Why do we like the makes we do ?

[Daddyfink]

I have owned some thing from each brand and I ended up a Nissan Man. Go figure! 

[mustang1989]

Like Jantrix, I think they all have their good ones and bad ones. I spent almost 2 decades working in General Motors dealership Service Departments so like most auto techs, I approach all vehicles in a technical aspect as well as a driver aspect and I always say this pertaining to them- These days they are all pieces of junk, some are just less so than others.

 As for the classics: I love Mustangs, Camaros, Chargers and the list goes on because all the "Big Three" had good ones. I tend to lean towards the ol' Chevy's a little bit just cause they are cheaper (and easier for the most part) to work on.

I'm definitely a domestic auto kind of guy for sure, even though varying percentages of our autos are still manufactured elsewhere. There aint nothin' that gets my goat more than looking at a brand new part for a Chevrolet with a dang "Made in China" sticker on it. The almighty dollar.........good grief !

Edited January 27, 2016 by mustang1989

[Ace-Garageguy]

...Is it body styles ? Engines ? Past experience ? What draws you to your favorite make ?

All the above.

My  parents had Fords (the old man) and Oldsmobiles (mother) when I was a kid, but the first car I remember them having was a Studebaker Starlight Coupe. I saw a lot of the country looking out of that panoramic rear window on the Stude, so I'm partial to those in particular. The old man's '63 falcon had a great heater in the winter, and I ended up driving his '65 289 2bbl Mustang notch a LOT. I still have his '72 351C 2bbl Cougar in storage.

I loved my mother's '55 Olds Dynamic 88 convertible, and actually cried when they traded it on the '63 (which I also still have, in storage, and have a fair bit of personal history in).

Some of my richer friends had Porsches when I was in my late teens, and once I drove one I was hooked. I couldn't afford one so I built the next-best-thing, a Porsche-engined Bug. Hot Corvairs followed, again because they were similar in concept but way cheaper than Porsches.

I was in England in 1970 or so, and saw a Lotus 7. Love at first sight, didn't know anything like that even existed, bought one and shipped it to the States. Quick, nimble, a four-wheel motorcycle, and like nothing else in the world. Never owned another Lotus but I drove and fell in love with the Elans and Europas too.

While working for a shop that raced Abarth-tuned Fiats, I got into those, and still love the old 850 and X1/9 especially. Reliability was fine if they were maintained, but the 1/9 was slow. A 124 engine fixed that. The Fiats are all long gone, but I miss 'em.

Got my first Porsche, finally, for $600, and have owned and loved several. Sadly, one burned to the ground and two were stolen. After driving the '72 911S, I figured that would always be my favorite car. It still is, though for now I can't possibly afford one. I have a rough '74 Targa (the '74 911 is probably the least desirable of any of them), again in storage, that I'll hopefully get back to this year.

Got interested in Jags, probably as a spin-off of the Lotus thing. British cars in general had appealed to me ever since a high-school friend had had a Humber. The Lime approach to doing things in those days was different from the Germans, the Italians, the French...and all of the different design philosophies fascinated me. I bought a totally rusted-out E-type, thought the engine was just beautiful...but insanely heavy. That's when I remembered how nice and light and slim the little 289 Fords were, and one fit the Jag very nicely indeed. My old XJ-6 is probably the best-handling sedan I've ever driven, and I still think it's one of the prettiest 4-door cars ever built.

Worked on the 240Z when it was introduced, thought it was the world's best cheap Jag, but didn't get one until many years later. I rebuilt my stolen-recovery Z-car into a convertible, the first one ever done. Bizarrely, it was stolen again, just before I was about to paint it. I always thought the engines, loosely copied from an old Merc inline 6, were terrific powerplants, and i still have a couple of those waiting to go in something.

Another love-at-first-sight affair was with the Triumph Stag. Loved the looks, but the engines were garbage, as well as the window lifts, the steering rack, etc. Ended up doing a lot of engine swaps on Stags, mostly Chebbys, and that's when I began to really appreciate the Chebby smallblock as a truly great engine. Lotsa power, simple, strong and reliable as a brick.

Speaking of Chebbys...I never owned a Chevrolet vehicle until i really needed a truck, and bought a high-mileage one, cheap, from a friend. He'd been having chimps maintain it, and he thought it was on its last legs. Wrong. A couple-hundred bucks in parts and some TLC, and she ran happily for another 75,000 miles. Finally broke a valve-spring last year, and I just finished building a set of heads for her. Great truck, and now one of my favorites too. My last real shop had a GM step-van (ex donut-truck) with a smallblock that was an absolute blast to go places in.

But if I had money to burn, I'd buy a new Ford GT. Just because.

 

Edited January 27, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[cobraman]

Interesting story Bill. You had a lot of different ones to be sure.

[Craig Irwin]

My dads father drove Chryslers, my mom's parents drove Fords, and Dad worked at GM and had Chevys and moved up to Pontiacs. My uncle Bud drove  lots of Mopars. My first car was a VW dune buggy, and my first job was at an Import car dealer that sold Triumphs, Alfa Romeos, Fiats and Subarus. My wife was driving a Mustang when we married. Somehow I grew into just loving cars, any car. I dislike unreliable cars, and the ones that have done me wrong are Triumphs and Hyundais. I also dislike new cars, the styling is terrible and you can't work on them. Of all the cars I've owned my favorites were a 56 Chevy and a 69 Camaro, and my Manx buggy that I've owned over 45 years.

If I hit the loto tomorrow I'm buying another 69 Camaro.

Edited January 28, 2016 by Craig Irwin
spelling

[Ace-Garageguy]

Very interesting, Craig. Really cool you still have the Manx buggy. 

[Tom Geiger]

I was a car guy at birth, and could identify any car on the road at an early age!   I came home from the hospital in a '54 Studebaker 4 door sedan, my father lusted after a '53  coupe, but couldn't afford one.  In 1962 he bought a new Lark sedan. This was the first family car that I remember.  That got traded in on a 1966 Pontiac Lemans 2 dr ht with a four speed!  We left that one in Turkey,  long story!   Returning stateside my parents bought a slightly used 1966 Plymouth Valiant 2 door sedan.  That car forged my teen love for Mopars and became my first car.  That led to a long line of Valiants and Barracudas.

I really learned to love all things automotive.  Having lived abroad, I have affection for European cars of the 1960s.My father had a VW Beetle when we lived in Germany, and odd enough, I've never owned a Volkswagen.   I owned a Saab 95 wagon with a V4 and four speed on the column.  I had a '63 Lark sedan, probably the rustiest car in existence!  I owned a '60 Buick Electra 225 2 door hardtop and a '73 Buick 4 door hardtop. I had a '56 Chevy 210 2 door sedan. I've owned a '77 Ford LTD II as well as an '89 Crown Vic.  I'd buy another Vic if the right one came along!  My wife owned a '74 Mustang II when I met her and that got traded for a '79 Capri, first year Fox with a V8.  That one turned out to be a lemon so it got traded young for our first family car, a 1982 Nissan Stanza 4 door hatchback with a 5 speed.   Next family car led to the long line of Dodge Caravans we've owned.

Current fleet includes the last of the Caravans, a '96 Mark III high top  My wife drives the 2006 Buick LaCrosse daily.  The rest of the fleet includes the last of two Plymouth Breezes, my Geo Tracker, a Toyota Celica convertible and the 2000 Jaguar S Type.

I tend to buy low mile used cars for cash, and I always browse the market.  My big problem is that I see so many different cars I wouldn't mind owning, that I cannot make a decision on what to buy next.  I probably should own a used car lot!

Edited January 28, 2016 by Tom Geiger

[Craig Irwin]

Very interesting, Craig. Really cool you still have the Manx buggy. 

I drove it from central Indiana to Niagara Falls with the Manx Club last June, 1400 miles in 5 days. The photo is from Mid America Funfest, also last June, In Efington  Ill. Always drive it, I don't own a trailer. The red one belongs to a friend that lives nearby.

[Harry Joy]

The first car I remember is a 1971 or 1970 Pontiac LeMans. I remember trying to figure out what the chrome script that said LeMans meant. I muddled over than on many a drive, sitting of course in the front passenger seat, too short to even see over the edge of the window.

All those late 60s and early 70s cars resonate with me, much like the early 40s/early 50s cars resonate with my dad.

[Lizard Racing]

I was raised in a "Chevrolet family."

Although I have owned other makes, I still prefer Chevys.

I will not allow Fords in my collection.

[The70judgeman]

Growing up, my dad was a AMC and a MOPAR guy. None of that really stuck on me. And my mom really didn't care as long as the car ran and got from A to B and back to A again. For me it was Chevy. BUT, that was until I really started looking at Pontiac's. To me, they made Chevy look generic. Pontiac had much better styling based on the same body style. My first car was a '72 LeMans Sport(still my favorite car I owned and the most fun). I also had '93 Grand Prix LE for a few years as well. Pontiac's will always be my favorite, but in recent years I've been drawn to MOPAR's as well and currently drive a '13 Ram 1500. Lately, I've been eyeing a '70 Challenger that looks to be ripe for a restoration down the street sitting in a neighbors garage as their "catch all." Pretty sad really.

Edited January 29, 2016 by The70judgeman

[cobraman]

I was a car guy at birth, and could identify any car on the road at an early age!   I came home from the hospital in a '54 Studebaker 4 door sedan, my father lusted after a '53  coupe, but couldn't afford one.  In 1962 he bought a new Lark sedan. This was the first family car that I remember.  That got traded in on a 1966 Pontiac Lemans 2 dr ht with a four speed!  We left that one in Turkey,  long story!   Returning stateside my parents bought a slightly used 1966 Plymouth Valiant 2 door sedan.  That car forged my teen love for Mopars and became my first car.  That led to a long line of Valiants and Barracudas.

I really learned to love all things automotive.  Having lived abroad, I have affection for European cars of the 1960s.My father had a VW Beetle when we lived in Germany, and odd enough, I've never owned a Volkswagen.   I owned a Saab 95 wagon with a V4 and four speed on the column.  I had a '63 Lark sedan, probably the rustiest car in existence!  I owned a '60 Buick Electra 225 2 door hardtop and a '73 Buick 4 door hardtop. I had a '56 Chevy 210 2 door sedan. I've owned a '77 Ford LTD II as well as an '89 Crown Vic.  I'd buy another Vic if the right one came along!  My wife owned a '74 Mustang II when I met her and that got traded for a '79 Capri, first year Fox with a V8.  That one turned out to be a lemon so it got traded young for our first family car, a 1982 Nissan Stanza 4 door hatchback with a 5 speed.   Next family car led to the long line of Dodge Caravans we've owned.

Current fleet includes the last of the Caravans, a '96 Mark III high top  My wife drives the 2006 Buick LaCrosse daily.  The rest of the fleet includes the last of two Plymouth Breezes, my Geo Tracker, a Toyota Celica convertible and the 2000 Jaguar S Type.

I tend to buy low mile used cars for cash, and I always browse the market.  My big problem is that I see so many different cars I wouldn't mind owning, that I cannot make a decision on what to buy next.  I probably should own a used car lot!

Sounds like you already do own that car lot Tom. : )

[Helix]

When I was a kid, your either a Holden (GM), Ford or Chrysler....I was Holden, there were a couple of cars from the USA getting around my neighbourhood back then, one was a 68 Impala and the other a 70 Mach 1, since then, I've always liked Impala's, just something about them that appeals to me, Mustangs would be my second preference 

[Ridge Rider]

For me it is purely aesthetic. Certain models appeal to me, simple as that. I have no favorite brand though I do lean toward Mopar. 

I couldn't have said it any better.

[Rob Hall]

My folks were primarily Ford/Mercury/Lincoln buyers, my brother Chevy, Pontiac and Ford/Mercury, my sister mostly Japanese and European w/ a couple Chevys.  I started out w/ Fords then as I moved on after grad school I branched out, w/ BMW, Jeep, Mercedes and Cadillacs over the last 18 years....my next will probably be another Jeep.   I've always found a lot of vehicles from different makes interesting..

Edited January 29, 2016 by Rob Hall

[RandyEarle]

My dad was a MOPAR Man, and I started driving Mopars in 1968 with my first one, a 1966 Dodge Coronet 500 2 door hardtop in gold with a 383 4 barrel. Carter of course.

Now I have a Dodge 3/4 ton pickup and my wife drives a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo.

Edited January 29, 2016 by RandyEarle

[Junkman]

Out of the 300+ cars I've owned hitherto, only five managed to make me a repeat offender/serial killer/keeper.

- 1957 - 63 Imperials - because I collected them for a while. Obviously I have since moved on. Looking over a '61 the other day, it left me oddly cold.

- 1978 - 85 Ford (of Germany) Granada MKII 2.8i Ghia - because they are wonderfully plush waftbarges and used to be tremendously cheap wheels. I had 14 (fourteen) of them.

- 1986 - present (yes, they are still being built in some parts of the World) Peugeot 405 - see Granada MKII, but with a more contemporary fuel consumption. I'm on my 5th now.

- 1969 - 75 Rover 3500 - always wanted one, strangely took me until age 45 to buy one. First one was a manual, didn't bond, so replaced it with an auto, which I still have.

- 1978 Chevrolet Caprice Classic 350/350 - bought 1992 as cheap wheels with 180k miles on it as a stop gap car to do a travelling occupation requiring to drive 50k miles per year.
Sold seven years later with 380k MORE miles on it and regret it ever since.
This is the car I've owned longest, until April this year, when the Rover will take over that honour.
 

Other than these, I love variety. I usually go through 5 - 10 cars per year.

[AC Norton]

..........I've had GM, FORD, MOPAR, and AMC cars and many performance ones since 1972, thru to 2013,,,, and sold cars for a living from 77 to 90 including several brands,,,soooo  to answer the question,,,,i like 'em  all, had fun owning  and drag racing them all way back too.... just can't really pick a favorite...good and bad traits in all of them........the Ace..........

[snacktruck67]

For me it is purely aesthetic. Certain models appeal to me, simple as that. I have no favorite brand though I do lean toward Mopar. 

That is the way it is for me also.