What was your favorite (you or your family owned) vehicle and how old were you when you had it, what happened to it? Rocketman
My favorite have always been those I owned at the time. The one I most regret let go, was a 2002 Chevy Prism standard which during the height of gas prices averaged in the high thirties for the driving I did. Other then that, the best all around vehicle we have ever owned was the 2004 4Runner we just sold. Might not have been a great move but I had to spend my kids inheritance on something newer.
1957 Chevy Bel-Air coupe when I was 23. I sold it when I joined the Air Force and my wife had a baby on the way. I’ve included a picture of the exact model and color (not my car).
My favorite vehicle is my 95 Nissan pickup that I still own. Paid $400.00 for it seven years ago.
It’s got the four cylinder with the 5 speed manual. It even has AC that works. Gets great gas mileage.
It’s perfect for hauling automotive parts such as engines, transmissions, etc…
I even used it to haul my mid-rise lift home which weighs 1,000 LBS.
Tester
It’d have to be either my 1976 Toyota Corolla or my 1989 Toyota pickup. Both vehicles just ran & ran, totally without complaint. The Corolla went when my growing family required a 4-door car, my pickup went when I gave it to my daughter with over 300,000 miles on it.
Too many to list for me as I have no particular single car favorite. My favorite cars of my parents, and me, was a '59 Plymouth Fury and a '54 Dodge with the hemi. Dad first taught me how to drive in that Dodge when I was 7 years old and could barely see over the dash. All done on the deserted road near the Air Force base of course. The Dodge was eventually traded in on a '58 Bel Air Chevy.
My favorites in the personal car bunch included a '68 Roadrunner, '69 Superbee, '59 Corvette, a Sunbeam Alpine, an 80s era Subaru 4WD wagon, and a clunky old '61 VW Bug. I thrashed that Bug everywhere and like the Energize bunny it just kept going. They were all traded off at one time or the other (dammit) except for the Bug.
I was in the drive one Sunday afternoon and some guy stopped and wanted to know if it was for sale. No. He then offered me triple what I paid for it to begin with so here’s the title and adios…
My current favorites over the past 15 years have been several Lincoln Mark VIIIs. Outstanding comfort, reliability, and will move very quickly when asked.
My favorite car was the 1954 Buick that my dad purchased from the original owner in 1955. I bought the car from him eight years later when I was in my second year of graduate school. That Buick was the newest car my dad had purchased after WW II. It was the first year of the V-8 in the Buick Special–the engine had a displacement of 264 cubic inches and was a smaller displacement of the 322 cubic inch V-8 that Buick introduced in the 1953 Super and Roadmaster lines. The Buick I owned had a manual transmission–3 speed on the column, a signal seeking A.M. radio and that was about it. The Buick had 120,000 when I bought it and 160,000 when I sold it and three years later was still on the streets. The head and pan were never off the engine which was really quite an endurance record back in the 1950s and 1960s.
When I was about 7 years old one of my dad’s friends came to visit, and I stood in the driveway admiring his blue Cadillac. I remember thinking “One day I’ll have a car just like this.”
When I was in my early 20’s (1991 I believe) I found one. 1970 Coupe DeVille. Blue, with a dark blue vinyl top. Very clean straight car. Acres of leather interior, climate control, gashog of an engine, whisper quiet and smooth ride, best road trip car I ever owned. That 472 would scream up any mountain pass at 80mph with nothing more than a pleasant drone. Three guys could drive all night from Seattle to Las Vegas in comfort, not even be tired when we got there.
First time I took my wife out we got to the car and she stepped back and said “I think my grandpa might have had a car like this once” but she came to love it as much as I did.
I had that car for 12 years–not as a daily driver–and sold it to a friend when the heater core started leaking and some rust started bubbling through the fenders. He drove it for 2 years, hitched a trailer to it and moved to Aguascalientes, Mexico where he lived for 5 years. He had the body and interior redone at a fraction of what it would cost here. Then used the car to move back up to Washington state. 3 years in Ellensburg and then a teaching position opened up in San Antonio. Again, the aging Cadillac with 300,000 miles was pressed into service pulling a U-haul to Texas. As of 2 years ago, the old Coupe DeVille, now with 2 low cylinders and numerous oil leaks, is resting comfortably under a tree in a field, awaiting either a resurrection or dignified memorial.
Easy - my '83 GTI, fun to drive, decent mpgs, and this was a reliable example. 12 years in Anchorage.
Favorite 
though 25 years with a maroon chevy nova with an off white vinyl top is up there, along with 23 years with my 1972 f100
Favorite family car is a black 57 Chevy Belair, 283 power-pack, 4 barrel, dual exhaust with a powerglide owned by my grandmother. I was too young to drive when they sold it or I would have bought it.
My favorite was my 1976 Olds Starfire hatchback (like a Chevy Monza) with and odd-fire V6, 4 speed manual. First engine rebuild with hot-rod parts, later became my first race car. Fast, reliable, cheap to run. Bought used, I had it about 11 years.
My 1965 Dodge Dart GT with 273 V8 and heavy duty everything. However as I got older, married and had to drive as part of my job, the 1980 Olds Rocket 88 with all the comfort stuff and the F41 suspension became my favorite car.
We drove this car cross country in just over 3 days (not quite the Cannonball pace) and we were not fatigued.
1967 Pontiac Catalina two door.
Bought it from my grandparents while a teenager.
Sold it for $125.
If I would have known then what I know now it would still be mine.
Miss my grandparents badly, miss the car.
My 1957 Buick Special with the 3 section rear window and 364 CID “nailhead” engine. Wish I had it today.
My early 90’s Corolla. Attractive body styling, easy to do routine DIY service, bullet proof fuel injection, good 0-35 mph pick up (with a manual transmission), body parts remain rust free, and the parts seem to stick on the spots they were intended and stay there, and overall quite reliable.
My favorite is my recently retired 1989 Honda Accord. 585,000 miles, never let me down, good mpg (30-35), comfortable,good in the snow, ice cold AC, ran great until I parked it due to underbody rust. Over the years I did aftermarket tires, better exhaust, limited body kit stuff, really looked nice. Original clutch lasted her whole life, deepest into the motor I ever was was for valve stem seals, dripped and burned only a bit of oil between oil changes, I think it was like 1/2 to 1 quart between changes. Going to NPR donation program this year, Rocketman
@GeorgeSanJose I once owned a '76 model Celica GT with a 5 speed. It was one of the best cars that I ever owned and was one of the best shifting as well. @MY2CENTS … don’t we all.
I would have to choose my 1996 Mazda Miata. I probably put as many miles on it driving for fun as actually driving to a destination.
1979 Toyota 4X4 pickup w/ carbureted 20R engine. I was in my 40s and 50s and did prodigious amounts of rehab and repair. I may have paid more for the Haynes manual and How to Keep Your Toyota Truck Alive than the $50 I paid for the truck. Frame rust was its demise: I had someone weld in a new crossbar that served as the mounting point for the rear shocks and the gas tank. A few years later it was jacked up at a tire shop and the frame bent behind the cab. Sold it for parts. A sad day.
My all time favorite is my parent’s 1964 Series 62 Cadillac hard top. It was slate gray with a black and white interior. The car was very quiet and incredibly quick. My favorite that I owned is my 1976 Porsche 914 2L. Time must heal wounds because it was one of the least reliable cars I ever owned. But the handling was superb.