1985 Toyota Supra. I’ve also owned an 84 and an 83, but they were both beaten half to death before I owned them the 85 was amazing. It really didn’t have a ton of power, but the torque of that six made it feel like it did, and it handled like it was on rails.
I still have my 84 sitting in a garage waiting for a transplant. It threw a rod, and I’m still not sure what I want to put in it. I’m leaning towards a later 1jz with vvti
The 1j I’d have said go for it, 20 years ago, now I don’t recommend it. %100 2jz it, you’ll not have issues finding parts. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, got 1.5jz.
grand caravan. minivans already start as the most versatile vehicle around. Able to haul cargo and people equally well while having mileage that only gets beat by small cars. Basically it was honda or toyota that had the rear folding seat but dodges flip and fold brought it to a new level and they were good about having the captains chairs be comfortable. This is actually the main reason we have a minivan. It is the easiest vehicle to get in and out of for the driver and front row passenger. The captains chairs are at perfect but height for a human and most people don't really have to climb up into them or overly drop into them. Seriously if you ever see an occupational therapy handout for getting in and out of a vehicle, look at the pictures, they almost always use a minivan. Then dodge did the same thing with the roof rack. can fold it in for better mileage and fold them out when needed rather than having to retrieve them from sitting in the garage. Unfortunately they messed up the pacifica in that its captains chairs are less comfortable (and its more expensive and for some reason they took out the ability to vent open the rear window which was another nice thing.)
Walkable cities are fantastic, I would never commute to my office with my car, I live in the suburbs and take the bus and metro to the office, it is awesome, I lived alone for nine years without needing a car, to be frank, I don’t need a car in my day to day life.
But I have missed a lot of opportunities by not having a car for the weekends/vacations.
Opportunities to get new furniture, opportunities to find a castle ruin, opportunities to connect with friends easier, opportunities to go places where I would not have been able to in a resonable timeframe using just public transport and walking.
It might be selfish, I don’t deny that, but it has done wonders for my mental health.
I got a car that can fit five, that runs on electricity for most tasks, it was used, so no new car was produced specificly for me.
I believe it was the least bad car I could have gotten
Eery bit is helping. No need to feel guilty about enjoying life. I hope one day my local council will provide shared cars for those special times when I really need one. They have them in bigger cities but not here.
I have thought about only keeping my car for a few years so I get more experience and then selling it and getting on the app leasing deal, but so far that is not on the horizon for me, but who knows…
That’s how I lived for 9 years while living alone in the suburbs and working in the city, it is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
I still pride myself on not needing a car for my commute to/from work, and I would never take my car into the city unless it was critical, I have done it a few times to learn and get experience, but it is just annoying.
For me, I use my car for recreation, I get in and drive out in the country to intresting places where I take photos of cool stuff, places that would be a nightmare to visit by public transport or walking/biking.
Who knows, in a few years I might sell my car and get in on the app leasing deal, but for now as I only got my license last year at 35, I use my own car to get experience and be a better driver, I will reevaluate the value of owning a car as time passes.
2011 Honda Fit/Jazz. That thing was like the god damn Tardis. Seats folded any which way you could think of so it could haul pretty much anything and paired with a roof rack you were invincible. It was small and nimble and was capable of anything. Snow? Sure. Camping down some semi rough tracks? Why not. Haul all your friends l? You got it boss.
I wish I still had it as I probably would have turned it into a battle car by now but sold it when I moved country’s.
Exact same for me. Bought a used 2013 Fit as my first car and just finished paying it off, this thing is a force of nature and is probably my favourite car of all time.
Small exterior, but big interior, and the manual transmission is rock solid, you definitely shouldn’t slam it into reverse while rolling forward but it’s good to know you can if you have to lol. Surprisingly good at drifting on gravel corners or through snowdrifts, and you can make it crazy far up a washed out logging road with a 14’ canoe strapped to the top. 10/10 no regrets
I’ve never owned a car myself, but my fam swears by the Datsun 280z, especially thanks to its dependence on standard parts. My grandpa’s Z was nearly a ship of Theseus, with only a few original parts remaining when he died, maintained by him and my uncle.
‘94 GT here, not as exciting as older generations, but fun nonetheless. Drove that thing for multiple hundreds of thousands of miles. Had over 330k when it finally died.
None, they are all metal boxes that get me from point a to b. I accepted a long time ago im just not a car guy, i dont even reserve the neurons to differentiate make/model/year at a glance. Forming emotional attachments over hunks of metal/ machinery that all operate generally the same way is a very monkey-brain thing to do. He smugly says as he nervously eyes his book collection he would actually tear up over if they were damaged in any way.
Do you enjoy driving at all though? I feel like there are a lot of people who love driving but don’t care if they’re doing it with a “boring econobox”. Listening to music and cruising down the highway on a warm summer afternoon is fun to me no matter what car I’m in.
I can find it relaxing at times but I dont drive to drive more than maybe once or twice a year if that. Its bad for the environment (unless you have an all electric vehicle powered by renewable energy I can dig that) and a selfish waste of precious non renewable resources.
Being on the road is also an inherent danger as accidents happen anytime anywhere, though life is also about taking a fucking chance to do what you want risk be damned so if ypu enjoy driving its worth the risk I guess.
I’d rather get on my legs and walk around a nice forest/park than drive around but that’s just me.
I love getting around without a car. Public transport is great around europe. Still the 10.000 km trip I went on last year hit so many places public tranport don’t. Also getting to great places like forests or parks will require a form of automotion in the usa. About the risk, I feel that it is part of the journey to risk it all. The car I drive is light because it has no safety features like modern cars. This is not inherently a bad thing for safety breeds complacency. I have been close to catastrophe multiple times during the road trip, still I wouldn’t have had the experiences I did if it was just staying home.
I think your comment kinda points at the reason why I don’t like people who despise cars. Like we all have a thing we love to use. Some people like me it’s cars. For others it’s video games. For some it’s books. We all have a thing. I’d imagine even movie buffs have a favorite TV or midea format. The world is pretty boring when everyone is a carbon copy of the other.
I’ve had about 20 cars in the last 16 years, from an '88 Plymouth Reliant to an '82 Datsun King Cab pickup to an '08 Subaru Outback. But my favorite is my '20 4runner because I don’t have to think about bringing my tools and extra fluids/belts along on a road trip.
That said, man I had some great memories driving around in my '91 Honda Prelude with a 5 speed and a loud stereo. Always felt cool driving that car, even though the speedometer didn’t work, the transmission grinded on every shift due to worn out synchros (if you didn’t double-clutch), and the engine burned a quart of oil every 400 miles!
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