What is the best car you have ever owned?

[Kevin Peacocke]

A car or truck is a necessity, but it can also be so rewarding. Perhaps this is because of it's capability that never ceases to amaze you, maybe the sheer quality of what you are driving. Or maybe just because it brings a smile to your face every time you get behind the wheel. So which is it for you and why?
I'll start this one off - it is easy - my little Land Rover Series 1! It is so capable, so adequate for it's intended task, so functional and practical. It is tiny, but it seats seven, and then takes them up a mountain. It exudes charm, neither pretty nor shiny, just beautiful. It has character by the ton, always pleases and has been doing so for 70 years, and will continue to do so for many decades more. Once we put a zebra, two impala and five adults in it, no problem. I will never sell this little car, just too much fun.

 

[IvW]

Land Cruiser FJ75 1987 and 1988 models 1 is single cab the other a double cab with Perkins/ADE 4 cylinder engines

 

[Pondoro]

Range Rover Sport, 3,0l diesel... You can do everything with this car....and still wear a tux...

 

[BourbonTrail]

Of all things, my old 1997 Ford Explorer. It was an odd duck, it had a 5.0L/302cu V8 engine (same as mustang GT) and was all wheel drive. It was also hell on wheels. It had amazing traction and handling (for a Ford), but it had enough get up and go that I could chirp all 4 tires.

That said I traded it for my Chevy back in ‘09…still driving my Chevy.

Favorite that I have driven though was a 550 hp Land Rover SV Autobiography. I drove it over an off roading course during the Land Rover 3Day event. It was impressive to say the least.

 

[mark-hunter]

I spend my money on hunting, my wife drives better car then me.

 

[GuttormG]

Mitsubishi Pajero, swb, 2,5liter diesel. Very reliable, very capable off road, and enough comfort the highway.

Now driving a Land Rover Discovery2. Much the same as the Pajero.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

Most fun car is unequivocally the 2003 SL55 I had for a while. When it was right, it was a fantastic car: incredible performance (for the time), great sound, the hardtop put on a show of engineering every time I put it up or down, and when it was down on a nice day, it was glorious. But it may as well have been a 1979 Ferrari as far as reliability.

I’m now driving a 2016 Nissan Leaf and it may be the best car I’ve ever had. Not a road-tripping car, that’s for sure, but these days I’m not road-tripping anyway. For driving around town and locally, which is my use case, it is just perfect.

 

[BeeMaa]

Can my "best car" be a bike? 2010 BMW GSA with minor modifications. The tractor of the motorcycle world, but mine is almost completely street ridden. Can pack for nearly any trip (including hunting/fishing) and still get you there in style. Never tried a tuxedo, but was a daily driver to work (yes in the snow and rain) for a few years without a wardrobe malfunction.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I spend my money on hunting, my wife drives better car then me.

Same here, wife drives new, I drive the beater.

'09 Chevy Silverado WT 4WD, 4.8 V8, 250+k miles, original water pump, alternator, engine, but overhauled the trans at 175k. Tore out the oil pan on a low clearance trail crossing a month later, shut it off and had it towed. Pulled the mains and rod caps, all ok, still going strong.
Has hauled/towed probably a 100+ tons of firewood, a ton of whitetails, my ATV and uncounted groundhogs. The body is going now, electronics don't work all the time but hey, the radio and AC still work! Road salt and that brine they are using now are the culprits. Proactive maintenance and just plain luck keep it going.

 

[BeeMaa]

Same here, wife drives new, I drive the beater.

'09 Chevy Silverado WT 4WD, 4.8 V8, 250+k miles, original water pump, alternator, engine, but overhauled the trans at 175k. Tore out the oil pan on a low clearance trail crossing a month later, shut it off and had it towed. Pulled the mains and rod caps, all ok, still going strong.
Has hauled/towed probably a 100+ tons of firewood, a ton of whitetails, my ATV and uncounted groundhogs. The body is going now, electronics don't work all the time but hey, the radio and AC still work! Road salt and that brine they are using now are the culprits. Proactive maintenance and just plain luck keep it going.

Love a beater truck. Gotta share a picture.

 

[Pheroze]

Probably my favourite was my Jaguar XFR. It was just beautiful. Very comfortable and restrained four door when needed, but stupid fast and handled very well when that was wanted. It was built to tour all day that's for sure. But, I hated how much maintenance was. I got rid of it because it just cost to much as it aged.

Now I have a toyota tundra that I love for totally different reasons. What a dependable vehicle! And comfortable enough for the 2000km drives to camp, fully loaded, pulling a trailer and with four guys in it. Last trip up I maxed pulling about 10,000 on the trailer including a tractor, and it did it easily. (Although I am glad gas wasn't the price it is now!). And, it's great going down the gnarly forest roads! I have recently replaced the suspension with bilstein sets to give it a bit more ground clearance and smooth the ride.

 

[Fabnosh]

Caterham super sprint. Totally totally impractical but magnificent.
FN

 

[browningbbr]

Best: 1988 FJ62 Landcruiser wagon. The darn thing would go anywhere.

Second best: 2018 4Runner SR5

Close third place: 1978 FJ40 Landcruiser 2 door.

 

[R.M.C.]

My best was a 1986 Pontiac Grand trans am with a tuned port 350 in it.
Right now I drive a rusted out beater 2005 F150 4x4. so I can get to Africa lol

 

[Captain Munro]

My 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon!

 

[Wyatt Smith]

My favorite will always be my first. A 2000 F350 with a 7.3 diesel 4x4. It had a flatbed with toolboxes and an ag transfer fuel tank on the bed. When I quit driving it it had 375000 miles on it. For a truck that weighed 9000 pounds it got around pretty well. I enjoyed every mile I drove that truck, and everyone at high school liked it.
My best return on investment would be my 1991 F250 4x4 with a 460 V8. I gave $900 for the truck in 2017, with no tires or wheels, I had 4 brand new Firestones and a set of wheels I bought at a farm auction for $20. It has had a hard life the first owner use it for a feed truck for 20 years, and it’s my firewood truck now. There is not a straight body panel on the truck anywhere. I drove it without power steering for 3 years. By most people’s definition, it is a “junk” truck, but it was my daily driver from 2017 to March of this year.
I always said that I have rifles that cost more than my truck.

 

[Vintageguy]

A 1994 Geo Metro, paid $600 for it, drove it for years with no breakdowns and 50mpg. Sold it for $1000. I let my friends drive the $70k trucks while I take safaris and hunting trips then I listen to them whine about how "it must be nice to have the money to go to Africa ".

 

[R.M.C.]

A 1994 Geo Metro, paid $600 for it, drove it for years with no breakdowns and 50mpg. Sold it for $1000. I let my friends drive the $70k trucks while I take safaris and hunting trips then I listen to them whine about how "it must be nice to have the money to go to Africa ".

Hell yeah lol I got the same friends you do bitching about how " lucky " I am to hunt Africa. I'm not paying $1200/ month payments like they are lol

 

[Red Leg]

Our (as opposed to "my" ) best vehicle is a 2016 Range Rover with a 5 liter supercharged V8. It is the most responsive and capable road vehicle we have ever owned. It also gets 20 miles to the gal. No, this one is not set up for off-road adventures, but I have never owned anything that will "out drive" it. And we don't owe a penny on it. So, it is ok to own a good vehicle and go to Africa.

My most used vehicle is my 2016 F 250. It carries a 50 gal diesel tank on the back for tractors, generator etc, and still has usable bed space. It also does not carry a note.

My favorite is the '69 FJ40 in my avatar. It is something of a bookend to the Range Rover. Its 4 liter straight 6 will push it down the highway at a sedate, if loud, 55 mph and I expect I could go forever in first cross country. In either setting, it manages about 14 miles to the gallon. It is pretty much my go anywhere ride around the immediate area vehicle of choice.

 

[Deleted member 40394]

2013 Prius and I’m going to Africa 2022. My wife’s car is a suburban. We also do have 2004 tundra which is a great vehicle. I hate spending money on vehicles so I find a good used one and drive it until the wheels fall off.