Top 5 cars that you have owned?
Discussion
I have been driving for nearly 15 years now and during that time have owned 10 cars (excluding company cars). So what are the top 5 cars that you have owned and why? Apologies if you haven't owned many but feel free to join in (just share the top half i.e. if you have owned 4 cars, the top two etc). Here's my top five:
1. 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX Estate (I'm pleased to say this is my current DD - it does everything well apart from sipping fuel gently and is the only car that I have owned that I could trust to get me to the Nurburgring and back and put in a respectable performance while it was there!)
2. 1991 Peugeot 205 1.6 GTi (simply the most fun car to drive that I have owned - I would have loved to take it on the Nurburgring but would it have got me there?)
3. 1991 BMW 325i Cabriolet (not particularly fast or good handling but just a cool, comfortable car with a great sounding engine to enjoy covering miles in - like travelling around in your favourite armchair!)
4. 1995 Fiat Cinquecento Sporting (my first car - like a less powerful 205 GTi really and better handling than the 5th car on my list!)
5. 2009 Fiat 500 1.2 Pop (my wife's current DD - not the best ride and handling but in all other respects everything else you could hope for from a small Italian car - stylish, loves to be thrashed, economical and just fun to be in!)
What didn't make the cut? Despite owning 3 VWs on the trot (a Corrado VR6, mk4 Golf GTi and Polo TDI, none of them really got under my skin). If I had owned a mk2 Golf GTi maybe things would have been different! Also, a 1995 Vauxhall Astra 1.4 (no surprise there really) and surprise, surprise a PH favourite, the mk2 Mazda MX5. Don't get me wrong, it was a really nice car and I was 23 driving around in a nearly-new sports car but it failed to really get under my skin (would still like to try a mk1 MX5 though)!
So what are your top 5 cars that you have owned and why?
1. 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX Estate (I'm pleased to say this is my current DD - it does everything well apart from sipping fuel gently and is the only car that I have owned that I could trust to get me to the Nurburgring and back and put in a respectable performance while it was there!)
2. 1991 Peugeot 205 1.6 GTi (simply the most fun car to drive that I have owned - I would have loved to take it on the Nurburgring but would it have got me there?)
3. 1991 BMW 325i Cabriolet (not particularly fast or good handling but just a cool, comfortable car with a great sounding engine to enjoy covering miles in - like travelling around in your favourite armchair!)
4. 1995 Fiat Cinquecento Sporting (my first car - like a less powerful 205 GTi really and better handling than the 5th car on my list!)
5. 2009 Fiat 500 1.2 Pop (my wife's current DD - not the best ride and handling but in all other respects everything else you could hope for from a small Italian car - stylish, loves to be thrashed, economical and just fun to be in!)
What didn't make the cut? Despite owning 3 VWs on the trot (a Corrado VR6, mk4 Golf GTi and Polo TDI, none of them really got under my skin). If I had owned a mk2 Golf GTi maybe things would have been different! Also, a 1995 Vauxhall Astra 1.4 (no surprise there really) and surprise, surprise a PH favourite, the mk2 Mazda MX5. Don't get me wrong, it was a really nice car and I was 23 driving around in a nearly-new sports car but it failed to really get under my skin (would still like to try a mk1 MX5 though)!
So what are your top 5 cars that you have owned and why?
BMW 335d still impresses me
VW California is a bit of a dream come true and brilliant
Golf R32 (mk4)
Saxo VTR
mk3 Gti 16v
Mk2 Gti was good but overrated, 1990 Passat was simply crap, mk5 Astra 1.9CDTi 150 was competent but the dealers were SO bad, I will not recommend a Vx to anyone, ever. 1973 beige 1.3 Morris Marina did not have one single good feature - well maybe the spacey boot and the fact that even I could fix it. 2007 LR Defender 110XS was fun and stole our hearts but it had too many problems and cost near supercar money to run.
VW California is a bit of a dream come true and brilliant
Golf R32 (mk4)
Saxo VTR
mk3 Gti 16v
Mk2 Gti was good but overrated, 1990 Passat was simply crap, mk5 Astra 1.9CDTi 150 was competent but the dealers were SO bad, I will not recommend a Vx to anyone, ever. 1973 beige 1.3 Morris Marina did not have one single good feature - well maybe the spacey boot and the fact that even I could fix it. 2007 LR Defender 110XS was fun and stole our hearts but it had too many problems and cost near supercar money to run.
Edited by Vladimir on Thursday 1st March 21:54
1) my current golf. for its power and entertainment value. hard to put my finger on but it love it.
2) Zcars GSXR powered Mini. for its total madness, 0-60 under 4 seconds. in one gear.
3) alfa 155 2.0 16v sport pack. boy hood dream. after tarquini put it on 2 wheels. its also the only car I regretted selling due to it being near mint. and the 318is I replaced it with was f
king st. also such a brilliant chassis setup. best handling FWD car I have driven.
4)BMW 3.0 Z4 just for it convertiablness and the noise of that Strait 6.
5) Ok so I didnt own it but. I test drove a 500BHP R32 skyline GTR. bonkers. I almost bought it on the spot. luckily I checked the insurance first, an eye watering 4.5k.
I have been lucky enough to own some amazing cars and drive some stunning ones to.
VR
2) Zcars GSXR powered Mini. for its total madness, 0-60 under 4 seconds. in one gear.
3) alfa 155 2.0 16v sport pack. boy hood dream. after tarquini put it on 2 wheels. its also the only car I regretted selling due to it being near mint. and the 318is I replaced it with was f
king st. also such a brilliant chassis setup. best handling FWD car I have driven. 4)BMW 3.0 Z4 just for it convertiablness and the noise of that Strait 6.
5) Ok so I didnt own it but. I test drove a 500BHP R32 skyline GTR. bonkers. I almost bought it on the spot. luckily I checked the insurance first, an eye watering 4.5k.
I have been lucky enough to own some amazing cars and drive some stunning ones to.
VR
In no particular order (because I find it hard to pick a winner)..
Range Rover TDV8
VW Corrado VR6
Porsche 968 Sport
BMW E36 M3 Convertible
Saab 900T16 S 'classic' Aero 3 door
Oh, and LandRover Defender V8, and Range Rover 'classic' V8 Vogue SE ..not easy this being objective and picking favourites from cars owned as they all have emotional attachment from times and trips during ownership..forgot about Golf Mk2 GTi!..
Range Rover TDV8
VW Corrado VR6
Porsche 968 Sport
BMW E36 M3 Convertible
Saab 900T16 S 'classic' Aero 3 door
Oh, and LandRover Defender V8, and Range Rover 'classic' V8 Vogue SE ..not easy this being objective and picking favourites from cars owned as they all have emotional attachment from times and trips during ownership..forgot about Golf Mk2 GTi!..
I think the E46 325 I had was probably the best all round car I've owned, the worst was an E60 5 series where the iDrive decided it didn't like airports and just refused to work. Second would be an M100 Elan, I chipped it to 200hp and remember flooring it up a local bypass for the first time and grinning. The rest are much of a muchness
VR6 Turbo said:
3) alfa 155 2.0 16v sport pack. boy hood dream. after tarquini put it on 2 wheels. its also the only car I regretted selling due to it being near mint. and the 318is I replaced it with was f
king st. also such a brilliant chassis setup. best handling FWD car I have driven. 1989 Audi quattro 20v - owned since 1994 and is a keeper
2004 Porsche 996 turbo - currently around 600hp and a laugh a minute
1986 Audi quattro 10v - gone but not forgotten - even the talking dash was cool!
1980 BMW 635CSi - the good looking one
2000 Mercedes Benz CLK 55 AMG - owned this for 4 years and it never missed a beat.
2004 Porsche 996 turbo - currently around 600hp and a laugh a minute
1986 Audi quattro 10v - gone but not forgotten - even the talking dash was cool!
1980 BMW 635CSi - the good looking one
2000 Mercedes Benz CLK 55 AMG - owned this for 4 years and it never missed a beat.
1) Toyta MR2 (1.6 AW11) - just FUN FUN FUN, great revvy engine and very acomplished handling. You could have fun on a good road at any speed, it taught you loads about driving, I tracked it to within what I thought would be an inch of it's life and it lapped it up and cried out for more. A joy to work on, cheap to get parts for, it got smiles and curious looks from passers by. It didn't put a foot wrong in my ownership, and I had a blast. I still regret selling it, but you have to move on! (although I've owned 2)
2) BMW 328i Touring - Really, this is a value for money decision. I paid £700 for it, on 162k miles, but it was a brilliant car. Great balance of performance and handling for a "big" car, filled every practical need with the big boot, was cheap enough that I could "not care" although I did anyway. It was also very easy to service and work on, and source parts for.
3) Nissan 200SX - ran for 2 years, and really could have kept it "forever" but the MR2 came up and I can only justify one fun car. Just a good old school RWD chassis, a powerful engine, no electronics, and a nice shape (IMO). Again, nothing really went wrong with it and it was plenty fast enough, but would eat miles with absolute comfort as a "GT" car. It also tracked well with 4 pot front calipers.
4) Skoda Fabia 1.4 Tdi - 50k miles in 4 years at 60+Mpg. Utterly, completely reliable and competent, it had just 2 tyres and a set of front pads in that time. Could cruise happily at 80 all day, we took it to Skye and all over, had some great holidays in it and it meant we could motor on the cheap when it wasn't worth burning Optimax in the 200SX. A really honest, great little car. Even got lift off oversteer outof it once!
5) Volvo 340 GL... But only because it was my first car! Dog slow, lethal handling, vague steering, inefficient, inelegant, poor ride, poor interior, horrible control weights and feedback. It makes me gut-laugh that these are now considered "desirable" on the Masochistic Drift scene...
That's it! Impreza does not make the list as I'm only a month into ownership (and it's costing me money already) and the Audi I had was rubbish!
2) BMW 328i Touring - Really, this is a value for money decision. I paid £700 for it, on 162k miles, but it was a brilliant car. Great balance of performance and handling for a "big" car, filled every practical need with the big boot, was cheap enough that I could "not care" although I did anyway. It was also very easy to service and work on, and source parts for.
3) Nissan 200SX - ran for 2 years, and really could have kept it "forever" but the MR2 came up and I can only justify one fun car. Just a good old school RWD chassis, a powerful engine, no electronics, and a nice shape (IMO). Again, nothing really went wrong with it and it was plenty fast enough, but would eat miles with absolute comfort as a "GT" car. It also tracked well with 4 pot front calipers.
4) Skoda Fabia 1.4 Tdi - 50k miles in 4 years at 60+Mpg. Utterly, completely reliable and competent, it had just 2 tyres and a set of front pads in that time. Could cruise happily at 80 all day, we took it to Skye and all over, had some great holidays in it and it meant we could motor on the cheap when it wasn't worth burning Optimax in the 200SX. A really honest, great little car. Even got lift off oversteer outof it once!
5) Volvo 340 GL... But only because it was my first car! Dog slow, lethal handling, vague steering, inefficient, inelegant, poor ride, poor interior, horrible control weights and feedback. It makes me gut-laugh that these are now considered "desirable" on the Masochistic Drift scene...
That's it! Impreza does not make the list as I'm only a month into ownership (and it's costing me money already) and the Audi I had was rubbish!
Edited by WeirdNeville on Friday 2nd March 10:30
macp said:
VR6 Turbo said:
3) alfa 155 2.0 16v sport pack. boy hood dream. after tarquini put it on 2 wheels. its also the only car I regretted selling due to it being near mint. and the 318is I replaced it with was f
king st. also such a brilliant chassis setup. best handling FWD car I have driven. VR
1, BMW 335d Touring. It does everything I need it to, and it still making me smile after 9 months
2, VW T5 Transporter. Not technically a car, but used as a car and a van, fabulous machine and much regret selling it
3, Golf VR6. I've had many of these, love them, simple to repair, sound great and I love the look of the mk3 Golf
4, Mini Cooper S JCW. Partners car, shared it and it was without doubt the most fun FWD hatch I have driven. Fabulous car, nice noise too
5, Golf GTI Anniversary. First diesel car, looked great, cheap as chips to run, but wasn't terribly reliable.
2, VW T5 Transporter. Not technically a car, but used as a car and a van, fabulous machine and much regret selling it
3, Golf VR6. I've had many of these, love them, simple to repair, sound great and I love the look of the mk3 Golf
4, Mini Cooper S JCW. Partners car, shared it and it was without doubt the most fun FWD hatch I have driven. Fabulous car, nice noise too
5, Golf GTI Anniversary. First diesel car, looked great, cheap as chips to run, but wasn't terribly reliable.
1 megane r26.r
Did exactly what it was supposed to do with minimal fuss & cheap to run too!
2 mr2 spyder (mk3)
Simply brilliant at everything, fun, cheap, reliable, enough space despite what you read & just, just fast enough!
3 Z4M coupe, my current daily & hopefully will go up in my estimations the more I drive it
4 993 series 911, realisation of a lifetime ambition.
5 escort rs turbo, great hot hatch from when I was young
Didn't make the cut.....
M3csl, st gearbox. 911SC , stunning restored car but I couldn't drive the thing! Lotus Exige, just didn't gel with it . 350z, great car & almost made the cut but pushed out by other favourites. Fiesta rs turbo, complete let down after the escort. MkII xr2, again great car but edged out by others. MkIII xr2i, just st. Nova 1.3 SR, heap of junk.
Did exactly what it was supposed to do with minimal fuss & cheap to run too!
2 mr2 spyder (mk3)
Simply brilliant at everything, fun, cheap, reliable, enough space despite what you read & just, just fast enough!
3 Z4M coupe, my current daily & hopefully will go up in my estimations the more I drive it
4 993 series 911, realisation of a lifetime ambition.
5 escort rs turbo, great hot hatch from when I was young
Didn't make the cut.....
M3csl, s
t gearbox. 911SC , stunning restored car but I couldn't drive the thing! Lotus Exige, just didn't gel with it . 350z, great car & almost made the cut but pushed out by other favourites. Fiesta rs turbo, complete let down after the escort. MkII xr2, again great car but edged out by others. MkIII xr2i, just st. Nova 1.3 SR, heap of junk.I haven't had many but hey ho -
1. Seat Ibiza Cupra - it's silly fast for what it is, scares the hell outta Monaro owners and awesome Brembo 4 pots. Then does 35mpg no problem. Can't wait to go big turbo and crack 320-330bhp.
2. Golf VR6 - *that* noise in a small hatch is brilliant. Cheap to buy, cheap to fix, cheap to run. Brilliant smiles per ££. Complete rot boxes but would have another without thinking about it.
3. VW Polo G40 - blew up all the time, eventually fitted it with an Eaton M45 supercharger, still blew up but sounded ridiculous and was a proper little giant killer
4. VW Corrado 16v - would be number one and still owned if it was a VR6. Everyone should try one! A cheap coupe that feels quite special to drive, and incredibly well put together.
5. VW Polo Coupe 1.0. Cheap, never broke, never let me down, and had charm in a so st it's good way. Ultimate car for students/skint people.
Cars that failed to make the grade - BMW 735i, VW Lupo 1.0, VW Golf TDi, VW Passat 20vT.
Yes I need to look outside the VAG brand for my next car
1. Seat Ibiza Cupra - it's silly fast for what it is, scares the hell outta Monaro owners and awesome Brembo 4 pots. Then does 35mpg no problem. Can't wait to go big turbo and crack 320-330bhp.
2. Golf VR6 - *that* noise in a small hatch is brilliant. Cheap to buy, cheap to fix, cheap to run. Brilliant smiles per ££. Complete rot boxes but would have another without thinking about it.
3. VW Polo G40 - blew up all the time, eventually fitted it with an Eaton M45 supercharger, still blew up but sounded ridiculous and was a proper little giant killer
4. VW Corrado 16v - would be number one and still owned if it was a VR6. Everyone should try one! A cheap coupe that feels quite special to drive, and incredibly well put together.
5. VW Polo Coupe 1.0. Cheap, never broke, never let me down, and had charm in a so s
t it's good way. Ultimate car for students/skint people.Cars that failed to make the grade - BMW 735i, VW Lupo 1.0, VW Golf TDi, VW Passat 20vT.
Yes I need to look outside the VAG brand for my next car
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff