Pick A Car For Life

[Andy_C 50]

Dunno why but Jag XJR for me - it was the first gen 6 cylinder car which got me thinking that years ago and it's never changed.

 

Probably a ruinous thing to consider financially but I believe the later V8 cars are reasonably reliable. They don't seem to date either IMO and still look good today 15 odd years later.

 

My first girlfriend's dad had a 1986 XJ6 4.2 and I loved it more than her to be honest - he got one of the first XJ40's in 1988 as a replacement - cloth seats and a weedy 2.9 engine and he and I hated it. Still love Jags though

 

Failing that a 996 Turbo - practical for such a bloody fast car and surprisingly sensible to run (ish). I was lucky enough to drive one a few years ago and my dislike of Porsches disappeared in minutes. Still doesn't make me smile like a Jag though!

Edited July 19, 2011 by Andy_C

[johnsimister 10]

I'm lucky enough to have driven most of the new cars of the last 20 years or so, from mundane to exotic, because it's my job to do so. And I have asked myself the same question. The answer is - deep breath - the best all-round car, the most satisfying solver of compromises, that I have ever owned.

 

Which is my 205 GTI 1.9. Really.

 

John

[lagonda 42]

Hi GLP,

 

Thought I'd left you speechless. No, not my everyday car, but it was for 5 years, until I got my Fiat 500 (proper air cooled one, not the modern pastiche) in 1981. That doesn't mean I used it every day, but it probably was the most driven Lagonda V12 during that time. I did once see 11mpg, but it was down to 4mpg when I took it off the road then for long overdue engine rebuild. It was probably costing more on oil, then, at less than 100 miles per GALLON of oil. Woe betide anyone behind if I had to stop at red lights, the smoke was wondrous to behold...no-one followed me because they couldn't see anything.

 

Parts availability? Actually substantially better now than it was then...at a price...new crankshaft alone cost £5500, but it is safe for over 6500rpm whereas the original was red-lined at 5500.

 

Clearly I was driving it in an advanced state of knackered-ness, thanks to lack of use & maintenance by previous owners. But do you know what? It was reliable, something I can't say for my CTi!

[GLPoomobile 958]

No, not my everyday car, but it was for 5 years, until I got my Fiat 500 (proper air cooled one, not the modern pastiche) in 1981.

 

Then I'm afrid your vote is null and void You've got to pick a car that will be your one and only car for the rest of your life. And that means it's got to be capable of at most, daily usage, but at least, lets say monthly usage. Unless your happy to keep it as an ornament and spend the rest of your life walking or riding a bicycle

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

E30 touring with some M-Power dropped in would keep me happy.

 

Good choice......for bombproof, you could even forego the M power and stuff one of the 'normal' sixes in it. Quick yet still reliable.

 

An E30 335 touring still interests me!

[lagonda 42]

Then I'm afrid your vote is null and void You've got to pick a car that will be your one and only car for the rest of your life. And that means it's got to be capable of at most, daily usage, but at least, lets say monthly usage. Unless your happy to keep it as an ornament and spend the rest of your life walking or riding a bicycle

 

Well if I was allowed only one car for the rest of my life, it would be the V12. Only need to sort brakes out & re-instal petrol tank, & it's back on the road...after 30 years...unfortunately too busy with new property here in France....so annoying, almost ready to go, but even I have to be practical sometimes.

[kilauea 7]

I've already got my "car for life" I think.

 

The 205 is a no for me, because of motorway miles for work. I want something a lot more comfortable and safer for that. If I worked local it would be up there though.

VW Bus has been mentioned. I've got a fairly pokey one (2.0 914 type engine) and love the fact it really can be fixed at the roadside. However, they suffer the same as the 205 but slower. Not very comfortable (noisy although I am going to try and reduce that) and very not safe (cab front design).

 

So I go for my current daily driver. 30+mpg on a run, safe, amazingly comfortable, fast (150+ on this one), nice drive and there are 500k ones knocking about so we know they'll last. I just need to start buying crucial spares now!

 

[24seven 104]

Another vote for an RS6 Avant, in blue or red (the common Audi blue/red, I don't know the colour names for VAG stuff). Big and practical, modern, well equipped, safe and they don't hang around either.

[2-Pugs 57]

i currently run an E39 M5 and it is absolutely sublime, a real all rounder and I would be happy with it for a very long time I think. It's going to be a sad day when I sell it. The only way it could be improved is more practicality so I'm going to plump for the E60 M5 Touring as well! As long as mpg is not a concern its a no brainer.

[dave_gti 0]

Hmmm that’s a tricky one because of pros and cons –

 

Fast and fun - expensive to run

Size - heavier cars generally more expensive to run

Diy repairs – depending on skill and facilities older cars are much easier to work with, but more likely to break in most cases.

Plus it’s always good to use a cheap car to clock up mileage and go shopping etc where people seem to love smacking their doors against your car.

 

Because of the above I’ve always run two cars, at the moment I have a Impreza type r for fun (until my 205 is back on the road) and a Clio 1.2 to clock up the miles. Sorry for the boringly realistic opinion but for me it’d be impossible to commit to one car forever, especially considering the increasing costs to run a car.