So far this has been my only car I owned. Have driven plenty of rentals and still none hold a light to my 34 year old Opel Corsa. This is a picture i took in the hills of Georgia near the Turkish border.
A 1974 Layland Mini with a Cooper S engine my uncle and I rebuilt together, a carbie big enough to suck in a cat, disc brakes, big fat tyres, faired arches, monster stereo and a muffler big enough that everyone knew I was coming...
I miss that little beast, it was quicker off the line than most of mates V8s, wish I'd never sold it.
25yrs later, on my 8th car, and it's still the one I think about the most. I drive a family friendly 3L diesel 4x4 now, which I also love, but that Mini will always be king.
I've owned probably 20 cars in my life, everything from 1951 to a 2012. That being said, my absolute favorite is my 1965 Volvo P1800 (not my pic, but same color, minus the hood which is rusted). What a joy to own, drive, and talk about with other car people
Worked for my brothers custom fuel injection company. They had a late 80s CRX that was used for testing drive by wire systems.
I ended up buying it as one of my first cars. Got over 40 mpg when you drove like grandma, and turned into a wild cat when you put your foot down.
It's pretty close between the CRX and my 84 Fiero. Just something special about a 2 seater with manual transmittion and no bells and whistles. Though I did prefer the real wheel drive and mid engine on the Fiero.
Now days I drive an Impreza wagon, which comes close, but just isn't the same. Sure it's more comfortable, the heater works, and I don't have to have a triple A card in my pocket to drive farther than the corner store, but where is the excitement in that?
None, they are all metal boxes that get me from point a to b. I accepted a long time ago im just not a car guy, i dont even reserve the neurons to differentiate make/model/year
at a glance. Forming emotional attachments over hunks of metal/ machinery that all operate generally the same way is a very monkey-brain thing to do. He smugly says as he nervously eyes his book collection he would actually tear up over if they were damaged in any way.
2011 Honda Fit/Jazz. That thing was like the god damn Tardis. Seats folded any which way you could think of so it could haul pretty much anything and paired with a roof rack you were invincible. It was small and nimble and was capable of anything. Snow? Sure. Camping down some semi rough tracks? Why not. Haul all your friends l? You got it boss.
I wish I still had it as I probably would have turned it into a battle car by now but sold it when I moved country’s.
I've owned idk how many cars, they've always been a hobby of mine. But the one I miss the most was my 1959 Chevrolet pickup truck. I bought it for next to nothing, it was rusty and beat up, but 100% original. I fixed all the broken and worn stuff on it and slapped a turbocharger on the factory engine and daily drove it for a year or two. Even with the turbo it was dreadfully slow, but it was a riot to drive. It turned a lot of heads and got smiles everywhere I went. Really wish I'd never sold it.
Often shat upon, but it was incredibly reliable until I overworked the little 4 cylinder engine. It handled like I imagined a go cart would, it had good gas mileage, and it survived hitting 2 deer and only needed cosmetic fixes afterwards.
My 1981 Toyota pickup. It never ran 100% but it always ran. That thing lived in a perpetual state of almost broken. Oh and it was the ugliest mustard yellow color it was always so easy to find in a parking lot.
After the engine shat all its oil I sold the thing the guy rebuilt it then road tripped on a 6000 mile road trip.
2007 Subaru Impreza SE with a 5 speed manual transmission with nice crisp shifter bushings. It wasn't fast because it was the naturally-aspirated version, but damn was it literally invincible in the winter. I once helped a Jeep up a snowy hill by cutting a path for him to follow me up after he failed to get to the top multiple times. Also, drifting in that car was a point-and-shoot endeavour. You could be sideways at almost 100km/h and have absolute pinpoint control of the car at all times. The AWD system in Subarus is a technical marvel.
I also loved the kinda minimal dash layout. It felt like an older car because the dash wasn't like a meter deep. It was small and compact. The car was also incredibly easy to work on. I learned a lot about maintenance with that car. I miss it a lot.
I had an '06 Jetta wagon TDi. The fuel efficiency of that car was incredible. I could get 44 mpg when cruising near 100 mph. Damn shame they bought it back because they cheated emissions tests.
I have only had 2 vehicles so far in my life, but my Audi Q5 definitely takes the cake.
I never would've been able to afford one normally, but I was smart and took advantage of the covid lock down. Car dealers were considered essential businesses, and I decided it was the right time when I learned car sales were down over 40% across the US.
I was right, and they were desperate. If I had waited a few months, that car would have been completely unaffordable to me with how insane car prices got/still are.
I had a Chevrolet Vitara (for Venezuela... for US people it would be a Suzuki Vitara) that my father bought in 1998 and gave me when I was 17.
First car I "owned", used for 6 years, never had to repair it or anything at all, took me everywhere without problems and since it was a small 2 door it fit everywhere.
I took my friends with it, my parents, traveled with it, etc. Also, surprisingly, we never had to do any repairs to the car since 1998 up until 2021 when my dad sold it because it was almost dead. That car was the best and I miss it.
Then I got a Dodge Dakota from 2002, it was good but I didn't like it as much as the Vitara.
Now I drive a VW Gol (2005), good car, a little fucked up.
Well I've only had two but my current one is basically my dream car so the answer is 2007 Nissan Navara King Cab, 2.5 litre turbo diesel 4x4, all black and murdered out.
grand caravan. minivans already start as the most versatile vehicle around. Able to haul cargo and people equally well while having mileage that only gets beat by small cars. Basically it was honda or toyota that had the rear folding seat but dodges flip and fold brought it to a new level and they were good about having the captains chairs be comfortable. This is actually the main reason we have a minivan. It is the easiest vehicle to get in and out of for the driver and front row passenger. The captains chairs are at perfect but height for a human and most people don't really have to climb up into them or overly drop into them. Seriously if you ever see an occupational therapy handout for getting in and out of a vehicle, look at the pictures, they almost always use a minivan. Then dodge did the same thing with the roof rack. can fold it in for better mileage and fold them out when needed rather than having to retrieve them from sitting in the garage. Unfortunately they messed up the pacifica in that its captains chairs are less comfortable (and its more expensive and for some reason they took out the ability to vent open the rear window which was another nice thing.)
I've never owned a car myself, but my fam swears by the Datsun 280z, especially thanks to its dependence on standard parts. My grandpa's Z was nearly a ship of Theseus, with only a few original parts remaining when he died, maintained by him and my uncle.
I took over my mom's minivan during college. My frat bros made fun of me at first, but damn that was a great road trip vehicle.
Though on the whole, my current Subaru Outback might be my favorite because it came with a sweet sound system. I've never splurged on premium sound, and this was included because I wanted the towing capacity of the premium trim. Game changer.
I used to have this truck. It was a 1989 C1500. It was a single cab, long bed truck which is the best configuration. Under the hood was a 5.7 liter V8 with very primitive fuel injection, and that was hooked up to a 5-speed manual transmission.
It wasn't the fastest, most powerful truck I've ever had, but it had tons of personality and wouldn't die. It was really fun to drive with the torquey engine and the stick shift which was the exact opposite of a short-throw shifter.
1985 Toyota Supra. I've also owned an 84 and an 83, but they were both beaten half to death before I owned them the 85 was amazing. It really didn't have a ton of power, but the torque of that six made it feel like it did, and it handled like it was on rails.
I have a 91 Chevy S10 that I will likely be buried in. I've had it for nearly 15 years and it's my favorite. I learned to drive in an S10 and sadly we had to sell that one. I bought the current one as a "replacement" and I love it even more. It is objectively not that great, but it's clean and runs well and when it dies, it's getting a V8.
My first car was a 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix, and the thing was a tank. It was my favorite car I've ever had up until I got a 2018 Mercedes GLA a couple years ago, which is also a tank and objectively the best car I've ever had.
My first car was a 73 Buick Electra, maroon, fully loaded. It wasn't in the best shape as it was about 30 years old, but I loved it. It was so fun to drive.
I had a 1993 Toyota Corolla 1.3 Hatchback 12 years ago. Very light and surprisingly fast. Also fuel consumption was pretty good. Everybody called it an ugly shitbox, but I liked and still like the design. Sadly it was so rusty I had to give it up eventually. Would have it completely restored and tuned if I had the money back then.
I miss my geo metro. Bought it for $350, it was super easy to work on, and the 3 cylinder engine was so pathetic it was amusing. The person I bought it from had painted flames up the front and back. You couldn't help laughing at yourself when you drove it.
I've had about 20 cars in the last 16 years, from an '88 Plymouth Reliant to an '82 Datsun King Cab pickup to an '08 Subaru Outback. But my favorite is my '20 4runner because I don't have to think about bringing my tools and extra fluids/belts along on a road trip.
That said, man I had some great memories driving around in my '91 Honda Prelude with a 5 speed and a loud stereo. Always felt cool driving that car, even though the speedometer didn't work, the transmission grinded on every shift due to worn out synchros (if you didn't double-clutch), and the engine burned a quart of oil every 400 miles!
I have only owned one car, my current 2021 Seat Leon hatchback PHEV.
Out of all the cars I have driven (four, a 2014 VW Golf, a 2020 VW Golf, a 2016 Volvo V90 PHEV and my Seat) the Seat is my favourite.
The Golf's I've driven were either loaned from my driving school or used at my first driving test and my dad has the Volvo, but I have the Seat.
I really like the styling of my Seat, it looks cool, and a bit agressive without being overbaering.
The performance is good enough for me, if a bit lacking in power above 100kmh, it is very quick between 10 and 50, launches are fun with the electrical system engaged.
As a first car, it is fantastic, though I am 35 and bought it this year.
My first car, a 1973 Dodge Charger. This is a representative picture, not my actual car.
I bought it for $750 with no engine or transmission (but it came with a bunch of tools). It was a stock automatic but I converted it to a 4-speed manual in the process of building it back up.
I probably spent twice as much time working on it than I did driving it before I totalled it. That was very sad.
Due to some poor decisions, I had my license suspended for 6 months and a friend of mine ended up driving my 2000 Expedition since I couldn't, and she started treating it like it was hers. I couldn't stand this, so when I was able to drive again and she still hadn't gotten her own vehicle, I wanted to get something she wouldn't want to drive since she liked my Expy so much. This led me to trading the Expy straight up for a 96 Impala with a broken odometer. She HATED that car but I fuckin loved it. And it was MINE. I installed the 9C1 (Cop car) suspension including front and rear springs, added Edelbrock headers and installed an Infinity sound system complete with dual subs in the trunk. Even added rear door speakers since there were none and it was the cleanest install I'd ever done. I loved that car, but we were moving to Colorado, we needed a truck, and the transmission valve body needed rebuilt which I didn't have time to do so I traded it. I'm still very sad about it but it will always be my favorite vehicle that I'd owned.
The first car I owned is by far my favorite. It was a ‘91 Miata (NA). It was very easy to learn how to work on it and fix things. It really made me love driving. I want to buy another Miata at some point.
2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse! Pearlescent Sunset, SE spoiler, pedals, and SE stripe. Decent sound system, handled great in the snow, and was fast enough to get me in trouble! I had it for 11 years, solid car.
This one. 2014 Honda Accord with manual transmission. I love this car, and want it to last forever.
Second favorite was a Chevy Geo Prism, also manual (I kinda hate automatic transmission) that got the best gas mileage of any car I have owned before or since. Overhead cam, perfect engine design. Body fell apart, but that engine would not stop and was so efficient.
A 2000 Pontiac Sunfire. It was faster than my cousin's 2005 Ford mustang. That is why it holds a special place in my heart. It was damn shame though, because some stupid bitch rear ended my Pontiac Sunfire while she was on her phone driving her ugly as fuck dodge caravan. I felt like I lost my true sports car. To make it worse, due to the shit economy I had to default to a 1994 Toyota Corolla wagon
Non-practical, 2010 Ford Focus RS Mk2, had to sell it when I got a bonus family and started to commute 300 km almost every day.
Practical, 2018 Volvo V90 CC, perfect in every way, except that the rear lights had to be replaced once a year, and one of the buttons on the steering wheel every second year.
Favorite so far was probably a 2003 Mazdaspeed Protégé. They were kinda anemic for a 2.0t car out of the box, but I had built the engine a bit and goosed it to around 225whp. It wasn't the fastest thing around, but it had a raw mechanical feel that was a hoot to drive and toss around corners, especially after adding some stickier rubber.
I've got a NB Miata in the garage right now, but man it's just missing about 75whp to match the smiles per hour factor.