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
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.
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…
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.)
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.
Favorite so far was probably a 2003 Mazdaspeed Protégé. They were kinda anemic for a 2.0t car out of the box, but I had built the engine a bit and goosed it to around 225whp. It wasn’t the fastest thing around, but it had a raw mechanical feel that was a hoot to drive and toss around corners, especially after adding some stickier rubber.
I’ve got a NB Miata in the garage right now, but man it’s just missing about 75whp to match the smiles per hour factor.
2007 Subaru Impreza SE with a 5 speed manual transmission with nice crisp shifter bushings. It wasn’t fast because it was the naturally-aspirated version, but damn was it literally invincible in the winter. I once helped a Jeep up a snowy hill by cutting a path for him to follow me up after he failed to get to the top multiple times. Also, drifting in that car was a point-and-shoot endeavour. You could be sideways at almost 100km/h and have absolute pinpoint control of the car at all times. The AWD system in Subarus is a technical marvel.
I also loved the kinda minimal dash layout. It felt like an older car because the dash wasn’t like a meter deep. It was small and compact. The car was also incredibly easy to work on. I learned a lot about maintenance with that car. I miss it a lot.
Well I’ve only had two but my current one is basically my dream car so the answer is 2007 Nissan Navara King Cab, 2.5 litre turbo diesel 4x4, all black and murdered out.
I had a Chevrolet Vitara (for Venezuela… for US people it would be a Suzuki Vitara) that my father bought in 1998 and gave me when I was 17.
First car I “owned”, used for 6 years, never had to repair it or anything at all, took me everywhere without problems and since it was a small 2 door it fit everywhere.
I took my friends with it, my parents, traveled with it, etc. Also, surprisingly, we never had to do any repairs to the car since 1998 up until 2021 when my dad sold it because it was almost dead. That car was the best and I miss it.
Then I got a Dodge Dakota from 2002, it was good but I didn’t like it as much as the Vitara.
Now I drive a VW Gol (2005), good car, a little fucked up.
Dear old Dad had a Chevy Tracker, which is yet another name for Suzuki Vitara. He loved that thing and drove it almost a half million kilometers. Then he traded it on a Subaru that was basically done for in 240,000 km.
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