I'll buy you any car you want. But one only. What will it be?

In My Humble Opinion
1

So, i’ve decided that i’m going to buy everyone a car. But there are some conditions, so read them closely.

I will buy you any car you want. It can be a new car or a used car. It must be a car authorized for road use, so no Indy of F1 or NASCAR. There is no upper limit on price, so you can have a Bentley Convertible or a Mercedes 300SL gullwing or a Bugatti Veyron if that’s what you want. I will also pay for insurance and maintenance; you just have to buy the gas.

Here’s the most important condition, though:

It has to be the ONLY car you drive. If you choose a 1957 Corvette convertible and you live in Minnesota, remember that this is the car you’ll be driving both summer and winter. If you commute in Los Angeles traffic every day, think about whether you want to do that in a Lamborghini Countach. If you drive a lot of miles or make long road trips, ask yourself whether you want something as touchy and unreliable as a 1960s Ferrari. If you care about stuff like fuel consumption and emissions, you might also want to take those into account.

Please base your answer on how you live right now, and on the ways in which you need/like to use a car. Assume that, apart from the car itself, no other aspect of your life undergoes any dramatic change; you have the same house, same job, same family, etc. (although you can assume, for the sake of the hypothetical, that theft will not be a problem). Give some details about this stuff, so we can see how you made you decision.

Here’s my answer:

I live in Southern California, have a pretty long commute (~30 miles each way), and public transit isn’t great. I’d love a convertible, and something with a manual transmission, but convertibles are a trade-off, and i’m also a believer in not driving something that really guzzles gas.

One of my first thoughts was something from the Porsche stable. The 911 range has great performance, but is also tractable enough to drive every day. Gas consumption is not a good as i’d like, though, and i think i’d like enough room to carry more than two people, and for more luggage than the 911 can hold. I could get similar performance in the 4-door Panamera, but i think it looks ridiculous.

I think i’d probably have to go with something from BMW.

My head says the 335d. Great performance from a turbo-charged inline 6, four doors, plenty of room, plenty of comfort, and a diesel engine that gets about 36 mpg on the highway, with some reviewers reporting figures even better than that. The only downside is that it’s only available as an auto, although i could live with that.

Another possibility is the M3, but i really don’t need the V8 power, and gas consumption is awful. The 335i is also a contender, but it’s essentially the same car as the 335d, with very slightly better performance and considerably worse fuel consumption.

So, for me: BMW 335d

2

This might sound dorky, but the car I have, a 2009 Honda Fit, is exactly the car I want. It’s perfect for living in the suburbs and commuting to the city - small, maneuverable, bouncy, and with extremely good gas mileage (40mpg, roughly, even in the city.) The back seats fold down and I can use the hatchback to cram just about anything in there. There’s even a way to fold the rear seats up and insert a bicycle. All that space and somehow it takes up so little space. It’s almost like an optical illusion. I’ve had the car two years and I’m still head over heels in love with it. As in, I still get excited when I see it. And it’s basically the cheapest model car you can have without sacrificing on quality. (I really wanted the sport model of the Fit, which comes with additional speakers, fog lights and remote door locks, but it wasn’t in the budget.)

If I had to pick another, I’d go with a Civic Hybrid. My husband just bought a Civic and it’s small and economical like the Fit, but with a bit more of a luxury feel. When my Fit dies, I may go for a Civic. But I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if I go for a Fit Hybrid. I won’t have to worry about it for a while, because Hondas last forever, so in the meantime I’ll just feel lucky to have the exact car I want.

3

That’s a helluva catch. I’ve rarely had only one car, and never only one vehicle.

Porsche was my first thought too. I used to have a 911, and at the time it was my only car. It wasn’t practical for filmmaking, which I was more into at the time, so I bought a Jeep that could carry my gear. But for everything else it was perfect.

It could (and did) carry four people in a pinch. It wasn’t finicky like classic cars (ahem MGBs) and exotics (Ferrari, et. al.), it had excellent handling (Bilstein Sport Shocks), nice acceleration, and was actually comfortable.

I’m single and drive a lot. I’m never going to get married or have kids, so a 2+2 is fine for me. They do burn more fuel than my Prius, which is a factor given my very long commutes on commuting days. But I’d pay the price because the performance is worth it to me. So I’d say you can give me a new 911 Turbo S. Given the current standard colours, I’d go for yellow.

4

A minivan fits what we need in a vehicle but every American car we’ve owned has been a pig for reliability.

Honda Odyssey Touring Elite in Dark Cherry Pearl, please.

5

Toyota Prius, with everything please. Especially a sunroof and a cd jukebox. (Yeah, I’m olde.)

6

2011 Nissan Altima Coupe 3.5 SR in Super Black with Charcoal Leather interior.

7

I’m f’ed with the ONLY car requirement. I need a small, gas sparing vehicle for city driving and easy parallel parking and snow handling, and something that can tow my camper several times a year. (At the moment I don’t have anything capable of towing, so my camper sits forlorn at the last campground we set it down in.)

The only hybrid SUV that can tow the weight I need appears to be the GMC Yukon, but it only gets 20mpg in the city, which is lower than I’m willing to put up with for daily driving.

I guess the best answer for me would to have you buy the more expensive vehicle for me and I’ll rent the other when I need it. Considering how rarely I need a towing vehicle, you can get me a nice small or midsize hybrid SUV for the city, please. I’ll rent a pickup when I want to go camping.

Oh, what make and model? I have no idea. What’s good? The Mercury Mariner looks nice, with gas mileage almost as good as my little Saturn, but I don’t know what its reliability is like.

Reading olives’ post, though, I’m intrigued with the Honda Fit, though. Is is comfy, olive? With decent legroom in the front *and *back seats? We feel so squeezed in a compact, but 40mpg is really tempting!

8

It is incredibly roomy for a compact car. My uncle is 6’5’’ and it’s the only compact he could actually fit inside. It’s not going to have Cadillac levels of legroom, but I’m continually amazed at how much space there is.

As for ‘‘comfy,’’ that’s hard to answer. It’s more of an economical car than a luxury car. I certainly have no back trouble or anything like that driving long-distance, and I think you can also get luxury seats custom made, but the standard interior is pretty firm and practical. As I mentioned before, the ride is pretty bouncy. I love that sort of offroady feeling, but some people prefer a smoother ride. The only time I don’t love ‘‘bouncy’’ is when I’m hungry and feeling nauseated. I have to admit one of the biggest downsides of my car is being stuck in stop-and-go traffic on an empty stomach. Lurch, lurch, lurch.

9

Could I have a BMW too, please? Every time a car catches my eye on the street, it’s a BMW. We’ll have to keep it a secret from my husband, though - he thinks BMWs are Nazi cars.

10

I actually got this deal in real life last year. Ok, there was some upper price limit but no firm number as long as I could give some sound reasons for picking the one I chose. I have a long commute and two small children so my answer now is different than it would be at different times of my life. I ended up picking a new Toyota RAV4 Sport. It certainly isn’t the most glamorous choice but I am happy I picked it. It is a smaller SUV that can be configured to do lots of different things by folding seats down and up with one hand. It also has surprisingly good performance on par with many sports sedans with its 269hp engine which makes it fun to drive yet it has decent gas mileage. I didn’t like the factory stereo systems at all so I had the sound system upgraded by a custom shop and I was good to go. My other potential choices were a BMW X5 and X3. I love BMW’s but they can be a general hassle in finding good people to work on them and that wasn’t the idea so I passed them over for something more mainstream.

My answer would be quite different at different stages of life.

11

Hm…

I work at home, so I don’t have a commute. I live in southern California, so I don’t really have any shitty weather to drive in. I do love a sporty drive, and my current car is a sporty(ish) coupe, a “hot hatch” if you will. I’ve daily-driven convertibles before and I love those too. I don’t have kids, so seating for two is plenty. All this sounds like I am lining up for a two-seat sports car of some kind, and there are a crapload of good options in that description, not the least of which is the current Corvette - even the base model is damn good, and the Z06 and ZR1 are stellar.

But, and it’s a big but, I also want some kind of utility to carry home bulky / dirty items. I don’t really need a full pickup truck because I don’t need to haul anything huge very often, but I would like to be able to get a Christmas tree without having to worry about getting sap on the upholstery.

Therefore.

What I want is a Chevy El Camino. A pre-'75 model, for reasons of smog compliance (or, heh, avoidance). A '69 would be a good choice. I don’t need a show car or matching numbers or anything like that, but clean and freshly painted would be great. Nice interior and a decent stereo, please. Since the Chevy V8s are so flexible and plentiful, a mild hotrod engine should be no issue - maybe 350 or 400 HP and as many torques. Some kind of pump gas tune is fine. With my low annual milage, I’m not terribly concerned about fuel economy.

Alternately, but less likely, Australia has a number of similar but modern vehicles - there was even talk of bringing over one of the Holden utes as an El Camino-alike for a while. That would be just fine. All the maximum hoon options, please.

12

I’ll have an Audi A8L - W12

It’s practical enough for everyday driving and roomy/comfortable enough for the occasional trip. Plus it’s just sweet.

13

I’ve been eyeing the VW Jetta lately. I have a 2000 Saturn, and it’s been good to me mostly, but the years are getting to it (not so much the milage–less than 80K). And, I’m sad that they no longer make Saturns.

But what I need in a car is small, economical, decent gas milage, and reliable.

I’m single and underemployed, but it’s nice to have four doors and space for 4 people on occassion.

14

Boring, people. Aston Martin DB12 for me, although if you could see your way to springing $2-3M, I’d really like a 1937 Talbot Lago Teardrop Coupe.

15

Chevy Volt or the upcoming 2012 Plugin Prius. So far as I can tell, the only downside of those vehicles is the prohibitive initial cost. They’re basically all-electrics for the commute (so I don’t pay for much/any gas), but can switch to gasoline for distance. If I get to ignore the initial cost, (and even better insurance/maintenance), these are very inexpensive vehicles to own.

16

I drive a 2001 Outback at the moment and am happy with it. Upgrade it to a 2012, and I am set.

17

Very nice (and I do like Aston Martins), and I’d love to have one. But I think I would be uncomfortable if it were my only car. Can’t say why; just that I think I’d be uncomfortable with it. Nothing wrong with a Porsche.

18

No thanks, the gas mileage is for shit. :wink:
(Seriously, I couldn’t afford to drive it, even if you paid not only for the car, but the insurance.)

ETA: Thanks, olives! I’ll check it out when we have the funds…

19

I could live with a mint condition '66 Corsa (turbo Corvair) with A/C.

Wait- maybe a mint condition 1963 R2 Studebaker Avanti!

No, I’d like a 1923 Doble. That’d work for me- they run on kerosene. Well, maybe not- no A/C!

I think that no matter what I pick, I’d be unsatisfied in part. I decline your offer and keep my small fleet of disparate vehicles.

20

MGT. British racing green, for preference.

I live in Sydney where snow isn’t a problem. Nor, sadly is rain much of problem. I can live without air conditioning. I can live without a car radio. I don’t drive long distances, so comfort on the open road isn’t a huge factor. I have no idea, not being a rev head, what the mileage (?kilometre-age??) is like. But I’ve wanted one of these cars since I was about 14, so that’d be my choice.