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Favorite vehicle(s) you've ever owned? And why.

What has been your favorite (by any definition you choose) vehicle or vehicles? Doesn't need to be the fanciest/most expensive but can be if you choose just the one(s) that you reminisce fondly about and why.

1. 1982 Honda Civic hatchback in poo brown: My first vehicle and starting driving it the day I turned 16. Actually I had been driving it long before that since it was previously my older brother's car but it became my very own once I was legal. By no stretch the fastest or coolest but it was mine and it gave me freedom.

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2. 1982 Buick Riviera in pearl white: The Honda only lasted a year till the engine packed it in and I had been saving my pennies for a few years and wanted something classy. So at still tender age of 17 I bought myself a rather flash coupe. I've never been much of a car guy and still don't understand the appeal of a cramped loud sports car; I do however like a little bit of luxury and the "Riv" as it was called (the 80's & 90's really did produce some questionable language) with its leather seats and other accouterments afforded this preppy Alex P. Keaton wannabe a pretty nice ride.

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Yours?
 
I purchased this 69 Road Runner 426 Hemi in 69 and 3 months later reported for the draft. I rolled the dice after finding out I was assigned an 11B MOS and headed for RVN. and kept this car in Dad's garage and he looked after it for me. Somehow made it out of the service in 1970. On May 1st. 1971 I married the girl I was dating before I got drafted. First child came along in 1974 and it was time to part company. My wife had to drag me out of it.We had a lot of fun in this car, not to mention it was fast. Looking at this pic. brings back many fond memories.
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I had a 2002 Ford Explorer Sport that I'm missing on this snowy and icy morning. I have a Pontiac G6 GTP now and it's a bit more of a chore driving it in this weather.
 
I had a 1996 Mitsubishi 3000GT that I loved. It was a hidden gem. All-wheel drive and four-wheel steering. Twin turbo in what looked like a mild-mannered auto. The combination of six speed manual, all-wheel drive, and four-wheel steering made this a great handling auto. It was faster than Porsches and similar autos costing three times as much.
 
1986 Pontiac Acadian. It was a *** little car, but I drove the H, E, double hockey sticks out of her for three years. Treated it like a go-kart, and it took everything without much complaint. Okay, there were the times I popped the bead on the tires, but I got good at switching out the spare, and my garage guy gave me a deal after the first few times.
 
1. 2007 BMW 328xi - first car that I bought right out of college. AWD, 260 HP, and pretty nice interior. It was fun while I was a bachelor.

2. Current vehicle - 2016 Ram 1500 4x4 W/ Hemi V8 - 395 HP, can tow about 9800 lbs, and fast as lightning when needs to be. I’ve been converted to a “truck guy” now after driving this beast.
 
1. 1992 Buick Century - bought cheap from my stepdad around 1996, but I had to fly to Florida & drive it back to NJ. My wife initially made fun of it calling it an "old man" car. It was a light gold or beige inside and out, with a cloth split-bench front seat (I wish I could find a car today with a split-bench cloth front seat). No airbags, a normal steering wheel and a flat hood with an ornament (more things I miss). As much as my wife made fun of it, she loved the car and my daughter who never wanted to drive, learned to drive on it. The only car she liked more was her 2004 Saturn Ion. When the Buick trans went and repairs were more than the car's worth, I junked it. Still miss it.

2. 1966 Pontiac LeMans - my first brand-new car ordered from a dealer, $2700 inc tax. A 326ci with 4-speed, light yellow with a black vinyl top. Only a 2-barrel carb, but enough to get me arrested in Ohio for doing 120 in a 70 on my way home from college one year. I posted bail, skipped court and 50 years later still obey the speed limit traveling through Ohio. Back then there was no reciprocity between States, so my Ohio incident and my KY racing ticket didn't cost me points. By 1971, I was married with a child, the car was beat, rusting out and we sold it and got a 4cy Toyota Corona.
 
Back when bias ply tires ruled and radial tires were a new idea I had a 1959 Chevy truck that looked a lot like this one. Three on the tree. Vacuum windshield wipers that were driven off the speed of the engine. That meant in a driving rainstorm if you were headed up a hill the wipers went slower, and slower, and s-l-o-w-e-r... The only defense was to downshift to keep the rpms up for the sake of the wipers. Crazy but true.

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Then I had a 1953 Dodge, which I would say I preferred. It looked a lot like this one but I had it repainted silver. The hood opened on the sides and folded up to the middle - you can see the handle there. Flat head six with oil bath air filter and a glass bowl gas filter that you emptied out if visual inspection dictated such. Four on the floor but never used "granny gear" so really three speed. Super firm suspension which lead to: Went around a sharp corner with a buddy chasing me on my tail and put it up on two wheels - he could see daylight under my passenger side tires. The most wonderful feature of all was the gas tank. Notice the fill spout right behind the driver's door. That is for the gas tank which was located right behind the seat. Yes, inside the cab with you - seriously. So you did want to avoid getting t-boned. Could get hot mighty fast. Seat belts? Ha! No seatbelts. You just slid around back and forth on the bench seat so this meant you hung on to the steering wheel.

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Vacuum windshield wipers that were driven off the speed of the engine.

My cousin's 1950 Dodge had those, along with a fluid drive transmission. What a fun car to drive, until he T-boned an old Merc in the late 60's. Both cars were totaled, but no one was injured. And no one in either car were wearing seat belts.
 
I had a half share, wiith my ex-brother in law) in a WW2 Ford GPW (the original Jeep, but built by Ford rather than Willys). That, without a shadow of a doubt was the most fun car I've ever had. Loved every minute I spent in it and loved finding bits and bobs to accessorise it, like tracking down the correct Jack as a totem against punctures. I was a complete arsehole for walking away from that when my first marriage went south. Oh well.

Not mine, but you get the idea:

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And my dream bike, A Ducati 998. I've owned it for about 12 years now, but unfortunately my ageing back means I can't enjoy it other than looking at it and pride of ownership, so it's going to be sold next summer, I truly believe I'll cry when it goes...

Again , not my pic, mine has a lot more carbon fibre...

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The 1962 Studebaker Hawk I owned for more than 40 years gets the Lifetime Achievement Award. But although not the sportiest car, most expensive or unique car I've owned on balance my current ride, a 1999 Mercedes C230 Kompressor is my favorite car I've owned. It fits me and just works. 20 years old and it's more solid than cars I drove off the showroom floor.
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shavefan

I’m not a fan
2002 BMW 530i Sport

I loved the understated but handsome looks and great handling, performance, comfort. The last era of the great BMW's IMO...

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1981 Honda CB900F Super Sport

This was the "super bike" before modern crotch rocket super bikes came on the scene. Fast and comfortable. I drove one all over New England after high school and then Southern California when I moved to San Diego in my early 20's. Owned it until I wrecked it in 1996. Never drove a street bike again...

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My girl, Serenity. Heavy-modded V Star, went from looking like every other bike out there to this beast. I loved riding her, but she played hell on my back.
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High school and beyond car. ‘66, 289, 4 sp. 2 bl, w/Rally Pack, Accell dual point distributor
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Really had fun in a 63 Simca 1300 (I think it was) as one of my first cars. I had two cars the first summer of having my dl. It and a ‘64 Galaxy 500.

88 Paso Limited
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This is the current one - 2013 ABARTH, and a hoot to drive.
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Do boards count? Roe Tritan for LDP.

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Mine was a 1987 Jeep Wrangler that I bought in 1996. It was an absolute money pit for the first two years I owned it. I would spend every weekend during the summers cruising with the top off. No particular destination just driving. Sold it in 2003....Man I miss that jeep.
 
I've only ever owned 1, but I've had 3 (previous two were hand-me-down family cars). It's a 2013 Fiat 500 Sport, had 35k miles when I bought it 2 years ago, and now has 66k miles of trouble free motoring.

I fully intend to drive this one until it bricks itself or rots out from the NYS winters. Only have a 5 year loan on it, so only 3 to go!
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