I’ve never had what you’d consider a really cool car, but I’ve always liked what they now refer to as hot hatchbacks.
In the early 90’s I bought a Dodge Omni GLH Turbo. That little thing was a rocket.
When I bought it, the national speed limit was still 55. When I took it out for a test drive, the seller told me that he really liked the car and that he took it all the way to 70 mph once.
I looked at him and said “I’m doing 85 right now.”
A few years later, I blew the engine and sold the car far too cheap.
Ten years later, I saw one for sale and briefly considered getting it but didn’t.
Loved those cars. Had a regular Omni with the 2.2L engine, and even without the turbo those engines had a lot of pep.
Never owned one, but my dream car has always been a Shelby Charger from the mid 80s. I see a nice one every once in a while, but these days -- like anything with Shelby's name on it -- they're increasing in value and sell for $15K to $20K. Unfortunately, without a garage I can't justify spending that much.
These days, like my dad, I'm a Mustang fan. Just recently bought an '06 GT from a family friend. It's a beauty, garage kept, with only 12K miles. I take care of my cars, even without a garage, so hopefully in a decade or so it'll be my head-turning "classic" car. I'm not letting go of this one, even though the local dealerships are begging me for it!