Best/favorite car ever owned

[HansonBro]

Bought a 93 pathfinder 7 years ago for $500 and still have it ,my GF drives it mostly. Crazy good in snow ,runs like a top and I've only put a starter in it.
Has 250k miles on the clock ,incredible.
From late 80s early 90s I see more hardbody trucks and pathfinder than any other model from that era.
These things refuse to die.

Always liked those and the Isuzu rodeos from that era.

 

[TheAngryHank]

Always liked those and the Isuzu rodeos from that era.

The Isuzu were sharp and the amego

 

[tacogeoff]

1990 GMC Jimmy. I didnt own it but my dad did. What a beast of a truck. loved it.

 

[My3Sons]

My 97 318ti was more fun than my 2004 M3. The M3 was faster but in the US there aren't too many places near me where you can cruise at 125+ mph. At everyday speeds, the ti was a blast to drive. I'd see how close I could get to a 45 degree turn when I made the left into my neighborhood. My WRX was fun. I drive around some empty streets on a construction site with my son in the back. There was builders clay here and there on the roads and a bit of sliding was a lot of fun. It never quite moved as fast as the press suggested it should though. If they made a new hatchback STI I'd think about it. Toyota MR2 Spyder was also really fun but it needed a better engine than the corolla one they put in it.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

My 97 318ti was more fun than my 2004 M3. The M3 was faster but in the US there aren't too many places near me where you can cruise at 125+ mph. At everyday speeds, the ti was a blast to drive. I'd see how close I could get to a 45 degree turn when I made the left into my neighborhood. My WRX was fun. I drive around some empty streets on a construction site with my son in the back. There was builders clay here and there on the roads and a bit of sliding was a lot of fun. It never quite moved as fast as the press suggested it should though. If they made a new hatchback STI I'd think about it. Toyota MR2 Spyder was also really fun but it needed a better engine than the corolla one they put in it.

I own a WRX at the moment. The engine tuning is a bit irregular, so that's why sometimes it's faster than you'd think and slower than you'd think. The Civic Type-R has a better experience from that POV but it looks ghastly and doesn't have half the WRX's winter traction.

 

[My3Sons]

I own a WRX at the moment. The engine tuning is a bit irregular, so that's why sometimes it's faster than you'd think and slower than you'd think. The Civic Type-R has a better experience from that POV but it looks ghastly and doesn't have half the WRX's winter traction.

i am surprised they stopped the hatchback version. That seems like the more practical body style.

 

[Akrapovince]

2003 540i.

I owned this car during high school which was about, five years ago. Sure, it was an older car, it looked timeless and good for its age but it wasn’t a neckbreaker by any means. Except to those who kind of knew the car.

Rear wheel drive, six speed and V8 was definitely enough for me to have fun. The sound was incredible and the car wasn’t too fast to get me into any trouble.

Now as an adult, I have a 2019 540i. Really should’ve worked harder as a student to be able to afford an M5, maybe one day.

 

[Recipe Unlimited]

2013 Buick Verano

 

[TheAngryHank]

2003 540i.

I owned this car during high school which was about, five years ago. Sure, it was an older car, it looked timeless and good for its age but it wasn’t a neckbreaker by any means. Except to those who kind of knew the car.

Rear wheel drive, six speed and V8 was definitely enough for me to have fun. The sound was incredible and the car wasn’t too fast to get me into any trouble.

Now as an adult, I have a 2019 540i. Really should’ve worked harder as a student to be able to afford an M5, maybe one day.

German cars don't feel as quick as other makes due to gearing .They gear them for the autobahn so none get out of the hole quick.

 

[Akrapovince]

German cars don't feel as quick as other makes due to gearing .They gear them for the autobahn so none get out of the hole quick.

I’m sure gearing plays a huge role however quite honestly the car was a boat and weighed a metric shit tonne.

Considering the weight, the “luxury” aspect of it (if you could even consider it luxury, a 2003 in 2017), and the linear power delivery, I think out of a dig it would be slow regardless of gear ratio.

Beautiful exhaust note and balance made up for lower end power in terms of smiles per gallon though.

 

[TheAngryHank]

I’m sure gearing plays a huge role however quite honestly the car was a boat and weighed a metric shit tonne.

Considering the weight, the “luxury” aspect of it (if you could even consider it luxury, a 2003 in 2017), and the linear power delivery, I think out of a dig it would be slow regardless of gear ratio.

Beautiful exhaust note and balance made up for lower end power in terms of smiles per gallon though.

Those are beautiful cars M series are 911 fast.

 

[Akrapovince]

Those are beautiful cars M series are 911 fast.

Are “American” spec BMWs tuned for the Autobahn as well you figure?

 

[TheGreenTBer]

i am surprised they stopped the hatchback version. That seems like the more practical body style.

Good point, since most of their competitors are hatchbacks. Mine is a sedan.

 

[TheAngryHank]

Are “American” spec BMWs tuned for the Autobahn as well you figure?

Yeah ,Merks ,Porsche all German makes are like that

 

[HabsAddict]

Do Webers, Mahle and Oscar's mean anything to you? Have any of you owned a car with double Webers DCOEs? Then read on....

I doubt any of you know what a Lotus Cortina is, but it was my first car. Bought it $700 and why it went so cheap was obvious. Ugly as hell and those Webers were monster level upkeep. Kept it for a year, added too much wrinkle ugliness ice racing it and sold it for $1,500 for the motor.

Then I bought a BMW 2002 straight off the racetrack for $3,500. Came with the interior in a big box. Took out the roll bar and put the interior back in. Absolute little terror. Abolutely nothing could handle like it on the road. Not a damn thing. Remember that all the "fast" cars in that time period were straight line big boxes. The only thing that could keep pace on a twisty road was a Boss 302.

Upkeep? Sure, if you came close to balancing Webers in minus 10 Montréal winters, let's talk....because you are a serious car nut.

A few more interesting cars before I volunteered myself into slavery and started buying new VW diesel cars. First one was the Rabbit diesel that literally had to put into 3rd gear to get up a hill. From racing BMW to VW diesel....you can't imagine the difference unless you know both cars.

Onward to more expensive VW diesels until I had my own business and bought the obvious step up in diesels...a Mercedes.

Now for the cream of the crop....Lancia Stratos. Put down a deposit and flew to England to pick up my LUST CAR. The car of my dreams and the one I would be buried in when I died. Got to England, look over my new soon to be pride and joy. Bit of a problem....I couldn't fit in the car. At 250 pounds, getting into thst car was an absolute bitch. After getting in, comfort was none existent. Then came the terror of driving it. It was the most nervous, the most twitchy car I ever touched. It's engine was glorious...for the track. Otherwise it was on on-off switch. The racing BMW was a limo by comparison. Pure track car and there was no way of taking it for those Sunday outings to the country side. Basically I would go to the garage to hug it but wouldn't drive it. Of course, even with a $5,000 deductible, it was still $5,000 insurance compared to new big Benz at $1,100 at that time. The very definition of the word "exotic" and the word "impractical".

The most exciting day of my car nut life was right up against the most depressing day ever. I got my deposit back and the next three weeks of our tour of the country was a car funeral. Went back the last day of the trip but just couldn't do it. Money was irrelevant, but to buy a car just to keep it in a garage was criminal for a car nut.

Here the interesting part...remember those VW Rabbit diesels my little boss insisted on? She was depressed I didn't buy it. By now, 20 years later in our lives, she had tasted fast cars in places like Greece and Lake District (if I have to tell you about the Lake District, you are not a car nut). Airborne with rock walls on either side, terrified, pissing herself, gripping anything for dear life...but came out of the car with a smile glued to her face.

So here we are in 2022 with lustful memories of my first and my most exciting cars, yet now, when the costs of these cars are pocket lint, I don't have the will or the patience or the physical desire to buy anything that crazy. Well, almost. I have one German road weapon and a bike, but a far cry from what I dreamt I would have when I was a teenager.

Life is funny...

 

[Elysian]

Bought a 93 pathfinder 7 years ago for $500 and still have it ,my GF drives it mostly. Crazy good in snow ,runs like a top and I've only put a starter in it.
Has 250k miles on the clock ,incredible.
From late 80s early 90s I see more hardbody trucks and pathfinder than any other model from that era.
These things refuse to die.

I had a 90 Pathfinder for 12 years, longest I've ever owned a vehicle. The VG30 in them is damn near indestructible, they do fantastically off-road, and they don't drive like a heavy vehicle.

Mine unfortunately developed wiring harness problems, and then I found rust holes in the floorboard and called it quits on trying to fix it.

 

[Tweaky]

1969 Pontiac GTO Judge. Not Carousel Red , if only the parental units didn't sell it off as I was getting my first license, likely caused by my getting a ticket driving it before I actually got said license.
1982 Toyota Corona (JDM). Perfect beater for a barrack bound jarhead on the rock. Painted flat black thanks to rattle cans from the hanger, a completely functionless exhaust, and a surprisingly tight shifter. Bought for $300, sold for $75 as I was given orders stateside with one day to get everything packed and taken care of.
1977 GMC K2500. Lifted and stupidified, but so much fun in the hills and mud.
1997 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP This one got me back into cars after years of commuting appliances, set some regional records at the strip...for the model/class, not overall.
2008 Subaru Forester. Wife's car but I drove it for work at times...great family car for Wyoming winters if you don't have a use for a truck, and can hold over 300 pizzas if you take out the car seat and arrange everything right.
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP (the last, best, and most powerful model sendoff for a marque I loved)

First and last are my top favorites, though. Have owned/co-owned about 30 cars over the years.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

I'll never sell my black 99 Trans Am Firehawk. The 4th gen F-bodies came out when I was 13 and I instantly fell in love with the WS6. Bought the Firehawk a month after getting my first real job 13 years ago and never looked back. Practically stole it from a Ford dealership who didnt know what Firehawks were. Bought it with 17,000 miles, out the door for $12,500

Only minor bolt ons (headers, exhaust, LS6 intake manifold, SLP lid, subframe connectors, bigger sway bars, panhard bar and strut tower brace). Fast, no flex around corners, just an instant smile every time.

 

[HansonBro]

I'll never sell my black 99 Trans Am Firehawk. The 4th gen F-bodies came out when I was 13 and I instantly fell in love with the WS6. Bought the Firehawk a month after getting my first real job 13 years ago and never looked back. Practically stole it from a Ford dealership who didnt know what Firehawks were. Bought it with 17,000 miles, out the door for $12,500

Only minor bolt ons (headers, exhaust, LS6 intake manifold, SLP lid, subframe connectors, bigger sway bars, panhard bar and strut tower brace). Fast, no flex around corners, just an instant smile every time.

I love robbing dealers too. This story made me smile

I had an 86 firebird at one point. Guy I bought it from needed rent money so bad I only paid $600 lol

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I haven't owned many cars, but I absolutely love my 2004 Toyota Avalon.

Thing rides smooth as silk, low cabin noise, very spacious interior. It's very similar to a Lexus ES without a couple of the fancier options. It's got surprising power for an 'old man' car, too.

 

[New Jersey]

My current one.

2021 Forester Sport. My first brand new car and my second Subaru after a 2013 Impreza hatch. Definitely loyal to the brand.

I’m very biased, but living in New Jersey it’s the ideal car. My favorite is dunking on lifted pick-ups and Jeeps in the winter. Can’t wait to get some grippier tires for it.

 

[brentashton]

I went to Barrett Jackson this year to “look” and stumbled across a vehicle that was the dead ringer for my first ride, 1972 GMC 1500. Even had the identical paint scheme. I bought mine in 1981 for $900CAD, original condition. The ride at BJ had a full restoration, new technology brakes, air conditioning, new crate engine but the interior was restored to original, etc.. nothing else was different from my first vehicle. It went to auction and fetched 165,000USD. Besides being sad that I didn’t still have that original ride, I was feeling ripped about what I could have made with some well placed resto/mods.

 

[Panteras]

My current one.

2021 Forester Sport. My first brand new car and my second Subaru after a 2013 Impreza hatch. Definitely loyal to the brand.

I’m very biased, but living in New Jersey it’s the ideal car. My favorite is dunking on lifted pick-ups and Jeeps in the winter. Can’t wait to get some grippier tires for it.

I have the same, 2019 though. My second Forester, after my 12’ 5 speed. Both have taken me in many many great adventures and a cross country road trip on the sport.

But my fav car which I regret selling specially now that Subaru cancelled it for the foreseeable future is the STI. I had a 2015 launch edition, man do I miss that thing : /
The only reason I sold it was because I wanted something more practical as I was living out west and doing a lot of adventures and hiking. But looking back now, I kick myself for not keeping it and just buying an old beater rig for my camping trips and such.

I miss driving manual so much after several stick cars and it’s obvious if you don’t get one now that’s it, they’re gonna be gone. ICE manuals are dead after this generation. That’s why even though I’m not so sure about this new WRX I’m going to consider it down the line. It’ll be basically one of the last few affordable driver’s car out there. It’s probably like one of the few cars where you still even get a hand brake and can turn off traction control nannies.

 

[TaLoN]

I have the same, 2019 though. My second Forester, after my 12’ 5 speed. Both have taken me in many many great adventures and a cross country road trip on the sport.

But my fav car which I regret selling specially now that Subaru cancelled it for the foreseeable future is the STI. I had a 2015 launch edition, man do I miss that thing : /
The only reason I sold it was because I wanted something more practical as I was living out west and doing a lot of adventures and hiking. But looking back now, I kick myself for not keeping it and just buying an old beater rig for my camping trips and such.

I miss driving manual so much after several stick cars and it’s obvious if you don’t get one now that’s it, they’re gonna be gone. ICE manuals are dead after this generation. That’s why even though I’m not so sure about this new WRX I’m going to consider it down the line. It’ll be basically one of the last few affordable driver’s car out there. It’s probably like one of the few cars where you still even get a hand brake and can turn off traction control nannies.

Both of my cats are stick.
2015 Audi S4
2012 Shelby GT500

 

[Panteras]

Both of my cats are stick.
2015 Audi S4
2012 Shelby GT500

Nice lineup. Jelly : )