Of all the cars

Various | 8 September 2017 | Army Air Corps

[Army Air Corps]

And now, for something a bit amusing for a Friday. This is a call to all automotive enthusiasts, motorheads, car nuts, etc.

I ask the following question: Of all the vehicles that you have driven, what car (or truck) have you owned that you loved in spite of its faults, quirks, and foibles? As a follow-up question, what made that flawed vehicle so endearing to you?

[MosesKnows]

Of all the cars

My offering is my 2003 Ford Crown Victoria Sport LX but not because of its flaws but rather because it is nearly flawless.

I owned three Mercedes-Benz diesels since 1977. I was planning to retire and in 2002 I exchanged a 1987 MB 300SDL with 380,000 miles for the Ford. My plan was to dump the Ford after I retired.

The Ford turned out to be nearly bullet proof. I still have it and still love driving it. Make no mistake, the Ford is not a Mercedes but it is a lot more maintenance friendly and almost as much fun to drive.

[speedracerx]

And then there was my ‘64 El Camino...

Needed a daily driver that could tow a VW drag car, and found this rough ‘64 El Camino. It had been abused. Prior own (likely drunk) drove it between two polls and crushed the side bed panels in. He rear ended someone so the entire front clip was replaced. It was a labor love, or something like that. Paid $600 for it. Made my own interior for it, did the body work, front end work, made it run good, and drove the crap out of it. I later sold the car for $3400.

Quirky? drum brakes, 2-sp power glide transmission, wiring and electrical issues, and a tacky louvered rear tail gate that the prior own did (never could find a replacement tailgate).

Back then it ran American 5-spoke rims that nobody wanted. Today they'd be like gold to the 50-year old hot rod guys!

[Army Air Corps]

The Porsches are the same. For some reason, I think they are strong and reliable .. but they really aren’t. I dunno how to describe it.

No need to explain. I catch your drift. :-)

[Army Air Corps]

Hondas are slow as hell... but the sounds they make can be like music to the ear. Get a bunch together ? And it’s harmony.

I have a cousin who owned a Honda S2000. He loved that car as it was his Fun Car. He and his wife enjoyed driving nowhere in particular in it. It wasn't the quickest car on the road, but he said that it sounded good with the top down.

[Flick Lives]

Porsche 914 in bright yellow. Car was insanely fun to drive; like an oversize go-cart. However, if it rained for more than 3 days in a row, the ignition system shorted out and it would not start. You then had to wait a day for it to dry out.

[infool7]

I was probably 7 or 8 when my dad who was an MP in WWII and probably had learned a thing or two about driving while he was stationed in France, had me pulling that boat out of the garage. The narrow ally made difficult enough but my dad had rented the other half of the garage to "The Swede" to keep his 14' skiff. He would watch from outside as it was probably easier for me to get in the car while it was squeezed into the garage. I can still remember turning the key and bringing that great 383 to life, so began my love affair with driving.

[RegulatorCountry]

Aircooled Porsches are like a beautiful, high-maintenance girlfriend. Not quite as bad as a Ferrari, though. Air-cooled Porsches are very exacting machines and the expectation is that you will stay on top of things in order to keep it that way. They don’t sit still even when parked. They go downhill. They don’t like being parked. My only exposure was a plebeian 914, badged a VW outside the US. Boxy little go-kart that rusted and the shifter cable frayed and broke frequently enough to keep a spare in the glovebox. But the smell, the sound and the way it drove. Felt one heck of a lot faster than it was as far as acceleration, but it did have a pretty high top speed once you got there, on rails.

[Jamestown1630]

I wish you could still buy a good little car with crank-up windows and actual key locks on the doors.

I don’t need or want all this fancy stuff, and it’s just more to break.

[Haiku Guy]

I have two 1st Gen Scion xBs.

Old people love it when I give them rides, because it is the easiest car to get into and out of that I have ever seen. It is like sitting on a dining room chair.

I got a 2nd Gen Scion xB recently. It is, by any standard, a superior car. More power, much smoother, 26 airbags, cruise control (!), etc. But it lacks the charm. I will hold onto those old xBs until they rust away.

[armourenthusiast]

Any questions?

[fredhead]

I am the proud owner of a 1969 VW Beetle Convertible. It’s loud, rides rough, and has all the pickup of a herd of turtles.

But on a warm sunny day, cruising around with the top down, listening to the Doobie Brothers.......IMMENSE JOY!!

[SIDENET]

That's beautiful car.

Is it a '71?

[RegulatorCountry]

That’s funny, I’ve heard them described as a squeaky mouse herding a turtle. Not the body and interior, those were tight as a drum. The engine.

[Army Air Corps]

...and has all the pickup of a herd of turtles.

Okay, that really did make me laugh out loud.

[Alas Babylon!]

1967 Pontiac LeMans OHC-6. Snow white and turned tight.

Replaced half a dozen cam shafts and rockers arms, but I did it myself and loved her.

Later, my mechanic step-father (RIP Dad), jury-rigged a oil line to the top of the cam cover from the oil pump. fixed the blown cam problem.

[Jane Long]

LOL!!

Had a friend who had an old VW. Said he loved the fact that he could do most engine repairs, and even hotwire his own car, with just a butter knife.

Not sure if that was true :-)

[Haiku Guy]

I showed up to my driving test in a ‘75 Volkswagen Campmobile Bus, with the rear curtains drawn.

The examining officer informed me that I would never pass the test in that car. In Maryland, he could deduct 21 points at his absolute discretion, and you needed an 80 to pass. So when an officer said “you are going to fail”, it usually came to pass.

I ran it through the course and parallel parked it slick as you please. I got a perfect score, and a nice smile from the cop. A good day.

That thing was a hoot to drive on country roads in the hills. You would come over the top and keep your foot planted on the floor all the way down, to build up speed. Usually, there was a one lane bridge at the bottom, so you kind of had to have faith in your Guardian Angels, because the brakes on the thing were useless. If you were doing 80 mph at the bottom, you could just bleed off speed all the way up the other side.

I still drive like that. Drives my wife crazy.

[RegulatorCountry]

No, not just a butter knife. You needed a coat hanger for the carburetor.

[mowowie]

these new cars are gonna make horrible used cars with the tv screen controls and lousy electronics breaking and cost a fortune to troubleshoot and fix.

[Alas Babylon!]