What was the best car or truck you ever owned?

[Renegade]

Any of my Rancheros. Have owned several. Miss them all and currently looking for another if I can find one at a reasonable price.

[Dann Tier]

My 2001 Jeep Cherokee JCR, with a 5.5" lift, Pro Comp alloys, quick disconnect sway bars, class 3/4 buit-in JCR rear off road bumper, and a POR-15 bed-lined body.....inside & out!

[Dann Tier]

11 hours ago, iamsuperdan said:

I'd say it was my 1993 Jeep XJ Sport. I bought that in '98 when it had 70,000km on it. Four door, 4.0L inline 6, AC, no power windows or locks, and the rare rear mounted spare. Drove that thing until it hit almost 450,000km.

Over time it received 6 inches of lift and bigger tires, lighting and exhaust upgrades, a very custom stereo install, built in radar. 

We did a few Jeep Jamborees, lots of camping and off road adventures. Had a tree fall on it and literally bounce off the glass.

Never let me down. No break downs, never towed, never left me stranded. Routine maintenance, and it was perfect. 

I miss this one constantly.

 

NICE!!!.......she's in amazing shape!!,  I own one too, looks like we both like to take care of them.

[440 Dakota]

we've owned over 100 cars throughout the years so hard to choose just 1

most reliable wallet friendly was the Geo Prizim (Corolla) the Civic or one of the CR-Vs which we still own 1

most fun was one of the Road Runners or Chargers probably the 68 RR that would run mid 10s though exhaust not fast by todays standards but still fun

least favorite wallet unfriendly were the Town & Country minivan, Dakota quad and the Ram 2500 quad diesel, all 3 of them cured me of brand loyalty toward Chrysler products

[440 Dakota]

my Jeeps were fun also, recently sold this one, my son's and myself have owned a fleet of them and the stories I could tell LOL

[Ace-Garageguy]

Not the best (it was an unreliable, plug-fouling, oil leaking, metal-fatigued, falling-apart POS when I got it) but by far the most fun was my Lotus Super 7 S2/3. People called them "the world's best 4-wheeled motorcycle", and that about sums it up.

Second for sheer fun is the Beck 550 Spyder replica I still have. Goes like stink (feels twice as fast as it really is), handles like a slot-car. No top, no heater, no windows.

Third for fun was my old '72 GMC Step Van that I set up as a mobile shop when I had a fleet-services business. Glacially slow but fun to drive with a manual three-on-the-tree (ex-Krispy Kreme delivery truck), an OK race-car hauler, and great as a race-spectator vehicle too. Camp in the back, watch the races from the roof.

My current favorite is my '89 GMC pickup, saved from the crusher, bought for $100 from the idiot who killed it. Did a Q&D engine job and some cringe-making "repairs" (I know better, but she's MY truck ), and she's a loyal old girl, always gets me there.

[PeeBee]

‘99 Miata.

[tbill]

66 chevelle, 396,  close ratio 4 speed and a 3.73 posi, man, what a fun car! Still don’t know what possessed me to sell it......

[iamsuperdan]

1 hour ago, Dann Tier said:

NICE!!!.......she's in amazing shape!!,  I own one too, looks like we both like to take care of them.

Yeah, kept her in good shape. Very little rust, no body damage at all, which was quite the feat considering what our camping and wheeling trips were like. Ultimately, growing family meant an upgrade, so it went off to a new home, replaced with an '02 Tahoe Z71.

 

The guy I sold it to turned it into his dedicated offroad beast. Completely tore it up. Fender and body cutting, bumpers, body damage, gutted the interior. Made me sad seeing what became of her. 

[iamsuperdan]

1 hour ago, 440 Dakota said:

my Jeeps were fun also, recently sold this one, my son's and myself have owned a fleet of them and the stories I could tell LOL

 

Yup! Love the Jeeps! I've had five over the years. Eagerly awaiting the day I can order the new JL pickup with a diesel! 

[StevenGuthmiller]

I guess if I were to add my "most fun" vehicle, it would be hands down our 2005 Honda S-2000!

This could also rank in the top 5 for reliability & probably #1 for fastest.

If it had more miles on it so that I could truly assess reliability, I could say that this was my #1 all around car.

But, it's a Honda so I doubt that there will be any reliability issues.

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

 

[Rob Hall]

Best I still have--the '87 Mustang GT I've had since high school..need to drive it more. Only 64k miles.  Had so much fun in that car in my 20s-30s in Ohio, Michigan and Colorado.

Best one that got away--the '96 BMW M3 I had in Colorado in the late 90s to mid 00s.  Wish I had kept it, was a lot of fun.

Best all around probably was my '00 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo--put 170k miles on it over almost 17 years, it was relatively trouble free except for the last 7-8 years-had a number of electrical problems as it aged.  But it got me all over vast swaths of the interior West and Southwest mostly reliably...

I do love my Jeeps, love my '14 Grand Cherokee Limited..has 35k on it now, had only 25k when I got it last March.

 

Edited February 27, 2018 by Rob Hall

[Dann Tier]

1 hour ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Not the best (it was an unreliable, plug-fouling, oil leaking, metal-fatigued, falling-apart POS when I got it) but by far the most fun was my Lotus Super 7 S2/3. People called them "the world's best 4-wheeled motorcycle", and that about sums it up.

Second for sheer fun is the Beck 550 Spyder replica I still have. Goes like stink (feels twice as fast as it really is), handles like a slot-car. No top, no heater, no windows.

Third for fun was my old '72 GMC Step Van that I set up as a mobile shop when I had a fleet-services business. Glacially slow but fun to drive with a manual three-on-the-tree (ex-Krispy Kreme delivery truck), an OK race-car hauler, and great as a race-spectator vehicle too. Camp in the back, watch the races from the roof.

My current favorite is my '89 GMC pickup, saved from the crusher, bought for $100 from the idiot who killed it. Did a Q&D engine job and some cringe-making "repairs" (I know better, but she's MY truck ), and she's a loyal old girl, always gets me there.

Still gotta love'em!!......Lotus 7's

[NYLIBUD]

3 hours ago, Dann Tier said:

My 2001 Jeep Cherokee JCR, with a 5.5" lift, Pro Comp alloys, quick disconnect sway bars, class 3/4 buit-in JCR rear off road bumper, and a POR-15 bed-lined body.....inside & out!

Yup I gotta agree with you Dann,and 440.I currently have a 2000 XJ.Im running 35x12.5 tires,with a 6 inch Rubicon lift.I have a snorkel,and a nice front bumper from my 93 XJ,that I flipped after being broadsided by some moron woman.,I wanted to keep it simple,and clean looking.I had a roof rack,with a full size spare up top.I took that off,when I almost flipped it running through some tight trails.Older Jeeps are the best.But I hate the new Jeeps they have now,such as the new Cherokee,which is beyond ugly,and looks like it should be running around up on Mars.The only real Jeep nowadays,are the Wranglers..Ive had the 2000 for about five years now,and it's just a great truck.The only other truck besides my Cherokee that I really want to own,would have to be an older Toyota Land Cruiser.Ive always wanted one.The thing is,that there getting up there in price,but I hope I can eventually pick one up.

 

Edited February 22, 2018 by NYLIBUD

[Erik Smith]

1 hour ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those are fantastic cars. My dad had an ‘06. Way faster than my Miata...of corse it cost 4 times as much...

[Draggon]

The best but not the favorite is my current one, 98 Dodge Durango. I'm not a Mopar guy, and its boring, but it gets me where I need to go!

Edited February 22, 2018 by Draggon

[RustedBronco]

Hands down this was the best I ever owned. 1999 Toyota Tercel, 1.6 L and a 5 speed. Only option was AC. Put 200 000KM on this car. Far from luxury, but good on gas and dead reliable.

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 hours ago, Dann Tier said:

Still gotta love'em!!......Lotus 7's

 I still dream about it sometimes...like an old, long-gone girlfriend. Sometimes dream of my '62 VW doublecab pickup too, though (which I let go during a case of zero-brain).

[CapSat 6]

The best? At what? 

I have to agree that new cars are getting better and better at being all around good. Every newer car I have had has been pretty decent. The only “new” ones that were problematic were:

1) my 2005 Dodge Magnum SXT - at 18K miles, the electronics melted down. The dealer I took it to confirmed that those cars didn’t usually have the problems I was having, just MINE was. Chrysler bought it back, and gave me compensation (for a new Chrysler product) that was more than fair for it. Other than that, I really liked that car and I wish that Chrysler still made them. It was a great highway car, roomy and stable at speed, rock-solid ride. 

2) my 1997 Dodge Intrepid (3.5l) had a transmission failure at 48k- I suspect because the transmission was serviced a little before that, using a “new” machine the dealer had that pushed all of the old tans fluid out of the car before they changed it. I’m not too crazy about the notion of pushing that stuff through the transmission, just let it drain like we have for the past 60 years! Other than that, it was fairly reliable until about 120k miles, then the nickels and dimes started flying.

3) my 1985 BMW 325e- this car was dead-reliable for about 80,000 miles, it’s just that by the time I bought it (at about 95k), the trip computer, speedometer, and some of the other switches weren’t working, and at the time, expensive to replace. More of the electronics eventually went south as time wore on...but it was still a reliable and fun driver.

Now the best awards: 

Best snow cruiser: any K car. I’ll bet nobody expected to see a K car in this thread. I lived in a hilly part of icy, snowy Philadelphia- and these cars (‘82 2.6 - otherwise a real chunk, ‘86 2.5- much improved over the ‘82, and a good friend’s ‘92 Daytona 2.5) never got stuck in anything. You did not need 4 wheel drive with these cars, the only advantage you might have had with a 4x4 was ground clearance. 

Best performance car (that I ever owned): 1974 Plymouth Barracuda. This car was a mutt- swapped-in 360, Holley 4 bbl, Torqueflite, 3.91 gears in an 8-3/4 rear. This car was a beast, pure and simple. I changed the headers out (Flowtech Terminators) for stock ‘70 340 exhaust manifolds and instantly regretted it. Still a beast after that, just a little less so.

Best vintage car: 1971 Plymouth Satellite Sebring Plus. I owned this one before the ‘Cuda. The ‘Cuda was a 2nd/ fun car, the SSP was my college driver. It was fairly dependable, stylish, roomy, cool. Having the ‘Cuda after this just made me realize that I like B Bodies better. 

Best car, overall: my current 2010 Challenger Rallye. It’s mechanically similar to my Magnum- 3.5l, by with a 5 speed auto instead of a 4 speed, and a little more power. I don’t want to jinx anything except to say that I just crossed 100k with this car, owned from new, and it’s been reliable, just as great a highway car as the Magnum, and it’s a head turner. It’s no beast, but I could still run away from my friend’s 2010 Hemi Charger RT on the highway, to his great surprise. The only thing I’m not too happy with is that some rust is developing in front of each rear wheelhouse. This is evidently a problem with all Challengers, as when they were built, the factory sprayed some foam into the rockers back there that retains moisture. I will eventually cut that out and pull all of the foam out. I could see keeping this car for a long time, making it a hot rod project (maybe a 4.0l engine with headers & dual exhausts eventually?). 

[CapSat 6]

Photographic evidence  : 

[CapSat 6]

[webestang]

[Sixx]

My 2002 Subaru Forester...had just under 500,000 miles on it...a 1.7 liter 4 cylinder...before it died last year...was so dang fun in the snow! 

[Xingu]

This was my favorite even though I rarely drove it. Was reliable, could drive it cross country if I wanted to, handled like a sports car should and it was VERY fast. Had it up to 160mph (I think it had a speed limiter set at 159, it quit pulling a split second before I got a worried scared and let off). Top down on nice days. Had it for 3 years and only put 4000 miles on it.

2008 Callaway Corvette

[Ace-Garageguy]

14 minutes ago, Xingu said:

This was my favorite even though I rarely drove it. Was reliable, could drive it cross country if I wanted to, handled like a sports car should and it was VERY fast. Had it up to 160mph (I think it had a speed limiter set at 159, it quit pulling a split second before I got a worried scared and let off). Top down on nice days. Had it for 3 years and only put 4000 miles on it.

2008 Callaway Corvette

Nice. One of the all-around most impressive competent cars I've ever driven...just does everything well.

Edited February 23, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy