By Jeff Glucker
When I think about future vehicles I’d like to have someday, the idea of owning a minivan doesn’t pop into my mind. There’s one exception, however, and that’s because it’s not exactly a minivan. It’s more minivan-esque while packing in a bit of luxury and shocking power. I refer to the amazing (to me) Mercedes-Benz R63 AMG.
The German automaker built this version for just one model year back in 2007. It’s said fewer than 200 were built and sold. Clearly, people in 2007 were idiots. Sure, the reports all say it handled like crap. But I wouldn’t buy this to burn up twisty roads. No, this is a hidden gem of a highway and daily driver superstar.
In the nose, you have a 6.2-liter V8. It’s a true hand-built AMG engine, and it makes north of 500 horsepower and over 460 lb-ft of torque. It’s also fitted with the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system, so if you needed to run to the mountains for a ski vacation, you’re covered there too.
Of course, the stories of what it costs to work on these freakazoids are hilarious in their absurdity. The most well-known instance is of a Grassroots Motorsports Forum member, who documented the process of rebuilding the engine on his own. He had to undertake the task himself since Mercedes quoted a figure of $57,000 for his pending repair bill.
I want one. Also, add the Jaguar XF Sportbrake to this list for similar rarity and awesomeness reasons.
Has to be the Nissan R35 for me. I have been lucky to have driven the final year of this beast. It’s easy to drive, ergonomic, comfortable, even. But I have a car in Manhattan for mainly two reasons: beach days on Long Island and trips to New England. And the idea of packing an R35 with luggage, 2 beach chairs and a beach tent seems impractical. But I have the R36 on my spreadsheet of candidates for my next car, circa 2031. It’s gonna be a hybrid! It will probably also come with a Seiko watch, the Nissan reps tell me.
A European roadster.
I’ve owned three different two seaters over the years, an MGB, a TR7 and an MR2. I’ve been jonesing for another the last few years, but at least in my neck of the woods, available examples of the usual antidote (Miata) are either stupidly expensive, clapped out or both, making one hard for me to justify as a third car/toy.
Enter the Fiat 124 Spider! I’ve seen more than a few up for sale lately for around $3K, enough to get me to do some research on variations through the years, parts availability and known issues. Which, of course, led me down the rabbit hole into also looking at Alfa Romeo Spiders.
Go ahead… tell me it’s a bad idea. I’ve already passed one up, but I can’t keep from looking!
Jeepster Commando.
They’re all either beat to hell, rusted beyond saving, or absurdly overpriced. They don’t do anything any better than a later Jeep off-road or a non 4WD street cruiser on-road …except look like a Commando. All original, please: soft top, stock tire sizes, and no rollbar. Maybe an accessory bikini top for some shade on hot summer days. Oh, yeah, I’m taking a side road out of town and around the lake right around sunset with the top down.
Hey, I can dream, can’t I?
I lived that dream, partially….You may remember the Charle Barrett Special this longrooffan owned a whiles back. I woke up in the middle of that dream though. Luckily, a guy found thejeepjunkie and he was able to live out that dream.
You have good taste my friend.
Hey! Good to see this name pop up in the comments!
I’d love to get an older Land Rover Defender (not the new L663), but I’m afraid I’d hate it within a few months.
As long as you are ok with it basically being a tractor, then you’d be fine. I want a D130 someday, myself.
I lived that dream, partially….You may remember the Charle Barrett Special this longrooffan owned a whiles back. I woke up in the middle of that dream though. Luckily, a guy found thejeepjunkie and he was able to live out that dream.
You have good taste my friend.