The Best car you have ever had and why?
Discussion
PomBstard said:
I can hear a Toyota gently sobbing...
So can I. And in fairness that trusty steed deserves that accolade at least as much. I'm getting a bit emotional. Sold to a friend and he's loving it, so all's good. It's an age thing, I had the Jetta for 5 long years, the Toyota for 7 short years, getting old
EP3 Civic Type-R.
Definitely a car with 2 sides. On one hand it was quiet, smooth and cheap to run, along with being practical due to it being a hatchback. On the other hand, it was like a mini touring car. It sounded awesome higher up the rev range, it handled well and had a great gear change. I loved it, for me it was the perfect daily.
Definitely a car with 2 sides. On one hand it was quiet, smooth and cheap to run, along with being practical due to it being a hatchback. On the other hand, it was like a mini touring car. It sounded awesome higher up the rev range, it handled well and had a great gear change. I loved it, for me it was the perfect daily.
1983 Porsche 944, non-power steering model. It just would not die, I used and abused it. Lots of little things broke (door handles, speedo cable, headlamp motor, etc) The AC never worked and it would overheat in the summer due to the second fan never kicking on. But I was young and drove it everywhere, the brakes, clutch, engine and suspension was top notch on that thing.
Runner up is a 2001 Saab 9-3SE convertible. We owned it for 5 years and put 70k miles on it (bought it at 50k miles) 30k of those miles were at a stage 3+, the engine never skipped a beat. I attribute the longevity of that motor and turbo to oil changes every 3500 miles (full synthetic) and NGK copper plugs every other oil change. It was pushing around 300BHP and torque steered like nobodys business and ate CV's pretty regularly, but that was about the worst of it.
Runner up is a 2001 Saab 9-3SE convertible. We owned it for 5 years and put 70k miles on it (bought it at 50k miles) 30k of those miles were at a stage 3+, the engine never skipped a beat. I attribute the longevity of that motor and turbo to oil changes every 3500 miles (full synthetic) and NGK copper plugs every other oil change. It was pushing around 300BHP and torque steered like nobodys business and ate CV's pretty regularly, but that was about the worst of it.
2001 Volvo S60 T5. Quick, smooth, made a lovely noise, built like a tank, incredibly reliable and supremely comfortable. You could drive it all day and get out feeling fresh as a daisy. It was no fun to throw around in the lanes, but otherwise it was incredibly rewarding to own.
Sold when my mileage went up to 30k a year, and its 23-25 mpg wasn't going to cut it. I still resent the job for that, especially as I left it six months later. Enjoying company car hassle-freedom at the moment but I would have another T5 in a heartbeat. Also helped that Mrs Limpet hated it and refused to drive it!
Sold when my mileage went up to 30k a year, and its 23-25 mpg wasn't going to cut it. I still resent the job for that, especially as I left it six months later. Enjoying company car hassle-freedom at the moment but I would have another T5 in a heartbeat. Also helped that Mrs Limpet hated it and refused to drive it!
Mkiv Supra 6-speed.
Came to this after a long series of exclusively 4-cyl, FWD stuff.
Was my first 'proper' car. 3-litre 6-cylinder, RWD, Getrag box, nice chassis.
Modified exactly to my taste with all the bits I'd lusted after for years (Recaro seats, Do-Luck/ Blitz bodywork, Advan wheels). That was a big part of what made it the 'best car I ever had'- I made it my own through careful (and hopefully tasteful) customisation.
I also made sure to be patient and buy the exact spec I was after (facelift, gunmetal paint, 6-speed box). Every car since has involved some kind of compromise for one reason or another.
Fully custom-made exhaust (catalytic converter was untouched officer) was the icing on a rather loud cake. Anyone thinking of pulling the trigger on a Supra purchase, do it...
Objectively 'superior'/ newer cars since have failed to capture that Supra magic somehow...
Came to this after a long series of exclusively 4-cyl, FWD stuff.
Was my first 'proper' car. 3-litre 6-cylinder, RWD, Getrag box, nice chassis.
Modified exactly to my taste with all the bits I'd lusted after for years (Recaro seats, Do-Luck/ Blitz bodywork, Advan wheels). That was a big part of what made it the 'best car I ever had'- I made it my own through careful (and hopefully tasteful) customisation.
I also made sure to be patient and buy the exact spec I was after (facelift, gunmetal paint, 6-speed box). Every car since has involved some kind of compromise for one reason or another.
Fully custom-made exhaust (catalytic converter was untouched officer) was the icing on a rather loud cake. Anyone thinking of pulling the trigger on a Supra purchase, do it...
Objectively 'superior'/ newer cars since have failed to capture that Supra magic somehow...
From a pretty uninspired car history consisting of:
'85 Fiat Uno 1.1
'94 Rover 214SLi
'97 Mazda 323F 1.8
'03 Ford Focus 1.8TDCi
'04 Seat Leon FR TDI
'93 BMW E36 325i
I guess my Seat Leon was the best, fast (after mapping), economical (52-55mpg), climate control and comfy seats for long trips, gripped well, Big enough to carry my bike, etc. Just looked chavvy and was by far the most unreliable and expensive to run car I've ever had...
Mazda easily the most reliable.
Rover had the best build / fit and finish (yes, really)
'85 Fiat Uno 1.1
'94 Rover 214SLi
'97 Mazda 323F 1.8
'03 Ford Focus 1.8TDCi
'04 Seat Leon FR TDI
'93 BMW E36 325i
I guess my Seat Leon was the best, fast (after mapping), economical (52-55mpg), climate control and comfy seats for long trips, gripped well, Big enough to carry my bike, etc. Just looked chavvy and was by far the most unreliable and expensive to run car I've ever had...
Mazda easily the most reliable.
Rover had the best build / fit and finish (yes, really)
My E36 328is with the avus spec (motorsport shocks & eccentric bushes) was my favourite petrol car I've ever owned. It was smooth, sophisticated and very economical (for a 1998 2.8) for everyday use but was quick, stealthy, sounded amazing and handled beautifully when making progress.
Might get flamed for this but I also love my current semi-stripped and tuned Ibiza FR 2.0 TDI. It's not going to win any drag race records but I've grown out of that & the amazing instant punch is so enjoyable for country road driving. I love that like the beemer it looks stealthy but punches above it's weight. It also manages to be very nimble whilst also being stable on the motorway (unlike my JCW mini), has great steering feedback (setting is changed with VCDS), has loads of toys and is of course very good on fuel which means I can drive it more
Surprisingly for a diesel, the engine is very free revving and doesn't really suffer from premature power fade higher in the revs like most diesels. It even manages to sound quite growly with a nice pitch change around 3k rpm.
Might get flamed for this but I also love my current semi-stripped and tuned Ibiza FR 2.0 TDI. It's not going to win any drag race records but I've grown out of that & the amazing instant punch is so enjoyable for country road driving. I love that like the beemer it looks stealthy but punches above it's weight. It also manages to be very nimble whilst also being stable on the motorway (unlike my JCW mini), has great steering feedback (setting is changed with VCDS), has loads of toys and is of course very good on fuel which means I can drive it more
Surprisingly for a diesel, the engine is very free revving and doesn't really suffer from premature power fade higher in the revs like most diesels. It even manages to sound quite growly with a nice pitch change around 3k rpm.Nissan 200sx S14a, it was just so much fun to drive and very lively on the rear end which I loved and it was the car that got me used to RWD, it was only running a mild tune at around 250bhp but it transformed it against what it was as standard.
I just found it had very usable power and you could drive it hard pretty much everywhere and it was the most overall enjoyable car that I have had, my Cerbera was better for sense of occasion/noise obviously but you couldn't exploit that like you could the 200.
I just found it had very usable power and you could drive it hard pretty much everywhere and it was the most overall enjoyable car that I have had, my Cerbera was better for sense of occasion/noise obviously but you couldn't exploit that like you could the 200.
After a run of light commercials: the £10 Transit, Series III 88in Land-Rover, VW LT 35D horsebox I bought a 13 year old Alfasud Ti1.3 with 110k miles on it. Once I had fettled out the faults/neglect: various electrical problems, replaced head gaskets to stop oil leaking on top of the block and had an ignition fault sorted by the local mobile tune up guy it was a thing of joy that always put a smile on my face. Just firing it up and hearing that gruff beat, rasping exhaust note and crackle on the overrun was enough to get the grin going. Hooning it round the back lanes of Sussex never got old. As someone put it to me once " it handles like a soapy tit" 'nuf said.
As cars get ever more "sophisticated" it becomes harder to find a driving experience that matches the Alfasud for involvement and enjoyment. The way it steered and gripped and told the driver what was going on was peerless and far exceeded what might be expected from a family hatchback.
One last point: I have heard Alfasuds critisised for a certain lack of feel in the steering. My experience is that front tyre pressures are critical. Just losing a few psi really deadens the feel and makes it a chore to haul through the bends.
As cars get ever more "sophisticated" it becomes harder to find a driving experience that matches the Alfasud for involvement and enjoyment. The way it steered and gripped and told the driver what was going on was peerless and far exceeded what might be expected from a family hatchback.
One last point: I have heard Alfasuds critisised for a certain lack of feel in the steering. My experience is that front tyre pressures are critical. Just losing a few psi really deadens the feel and makes it a chore to haul through the bends.
Ford Puma - wish I'd never sold it. Why? It was the cheapest car I've ever owned (only a couple of grand when I bought it) but definitely the most amount of fun per £. Never failed to put a smile on my face - it always wanted to be driven and handled brilliantly. It never let me down, even when I was regularly to-ing and fro-ing a couple of hundred miles at a time two or three times a week to visit my terminally ill mother in hospital. Every time I see one on the road I wish I still had mine; my current cars are undoubtedly better built, quicker and safer but the Puma was proof that good cars do not need to be expensive. My only gripe with it was the rusting rear arches - but I loved my Puma!
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