245,000 miles
The Buick is currently serving DD duty.
The 1993 BMW is currently getting an entirely new front suspension, the 1994 BMW is waiting on new blower fan & control as well as an engine overhaul.
The G20 needs some new paint, but serves 3rd car duty.
Current:
2008 Mazdaspeed3 Sport Cosmic Blue Mica 104,000 miles
1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 263,000 miles
Past:
2008 Mazda3 2.3S 5 speed
2007 Ford Mustang GT 5 speed
1998 Dodge Dakota Sport
1995 Chrysler Cirrus LXi
1988 Chevy G-20 Sportvan
1980 Ford F150 Custom 4 speed
Bonus car (wife’s current):
2005 Ford Focus ST 5 speed. (Most people don’t know it even existed.)
2002 Vw Eurovan
1999 bmw 540i/6speed
1984 Pininfarina Azzurro (fiat spider)
1966 Ford Mustang fastback
Alright, alright, alright…
I’m currently driving a 2014 Dodge Dart SXT with the 2.4 litre engine and the 6-speed Powershift automatic.
Here’s all the cars I’ve had in my life:
2011 Honda Crosstour
2010 Honda Civic Si sedan
2006 Ford Mustang Coupe (4.0 V6/5-speed auto)
1993 Ford Ranger Extra-Cab (4.0 V6/auto)
1984 Chevy Camaro (305ci V8/auto)
1986 Cadillac sedan (with the ATROCIOUS cyclinder-deactivation system)
1982 Datsun 280ZX (auto)
1978 Chevy Camaro (V8/auto)
The less said about the GM crap, the better.
And I forgot the 1991 Toyota pick-up I had for three months before I got the Ranger.
Current: 2013 Golf TDI, manual; 2008 Honda S2000
Past (yes, I know):
1982 Renault LeCar, stick (not the worst car I’ve owned, surprisingly)
1981 Honda Civic Wagon, stick
1977 Mercury Zephyr, inline 6, auto, no PS or PB
1986 Honda Accord hatchback, stick
1989 Dodge Colt GT, stick
1991 Saab 900s convertible, stick
1998 Volvo V70, auto
2001 Saab 9-5 Wagon, auto (worst car I’ve owned)
2003 Acura MDX, auto
2008 Acura MDX, auto
2009 Acura TSX, auto
2011 Lexus CT 200H, CVT (which thanks me for owning the 9-5)
LeCar.
(Hee hee hee….)
3 lug nuts per wheel – a brave driver.
“Saab 9-5 Wagon, auto (worst car I’ve owned)”
Join the club, had a Volvo 850 that was probably the worst car I ever owned.
Anyones free to correct me, but imo when Sweden quit making the Volvo 940 in 1998 they quit making reliable cars.
’14 Challenger RT with minor mods to make it more loud and obnoxious. This replaced an 09 Cobalt SS.
Also, a ’07 Megacab. That replaced a minivan.
What do I drive?
– 2011 Tundra 5.7 SR5 DoubleCab Long Bed RWD with Factory Tow package and HD cooling.
What do we own?
– 2015 Sequoia 5.7 Platinum AWD – wife’s daily driver/company car
– 2012 Grand Cherokee Overland Summit 3.6L 4×4 – 23yo grand daughter’s daily driver
– 2008 Highlander Limited 3.5L 4×4 – 17yo grand daughter’s daily driver
My car: 2009 Toyota Camry hybrid. Bought it March 2011 with 80k miles, now at 155k. I have a 30 mile drive to work, average 44mpg.
Wife’s car: 2007 Honda Civic hybrid. Bought 5 days ago with 99k miles. Also averaging 44mpg so far.
Totaled a couple weeks ago by a moron. Wife’s car: 2006 Volvo XC70 with 146k miles. Bought March 2012 with 132k miles. Didn’t expect to enjoy this car as much as I did. The fuel mileage was awful, around 20mpg. However, it was comfortable and the cargo capacity was amazing. I’ll miss it.
’94 Mazda Miata (5-speed manual), 200k miles, purchased new.
’03 Honda CRV, (5-speed manual)
2015 GTI stick w/ plaid seats
2008 Audi S5, for now. 45k miles, soon to be heading into maintenance danger zone. But I only drive 4k miles a year, so maybe not too soon. Decisions decisions.
Darkwing – how is the S6? That is a serious contender for my next ride. If only I could afford the RS7…. Argh.
As you can see, this is both my first luxury and performance car, so take my opinion with a grain of salt — but I love it. Great power (though the DCT could be smoother from a stop), great handling, and great gadgets. My first choice was actually the S7, but in retrospect I’m glad I ended up with the S6. (Mostly because of the extra weight and just how compromised the rear seats are.)
For an extra $1500, an APR tune will get you 560 hp and 580 ft-lbs on 93 octane. It’s no Trifecta Tune, of course, but it certainly helps bridge the gap.
Now, if they ever bring the RS6 back over here, it’s going to turn into a “shut up and take my money” type of situation…
Currently have the following in our stable:
2015 Mazda 6 Touring (2.5L 6spd manual 1.4k miles)
2013 Ford F150 Crew Cab XLT (3.7L V6 auto 10k miles)
1998 Isuzu Rodeo LS 4×4 (3.2L Auto 245k miles)
1999 Isuzu Trooper S 4×4 (3.5L Auto 190k miles)
Prior:
2005 Nissan Pathfinder XE (4.0L Auto 145k miles)
2001 Ford Taurus SE (3.0L Auto 98k miles)
1998 Ford Ranger Reg Cab Flare Side (2.5L 5spd 134k miles)
1986 Pontiac Fiero GT (3.2L 5spd 105k miles)
1986 Subaru Justy (? 5spd, 188k miles)
1993 jeep cherokee 2 door 4×4 4.0 HO
1987 dakota 3.9 2wd.
I sort of took your advice sajeev, I just traded that dodge up for another vehicle….
1998 jeep grand cherokee 4×4 4.0
My prior history is very long and very american.
Mine
2005 Jeep Wrangler X w/ 6-speed manual
Hers
2012 Jeep Liberty Sport 4WD
Possible future (and free – just have to fix it) addition
2006 Pontiac G6 GT
2015 Mustang GT, manual with Performance Pack and Recaros, competition orange… yes I love it.
We also have a 2002 Honda CRV that is the errand/grocery/dog car, a 2013 Honda Civic that my spoiled daughter drives mostly as a reward for all the things we ask her to do for us, and my wife has a 2001 MR2 Spyder, manual also, my wife loves to drive a stick.
You got rid of the GTI or the Mustang? That is the right choice.
Well technically I sold my GTI several months ago, after 3 months of trying to find the right buyer, I got $500 less than asking, so I was happy. I had wanted a Mustang since I heard about the new ones, but I planned to wait until the end of the 2015 model year to take advantage of the inevitable rebates and such, save some money, etc. But then the 1st 2015 GT I even saw in person was on the showroom floor of some dinky Ford dealer near my house that I would have never considered even shopping at. I pulled in to check it out on my way home from work, and it was the perfect color, with the perfect options I wanted, all performance, no fluff. Except it had leather seats, which are not supposed to be available on the base GT… factory oops. I still didn’t do anything but look, and went home. We had an errand to run the next morning, so I told my wife we would stop in the dealer, just so she could see one in person, had no intention of buying. She saw it, said I love it, if you want it get it. A few hours later I was driving it home. Not gonna argue with her when she is in that kind of mood!
It ate my nice long reply so I will try again… Technically I sold the GTI a few months ago, finally found the right buyer. I had planned to wait until the end of the model year to get a Mustang, for the inevitable rebates, and to save up more money. But the very first one I saw in person was the orange GT with comp pack and Recaros, it was exactly what I planned to order. I brought my wife to see it the next day and she said “I love it, if you want it then get it”. A few hours later I was driving it home, I am not going to argue with her when she is in that kind of mood!
Best part is my car is a base GT but somehow it ended up with leather Recaros, they are supposed to be cloth. Factory oops I guess.
OK I saw everyone else doing history and I got nostalgic, decided to try to list all my vehicles from my past. I probably missed one or two, I used to buy and sell cars a lot when I was in the Air Force and I know there was a few others, but this is pretty complete:
1978 Cadillac Coupe DeVille (parents spare car in HS)
1979 VW Scirocco (AT)
1984 Pontiac Trans Am (MT)
1980 Toyota Tercel (MT)
1986 VW GTI 16V (MT)
1985 Honda Civic Si (MT)
1986 Hyundai Excel (MT)
1987 Ford Escort (AT)
1984 Honda Civic (MT, no-X, not even a DX, the real base one)
1991 Ford F150 XLT reg cab (MT, 2wd, 6cyl)
1983 Toyota Corolla wagon (AT)
1993 Honda Civic EX coupe (AT)
1987 Suzuki Samarai (MT)
1991 Ford Explorer XLT (AT)
1996 Saturn SC1 (AT)
1997 Ford Ranger XLT (MT)
1998 Land Rover Discovery (AT)
1999 VW GTI (MT, the New GTI, 1999.5, non-turbo)
1997 BMW M3 sedan (MT)
1981 Mazda RX7 (MT)
2001 Toyota Celica GT (AT)
2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport
1991 Cadillac Sedan DeVille (inherited from grandpa)
1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais (inherited from grandma)
2003 Mazda Protege5 (MT)
2005 Ford Explorer XLT (AT)
2003 Daewoo Lanos (AT, dau’s car)
2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder (MT, current)
1997 Nissan 240SX (AT, dau’s car)
2008 VW GTI (DSG)
2005 Hyundai Accent (AT, dau’s car)
2003 Honda CRV EX (current)
2013 Honda Civic LX (AT, dau #2’s car, current)
2002 Honda Civic EX coupe (AT, dau’s car, current)
2015 Mustang GT (MT, current)
Current:
1997 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 6-speed 30th Anniversary
Black over charcoal leather with upgraded LS1-era Firebird Firehawk power leather seats – Bought in March with 65.5k miles – K&N intake, SLP shorty headers to cats, SLP cat-back exhaust = the sound of heavy metal and revenge when you get on it. I missed a V8, and this is sweet reunion. Long live Opti-Spark.
Previous:
1998 Mazda Protege LX 1.5L 5-speed
My humble and faithful beige over beige steed for 10 years including college
1988 BMW 325iS 5-speed (2011 only)
Gorgeous white over Cardinal red leather – Euro bumper conversion – 200k miles and all the electronics worked(!) – an expensive lesson in (not) vetting a car but at least I sold it for more than I bought it and she was completely sorted (and what a car!)
1988 Dodge Ramcharger 360 4bbl V8 A727 3-speed auto 2WD
First rig – silver/grey/silver + red pin striping and a Ram’s bust hood ornament – hot 80’s action maroon interior – Excellent condition – 10.7 MPG average
Fellow opti owner here. I didn’t include it in my list, but I also have a ’94 Caprice with the 4.3L version of the LT1. I have an LE2 headed 5.7L sitting in the shop waiting to go in when I find the time.
2012 Mazda BT50GT. Not a common vehicle globally.
It’s has limited modifications. Replace the suspension with an ARB Old Man Emu setup. This gave me new (better) springs, shocks, bushes, etc and a 2″ lift.
Replace the standard alloy rims with CSA Jackal’s, very nice and 17″, 265, 75 Series, 10ply, BF Goodrich T/A AT’s. Not good for on road handling, but great for traction.
The pickup has every acronym for traction, stability, braking, towing, etc. It’s great watching the instrument cluster in the wet, it lights up. Oh, it also came with a E locker in the assend, great for when you get bogged.
And a few other changes, like a bull bar for driving over wildlife, 3.5 ton tow package, etc. It’s returning me around 30mpg. Not bad for a pickup that weighs 4800lbs empty.
I has Ford’s worst ever infotainment system! It doesn’t understand Australian English/accent. So it’s quicker to just manually adjust whatever function that requires a change.
You like the OME suspension? It was the best mod I did to my old Land Cruiser.
@mkirk,
The suspension is magic. I really don’t know why the manufacturers can’t provide a suspension as good as the OME. The kit cost me AUD $1 700 including our 10% GST.
When I fitted the BFG’s the pickup had a tendency to railroad under certain road conditions (sealed road only). The OME suspension fixed this and has given a better ride.
The change to the BFG’s made the ride harsher due to their construction.
It took me around 4 hours to put in. At work I have access to a hoist, hydraulic press (coil overs) etc. I also fitted a Safari snorkel supplied by ARB.
Off road the shocks work really well and allows for “easier” articulation of the axles. This is more advantageous as like driving on any surface to more rubber in contact makes life easier.
The rear leaf spring pack from the manufacturer had less springs, but two helper springs. The OME spring pack has two additional springs and only one helper.
The OME kits are bought according to what load is in your vehicle. This doesn’t impact the vehicles GVM at all, but allow for the ride and sag when loaded.
I’ve kept the economy alive by purchasing vehicles over the years….
Current:
’99 Ford F350 7.3L SRW 2WD 6 M/T 267k miles
’11 Subaru Outback Premium A/T 67k miles
’14 Subaru Outback 2.5i 6 M/T 6k miles
’79 Volks Type-2 4 M/T under reconstruction 115k miles
Former:
’60 Olds Dynamic 88 A/T
’61 Renault Dauphine 4 M/T
’66 Corvair Corsa 4 M/T
’39 Ford 2dr w/ ’57 Buick V8 and LaSalle 3 M/T
’68 Porsche 912 4 M/T
’70 VW Beetle 4 M/T
’71 El Camino A/T
’72 Volks Type-2 4 M/T
’75 Scirroco 4 M/T
’78 Volks Dasher 4 M/T
’73 VW Beetle 4 M/T
’73 Volks Type-2 4 M/T
’81 Volks Vanagon 4 M/T
’85 Dodge Colt Vista FWD 4 m/T (wife now ex)
’86 Chevy Astro Van 4.3L 5 M/T (wife now ex)
’89 Volks Fox Wgn 4 M/T (wife now ex to kid to kid)
’89 Pontiac GP A/T
’90 Chevy C1500 ex-cab 2WD 5 M/T
’92 Mitsu Expo SP 2WD A/T (wife now ex)
’87 Pontiac GP A/T (kid training vehicle X 2)
’97 Buick Special A/T (commuter)
’98 Honda Civic EX 2-dr A/T (still owned by kid)
’11 Subaru Outback Premium A/T (one of two, traded for ’14 OB)
2014 GMC Sierra SLE double cab 4×4 5.3L
Previous(in order):
2013 Dodge Charger SXT AWD
2013 Hyundai Elantra GT 6mt
2012 Hyundai Accent SE 6mt
2011 Hyundai Sonata SE auto
2008 Ford Fusion SEL I4 5mt
2006 Ariel Atom K20 NA 6mt
2006 Honda Element EX AWD 5mt
1992 Mazda MX-3 GS V6 5mt
2002 Acura RSX-S 6mt
1998 Ford Contour SVT 5mt
1994 Acura Integra GS-R 5mt
1989 Plymouth Colt base 4mt
1982 Mercury LN7 4mt
An Atom? Seriously? That’s really cool! How was it?
Yes, it was amazing, it ruined all other sports cars for me.
2010 Volvo V70, 30K miles picked up at the factory in Gothenburg.
2002 Winnebago Rialta, 20K miles, second owner since 2012.
1991 Mercedes W201 190E 2.3, 185K miles, in the family since 1996.
1985 Mercedes W123 300D, 286K miles, second owner since 1993 (my first car).
Previous: 2003 Ford Thunderbird.
1959 Metropolitan Nash FHC , up graded suspension , BW M35 slushbox , original 1500 engine with modified MGA 1622 cylinder head , Weber 34ICH carby , slow but *really* fun once it gets up to speed .
1984 European Spec. Mercedes 300CD Turbo Diesel Coupe , well over 300,000 miles , rebuilt the engine , a good DD with AC and FM radio etc. , good rally car too .
1969 Chevrolet C/10 short bed step side pick up truck , in tiny pieces right now as the cab rusted away and the frame was bent and had cracks , up grading from the 250 i6 & TH350 slushbox to a 292 i6 & TH350C slushbox with lock up torque converter .
1961 Morris Minor 2 door sedan , still in tiny pieces do to many ‘ might as wells ‘ encountered when I yanked the engine to replace the dead tranny .
SWMBO’S rides :
1982 Mercedes 240D stripper sedan , only option when new was four speed slushbox , now has various European spec. bits and bobs added , still dog slow and 1,000 reliable , 340,000 miles and I really need to rebuild both engine and tranny but doesn’t smoke and everything works perfectly .
1984/85 European Spec. Mercedes 300TD wagon , pretty much fully optioned unlike most European wagons , has the M Code injection pump and goes like a scalded cat . 7 passenger , 15″ wheels , multi – band Becker radio etc. , etc. she loves it , I don’t so much . beige color .
A buncha old Motocycles .
-Nate
Only a handful of Mitsubishi vehicles on TTAC. How sad.
1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse Turbo (DSM) 211K on the clock with “more boost” modifications.
Post winter I am going to pull the trigger on a new vehicle. Ford’s Fiesta ST is what I really want but everytime I read their forums I get scared off!
2003 Audi RS6 with the 6 Speed (O1E) swap
yes I love it.
previously a C5 S6 and a C5 2.7TT Stage 3 and before that an E39M5 and before that a 2nd Gen Acura TL-S
2012 Lexus IS250C
2008 Acura TSX
sadly both autos….
2007 BMW Z4 3.0si coupe
2011 Honda Element EX
1981 Volkswagen Scirocco S
Good question…
2010 RX-8 sport.
2008 Civic Si sedan.
Both daily drivers and each fitted with 2 rear facing car seats.
And for fun, here are my best lap times at Laguna Seca:
RX8: 1:49.36
Civic: 1:56.83
2012 Honda Civic LX Sedan (5spd manual) 35k miles – efficient/worry free commuter, road trip car in the summer or when we’re not hauling dogs
1996 Toyota 4Runner Limited (V6, 4×4, e-locker) 112k miles – camping/canoeing rig, dog hauler, road trip car when we bring dogs along, motorcycle trailer towing rig, Polar Vortex dominator (snow tire, tow strap, comealong equipped)
I’m taking the liberty of including motorcycles:
1977 Yamaha XS500C – veteran of an epic cross country ride from NY-SF and back in the summer of 2008, toured on it all over the Adirondacks and Vermont. Originally rescued from a barn for $50 when I was in highschool in 2005. Has 56k miles on it, 25 of which are mine.
1998 Suzuki Bandit 1200S 20k miles – bought last spring for more effective slab riding out here in the MidWest. Comfy sport tourer with some beastly torque. Love this bike, a steal at $2200 in turn key condition with decent tires! Keeps up with my buddies on Panigales and R1s just fine.
My current fleet:
2008 Acura TL, Pearl white with tan leather and navigation, 83,000 miles and could use a set of tires. I’ve had it for three and a half years and am completely bored with it; seriously considering swapping my son for the 2001 Audi A6 Avant I just got him.
2011 Chrysler Town & Country (Wife’s car), the only car I have that was bought new (mainly on Jack’s review), gold with brown leather (the worst color combination for resale according to several Chrysler salespeople) and 78,000 miles. Every body panel except for the roof, hood and left sliding door has some kind of damage and the drivers leather seat has completely disintegrated. Drives great but looks terrible.
1996 BMW Z3, Boston Green with tan leather and black top with 130,000 miles. Not a show car by any means but still looks respectable and has been fun to drive and inexpensive to maintain and operate. It rarely has the top up.
1996 Mercedes Benz SL320, Dark Green with tan leather and 119,000 miles, original paint and hardtop. Bought it last winter; never put the top up (mainly because the power top doesn’t work). Drives like a Mercedes should and is making me seriously consider buying a 1980’s or 1990’s W124 to replace my boring Acura.
1995 Volvo 850 GLT Wagon, Silver with charcoal leather and around 140,000 miles. Runs well and the AC even blows cold but 3 years of being my son’s college car has taken a toll on the old girl. Seats are in terrible condition (they were made for Swedish winters rather than Southeast US summers) but the body is surprisingly nice and cleans up well with some effort. This is our family pickup truck.
Previous:
2008 Chrysler Town & Country
2006 Chrysler 300C
2005 Chrysler Town & Country
2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette
2001 Chrysler Concorde
1997 Dodge Caravan ES
1993 Toyota Corolla
1995 Mazda Miata
1991 Honda Accord EX Wagon
1985 BMW 318i
1987 Mercury Sable GS
1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Graduate
1984 Alfa Romeo GTV-6
1983 Peugeot 505 STi
1981 Fiat Spider
1980 Fiat Brava
1982 Fiat Spider
“Drives like a Mercedes should and is making me seriously consider buying a 1980’s or 1990’s W124 to replace my boring Acura.”
DO IT!!!
“Drives like a Mercedes should and is making me seriously consider buying a 1980’s or 1990’s W124 to replace my boring Acura.”
This statement makes me very happy.
I live in Mexico City, right now I drive a 2011 Chevrolet Aveo (yes I know you think it’s terrible but let me tell you that it isn’t that bad).
Past:
2009 Honda Accord EX;
2006 New Beetle Sport GLX 2.5 (manual);
2006 Smart ForTwo Passion Coupé;
2002 Toyota Camry LE;
2001 VW Jetta 2.0 (manual);
1997 Chevrolet Cavalier (manual);
1992 VW Beetle (of course manual); and
1989 VW Jetta.
2001 Audi allroad
2006 Landrover LR3
Boy somebody loves the coffee at the repair shop.
Haha I was thinking the same thing. We’ve got a real masochist on our hands!
I am a contrarian – and it’s working…LR3 110k mi. Audi allroad 140k mi. Switched out air-suspension on allroad to coil springs a while back.
That was the best thing about owning a VW. The dealership was attached to a Porsche/Audi dealership that had 112 different Keurig flavors, a fancy self serve expresso machine with pods, and delicious pastries.
GET BACK TO YOUR SIDE PEASANT.
GET BACK TO YOUR S!DE, PEASANT!
With the burnt coffee and coil pack sadness? NEVER!
Once I’m settled after school, I want to do a 6MT Allroad with Tial 605 turbos to get to 450 awhp, maybe some pss9/10s and Rotiforms or OZs. I will still daily my nogie though :)
2012 Ford Mustang GT 5.0
2010 Hyundai genesis 4.6, 65,000 miles (black) and a 2012 Lexus Ct200H 40,000 miles (Dark Red). both bought C.P.O.
Past:
1993 Geo Prism LSI (dark red) 150,000 miles and still sitting in my parents garage
1989 Mitsubishi Galant (Silver) 175,000 miles and in the junk yard due to transmission
1999 Nissan Altima GXE (Tan), 180,000 miles and sold to former roommate, she totaled it 4 days later and doubled her money.
2006 Honda Civic Hybrid (Galaxy Gray. AKA Same Tan as the Altima) 185,000 worry free miles but became the cream filling in a 4 car pileup on the 5 fwy in San Diego this year.
All were Automatics. The Nissan was the most boring and I miss the Civic the most.
Current daily driver is an 07 Mini Cooper S hardtop, 6spd, w/manual locking diff in BRG over black. The garage queens are an 06 Mercedes CLS 500 and a ’12 Audi Q5. The previous DD was an ’07 Cayman S 😢.
2004 Nissan Quest SLl/2012 Ford Fusion SEL
Previous (give or take)
-200 Mazda Protege
-1991 Toyota mr2
-first gen Saturn Base. 4dr
–Subaru Legacy
–1984 Toyota celica
–a couple of 1980 corollas
–a very basic 1970s Datsun hatch
–1971 Datsun 240Z
–1970s ford galaxie
–1967 Mercury Cougar xr7
2004 Mazda 6s
– 3.0 V6
– manual
– 125k+
Current:
2013 VW Golf Highline TDI 6mt
Past:
2005 Mazda 3 sport GT 5mt
1994 Nissan Altima GXE auto
1993 Nissan Pickup 4 cyl 5mt
1990 Nissan Pathfinder SE 5mt
1976 Chevrolet CamperVan G20
1987 Jetta “Wolfsburg” 5mt
1986 VW GTI 5mt
1983 VW Rabbit GTI 5mt
1980 VW Scirocco “S” 5mt
1977 VW Rabbit 4mt
1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 400 auto
1974 Mercury Capri V6 4mt
1973 Datsun 510 4mt
My personal cars:
2014 Jetta SportWagen TDI DSG w/leather, pano sunroof and navigation (Black Uni)
1997 Jetta GLX VR6 AT w/leather and sunroof (Sequoia Green)
Also in fleet:
2012 Hyundai Sonata Limited N/A w/leather, pano sunroof and navigation (Harbor Grey Metallic)
2014 Kia Soul Plus w/navigation (Alien II)
Now while I like my new TDI, I also yearn for something more substantial and luxurious, and am seriously thinking about getting a weekend luxury car like a Phaeton (I have a great VW specialist), or maybe even something as nice as a E63 650i.
Currently—2007 2.4 Accord auto 4-door
Previous—
2003 Accord 2.4l auto 4-door
1995 Civic auto 1.6l 4 door
1990 Volkswagen Jetta auto 1.8 4-door
1986 Mazda 323 1.6 LX auto 4-door
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit 1.6 5-speed 2-door
1976 Chevrolet Malibu V8 auto. 4-door
1970 Mazda 1.8l auto. 4-door
1963 Buick LeSabre V8 auto. 4-door
1959 Ford Zephyr 6-cylinder column-shift 4-door
1954 Monarch (Canadian Mercury) V8 auto, 2-door
Isuzu Dmax 2013,
Suzuki Swift 2013,
2000 Nissan Frontier Kingcab V6 5MT
2004 Acura TSX 6MT
Present:
2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 6MT (wife’s)
1995 Nissan 300ZX TT daily driver – 288K, all stock, and yes I still turn around to look at it (partially to check for any large chunks of rust flaking off the rocker panel)
1987 Chevrolet Blazer – 6″ lift, 35″ tires, 14-bolt full-float, lockers, grafted on the full fiberglass top from a ’75
1967 Ford Mustang convertible – drivetrain from a ’92 Mustang GT donor
Prior:
1998 Jeep Cherokee (wife’s)
1975 Chevrolet Blazer (Rust In Pieces)
1970 Chevrolet Blazer (Rust In Pieces)
about a dozen 197[0-7] Datsun 2[468]0Z models, some of them parts cars
1977 Mercedes 300D (light green) – car I learned to drive on – a chick magnet it was not
Next:
Once I cross 300K in the Z, which could take another two years, I’m thinkin’ Boxster, unless something else changes my mind.
2001 Audi S4 with 2.7 twin turbo 5 valve v6
Previously 2000 Honda Odyssey lost to engine fire :(
All compact “sport CUVs”
2015 Porsche Pablano
2014 Maserati Mexicano
2013 Audi Anaheim
2012 BMW Blaster
2011 Mercedes AMG GMA
2010 Ferrari Fellini
2009 Lamborghini Llama
Mmm .. peppers!
Wheres the Pontiac Asstek? Nissan Puke? Or the Honda Cracktore?
Yay for toilet humor.
Ha, ha, you got it wrong, it’s a Nissan Joke and a Puick Le Sabre
There is no shame in riding a bicycle :-)
2000 Toyota 4Runner Limited – Supercharged, e-locker, lifted and gets roughly 3mpg. It’s my camping/mountain exploring rig. Love the thing to death.
2000 Lexus LS400 – daily driver, built like a damn tank, very comfortable, and gets 22-24mpg with a 15 year old V8. Looking to upgrade to an LS460 once I settle in the new house.
2011 VW GTI DSG Black Autobahn
1991 MAZDA MIATA SE,5 speed, Hard Top, LSD, ABS, A/C, 77,000 miles English racing Green Garage queen.
Wife drives a 2011 VW GTI 4 door DSG Dark gray
Life is too short to drive a boring car!
OWN- 2012 VW Golf R
PREVIOUS-
1995 Audi 90 Sport
2006.5 MKV GTI
2004 MKIV GTI
1998 Jeep Wrangler Sport
A 2014 Click-Bait SE.
In brown diesel stick wagon trim?
Just yesterday picked up my new ride,2015 Golf TDI treadline 6M in Tungsten Silver, waited 2 months for delivery.
Summer car is a 1987 Audi coupe GT BLK 5M, Sweet!
Previous car 2007 Rabbit 5M.
That’s awesome. How do you like the new Golf?
2014 Mazda 3i GT manual. My previous car was a 2010 Mazda 3i Sport manual. I still don’t see a ton of 2014 Mazda 3’s on the road yet around here (I live in WV), which makes having a 2014 even cooler.
First post here, long time lurker!
2006 Infiniti M35x 76k
replaced 1998 Maxima
2012 Ford Mustang V6, 6MT, performance package
1982 Honda Gold Wing Aspencade
2006 Yamaha FJR1300A
2014 KTM Super Duke 1290R
Lots of cool rides mentioned in this thread, but your KTM is the coolest I’ve seen thus far!
Thanks, mkirk. I picked up the KTM in August and only have about 1500mi on it so far. Love it. 80 mph power wheelies are fun, the suspension is very well sorted, and ABS/TCS is a nice security blanket. Traction control and wheelie control are critical on this bike.
I sold my ’07 Aprilia Tuono to help finance the purchase. The Super Duke is in another class. The engine is unreal–makes the Tuono feel like it had a plug wire pulled. Can’t wait to do a track day on the KTM in the spring.
2014 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ 2.0 Turbo – 6 speed Auto (Crystal Red)
2013 Volvo C30 Premium Plus – 6 speed Manual (Ice White)
Always like to have one rational 4 door and one MT coupe in the stable. Can only fit 2 cars in the garage/driveway otherwise lord knows how many cars I’d own!
Crystal Red Tintcoat is by far my favorite GM color. It’s gorgeous.
Thanks, definitely my favorite color as well. Interesting that they discontinued it on the 2015 Malibu (replaced with Autumn Bronze).
I currently have:
2014 Ford Flex
1994 Ford Tempo- 3.0 V-6 (peppy little thing.).
1966 Chrysler Windsor 2-door hardtop (avatar pic)
1966 Chrysler Newport convertible
1994 Dodge RAM2500 Cummins diesel (my DD)
2006 Honda CR-V 5-speed stick (my wife’s DD)
My older bro has a 64 dodge custom 880 vert. One of like 280 made. He loves his push button torque flight!
2015 VW Golf 1.8t SEL
2009 Honda Accord EX-L auto 4cyl
2011 Subaru Forester 5spd manual
2014 Honda CB500x
Bought the Forester because I’m contrarian, wife snagged it and I can’t get it back. Stuck driving a beige on beige sedan :p
Present – 2013 Nissan Frontier S Crew Cab
Wife – 2007 Hyundai Tucson
Past – 1993 Land Cruiser, 2006 Mazdaspeed MX5, 1990 Miata (with JR Supercharger), 1995 Saturn SW1, 1991 Chevrolet Caprice, 1988 Ford Bronco II, 2003 Saturn Ion I, 2002 Saturn Vue, 2003 S-10, 1990 Chevrolet Astro, 1995 Ford Escort, 1997 Ford Escort, 1990 BMW 318I Wagon (Euro Spec), 1987 Alfa Romeo 75, 1984 Autobianchi A112, 1987 SEAT Malaga, 1970 Olds Cutlass, 1997 Nissan Truck, 1995 Mercury Cougar XR-7, 1988 Mercury Cougar, 1968 Mercury Cougar, 1992 Saturn SL, 1988 Ford Ranger, 1993 Ford Ranger, 1985 VW Jetta GL, 2007 Kawasaki KLR 650, 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250, Circa 2006 Husky Mine Detection Vehicle (only borrowed for 10 months, but the most “exciting” vehicle I’ve driven by far).
2011 VW Tiguan S
2013 VW Jetta Gli Autobahn
Current:
1997 BMW M3 4-door 5-speed (daily driver)
1970 Datsun 510 2-door (project car)
2015 Acura MDX (wife’s)
Past:
2003 Acura RSX
2003 Audi A4 Avant
1996 Infiniti G20
1989 Mazda RX-7 GTUs (seriously rare beast)
1984 Toyota 4X4
1973 Datsun 240Z
1986 Ford Mustang GT Saleen
1977 Toyota Landcruiser FJ40 w/ SBC
How was your experience with that early G20? Don’t ever hear about those, or see them really. I liked the later ones toward the end when they got their revised styling (round 99 or so).
Served me well for about 4 years. Handling was so-so (not nearly as fun as the Sentra SE-R, despite what the reviews said). Even after lowering, struts, etc., never got it where I wanted it. Throws on the 5-speed were too long, could have used a short-shift kit. Clutch take up was weak, but pretty sure the PO had abused the clutch. Motor was absolutely bulletproof and super smooth; never required any care other than routine maintenance. Leather was horrible cheap stuff that wore poorly. Was prone to leaks from strange places around door seals, sunroof. Paint quality was also crap, but so was most everything back then.
Thanks. I don’t feel like manuals were too common in those.
Oh, also note that the later G20s (99 on I think) used a twist beam rear suspension as opposed to the more sophisticated setup on the earlier cars. Cost cutting ahoy!
2010 VW Golf TDI, manual
2001 Prius (got it back in the first few months that they were available in the USA, via special order directly from Toyota of America. On its second battery pack, but otherwise still virtually trouble-free, the way Toyotas used to be)
Previous:
2000 Saab 9-3 (meh)
1991 Saab 9-3 (loved it)
1975 Land Cruiser FJ40 (in Kenya, heavily modified; still owned the Subie below but it was back in USA)
1984 Subaru GL wagon (bulletproof until it suddenly had cascading problems that led to it being towed off into the sunset)
1977 Toyota Celica GT
1974 Dodge/Mitsubishi Colt
Interesting bunch of cars. I held affection for the mid-seventies Celica GTs for a long time – such a nice shape.
And that FJ, well, that’s a manly vehicle there.
Congratulations on the long-term Prius. Nobody recognizes that series anymore now that the current one is so ubiquitous.
2000 Toyota Corolla with Automatic (Aussie version)
98 Corolla with 3 speed auto and 380+ thousand miles
I drive a ’96 M3 (modified) and a ’95 Range Rover Classic (modified). I have a ’92 240SX track car (really modified).
I’ve owned:
1992 Mazda Miata (modified)
1994 325iS (modified)
1970 914-4 (never ran while in my possession, bought on a whim)
1990 325i (modified)
I hope your Range Rover modifications included electrical system improvements.
Nice. My first dedicated track/race car was an S13 hatch. I really liked that car.
2008 Volvo S80
2003 Land Rover Disco
I have a 2012 S80 and I dream of one day having a Disco….
Currently have a 2011 Taurus Limited with all options except adaptive cruise and a 2008 F150 regular cab with V6.
Current:
The world’s most boring Impreza—1995 4dr. sedan, 1.8L, FWD, AT. Rusting towards total beaterdom, but an okay little appliance.
2000 Toyota Sienna
Past:
1988 Mazda 626 5spd. First car. Fairly zippy little thing.
1991 Pontiac Bonneville, 3800.
1994 Toyota Tercel 4spd. manual. I loved how basic this car was. It even had manual steering, which was completely sufficient.
1980 Datsun 720 King Cab pickup. Orange, slotted mags, 5spd. I miss this one.
And the best for last, a RWD manual diesel wagon in a color beginning with B (okay, it was blue). 1984 Volvo 245 GL with the VW I6 diesel and 4spd. manual with electric overdrive. (OD was engaged by pushing a button on top of the shifter while in 4th.) Metallic blue with black leather. It was everything you think it was, including slow (the gas version has got to be preferred). Circumstances forced me to sell it all too soon.
2013 Volt
2011 Silverado 3500 (Diesel)
2003 4Runner V8
2000 BMW 323Ci
1997 Bicycle
14 Abarth – daily
11 328 xdrive – wifey
05 mini cooper s – track car/garage queen
2010 Town & Country Limited with a 2015 Grand Caravan Crew Plus on order
415 comments. Not bad. I would like to see some sort of graph/chart compiled from this at the end.
I’ll bite with my stable:
2012 Audi Q7
2011 Subaru Outback
Currently a 2005 Audi allroad
Before that a 1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer
And before that a 1966 Cadillac Fleetwood 75
So three in total.
2009 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI, 6m. Black, because brown wasn’t available. 92,000 miles. Except for the crap radio RNS510 w/ nav, this has been a remarkably trouble free car and surprisingly satisfying.
Previous drives include a gen 3 Mazda MX5, 2000 Mustang GT, 2001 BMW 325i w/ sport and luxury packages. Also a 1963 Corvair Monza Spyder and a 1978 Pontiac Sunbird which was hands down the worst car I ever owned.
Current
08′ suburban
11 frontier CC 6mt 4×4
57 chevy 210 resto mod SB turbo 400 :(
Past in recent order (mostly)
13 impala
72 Chevelle BB 502
05 chrysler T&C
05 jetta TDI
03 Dodge Ram cummins 5 mt cc
00 maxima
98 Jetta TDI
00 F250 power stroke
95 vette auto
87 Morgan Plus 8
03 WRX wagon mt
74 jeep j20 pick up
96 Mazda b4000
96 Infiniti i30
94 nissan pick up
78 VW rabbit
86 crown Vic wagon…go Panther
89 Isuzu pick up
83 mustang GT
85 ford EXP
997 Carrera S 6-speed
1995 Ford Thunderbird LX with the 4.6 SOHC V8, currently still original non-PI specs. Planning a PI swap and a J-mod for the 4 speed auto at some point. Kind of curiously ordered in my opinion…cloth seats, no sunroof, not really any luxury options (I’ve got power front seats, that’s it), but the 4.6 V8 and 4 wheel disk brakes with ABS. Ordered more like a Mustang than a personal luxury coupe, though with a 4 speed auto instead of a 5 speed manual.
My mother had that same car. 95 T-bird with the V8 and cloth seats. I never understood why the lease was cheaper than the V6 version. Must have been the way it (not) optioned.
-1999 Silver Mustang GT 5 speed fully loaded. (first car at age 19) 191000km
-2005 Yellow Cavalier 5 speed stripper except for the CD player. (winter beater). 153000km
Electric car. I am amazed this web site still bothers to talk about ICE vehicles.
– 2001 Peugeot 206 1.9D – 180 000 Km
– 1986 BMW 324d M-Pack – 272 000 Km
02 Saab 9-3
13 C-Class
02 Yamaha
Should add previously owned:
Toyota, Chrysler, Ford (Mazda), Subaru
Wife bought Fiat
Daily drivers in the fleet include a 2014 Subaru Forester, 2006 MINI Cooper S, and a 2005 Honda Accord. The fair weather driver is a 1974 BMW 2002 modified with dual sidedrafts, 5-speed, LSD, and a bored/stroked M10 engine.
Every single one of these cars has a manual transmission.
1992 Ford ranger (dd)
2005 Subi impreza wagon
1999 Mazda miata
1973 VW beetle
Also… A few too many bicycles.
As the picture over there shows, a 2006 Subaru Impreza 2.5i wagon (hatch, 5 door, whatever). Bought new in Sept ’05.
2002 VW GTI 337 6m
2004 BMW 330i ZHP 6m
2014 Audi Q5 2.0T P+
2009 Ducati Monster 1100s
2010 Ford Taurus SHO – Wife’s car
2003 Hyundai Equus – My car. Yes, this car exists and I have one ;)
Current:
2009 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS (wife’s daily driver)
1999 Saab 9-5 SE
1993 Saab 900 turbo convt.
I work at an Acura dealer, and I have an ILX 2.0 as a demo. I’m very thankful for the privilege, but I hate the car.
2005 Acura RSX TypeS 6MT (only way they made ’em) 197,000 miles. Other than routine maintenance and consumables, absolutely nothing has gone wrong except an A/C compressor. And in the compressor’s defense, the car has lived its whole life in TX and FL, A/C has been on probably 90% of the time.
2014 Honda Accord EX 6MT 135 miles. Hoping for nothing less than the stellar reliability we’ve enjoyed with the Acura.
Various Boeing 737’s. Fun to drive as long as someone else pays for the gas and maintenance.
Do they still do the “lighthearted” cabin safety briefings on your airline? (Along with walk-on seating?)
Obtaining a “basic” single-engine VFR license is on my “bucket list,” if it only weren’t so expensive! Maybe I’ll still to cars! :-p
As for the Accord: good choice! My 2013 Touring’s got 14,200 miles on her, with nary a hiccup! Best Accord yet! (I have to figure out all the cars that I and immediate family have owned for a separate post, but there are over 10 Honda products among them!)
Currently: 2001 BMW Z3 3.0 roadster
2008 Honda Pilot EX-L
Past (most recent first)
2002 Saab 9-5 Wagon
1994 Toyta Previa LX supercharged
1992 Taurus SHO
1991 Toytoa Previa LE
1987 Mustang GT 5.0
1984 Jeep Wagoneer 2.5 liter manual
1980 Audi 5000 Diesel
1978 Honda Accord hatchback
1973 Mazda RX2 (rotary)
1969 VW Karmann Ghia (modified engine)
Future: 2015 pickup truck capable of hauling 2000 lbs. cargo and towing 7600 lb. GVW Airstream travel trailer (to diesel or not to diesel, that is the question)
TWO Previas? That must be some sort of record.
You seem to be an early adopter. That RX2 was a rare bird even then.
Wow 84 wagoneer with a 2.5! Rare dog there. Did it have the quad headlights?
Had the ’69 Ghia too!
A Ford and two Cadillacs
Never took you as a Cadillac guy.
I’m not, they’re 1st and 2nd gen antique Sevilles
Bustleback Seville?
1st Generation was the RWD heavily modified Nova chassis. Fuel Injected Olds 350 FTW!
2nd Generation was the FWD bustleback. I really hope that Lie2Me has one from the first few model years so it has the BIG V8 in either regular or V4-6-8 form.
Right on all counts
First Post!
2012 Infiniti G37x (oh that engine is sweet… and driving in the snow with this car is interesting)
2007 VW Passat Wagon
2014 Chevy Spark EV
2014 VW Sportwagen TDI
I’ve yet to own my first.
‘… and the shoemaker’s children ran barefoot”
Like a chef that does not eat their own food, interesting.
Zipcar driver, perhaps?
2012 Nissan Altima 2.5SL (for A to B with others) Great car
1989 Mazda RX-7 GXL 5mt (When alone and for fun) This car has spoiled me rotten. All other cars I have driven and realistically could own have paled in comparison. They might be objectively superior, but not subjectively. Would like to upgrade to an FD RX-7 if I’m ever able.
2014 RAM 1500 Crew Cab 4×4 Pentastar (Work) So far, amazing. Quiet, relatively efficient, spacious for work crew and plenty of power. The 8speed trans goes for the overdrive gears way too soon in most driving. I limit the truck to 6 gears until I’m cruising 60 mph.
Having spent a lot of time working on my FCs, and some friends FDs, stick with the FC unless you enjoy working on cars as your hobby.
Self: 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS
Wife: 2008 Mazda 3 i
Currently a 2005 Subaru Outback XT [IMG]http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/members/21870-sackajacka-albums-my-2005-xt-picture3786-2013-09-29-17-03-37.jpg[/IMG]
1986 Olds Cutlass Cierra Wagon – Mom’s – totaled when I was 15 :(
1987 Jeep Cherokee 2.7L – perfect underpowered truck for a teen
1991 Chevy Blazer K5 – Beast
1991 Ford Taurus SHO*** – first car I ever did a 720 in (unplanned)
1993 Mazda RX-7 Touring*** – Best handling car I’ve driven regularly
1994 Ford Bronco – Loved this one 1996
Ford Taurus Wagon*** – in green. Not quite a chick magnet.
1971 Olds Delta 88 Convertible – never should have sold her
1997 VW Jetta – surprisingly fun little car
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee – POS
2008 Chevy Suburban – held all it’s value over two years
2005 Subaru Outback XT – still in love
2013 VW Golf (Wife’s) – too small for me, but nice little ride.
2007 Saab Aero Sportcombi – I like orphans — this is next on my list.
*** Various family cars I had possession of for extended periods of time.
Current:
2008 BMW 535xi with Sport[ish] Package and folding rear seats, purchased as 28k CPO
2002 Porsche 911 with intact IMS, interesting Exclusive options, purchase from original owner with 27k
2002 Triumph Bonneville centennial edition, only new vehicle I’ve ever owned
2013 Audi “Allroad”, which she loves and is under warranty so whatever, for now.
Previous (reverse chrono)
2000 Audi A4
1995 BMW M3 in Avus blue over black. What a sweetheart
1998 Audi A6
1984 Porsche 911
1994 BMW 318i
1970 Porsche 911T
1984 VW GTI
1966 Ford Mustang
1972 Dodge Coronet V8. Wagon. Brown. Just a torqueflite away from perfection
2014 Citroën C3 Tendance
Previously, on my garage…
1998 Volkswagen Polo Classic
2003 Fiat Palio Fire
1999 Chevrolet Corsa Wind
2004 Peugeot 206 1.0 16v
1998 Volkswagen Gol 1000
2014 BMW 328d
2014 BMW X5
My family of 4 living in the suburbs has:
Car: 1997 Saturn SL2 140,000 miles
Motorcycle: 1978 BMW R100S approx 40,000 miles
10 bicycles including 1 tandem.
I commute by bicycle and train so the car is mostly for grocery shopping and trips.
2004 Saab 9 3 Arc & 2003 Discovery II . The 9 3 is a blast to handle the mountain roads here as power is needed to go from 6000 ft elevation to 10500, down to 2500 and back, and the Discos go anywhere anytime is reassuring to say the least.
Current:
2001 BMW M5 with some dinan goodies
2003 Chrysler Town & Country
1999 Lexus RX300 with 235k miles. Been one of the most reliable cars I’ve ever owned.
1997 Silverado 2wd extended cab 213kmiles. Also dead reliable
Past:
2005 TL
2006 GTI dsg modded to about 300hp
1993 Jeep Cherokee 4 door 4.0 4wd manual with no options other than a/c. Unicorn.
1990 Miata
…and a bunch of other not interesting cars that I only owned for short periods
2014 Ford Focus Electric
2007 Chevy Express 1500 AWD
1978 Jeep Wagoneer
1974 Mustang II (Lemons “racecar”)
2008 Audi A4
Daily Driver is 2012 MB S63 AMG
Current fleet:
2004 Mazda RX8 (toy)
2008 Chevrolet Avalanche LTZ (daily and tow vehicle)
1986 Mazda RX7 (very modified track car)
2012 Subaru WRX 5 door (Wife’s daily)
2003 MazdaSpeed Protégé (Wife’s toy)
1988 Mazda RX7 convertible turbo (Also for wife)
Also a 1990 RX7 coupe and another 1988 RX7 convertible for random project use at some point.
5 rotaries and a boxer. I’m speechless.
I take that as a complement
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP A6 (Vararam CAI, SLP CatBack)
2008 Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon
2011 Lincoln Navigator L (Wife’s Truck-4 kids)
Current:
2014 Nissan Frontier SV 4×4 King Cab
2011 Kia Sportage LX AWD
Previous (all used except as indicated):
2007 Pontiac Vibe
1999 Mazda Miata SE
1998 Nissan Maxima GLE 5 spd
1990 Subaru Legacy L 2wd
1990 Nissan Maxima SE 5 spd
1985 Toyota HiLux SR5 (new)
1978 Toyota Corolla SR5 Liftback (1st new car)
1973 Mercury Capri 4 cyl
It would be a monstrous job, but it would be interesting to compile types, years, makes and models of at least the current drivers…
Current
2009 Ford Ranger regular cab 4X2 4cylinder 5MT (my only new car purchase)
2000 Lincoln LS V6 5MT
1978 MGB (my first car, awaiting Rover engine)
1962 Austin Healey 3000 (bought in many boxes now in fewer boxes)
1979 Triumph T140E Bonneville
1996 Suzuki Bandit 1200
2008 Buell XB12xx Lightning Long
Previous
1990 Ford Mustang 5.0 5MT
1987 Merkur XR4Ti 5MT
1977 Ford E150 Club Wagon 300 IL6; 3 on the column; manual steering
I don’t buy many but I sell very few.
FYI, my friend just restored a 77 MGB by installing a Ranger 2.3 into it. You have the basic ingredients to do the same!
Well I’m still using the Ranger engine. The Rover engine is on an engine stand and the transmission is under the work bench.
What was the difference between the Lightning Long and regular Lightning?
The long has a longer swing arm and the front is raked slightly for a more relaxed ride. So its not as sporty as the regular lightning. The peg to seat distance is a little longer too, so it helps those of us with longer inseams.
Thanks for the breakdown on the Lightning/Lightning Long. The closest I got to riding one was a demo on a Ulysses once.
How has your Buell treated you?
2006 Toyota Corolla
2015 Honda CRV
Looking for a Toyota Tacoma, but tempted to get a Miata instead.
Presently drive:
2005 Volvo V70, 132K miles. Eats oil, driver’s seat leather worn through, burns light sockets, otherwise a fine, solid car.
Past:
1997 Malibu. A hand-me-down. Ugly green outside, ugly tan inside, but cost nothing to maintain until it something blew in the engine. Even then, it ran as long as it put some oil in every few days.
2001. Volvo S60. Beautiful blue, but back seat tight fit for child seats, etc. Also, white interior isn’t such a great idea when you have kids.
1992 Camry DX 5 speed. Barebones except for ac.Absolutely reliable, except I had to replace theclutch twice. I guess I’m tough on them.
1986 CRX 5 speed. Might be my favorite of them all. Stolen!
1980 Honda Civic DX, with automatic. Red interior to match red outside. Very tough car
1974 Honda Civic. orange, with Hondamatic. In retrospect, very cool. But rust-ridden, and half the time didn’t start in the rain. For some reason I couldn’t have a Camaro or Firebird like all my friends.
2014 Mazda3 S Touring, which has done just over 11,000 miles since early July.
Not my dream car, but excellent for where I’m at in life right now.
2005 Audi TT 1.8T Quattro
2000 Jeep Wrangler Sport
Both with many modifications to suit my needs.
Commuter to work: 2011 Ford Focus
Weekend and trip car: 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis LSE
Last car I got rid off: 98 Lincoln Mark VIII – I sure do miss it.
Two notable malaise cars I owned in the distant past: 78 Mercury Monarch and 81 Mercury Cougar
Currently:
2012 Cruze Eco 6M
2006 Honda Pilot EX
Previously:
1998.5 Audi A4 V6 Quattro
1995 Mazda Protege ES
2002 Chevy Venture LS
1991 Honda Accord EX
1988 Ford Thunderbird 5.0 LX
1998 Ford Escort LX
1984 Nissan Sentra wagon
1988 Isuzu Impulse
1984 Toyota Corolla
1987 Honda Accord LXi hatch
1978 Nissan Skyline sedan
1983 Honda Accord hatch
1974 Volvo 142
1962 VW Type 1
Mostly serial – the Escort, Venture, and Pilot are/were my wife’s drivers. All stick shift except for her cars and the 142, Thunderbird, and Skyline.
Present cars:
1987 AUDI 5000S QUATTRO – Every work day I drive it 110 miles round trip through the Detroit freeway system! Awesome polar vortex car.
1984 AUDI 5000S AVANT – Was the wife’s car. She hated the weak air conditioning, firm steering, and it had limited towing abiliies. We wrote about that situation right here at TTAC.
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/09/piston-slap-say-audi-5000-to-your-tow-vehicle/#comment-2171169
We then got the Blazer. But I still love the Avant and put it into storage for the future day when the Quattro wears out or rusts.
2001 CHEVROLET BLAZER 2WD – Wife’s replacement vehicle with 60,000 miles. Blizzaks coming!
1976 FORD MUSTANG II – Wife’s summer fun car. It is just like the 1st car she ever bought. Do you think I could sneak an older Merkur/T-bird turbo 2.3 and 5 speed in there without the wife catching on? I did buy some wheels, dropped spindles, sway bars, and rear end lowering blocks to install this summer.
1973 Volvo 1800ES – My retirement project car. I would love me a 2015 Mustang 2.3 Ecoboost!
Currently:
2009 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S (Well equipped, manual, less than 24k miles)
2010 BMW 128 convertible
2008 Honda Pilot (Hate it, but it’s a good dog car and it’s paid for)
Debating a Porsche Boxer for my wife as a replacement to the 128 (and yes, that is her request)
Previously:
2009 BMW 335i M-sport
2002 BMW X5
2008 Acura RDX
2000 BMW M Roadster (with mods)
and more……
2006 Miata Sport 6 speed manual. Figured I needed to add a convertible to my bucket list of cars and now that I’ve had it for 3 years I’ve kind of got the convertible bug out of my system and am looking for something else.
Since late July, 2012, I drive a 2012 Chevy Impala LTZ. Bought new, I love the car and it is the fastest, most powerful car I have ever owned, and is perfect for my long commute, regardless of what nay-sayers say about the last W Body.
Keep this in perspective before you trash my vehicle choice; I’m almost 64 years old, can’t afford a Buick and this is a vehicle I can see out of quite well as I have some vision impairment, plus I bought it for a deal I could hardly refuse. I like big cars, always have.
Wifey drives a 2002 CR-V, also bought new. She loves it, I don’t, but it really is the family truckster.
Nothing wrong with the w body. The last iterations have the 300hp 6 and are deceptively fast for such a bland looking car. I had a 13 for a handful of months and enjoyed it. Needed a truck more, so I swapped it.
I had a rental LTZ recently. Pretty good car. My criticism was the seat bottoms seemed flat and hard.
Haha a 2003 Toyota Camry LE 4 cylinder that’s full of rattles by now but otherwise damned reliable. Almost replaced it with an Audi A4 Avant (in Prestige S-Line trim) but the damned A4 got bought out from under me a few hours before I finalized the price with my internet sales guy. Doh.
Now the car I actually want would be a 2012 Audi A4 Avant with the Prestige Package, S-line package, and the Drive Select suspension but so far I’ve only seen ONE car with the Drive Select package and it was actually a 2012 PP. Weird.
2014 BMW 320i/ daily
2001 Audi TT Roadster FWD /warm sunny days
Former
1987 Buick Regal Grand National (24 years)
2006 Audi A4
many, many others.
2013 Mercedes-Benz S 550
2003 XC70
1991 Mercedes-Benz W126 420 SEL. I just can’t part with the W126…I love it so much.
2003 4wd Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6. Great vehicle and paid off since 2008.
Current:
2015 Kia Soul EV+
2007 Honda CBR600RR
Previous:
2012 Chevy Volt
2006 Toyota Tacoma (5MT)
2008.5 Mazda 3 (5MT)
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R
2006 Mazda Miata GT (6MT)
2004 Toyota Prius
2000 Honda Insight (booger green)
2000 VW Golf (5MT)
2000 Saturn LS1 (5MT)
1998 Saturn SL2 (5MT)
1997 GM EV1 (company car)
1990 Plymouth Sundance (3A)
2009 Subaru Impreza auto (base model)
Have owned…
2006 Ford Fusion SEL 4cyl man (biggest POS IMO)
1997 Ford Escort man
1995 Dodge Shadow auto (another POS car)
1993 Nissan Sentra SE-R man
1984 Pontiac Firebird auto
I think the next one will be a WRX or, if I can swing it, and the hatch comes back, the STI. Really like the hatchback in the Impreza. Just turned a trouble free 90,000 miles.
Also looking at the Merc GLA… maybe a used one down the road…. not sure.
Current
2015 BMW X3 28d
2009 BMW 328 cab
Previous
2008 Honda Fit
2002 Porsche Carrera C4S
2004 Infiniti G35
2001 BMW X5
1993 Honda Civic
1990 Acura Integra
1987 Acura Integra
1987 Ford Ranger
1984 Chevy Blazer
1979 Mercury Capri
1975 Ford F150
a bunch of bikes
2012 White Hyundai AZERA with tech pkg.
Great car at a great price
I like it. Not enough of those pretty cars on the road.
My primary ride: 2003 Subaru Legacy L SE wagon. 198,000 miles. Trying for 250,000, but car is fighting me all the way. If bank account was not equal to damn near empty, then new XV Crosstrek with stick shift and heated seats would be in driveway.
My backup ride: 1997 Volvo 850 GLT sedan. Light pressure turbo, automatic. 108,000 miles. Was my late MIL’s car, only seen two winters, if it was a manual and (or?) a wagon, it would be my primary car.
My toy: 1988 Merkur XR4Ti, 89,000 miles, only seen one winter and three snowy days since new. Needs new turbo. In storage until spring. Lemons car is an 87 XR4Ti…does that count in the fleet?
Wife’s ride: 2011 Toyota Sienna XLE AWD. 90,000 miles. Excellent kid and stuff hauler. Wish it had two things it doesn’t: 1) 1992 Lexus LS400 build quality 2) Honda Element style interior.
As noted above, our oldest car is also an ’03 Legacy (L) SE wagon; ours has 111K miles and had its timing belt replaced at 105K as specified. What do we have to look forward to, as it were, in the next 100K miles? (Head gasket was replaced free by dealer at about 57K miles, even though we’d had the car more than 5 years by then, which was nice of them.) We hope to keep all three of our Subies going indefinitely because there’s no present-day equivalent even among their own products; no high cowls for us, please.
Here’s my stable:
2014 Toyota Prius 1k
2006 Toyota Sienna 93k
1998 Toyota Tacoma xtracab 2wd 111k
The past is more varied (not in order):
1987 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA (bought in 1999 with 5k miles)
2006 Mercury Grand Marquis
1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon
2000 Ford Econoline conversion van
1996 Volvo 960 sedan
1978 Lincoln Continental Town Car
1985 Cadillac Sedan deVille
1979 Cadillac Coupe deVille
1995 Pontiac Sunfire
2009 Toyota Sienna
2004 Toyota Corolla
Loved them all! Wife has had some awesome cars too. Still partial to the BOF vehicles…
my avatar: 2005 Subaru Legacy wagon GT 5 speed manual, LSD, and no sunroof.
wife’s: 2004 Lexus RX 330.
2007 Audi S4
Mine:
09 mustang v6
89 mustang 5.0 hatch
96 mustang gt sold
Dad:
89 mustang gt
71 mustang Mach 1 351c
71 mustang Mach 1 project
71 mustang grande coupe 351c 600hp
99 f250 v10
Mom:
2012 explorer ecoboost
2006 navigator
Current:
– Fiat 500e (The perfect LA city car)
Past:
– ’99 Nissan Frontier, 4×4, extended cab, 5-sd manual (My Haiti river jumper)
– ’93 BMW e30 3-series 325ci, 5-sd manual (sad one to sell)
– ’04 VW R32 6-sp manual (holds a special place in my heart)
– ’02 Pontiac Vibe GT, 2ZZ-GE, 6-sp manual (my first hot boxed, hot box)
Three in my “fleet”
2009 Pontiac G6 Sport Sedan. (Think G6 GT with Ecotec instead) 85,000 miles, still runs great. Official staff car of the midwest.
2004 Pontiac Aztek. 172,000 miles. Our third Aztek. Our “do it all” car, hauls everything from our prodigious amount of oak leaves in the fall, to my bicycles in dry weather and my drum kit when gigging. Plus our dogs and whatever stuff my wife buys at the mall.
1997 Chevy Cavalier. 265,000 miles. THE cockroach of the road. I commuted in it for years, my two kids took it to college and one STILL drives it. At 17 years old the body is about to fall off due to rust, but the drivetrain keeps on going.
Current:
The World’s Most Boring Subaru Impreza, 1995 4dr sedan, 1.8L, AT, FWD. Way slow, and currently rusting its way to total beaterdom, but still an okay appliance.
2000 Toyota Sienna. Also boring, but it does everything it should. It’s cool to take the seats out and haul enormous amounts of stuff with it.
Past:
1988 Mazda 626, 5MT. First car. Fairly zippy.
1991 Pontiac Bonneville, 3800 V6. Not a bad car.
1994 Toyota Tercel, 4MT. I loved how basic this car was. It even had manual steering, which was completely appropriate.
1980 Datsun 720 King Cab pickup. Orange, slotted mags, 5MT. A beater with personality.
1987 Ford E350 cargo van, 351W.
The RWD MT diesel wagon in a color starting with B. 1984 Volvo 245 GL with the VW I6 diesel, 4MT w/electric OD (engaged by pushing a button on top of the shifter), metallic blue with black leather. It was everything you’d think it was, including slow. Circumstances forced me to sell it way too soon.
Current:
2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS (auto)
2009 MazdaSpeed3 GT (intake)
Past: (sequential by year, but not necessarily in the order owned)
2009 MazdaSpeed3 GT (many mods)
2007 Magnum SRT8
2006 Kia Spectra SX sedan (5-speed)
1999 Buick Park Avenue
1996 Lexus ES300 (auto)
1994 Buick Roadmaster Estate Limited (with wood grain, of course) LT1 + Impala SS rear axle
(3.08, rear discs, and sway bar) and handheld tuner (primitive)
1991 Nissan Maxima SE (auto)
1990 Oldsmobile Touring Sedan
1988 Volvo 740 GLE wagon (auto)
1988 Chevrolet 1500 Cheyenne long bed (auto) 4.3
1987 Toyota Corolla FX-16 GT-S (5-speed)
1986 Toyota Tercel Wagon (front drive, auto)
1988 Buick Somerset Skylark (auto) Iron Duke
1986 Ford Taurus GL (4-speed auto) 3.0
1985 Honda Prelude DX (5-speed) dual-carb (ftmfw!)
1985 Buick Century Estate Limited (wood grain) 4-speed auto 2.8 and 3rd row seating
1983 Toyota Tercel 4 door (5-speed)
1982 Nissan Pickup (5-speed) with tasteful mod of spray paint on tail gate Nissan logo, leaving only “ss”
1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 2 door (auto) 260 2V
1973 VW Super Beetle (4-speed)
1971 Pontiac Catalina Safari 400 2V (with 3rd row seating)
1971 Ford Torino Brougham 2 door (auto) 351C 2V
1965 Mercury Montclair Breezeway Special (factory 4-speed) 390 2V
Ok:
Current:
2014 BMW 420i convertible
2014 Mazda 8
1986 Alfa Spider 1.6 black on black on black with a Momo wood steering wheel, garaged and waiting for it to become 30y old
Previous:
2007 Ford S-Max
2003 Merc CLK 230 convertible
1996 Suzuki Vitara soft top
1992 Opel Kadett
1991 VW Polo 3dr
1989 Alfa Spider 2.0 injection
2012 RAV4 Pyrite Mica (Brown) is my DD.
1997 F150 4×4 XLT Pacific Green with a color matched LEER canopy is my forever/old man truck.
Current:
2001 BMW 330i (150k, manual)
2005 Lotus Elise
Past:
1997 MB E420 (auto)
1996 Mazda Miata
1990 VW Corrado G60
1984 VW Rabbit
Been reading religiously for years but here’s my first post:
2015 Ford Fiesta ST, white with orange Recaro interior
2013 Nissan Murano Platinum, black on black
The ST is my daily, and with a good set of winter tires I feel it’s way better in our Canadian winters than my partner’s Murano. And it stands out from the sea of compact SUVs that most of my coworkers drive – I’m 26, and they’re mostly around the same age range.
Most unique car I’ve had was a 1991 Infiniti G20. Amazing handling and gearbox, and it loved to rev but at 300k kms it had limited life left it.
1985 Nissan 300zx drift car (Jan 2013 Modified magazine)
1989 Toyota Cressida (VG30 swap, 425hp)
1987 Daihatsi Hijet T3
1969 Subaru 360 Deluxe sedan (954RR swap)
2005 Scion xB
2008 Ford Taurus X
1990 Lexus LS400
Current:
2011 Audi A4 6MT, 2014 VW GLI DSG
Past:
2008 Honda Civic Si 6MT
2003 Ford Focus 5MT
2014 Ford F-150 FX4 (5.0L V8, crew cab, short bed – my wife’s daily driver)
2008 Lincoln MKZ (My daily driver)
1995 Mercury Sable (61,000 miles, always garaged, inherited from a loved one)
If I could have any car? A bespoke Bentley Mulsanne. I watched a documentary called “Raw to Ready” on PBS that followed the building of a Mulsanne. I’ve never been more convinced a consumer good was worth every $$$ charged to buy it.
Current:
1995 Chrysler Lebaron convertible
2001 PT Cruiser.
Bought the Cruiser new, the Lebaron was 18 mo ths old and had 11,000 on it. Both have less than 90,000 miles now and have been reasonable reliable, though not trouble free. One has a persistent transmission leak. I’ll let ya’ll guess which.
Past:
Mostly whatever we could afford.
Two however were bought new. 1978 Monza 2 door wagon and 1986 Buick Regal. The Regal was a nice car. The Monza got a new engine when it was 2 weeks old and the ownership experience was downhill from there.
Honorable mention from the rest
1967 Mustang coupe
1954 Ford. 239, 3 on the tree and 4 doors. Crestline, I believe it was.
Current:
2005 Mazda 6s (bought new, 2005)
Past:
1989 Ford Thunderbird LX (owned 1996-2002)
1995 Ford Taurus (2003-2005)
As a kid I hated that my dad kept cars forever. I think I have inherited the trait.
2004 Subaru Forester X auto 92k
2005 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer 4×4 99k
Past? Too many to count, including the Diplomat Police Interceptor.
now, just the manual diesel wagon. Oh wait, it’s an automatic:
1985 300TD
And the companion sedan,
1983 300D
And the much faster crosstown rival,
1995 540i/6
And the “because Pininfarina, Lampredi, roadster, that’s why”
1974 Fiat 124 Spider
And the LeMons veteran
1994 S500
But mostly I ride the
1990 BMW K75 “RS” (S model with RT fairing, what would you call it?)
When not getting 110 MPG on the
1980 Honda C70 Super Cub
Current:
2003 BMW 325i M Sport 5MT
2010 BMW 550i M Sport 6MT (kiddie mobile)
2005 Mercedes SLK350 Sport 6MT
Past:
2012 VW Passat S 5MT
1996 Buick Century Wagon auto (moving house)
2007 BMW 328xiT Wagon Sport 6MT
2003 BMW 325i Sport 5MT
1988 Volvo 240 Wagon 5MT (trip to Alaska)
1998 SAAB 900S 5MT
1998 Subaru Impreza 25RS 5MT
1995 Subaru Legacy L 5MT
1986 SAAB 900S 16V 5MT
1989 Subaru Justy RS 4WD 5MT
Currently have a strange mix of vehicles:
2012 Subaru WRX
1972 VW Super Beetle
1974 Porsche 914
All have a flat-4!
Past cars:
2000 Integra GS-R sedan
1995 Mazda Miata R
1994 Mazda Miata M
1993 Honda Accord
1989 Subaru RX 4WD Turbo
1987 Buick Skyhawk wagon (first car)
Current:
2012 Mustang GT California convert, 6-speed V-8.
2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser Trail Teams, 6-speed.
2010 Mazda RX-8 6-spd, (OK this is mostly my wife’s.)
1991 Miata 5-speed; (OK mostly my son drives this now, but I’ve had it since new.)
All red.
I bet I have the broadest variety of engines here: V-8, V-6, Rotary, I4; and the greatest number of cars with suicide doors.
Past: Buncha crap, mostly Mazda Proteges and 3s. I’ll drive a Mustang GT the rest of my life.
Daily driver: 2008 Cadillac STS
Workhorse: 1991 Ford F-150, XLT Lariat (5.8L)
2 wheeled fun: 1) 2014 Harley Streetbob
2) 2005 Yamaha XT225
Current
’69 Cougar XR7
’84 SVO
’96 F-350
’04 F-150 SC
Past notable
’78 Olds Delta 88 diesel
’79 5.0 Mustang
’84 MR2
’86 Charger turbo
’84 Bronco II
’88 CRX
’89 5.0 Notch Mustang
’90 Mustang GT conv
But interesting how some of the more outspoken and antagonistic here, refuse to divulge what they own when questioned repeatedly. Or have owned. As if we’re going to judge and mock their choices!
Currently jammed in one parking spot;
’14 Mazda2 GX 5-Spd – fun for a commuter car, if you like the idea of thrashing something constantly, decent on gas, once the faulty fuel pump it was delivered with was replaced, it’s been good
’85 Honda Rebel 250
Previously;
’04 Hyundai Accent
’10 Honda Civic
’03 Hyundai Accent
’97 Chevrolet Cavalier
’90 Ford F150
’93 Ford Escort
’95 Chrysler Intrepid
Ok I will play.
In our garage now. 2014 Subaru Forester, 2.5L Premium 6 speed manual, grey because I wanted the dark interior. It has the winter package and roof bars. 2012 Mini Cooper (not the supercharged version) 6 speed manual, beautiful burned orange, white roof, sunroof. Both cars are daily drivers and have been trouble free. All Manuals, Every last one.
I had a 2012 VW GTI that I adored but we needed at least one practical car, would have kept it if it had 4 doors… Damm!!!
Some cars in my past.
2005 Honda Accord 24L manual. Great, great car but unattractive light brown interior and sedans drive me nuts.
Cars owned in another land before 2009:
2008 Renault Clio III 1.6L. One of the nicest cars I have ever owned. Comfortable, good power, well equipped (auto lights and wipers), reliable and economical.
2005 Renault Clio II 1.2L. One of the prettiest cars ever built. I loved it’s MAD curved back hatch window where the rear wiper did not cover the very top of the curved glass, so French. BTW I towed an 16 foot catamaran over a mountain pass with this car once and did not hold traffic up, so the little 1.2 had horns.
2001 Lada Niva 1.7L. Full time, mechanical all wheel drive, low range transfer case and center diff lock. Go anywhere old school Russian cool.
1990’s Fiat Uno 1.1L. Reliable, cheap, ultra economical and surprisingly fun to drive.
2007 Honda Civic SI 4dr sdn. I’ve never had a car this long, and still really enjoy driving it. The 6MT is a joy every day. After having a few torque monsters, I love the high revving 4.
late to the party—
current fleet:
daily driver: 2001 Audi S4 Avant (2.7 twin turbo, 6spMT, 255K miles)
sunny day ride: 1999 Mazda Miata (5spMT, 85K miles)
hauler: 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 Power Wagon (5.7L Hemi, 6spMt, 52K miles)
The wife’s rides (both automatics):
daily driver: 2006 Scion Xa 104K miles
hauler: 2009 Mazda CX-9 71K miles (she hates minivans – CX-9 is quite sporty)
Past rides:
2003 Mini Cooper S
1991 and 1993 Nissan Sentra SE-R (1st new in 1991, 2nd used in 2000 – never should have sold either one)
1996 Chevrolet Tahoe LT – 205K miles before retiring
1994 Nissan Pathfinder SE
1980 Triumph Sptifire
1971 VW Bus
1976 VW Rabbit
own a 2004 BMW 330i zhp 6mt
Nice… Cloth seats, I hope?
@vvk – actually the original owner special ordered the car with full leather instead of the standard alcantara
Still, a fantastic car. Enjoy!
2009 Caddy DTS Premium, 35,000 miles, dark red, grey gut.
2008 Forester Sport, dark red, 78,000, 5-speed, wifey’s car.
2004 Ford F150, dark blue 95,000, black gut, 5-speed, 6-cyl, reg cab, long bed.
1991 Mustang GT Convert, 30,000 5-speed, triple white, summer fun ride.
1967 Pontiac Catalina Ventura 2dr Hdtp, 63,000, Burgundy, blk vinyl top, dark red interior. This was my Dad’s last new car. It has never been out of our family.
I’m considering selling the Caddy and the Mustang in the spring and looking for a certified pre-owned A-6.
Current:
2001 Ford Focus ZX3 twin cam 5 speed
Here’s a tip, ford racing offers svt shocks and struts as a set of all four with mounts for less than $200. A bolt on for any model Focus.
Previous:
06 GMC Canyon
94 Ford Ranger
86 Dodge Omni best $125 I ever spent
86 Oldsmobile Calias worst $300 I ev spent
92 Camaro
87 Cherokee
87 Cavalier with a non overdrive 4 speed
2015 Cadillac Escalade
2011 Jaguar XF
In reviewing the list I suspect I might be the only one holding a full house in the current household list:
2008 Mazda RX-8 40th Anniversary 6MT My current daily driver
2006 Mazda Tribute S Wife’s daily driver
2205 Mazda RX-8 Grand Touring 4AT High school daughter DD
2004 Mazda Tribute ES college daughter 2 DD
2001 Mazda Tribute DX college daughter 1 DD
3 Tributes and 2 RX-8’s makes a full house! (And driveway when they are all home!!)
Other current car: 1991 Mercury Colony Park LS with the LASTWGN plate.
Prior cars listed from first purchase:
1975 Ford LTD Landau 2 door pillared hardtop. First car – bought in June ’81 after high school graduation.
1976 Mercury Bobcat Villager
1987 Mazda B2000 SE5 (First brand new car)
1988 Ford Escort GT
1985 Ford Mustang LX (girlfriend/wife)
1990 Ford Tempo GL
1993 Ford Tempo LX (to replace Tempo totaled in accident)
1993 Ford Taurus LX wagon
1993 Ford Thunderbird LX V6
1999 Ford Taurus SE wagon
2000 Mercury Sable LS wagon
1989 Ford Country Squire
1996 Ford Thunderbird LX 4.6 V8 – this is the Jacques Nasser cost-cutting era steaming pile of poo that turned a lifelong Ford guy into a Mazda guy.
1979 Mazda RX-7 GS
2007 Mazda 6i 5MT – a really great car – loved the first gen 6
1983 Mazda RX-7 GS
1995 Mazda Miata with 65k miles
2009 Infiniti G37x Sedan with 62k miles.
Current:
Fun: 91 mr2 turbo w/ mods
Beater: 91 crx hf 55 mpg avg!
Wife: 2004 sienna
Backup car 2010 camry se grounded to the ground to
Past:
93 PREVIA on Tein coilovers and SSR professors
92 camry 4 cyl driven by my sister in fl and will not die
89 mr2 na
88 Toyota Corolla stick
88 celica all trac
94 Corolla with a 20v 6 spd
I drive whatever Smart Fortwo (via car2go) happens to be parked nearby when I need it. I like the cars so much that I’m seriously thinking about buying or leasing a Smart Fortwo of my own.
2002 BMW M5 with 95K (and rising by 15K per year)
1992 Jeep Wrangler 2.5L/5-speed
2011 Honda Odyssey Touring
Also, AAA membership (required with item #1)
2012 Dodge Charger R/T Road and Track
2007 Volvo XC90 V8 Sport (family hauler)
Reliability is decidedly not my top concern, apparently. Both purchased new, I’m not into inheriting someone elses problems.
Currently I own a 2008 Jeep JKU Wrangler Sahara and a 2014 Fiat 500 Pop. In one week I’ve already driven the 500 Pop more miles than I drove the F-150 it replaced in two months due to the fact that it’s simply fun to drive and gets between 2x and 3x the gas mileage of that old truck.
Past vehicles (in reverse chronological order):
1990 F-150 XLT Lariat
2002 Saturn Vue — Still running strong with new owner
1996 Chevy Camaro — Blown head gasket; engine seized
1985 Oldsmobile Toronado — Shredded timing gear; valves destroyed.
1986 Buick LeSabre T-type — Totaled
1973 Ford Gran Torino — died the long death. Doubt it’s still running.
1983 Mitsubishi Sport Pickup — repoed. (Lot job and couldn’t keep up payments)
1979 Dodge Aspen SE coupe — Traded for truck. Learned years later it had been confiscated after being stolen.
1975 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme — Sold when I went into military service.
1974 Ford LTD II — Grossly underpowered for having a 302W under the hood. Traded quickly.
1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass S — Turned out to be lemon.
1964 Chevy II — far as I know, still running. Flat couldn’t kill that little thing. I should know; I tried.
In the family:
*2005 Saab 9-5 Arc wagon (flawlessly reliable at 250k)
1997 Saab 9000 CSE Anniversary, manual
*1995 Saab 900S, manual
1995 BMW 540i/A (mint)
( * denotes daily driver)
Lovely.
Is the bimmer an E34?
How does the 9-5 drives?
The Bimmer is indeed an E34, with the M60B40 V8 engine.
The 9-5 drives very well; tight as the day we bought it. Drove it from Toronto to the East Coast this summer, loaded down with four adults and packed with stuff, and it still got ~42 mpg (Imp.)
Great fleet amiripley.
Totally jealous of your 540 and 9000. I have 99 9-5 and had a 97 900S for several years.
I left an 88 900S for the 97, and felt that the 88 was a superior car.
Keep that 9000 rolling. That’s a hidden gem.
Thanks!
We bought the 9000 from a dealer’s clearance lot in 2011 — it was a steal, with only 100k on the clock and a little cosmetic rust to drive the price down. We’ve done a fair bit of work on it since (both cosmetic and mechanical) so it now really looks and drives like new. Great cars (we had a ’94 9000CS many years ago, which went faithfully to 395,000 km). They’re getting quite rare, sadly.
Was your 9-5 the 2.3t or the V6?
2009 Shelby GT500 with almost 86k on the clock and as with all Mustangs it has received some modification.
2001 Volvo V70 XC 104,000
2000 Durango SLT plus 4.7 143,000 wifes DD
1988 Dodge Ramcharger Royal SE 160,000 2″ lift 32″ mud terrains waiting for time and money to redo as an overlabder style offroader.
Long time reader. Have not posted before. Current vehicles driven on a daily or weekly basis are:
A couple of Volvos (2015 V60 and 2014 S60) both with automatics
A Chevy Camaro SS (2014) with 6 speed manual
Driven on occasional basis:
1980 MGB
Highlights of vehicles owned in the past follow:
Mazda Miata MX-5 With power retractable hard top with 6 speed manual
A few Volvos including C30 R-Design with 6 speed manual
Jeep Grand Cherokee with Hemi
Various Fords
Various Chevys
Subaru Outback 2010 Limited
Honda Odyssey Touring
Saab 9000 CSE 1993
A couple of Pontiacs
Buick Electra T-Type
1985 Mercedes 380 SEL
Favorite, but least reliable of the lot, is the Saab 9000 CSE (left stranded twice). 380 SEL timing chain broke at about 120k miles resulting in a major expense. Buick T-type was fantastic until about 75k miles when the transmission and engine had to be replaced (thankfully, replaced under extended warranty). Subaru had many trips to the shop (which were covered by warranty). All other vehicle ownership experiences were relativlely uneventful. All of the Volvos performed as promised (thus the reason for owning so many of them).
Discounting the fact that Wiki says that the Electra name lasted until 1990, I don’t remember ever seeing the Electra name on any of the 1980s Buicks, especially the Park Avenue or LeSabre models and I owned an ’86 T-type LeSabre.
That doesn’t mean they didn’t exist. You thought you drove a 1965 Buick with a 455 engine, 5 years before they were introduced
heh.. and but a moment earlier.
1990 Buick Electra…
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4111/5213965347_f4d3f6cc63.jpg
You saw them all the time you just thought they were Park Avenues
Ok, I’ll accept that. You and the others have presented enough evidence to convince me; after all, I certainly wasn’t looking at sedans back then with any interest towards buying them. I have to say I really enjoyed the 2-door T-type LeSabre, though. At the time I really did think it was a separate model, since NONE of the paperwork with it called it an “Electra LeSabre”.
You see, I am willing to admit I’m in the wrong when I am–but don’t expect me to just take someone’s word as gospel without evidence. I need proof before I will accept data as truth and word of mouth alone is not proof.
As for the engine discussion farther below, I will also accept that data since enough evidence has been provided to convince me, though I still have questions about the markings on the air cleaner seemingly overstating the engine’s true size. My memory of that car isn’t good enough to state absolutely that it said “Wildcat 455 c.i.d.” Nor can I find any images in a cursory glance that proves the question either way.
(BTW, the springs in the seat of that monster were broken, so driving more than an hour in it was a literal pain in the rear because it had no support where you needed it most.)
Wildcat 455 was on the Buick Air-cleaners, it was the torque rating not the cid.
The 455 wasn’t out until 70 like someone else already said.
Well… if we’re including motorcycles too, I have a 2011 Triumph America.
IBTL
Current:
97 Holden Calais VT. LN3 V6 (3800) + 4L60E.
98 Saab 900 2.0i 3dr coupe.
Past:
91 Isuzu Impulse XS
91 Isuzu Impulse RS, turbo, AWD, yada yada…
Iran Khodro Samand, with TU5 engine (gladly).
Mom wheels
98 Fiat Siena 1.3 mpi
89 AE82 Toyota Corolla
The Isuzus are dearly missed. The XS was my first car and was revived, literally, using the guts from a Cavalier transmission. Thanks to a reduced FDR, it could do 110 mph @ 4.5-5K RPM all day long. I wish I had slapped a turbo to it.
The Commodore taught me the meaning of the word torque. Also that GM’s A & B bodies could have had a glorious future. That story, of course, ends in tears in 2017.
The Samand was nice, although a 2.0 lt engine would have worked wonders on that car.
2012 Honda Crosstour, 40k ( I know, I know, but I love it!)
2014 Mustang GT 6MT, 5k for weekends
Previous, all MT
2004 Accord Coupe – traded in at 100k due to a growing family
2000 Golf GTi – my father drives it now, going strong at 160k
Europe- side
1989 Golf – started its life as a 1.0 L for tax reasons with 45hp and modded with a 8v GTi engine. Sent to the crusher at 150k after it developed an appetite for fuel pumps and interior fell apart.
1969 NSU 1200 – my first car, my father’s old race car and handed down to me. Learnt to drive and work on it. Fun times with a rear engine, RWD car. Sold it after it needed a week’s worth of work to be driven for one day, and spare parts were getting hard to come by.
Currently own a 1995 Ford Thunderbird LX 4.6 V8 in black with 122k. It sits in my garage most of the week since I reside in a city with good mass transit and walk to the subway every AM.
Previous vehicles: 1987 Ford Thunderbird 3.8 V6 TBI-Light Blue
1982 Honda Prelude 5 speed-Dark Blue
1981 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 229 V6-Copper
1980 Olds Toronado Diesel-Charcoal Grey
1975 Mercury Cougar 351 V8-Silver W/Maroon Landau Vinyl
1973 Chevrolet Impala Custom Coupe 350 V8-Tan W/Brown Vinyl Roof
1970 Ford Mustang Coupe 302 V8-Mustard W/Optional Brown “Western” Vinyl roof
1966 Pontiac Tempest 2 dr hardtop 230 OHC-6-Midnight Blue
Notice how they all have real names, not some number/letter combination like the latest OS. Most of these cars were quite reliable with normal maintenance. The only one that became a problem was to no surprise, the Olds Diesel.
85 300zx turbo
89 Cressida w/VG30 swap
69 subaru 360 deluxe sedan w/954RR swap
05 Scion xB
08 TaurusX Eddie
90 LS400
87 Daihatsu Hijet T3 pickup
Two thumbs up, the Cressida sounds very intriguing.
It also has the front end off a C33 Nissan Laurel Medalist.
Youtube: Kqcqwi0EiNY
Technically, nothing. I am assigned overseas in Saudi Arabia where I am not allowed my own vehicle. So, I drive (actually share…I don’t even have my own assigned vehicle) one of several 2009 Tahoe/Yukons we fleet. My wife drives a 2011 Scion tC when we are Stateside.
I’ll play along…
2014 IS350
2003 S2000
2014 VFR800F
2001 W650
different vehicles, different missions…
2015 Audi S3 Sportback with manual transmission
2002 W220 Mercedes
2008 Mk3 Land Rover Discovery
1987 Toyota Hilux
2013 W222 Mercedes
Past
2003 Toyota Avensis
2003 Toyota Harrier
2004 Toyota Premio
2002 Nissan X-trail
My Past possessions:
1991 Mercedes E230
2000 Mitsubishi Galant
2003 Mitsubishi Magna VRX
2004 Mitsubishi Magna VRX
2007 Dodge Charger V6 w/Mopar Catback & K&N CAI
My Present:
2010 Cadillac Escalade
2015 Cadillac ATS 2.5l
Current: Lexus 430LS 2006
Mercedes GLK 350 2013
94 Honda Accord EX 5sp stick
Previous:
58 Chevrolet Biscayne (first car)
67 VW Bug
71 Datsun 240Z
67 Lincoln Continental
71 Porsche 911
72 Citroen DS 21 Pallas (my favorite)
76 Buick Riviera
78 VW Golf
65 Mercedes Benz 220SE sedan
83 Toyota Camry
74 Chevrolet Malibu Station Wagon (Baby on board)
83 Chevrolet Impala Station Wagon
77 Cadillac De-ville
90 Saab 900
92 Oldsmobile Silhouette (first and only mini-van)
92 Buick Roadmaster
89 Ford Crown Victoria
00 VW Passat
00 Toyota Avalon
03 Honda Accord
05 Lincoln Town Car
I am half-way through my lease, and very happy with my 2014 Kia Sorento SX AWD. Snow White Pearl exterior, black interior. Of all vehicles I have had, this is the most livable and useful. The outward visibility, sight lines, driving position, cushy armrests fit me perfecto-like. Ventilated seats are a regularly-used feature, and blind-spot detection is an added comfort on the daily drive. The car feels compact and friendly for parking in garages, tight spaces. The V6 cruises comfortably on the open road, and provides a satisfying kick when merging with the chaos around Houston. I use the heck out of the cargo area (as evidenced by scuffs and wear marks), and third-row seat has been handy, though it lives mostly folded flat. Everything just feels right and fits right for my family. At lease-end, I may want to keep this one.
Present:
2004 Mazda 6S (albeit with the “wrong” transmission)
Past:
1995 Mazda MX-6 LS, made it to 297,000 miles (240,000 on original clutch!)
1992 Ford Probe, 2.2 L automatic, bought new.
1980 Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta, 229 V-6 automatic–meaning the stock radio had more power than the engine.
1975 Ford (Torino) Elite, taught me all I wanted to know about rust repair.
2013 Honda Accord EX Coupe I4 6MT
1986 Mazda RX-7 GXL 5MT red with black (later model aluminum) hood.
2002 Subaru Forester S 5MT blue.
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 250R 6MT white (plastidipped, originally red).
In the US: ’15 WRX and ’14 Cherokee. In PI: ’08 Mitsubishi Adventure, but soon to be a ’15 Ford Everest.
2009 corolla. Base model. Manual transmission, crank windows, manual locks. 105k miles.
2009 Saab 9-3 Sportcombi currently with 29K miles (I will keep this one forever)
2010 Volvo XC60 3.0T AWD
2013 Lexus CT200h (commuter car)
2014 Factory Five Mk4 roadster (under construction)
Interesting…what do you like about the 9-3 SC so much? I like them too (as an idea, at least), but I have some significant reservations about them.
I worked for Saab for a while so I have an emotional connection to the company. Most likely the brand will never come back so this is probably my last shot at a well preserved exemplar.
The new 9-3s had lots of problems on the early years 2003-2004 but I would say that after MY 2007 they had all been worked out and those cars are very reliable and fun to drive. I also like that it is a somewhat unique car and very few people own them (the B&B here are not a good sample of the general population).
This particular one was bought new to be the wife’s car and has a Hirsh tune making it a blast to drive. We now keep it in the garage as a spare car so it is not driven very often. It is in showroom condition and I intend to keep it that way so when I am old and retired I can look at it and remember the good days at Saab.
I am 46. Here are the cars I have owned (that I can recall), most recent last:
1977 Toyota Corolla auto
1986 Honda CRX 5 spd
1986 Mazda 323 LX 5 spd
1987 Mazda 626 5 spd
1980 Toyota Corolla 5 spd
1991 Geo Prizm Lsi 5 spd
1986 Mazda 2600 truck 5 spd
1986 Toyota truck 5 spd
1987 Subaru wagon auto
1986 Saab 9000 turbo 5 spd
1993 Ford Escort wagon 5 spd
1990 Dodge Caravan auto
1995 Dodge Neon 5 spd
1999 Ford Ranger 5 spd
1997 Ford Explorer auto
2001 Saturn sl2 5 spd
2000 Saab 9-5 wagon 5 spd
2005 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner auto
2005 Saturn Vue 5 spd (still own this one)
2003 Saturn Ion 5 spd
1998 Ford Mustang GT 5 spd
2003 Ford Focus 5 spd
2005 Dodge SRT-4 5 speed (still have this one)
2008 Acura MDX auto (company car)
2011 Kia Optima SX auto (company car)
2013 Ford Fusion Titanium auto ( still have this one)
Current car is a 2010 Infiniti G37x sedan dark grey with light “stone” interior. Picked it up last year with about 25K miles on it. Great combo of a reliable, comfortable, and practical vehicle that’s still fun to drive. Don’t have space for more than one car/person, so have to get it all in one package. Also considered picking up a new Mazda6, new Accord, or used Acura TSX or TL, but the Infiniti blew them away.
In the past, I have owned a 1993 Saturn SL2 sedan (I actually really liked that car) and a 2004 Subaru Legacy sedan. I miss the Subaru’s excellent AWD system, but the Infiniti is a much classier car. If the new Subarus were more fun to drive, I probably would have stuck with a Legacy.
The wife drives a 2003 Hyundai Elantra sedan. We are hoping to get a few more years out of it and then will likely replace it with a lightly used Lexus RX350, Acura MDX, or a Subaru wagon (if I can talk her into it) in anticipation of kids.
Currently an Acura RSX and a Toyota Highlander Limited
Honda 4trax ATV
Learned to drive when I was 7. Spent summers at my grandma’s farm driving my 1969 Chevrolet C10 pickup from 7 to 14yrs old
86′ Jetta Carat
92′ Buick Regal (mom’s old car I got first year of college)
95′ Chev Montecarlo
10′ Chev Cobalt (demo)
01′ Nissan Maxima
97′ Nissan Hardbody
98′ Toyota 4Runner
1. 1996 Saab 9000 Aero 5sp man. running on E85, over 400k km needs a clutch that can take the torque and a lsd..
2. 2000 Saab 9-5 Aero wagon 4sp auto, runs on E85, gasoline or any mixture the two. almost 400k km and just needs more..
3. 2007 Kia Carens (Rondo in North America i think) 2,0CRDI 4sp auto, 350k km, I don’t like it, the wife hates it, we have it because it has 7 seats and was supposed to be cheap to run. Unfortunately it also has a cruise control that is nearly impossible to get on and when it does work it’s the crappiest cruise control i’ve ever seen, but fortunately the koreans have paired it with the dumbest automatic gearbox ever so neither will be lonely. Needs to be sold to someone else..
Current car is a 2010 Infiniti G37x sedan, dark grey on light “stone” interior. I picked it up last year with about 25K miles on it. A great combo of a reliable and practical vehicle that is still fun to drive. Don’t have room for more than one car/person, so I have to get it all in one package. I also looked at getting a new Mazda6 or Accord or a used Acura TSX or TL, but the Infiniti blew them all away.
In the past, I have owned a 1993 Saturn SL2 sedan (I actually really liked that car) and a 2004 Subaru Legacy sedan. I really miss the Subaru’s excellent AWD system, but the Infiniti is a much classier car. If the new Subarus were more fun to drive, I probably would have stuck with a Legacy.
The wife drives a 2003 Hyundai Elantra. We are hoping to get a couple of more years out of it and then will probably replace it with a lightly used Lexus RX350 or Acura MDX in anticipation of having some kids. I might try and talk her into a Subaru Forrester or Outback for old times sake!
Me: 2013 Mustang GT Premium 6MT. Surprisingly good daily driver with a backseat big enough for my emboostered children and a larger trunk than I ever use. Got it new a year ago when the 2015 had just been revealed and dealers were giving away the old ones in cereal boxes (especially mine, almost a full model year old).
Wife: 2010 Subaru Outback 6MT. When we bought it it was one of three manual Outbacks in dealer inventory within 75 miles of us and the only one in Premium trim. My wife isn’t even a particularly enthusiastic driver, just way cooler than I deserve.
32 years old in Brooklyn, NYC.
Current: 2014 Honda Accord V6 Touring – Silver over Black, bought and paid for in May; 6K miles. Mine.
2015 BMW X3 xDrive35i M-Sport – Carbon Black over Ivory White, bought in Oct; 2.5K miles. My partner’s.
Previous: 1993 Toyota Camry V6 XLE – Green over Taupe, 323K miles when retired. My first car and hand-me-down from my mother @ 16 in 1998. Passed to my younger brother. The car just would.not.die.
1998 BMW 540iA – Jet Black over Black, 206K miles when totaled by deer in 2005. My dad’s former daily driver and hand-me-down.
2005 Volvo S40 T5 AWD – Ice White over Off-Black, 137K miles when traded in 2008. The car was a graduation present from my parents; lots of highway miles from NYC to law school in Chicago.
2007 Honda Accord EX-L V6 6 speed sedan – Taffeta White over Ivory, 180K miles when traded for the 2014 Accord. The first car I bought out of law school; complete sleeper and the start of my love affair with Honda’s J-series V6s.
Damn, I leave for a few days and this greets me? Okay, here goes . . .
A 2013 Ford Flex; a 1996 Buick Roadmaster; a 1973 Steyr Haflinger 703AP; a 1976 Steyr Pinzgauer 710K.
One of these things is not like the others.
What about the Pacer? :D
Also, I think the only point of this post was to stress-test the comment system.
I’m not counting the Pacer yet, as it’s incomplete. The powertrain (crate LS2, 5L50E transmission, Ford 8.8″ rear) is in place and looks like a factory fit, but the interior needs to be finished, then removed and the final paint work applied. Fortunately the door jambs have all been sprayed, so the only way anyone will know the paint isn’t original is by looking at the factory code tag.
I’ll be using Ford’s Blaze Yellow, Green Gem and Tuxedo Black in either a Pacer X stripe style or taking a risk on duplicating the modern crinkle-coat finish as seen on Worden’s Flatfish frog pattern.
2000 Honda Accord EX V6 Sedan
2005 Honda CR-V EX AWD
1989 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 Convertible 5-Speed
1967 Chevrolet C10 Stepside
1985 Kawasaki Ninja 900
1994 Polaris Indy Trail
+3 Restored Motorcycles: 82 Kawasaki GPz550, 84 Kawasaki 750 Turbo, 85 Kawasaki Ninja 900
Current DD 2008 SAAB 9 3 Aero Sport Combi XWD – 6 Speed MT, V6 Turbo, All Wheel Drive Wagon, Red
A sampling of previously owned…
2009 Honda Civic Si – “The Accursed Car”
2008 VW R32 – AWD, DSG, glorious exhaust note
2004? Lexus IS300
? Chevette Diesel
1969 Pontiac Gran Prix HO400, automatic
? VW Rabibit Diesel
1967 Pontiac Gran Prix 428, automatic, highway package “The Enterprise”
’13 Fiat Abarth
’11 BMW 328i wagon
’01 Range Rover HSE
’74 Triumph Spitfire
Rental car dujour – ’15 BMW 228i courtesy of Sixt at ATL – best rental car EVER! I am soooo buying one of these next year.
Presently:
2013 Mercedes C300 4Matic (mine)
2014 Toyota RAV4 Limited AWD (wife)
Past:
2012 Acura TL SH-AWD 6MT
2008 Infiniti G37s 6MT coupe
2006 Honda Odyssey (wife)
2002 Camry (wife)
1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse 6MT
1995(?) Toyota Celica 6MT
1989(?) Mazda 323
By far the most fun to drive car out of the bunch is Infiniti G37s 6MT coupe. TL is second and the stick shift is the smoothest of the bunch. I would had kept that car had it not burn oil since day 1. After dealing with Acura for almost 2 years I got fed up and traded it in.
I decided to German brand a try and hopefully I won’t regret it. So far so good (knock on wood).
Past:
1972 240Z
1999 Mazda Miata
1998 BMW 323si
2005 BMW 330 coupe
2009 BMW 335 coupe
Current:
2006 Porsche Cayman S
2014 Cadillac ATS 2.0T
Present:
2011 Mercedes Benz GLK
2013 Chevy Volt
Past:
2013 Chevy Volt
2007 Saab 9-3 2.0T 6 speed
1996 Corvette LT1 auto
1996 Corvette LT4 6 speed
2001 Camaro Z28 6 speed
2005 Cadillac STS V8
2003 Cadillac Seville STS
2001 Camaro Z28 convertible
2005 Pontiac GTO auto
1997 Mercedes Benz E320
2000 Cadillac Seville SLS
1993 Pontiac Trans Am auto
1993 Camaro Z28 auto
1993 Ford Taurus SHO
1993 Chrysler Concorde
1991 Ford Thunderbird V8
1989 Pontac 6000 LE
Past:
2000 Acura EL
Current:
2001 Honda CRV (5MT, EX) – winter car
2000 Honda Civic SiR (or SI to you Americans) – summer car
Current – 1998 Lincoln Town Car
Previous, first car at the top, last at the bottom:
škoda octavia 1959
ford cortina 1975
ford granada 1979
ford sierra 1984
ford capri 1979
Simca 1301 1969
ford taunus 1974
fiat 600D 1969
chevrolet caprice 1988
mercury monarch 1975
oldsmobile omega 1981
bmw 525e 1985
ford capri 1981
buick century 1987
austin maestro 1986
dodge coronet 1968
renault rapid 1985
ford granada 1985
ford tempo 1986
mercedes 300d 1981
mercedes 280e 1981
jaguar xj6 1979
dodge coronet 1967
ford galaxie 1968
ford torino gt 1969
opel diplomat 1965
ford mondeo 2003
škoda favorit 1991
dodge tradesman 1980
ford aerostar 1990
mercedes 220ce 1987
mercedes 200d 1976
P.S.: All of those owned in last 12 years, in Czech Republic.
I remember your blog post. Linked to it somewhere else and people were very impressed with your mpg-figure.
curious what you made of the Maestro. They were seen as dogs of a car in the UK when I was growing in 90s despite being quite well liked earlier
2005.5 Audi A4 3.2 6AT silver/grey with aluminum inserts with sports package, light package, premium package, sound package, just broke 100k and runs like it has 20k miles on it.
Past: 2000 Jetta two liter stick shift with no options whatsoever. Sold at 132k in tip top shape (yes the coil pack did fail… turns out i didn’t have to sell the house to have it fixed).
2001 Hyundai Accent GL with no options whatsoever. The awesomest go kart I have ever driven, incredible easy to park.
We are fast approaching the moment of becoming a two-car couple. Either a brand new VW (Jetta, Golf, JWS, certainly stick, maaaaybe TDI) or Mazda 3 sedan with the two liter. Or something used and interesting from the specialty european dealership in town which has great owners.
Current:
2005 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT (helps having a truck when you have motorcycles and a house)
2013 Kawasaki Ninja 650
1983 Honda CB500
Past from recent to first:
Kawasaki Ninja 500
2004 Lexus LS430
2012 Nissan Frontier 4×4 (V6/6MT)
2004 Audi A6 2.7T
2005 Dodge Neon SRT4 6MT (probably the crappiest car I have owned)
1994 Honda Prelude 5MT (loved this car, still miss it)
1990 Nissan Sentra 4MT (first car, took all the abuse I gave it)
650 comments. Almost too much code for Opera on Android to load without waving goodbye.
It’s the simple questions…
But, blog patrons, how many readers do you estimate you have per week? Pretty surprised by this Jalopnesque number.
Jalopiks yakety-yak a streak
and waste your time of day.
But TTAC readers will never speak
unless they have something to say.
Usually
… you were saying?
Haha, bonus points for self irony, I guess?
If we had the ability to use the visual props that they can on Jalopnik it would be a whole different story
Currently driving a 2014 Accord Sport CVT and a 2004 Forester XT that I’ve had since new. In the past I’ve had a few cars as well:
1970 Nova – First car was a beat to death NYC car.
1984 Renault Alliance – I actually loved the way this car drove for the two months or so it actually ran.
80 something Plymouth Horizon – decent enough little hatchback and I think my first manual transmission car.
80 something Ford Escort four door hatchback. I kind of despised this car and was almost happy when the engine seized.
1979 Mustang – Not a particularly “cool” Mustang, but I loved this car. It only had a six, but it had a four speed and I redid the suspension and put good tires on it and it handled really well.
1988 Chevy Blazer – I was early on the SUV craze, actually just got a really good deal on a fleet car.
1973 BMW Bavaria – This was a six with dual carbs and a four speed. Cool car that I used for about five years. I lived in Manhattan at the time so it was mostly used for weekend trips to upstate NY.
1994 Saab 9000 Aero – The repair bills swore me off of euro cars but it had the best seats of any car I’ve ever been in and it was a stealth monster on the highway. I really enjoyed this car and would love a modern version.
Now:
12 accord
05 pilot
98 cherokee
92 miata
Past worthy of mention:
00 civic hx – best commuter
96 impala ss – all around great
91 lumina z34 – just gm being gm
79 camaro berlinetta 305 – right car at the right time
71 buick lesabre – first car always makes the list
Currently drive a 2011 Scion xD, which is my second car.
My first car was a 2008 Toyota Yaris RS 3door.
This is my first post on TTAC but I’ve been reading it for a while.
Poncho Indian:
Moving from Iowa to the KC area so will have to sell the Silver Arrow.
Asking 10K will probably settle for 9K.
Sandberg,
I really really wish I had a place to put it (and the spare money right now). Beautiful cars.
2004 Honda S2000 (AP2), 58,000 miles
1991 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL, 108,000 miles
Current: ’15 Forester, ’14 CX-5, ’99 Boxster, ’01 Mazda B3000
Past (of note): ’85 944, ’05 Element, ’04 RSX, ’01 Odyssey(No joke), ’94 Trooper, ’69 Karmann Ghia, ’66 Beetle
2012 Dodge Charger: For performance, features, and fun. Glorious red leather interior always brightens my day
2006 Lincoln Town Car Designer Series: For a smooth, silent, comfortable, cushioned commute. All the old school virtues of size, strength, substance, and bulletproof reliability, coupled by this time in its life cycle with modern upgrades like sat/nav and sharper suspension. Panther love, need I say more?
1995 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon: Keep this around for fun, too. Last of the dinosaurs, but LT-1 power, full-boat luxury equipment, and ability to carry 4×8 plywood flat in the cargo compartment make it my SUV of choice.
1985 Nissan 300zx turbo (Jan 2013 issue of Modified)
1989 Toyota Cressida (Nissan V6 turbo swapped, 425hp)
1987 Daihatsui Hijet T3 truck
1969 Subaru 360 sedan Deluxe (Honda 954RR swapped)
2005 Scion xB
2008 Ford Taurus X Eddie
1990 Lexus LS400
1983 Mercedes 300D for a daily driver. At 230,000 miles, it’s barely broken in by W123 standards. I jump in and take eight-hundred-mile road trips to visit family every holiday season and it performs with utter reliability.
I also own a 1989 Chevy G20 conversion van I bought to haul larger stuff when I was moving a while back. I waited for some time to find a low mileage example, but even at 57,000 miles that thing is a worn-out, poorly-built, shabby piece of crap. Despite all the work I’ve done on it, I still feel nervous driving it into town and would never consider an interstate trip with it.
Decided a little while ago to ditch the junker van and pick up a Volvo 240 Classic Edition wagon instead. These days I’m lurking around waiting for just the right one to come along.
2014 Black Chevy SS. Recent trip from Texas to Alabama and back garnered 5 unsolicited positive comments, including one from a Mississippi trooper during a gas stop. Owned the car since April and have seen only one other on the road.
Well, obviously I’m not the oldest person visiting this site, but I’m not far from it. As you’ve already seen, the majority of my cars have been American brands with only two noted exceptions, my ’83 Mitsu pickup and my ’14 Fiat. The Mitsu pickup was almost the ideal size for me, but even then I wanted the extended-cab version when it came out. Unfortunately, that was also about the time the American mid-sizers stole the market with their larger size and better comfort and I still wouldn’t have complained, but today’s trucks–even the mid-size trucks–are too big or lack certain necessities (like ample legroom in the Tacoma). Driving this Fiat 500 says you don’t have to be BIG to be comfortable.
I’ll admit I hated my first car; it was a sedan picked out for me by my parents and they’d already spent MY money on it when I first saw it. Not one week later I had to drop a new engine into it because a cylinder wall was cracked (had been drinking three quarts of oil a day from the day they brought it home). After that, I simply couldn’t kill it–even when the distributor points slipped and welded together. Engine actually ran in reverse for over a mile before I could find a place to pull over and re-gap them (had to replace the entire distributor, but those were cheap in the day.) The two Cutlasses, the Buick and the Toronado were all 2-door cars and I loved them all. The two early Fords were sedans which again I hated–for more reasons than just the fact they were sedans; they were also far too big for my comfort. But you’ll also notice that GM was my primary brand for many, many years. No longer.
2008 MDX, driven in the faux manual mode because that thing hurries up hills in 3rd while the rest of traffic cries “Ack! A hill! More gas, 5th gear, more gas!” That, and it’s paid off with 110k miles and should go for many more.
Cars with which I have lived:
2011 535i GT auto. Tell me about it. The turbo lag was like trying to motivate a battleship to flank speed. Nevermind the German electronics failed to work in Germany when it was cold. I don’t miss it.
2006 350Z convertible 6MT which on an impulse buy replaced a 2004 350Z hard top 6MT. I think I understand what visibility must have felt like from a Normandy pillbox. Felt most bumps in the road and it felt heavy, but it could move with a sense of purpose. Bought the 2006 from a dealer who wanted to sell “as-is” and I insisted on CPO. It had the oil burning problem and got a new engine free at 50k miles within a few weeks of ownership. I miss the ragtop.
2006 Prius. The nerd in me liked trying to hypermile it, but never afraid to mash the pedal and listen to the little combustion engine work. I miss the mileage.
1990 Accord EX 5MT. That was a fun car with great visibility, light compared to the portly Z, so four cylinders felt fast enough, I found the car, gifted by my parents whilst in college as a well kept used car, sold for the Z. I miss that car.
Learned on…wait for it…a poop brown 1980something 4MT Toyota Corolla station wagon with power nothing. My dad went gray when I learned on that car.
1980something Vanagon 4MT that went through 2 engines, drove friends to the high school prom after the hired van didn’t work. A Vanagon with 6 adults behaves much differently than with 1 adult. No crashes, but I quickly learned the importance of proper stopping distances.
PonchoIndian, you have good taste in cars!
Best wishes, Sandberg
Currently I commute in style – 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo. 171,000 miles on it, never been late for work.
Firebirds, 280Z, SUVs and that bastard TR3 in the avatar are past rides.
Current vehicle: 1995 Ford Thunderbird LX 4.6 V8 in black with red (firethorne)interior. 122k A few options such as sunroof but does not have, and I wish it did 4 wheel discs and traction control. The only mods are K&N filter and suspension upgrades. It sits most of the week since I reside in a city that has fine mass transit.
Previously owned: 1987 Ford Thunderbird 3.8 V6 light blue
1982 Honda Prelude 5 speed navy blue
1981 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 229 V6 TH200 copper w/brown landau
1980 Oldsmobile Toronado Diesel charcoal grey
1975 Mercury Cougar 351W silver w/maroon landau
1973 Chevrolet Impala Custom Coupe 350 V8 tan with brown vinyl roof
1970 Ford Mustang Coupe 302 V8 C4 mustard gold with gold “Western” vinyl roof
1966 Pontiac Tempest 2 door hardtop 230 OHC midnight blue
Learned to drive on 68 Valiant 4 door 225-6 w/3 on tree in yellow and 72 Dodge Dart Swinger 225-6 auto in Richard Petty Blue with a white vinyl top-moms car.
Note how all of these cars have real names, not some alpha-numeric phrase that sounds like the latest OS. All of these vehicles were reliable with normal maintenance except the Olds Diesel which became a beast of burden.
’77 VW Scirocco
’83 Accord hatchback
’87 Accord LXi
’94 BMW 325i
’01 A6 2.7T (85 days in the shop in 4 years)
’04 Accord V6 6 speed coupe
’07 Infiniti G35 (My first automatic)
’14 Tesla Model S 85
’77 Scirocco – love it! My high school/college dream car!
’09 Mazda3 hatch/auto – daily driver
’09 MX-5 Touring PHRT/manual – toy
Previous:
’84 Trans Am (first car)
’70 Charger SE
’95 Saturn SC1 (got me through the Marine Corps and college)
’00 Camaro SS
First post here
Peugeot 207 VTI 2010
and past my driving test on Ford Fiesta ecoboost 125 2013. Nothing particularly interesting
’14 bmw 328i sportline
’11 BMW 335i, Sport, but sadly with 6AT (couldn’t find MT used). The 6AT is pretty darn good though.
Prev:
’97 Lexus ES300
’01 Jetta GLX /w 5MT <- my fav car besides the Bimmer, totaled by red light runner
'90 Mazda Protege
'97 Toyota Paseo <- second gen, very rare
'82 Toyota Celica
No American cars in there (I grew up in the Malaise Era), just 2 German and 4 Japanese, and the 2 Germans are my favorite.
715 comments? Damn.
Ask a substantive and evocative question and you get your readership involved to talk about themselves.
Journalism 101.
(BTW I read every single comment in this topic. Loved it! Almost as good as love in the hot afternoon, or afternoon delight.)
1980 Toyota Corolla Wagon. Tan, 5sp, 1.8L pushrod hemi motor, and it’s my daily (my only car).
With minor mods (like weber side draft and some motor/exhaust work) I’ve driven it from Texas to California and back doing 70mph with the A/C on full blast and a full load of crap (stuff tied to the roof too!) It’s dead reliable, and so easy to work on. Not the car most people would expect a 22 y/o college student to pick, but I love it to death!
Ok, here we go, in some sort of order from when I was 17.
1959 Beetle – 4 mt of course, didn’t have a gas gauge, no radio, had the sound of heat, no heat
1960 Bug eyed Sprite 4 mt(first wife made me give it back)
1968 Renault R-10 4 mt
1966 Austin Healey Sprite – 4 mt,blew the teeth off the lay shaft. Learned what a gudeon pin is. Did you know that if you hooked the battery up backwards (they were positive earth) that you could run the engine backwards and have one speed forward and four speeds in reverse?
1970 Beetle 4 mt
1967 Beetle (first wife’s car) 4 mt, managed to slide driver’s seat backwards off the track trying to get in the thing
1972 Beetle (mum’s car) 4mt
1970ish BMW 1600 w/1800ti motor – 2 big ass weber carbs, thing went like hell
1972 Renault R-12 – the definition of rattling interior plastic
1976 Rabbit – 4 mt white, until I backed it into a lamp post in a snow storm
1981 Honda Accord – 5 mt, what a great car at the time
1980 Oldsmobile- Big ass car with a 350
1983 Honda Accord – great car with lousy carb/emission controls
1978 Chrysler Cordoba -auto, no Corinthian leather, holy shit that thing was big
1989 Honda Accord – 5 mt, best car I ever owned
And some other Honda Accords: 1997 V6 auto, 2001 5mt, 2005 5mt, 2008 V6 auto- POS crap seats, ate brakes.
Current: 2013 Honda Accord EXL cvt – a bit boring but smooth as hell.
Wow, good idea for a thread Derek. Seems to have succeeded.
My current car is just like Derek’s, a 2015 Mazda 3 hatch with 6MT in the same Mica color. I have the optioned up s Grand Touring version however. It is an impressive car. The chassis feels like a BMW 3 series to me, and I am getting over 35 mpg. It replaced a Volvo C30 which I loved, but I needed 4 doors.
My other “car” is a 2007 Moto Guzzi Griso.
Previous cars of interest;
’69 and ’70 Saab 96’s with 4MT on the tree
’83 Renault Fuego
’72 Honda 500
’85 VW Westfalia camper
’62 Studebaker Lark – purchased from the proverbial little old lady who only drove it….
’90 Mitsubishi Expo
We did this before ya know.
Never titled to me personally but driven/owned by me for a period of time:
MY87 Dodge Shadow (grey/grey) – Dad’s beater
MY92 Subaru Loyale (white/blue) – Grandma’s car
MY00 Ford Taurus (blue/grey) – Then g/fs car she lent me during hard times.
Bought by/titled to me and kept over a long period of time:
(1999-2005) – all gone now
MY92 Chevrolet Cavalier coupe (black/black cloth)
MY02 Pontiac Grand Am SE1 (black/black cloth)
MY85 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (white/black leather)
MY89 Cadillac Sedan de ville (burgandy/tan leather)
(2005-present)
MY98 Saturn SL2 (white/tan cloth) – gone
MY90 Audi 100 (teal green/grey cloth) – gone
MY90 Lincoln Town Car Signature (cream/brown two tone/tan carriage roof/cream leather) – gone
MY08 Pontiac Grand Prix GT (black/black leather) – current
MY93 Volvo 240 (white/blue cloth) – current
MY02 Saturn SL2 (gold/tan cloth) – current
Short term ownership during the auction years, never titled to me personally:
MY86 Toyota Cressida (faded burgandy)
MY92 Lexus LS400 (black)
MY02 Lexus ES300 (black/silver two tone)
MY88 Cadillac Eldorado (burgandy)
MY89 Cadillac Deville (white/grey two tone)
MY91 Cadillac Deville (white/blue carriage roof)
MY91 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (silver/grey half roof/opera lamp) – exquisite car
MY89 Lincoln Town Car Cartier (silver/grey half roof) – gorgeous
MY95 Buick Riviera (teal green)
MY93 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible (green/beige roof)
MY95 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight Royale (off dark green)
MY97 Buick Lesabre (white/black leather) – blew a rod!
MY00 BMW Z3 Convertible (silver/black roof)
MY81 Chevrolet Corvette (fire engine red)
MY97 Honda Civic (white)
MY95 Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 (burgandy)
MY94 Jeep Grand Cherokee I6 (white)
MY94 Ford Explorer V6 (purple)
MY02 Chevrolet Trailblazer (dark blue)
I think that’s all of them.
Additional: Jay gave me a MY97 LHS (all black) to drive over a weekend once. Pretty car I really liked the look of it, but it was high miles (140+), the motor felt weak, and its suspension was shot. I also remembered I had a low mile’d MY00 Concorde (gold/tan) over a weekend as well, and it was one quick big ass ride. There were also some N-body Chevys and Buicks I forgot about because they were me’h.
Additional 2: There were some other trucks I ran around more than once but they all run together in my head because they were all so forgettable. 80s/90s Blazers, C/Ks, S10s, Rangers, almost always beat, I never kept these ones as personal drivers.
You have to change your name to 32+/–Cars-Later
Not enough panache and I also lose the pun.
I have a friend whose list is longer although in his case they were all titled to him (and he was not a dealer).
Yeah, I forgot, “28” is way more hipster then “32+/-“, what was I thinking?
Hipster? Them’s fighting words!
In case you really did not pick up on the it, its a reference to this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_Days_Later
Just shows you how un-hipster I am, don’t even know about hipster movies from 13 years ago
Well it won’t let me post. Here is a link to when we did this before:
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/08/study-nine-brands-suffer-loyalty-issues-among-customers/#comment-3695954
I drive a 1986 Volvo 240 GL wagon, 4 speed manual w/OD. It’s just about to hit 240k miles. It has some dents and bruises but it starts up every time. My back-up is a 1998 Subaru Impreza, 5-speed, which I’m currently lending to a friend.
2012 Ford Focus SEL. 40+ mpg at a steady-state 80mph on level ground, 37 mpg on my last trip to Phoenix and back home to Salt Lake City. Handles great, it’s quiet, and has enough get-up-and-go to be entertaining.
Previous cars:
2000 Pontiac Grand Am GT. Lotsa torque, handled well, excellent brakes, plenty comfortable for 12-hour drives.
1997 Acura Integra LS. Surprisingly quick for a glorified Civic. Looked great, handled great, could do 90+ going up Parley’s Canyon.
1987 Chevy Nova CL. Gutless, but was still lots of fun. The engine heated up quickly enough on winter nights that one could get warm air out of the heater after only a couple blocks of driving.
Currently:
2008 Infiniti EX 35 (Wife’s old car – can’t decide on a new car)
Previously:
2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible
2005 Acura TL
2003 Infiniti G35
1999 BMW 328
2000 Porsche 911
1997 Infiniti I30
1991 Infiniti G20
1986 Mazda RX-7
In my garage you will find:
2014 Mercedes-Benz GLK350
2008 S2000,31,000 miles,easily the most fun car I have ever owned.
1968 Mustang Coupe, 138,000 miles, 302 V8, in family since new, looks and runs great!
Between me and my prettier side, we DD:
2007 Honda Accord SE, 99k mi
2014 Fiat 500L, 9k mi
Weekend:
1998 355 F1, 20k mi. It has seemingly blown both radiator fans at this moment, so it overheats if it’s not going fast enough. It’s the perfect story to tell my friends…….you’ll kill the car if you’re too slow!
Dearly departed:
2008 Cayman with the wrong transmission, 63k mi. I credit that car with bringing me back to my childhood dream of owning sports cars.
I’d love to learn more about your experiences going from a relatively reliable/practical sports car (Cayman) to an exotic (355). Any regrets?
Currently a 2012 Audi TT-RS in mid life crisis red and a 2014 Kia Sportage. The Sportage replaced a 15 yr old 4RUNNER and the Audi replaces a 2008 Mazda6 GT hatchback.
Well, that’s how to get everyone to check in …
Current:
2014 Honda Accord EX Sedan 6MT
2002 Nissan Pathfinder SE 5MT 140K miles
2011 Subaru Outback 2.5 Premium (wife’s car)
Past:
1992 Acura Legend L 5MT
1994 Honda Accord EX-L 5MT
1986 Honda Accord Lxi HB 5MT
1981 Dodge Colt RS twin stick
1973 Dodge Dart slant six/auto
1966 Corvair daily driver
1979 Honda Civic cvcc
1990 Miata
2001 Camaro Z28 convertible
Big Dodge truck
My spouse drives some sort of “me too”, grey, 4 door Audi thing. I’m gonna replace that anonymous thing (she gets so mad at me when in a crowded car park I walk up to the first newish 4 door I come to and ask “is this it?”) with a Cadillac CTS coupe at Christmas time.
2010 Dodge Challenger SE
1968 Plymouth Road Runner
New record? By double?
2010 Ford F150 SuperCrew XLT with STX package (In Cananda a package add on to XLT, in USA a separate trim level)4×4 6.5 ft box 5.4 V8, 3.55 limited slip diff, 2 tone – grey/silver
2010 Toyota Sienna Ce Blue mirage metallic
I drive a 2012 Fiat 500 Prima Edizione (First Edition) #169 of 500 and a 2013 Can-Am Spyder.
My wife loves her 2009 smart cabriolet.
And we have a 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara to do the heavy(ish) lifting.
… I ride the bus.
Gives me time to read TTAC.
I do carpool to the bus stop in my wife’s 07 Mazda3 that we drove across the country and does a greatjob accommodating our family of 4. It might be nice to get a sports car someday, but for now I get much more mileage out of GT4 with a Logitech G27 wheel. Maybe someday I’ll splurge on a used PS3 so I can toy with GT6
2013 Ford Focus SE
2000 Toyota Celica GTS 6 spd
1999 GMC Suburban 4wd
1982 Yamaha Turbo Seca
Currently:
2001 Acura Integra GS-R hatchback, black, 5-speed manual.
1991 Honda CRX HF with Si transmission, wheels, and steering wheel, red, 5-speed manual.
It appears that the average age of my cars is… old enough to vote.
Previously:
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, blue, 5-speed manual.
1998 Subaru Forester, black, 4-speed automatic.
All this TTAC reader data will make advertisers salivate!
2005 Toyota Echo 5MT (my daily driver)
2004 Toyota Sienna CE 5AT (wife’s daily driver)
2006 Ford Ranger 5AT (for heavy/dirty jobs)
1984 Toyota Supra 5MT (summer fun)
1981 Toyota Tercel 3AT (project car under tarp)
2011 VW Jetta Highline TDI with DSG auto. And yes, it is the coveted toffee brown metallic.
Currently the vehicles in my stable are:
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited- this is my pride and joy; 132,000 miles and still runs like a top; never gets old ripping mustang owners a new one stoplight to stoplight
1995 Nissan Altima-drive this gas sipper to work and back
1995 Ford F-350 Diesel- practically stole this from the previous owner; had no clue what he had on his hands
2000 Chevy 1500 z71- hunting, hauling, pulling, and everything else inbetween
Previous-
2004 Chevy 1500 z71- the one that got away; dumb sell on my part
2001 Nissan Frontier-worst car ever
1991 Jeep Cherokee Briarwood-more rust than fake wood grain
1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo- rolled it out wheeling
1988 Ford Bronco II- its last breath was at 451,000 miles
Current:
2013 Toyota Carry LE
2006 Ford Fusion SEL V6 (120,000 miles)
Previous:
2006 Toyota RAV 4 Limited
2003 Ford Explorer SportTrac
2003 Toyota MR2
2012 Ford Focus
2009 Ford Focus
2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2003 Ford Focus
1999 Kia Sephia
1988 Pontiac Grand Am
1996 Jeep Cherokee
1997 Lexus ES300 – 201K km just keeps going, comfy, smooth, decent power, pity heated seats have failed!
2006 MX-5 – ’nuff said, fair weather driver.
2002 Nissan Sentra – stalwart companion and necessary ‘sensible’ car with 2 new teenage drivers.
Pt ii
Many in the past but my 2 faves, for different reasons although both afflicted by rust were a Alfasud and a Toyota Celica.
The former had holes in the floor and accumulated puddles of rain water but the flat 4 was a joy. The Celica was underpowered but a blast if spooled up and launched into corners.
Hope someone is going to tabulate these responses to figure out overall TTAC reader preferences!
Right now I have two in my fleet…
2006 Focus ZX4 SES, 2.0 automatic and 105k miles
2002 Nissan Frontier, 2.4 auto, 110k miles
The Focus replaced my 2000 Grand Am GT that I bought used with 25k miles, then I put another 150k miles on before the transmission started to slip in second gear. I sometimes miss the torque of the Grand Am’s big V6, but the Focus drives like a go kart and just loves bendy roads. The Focus has only needed routine maintenance so far, where the Grand Am had a huge list of repairs by the time it reached 100k miles.
The Frontier is my wife’s daily and replaced her ’91 GMC K1500 since 12mpg from the 350 V8 wasn’t really compatible with her 70 mile daily commute. Don’t know how much longer we’ll have the Nissan though; she’s getting tired of the rough ride and wants some kind of crossover wagon or small SUV.
2010 Dodge Challenger R/T. Hemi Orange with black stripes. Solo catback exhaust, Afe ProDryS drop in air filter, and SRT air intake. Just turned 4 years old, 42,000 miles.
Here I am, down here!
2012 Tesla S 85kw
Previously:
2009 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works
2004 Audi allroad 4.2
1999 Lexus RX300
1995 Pontiac Trans Am
Ha! I may be unique here.
2000 Ford F-350 300K miles (crew truck)
2003 Ford F-350 230K miles (my truck)
Remarkably reliable trucks – I keep threatening to replace them but they haven’t broken yet. I loves me some V-10s!
Wife drives an 03 Lexus GS300, now starting to develop small but annoying problems at only 160K. Why can’t Lexus make a reliable electric door lock?
2014 Ford Fusion Titanium with 2.0L Turbo, solid, fast, comfy and quite. But last two month always get white Nissan Altimas 2.5S as a rental, clones, for what ever reason better cars are never available. Right now I am in Hawaii driving as you can guess white Altima and already tried to get into someone else Altima couple of times since there are lot of them on the parking lots in Hawaii. Crude but drivable, no fun but at least not Avenger.
1998 Peugeot 206 diesel – bought used 3 years ago.
Fits very my well my little employ – minimal budget usage.
Not that nervous for a 1.9l on a small car…
Still looks very good.
Zero trouble. (okay, one light bulb.)
…and the garage queen :
1978 Renault 5.
Automatic (!), nice dark blue with black plastics all ’round (the European trim, not the horrendous “Le Car” buffalo-whipers add-ons), beige interiors (1978 was the last of the original oh-so-70’s design), and, the bourgois features !, exclusive for the automatic :
‘bit more power (…), vinyl black roof, teinted windows, ‘capitons’ inside (roof), de-frost rear window, reverse light and even head rests !
But no, no clock. (that would be too much wouldn’t it, the ‘Five’ is no capitalist barge “non plus”.)
Looks particularly nice at night, evenings..
Needs a change of “culasses’ (i.e upper part of the engine), and the vinyl roof is a total loss.
Renault 5 is among the cutest French car ever built.
2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302
2008 GMC Yukon XL AWD
2014 Harley Davidson Ultra Limited
1996 Ducati Monster
1995 BMW R1100RS
Interesting to see all of these new names, but curious that some of the regulars haven’t chimed in yet. Unless I missed their names in the scroll.
I’m guessing that some are reluctant to reward such shameless, kindergarden-level click bait with a response.
Not me, though! Now I’m looking forward to the next QOTD: “Inny or Outy?”
What kind of car is a “Inny or Outy?”
A very ambivalent one.
Oh, a CUV
Seems like the ones having the strongest opinions on what others drive, refuse to share/admit what they drive themselves.
Oh? Like whom?
Like RobertRyan and Pch101. I’ve asked, they refuse.
1998 Peugeot 206 diesel – bought used 3 years ago.
Fits very my well my little employ – minimal budget usage.
Not that nervous for a 1.9l on a small car…
Still looks very good.
Zero trouble. (okay, one light bulb.)
[I’ll post the rest of my comment little by little because the robot guarding the camp here at TTAC seems to have smthng against one word I just ignore.]
[part one]
…and the garage queen :
1978 Renault 5.
Automatic (!), nice dark blue with black plastics all ’round (the European trim, not the horrendous “Le Car” buffalo-whipers add-ons), beige interiors (1978 was the last of the original oh-so-70’s design), and, the bourgeois features !, exclusive for the automatic :
[part three]
[if you can’t read part2 blame the camp’s administration.]
Looks particularly nice at night, evenings..
Needs a change of “culasses’ (i.e upper part of the engine), and the vinyl roof is a total loss.
Renault 5 is among the cutest French car ever built.
[part two – 1st sentance]
‘bit more power (…), vinyl black roof, teinted windows, ‘capitons’ inside (roof), de-frost at rear window, reverse light and even head rests !
[part two. 1st sentence, 1st group]
‘bit more power (…), vinyl black roof, teinted windows,
[part two. 1st sentence, 1nd group]
‘capitons’ inside (roof),
[part two. 1st sentence, 3rd group] [can’t get the 2nd through]
de-frost of the rear window, a reverse light and even head rests !
[seems ok now. So the rest of the post : ]
But no, no clock. (that would be too much wouldn’t it, the ‘Five’ is no capitalist’s barge “non plus”.)
Looks particularly nice at night, evenings..
Needs a change of “culasses” (i.e upper part of the engine), and the vinyl roof is a total loss.
Renault 5 is among the cutest French car ever built.
[part two]
‘bit more power (…), vinyl black roof, teinted windows, ‘capitons’ inside (roof), de-frost rear window, reverse light and even head rests !
But no, no clock. (that would be too much wouldn’t it, the ‘Five’ is no capitalist’s barge “non plus”.)
Current:
1994 Cadillac Seville SLS (I don’t even know why I bought this)
2014 Dodge Charger R/T (My first new car and by far the most I’ve ever spent)
1989 Buick Electra
Previous (I’ve owned lots of Buick V6s):
1989 Cadillac Allante (4.5)
1992 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi (3800 SI Supercharged)
2007 Buick Lucerne CXL (3800 SIII)
1989 Pontiac Bonneville SE (3800 LN3)
1990 Pontiac Bonneville LE (3800 LN3)
1989 Pontiac Bonneville LE (3800 LN3)
1987 Buick Lesabre Custom(3.8 LG3)
2000 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP (3800 SII Supercharged)
1996 Buick Century wagon (3.1)
1999 Pontiac Firebird Formula (5.7L LS1)
1991 Pontiac Grand Prix SE coupe (3.1)
1998 Buick Park Avenue (3800 SII)
1992 Pontiac Grand AM GT (3.3)
1987 Pontiac Grand AM (3.0)
1991 Pontiac Grand AM (Quad4)
1993 Buick Regal (3800 SI)
1998 Jeep Wrangler (4.0)
1986 Dodge Diplomat SE (318)
1980(?) Triumph TR7 Drophead (project car that I never completed and my only non-US nameplate)
They made an Electra in ’89? I thought the Electra died out in the early ’70s. I never saw one in the showrooms after ’73 that I can remember. I learned to drive in a ’65 with that huge Wildcat 455 under the hood. (Thing tended to split steel wheels on an annual basis. It was HEAVY metal!) I mean, I see that Wikipedia says the name lasted until 1990, but I don’t ever remember seeing a Park Avenue marked as an “Electra Park Avenue” or “Electra Regal” or Electra T-type.” I owned an ’86 LeSabre T-type and loved it, but the next higher model was simply labeled Regal, without the Electra name attached.
“The Buick Electra was a full-size premium automobile built by the Buick division of General Motors. The Electra name was used in numerous designations by Buick from 1959 to 1990.” – Wikipedia
You did NOT learn to drive a 1965 Buick with a 455. They didn’t come out with the 455 until 1970
And the next higher model was of course the widely advertised Electra, with the Regal being a midsized rental car in the ’80s.
Regal > Le Sabre > Electra (Park Avenue) In that order, not Vulpine’s order
Um…. Ok then, what was the engine they CALLED the Wildcat 455 back in ’65? I was the one who did oil changes and other minor maintenance on that car; my Dad was too busy and my mother didn’t know and didn’t care. The model name itself was Electra 225.
Now, maybe you are right that they didn’t put a 455 under the hood in ’65, I don’t know. My dad bought the car used in ’68 and the air cleaner cover clearly stated “Wildcat 455” on the label. Maybe he bought it not knowing it was modified; maybe someone just stuck a replacement air cleaner housing onto it. All I know is what it said. We drove that car until ’73 when my dad got tired of replacing wheels under it and decided to trade for a brand new ’73 Gran Torino (the same one I drove 15 years later.
When I wrecked my own ’73 Oldsmobile in ’74, he bought me an LTD he thought would be the better car because of the ’73. I’d managed to get a Union job and traded that thing off as quickly as I could because it rode like a barge and looked like a supertanker. But that’s another story.
401 Nailhead V8 and the 425 Nailhead V8 The 430 V8 arrived in 1967
The “Wildcat 445” was what they called it and labeled the air cleaner, it never was a 455
Vulpine, I have to agree with your memory. I learned to drive in my grandparents 1966 Electra 225, I also learned to check the oil, the water level in the radiator and the battery, and to change the air filter under the cover that said it was a Wildcat 455.
All the shared faulty memories in the world can’t make the Buick 455 a 1965 or 1966 engine offering. It is possible that the earlier engines were labeled by a slight exaggeration of their already exaggerated gross torque rating, as was the case with Edsels a half dozen years earlier.
“…and to change the air filter under the cover that said it was a Wildcat 455”
It did NOT say “455” it said “445”
Look…
http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Buick/65-Buick_Wildcat-445-DV-08-AACA_e01.jpg
My bad… Lie2me is correct, Wildcat 445.
I have to admit to being caught short here by a combination imperfect memory and some GM marketing hoopla, ala putting the torque rating instead of the cubic inches on the air cleaner.
I said it before, I’ll say it again: Show me proof. I’ve accepted that I can’t show you proof of what was on that specific car’s engine, but if you’re so adamant that I misread it, then show me, don’t tell me.
… and I did just that, which is of course what you meant
Accepted, Lies. But that is NOT the label I remember. The one I’m remembering wasn’t a full red circle but rather the ring-shaped ones as seen on most other cars of the day.
But again, I can’t prove it since I don’t have any photos of my own. (Everything was print film in my family and I simply don’t have access to that library of photos yet as my 90-year-old mother doesn’t want to let go of them. I’m going to have one heck of a scanning job ahead of me once she passes.
“I’m going to have one heck of a scanning job ahead of me once she passes.”
Please do.
Meanwhile, I feel happy to know that somewhere over there in America some sturdy grany is keeping all those pics safe, of a once great lifestyle we know must “se perpétuer”.
If TTAC will let me post a link, here is an example of the FWD Electra T-type and ’89 Electra Limited wearing the “Electra” badges. If these won’t post just Google “Electra T-type” emblem.
http://tinyurl.com/l4naj7z
http://tinyurl.com/phefpmg
Exactly, but Vulpine never saw one, so they didn’t exist
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/370606881505?lpid=82
They used saturation advertising for the ’85 Electra. It was everywhere. They showed filthy prototypes with aftermarket driving lights for months before it reached the market. It was one of the biggest product launches of the year.
Electra was a C-body with “Park Avenue” being a trim package for it. The Park Avenue became its own model for MY91 on C-body but with radical new styling.
2008 BMW M3 E92 with a stick for the nice days.
1994 Honda Accord LX sedan auto for the not as nice days.
My current vehicles:
2005 Pontiac Vibe original manual transmission, 181,000+ miles
2001 Oldsmobile Alero GLS original auto transmission, 150,000+ miles
I love both of them.
Great combo: Toyota 4 cylinder engine with manual transmission and GM V6 engine with auto transmission
Previous vehicles:
1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, 160,000+ miles, auto transmission failed
1994 Toyota Corolla, 200,000+ miles, auto transmission failed
2004 Nissan Titan 130K great truck
2009 BMW 335d 70K best road trip car Ive ever owned. At 100 mph still gets 30 mpg
2012 VW Sportwagon 40K perfect so far
Current:
2002 Fiat Stilo 1.2 6mt Active 3dr.
Very happy with it. One of the most handsome cars of its time in its class (still is). It also has a Pontiac G6-like multi-panel panoramic roof, which is very cool!
Former:
1993 VW Golf 1.6 5mt CL 5dr
Was not so happy with it. It didn’t look like a 17 yo car when I bought it, but the engine was rubbish. Eventually got rid of it, because I was fed up with stranding all the time.
2008 Acura TL (base, automatic) with ~95K. Comfortable, reliable, great powertrain, but not that engaging to drive.
Current:
2007 Acura TL – Originally bought for my wife, now I drive it everyday thanks to a 44 mile round-trip commute.
2003 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 8.1 – No better vehicle for child seats, weekend projects, and camping trips.
1994 Lincoln Town Car – This is my Granddad’s old car. I love it but it’s currently parked because it badly needs new tires I’m waiting to make sure it will pass emissions next month before I spend the money.
Previous:
2001 Jeep Cherokee
1995 Ford Thunderbird
1998 Pontiac Sunfire
’14 Subaru Forester XT
2009 Honda Civic (My daily driver. Currently it has hail damage but I couldn’t justify spending insurance money on it to fix it as it sits outside most of the time, is rarely washed and is just a heavy traffic commuter car. Still, it’s a fun car to drive, and cheap to maintain.)
2006 Jeep Wrangler TJ (Favorite vehicle ever. My wife plans to sell it when I’m dead… but not until then.)
2004 Jeep Liberty KJ (Wife’s ride. She wants a Grand Cherokee but I don’t want to get rid of it as it’s long paid off and it’s an awesome all-around family 4WD.)
1998 Honda Civic (On loan to my mom. It’s got 155k on it and the motor runs like new with NO major breakdowns yet. It’s a very well built car.)
2007 Porsche 911 Turbo, 6 speed manual. Somewhat modded, lots of fun. Two track days, more to come.
2014 WRX, one of the last wagons made. Manual, daily driver, bone stock. Turned my Porsche into a garage queen.
2000 Tundra Limited 4×4. Bought for $17k with 12K miles. It sits 360 days a year but nothing comparable is available now for twice the price.
currently:
2005 vw golf tdi (150k) – hers
2004 Subaru Forester XT (190k)
1997 Toyota 4 Runner (150k)
all equipped with 3 pedals
also:
1986 Volvo 245 (LeMons, unknown mileage, many engines)
2003 Honda CBR600RR
2009 Yamaha Zuma 125
previous:
1994 Honda Civic EX coupe turbo
1994 Honda Civic EX sedan – hers
1993 GMC Jimmy 4×4
1998 Jeep Wrangler sport 4.0
2003 Acura RSX-S – hers
1990 Dodge Shadow turbo
1995 Honda Del Sol VTEC – hers
1994 Honda Civic DX coupe
1998 Honda Prelude Si – hers
1985 Honda Civic sedan – hers
1980 Toyota Corolla wagon
all above also 3 pedals except the James, prelude and the Shadow
1993 E280 T Sportline
1989 Saab 9000 Carlsson
Daily Driver (rider…) 2011 Genesis Croix De Fer
OK, I’ll bite, if anyone’s still paying attention.
Current:
2014 Toyota Prius Five liftback
2004 Toyota Camry LE 4-cylinder, 4-speed automatic
1998 Nissan Frontier XE regular cab, short bed, 2wd, 4-cylinder, 5-speed manual
Prior, in order of acquisition (all with gasoline engines, no diesels):
1975 VW Rabbit 2-door 4-speed manual
1979 VW Rabbit 2-door 4-speed manual
1980 Volvo 242DL 2-door, 4-cylinder, 4-speed manual (without overdrive)
1977 Chevy Impala 4-door, 305 cu. in. V8, 3-speed automatic
1980 Volvo 245DL wagon, 4-cylinder, 4-speed manual (plus overdrive)
1990 Mercury Sable GS 4-door, Vulcan V6, 4-speed automatic
1997 Toyota Camry LE 4-door 4-cylinder, 4-speed automatic
2005 Toyota Camry XLE 4-door 4-cylinder, 5-speed automatic
Now, it would be interesting if Tim Cain could tabulate all of these results, at least for currently owned cars.
I’m late to this string but I’m driving a 2010 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport with manual transmission. Fun and trouble-free so far. The new Crosstrek’s are interesting but not with that weak 2-liter engine. A torquey diesel or a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with direct injection and, say,185 hp and 200 ft-lb of torque might get me back in the showroom.
Currenly: 2007 Toyota Prius.
Past: 2004, 2002 and 1997 Corolla. 2001 Prius, 2002 Hyundai Elantra GT. 89 Maxima, 89 Pontiac Bonneville, 95 Tercel and a 77 Buick Regal.
My first car I learned to drive on (in 1993) was a 74 Buick Lesabre with a 7.5L engine. That car was amazingly quiet. A car I will never forget.
Mine: 2005 Mazda3 S hatch, 5 speed
Hers: 2007 Toyota Prius Touring
Oldest Daughter’s: 1998 Ford Escort SE, 5 speed
Middle Daughter’s: 2003 Mazda Protege LX, Auto
Toy: 1960 Thunderbird Convertible, 352 cid V8, Cruise-O-Matic Auto.
Past (most recent first)
2010 Saturn Outlook XR-L, FWD
1999 Honda Odyssey EX
1988 Dodge Grand Caravan, 3.0 V6, Auto
1988 Subaru Loyale Wagon, 5 speed (free newspaper delivery car)
1988 Chevy Celebrity, 2 door, 4 cyl. auto (beater)
1993 Ford Escort LX, 5 speed
1992 Saturn SL2, Auto
1988 Nissan Pulsar NX, SE, 5 speed
1988 Chevy Nova, 5 speed
1980 Chevy Monza, 2.5 Iron Duke, 4 speed
1976 Chevy Camaro, 250 ci straight 6, auto
A7, V70 R-Design, and 9-3 convertible are current trio, the rest are here, which should explain the screen name…
AUDI:
’86 5000S
’89 90
‘90 200 Quattro
’90 V8
’96 A4 2.8 Quattro
’00 A6 4.2
’96 Cabriolet
’11 A5
’12 A7
BMW:
’78 320i
’94 325iC
’94 525iT
’99 528iT
CADILLLAC:
’71 Eldorado Convertible
CHEVROLET:
’65 pickup
’71 Chevelle Malibu
DODGE:
’74 Monaco sedan
FORD:
’57 Thunderbird
’60 F100
’64 Galaxie 500
’67 LTD
JEEP:
’72 CJ5
LINCOLN:
’72 Continental
MERCURY:
’72 Cougar Convertible
NISSAN (Datsun):
’80 280Z
OPEL:
’74 Manta Luxus
PORSCHE:
’78 928
VOLKSWAGEN:
’78 Rabbit
’82 Jetta
’85 Jetta GLI
’90 Corrado
’91 GTI
’93 Corrado SLC
’98 New Beetle
’00 Jetta
’06 GLI
’09 Passat CC
VOLVO:
’85 240DL Wagon
’04 XC90
’10 V70 R-Design
SAAB:
’03 9-5 Wagon
.02 9-3 SE Convertible
Better late than never…
Current:
2002 BMW 530i (5MT, Sport package, 61,000 miles). Great size, amazing ride/handling balance, easy on the eyes. Perfect.
2005 BMW X5 (5AT, 102,000 miles). Slow and thirsty, but good for New England winters. Built like a tank, and weighs about as much as one too.
Previous:
2009 Mazda RX-8. Razor-sharp handling, serious drinking problem, fragile. Surprisingly practical interior.
1997 Mercury Grand Marquis LS. The indestructible boat.
Current : 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan, Wife’s car and road tripper 124k miles.
1988 Chev Silverado stepside DD with 240k miles, bought new in Nov ’87
Some previous:
’54 Chev Bel Air, first car, power steering, power seats
’62 Chevy II convertible, powerglide
’64 Impala 283 with powerglide
’67 VW Fastback
’64 Buick Riviera
’65 Buick Skylark GS 401 cu. in. nail valve, 4 speed
’71 Buick Electra 225 455 cu. in.
’71 GMC 1/2 ton stepside, 3 speed on column
’78 Chevette 1.6 HO engine. all time worst car I’ve owned
’79 Ford Fairmont, 2.3 liter 4 cyl. with auto. 4 door with bucket seats, actually a pretty good car. Drove it 145k miles with no real problems.
’94 Dodge Caravan SportWagon 3.0 LITER V6 with tow pkg, handling pkg and Goodyear Eagles. Hands down, the most reliable and capable car I’ve owned. 232k miles and other than routine wear parts only replaced 1 rear wheel brake cylinder, starter motor and windshield wiper motor. That’s it. Great road car.
Regarding the earlier discussion on “455” on ’60’s era nail valves, I think the designation referred to torque. My GS had a “425” on the air cleaner and the Riv had a “445”. Pretty sure the biggest cu. in. size on the nail valves was 401 and 425.
I proudly drive a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. Bought it with 64,000 miles on it, and had to replace the transmission (mechanic tells me it was already on its second), intake manifold, cracked cylinder head, heater core, all sorts of other stuff. Now at 69,000, still doesn’t quite run right. I’ll give up on it if this tranny goes out, barring that this car should be stable.
That sounds like it saw some serious abuse. The 2005 does not have the all plastic manifold and fail safe cooling so it would take really trying to crack a head. Heater core going is also incredibly unusual as it needing a trans that soon. Many will go 3-400K without a problem though they fact that it was supposed replaced once doesn’t surprise me that it didn’t last since they are a lot of crappy transmission shops out there.
At least it has no rust.
At 38, I’ve now owned (not counting those primarily driven by either of my beautiful wives) 15 trucks and 11 cars, 16 manuals to 10 autos, 10 V8s, 6 6cyls, 10 4cyls
Current:
1999 Accord LX 4cyl, 5-speed, 142K
1997 Silverado Z-71 xcab, 242K
1977 F250 2wd, 400, (1?)27K
Faves from the past:
Any of the 4 Tacomas
Either of the 2 Land Cruisers
2004 GTO 6-speed, only gone for a couple months now
Me:
2007 VW Passat Wagon 2.0T
1971 VW Karmann Ghia Convertible (Needs rear wheel bearings)
Wife:
2005 Saab 9-3 (It’s days are numbered, but it doesn’t know that)
2009 Toyota Tacoma. Just hit 70k worry-free miles and expect many, many more.
2014 Ford Mustang GT500. Hit 2k miles before Winter arrived. Smiles per gallon.
2008 Cayenne S
2014 Boxster S (6MT)(Wife)
2009 Kawasaki Er6n
2009 Ducati Monster 696
Previous:
2004 Miata (6MT)
2003 Jetta GLI (6MT-VR6)
1999 Jetta GLX (5MT-VR6)
1990 Jetta GL
1985 Chevy Nova (5MT)
2013 Dodge Dart Rallye w/ 1.4T & DDCT Auto (Tungsten Exterior, Black/Red Interior)
Mileage on the highway is right on the nose with EPA ratings, while city ratings are a bit behind but might have to do with my impatience with the turbo lag. Approx. 40,000 kms (25,000 miles) with 0 issues. Love the looks inside and out, UConnect 8.4N, that exhaust note, and the balance of comfort/sportiness (although it is not fast in any way).
The chief complaint of the odd drivetrain is valid, however once you get used to it and understand how to make it work for you, it really is pleasing and dare I say fun!
Current:
2010 VW Sportwagen S 2.5L 5MT. I bought it CPO from a VW dealer and have owned it for 1.5 years and counting. It’s not as fast as the VR6 but it’s so solid, quiet, smooth and useful!
Previous:
1998 VW Jetta GLX VR6 5MT. Bought from a friend of a friend. I owned it for 8 years and had a good time making basic mods and reading the vortex. I added intake, chip, exhaust and suspension. It was always fun to drive and had a great sound! Unfortunately it was hit while parked and totaled.
1988 Subaru GL Wagon 5MT. Bought it from my grandparents. Owned it for 3 years. I loved the engageable AWD but I’m pretty sure the 1.8L engine only had 88hp. I gave it to my brother when I got my Jetta.
2015 MAZDA3 s Touring 5-Door (Manual)
1992 Nissan Sentra SE-R
This is fun.
Current:
DD – 2005 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V 6-speed (purchased 2012)
Project – 1988 Nissan 200SX SE V6 5-speed (DD 2001-2009)
Previous:
1996 Nissan 200SX SE-R 5-speed (owned 2009-2012)
1994 Dodge Dakota Sport V6 5-speed (owned 1999-2001)
1988 Honda Accord DX hatchback 5-speed (owned 1995-1999)
1982 Datsun 200SX hatchback 5-speed (owned 1993-1995)
I like your style! (former owner of an 87 200SX 5-speed … notchback though)
Ok fine, better late than never.
current:
2008 Mazda 3 5MT (5dr hatch, natch)
2014 BMW X1 (xDrive28) (wife)
gone:
2009 Subaru LegacyGT (meh…)
2003 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
2000 Suzuki DL1000
2000 Toyota Tacoma TRD
2000 Honda VFR800
2000 Nissan Maxima (4spd auto-tragic, sad face)
1996 Suzuki GSXR-750
1996 Kawasaki ZX-7R
1994 Honda CBR600
1990 Toyota Corolla (LE baby!!)
1990 Honda CBR600
1986? Suzuki DR250
1975? Honda CB125 (shoulda never sold it, ugh…)
2012 Mazda3 Hatchback Grand Touring 6MT
I love driving this car. The gas mileage is disapointing because its geared low – making it even more fun to drive.
Looking to Skyactive in a few years and it will be another 6MT
Not that anyone is likely to make it down this far
Current
2012 Fiat 500 5 Speed Cabrio – New
2011 Dodge Grand Caravan – Wife – Used
Past starting with first at 17
1978 Honda CB400 Hawk
1984 Honda CB700 NightHawk
1965 Plymouth Fury wagon – made convertible by a weekend sawzall rental
1986 Ford ranger – 5 speed – New
1992 Mazda MX3, 5 speed V6 – New
1976 Cadillac Coup DeVille
1979 KZ 400
1986 Jeep Cherokee
1998 Ducati Monster 750 – New
1994 Toyota Corrola Wagon, 5 speed
2002 PT Cruiser, 5 speed – New
1992 Saturn SC – 5 speed
1994 Pontiac Bonneville
1965 Dodge Dart wagon, 4 speed
That is not counting cars bought with/for wife (we have been together for 25 years now) We have had 5 minivans so far and a few econo boxes.
Looking forward to more now that the kids are reaching driving age.
2014 Honda Odyssey EX (Nicknamed the Lear Jet as trying to figure out the dual touch screen functions is dangerous at speed without a copilot)
2001 Honda CR-V LX (My 70k mile daily driver)
The fun car slot is open at the moment…
What has brought me to such boring/sensible transportation? I won’t bore everyone with the list this late in the game, but suffice to say there were some cars which only functioned as transporation occasionally.
Example: 1981-ish Audi Coupe GT. Brown over brown.
This is a long and varied list…
“Regular” cars:
2001 Saab 9-3 – Daily commuter
2015 Nissan Leaf – Wife’s daily commuter
2000 Chrysler Grand Voyager – family truckster
2001 Volkswagen New Beetle Turbo – nice day cruiser
2003 Subaru Baja – Wife’s sloppy weather ride
Vintage:
1969 Subaru 360
1973 Subaru 1400DL wagon
1979 Subaru 1600FE coupe
1991 Geo Metro ragtop
Fun:
2001 Porsche Boxster
2000 Mazda Miata SE
Previously owned:
Several Subaru convertibles, a few more Metros, a Subaru Justy, a Sterling, two Daihatsus and a couple of Merkurs.
My wife has a 2007 Versa SL. It is hands down the most boring car I’ve ever driven in my life. Great little car – reliable, efficient, roomy, quiet as long as you’re not full throttle, comfortable. But the driving experience makes a Camry feel like a Carrera! It’s so uninvolving that it’s more exciting from the back seat.
My wife has less interest in cars than Elton John has in the SI Swimsuit edition, so it’s the perfect car for her.
’08 Corolla with 5-speed stick, which I ordinarily drive. It’s as much car as I need and no more. It’s being given a trailer hitch for Christmas, as I just sold off our minivan and need more utility. I did get the Christmas tree home in it, though, flipping the rear seat down and sliding it through the trunk. But a light trailer will make chores like that easier.
’12 Prius, which my wife ordinarily drives but I drive it on all trips. I love the tech in the drivetrain. It’s boring to drive but so what? Anything is boring to drive after 1000 miles of interstate. Cheap to operate, very good utility, exceptional cruising range and comfy for tall people.
For those keeping score at home… I’ve included my wife’s cars too because technically I “owed” them, sort of. I tend to buy used and keep my vehicles around for awhile.
Past:
1983 Ford Mustang GLX – my first car stolen within 8 months, didn’t miss it at all, inline 6 = not fast, boring.
1985 Honda Civic S (1500) Hatchback – loved it, drove to over 160K miles, wish I still had it!
1988 Chevy Caviler – wife’s first car (only dating at the time), major POS, wrecked
1993 Honda Civic EX Sedan – wife’s second car, never a problem, good mileage and handling, just weak torque,
1989 Honda Prelude Si – best handling car I ever owned, awesome dash and seats, low on torque and weak brakes however
1996 Iszuz Rodeo – big mistake, sold within 9 months, lesson learned: SUVs suck! bad mileage and ill handling, not much room behind the seats either
1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T – leased this one, very quick turbo, loved the woosh from the boosted engine, leather was 2nd rate stuff, started blowing blue smoke glad the lease ran out
1996 Ford Ranger Splash Extra Cab – bought to tow my boat but the V6 couldn’t hack it, kept breaking down
2000 VW Passat 1.8T – wife’s third car, nice when new then fell apart… literally, pieces of the interior & exterior just dropped off! Window regulators, nuff said.
Current:
2002 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab V8 – my current truck, pushing 100K miles and runs (and looks) like new, no complaints
2008 Volvo C30 – wife’s daily driver, sexy and sporty but very European, perfect grocery getter
2003 Nissan 350Z – my current car, throaty engine, tons of grip (unless its raining), modern remake of the classic Z car… just a touch heavy, very weak brakes, roughish ride, already ate one transmission due to lack of decent synchros. Sees track time but also daily driver.
In our home:
2014 Audi S4 with the DSG
2013 Nissan Juke NISMO FWD with the manual
2003 GMC Yukon Denali… For Tahoe trips. It’s the dog’s car
Past:
2006 VW GTI with the DSG
2005 Mitsubishi Lancer ES with the manual (a reliable but very dated penalty box)
1994 Saturn SW2 (say what you will… The utility and miles and years I got out of that wagon were amazing, especially for a mid-90s GM vehicle)
First time ive commented on a TTAC post
these are the cars i know my Family has had over the years
All of them were used and stick except noted
Current Rides:
2002 Honda Accord SE- Also an auto wifes ride (though i also drove it while the saab was in the shop) multiple transmission issues, currently sitting in Norway (where my wife lives for the time being) Will soon be sold to a Polish man who will ship to Poland
2007 Mitsubishi Lancer Wagon – My wifes DD in Norway, inherited from her father, a real POS, its boring as hell and proves that the Japanese cant make anything good anymore
2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid CVT – Just got it, its pretty Nice for a domestic, i love the way it drives
Past:
1978 Toyota Carina – used to move from NY to Chicago to SF in the early 80s. Acceleration was crap
1988 Honda Prelude – Best car i ever had, drove into ground at 300,000 miles still miss it
1995 Saab 900 S – my wifes runabout, auto, drove it until it broke down on the highway at 190000 miles
1997 Saab 900 SE – Great car i LOVED it,kids loved it when they were younger, unfortuately hit a light pole and wrote it off
2001 Honda Odyssey – Auto, Family truckster, first POS Honda that ive owned, transmission replaced 3 times, lasted only to 195000 miles before engine failure
2001 Saab 9-3 – Died recently at 230000 miles, POS in terms of repairs, i swore already in 2007 never to buy another saab again because it never worked and always needed some fix
2002 Honda Accord EXL – Auto, bought New by my mother but inherited not long afterward, turned into wifes ride at one point. Sold not long before wife moved to Norway in 2011 its still going strong in the hand of my friends
Current:
2008 BMW M5 6 spd
2007 Lotus Elise Supercharged
2008 Subaru STi
2004 BMW 325i 5 spd (wife’s DD)
Past:
2004 Mazda RX-8 6 spd
1995 Dodge Neon 5 spd
1984 Ford Bronco
1993 Plymouth Laser 1.8L
1991 Eagle Talon 2.0T FWD
1990 Eagle Talon 2.0T AWD
Went from a Chevy Volt to a Cadillac ELR recently and loving every minute behind the wheel.