Another year, another 52 fantastic Carpool stories! Alright, so it's 51 and this round up, technically, but what variety we've seen in 2016 on a Monday morning: everything from a Volvo 245DL to a Toyota Sera to a Citroen SM. We've even let the odd hybrid and EV slip through...
Here we'll countdown the Carpool of the Year top 10, as judged by the number of page views each has attracted. Therefore it's an objective list, compiled through stats, with no outside influence. There are one or two common themes running through the top 10, you see, and we wouldn't want to be accused of any bias!
Enough discussion though - here are your most read PH Carpool articles of the past 12 months. Enjoy!
Porsche 911 C4S
Andrew Chapple's 996 C4S kicks us off, one of a few 911s in this list - don't say you weren't warned! This was his second 996 C4S, the first being replaced by a 997 equivalent that he didn't enjoy as much. What was the appeal of this 911 variant in particular? Along with the widebody looks, the drive was a big part of it: "the constantly fidgeting steering wheel, the perfect control weights, the way it tightens its line with a smidgen more throttle; all these idiosyncrasies slowly but surely get under your skin." Unsurprisingly there are no intentions to sell from Andrew, despite frequently changing his cars in the past.
Porsche 911 Carrera 4
We did tell you... Steve George's story on his 993 was a very interesting, having bought the last air-cooled 911 before prices skyrocketed. He looked at a lot - without much demand back then, there were plenty to see - before settling on a black C4 manual with extended red leather. It's proved a good purchase too, with reasonable running costs (except the resprayed bits) and, more importantly, a whole lot of fun. Still looks rather lovely too, doesn't it?
Porsche 911 GT3
Alright, so this is last 911. For now. Don Henshall had been a lifelong 911 fan and found the facelifted 997 GT3 an even more inspirational drive than the R8 V10 and V12 Vantage he was also considering. Despite being sold this year the car was well used too, with Don taking it on a good few track days and a European road trip too. With faults at a minimum - a small fuel tank and iffy sat-nav the biggest complaints - Don's relationship with the GT3 was a happy one. Apparently it even managed 30mpg at one point...
BMW 435d
A diesel on the list? Whatever next? But yes, Kevin Warner's 4 Series Gran Coupe is the seventh most read Carpool of this year, ahead of far more exotic machinery. Its range of talents is clearly very broad - Kevin is a big fan of the performance, traction and economy - but the 435d does have its drawbacks too. The build quality isn't the best, according to Kevin, and the range isn't quite as good as his old diesel BMWs. Improving it? Kevin reckons a 450d would be a good idea...
Tesla Model S
First a diesel, and now this?! Still, make a nice change from all the German cars. Mike_C's Tesla was purchased after trying a friend's Model S - "From that moment, I was hooked on the idea of having one" said Mike - and life with his ex-demo P85+ is going very well. Back when it was published in April the car was going to need some new tyres imminently but otherwise costs had been non-existent. In fact, Mike was enjoying the Tesla life so much that he had ordered a Model 3 as well!
BMW M3
If it seemed that there were a lot of 911s in this list, wait until you see the M3s! Mike Hughes' E92 is the first of a few in our countdown, a lovely example that's being properly enjoyed too. In Mike's ownership the car has been to Spa and the Nurburgring, helped on circuit by some brake and suspension upgrades. Predictably perhaps that glorious V8 as a significant part of the M3 appeal for Mike, which is making the decision on what to replace it with all the more challenging. Given your biggest gripe is keeping it clean Mike, we'd keep hold of it!
Porsche 911 Turbo
What's the one thing faster than a 911 Turbo? A tuned 911 Turbo! PHer Brett was unsure of how to replace his much loved Nissan GT-R, but found the ideal replacement in a 991 Turbo S. Not only did it deliver a "true sports car feel" as standard, the Turbo has responded really well to some tuning. Now with a new exhaust, remap, springs and wheels, Brett has used the 911 on plenty of UK and Euro road trips. And for the future? Brett reckons he'll be happy with just some Litchfield intercoolers added and nothing more. Let's see...
BMW M3
The second of three generations of M3 in this Carpool countdown, Adam Robinson's ownership tale of a new - just a week old, in fact - F80 M3 met with plenty of responses. As a manual, his M3 will be a rare specification but Adam wanted to stick with three pedals for as long as possible, saying "I am petrified that in the next 15 years we will all end up being driven around by Google and motoring journalism will be more like consumer advice for fridges." His plans were potentially an exhaust and most certainly a Euro road trip - hope they've gone well Adam!
Ferrari 360 Modena
A Ferrari, at last! Matt Kirkman's story of 360 Modena ownership was an interesting one, the opportunity to own a Ferrari having come about after a series of 911 daily drivers and the car actually purchased from Italy. Some very thorough research - and looking at plenty of cars - paid off however, his Rosso Corsa Modena F1 having run faultlessly since purchase in May 2015. It hasn't even done too badly on fuel... At the time of writing his Carpool Matt was in possession of two Ferraris and the 360M was likely to be sold - we'd love to know what happened Matt!
BMW M3
And so, your most read Carpool story of 2016 is... another M3. It would seem PH really, really does love an M3! And a 911.
Still, if you're going to read about an M3, Robert Richmond's Carpool on his E46 must be one of the best. When a man knows the exact time he purchased his car, you know he cares about his M3! He runs through the buying process, those well known M3 weakness and why this particular M3 was the one for him. It's being used and cared for as well, with plans afoot back when it was published in May for some underside protection and a North Coast 500 trip also. An M3 and those roads sound like quite the combination; hope it was good fun!
Thanks to all you PHers who submitted a Carpool article this year, we always love to read and receive them. If you would like to have yours featured, simply email a story in the format of those above with pics to carpool@pistonheads.com. If you have an M3 or a 911 it would appear you stand a strong chance of seeing your car on this list in 2017!
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