Whats the best car you have ever owned

[Nictrix]

Following on from Pondrews other thread, what is the best car you have ever owned.
It neednt be the most expensive or the fastest, but just all round good at what you bought it for.

For me its my X6 40d.
Some love them, most hate them and see them as pointless, but they are so comfortable and easy to drive as well as being pretty quick for the size of them. Pack loads of stuff in the huge boot and haul 4 people fully loaded easily.

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[mr.tourette]

well i guess my current e class would be the one in terms of all round quality but i really can't look past my old 4th gen 1995 Toyota Supra, bloody classic piece of kit and probably the only car I wish I still had

[brillomaster]

hmmm... the on paper, best car i've ever owned was probably my BMW 330d. did everything brilliantly well, and was really plenty fast enough whilst still averaging 38mpg (which is pretty good for a car with 280bhp)

however, the car i loved the most was a Nissan 350Z. glorious naturally aspirated 3.5 litre V6, great ride, great steering, gearshift, seating position, everything. only drawbacks were 28mpg was the best it could manage, and it preferred super unleaded.

And had a serious love/hate relationship with a Nissan 300ZX, twin turbo... when it was working it was soo cool, sounded awesome and went like stink, but it wasnt working very often. The 350Z that replaced it was a lot lot better, even if it wasnt quite as fast or had the japanese 90's vibes.

[1000rr]

For smiles per pound was my mk1 golf gti...loved that car until some muppet of a garage ruined the engine and fuel system. I was 18.

For all round reliability and memories, my Citroen BX19 GTI, had it years when i was a teen, and got me all round the country visiting mates in the late 80’s.

[buzyg]

Tricky one. As an all around total surprise, at how good it is at putting a smile on my face for £1300, my current Mazda2 Capella. That Fiesta sport chassis and humble 1.6 ltr engine have been a total hoot for 2 years now. We only bought it as we wanted to keep some money aside, in case our daughter needed it after a break up. But it's so good there is no reason to replace it. Four useable seats room in the boot and a tow bar to boot.

[wspohn]

Best all round car I've owned was probably the Islero GTS - tight, good handling, lots of power and a V12 engine note that would be hard to beat. Only drove it in summer so no idea if it was a good year round car. Jaguar Mk 9 was maybe next best. I like them old!

[blunderthumbs]

1991 E34 BMW 2.0L SE 6 Cylinder Never went wrong. Only things purchased in my ownership were Brake discs and pads and routine services. Not a fast car 150BHP but lovely comfortable cruiser. I bought it with 43k on the clock and I sold it with about 120k. best car I've had by far.

BMW 520i.jpg

[Pondrew]

I have a couple:

As a kid (19) it has to be my Mk111 RS turbo Escort (the white one), more because it was flash and a "turbo" rather than anything else. Terrible torque steer, even standard but great fun. I still do have a soft spot for my 1983 XR3i though. I was 18 then and thought I was a pop star.

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Escort RS turbo 1.jpg (52.67 KiB) Viewed 476 times

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As an adult (33 ish) it has to be my 1998 Mitsubishi Evo5. The technology, power, handling and noise (BOV, magnex exhaust, induction kit etc) for the time was unbelievable. The only car I've ever owned that could exit a layby sideways and four wheel drift round roundabouts. I wanted one so much I left my job at the time and started my own business, as it was the only way I thought I was going to afford one! Two years later I managed it.

I'm gonna find some pictures now and scan them. Gives me something to do!
Can't find any of the Evo so here's one of my Lotus Excel from 1990!

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[Mr Tidy]

30ish years ago I would have said this one. (Photo is some years after my ownership).

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But it has to be my current Z4!

[zriha]

This baby, I still miss her.

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A 2003. Mazda MX-5 1.8iS Icon model. Wonderful to drive, wonderful to own. I now see how good was that car, owning Z4 with 2.5 M54B25 engine, watching oil levels, Vanos, cooling system, so much that can become a problem.

You know what are the main problems of 1.8 BP-Z3 engine in Mazda?
- slave cylinder can brake - around 50 USD to repair
- major fault - Ignition Coil Pack - around 300 USD new to buy from Mazda

No oil consumption, no problems with cooling, perfect to drive and to maintain. Best car every!
One problem Mazda has and BMW don't, and that is body and rust, Miata has some serious problems with rust. But tackle that problem, 2.000 EUR worth of paint job and repairs.

[Ole gits rule]

For me, the best car Lotus Elise, the one I love the most Alfa Spider 939 LE, the one I would buy back at all costs RS1600i

[Stevo1987]

I have a couple:

As a kid (19) it has to be my Mk111 RS turbo Escort (the white one), more because it was flash and a "turbo" rather than anything else. Terrible torque steer, even standard but great fun. I still do have a soft spot for my 1983 XR3i though. I was 18 then and thought I was a pop star.

Escort XR3i.jpgEscort RS turbo 1.jpgEscort RS turbo 2.jpg

As an adult (33 ish) it has to be my 1998 Mitsubishi Evo5. The technology, power, handling and noise (BOV, magnex exhaust, induction kit etc) for the time was unbelievable. The only car I've ever owned that could exit a layby sideways and four wheel drift round roundabouts. I wanted one so much I left my job at the time and started my own business, as it was the only way I thought I was going to afford one! Two years later I managed it.

I'm gonna find some pictures now and scan them. Gives me something to do!
Can't find any of the Evo so here's one of my Lotus Excel from 1990! Lotus Excel.jpg

I had the Mk111 RS turbo Escort (the white one) as well. I had it "superchipped" and it did fly for those days. It got nicked from a pub car park.

[Mr Tidy]

I had the Mk111 RS turbo Escort (the white one) as well. I had it "superchipped" and it did fly for those days. It got nicked from a pub car park.

My mate was in the motor salvage business in the 80s and bought nearly-new a stolen/recovered MK3 Escort Turbo. He spent £500 or so replacing the stolen stereo and having some high-tech remote alarm fitted.

He had it on the road less than 2 weeks before it got stolen off his Mum's drive one Saturday night while he was in the pub!

That was the last Fast Ford he ever had as his own car.

[Dark Diggler]

I had one of these, loved this little car but a “friend” wrote it off and immediately bailed on me when it came to any valid insurance or cash to put it right

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[Stevo1987]

I had the Mk111 RS turbo Escort (the white one) as well. I had it "superchipped" and it did fly for those days. It got nicked from a pub car park.

My mate was in the motor salvage business in the 80s and bought nearly-new a stolen/recovered MK3 Escort Turbo. He spent £500 or so replacing the stolen stereo and having some high-tech remote alarm fitted.

He had it on the road less than 2 weeks before it got stolen off his Mum's drive one Saturday night while he was in the pub!

That was the last Fast Ford he ever had as his own car.

I didn't give up so easy and bought the later one. Just like this. I would love to buy one now just for sentimental reasons.

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