One car for life

[Snake45]

1967 Plymouth Belvedere. 

You sure had a lot of early '60s toys (and know a lot about the music) for somebody born in 1967. I'm calling BS on this somewhere.

[Snake45]

I think I would have to go with the 1970 Volvo 145. 

Dude! You have 1970 available and you pick a VOLVO?

[dptydawg]

I would think that the best vehicle from the year of my birth would be a Dodge Power Wagon. Its sort of like me...solid, reliable and not too fast

There was not a lot of choice back in 46

Carl

[espo]

Some very interesting choices made by others, but some of us are very limited on what we could pick. In 1944 it would of been Olive Drab or Battle Ship Gray in color and would have had an equipment number stenciled on the hood. I would have a Jeep. At the time there was very little that would stop it and this was before high performance vehicles were very common. We have a JK now that is modified for better off road fun and we're less than a month away from the Jeep Jamboree at SMORR in southern Missouri. They may not be fast, but they are fun. If I was born say even ten years latter it would be something with the lightest body and biggest engine in it that you could get.    

[Daddyfink]

Man, if they had only made at least one cool car in 1967.... Oh wait, they did! 

 

[Dragline]

1965 Ferrari 275c short nose.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Dragline

[chunkypeanutbutter]

1965 Ferrari 275c short nose.

Well, if we can go the racing route, I'll take a McLaren MP4/13... traffic would be a breeze.

[cook_dw]

78 Z28.

[bamadon]

I'm with ESPO on this one. Since I was born in 1944 I guess it would have been a jeep.

[MGL]

Some very interesting choices made by others, but some of us are very limited on what we could pick. In 1944 it would of been Olive Drab or Battle Ship Gray in color and would have had an equipment number stenciled on the hood. I would have a Jeep. At the time there was very little that would stop it and this was before high performance vehicles were very common. We have a JK now that is modified for better off road fun and we're less than a month away from the Jeep Jamboree at SMORR in southern Missouri. They may not be fast, but they are fun. If I was born say even ten years latter it would be something with the lightest body and biggest engine in it that you could get.    

I'm with ESPO on this one. Since I was born in 1944 I guess it would have been a jeep.

On the show they didn't have to worry about war babies so I think it would only be fair to those born during the war to be able to pick anything from the 40's. If it was me I'd go with a '40 Ford sedan delivery.

[bamadon]

In that case, a 1941 2 door sedan.

[ranma]

Since being born in 1967 I have lots to choose from, But it all came down to this one!

[kurth]

Let us look at this another way. What would be the best and worst years to be born in this case?

I am thinking 1967 - 1973 are peak years for the choice of models, styling and  the fact you could get a car with just enough modern technology/conveniences to still be livable today.  The drawback being 1973 is the first year for 5 MPH bumpers (in the front)

Bad years? To my tastes, and while some cool cars were still made, with the rapidly changing rules and technology, and political climate, 1978 - 1995 (mostly due to obd1 and the rise of bland FWD/4 cyl cars)  Things got better in 1996 with OBDII and by 99/2000 you started to see cars with more power while still meeting emissions requirements.

 

 

 

[JTalmage]

Hmmm. Not much good in the 80's... 

I'd have a hard time picking between an '86 Mustang GT 5.0 5spd... or a Mercury Capri RS 5.0 5spd. 

Or perhaps an '86 Lincoln Mark VII

The Mark would have a longer wheelbase by a few inches, have comfy leather seats and plenty of space... but that Capri... so beautiful... and fast enough to have fun!

Can I modify them at all? Or do they have to stay stock forever?

Because if they have to stay stock forever, then I'd have to pick an '86 Ford Fullsize Bronco. 

[Lizard Racing]

I feel sorry for those born after 1969.  Cars of the '70s and '80s were terrible!  Makers were trying to reconcile the conflicting requirements of safety, emissions, economy and performance.  They finally got it right (for the most part).

My choice for the car for life is the 1948 Chevy sedan.  Beam axles, Stovebolt 6 engine.  You could tune it eith a screwdriver and a timing light, and sometimes you didn't need the light.

[Tom Geiger]

There wasn't really anything made the year I was born (model year) that I'd like to own. Closest would be a Studebaker.

Now if you allow anything built in the year I was born, the '55s are "legal." I'll take a '55 Chev sedan delivery, please, with the "biggest" 265 available.

I was born in September 1958, so the '59s were coming down the assembly line the day I was born.  I have a collection of '59s as my birth year car.  If I had to choose a 58 or 59 for life, I think I'd be happy with this one....

As far as owning the same car for a long time, I had my '65 Barracuda for over 30 years, and right now I have my 1991 Geo Tracker and 1996 Dodge Caravan that I bought new. I didn't aim to own them forever, it just creeps up on ya!

[Mike 1017]

1952 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible

 

[espo]

IN that case it would be a '40 Ford 5 window coupe or a Mercury maybe. In my misspent youth I had a '37 Ford 5 window, a '46 two door sedan ( I was the third owner and know the original owner who was a customer ) and a '48 5 window before I started playing with a '51 Ford coupe. You would be amazed at what those old flat heads would do.

[Aaronw]

 Just throwing a wrench out there, but wouldn't cars you had available when you got your license make more sense? If we go with birth year that means it is 16-18 years old by the time you could drive it. Going birth year +16 I'd go with a 1983 Volvo 245 wagon

Dude! You have 1970 available and you pick a VOLVO?

 

Honestly I was contemplating a 145 myself, one little problem, Volvo only offered the 142 and 144 door sedans in 1967, the 145 Wagon wasn't introduced until 1968. I mean sure we could all throw out Shelby Cobras, Corvettes, Ferraris etc, but from a realistic and practical point of view (drivability, cost, durability) the choices are a bit more pedestrian. Volvos aren't cool in a tire squealing, race from stop light to stop light way, but they are very well engineered, durable and very practical as a daily driver. It is not uncommon to find the pre-1999 Swedish built Volvos pushing 500,000 miles with simple maintenance and regular oil changes, and the wagons offered seating for 7 with the optional rear facing seats.  

As the 145 isn't an option for me based on birth year I'll go with a 1967 Toyota Landcruiser FJ55 although 1969 is a better year (a tad more refined with modern cartridge style oil and fuel filters, and a 2 bbl carb). I also happen to own a 1969 which I've had since 1996 so I am already sort of playing this game.

Edited May 13, 2016 by Aaronw

[Daddyfink]

Hmmm. Not much good in the 80's... 

I'd have a hard time picking between an '86 Mustang GT 5.0 5spd... or a Mercury Capri RS 5.0 5spd. 

Or perhaps an '86 Lincoln Mark VII

The Mark would have a longer wheelbase by a few inches, have comfy leather seats and plenty of space... but that Capri... so beautiful... and fast enough to have fun!

Can I modify them at all? Or do they have to stay stock forever?

Because if they have to stay stock forever, then I'd have to pick an '86 Ford Fullsize Bronco. 

Oh come on, you know you want one of these! 

[GT4494]

1958 Lincoln Convertible.  Its a tank and a convertible. 

Pack up the wife and more kids than sensibility says you should have and go anywhere comfortably. 

Its got a 5 person trunk.  

Need to get wood from Lowes or Home Depot just put the top down and haul it. 

What else would you want besides a garage big enough to park it in.  :)?

[sjordan2]

With a lifetime parts and service warranty, it would be my old 1959 Alfa Giulietta Super Spider Veloce. Otherwise, nothing without such a warranty.

[bbowser]

1954 wasn't exactly a watershed year in styling, but "for life" I think I would go with this: Desoto wagon.  Plenty of room for the kids and hauling lumber, and with a Firedome hemi also haul the mail!

 

[Rodent]

Not really fond of 1960 cars, but I would probably want a Crocus Cream Impala convertible. Make it a 348 with lots of options. One of my cousins had one. He was killed in Vietnam in 1965, but his parents used it as a daily driver until 1969 or so. I have fond childhood memories of that old boat.

 

[MrObsessive]

1961............Decisions, decisions!

Out of all of these though, I'd probably pick this one........

It's a car my Dad had told me he wanted reeealll bad! But back then my Mom was expecting me, and the car was something like $5000!  A LOT of money for a car in 1960-61. That's what Dad was making in an entire year back in those days, and he had to turn it down. 

Love this car though.............plenty of trunk room for odds and ends, PLENTY of go power to certainly get out of its own way (and others), and roomy enough for a small family for those nice trips. Unfortunately, especially here in the Northeast, the dreaded tinworm would claim a lot of these, so it would be an endless battle to keep the rust at bay. 

Ya gotta love that styling though! Those soaring fins, Mopar's interpretation of a "bubbletop" roof, and those odd but neat looking canted headlights.

Edited May 14, 2016 by MrObsessive