By Robert Emslie
Let’s say you need to buy a car, but not just any car, one that’s very, very special. This car will be the last one you ever buy, and the one that you will have to drive until you make that big pit stop in the sky. Which car would you choose, and why?
Over the past 20 or so years, I’ve owned about two dozen cars, many of which I regretted selling, some of which I regretted buying in the first place. But I don’t think any of those would be my choice to enter into a long-term monogamous relationship with. I guess I’m sort of a car slut, as even while I’m driving in my current car – which I like just fine – I’ll be secretly ogling the newer three-series next to me and thinking, yeah, that might be nice.
But of course were I to somehow get the three I’d be looking at something else, probably on the drive home from buying it, and start scheming the next purchase. But what if there wasn’t a next purchase, what if the car you bought had to see you through the rest of your life? There’s no reason why an individual can’t do that, and many people do – you frequently hear about someone who has just turned a million miles in their beetle that they’ve owned since McCarthy era.
But if you did have to buy a car that needed to last you the rest of your life, you’d need to choose wisely. Obviously, unless you’re planning to go to sleep with your head in the oven within the next month or so, a Lancia might not be the best choice. No, it’d have to be something with some legs, and the ability to get it repaired if and when something does wear out or fail. That means something like the aforementioned Beetle which is dirt simple and still has pretty ubiquitous parts availability.
Not everyone, however, wants to drive a Beetle for the rest of their lives. In fact, some of us might put up with the frustrations that driving something a bit more engaging might require. I for one, could see driving a Ferrari Lusso or Aston Martin DB4GT as my eternal highway partner, but I recognize that neither may be the most forgiving mistress.
So have about you, what car would be your choice if it was the last choice you ever get to make regarding your daily wheels? Would you go for passion and fire over sensibility and reliability? Or, if you found out you were so limited in your future driving experiences, would you just go and stick your head in the oven?
Image sources: [webshots.com, impawards.com]
Kamil Kaluski 
Jeff Glucker
I saw the picture and thought this was going to be an article about Morgan cars.
Leaves disappointed…
Friends, Hoons, Countrymen! I have come not to ban Age_of_Aerostar, but to praise him!
we think a like you and I…
I was talking to someone the other day with the S6 sedan… he loves it but wishes it was a wagon. He would have bought the E63 wagon but he is moving to colder climates.
The RS6 Avant might be my favorite new, non-super, car on the planet… Though in my head it IS a supercar.
Doesn't a Lamborghini sourced V10 automatically upgrade it to supercar status?
A supercar needs more than an amazing engine… it has to look ridiculous. Although a V10 wagon is pretty (awesomely) ridiculous…
I might already have this covered as far as trucks go. I have an 88 F-150 with the 4.9L six and a 5-speed, it only gets driven on the weekends or as the second car for me.
I also have one car I plan on never getting rid of, my 77 Corvette that I got in 1991 at the age of 17.
As for buying another one to be the only one, assuming that the old body is capable of pushing in a clutch, I'd go with a Corvette Z06 if cost is a consideration, if not the McLaren F1.
If I couldn't handle the clutch in old age, bad knees or some such, maybe an E46 M3 with the SMG or maybe an R129 Mercedes SL500
1984-1989 Porsche 911 Carrera. Galvanized body, bullet-proof and simple to work on. Will make 150mph seem way too comfortable, get good gas mileage and amaze you every time you encounter a twisty road.
Excellent choice, but I prefer my SuperWagon with AWD, for the snowy climate.
I love it! I love during the winter when there's 24" of snow on the ground, the lifted trucks are stuck but the little Jeep Postal Truck just bounces through it like it were any other day!
I second the Jeep notion, when the world ends there will be zombies, a few survivors, and Jeeps.
Whatever VW has for sale at the time. Jetta TDI Wagon manual gearbox if I have to pick one now.
I can't decide on the generation, but mine would definitely be an ElCamino. Capable of everything, but really good at nothing. However, they're like best friends. And talk about easy to work on, forgetaboutit.
I'm going to go with what I'm currently driving – A Chevy Suburban LT with as big a motor in it as I can get. It's comfortable, dependable, you can get it fixed anywhere and it does everything that I want other than be able to burn the tires down to the rims if I stand on it at a stoplight. I guess I can live with that.
My current ride. Room for 5 adults, 3 dogs, loads of other stuff, and will tow a reasonable sized trailer if need be. Good on the road, fits beautifully in the garage, and is built to last with its I6 and body-on-frame construction. I love it!
I have no plans whatsoever to get rid of Henrietta, my '66 F100. The old truck just keeps on going, and never gets babied a bit. If anything breaks, I can fix it, parts will always be available for it, and it's unique. Hell, I've already had it for 12 years and I'm not bored with it yet, so might as well hang on to it.
I hate to be debbie downer, but realistically having just one car forever isn't going to work for me. It wouldn't even be a car but rather a pickup truck. And even then I would consider myself lucky to get more than 20 years at my current mileage accumulation rates, but I need to get twice that just to get me to my threescore and ten.
Now, if we're talking about having one special, occasionally-driven car to keep forever, I could see me doing that. But as far as I'm concerned, part of the definition of a daily driver is that there's some risk of losing that car to a crash, or rust, or just wearing out and reaching a point where the residual value is less than the cost of the needed repairs.
Easy. '65-'66 Mustang ragtop with a 289. Really doesn't matter what colors or options. I'm the most fickle person in the world, but I could absolutely drive that forever.
I've owned several Mopar A-bodies, and I'd like to eventually own another, particularly a Dodge Demon. But I'd also like the utility of a wagon(plus wagons are cool), so I'd have a mid 60's Valiant station wagon.
E36 M3 Sedan with Manual Trans
Practicality, that's the game. Well chosen!
P.S. Is "KAH" related to "PAH!"?
It's tempting to say the 2005 Town Car I already have. But if not that, then the best damn 1991-93 Roadmaster wagon I can find, preferably without fake wood, which tends to deteriorate faster than paint. And let's face it, as big as a Town Car trunk is, you can't get the proverbial 4×8 sheets of plywood in it.
To the chorus of people saying "why not the 1994-96 with the LT1?" I say (1) the performance of the 1991-93 5.7 liter models is still quite good with good mileage, (2) the earlier years have a MUCH better instrument panel and I think slightly better overall interior quality, (3) repair costs seem a tad bit lower on the earlier ones (maybe it's just absence of the OptiSput ignition).
Damnit! Stole my answer (well, I wasn't so specific – I'd still be happy with a regular GT)!
I've got a regular ol' GT wagon and, as much as I enjoy it, I fear it may be a poor choice the the last vehicle I'd ever purchase. I plan on living a good long time and I have my doubts about it holding up that long
I've already concurred with the last-gen Subaru Legacy wagon, but if Mazda ever gets around to building a Speed5 (something that's more functional than Car & Driver's example), I am so there.
Hot-rod the crap out of it and you'll be ok.
Already bought all the vehicles I intend to keep long after they take away my driver's license. I plan on driving the Datsun and MGBs even after it's safe for me to do so, and got everything else I need: Pickup, check. Road-trip yacht, check, post Apocalypse zombee shelter, check, ZomBee race-car, check. Looks like I'm good to go.
But if I could add one more (Assuming I win the lottery and buy a house with an even longer driveway) it would have to be my Eleanor, that 57 ford Convertible I keep babbling about. In fact, that's exactly my plan. Off to but a lotto ticket.
I think you just created the official meal of Hooniverse: Speed Cake.