What is the best car you’ve ever owned?

[Yadkin]

Originally Posted by GTOguy

Both of these vehicles are total crap. Funny how GM and Ford have vehicles at opposite ends of the spectrum. Some are great (Tahoe/Suburban Fusion/Ranger) others are total shit.

My daughter's S197 Mustang V6 MT was a great car. I bought it at 100k miles for $10k, she sold it at 200K for $7000. Granted we painted it ($4000) and did a few improvements, but I'd say that I got my money's worth. There was no rust on ot at all- the underneath looked brand new.

[outrunm]

If we are speaking of reliability, options, and overall build quality, the best one was my 04 Accord V6. Sold it with over 200k on the clock.
My C7 has been the most fun.

[BADRACR1]

To be honest, I have owned 248 cars and a dozen bikes. Some for just a week or two, and others for several years. Picking a "best" is near impossible. I like different ones for different reasons, but I'll give it a shot.

Handling = the Corvettes, hands down. I really enjoy driving them. The current one is a '94 vert that turned 80k yesterday. I drive autos now (thanks to age, gout and arthritis) but I did have two Z51's with sticks. Just a lot of fun to drive.

Ride = the Eldorados. I had Coupe DeVilles, Sedan DeVilles and Eldorados. Ihave had three Eldos, a '75 and two '98's. I sold a '98 last year that I had for a year and only had 34k on it when it left. Fast, beautiful and smooth.

Speed Performance = Two. First was a '69 Galaxie XL equipped with a modded 429,C6 and a 2.80 geared nine inch. A sled, but from a rolling start it was unreal. I bet a guy a hundred bucks once I could get a hundred mph out of second. Got 113 before it redlined and collected my funds. No idea what top end was, but I did get ticketed once by the GSP at 137 mph. Kept it thirteen years.
Second was a '76 RoadRunner. Yes, it was a Volare, but there was nothing in the driveline that was still stock. Factory 318 2v, 2.76 gears and a whopping 140hp. Mine had a '72 340 with W2 heads, Comp Cams 292 cam, Holley intake and carb, Hooker headers, Direct Connection ignition system, B&M modded 904 auto and a 8.25 Gran Fury Police car rear axle with 3.55 Custom Driveline gears and a Spicer driveshaft. A freakin' ball to drive and a great sleeper. Only car I ever entered in a car show. Took Best in Class at the '97 Walter P Chrysler Southeast Regionals, and I put 52 miles a day on her. Had it six years.
Loved both of these cars.

Truck = Two. I had a '72 Dodge Adventurer with a modded 360 auto. When sold it only had 120k on it. A friend still has it. Pass everything but a gas station and looked bone stock down to the dog dish hubcaps.
The current '08 F150. Auto, 4.6 with a tow package. Not very quick but will pull anything hooked to it and is rock solid dependable. Currently a little over 150k and all I have done is a radiator and it needs a ps line.

Dependability = Two. 2001 Infinity I30. Had a half dozen Maximas and I30 series but it was my fave. I kept it five years, and my son has had it the last three. Rode good, decent mpg, reasonably quick, handled good. Great driver. Only let it go because at the time I had six cars and my son needed something I knew he could depend on.
1997 Thunderbird LX. I had over a dozen Tbirds and six Cougars of the '89/'97 style. Independent rear suspension so they rode good and handled quite well for a big car. The v8's (5.0 or 4.6) felt smooth and powerful while being dependable and decent performers with a few mods. The last I had was Moonlight Blue and one of the last two hundred produced. I drove it for six years. It's in Knoxville now. Sold it in 2017 with 75k miles.

Economy = No idea. Most I never even checked. I had a couple that did get great mpg. A couple of VW's ('66 and '68 real ones), '73 Opel Manta, '85 CRX, a few little Toyotas and Nissans.

Currently have the '08 F150, '94 Vette vert. Wife has a '10 Murano with 200k and a '13 Murano with 103k. The 2010 has had the alternator, front wheel hub assemblies and compressor replaced. Other than that just regular maintenence performed. Not bad for 200k.

[Stangkiller]

2020 ram limited. Nicest interior and best ride of any vehicle ive ever owned or driven. My ford is nice but it rides like shit. My yukon denali was a piece of shit and the corvette is a great playcar but needed $25k+ in mods to be what it should be

[ZipZap]

I've had some really good and memorable vehicles. The one I absolutely hated and loved was a Fiat 2000 Spider. I drove that thing flat out through the Sierra foothills. Full on power sliding every turn just like the Datsun 510 before her.

Then I had to go to LA. Damn worst car you've ever had. They would slash the top just to see if I had audio. I anchored my audio and they tore the entire dash out. Got rid of any audio and they still slashed the top every 4 months or so. That thing was an absolute POS mechanically. I'm glad I was young. But man, when they were running good, it was like driving a 100hp go-kart.

[ZipZap]

Originally Posted by BADRACR1

To be honest, I have owned 248 cars and a dozen bikes. Some for just a week or two, and others for several years. Picking a "best" is near impossible. I like different ones for different reasons, but I'll give it a shot.

Handling = the Corvettes, hands down. I really enjoy driving them. The current one is a '94 vert that turned 80k yesterday. I drive autos now (thanks to age, gout and arthritis) but I did have two Z51's with sticks. Just a lot of fun to drive.

Ride = the Eldorados. I had Coupe DeVilles, Sedan DeVilles and Eldorados. Ihave had three Eldos, a '75 and two '98's. I sold a '98 last year that I had for a year and only had 34k on it when it left. Fast, beautiful and smooth.

Speed Performance = Two. First was a '69 Galaxie XL equipped with a modded 429,C6 and a 2.80 geared nine inch. A sled, but from a rolling start it was unreal. I bet a guy a hundred bucks once I could get a hundred mph out of second. Got 113 before it redlined and collected my funds. No idea what top end was, but I did get ticketed once by the GSP at 137 mph. Kept it thirteen years.
Second was a '76 RoadRunner. Yes, it was a Volare, but there was nothing in the driveline that was still stock. Factory 318 2v, 2.76 gears and a whopping 140hp. Mine had a '72 340 with W2 heads, Comp Cams 292 cam, Holley intake and carb, Hooker headers, Direct Connection ignition system, B&M modded 904 auto and a 8.25 Gran Fury Police car rear axle with 3.55 Custom Driveline gears and a Spicer driveshaft. A freakin' ball to drive and a great sleeper. Only car I ever entered in a car show. Took Best in Class at the '97 Walter P Chrysler Southeast Regionals, and I put 52 miles a day on her. Had it six years.
Loved both of these cars.

Truck = Two. I had a '72 Dodge Adventurer with a modded 360 auto. When sold it only had 120k on it. A friend still has it. Pass everything but a gas station and looked bone stock down to the dog dish hubcaps.
The current '08 F150. Auto, 4.6 with a tow package. Not very quick but will pull anything hooked to it and is rock solid dependable. Currently a little over 150k and all I have done is a radiator and it needs a ps line.

Dependability = Two. 2001 Infinity I30. Had a half dozen Maximas and I30 series but it was my fave. I kept it five years, and my son has had it the last three. Rode good, decent mpg, reasonably quick, handled good. Great driver. Only let it go because at the time I had six cars and my son needed something I knew he could depend on.
1997 Thunderbird LX. I had over a dozen Tbirds and six Cougars of the '89/'97 style. Independent rear suspension so they rode good and handled quite well for a big car. The v8's (5.0 or 4.6) felt smooth and powerful while being dependable and decent performers with a few mods. The last I had was Moonlight Blue and one of the last two hundred produced. I drove it for six years. It's in Knoxville now. Sold it in 2017 with 75k miles.

Economy = No idea. Most I never even checked. I had a couple that did get great mpg. A couple of VW's ('66 and '68 real ones), '73 Opel Manta, '85 CRX, a few little Toyotas and Nissans.

Currently have the '08 F150, '94 Vette vert. Wife has a '10 Murano with 200k and a '13 Murano with 103k. The 2010 has had the alternator, front wheel hub assemblies and compressor replaced. Other than that just regular maintenence performed. Not bad for 200k.

Crazy amount of vehicles.

BTW, always enjoy seeing the avatar

[Rodnok1]

Best for longevity and reliability.. 99 Park Avenue and a close second 98 Deville.
Both well over 250k before parked. Son put a new motor in the Buick 2 years ago and should easily get another 150k out of it.
Funest probably 68 Firebird with a close second 78 Trans Am.
Best truck 78 C10 camper special. Road extremely good. I rebuilt the seat and added extra springs and padding. Zero rust after I redid the body, I should have kept that one.

[RedLS1GTO]

Originally Posted by BADRACR1

To be honest, I have owned 248 cars and a dozen bikes. Some for just a week or two, and others for several years. Picking a "best" is near impossible. I like different ones for different reasons, but I'll give it a shot.

I'm not quite at 248 (unless you count bikes that I've "owned" for my business) but I've had more than a few. I think the count was in the 50s last time I tried to add it up for cars (not counting business) and a hell of a lot of bikes.

It's pretty hard to pick a best but if I use the criteria of the ones I'd like to have back, I'd oddly enough probably start with my 2004 GTO. It was far from the fastest. It probably isn't the best at... anything... but for some reason I loved that car. It unfortunately met a rather unfortunate end on the highway and was replaced by what would likely be number 2 on my list, my 2002 Z06. It was nothing special but it was simply... fun. It could make a trip to the race track and perform quite admirably and the next day go pick up groceries. It made many MANY long distance road trips in my Navy days coming back home and never missed a beat. It was a great car to drive down to the beach on those summer days when the tourist girls were out and about.

As far as the best all around everything, it is actually hard to top the S6. It's not the car that I would have wanted in my 20s, but now in my 40s with kids it's phenomenal. It is luxury when I cruise to work and sporty when I want that. The details and German engineering are as expected. The brakes are beyond any non-race car I've ever driven. It handles great. It rides great. The steering feel is absolutely spectacular. It has more usable room than most of the smaller SUVs on the market. It has had a few electrical gremlins that were annoying as shit right out of the gate, but once that was sorted out, it has redeemed itself very well. My only complaint is not the power itself, but the sound of the V6. I miss that V8 sound. Which is exactly why an RS6 Avant is currently leading the pack to replace it.

[RedLS1GTO]

I forgot the bikes. 1 of the benefits of owning a shop was the access and the ability to buy some fun toys "for the business".

My favorite has to be my Ducati 748S. Like the GTO, it wasn't the fastest... FAR from it. It was uncomfortable, rode like hell, and maintenance sucked, but man, that thing had character. Marchesini carbon wheels, Arrow exhaust, that Ducati Desmo sound is glorious.

From a performance standpoint, it would be the Aprilia RSV4 RR. That thing was just dumbass fast. 14,000 rpm and 200+ hp on a 400lb bike.

A shoutout would also have to go to another Duc, an 1198 with a great tune, Termi exhaust, etc. The problem with that bike was quite simply that it tried to kill you every time you touched the throttle. It was 212hp to the rear wheel with no traction control. No ... anything. It was an absolute monster.

You think 9s feels fast in a car? If you think 1/4 mile is what matters, both the Aprilia and 1198 were easily in the low 9s, even with me on it (they both went 10.0 100% stock). And at 1/4 mile, they were just getting started.

[MikeB]

Not as many as BADRCR1, but I've a few.
I'd guess somewhere around 100 or more. The best for me has to be the
most practical and reliable during our "family raising" years, now past.
Everything else is/was just temporary.
I had a few I wish I still had, but one can only have so many toys.
'62 Grand Prix 4 spd, '65 Malibu SS 283/4sp, '67 Chevelle SS396/4spd,
'78 T/A, the first 76 Corvette I owned.
Bunch of Jap bikes, a Cushman scooter and (2) Harleys.
My current '94 FLSTC I've had since 1997.

My favorite to date has to be the 2019 Edge ST I had for 3 years.
Never had a single problem with it, and only sold it because I finally got the
new Bronco I wanted (minor elec. glitches, but still under warranty)

As for Family trucksters, my wife was partial to Mini Vans because of her
vehicle requirements (trucking her parents, the kids, and later, the grand-kids around).
We had a '94 Pontiac Transport (was fun at the time), and (2) Chrysler T&Cs
bought brand new, a 2004, & a 2015. The '04 was the most reliable and dependable vehicle we ever owned. Took it on yearly trips to FL for 11 years,
and never had a problem with it. I did have to replace a metal heater tube
from the engine to the rear heater core, other than normal maintenance,
that was it.

[RMVette]

So far my Lexus ES350 that my son drives, it's taken a beating and still kicking!

[WydGlydJim]

Probably my old grocery getter.......


'18 Hellcat....does everything really well; very comfortable road car; a pleasure to drive; has been rock solid dependable; when you want to flog it, it responds happily; luv that fact that it is 1 of 1

[sublime1996525]

Originally Posted by Datawiz

In real life terms, that saves me $100k, but I'm still in a financial situation that if I spend $160k on a Corvette or $250k on a Porsche, it doesn't change the needle on the monthly budget one bit. BUT, I want the 2019 GT3 RS, and it's not currently classed in any stock class, and would require me to jump to Super Street Prepared, which would then require many modifications to be competitive. I'm not buying a quarter of a million dollar car to not be able to drive it the way I want to drive it. Stock class is where I want to be, and the C8 Z06 was just added to the Super Street class, and the compromise in tires for competitive rubber is minimal. Only loss is 20 mm in rear tires. OEM 345 wide, available rears in competitive tires 325 wide. New GT3's or even GT3 RS from 2019 can't run in SS. I'm not buying a paper weight to show off. I want to compete.

That's a reasonable excuse....

Originally Posted by Stangkiller

2020 ram limited. Nicest interior and best ride of any vehicle ive ever owned or driven. My ford is nice but it rides like shit. My yukon denali was a piece of shit and the corvette is a great playcar but needed $25k+ in mods to be what it should be

I agree about the Ram. My 2020 Laramie is so nice and the ride is excellent. It's also quiet, comfortable, has a really good stereo. It's a great road trip vehicle.

Originally Posted by RedLS1GTO

I'm not quite at 248 (unless you count bikes that I've "owned" for my business) but I've had more than a few. I think the count was in the 50s last time I tried to add it up for cars (not counting business) and a hell of a lot of bikes.

It's pretty hard to pick a best but if I use the criteria of the ones I'd like to have back, I'd oddly enough probably start with my 2004 GTO. It was far from the fastest. It probably isn't the best at... anything... but for some reason I loved that car. It unfortunately met a rather unfortunate end on the highway and was replaced by what would likely be number 2 on my list, my 2002 Z06. It was nothing special but it was simply... fun. It could make a trip to the race track and perform quite admirably and the next day go pick up groceries. It made many MANY long distance road trips in my Navy days coming back home and never missed a beat. It was a great car to drive down to the beach on those summer days when the tourist girls were out and about.

As far as the best all around everything, it is actually hard to top the S6. It's not the car that I would have wanted in my 20s, but now in my 40s with kids it's phenomenal. It is luxury when I cruise to work and sporty when I want that. The details and German engineering are as expected. The brakes are beyond any non-race car I've ever driven. It handles great. It rides great. The steering feel is absolutely spectacular. It has more usable room than most of the smaller SUVs on the market. It has had a few electrical gremlins that were annoying as shit right out of the gate, but once that was sorted out, it has redeemed itself very well. My only complaint is not the power itself, but the sound of the V6. I miss that V8 sound. Which is exactly why an RS6 Avant is currently leading the pack to replace it.

Just in for the RS6 Avant. I freaking love them! I hope we get the RS3 Avant one day!

Your 02 Z06 comment made me smile, too. I had my 02 Z06 while in the Navy and it made several trips from Camp Pendleton to Salt Lake. I put 50k miles on that car with very minor issues...mostly caused by me lol.

[SurfnSun]

From a fun and reliability standpoint, it has to be my C6 Callaway.

Still on the original clutch but the torque tube bushings have finally died.

[Capt Van]

I'll never catch up to Bad but I've owned over 100 cars and trucks and about 25 or so bikes. Of the cars , my last Corvette C8 was my 52nd Vette. The best is hard to pick out but the one still puts a smile on my face and take my breath away. 2009 Viper ACR 735 hp Arrow motor no nannies.

[CB1953]

Like everyone else I have had many nice rides, but my current CT5 Blackwing is by far the best. Manual trans, more power than I will ever need, a really sweet ride. Alas, since I have now retired, it is going up for sale. Looking for a house out in the country, so time to go back to a truck....

[gs568]

Still one of my favorites.

[AUTOHOLIC]

Originally Posted by sublime1996525

That's a reasonable excuse....



I agree about the Ram. My 2020 Laramie is so nice and the ride is excellent. It's also quiet, comfortable, has a really good stereo. It's a great road trip vehicle.



Just in for the RS6 Avant. I freaking love them! I hope we get the RS3 Avant one day!

Your 02 Z06 comment made me smile, too. I had my 02 Z06 while in the Navy and it made several trips from Camp Pendleton to Salt Lake. I put 50k miles on that car with very minor issues...mostly caused by me lol.

Speaking of Avanti I forgot about the 1963 I owned. It was a factory supercharged one with 4 spd, ps, pdb and pw.
Here is an old picture of it. I owned it from the late 70s -early 80s.

[BADRACR1]

Originally Posted by ZipZap

Crazy amount of vehicles.

BTW, always enjoy seeing the avatar

Thanks. He would have been seventeen in about six weeks. Be fourteen years this July since Lucas left us.

[PLRX]