Dream cars

[nmduke2001]

I am convinced that ride sharing and autonomous driving vehicles are going to change car ownership in the near future. With that in mind, I thought I would start an off-topic out of season thread dedicated to DBR’s dream cars.

I’ll go first: Obviously super cars like Ferrari’s and the new Ford GT (maybe the best looking car ever made IMO) are high on my list, but they cost as much as a house. In the case of cars that are more realistic, I’d go with a mid 90’s Land Rover Defender. Defenders are very interesting. They were only produced in the US for 1994, 1995 and 1997 for about 7,000 total vehicles. These NAS (North American Specification) models command big money these days. I have seen NAS Defenders with over 100,000 miles and just OK condition without an air conditioner sell for $70k. If you find one in good condition with lower miles, they often sell for well over $100k. Imported Defenders or (D90s as they were known before the Defender branding) can only come into the country after 25 years. Some can be found with left hand drive but don’t sell for near the price of an NAS. You also have to be very careful because imported Defenders are often here illegally.
https://jalopnik.com/the-feds-just-s...u-s-1605985758
I have always loved the Defender and look to own one soon.

Secondly, I really enjoy a 1958 Corvette. I just think it has incredible lines and lost the terrible rear lights of the earlier models. Never driven one but I hear they are not great to drive.

[camion]

I don’t think I belong here being a decided non-romantic as far as cars go, but be that as it may here are my thoughts.

My dream car currently is one along the lines of a Prius Prime or Honda Clarity, a plug in hybrid.

Why? The Prime can give me around 25 miles of in town driving on the electric motor and I work at a place that has free car charging stations. I can get my weekday fuel for free. i think that’s pretty cool.

[fuse]

I am convinced that ride sharing and autonomous driving vehicles are going to change car ownership in the near future. With that in mind, I thought I would start an off-topic out of season thread dedicated to DBR’s dream cars.

I’ll go first: Obviously super cars like Ferrari’s and the new Ford GT (maybe the best looking car ever made IMO) are high on my list, but they cost as much as a house. In the case of cars that are more realistic, I’d go with a mid 90’s Land Rover Defender. Defenders are very interesting. They were only produced in the US for 1994, 1995 and 1997 for about 7,000 total vehicles. These NAS (North American Specification) models command big money these days. I have seen NAS Defenders with over 100,000 miles and just OK condition without an air conditioner sell for $70k. If you find one in good condition with lower miles, they often sell for well over $100k. Imported Defenders or (D90s as they were known before the Defender branding) can only come into the country after 25 years. Some can be found with left hand drive but don’t sell for near the price of an NAS. You also have to be very careful because imported Defenders are often here illegally.
https://jalopnik.com/the-feds-just-s...u-s-1605985758
I have always loved the Defender and look to own one soon.

Secondly, I really enjoy a 1958 Corvette. I just think it has incredible lines and lost the terrible rear lights of the earlier models. Never driven one but I hear they are not great to drive.

Here is a thread I could likely add on ad infinitum.
(No, not a reference to the Infinity brand at all.)

I’ll just say for starters that I share your love of the Defender. My father owned the serial number 1 white Defender 110 as well as the serial number 1 AA Yellow Defender 90. When he decided to sell them, I couldn’t afford them.

[PackMan97]

A 1978 Plymouth Voyager.

[devildeac]

A 1978 Plymouth Voyager.

I *think* Turk owned one of those and named it "The Emasculator."

[devildeac]

That is all.

[nmduke2001]

Here is a thread I could likely add on ad infinitum.
(No, not a reference to the Infinity brand at all.)

I’ll just say for starters that I share your love of the Defender. My father owned the serial number 1 white Defender 110 as well as the serial number 1 AA Yellow Defender 90. When he decided to sell them, I couldn’t afford them.

Your dad wouldn't give you a deal? That's rough. Have you checked the prices currently? It's a bit out of control.

[Jeffrey]

That is all.

I really like old Vettes, but do not have the desire to maintain one. I recently traded my Bloomington Gold '66 (red) Vette.

[moonpie23]

i'll have these three...as soon as my lottery number pops...

[lmb]

My dream cars? A '64 VW Type 3 Karmann Ghia convertible and a '65 VW Deluxe 21-window microbus. Oh wait...I already have them sitting in my garage...in various states of disrepair. I just need my husband to get around to getting them restored! AARGGH! I park on the street while they sit in the garage. The life of a car junkie wife.

[Jeffrey]

My dream cars? A '64 VW Type 3 Karmann Ghia convertible and a '65 VW Deluxe 21-window microbus. Oh wait...I already have them sitting in my garage...in various states of disrepair. I just need my husband to get around to getting them restored! AARGGH! I park on the street while they sit in the garage. The life of a car junkie wife.

The bus came by and I got on, that's when it all began.

[budwom]

I had a dream car once, the first one I ever bought, a 1976 Plymouth Valiant. I should elaborate that it was a bad dream car, no, make it a nightmare car.
This was during the genuine depths of American car quality (which of course allowed the Japanese and others to make gigantic inroads...though their vehicles had issues, too*).

I bought it because of the vaunted reputation of the slant six engine...came with a one year, 12,000 mile warranty.

From the moment I drove it off the lot, the carburetor did not work properly...they eventually admitted it never would...could not deal with the emission control stuff. At times you had to back off the gas to accelerate. Design flaw.

At 13 months, the automatic transmission stopped working properly...i had to drive the car in "low" for a few miles until it warmed up, then it would shift into second. Ack.

At around 15 months one of the arm rests fell completely off (driver's left side).

At 18 months I was driving one day when the fabric covering the ceiling/roof dropped onto my head, could barely see out the windshield.

*sold the Valiant after two years; got a Subaru 4WD wagon, reliable, fun, dependable, tiny, but the Japanese did not know rustproofing, so all four fenders rested off within two years. Fortunately I hit three deer during that time which got me new fenders with no deductible (not so good for the deer). Car was so small, a modest sized doe, around 100 lbs, completely KO'd the car, broke the radiator and wiped out the hood and two front fenders.

Dream car is now one that is reliable, dependable and durable, so I don't have to go in for repairs. Wishes are adjusted over time...

[Jeffrey]

.
This was during the genuine depths of American car quality...

Which decade?

[diablesseblu]

It would be silver with a blue interior. A friend has found one available with certified acceptable mileage. Sigh. I know better than to buy it.

My first car was an MGB convertible. I owned it for ten years (but don't get me started on Lucas electrics). Have been driving an Audi A4 for twenty years because I am blessed to have an outstanding local, independent mechanic. However, my next car will be practical and will not require premium gasoline.

Am beginning the car research/shopping process. Obviously, I buy and keep a car for a long time. However, I don't like all these "angry bug" looking front ends. What to do?

[brevity]

Dream car is now one that is reliable, dependable and durable, so I don't have to go in for repairs. Wishes are adjusted over time...

If we are altering this thread from Dream Cars that Exist to Dream Cars that Should Exist, then I can contribute.

Why hasn’t anyone made a car that will flush out the hot air inside? A simple, 1-minute, superpowered blast of A/C that replaces the stuffiness and cools all internal surfaces. How does this not exist yet? By my calculations, at least 45 percent of all of human misery is heat-related*, so why not cut that down?

*All of Human Misery: the Breakdown

45% enduring heat and humidity; answering “Hot enough for you?”
25% work; bosses; coworkers asking “Hot enough for you?”
10% family obligations & sacrifice; marital stress; thermostat settings
7% regrets; comparing the present to some past/fictional ideal
5% prospect of government action
3% actual government action; DMV lines; state income tax
2% local community figures and groups with tiny amounts of power
2% waiting rooms and lines (non-DMV)
1% disposable interests; social media; minutes discussions

[Jeffrey]

Why hasn’t anyone made a car that will flush out the hot air inside?

It's against the law! How could a politician survive in such a car?

[budwom]

Which decade?

1976. The 12 month warranty said it all (12k miles). Had a mild mannered doctor friend who had a Ford Granada (?), such a horrible lemon that eventually one Saturday he drive to the dealer, off the pavement, up onto the lawn next to the showroom windows and demanded another car, which he got. That was a piece of crap, too, but a different piece of crap.

[OldPhiKap]

The bus came by and I got on, that's when it all began.

Caution (do not stop on tracks)

[rsvman]

1976. The 12 month warranty said it all (12k miles). Had a mild mannered doctor friend who had a Ford Granada (?), such a horrible lemon that eventually one Saturday he drive to the dealer, off the pavement, up onto the lawn next to the showroom windows and demanded another car, which he got. That was a piece of crap, too, but a different piece of crap.

In a particular moment of abject mindlessness, my father once bought a Plymouth something-or-other (a small-ish sedan). He had owned it less than a week when he got a ticket because the rear lights or turn signals or some such weren't working properly.

I was a teenager at the time. He asked me if I would drive it out to the dealership so they could fix the light issue. Of course I was happy to oblige (driving even a crappy car preferable to sitting around the house watching the cat groom himself).

I tried to drive the car to the dealership but it wouldn't go faster than about 15-20 mph. It was an automatic, which apparently meant that it just stayed in one gear.

When I finally puttered into the repair place, they asked me what I was bringing it in for. I said "Well, originally I was bringing it in because of a taillight problem, but now I think it has a more pressing issue." LOL. What a hunk of junk! They eventually let him out of his contract based on the lemon law of the state.

[Jeffrey]

Caution (do not stop on tracks)

No worries, Cowboy Neal never stops.