Your most ideal vehicle(s)

[M1Accord]

Most of my ideal vehicles are not even in this country or no longer in production but these are some close one.

1) Subaru Baja - Relatively fuel efficient and utilitarian with this bed and 5 seats.

Possibly improvement:
Primary - 3 inches higher ride height with better suspension to tackles deep snow and beach driving.
Extra Credit - 2 extra gallon fuel capacity to make it a very long distance vehicle. It would be super sweet if this extra 2 gallons is stored in a form of secondary tank like some motorcycles and a manual switch is required to open up a valve to transfer fuel to the main tank.

2) Honda Ridgeline - In my opinion, this is a Baja done right. However, the gas mileage sucks horribly. Why is it that a Honda Pilot and Toyota 4Runner can get better fuel economy than this vehicle, which is not even a real truck since it is a uni-body construction unlike the 4Runner.

Possible Improvement:
Primary - Give me a better fuel economy up to 25 mpg highway and 20 mpg city. Better yet, this vehicle should be a diesel.

These are my only two ideal vehicles for my family style. I think of them as almost do-it-all vehicle since neither one is capable of heavy towing which I don't do anyway.

 

[JHZR2]

I like many of the vehicles that are out there. While there certainly is room for improvement on all of them, I dont know that the diminishing returns are worth it much.

TO me, the two major requirements to make many vehicles shift into the ideal range are:

1) Manual transmissions in more platforms, yes this means minivans and luxury cars.

2) Diesel engines, yes the same applies here.

Id also prefer many much smaller engines in bigger/higher end vehicles.

So I guess really the vehicle availability in Europe are about right.

 

[440Magnum]

Anything with "SRT-8" in the name.

Seriously... I'm not sure I have an "ideal." I like so many different things- a brutally fast car like a Challenger SRT-8 would be a blast, and with my fairly short commute there would be absolutely no downside to using it daily.

On the other hand, I love trucks and SUVs. A manual 6-speed Pentastar-powered Wrangler has a lot of appeal right now, just because that's one of the few ways to get a 6-speed in a relatively inexpensive vehicle (yeah- I said "relatively). I know- the two I've mentioned are almost diametrically opposite. But that's my dilemma. I find good in almost every vehicle.

 

[synthetic_crazy]

1. The Lexus LS430

2. The Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor

Both are comfortable, powerful, and very reliable.

 

[Benzadmiral]

A Lincoln Continental, the '61-'65 4-door model, with modern brakes and seat belts, and a hybrid engine setup for gas mileage.

(I know they don't make it. But it would be my ideal if they did!)

 

[jigen]

For me, fast vehicles with a MT and a price I can't afford. lol

 

[SLCraig]

Volvo V70R wagon.

6 speed, 300HP
gorgeous interior, handsome exterior
functional of course (love wagons)
AWD

Only problems, premium fuel and cost of repairs outside of warranty.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

A Vic interceptor with a t10 and bench seat and the new coyote motor. Have to make my own

Need a classic white cueball HURST shif knob. I have it in my sock drawer to use on every 4 gear MT I've built. OTW Ill take a '67 buick GS with a '65 401 nailhead and a 4 gear m21, H-pipe with a cherry bomb muffler. Suck up power but sound so cool 8=)

 

[NHGUY]

My 88 Aries wagon.Decent fuel economy,roomy interior,large cargo area,light tow-able,excellent brakes,upright seating postion (not sitting on the floor),traction in snow like a tank (with snow tires),light steering (easy to manuever or fling around),smooth ride,easy repairs (the 2.2 exposes most all maintenance items up front),dependable,and you get a bit of the cachet of daily driving an "antique" car.

 

[rjundi]

My wife's 2005 Legacy GT wagon has been really ideal.

1) Great utility
2) Absolute hoot drive with precise steering/handling, 5 speed manual coupled to a 250HP turbo motor with nice surge of power but decent at low end
3) Wonderful interior, I think Audi was inspiration for Subaru this iteration, past was dreadful
4) decent looks
5) Price we paid was $24k otd
6) 0-60 in 6seconds not flogging hard and I think 5.2 is what Car & Driver did
7) relatively inexpensive repairs compared to peers in performance BMW, Audi, Volvo and significantly more reliable IMHO
8) proven and simple AWD system that is very effective
9) our vehicle is 7yrs old now and 130k miles and remains solid and still puts a large grin on wife's face as she rows the gears.

Negatives
1) Some may say 24MPG/premium average with good highway balance. However the pure driving pleasure never leaves us longing
2) no Aux in port

 

[Spazdog]

I thought that about the Subaru Baja too. But it is wretched as a car. It needs Legacy GT Spec B steering because the rack and pinion is just awful. I could probably live with the undersprung/underdamped suspension, after all my other car is a PT Cruiser which is well damped but soft on the front and lacks compliance on the rear (probably for greater load capacity).

To me, the Baja steered like an '83 Twin-I beam Ranger with worn components.

If you change the grill and squint your eyes...and perhaps you are half blind, the Ridgeline actually starts to look acceptable. But like you said, the fuel mileage is not. I would honestly rather have a regular full-size pickup. I'll take the 1/2 mpg loss to have the V8. The only advantage the Honda has is parking. I can get a Tacoma or Frontier/Equator and then the Honda's parking advantage is gone.

If I was a GM exec, I would be looking real hard at GM Brazil next time gas prices skyrocket. For every company who didn't buy a Transit Connect for their fleet because they need an open bed? The Chevrolet Montana/Tornado is already in production and it's already E-85 capable. Delivery Fleets would probably grab up every one.

 

[M1Accord]

Isn't premium gas required for turbo engine or anything European? That would hurt like [censored] at the pump, especially for people who drive a lot like me.

A truck is a must for me even though I don't own one now. If I get another vehicle, it has to be a truck with 4 door and I want bench seats if possible. Unfortunately, Toyota and Honda don't like bench seats and never put dual tanks in their vehicles. I love trucks with dual tanks.

 

[Spazdog]

My ideal vehicle? There are lots of cars I want; Jaguar e-Type, Nissan GT-R, Corvette, factory re-made 240Z, FB RX-7, 2nd gen Z/28 4spd,.....etc... None of those cars are really practical for a daily driver.

I would also like a waterboxer Westfalia camper van. But I wonder how long I could really tolerate the lack of power. It doesn't handle, doesn't stop or go well and none of that matters because it's a Westy and it's cool.

For a practical, working, daily driver with a dose of fun? I want something that doesn't really exist. I want a Mazdaspeed 5.
'Speed 6 AWD powertrain with some handling improvements on a Mazda5. I want it built in a factory with a factory warranty.

Wanting truly is the cause of all suffering.

 

[Hokiefyd]

If I could choose only one vehicle, it'd probably be the one I drive every day. I guess that's because I did pick it as my sole vehicle choice. I went from a sedan and a pickup truck to a small SUV. The few things that the CRV can't haul are handled by a $500 utility trailer in the back yard.

The CRV checks all the important boxes for me as one in a single-earner household with two kids. It's very inexpensive to own, hauls most everything I need to carry, fits the two car seats easily, and most importantly...it drives like it enjoys being driven. Most any small SUV out there would probably be equally good for me, but since getting the MDX that my wife drives a few years ago, I really like how Honda does things, how they tune a chassis, how their engines seem to always want to do more, go further. Their cars are certainly not perfect, and aren't ideal for everyone, but they have the right balance for us.

I'd be nearly as happy with a unibody trucklette, like the Explorer Sport Trac, Ridgeline, Baja, etc. I would miss a covered cargo area, though. I feel that an SUV type vehicle combined with a small trailer is a better package.

 

[TallPaul]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2

1) Manual transmissions in more platforms, yes this means minivans and luxury cars.

Id also prefer many much smaller engines in bigger/higher end vehicles.
Yes, more manual transmissions, not this manumatic garbage, and please, no hill holder feature. Also, bring back more rear wheel drive cars. If front drive was that wonderful, why don't they have it in Mustangs and Camaros?

Yes, smaller engines in larger vehicles. Modern engines are kicking out far more power for displacement than engines in the 90s were. My 2.3L 4-banger in the 2001 Ranger would do as well if not better in the '92 Aerostar than the old Vulcan 3.0 V6. Yeah, it would also help if that Aero had a manual transmission, but was wife's car.

My ideal car is a 1970 440 Road Runner 4 speed, and a late 80s 5.0 V8 Mustang 5-speed. Would also love a Ford Focus 4-banger 5-speed in rear wheel drive.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: SLCraig
Volvo V70R wagon.

6 speed, 300HP
gorgeous interior, handsome exterior
functional of course (love wagons)
AWD

Only problems, premium fuel and cost of repairs outside of warranty.


True on all those accounts. I have the sedan version and luckily when i destroyed the transfer case (too many hard launches on the unofficial SB dragstrip) it was covered under warranty.

 

[kkreit01]

Mine was a 2nd Gen Sport Trac. I had an '08 V8 (4.6 3V). We loved it. It was the best of both worlds. Many (us) do not want the mass of a full-sized truck, and nor would one easily fit in our garage. The Sport Trac fit the bill perfectly. Sure, it had a short bed, but it still hauled everything I needed it to: 4x8 plywood, cu yd of topsoil, Rainbow playset, etc, etc. Once the tailgate was down, there was about 6.5 feet available. Interior cabin space was identical to an Explorer.

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Originally Posted By: SLCraig
Volvo V70R wagon.

6 speed, 300HP
gorgeous interior, handsome exterior
functional of course (love wagons)
AWD

Only problems, premium fuel and cost of repairs outside of warranty.


True on all those accounts. I have the sedan version and luckily when i destroyed the transfer case (too many hard launches on the unofficial SB dragstrip) it was covered under warranty.


Out of curiousity, what was your 1/4 time?
Good job on getting that covered

 

[AuthorEditor]

For fun I'll take a Porsche 911 Classic from the 1970s. Porsche 911 For practicality I'll take a VW Rabbit diesel from the 70s. Rabbit Diesel It would be sweet to be getting 55 mpg on a little diesel about now. I bought a banged up one from a guy for $200, put another 100,000 miles on it, and the only thing I ever did was change the oil and filter, and then I sold it back to the guy I bought it from for $200. Cheapest car I've ever owned.

 

[SS1970chrysler]

I'd want either a 2-tone blue 1972 Buick Lesabre with 350 J-code engine, 1973 Chrysler Imperial in all black, or 1961 Plymouth Fury in white over red.