Best Car Ever

[davismanLV]

As far as a workhorse, my nod goes to the 1964 Chevelle El Camino my dad bought used in 1966 when we moved to Thousand Oaks, CA and got horses. We really needed a truck but my mom would NOT drive one so this was the compromise. I learned to drive in that car. Air shocks in back and used it to pull the horse trailer all around California. Even took it with me when I left home. It had the 283ci V8 that was SO easy to work on. Versatile, a workhorse, and reliable.

My favorite all time car was my 1978 Cadillac CDV. Great luxo-cruiser that ran well and was a joy to drive. If that lady hadn't rear ended me on the Ventura Freeway, I'd have had it much longer. What a great car!! I've posted photos before.

Can't complain now with my 2004 Nissan Frontier which is getting ready to click over to 106,000. What a great little truck and reliable as all get out. Bought it 1.5 years old with 15,000 miles on it. It's still in pretty good shape and does what we need it to do.

If I was gonna buy a car right now, which I'm not, I'd buy a new Honda Accord. Lordy, those are nice!!

 

[ruedi]

I'm not a car guy by any means, so I throw in my current car: VW Caddy 2008 2.0 Diesel

Ugly as night, but very practical. The right size for a family of four with a dog. Incredibly reliable, despite I have crashed it six years ago quite badly. It is therefore unsellable and we are doomed to drive it to it's death which is possibly never.

 

[F312]

I'm not a car guy by any means, so I throw in my current car: VW Caddy 2008 2.0 Diesel

Ugly as night, but very practical. The right size for a family of four with a dog. Incredibly reliable, despite I have crashed it six years ago quite badly. It is therefore unsellable and we are doomed to drive it to it's death which is possibly never.

Oh, the shame. Not even a foot to be seen.

Ralph

 

[Nuuska]

just have someone drive it off Landwasserviadukt

 

[ruedi]

Oh, the shame. Not even a foot to be seen.

Ralph

Wait a minute.

Do i have to start worrying about my reputation here?

Ok I will leave now the field to you fancy car lovers and owners again Not gonna ruin this party.

 

[Antney]

The winner by a long shot was my 2002 Toyota Landcruiser. It gave me 240,000 great miles and still had lots more left in the engine, but it needed about $2000 in safety work to keep me in the front seat. I was going to keep it as a beach/dump car but the dealership offered me stupid money for it when I bought a new RAV4 in August. The Landcruiser’s name was Janine. The RAV4’s name is RAV4.

 

[F312]

Wait a minute.

Do i have to start worrying about my reputation here?

Ok I will leave now the field to you fancy car lovers and owners again Not gonna ruin this party.

Wait another minute, I bought an 80 pinto to keep the mileage off my 78 Bronco. I was doing 70 miles round trip, six days a week.
I see you entered a foot.

 

[twocorgis]

Two of my best cars (well, one's a truck) are my current 2009 BMW 535i Sport 6 Speed, and my recently departed company car, a 2014 Mercedes Sprinter. BMW will never build a four door sedan this good again, and you can't even get them with manual transmissions anymore. Mercedes screwed up the 2019 redesign of the Sprinter so badly that I canceled my order after having a loaner for a few days, and replaced it with a Ford Transit Ecoboost.

I never liked silver cars before I owned this one, but I've been converted!

 

[Westerly Wood]

2005 Scion XB. Still have it. Super reliable.

 

[Rebosbro]

2012 Dodge Challenger Yellow Jacket. Limited Edition. Drove it 2 years before I ever saw another one, and have still only seen the two. A real head turner. Was approached literally every time I got gas for the first year asking about it. Was pulled over 3 times by cops just to check it out. After I got sober in 2015, I sold it and took the family to Disney. Great memories of the car, even better memories of the vacation.
Paul

 

[JohnW63]

I really don't have a good answer to this topic. My off the cuff response would have been some Toyota with one of those V6 unkillable motors that go 300,000 miles without breathing hard. I never owned one. It's often in some year of Toyota Tacoma.

I'd like to say a 1965 Mustang, but my still has some engine gremlins I'm trying to scare out, and I find I DO want power steering , after driving it for awhile, so that needs upgrading.

I'd like to say a 1965 Volvo 544, but that project is going rather slow, but I'm learning about body work and paint on this one. I hope it will be nice to drive and dependable as heck when I'm done.

I'd also like to say a 1969 Triumph GT6, but who am I kidding. Even with my best intentions, it's still a little British sports car. I can only ask so much. I have high hopes though.

 

[wileypickett]

I've never owned a new car, and have loved every car I ever owned.

I'll never forget my first one though -- a '61 silver gray Oldsmobile that had belonged to my great-uncle. No seat belts and an all-metal dashboard with lots of space-age protuberances. (Beautiful, but yikes!)

It was parked and got side-swiped one night by a drunk who fell asleep at the wheel, in Richmond, VA. He was going so fast he moved my car sideways about two feet, and then totaled the car parked in front of me.

Amazingly it ran for a few more years, but was never the same.

 

[beecee]

I've had several Volvo wagons, this was far and away my favorite. Final year, 2007, of that body style, basically every option in the book. Bought it off ebay, located in Philly about 6 hours from me. Rented a Kia Soul for a one way drive....that is a neat car too. The Volvo was the perfect height for loading canoes/kayak, I could go into vacant building parking lots loaded with snow with no issues....damn thing fell apart at 278,000 miles....I'd buy another today.

2018 on Volvo V90's are murderously expensive, whereas my current daily driver a 2018 Volvo S-90 is far and away the best vehicle I have ever owned and being a sedan I was able to buy it less than a year old, certified, with unlimited miles warranty till 2023 for 50% of the MSRP....sedans are dying. Honestly, the car is incredibly luxurious, runs like a scalded cat and gets over 35 mpg on the highway at 75+. The space between the front seat back and the rear seats has it's own zip code. I'm sure I'll need to dump it .out of warranty though and I'll look for another. I've already put 68,000 miles on it in just over 2 years

Been a car nut my whole life, still own a 61 Vette I bought in 1984...an old used car back then! Honestly haven't driven it in 6 years as my 97 Jaguar XK-8 Coupe scratches that itch....another depreciating value marvel....bought 6 years ago for $7,000!!

Cars I miss: My 85 Mercedes 300CD, any of the 300SD's I had, Sunbeam Tiger I, 65 Mercedes 230sl, (Sold 15 years ago for market, probably worth 5x that today) and any of the Jaguars I've loved before

 

[beecee]

Just found this in my files. Here is my 61 with a co-workers 50 something Chevy. August 2014. Last time I drove it!

He did an 8 years total restoration by himself. I remember seeing the car all apart, a wreck...he did it all from upholstery to wiring harness to paint. More broken knuckles on that car but he smiles like a fool every time he drives it!

A discerning eye will see the optional sun visors on my car....

What I don't like about it? Where the Volvo perfected the crush zones, the 61 Vette uses a special part for the crush zone....your thighs!

 

[Stuball48]

Good looking Vette Beecee and didn't the '61 have a 160 on speedometer? I know my brother in law's '59 did.

 

[5thumbs]

My first new car, a 1972 Camaro. I ordered it while visiting DaNang AFB, had it delivered in Chicago. It arrived with a window sticker proclaiming in bold letters "For Export Only". I'm not sure what that meant, as it appeared to be all U.S. spec.

It was an SS/RS combo, 350 c.i. engine with a 4-speed. I tuned and tweaked that motor for years, adding a "fuelie" cam, angle-plug heads, Edelbrock intake, Holley carb, headers, the works. By the time I was done fiddling with it, it would leave rubber in all four gears, start reliably and idle at 800 rpm with the A/C running. I learned a lot about cars and engines playing with it.

That's the one I never should have let go.

 

[Rich Cohen]

When I turned 17 in 1963, my Dad bought me a two year old Mercedes 190 SL. Exactly the same as the one in the pic. After two years with it, I had to give it up to my brother-in-law as my college didn't allow freshman to have a car on campus. In my second year at college my Dad bought me a new Porsche 912, identical to the one in the pic. Gave that up in '69 when I went off to India as a Peace Corps volunteer.

 

[F312]

My first new car, a 1972 Camaro. I ordered it while visiting DaNang AFB, had it delivered in Chicago. It arrived with a window sticker proclaiming in bold letters "For Export Only". I'm not sure what that meant, as it appeared to be all U.S. spec.

It was an SS/RS combo, 350 c.i. engine with a 4-speed. I tuned and tweaked that motor for years, adding a "fuelie" cam, angle-plug heads, Edelbrock intake, Holley carb, headers, the works. By the time I was done fiddling with it, it would leave rubber in all four gears, start reliably and idle at 800 rpm with the A/C running. I learned a lot about cars and engines playing with it.

That's the one I never should have let go.

Are you sure that's not a year 70 1/2?
Ralph

 

[Rich Cohen]

Just found this in my files. Here is my 61 with a co-workers 50 something Chevy. August 2014. Last time I drove it!

He did an 8 years total restoration by himself. I remember seeing the car all apart, a wreck...he did it all from upholstery to wiring harness to paint. More broken knuckles on that car but he smiles like a fool every time he drives it!

A discerning eye will see the optional sun visors on my car....

What I don't like about it? Where the Volvo perfected the crush zones, the 61 Vette uses a special part for the crush zone....your thighs!

My sister's high school boyfriend had one of that year and exact same color. He was captain of the basketball team.

 

[Rich Cohen]

I've had several Volvo wagons, this was far and away my favorite. Final year, 2007, of that body style, basically every option in the book. Bought it off ebay, located in Philly about 6 hours from me. Rented a Kia Soul for a one way drive....that is a neat car too. The Volvo was the perfect height for loading canoes/kayak, I could go into vacant building parking lots loaded with snow with no issues....damn thing fell apart at 278,000 miles....I'd buy another today.

2018 on Volvo V90's are murderously expensive, whereas my current daily driver a 2018 Volvo S-90 is far and away the best vehicle I have ever owned and being a sedan I was able to buy it less than a year old, certified, with unlimited miles warranty till 2023 for 50% of the MSRP....sedans are dying. Honestly, the car is incredibly luxurious, runs like a scalded cat and gets over 35 mpg on the highway at 75+. The space between the front seat back and the rear seats has it's own zip code. I'm sure I'll need to dump it .out of warranty though and I'll look for another. I've already put 68,000 miles on it in just over 2 years

Been a car nut my whole life, still own a 61 Vette I bought in 1984...an old used car back then! Honestly haven't driven it in 6 years as my 97 Jaguar XK-8 Coupe scratches that itch....another depreciating value marvel....bought 6 years ago for $7,000!!

Cars I miss: My 85 Mercedes 300CD, any of the 300SD's I had, Sunbeam Tiger I, 65 Mercedes 230sl, (Sold 15 years ago for market, probably worth 5x that today) and any of the Jaguars I've loved before

We have an '07 Volvo XC70 which we bought in '09. You're right. Great in deep snow or ice. Never got stranded or stuck. There's a "W" button on the gear shift module which is used only when the weather is really, really bad. When pushed, all four wheels grab the road like tiger paws. Ours has only 94,000 miles on it.