I’ll just go in chronological order, since I really haven’t had a car that was really any more or less reliable then the others.
- 1974 Ford F-100, 390 4bbl, 3 speed manual. Got this gem when I was 15 (circa 1994) When I got it, it didn’t run, had a bad clutch and about 140k on the clock. Dad and I spend several months fixing it. The stock 2 bbl 302 was deemed to wimpy so we found a 390 in a junkyard and did a mild rebuild (slightly hotter cam, better intake manifold, new carb, minor porting of the heads, etc.) and we found a complete 9 inch axle with 4.11 gears in it too, so used that as well. We had the truck repainted, reupholstered the seat, new wheels/tires, new mirrors, and she was ready by the time I got my drivers license. Dad kept it around until about a year ago. All in all a fantastic vehicle to learn to drive on, since every other car you drive afterwards will seem very easy to drive.
The Good: It was quite the sleeper, and pretty reliable, nothing ever actually broke on it.
The Bad: 7 MPG on high test gas was about as good as it got. Lap belts only, No AC, Manual steering, manual brakes, and an 8 track player. Not a chick magnet at all. It also has some sort of weird carb icing problem in snowy weather.
- 1992 Ford Thunderbird SC. My saintly grandmother felt the F-100 was too unsafe for he favorite grandson. She gave an ultimatum to my mom and dad that if they didn’t provide me with safer vehicle to drive, then she definitely would. Mom called Granny’s bluff, but much to her chagrin, Granny made good on her threat and for my 18th birthday I was given the keys to cherry-red T-Bird SC. It had about 46k on the clock when I got it. And it was far, far nicer to drive when compared with the F-100, mostly I was happy about having air conditioning. I was forced to turn it over to my brother when he turned 16 since I hadn’t paid for the car or anything. The car had about 140k on the clock when I was done with it. No major repairs.
The Good: Good combination of power and economy, very comfortable, it’s a rare car
The Bad: Brakes didn’t last long
1995 Ford Bronco. When my brother turned 16, I was informed that he would be getting the T-Bird, and I would have to go procure my own means of transportation. I was in college at the time and was working part time at a body shop, making pretty-good-for-a-college-kid money. I knew I was going to have to give the T-Bird well ahead of time, so I had been putting money away for sometime anyway. I budgeted myself $15k and went looking. I was really considering a newer (at the time) 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4, but. I didn’t want to finance anything. I eventually found a 1995 Bronco with about 48k on the clock. The asking price was pretty low. So I bit, after some minor haggling. Eventually I added a 4 inch lift, 33 inch tires, a rear locker, GT-40 heads, shorty headers, and straight pipe dual exhaust, and 4.56 gears. The Bronco served me faithfully. The only major repair was a transmission rebuild around the 175k mile mark. I wasn’t in the market of selling it, but a couple months ago a high school kid who I knew from work asked if he could make an offer on it. I told him sure, and he offered me $1500 more than it was really worth. He talked with his parents, I talked with his parents, I gladly let them take to their mechanic to get it checked out. Their mechanic couldn’t find anything wrong with it, other than the fact that it had well over 200k on the odometer. So I sold it, and bought slightly new (1997) F-150 with far less mileage (72k) as its replacement until Ford finally gets cracking on that 2 door Excursion 
The Good: Great front seats, excellent off-road prowess, better handling that you might expect, good cargo capacity.
The Bad: Fuel economy isn’t great (9-11 MPG), wears out brakes, and front suspension parts more quickly than most cars.
- 2003 Ford Mustang GT. I had always wanted a V8 Mustang ever since I was about 9 years old. So I finally bought one in 2005. At the time I was selling cars for a living and was able to pick up this one from auction for basically a song. I was really after a Cobra or Mach 1 model, but this was too good of deal to pass up. I modified it heavily, Kenne Bell supercharger, Ford Racing 4.10 gears, Centerforce Clutch, BBK long tube headers, off-road H pipe, single chamber Flowmasters, Eibach Sportline springs, adjustable Koni shocks/struts, Brembro brakes, Bullitt wheels, and some other goodies. It’s my daily driver and has about 110k on the clock now. The biggest repair so far: power window regulator.
The Good : Good power, good fuel economy (18-21 MPG). Good handling
The Bad: Bone-jarring ride, everyone has a Mustang, seats aren’t as good as the Broncos were.
- 1997 Ford F-150: Replacement for the Bronco bought it a couple months ago from an elderly fellow who didn’t drive it much. It had about 72k on the clock when I got it. It now has about 75k on the clock, I don’t drive it much either, but I like to have another vehicle on hand for bad weather and towing my Aquatrax around during the summer. The only things I’ve done to it so far are a new set of tires, new spark plugs/wires, and an oil change.
The Good: Drives well, good mileage for a V8 full-sized 4WD truck (17 MPG overall)
The Bad: Very common, kinda boring, bug guard collects all kinds of yard debris
- 1974 Triumph TR6, been in the family since new. Totally restored inside, new top. It was repainted in the mid 1980’s but it’s ready for another one. It has about 80k on the clock.
The Good: It has personality, it’s rare, it handles well, chicks dig it.
The Bad: It leaks oil (keeps the chassis rust free!), the headlights change intensity at random, turn signals work randomly, horn only works when the steering wheel is at full left lock, Wipers work sporadically, the Zenith-Stromberg carbs are uh…intresting.