personal preference

[crisis]

In an attempt to get an idea where everyone is coming from with regards to their car preferences, I am comissioning the following thread. We have a who are you type thread but as questions like "which car is better ? X or Y" etc takes up quite a bit of bandwidth here it may be helpful to ascertain what some of us value in a car and why we like what we like. Gogomobile Darts aside.

I like cars that combine power and good looks. Medium to large two door coupes being a favourite. V8 or more preferably but well executed 6s and fours as well. Rear wheel drive. I also like some semblace of luxury ie not go carts. In the end outright excellence in performance and handling are not essential as long as the car does these thing well. A seismic exhaust note is pretty good to.
Quirky designs al la Citroen , Renault etc need not apply. Neither most front wheel drives, diesels, electrics, rotaries and small hatch styles. They are all relevant and are clearly viable styles but not my cup of beer.

[bige321786]

a big big fan of do it all, no holds barred sedans, bmw's m5 being a particular favorite. with its subtle but yet menacing aggressive lines, this particular vehicle would find its way into my garage before any other i think. what cant it do? pick up the kids, perfect for super market runs, and fun weekends at the track.
after the 'sensible' sedan was parked nicely in the garage, and if i had any money whatsover to spend, i'd probably get myself a v12 supercar, preferably a ferrari....cant go there wrong?

sorry if my answers seem cookie cutter, but hey, can't fight the feeling.

[fpv_gtho]

i cant make up my mind for what i want. i'd like something like an old australian muscle car to tune up and have some fun with, a lightweight sports car like a lotus/caterham open wheeler for some fun on the track and the occasional sprint down the motorway and a new car basically to tune up as well, something like an XR8 or GT Falcon would be nice. maybe im getting freedy, but i'd also like a ute to take to the drags and have it weight reduced and race prepped so im ready for the worst.....

[Suka]

My favorite type of car would be a light, not very high powered, very responsive little sports car. Everybody says to me that you cant have just a lightweight sports car because you dont have the space inside, they are not practical enough they say. You would be surprised how much shopping you can get in the passenger footwell and on the seat, stuff as much as you can in the boot and the rest goes on the seat. That is why i love lightweight sports cars like GTM Libra, Lotus Elise, Honda S2000 (although it is a bit of a hairdressers car).

[Matra et Alpine]

Wheels and an engine is all I need.
I'm lucky to have the gamut right now.
Espace 4x4 for horse-towing, moving things and 'playing' in mud :)
Corsa as family get around town car.
Alpine as fast road and track car
Bagheera as 'classic' sports car
Bandit for playing a kid, going to the Isle of Man and enjoying the sunny days in Scotland.
Would like to have a performance 4x4 for a while ( the transmission on the Espace is getting 'tired'. It's been suggested show-horning a Scoobie engine and drivetrain in for the ultimate Espace :)
Also a BIG V8 or 10 for the sound and the HUGE torque - devious plan is for my daughter to follow that route and we 'swap' on occasions.
Happy to drive others Ferraris, TVRs and Porsches. They're not really anything special beyond the badge ( oh and the sound :drool: )
Hmmm, bike-engined ultra-lightweight for track and hillclimb.

Speed is good, however it comes.
Handling is even better :)

Variety keeps us alive.

Nothing is perfect.

Everything has something to offer.

Back to where we started.....
Does it have wheels and an engine I'll take it :)

[NoOne]

Acceleration is what gets my blood pumping!!!

I've never been on a race track (other than a 1/4 mile) so racecar handling isn't really my thing, more of a "point and shoot" kinda guy. I also like all the luxo trimmings as long as there is an abundance of power so that turning on the A/C isn't ike resting your foot on the brake pedal.

I much prefer a manual shift ... but not if the wife is going anywhere near it !!

I've got to admit to a bit of vanity here, I don't want to be seen in an ugly car, I much prefer a bit of curb appeal. Before I forget ... throw in all the high techie crap too, navigation system, big stereo, paddle shifter, etc I want all the toys !!

Sounds like an Aston Martin Vanquish V12 would be ideal. ;)

[Wheelman]

Sports cars. Real sports cars. Cars that were designed to deliver a certain measure of motoring fun. Not race cars, or anything designed for a track that require special teams to run them. Road cars, touring cars. From the smallest, lightweight 4 banger, to the most extreme high-end 12 cylinder beast. Sports cars from any era. Anything designed for pure performance motoring. Cars that fit into a certain criteria; manual transmission, 2 doors, no convertibles, minimal frills and features, and fun to drive.

[Egg Nog]

I posted this elsewhere, but it's more appropriate here: Someone had asked me about which lightweight cars I prefer:


I generally prefer a car like a Lotus Elise over a Caterham, but I should stress that they shouldn'y really be compared, being so different. Anyway, judging by this, I don't necessarily consider a car to be better if it is lighter, but I prefer that it should be light. This is the one key factor.

Lighter cars tend to away with all the luxurious crap that I personally don't care for too much. They're much more efficient, handle vastly better (in general), and bring a driving enthusiast a much more responsive and direct approach to motoring for the sake of entertainment.

Mind you, I don't limit my perspective too much... I'm a huge fan of something like a '68 Camaro despite its mass It's just that as far as modern cars go, it has been proven time and again that lightweight grassroots sports cars can be had for less money than their heavy counterparts, and provide a much better drivers car. In an age of such brilliant structural and mechanical engineering, I find it hard to swallow that something like a Mercedes "Sport Light" (SL) can weight as much as it does.

[cls12vg30]

I like small cars, I prefer RWD, and 2-door hatchback body styles, both for looks and practicality. When I say hatchback I'm talking about "fastback"-style hatches, not so much "mini-wagon" style hatches (i.e. Civic hatch). I have little interest in most 4-doors and SUV's. I like low-end torque but also like to strike a balance between power and fuel economy, so a V6 or large 4 is my engine of preference. A manual transmission is a must. I prefer Japanese cars, esp. Nissan and Toyota, for their quality and longevity. My favorite cars are Nissan and Toyota RWD hatchbacks from the late '70s and '80s including 1st gen. (70-77) and 3rd gen. (82-85) Celicas, MkII Supras, RWD Corollas, Datsun Z's, and of course Nissan S110 & S12 Silvias.

So in essence, the 1988 Nissan 200SX SE V6 (S12 Silvia platform, VG30E 3.0 V6) I own now fits me very well. I realize that my specific automotive tastes are a tad unusual, however I feel very fortunate that it is these cars which interest me so very much, as it means I can usually pay cash for my cars. Seriously, I get more excited spotting a Datsun S110 or a TE55 Corolla than I do seeing a Ferrari 360. So long as it's a Nissan or Toyota, my past experience makes me perfectly comfortable buying a car with 150,000 miles or more on the clock already. (That applies to Hondas too but they never did much RWD) And I enjoy the challenge of tracking down parts.

Oh, I also do have a big soft spot for late '60s and early '70s Mopar musclecars.

[Comunista]

anytihng between lightweight sports cars with any sized engine geared towards performance, to large cars w/ huge powerplants to get them tearing ass along.

[crisis]

Everybody says to me that you cant have just a lightweight sports car because you dont have the space inside, they are not practical enough they say. You would be surprised how much shopping you can get in the passenger footwell and on the seat, stuff as much as you can in the boot and the rest goes on the seat. That is why i love lightweight sports cars like GTM Libra, Lotus Elise, Honda S2000 (although it is a bit of a hairdressers car).
That is what this thread is about. Nobodys opinion about your opinion counts. You dont have to justify anything here. It is interesting to see where people come from. Matra is no surprise but then again he owns everything anyway. :)

[Matra et Alpine]

That is what this thread is about. Nobodys opinion about your opinion counts. You dont have to justify anything here. It is interesting to see where people come from. Matra is no surprise but then again he owns everything anyway. :)
But sadly not the A110 in auction this weekend, can't make it and not willing to bid blind.
Nor the D'Jet on eBay brought to my attention in these good pages.
THAT is a great buy for a US purchaser, but adding shipping takes it out ofmy price range.
One of the most streamlined and light cars built.
Designed in the early 60s by Bonnet in France and built by Matra and a Cd of 0.27 !! No computers and computational flow dynamics, just the eye of a talented French designer.
If you're looking for a fun car project in the US, I recommend having a look.

Oh and to prove there is always desire for more.
I want a bigger bike.
I want twin turbo for the A610.
I want to build one good Matra out of the 3 I own :) If you listen carefully you can hear a Bagheera rust :(

[Doza]

Wheels and an engine is all I need.
Nothing is perfect.

What about Daihatsu Naked?
http://car.biglobe.ne.jp/news/img/daihatsu-naked-001.jpg
----
On a serious note.... I like the lines and the everything that the old American RWD muscle cars were about. There's a certain class to it that appeals to me. Then, on the other hand.... there's a place in my heart for small sized and engined cars (Daihatsu Naked, Scion xB) etc. I usually take every car in grasp and give everyone the same review until I've driven it. I.E. Fords, Kias, Fiats suck.... etc. I was raised on the Philosophy of Ford=slow and unreliable, and Chevrolet=best car ever, and it still stick there a bit. I would take an equivilant Chevrolet over any other car(Camaro>Mustang), but still keep my mind open the best I can.

[Falcon500]

I prefer my cars light and while myfalcon 500 might not be the lightest car on the planet with all the options avaiable to it its till weights less then a subaru WRX with all tyhe fruit (about 1450 and even higher into that with a tinyWRX with only basic otpions) i rpefer RWD and manual but its all relative if you can achieve what i view a great car in any perametres its tops (hence my love for masaerati and and lotus andother such comapnys) i dislike FWD Autos,poor road feel,modern luxuarys (eg electric windows and other such useless crap) i prefer large car with no options a great engine and fantastic road feel (handeling is an option as long as i can get it around some challenging corners its great) my great loves are fords (mustangs of every varity even mustang II very underrated cars falcons any ford muscle car or anything interesting and the origonal GT40 above every other car) holdens (yes crisis they fit the criteria and made some very stalwart cars) Chryslers, AMCs,Studebakers....i love most american muscle cars odd australian cars and true sports cars such as lotus lister and other such cars and only a handful of imported cars mange to raise a pulse but it does happen aslong as its fun,has a good note,looksgood, and so on and so forth its all good.
Varity is what makes us diffrent and what gives us opions as long as you share a passion and dont dimply say something id exepct a simpleton to say liek ford sucks its all good.

[NoOne]

I've honestly gotta go for a kickass ride in one of these lightweight cars ...'cause I honestly don't get the excitement of a "great handling" car. I couldn't care less how light a car is as long as it had an abundance of torque to deform your facial features. :D

When I go for a drive, I don't want my neck sore from getting cranked left, right then left again or from trying to fit under the roof ... I want pulled neck muscles from trying to keep my head from being snapped backward (I'm thankful for headrests).

For me there is nothing like accelerating so hard you think your guts are getting wrapped around your spine. :cool:

[Matra et Alpine]

What about Daihatsu Naked?
Ouch !!

But, honestly, if it was that or taking public transport in Scotland, in winter at 6am ?
Yep, I'd drive it :)

[henk4]

missed this thread before, otherwise I would have responded earlier.
I think the basic point here is the difference to what we want and what we need. For my job I always needed a sort of car that was sort of representative without looking too expensive (otherwise the clients would have wanted a second look at our manhour rates). For the family you need some space for a least a two weeks holiday, for your budget you need a frugal car, and combing all of this has seen me buying various Citroen diesels since 1985 (4 times BX and now my second Xantia break). The current Xantia has all the electric goodies, but no navigation system (like to watch road, rather than a screan, much safer) and a very simple audio system. Best extra was however a rain sensor, which I find very useful. There are also leather seats. It's done 180,000 km's and is the perfect long distance car. For the wife you need something simple and small, so she had a Visa, an AX and now a Saxo. Last year saw us inheriting a one year old Fiat Stilo which is predominanttly being used by senior staff of UCP.
Recently my freedom to choose cars has vastly increased (possibly also budgetwise) and I have been test-sitting some modern sportscars, such as the MX5, the MGTF the S2000 and I even managed to squeeze into the new Exige, fitted with a roll cage. (getting out was something else though). Highest on the list though is the Alpine A110 1600 SX, which combines a very civilised engine with the looks and handling of the perennial French sports car. If somebody knows of a decent, left hand drive example that is for sale, please keep me posted.

[Matra et Alpine]

Highest on the list though is the Alpine A110 1600 SX, which combines a very civilised engine with the looks and handling of the perennial French sports car. If somebody knows of a decent, left hand drive example that is for sale, please keep me posted.
NO FAIR - pulling rank.

I'm head of the list for A110s !!!

[henk4]

NO FAIR - pulling rank.

I'm head of the list for A110s !!!

There is one for sale in Holland, but it's a 1300 so you can have it ;)

http://zoek.autotrader.nl/cgi-bin/advert_detail.php?page_num=1&record_id=3166327&class=cars&pos=3&locale=atnl.cars.1&distance=&SearchID=99027b9b1cea33466b20a46e7a0c5ffa&did=1002911

[Matra et Alpine]

There is one for sale in Holland, but it's a 1300 so you can have it ;)

http://zoek.autotrader.nl/cgi-bin/advert_detail.php?page_num=1&record_id=3166327&class=cars&pos=3&locale=atnl.cars.1&distance=&SearchID=99027b9b1cea33466b20a46e7a0c5ffa&did=1002911I still claim head of the queue on the 1600 ( or 1800 drool :) )

I can get a full rally-prepped, winning 1300 for that price.
But it's only a 1300 :( :(

I'll fight you over this one .... GrpIV 1800S ..... :)

[henk4]

I still claim head of the queue on the 1600 ( or 1800 drool :) )

I can get a full rally-prepped, winning 1300 for that price.
But it's only a 1300 :( :(

I'll fight you over this one .... GrpIV 1800S ..... :)

The actual text in Dutch says that the car has a roll cage, tripmaster, 4 point seat belt and bucket seats, nothing is mentioned about the engine. And no the SX is as far as I want to fight ;)