The inevitable process has begun. Tortuous, protracted, and ripe for being done differently, we have began car shopping. We’ve been putting it off, and will likely drag our feet for a while longer, but our day of reckoning is rapidly approaching.
When / If we find something that delights us (or even tepidly raises our pulse rate) I will undoubtedly approach the acquisition process differently than I have in the past. Yet there is still that painful period of test driving to see what works.
Last week I stopped by a Volkswagen dealer in the St. Louis area. It was reasonably close enough to being on my route and the thought of driving two hours for a doctor’s appointment only to drive two hours back was repulsive. So I figured being repulsed at a dealer fit into the overall theme of the day.
Surprisingly, the experience wasn’t horrible. I was candid about having just began shopping and how I would not be making a deal as my wife was not present. It was a wonderful excuse. Making this experience more bearable was the dealer was pretty desolate (at first) and the salesman did not fit any sort of negative stereotype.
The number of cars in stock at this particular dealer was pleasantly surprising and a truck with more units arrived while I was there. Upon hearing my requirements in a new car, and how a black interior was a non-starter, the salesman found two different models for me to drive.
First up was a Tiguan SE. Naturally, it was white, my least favorite of automotive colors. But this was a pearlescent white, having a very deep luster.
Maybe one can make a silk purse from a sow’s ear.
A screenshot liberated from the VW website
This Tiguan was front-wheel drive and had a cinnamon interior; it was the only Tiguan on the lot not having a black interior. The cinnamon was a refreshing change over the typical black or gray (or, grey, I suppose, since it’s a VW) interiors found currently.
The second test drive involved a base model Taos. The automotive gods must have had a good laugh at my expense given this one was also in white. This Taos wasn’t as pearly as was the Tiguan.
Well, the interior was a compromise. It seems nearly every Taos has a black/grey combination interior – or at least the base models do. Also front-wheel drive, it was the pleasantly responsive to the important inputs, making me think of a go-kart. Is that good or is that bad? It is likely situational.
For what it’s worth, back in the spring I test drove another sub-compact. It was a left-over 2022 Jeep Compass. With a price well north of the Tiguan, I just couldn’t see myself flipping that much coin for a tiny Jeep.
That may have been the first Jeep I’ve ever driven. It may also be the last Jeep I will drive.
Getting back into my Passat at the VW dealer, today’s question arose. What brand of vehicle have I driven the most? It’s a tough question.
Work has allowed me opportunity to drive countless different vehicles over the years, but they have nearly all been fleet grade Fords, Chevrolets, or Dodges – with one lone early 2000s Prius lurking in the shrouds of my consciousness.
The Dodge Dynasty had been ruling the roost of passenger cars when I began my career…
…but had just been dethroned by the thirsty as a wino Ford Taurus.
The last sizable purchase of Taurii was in 2005.
Since then it has been the Chevrolet Impala, most commonly the W-body variety. If a person likes plain oatmeal, these would be great cars for them. Naturally, there have been various other minivans, SUVs, and pickups along the way.
Also needing to be considered is what I have owned plus what vehicles others have owned that I have driven. The list of what I have driven is fairly long but perhaps not the most comprehensive. Such is life.
But back to my question…If I had to name one brand, it would be Ford. I highly suspect I have driven more Fords than any other brand. But it isn’t a slam-dunk victory. Chevrolet is nipping on its heels.
My having driven more Fords than anything else is a curious outcome as Ford is not currently on my radar for this looming vehicle purchase.
So what about you – what is the brand that surpasses in number all the other vehicles you have driven over your driving career?
Probably a lifetime tie between:
Chevy
Mazda
Toyota
Pontiac
Had a whole, whole bunch of each.
As for me, I had a nice career in the rental car industry, so I am very familiar with many brands. I grew up the son of a cold header foreman who made fastners for Ford and Mazda, and an uncle with a 35 year career the Ford Stamping plant. Having a family member working for Ford entitled us to employee discounts for Ford products. So, there has always been some kind of a Ford product in my little fleet of vehicles at home.
Growing up, I never thought highly of any Fords, but then, back in the old Brougham Age, what young man would have wanted an overstuffed floating barge for a vehicle? This prodigal son went back to Ford, thanks to their Fox body cars – my first career car. These were light years removed from the 1977 Ford product line. I dissed Fords until then and was quite the mouthy brat considering it was Ford that fed and clothed me.
Today, I have three Fords and an excellent, but boring and soul-less, Toyota which is about as fun to drive as one of those old brougham cars from 1977.
From the time I was a kid, I always was a big car guy. First family car I remember was a 50 Nash AMBASSADOR. Then 55 DeSoto. 58 Cadillac Sixty Special still draws my attention. While my first car was a red 66 Olds Dynamic 88 convert and later had a 77 Monte Carlo, most of my vehicles have been OTT excessive luxury Land YACHTS. You CAN sell a young man an big boat! 😎
Jason: Ford.
Owned cars: Ford followed by Mercedes.
Rental cars: Ford (I favored Hertz for years) followed by Chevrolet.
Mine would be Buick and a few Cadillacs. Lots and lots of Buicks, although, my very first was a Chrysler New Yorker. A few English and Italian cars thrown in, but always came back to Buick.
As far as raw numbers, AMC rules my purchases, somewhat shockingly. From a new car perspective, Toyota. Having done time in the automotive industry, the only new light duty vehicles I would purchase would be a Toyota or Lexus.
I have only owned one NEW car, a 77 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Have been fortunate enough to find carefully owned (usually upscale luxury vehicles). Favorites have been 83 and 85 RWD Fifth Avenues , 89 And 93 RWD FLEETWOODS, Crown Victoria LX, Two GRAND MARQUIS, and 78 and current 2007 Town Car Signature Limited. The FMC vehicles have overall been the best. Unfortunately none of these vehicles are now being produced. But still think of current vehicles FMC is best. As a side note, those Fifth Avenues held their own in comfort and traditional formal luxury.
By ownership:
(7) VW
(7) Chevrolet
(5) Ford
(3) Honda
(2) RAM
(2) Buick
(2) Dodge
(2) Chrysler
(2) Mercury
(3) Suzuki (two Samurais and one GS550 ES bike)
(1) Pontiac
(1) International
(1) Cessna 172
(1) Ford 8N (many, many hours on this one!)
(1) New Holland Boomer 8N
(1) Allis Chalmers 190
(1) Hesston 7400
By miles/hours, it would still be VW, as I used my ’71 van as a DD for six years, followed by the ’64 Beetle for six years, 2000 New Beetle TDI for twelve years and finally the 2013 Beetle TDi for 1.5 years. Add to that the road trips in the 2012 Routan where I was driving and there you go.
We’ll never buy another VW product (modern at least) based on the horrid service experiences we had with the Routan and ’13 Beetle.
This question I don’t like to answer, because it might open myself to ridicule or at least to question why I would ever think of myself as a car oriented person (others will consider me weird, but I’ll admit I’m not typical)
Next year I’ll have been driving 50 years. I’ve owned 1 Datsun as a student + 1 year after, and 3 Volkswagens, which is the only make I’ve owned for (going on) 42 years. My current (and only) car is 23 years old, it is also a VW.
I didn’t set out to be atypical, and particularly since many people have a dim view of Volkswagen from past association, but I guess part of my experience is situational…I’ll be the first to admit VW isn’t a good match for everyone or even most people. My current car (which I bought new) only had a 2 year bumper to bumper warranty when I bought it which I thought was a good thing…I really didn’t want to have much to do with the dealer as I agree VW has a long way to go with its dealerships (at least in the US). I’ve spent little time at the dealer having taken it in only for the initial 1000 mile checkup, plus 2 other times (one for window regulator recall, another time when my ignition cylinder failed and they were the most convenient place to get it replaced…if had tools and could get it home I probably wouldn’t have had the dealer work on it. I do take it to other repair shops I’ve had luck with instead, and don’t even rely on the dealer for parts…most often they don’t seem to have much inventory, even on wear items like brake pads, so I don’t feel bad about not shopping local and instead mail ordering parts. Yes, that’s a hardship as it’s my only car, but I’ve been OK with taking the bus or borrowing “spare” cars if available for short periods till I can fix the car or have someone fix it for me depending on the nature of the problem.
Am I a glutton for punishment? I don’t think so, I like how VW’s drive, and am willing to put up with some level of annoyance to stick with them. Plus, (up to recently) they’ve been one of the few makes to consistently offer the type of car I want to buy….back in ’86 I spent the most time I ever have (or likely ever will) trying out different cars, not only different makes but different types of cars, and figured out that for me, a hatchback was the best match especially for my only car, and that’s what I’ve bought since (even before, since the VW I had at the time was already a hatch). Will this continue to my next car? Likely not, as VW no longer sells the Golf (I’m a bit old for a GTi, I owned an ’86 but that’s no longer what I want to buy). Don’t care for crossovers nor SUV, wagon would be fine but that’s even harder to find than hatchbacks.
Anyhow, I’ve driven quite a few more cars than I’ve owned, though that goes back quite a few years to the 70’s when I worked for Hertz as a transporter..back then Hertz mostly rented Fords, so that might be my 2nd or 3rd make (Guess Datsun would be 2nd). Of course, also driven family and friend’s vehicles but I guess that depends on how you answer the question…it is based on length of time of ownership/exposure, or number of miles driven?
Starting with my first car in 1969, in our family it’s been:
One Chevy
One Mercury
Four Pontiacs
One Nissan
Four Hondas
Three Acuras
One Lexus
All purchased new. Last American car was a 1996 Bonneville. All the Japanese cars were excellent. The worst was a 1984 Pontiac 6000.
I’ve driven Ford the most, 28 years from 1995 to the present we’ve had some sort of Ford product. Of course my father in law was a Ford sales guy for most of that time, he retired 4 years ago.
Honda motorcycles would be a close 2nd. I’ve had a Honda for about the same amount of time.
Probably Chevrolet. And if we extend that to corporation, it would be General Motors by a fairly large margin. Actually have had a fair amount of seat time in Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac vehicles, though my Saturn experience is mostly limited to one of those Opel based L-Series… and I was so in madly in love with the girl who owned it that I just as easily could’ve been pedaling a tricycle or flying a Cessna and not have known the difference. I remember that the car was green if that helps.
At one time, GM would have been where I’d start my shopping, but I’m honestly too far detached from their modern wares at this point to go that way. I’ve been living in a place where stuff doesn’t rust for a decade now, so have been driving old cars for years.
If we lived in an environment like yours, we would likely be buying the ’77 Coupe deVille my wife saw posted on FB the other night.
Mercedes-Benz (10) should not be a surprise given my handle
Toyota (5) two Coronas, two Corollas – thirty years apart – and one Tundra
Jeep (4) two XJ Cherokees and two MJ Comanches
Chevrolet (4) all “trucks” including a 1971 El Camino, 1970 Blazer (2wd), and two Advance Design 5-window pickups
Ford (2) a Ranger and a F150
Mini (1) hard loaded dealer demo Clubman; kept it for only 10 months. Even my children didn’t like it. Nothing wrong with the car it just did “fit” me and was wasted on Texas highways where I did most of my driving.
Isuzu (1) P’up; really good little truck just outgrew it when my first-born arrived
Subaru (1) 1979 DL wagon; replacement for a totaled Corona – a welcome consolation
Mercury (1) Tracer which was really a dolled-up Mazda 323 – should have bought a Corolla; like the Phoenix mentioned below, great car for four years then ugh!
Pontiac (1) 1980 Phoenix – my first new car. Great until it slowly self-destructed after four years.
BMW (1) 1971 1600 – my first car. I bought it when I was 15 so my father enjoyed it for several months until I got my driver’s license.
This list includes cars I bought for my wife to drive but does not include those I bought my children for which they repaid me.
Either Toyota or Citroen – and I found, from experience, that they were both as reliable and trouble free as each other.
Here’s my score card:
Mopar 10
Ford 8
Chevy 6
Pontiac 2
Datsun 1
Mazda 1
The majority of those vehicles cover almost every year from 1967 – 77, with a few stragglers into the ’80’s, a ’93 and my newest is an ’03 Explorer. I guess I’m a veteran CC owner.
‘Tis not an easy question to answer, I suppose it depends on the interpretation. As far as brands actually owned I was a little surprised to see a three-way tie in my tally made up of Audi, VW, and Toyota with five of each in the mix.
Of brands that were my own primary driver (as opposed to someone else in the household’s main ride), it appears that it would be Audi in the lead which likely holds true for cumulative total number of miles behind the wheel.
Ye be onto me. My wording was somewhat intentional – what brand have you owned the most number of or have driven the most miles. Well, that was the intent anyway…I figured that gave everyone a bit more latitude.
By the way, I have added another Ford to my list. It’s a vehicle at work. Got the keys yesterday with a mere 57 miles on the odometer. It sits at 130 now and I’ll double that again tomorrow.
Good question. After 40 or so vehicles in my life, I’d say Jeep brand was driven the most ( 4 vehicles). After that, it’s hard to say, a toss up between Cadillac and Lincoln ( 3 each) , Pontiac (2), and Chevy (5.).
Mercury is next,(2), then Ford (2) , Oldsmobile, Volvo, BMW, Toyota, Chrysler. (1 each)
The only major brand I haven’t driven on the road was Buick. I owned two, but never put them in the road.
6 Mopar, 2 Ford, 2 Chev, 2 Honda, 1 VW.
My offsprings’ lists look entirely different, sprinkled liberally with Subaru, Kia, Honda, and Hyundai.
Eleven Mazda rotaries, and put on about 150k miles between them (with no significant mechanical issues!), though I did tend to buy them, sell them, and horse trade them quite a bit.
Four Fords, probably 225k miles from me between them.
Two Dodge trucks, with 235k miles put on them by me (and both still going). I buy ‘em and keep ‘em.
Plus a few others, mostly Mopars and Hondas.
So I figure I have gone roughly the distance to the moon and back, one drive at a time.
As far as vehicles I’ve owned and driven on a regular basis there can really be only one answer, Mopar vehicles are in the majority. Starting with my first – a 1970 Dart 4 door – there’s been three Chrysler, three Dodge, and three Plymouth. Three GM, a pair of Saturn and a positively worn out ’88 C10. Three Fords which were all some level of junky yet spunky and thus very endearing – a Tempo, Taurus, and Focus. That leaves the only two import brands, a Honda Accord and an ’81 Toyota Celica. Through work though, I have driven scores of used inventory so much that it would be tough to count but the answer here is likely Mopar too.
Through high school in the mid to late aughts and just a little after I was all about wheeling and dealing on different (and cheap) used cars. I had a fondness for K-cars and their extended family, for a time I was “Mopar or no car” in a very strange way. As a group though my fleet would be fit for a back street used dealership if not the scrap yard but damn would I like a ride in each and every one, just one more time.
I have owned the following:
6 Fords
4 Chevrolets
4 Pontiacs
1 Buick
1 Honda
Because I’m not into SUVs and trucks, the only current Ford that interests me is the Mustang, but not sure I would purchase a 2024 Mustang with the computer screen dash, which comes close to ruining the whole car in my opinion.
My current daily driver is a 2012 Fusion SE V6, which will likely be replaced at some point with a Camry.
For me, like you and a few others here, Ford.
Specifically, the Ford Thunderbird – I’ve owned more of these than any other car.
Like you, Ford would not even be on my radar now. I’m not a truck guy, and the only car they make is the Mustang. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mustangs obviously. But their pricing, just like every desirable new car nowadays is out of my price range. Plus, it’s not very practical, and I already have one. 😃
The last actual “car” that I bought was the Honda Civic. With the most recent automobile purchase, it was actually a CUV (yes, I drank the Kool-Aid) – a Mazda CX-5, primarily for my wife to use.
When I eventually go electric, it’ll likely be a Tesla due to their better charging infrastructure, although I’ve read recently that Ford is adopting Tesla’s adapter, so I may end up back with Ford for another Mustang. 😉
If you have been reading my 9 COALs, you will already know my answer. As you read, there were some cars in there to satisfy a variety of wives as well.
BUT: from a totally personal point of view, I will say that I have spent less money maintaining my Chrysler products than you all have. Of course, I have the advantage of maintaining and repairing them ‘myself’. Yet, that happens so seldom, the repair part, that it is rare. Most people probably ‘shun’ the K Car platforms, yet we drive 3, our ONLY 3 vehicles. An 1985, 1989 and 1994. None were bought new, One was bought DEAD, the other 2 with nearly 100,000 miles on them. At this point in life, we would not part with them, they are too dependable!
Cars are machines, and the longevity of a machine depends on the original Engineering of the machine. I personally think Chrysler’s Engineering was superior to GM and Ford in the domestic world here in the USA.
Unfortunately, you cannot buy a Chrysler product any more. Too few people favored engineering over looks over the century 1923 through 1999 when Chrysler really faded from the scene. What we have seen the past 23 years are only the names, makes and models we had been accustomed to, but they are not Chrysler Products as I have known them.
So Jason, buy what suits your fancy, they all have to comply to some GOVERNMENT regulations and ecology standards. Personally, I’d try a TESLA, just for fun “if” I was to buy ‘Electric’.
The other night my wife asked what I really wanted. Thinking for a second, I told her I wanted a brand new 1977 or 1978 Dodge Monaco with a 360. Those, I told her, can get me excited. Currently, buying a car is like eating your vegetables…it must be done, despite the excitement being non-existent. Isn’t that sad?
Yes, I have read your COALs and have enjoyed them. My ability to comment on various posts has declined greatly the last year or so.
For me, its been mostly Chevys. I grew up on Fords, but owned few until recently. My numbers look like this:
6 Chevys
4 Fords
3 Ramblers
1 Cockshutt
The funny part is, my current fleet is transitioning to Fords. We have an F150 and focus, and both are way better vehicles than my bow ties. As for the Ramblers… well, they’re more a passion than anything.
Thanks,
Rambler Jake
If we lump Ram with Dodge, that would be it: 4 years of a ’68 A100 van; 15 years of a Grand Caravan and now 6 years with the Promaster. Total: 25
Next closest would be the Scion xB: 17 years.
OMG, I left out my ’66 F100! 36 years and counting.
Given your tumultuous relationship with Ford, particularly during the early 1970s, your owning a Ford for 36 years is all the more impressive!
By Make:
8 Chevrolets, 5 Pontiac, 2 Buicks, 1 Honda, and 1 Nissan.
By Body Type:
9 coupes, 2 sedans, 2 CUVs, 1 SUV, 1 five door hatch, and 1 convertible.
The only thing I have done for 25 years straight, aside from breathing, is driving a NB1 Miata.
All the rest of the fleet in my past reflect a slew of company cars (all Ford Taurus’ of some vintage) and one personal and very capable PT Cruiser (13 years).
Clearly I tend to keep personal cars a bit longer than many other drivers. I dread the buying process at dealerships, the new car costs (including insurance), and the mandatory technology without which I have gotten along just fine for 60 years.
If you have a few hours to spare and need something to help you sleep, go to https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-series-by-rlplaut/.
I know … big news: old man yelling at a cloud.
People act like old men yelling at clouds is a bad thing. I’m to the point where I am starting to see some benefits in doing so. 🙂
That cloud knows what it did.
Fun to read the different lists of vehilces others have owned.
For me, the highest number (new cars) would be Chevrolet followed by Buick. The Buick number would have been the higher, but you can’t buy a car (sedan) from them any more, so I’m out.
Next would be Jeep. Then the rest would be a smittering of different brands including one VW (I vowed never again after that POS), two Kia’s and a few Chryslers and Lincolns.
Most of what I’ve owned or driven has been German cars. BMW and Volkswagen are tied at 4. If you include broadly Volkswagen Group, then Volkswagen ekes out a narrow win.
Not far behind are British vehicles (Jaguar and Land Rover). I’ve had five of those combined.
As far as what I’ve driven, I’ve had a lot of seat time in various General Motors rentals, some of which I liked, and some I didn’t. I was charmed by the 2019 Malibu, but did not like the 2022 Equinox I just rented.
5 BMW (e3, 2002, 2002tii, e21 320i, e30 318is)
1 Mini Cooper S (BMW)
2 Fords (boring)
1 Mercedes (boring)
1 Honda CRX Si
1 Austin Healey 3000 (Mk3)
1 Chevrolet (C2 Corvette)
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-epilogue-what-a-road-trip-its-been/
Mopar (11) – both Chryslers (Minivans) and the Mopar Jeep (XJ) are the same year (2001) and Color (Patriot Blue)
– Dodge (5 used, 2 new)
– Chrysler (1 new, 1 used)
– Eagle (1 new) – my mileage leader, nearly 250K miles when it was killed
– Jeep (1 XJ used)
Jeep (pre Chrysler – 3 used, 2 Willys, 1 AMC) – I’ve owned the 44 Willys since 1985
Nissan (1 new, 2 used)
Chevrolet (1 new, 1 used) – both are 2017 Bolts
Toyota (1 used)
Honda Motorcycle (1 new, 2 used) – all the same model.
Cars by Color
Blue – 4
Red – 3
Green – 3
Silver – 3
Brown – 2
White – 2
Gray – 1
Tan/Cream – 2
Great question and hard for me to answer.
I guess when it comes to ownership, I’d have to say “BMW” because I’ve owned two outright as daily drivers, and then there was the new MINI, which in fact is a BMW. That makes three of them. Between those three, that’s 25 years…so roughly half my driving life.
Add to that a VW which I drove for about a half-dozen years and it’s hands-down “German cars” for the answer.
Beyond that, I’ve had some of everything. Considering that includes a Nissan, Honda, Toyota and an Isuzu (actually 2 Isuzus if the Chevy Luv truck counts), I guess runner-up is “Japanese cars”. Oh, and 2 Volvos….but I didn’t/haven’t driven them nearly as much as the other vehicles owned.
I’ve driven a ton of Chevrolets as rental cars. Malibus, Luminas, Celebrities, Caprices, etc. Probably more of those than any other kind of rental.
On another point, I’d be interested in hearing about your Tiguan test drive. That was my most recent rental experience (black with grey interior) and it was just horrible. Terrible ergonomics, weird controls, and that grey interior (made of some kind of material that resembled tyvek stretched over styrofoam) was unbearable. Granted, this rental was a year or so old, but ewwwww. I was really disappointed as I had hoped for a much better VW experience.
Now you have me intrigued with your rental Tiguan.
Overall, I liked the Tiguan but wasn’t bowled over, either. Some vehicles feel natural and others, like the Tiguan, feel less o. Perhaps it was trim, maybe it was color, but I’m somewhat ambivalent about them at this point. If I had to chose between it and the Taos I would spend the extra $5k (based upon their sticker prices) for the Tiguan as it has more cargo room. But a nicer Taos could totally change that conclusion.
The driving dynamics were good on the Tiguan and it wasn’t as down on power as some of the reviews would have one believe.
The lack of excitement is what has slowed us down.
Over 30 years of sole ownership, and 40 years of driving, I’d scale the cars in years of ownership of one or more units, as my mileage is typically the same every year. Also, here cars are so much more expensive that there are not so many of them over that span.
1) Fiat, 16 years (’88 UNO 4 years, ’92 ELBA CSL 12 years)
2) Ford, 11 years (’81 Corcel)
3) ’16 Renault Stepway (7 years)
4) ’00 Hyundai Accent (5 years)
5) ’13 Chery Fulwin (3 years)
There were some other cars in between, but really, only 5 of these were really mine.
I used to love to get a new car. But somewhere along the way I’ve changed. Now, car shopping is somewhere between getting a root canal and a colonoscopy on my list of fun things to do.
As for the brand I’ve driven the most, it would have to be Chevrolet, especially if work vehicles are included. I sold off my last Chevrolet in 2015, and recalling the abysmal (Vega-esque) build quality of that vehicle, and the horrible Impala I rented in San Diego in 2017, I expect it to be my last.
Oh, good luck with the tortuous, inevitable process of searching for a new car. I dread this process now – not so much the age-old shopping and haggling, but the part of being hit over the head with inflation shock, and also that not too many new vehicles actually interest us. But I guess that’s a topic for another day.
For the matter at hand, I suppose I’ve put more miles on Fords than any other brand. My wife and I once owned three at one time. Her family were largely Ford loyalists, since her grandfather had worked at a Ford factory – and I owned a Contour as well when we met. But we’re down to one Ford now, and neither of us have allegiance to any particular brand any longer, so I doubt we’ll own multiples of the same brand going forward.
My hope is to find what I like then contact dealers to quote a price and make a deal prior to showing up. We’ll see how that pans out.
That’s exactly how we bought our last two new cars. I highly recommend it. We narrowed our choice down to the model and trim, and then emailed about a dozen dealers asking for a price quote.
Both times, about a third of the dealerships I contacted didn’t respond, or responded with a ridiculously high price. Another third provided quotes around sticker price. But each time, two or three dealers had very competitive quotes. It’s a great way to approach car-buying, especially if you can be a bit flexible on colors.
I haven’t bought a new car from a dealer since 2005 (for ourselves) and 2006 (to help our son with the process, but he did the paying); our latest cars were nearly new test cars purchased from my employer.
So now that I’m retired, I’m glad to hear that emailing dealers en masse actually returns some decent quotes — I had always thought that the standard response would be to “come on down and let’s see what we can do!”
We mostly have kept our vehicles for lengthy periods, so the list is short, considering it spans a period of 48 years and includes all that we have owned, including the one my wife brought into our marriage. The model year span is 1975 to 2015.
By make (brand):
Toyota – 6
Volkswagen – 2
Volvo – 2
Nissan – 1
Mercury – 1
Chevrolet – 1
By body style:
2-door sedan – 1
2-door hatchback – 2
2-door hardtop – 1
4-door sedan – 6
4-door hatchback – 1
wagon – 1
pickup – 1
(No SUVs!)
By color:
Blue – 4
Red – 2
Gray – 2
Brown – 2
Yellow – 1
White – 1
Silver – 1
By engine type:
4-cylinder inline – 11 (includes 2 hybrids, not plug-in)
V6 – 1
V8 – 1
By transmission type:
Auto – 7
Manual – 6
By fuel filler door location:
Driver side – 6
Passenger side – 6
Center rear (behind license plate) – 1
Oh boy, this is fun.
By ownership:
1) Volkswagen (7)
2) Ford (3)
3) Honda (2)
4) Volvo (2)
5) Buick (1)
6) MINI (1)
Both Hondas were (and is) long-haul travelers and my 2006 Pilot went 170k miles before we sold it, so it rivals any two or three of the VWs for total miles accumulated while under my ownership.
For over 35 years, I traveled regularly for work, renting a car 12-15 times per year. While National is my rental agency of choice, sometimes corporate contracts dictated using other vendors. In the 1980s and ’90s, this usually, but not always, yielded a GM or Chrysler vehicle, followed by a period when Hyundais and Kias were predominant. I tended to get Fords only when renting from Hertz, which makes sense, as Ford owned Hertz at that time. More recently, over the past 10 years, say, Altimas and Camrys are frequent fleet favorites, and are now being supplanted by Rogues, RAV4s, and H/K Santa Fe/Tucson/Sorrento, etc.
Since resuming my travels post-pandemic in mid-2021 , my rental vehicles have consisted of Chrysler (300, Charger, Challenger, Pacifica), GM (Malibu, Equinox, Trax, Buick Encore, and GMC Yukon), Nissan (Altima, Rogue), Toyota (Camry, RAV4), H/K (Sonata, Santa Fe, Sorrento), VW (Jetta, Passat, Tiguan), Mazda (CX5), Ford (Explorer), and Audi (A3, Q5). I have rented many examples of the above twice or more.
This is a tough question – Some were hobby/toy cars, some were daily drivers for me, some were primarily Mrs. JPC’s daily but also primary travel vehicle (meaning that I drove).
I think the top has to be Ford. Including a sole Mercury, I have 42.5 years of Ford ownership (30.5 if we exclude the hobby cars). This is mainly from long-term ownership of the 94 Club Wagon and the 93 Crown Vic.
Honda is in 2nd place at 24 years. Again, 17 years in the Honda Fit really boosted that total.
Mopar is in 3rd spot, with 21 years all together (18 excluding hobby cars) – with 12 of those 21 years in Plymouths.
I don’t envy you – there is so little in the way of new cars that really interests me now. Though I will confess that I have begun to see some appeal in the Mazda CX-5 after several recent COAL entries on them.
I don’t think you’d be disappointed, Jim. We’ve had ours now since February and absolutely love it.
The best way I can describe this is that it’s a “Driver’s CUV”. It really handles like a car… a good handling car.
It may not be the most space efficient SUV, but…
The seats are comfortable. The visibility out of it is great. It gets decent mileage for what it is (ours is the normally aspirated AWD version). We have the Grand Touring trim (2019… not sure what the 2023 equivalent is exactly), and it is very nicely appointed with plenty of creature comforts. I did not think I would like the nanny features, but they are great once you get used to them. The adaptive cruise control for example is fantastic. While not Tesla’s autopilot by any stretch, it will come to a complete stop on its own if traffic stops in front of you. I was amazed.
Plus, it actually looks nice, unlike a lot of SUV(s) and CUV(s) these days.
I know you’re not a fan of “resale or arrest me red”, but IMO, Mazda’s “Soul Red” is one of the prettiest colors out there…
Reading the comments, I am surprised at the prevalence of Ford – and Volkswagen.
I’m impressed how much your ownership years drop if excluding hobby cars.
In order:
’63 Valiant
’65 Plymouth
’55 Packard
’55 Packard
’69 Ford
’69 Plymouth
’53 Hudson
’22 Cadillac
’64 Dodge
’41 Dodge Truck
’27 Hudson
’34 Auburn
’31 Packard
’73 Buick
’73 Plymouth
’27 Pierce Arrow
’73 Valiant
’40 Plymouth
’52 Crosley
’75 Chrysler
’66 Chrysler
’67 Mustang
’80 Pontiac
’74 BMW
“63 Valiant
’73 Mercedes
’63 Valiant
’63 Valiant
’63 Valiant
’70 Jeep
’65 Valiant
’80 Oldsmobile
’63 Valiant
’65 Plymouth
’77 Jeep
’59 Goggomobil
’61 Dodge
’64 Goggomobil
’72 Honda
’98 Jeep
’93 Ford truck
’63 Imperial
’63 Valiant
’65 FIAT
’08 Subaru
’73 FIAT
’93 Ford truck
’90 Mazda
’02 Honda
’98 Oldsmobile
’81 Suzuki
So, it’s 9 (Plymouth) Valiants, or 14 Plymouths, total
Is there any brand you haven’t owned? :). This is quite the list and there’s some really good ones on here.
What’s it going to take to get you to do a COAL series? Seriously.
I think you win, Barry!
I won! I won! I won the Wastin’ Space Award! By the time he was my age, Dad had driven over 90 cars. That’s twice my total, and nearly half of mine were actually his cars 🙂
That’s an amazing list! You must have written records; I certainly wouldn’t be able to keep track of that many in my head.
13 Fords
1 Chevy Chevette
1 Cadillac ATS4
1 VW GTI
1 Toyota Avalon
1 Lexus GS350
1 Kawasaki Mach III 500
1 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport
2 Harleys
Vehicles of note
Favorite daily driver 2008 VW GTI, 2.0L turbocharged with DSG trans, excellent handling and that powertrain, slingshot acceleration and gearshifts faster then anything else I ever experienced, owned ten years
Longest daily driver, 91 Ford Probe LX 3.0L automatic, 1991 to 2008, loved driving this car, fun, relatively fast, handled well, great heater and A/C. Definitely worst winter FWD car I owned but wide tires will do that, probably would have been fine if I had gotten a set of winter tires and wheels.
As a mechanic by trade my cars, truck, motorcycles, snowmobiles and trailers were relatively trouble free. Repairs that would have been very expensive for the average person were just another job for me.
Location Denmark, born 1972
Toyota Corolla KE20 74
Ford Capri 1600L
Toyota Corolla KE35 78
Ford Taunus Ghia 1600 82
Peugeot 106 Rallye
Citroen Saxo VTS (biggest mistake)
Suzuki Liana
Suzuki Swift 1990’ish
VW Passat Stc
Toyota Starlet FWD
Audi A6 V6 stc. 95 (next best car, ever)
Nissan Primera spaceship (big mistake)
Skoda Fabia2 stc 105HP 13(got me through divorce)
Kia Niro PHEV 22 (love that car)
Honda – 4 cars (Two Accords, One Civic, One Prelude)
GM – 3 cars (Two Olds Cutlasses One Buick)
Ford – 2 (One Ranger truck and One ’66 Mustang)
Nissan – 1 (Frontier truck)
Been driving since 1981.
In terms of cars I’ve owned, there is no clear winner — I’ve owned three cars in my life and never the same brand more than once:
1 Saturn
1 Toyota
1 Mazda
Thinking of all the cars I’ve driven, including rentals, and parents’ cars, I think Chevy just barely edges out all the other brands, all rental grade Cavaliers, Cobalts, Malibus, etc. (Edit: If I count the Fiesta I test drove but didn’t buy, then I think Ford is tied with Chevy.)
If we lump them together by parent company, then GM is the clear winner:
1 Buick – “my” car in high school, although it officially belonged to my parents
1 Saturn
1 Oldsmobile (rental)
5 Chevies that I can recall, all rentals.
2 GMC rental trucks, if box trucks count.
I just remembered my driver’s ed car was an Olds as well, so that makes 2 Oldsmobiles.
My drivers ed car was also an Oldsmobile. Brand new 1992 Olds 88. Guess I lucked out by being the youngest in my class, I had to take drivers ed with the next class down. Had I taken it with my own class, I’d have driven a beat up Dodge 600.
We were supposed to get 6 hours of driving time in. However I never got my last half hour, unless you count just sitting there on the side of the road. The needle was on E and I told the instructor we needed gas. He said oh we’re fine. So following his direction, I drove out to BFE and we ran out. He went for a long unhappy walk, and when he came back he took it from there.
If you measure by number of years as a daily driver rather than simply the number of vehicles driven, then the Saturn is the clear winner — I owned that car for 14 years.
Must be Toyota.
2000 – 2002, Land Cruiser 90-series 3.0 TD (traded in)
2002 – 2022, Land Cruiser 90-series 3.0 D4D (sold to a tree nurseryman)
Jan. 2023 – present, Yaris 1.5 Hybrid Dynamic (new company car, my very first one)
Then I had a 1984 Celica Supra 2.8i from March 2021 till very recently. Traded in for a 1989 Benz 300 CE (delivered 6 days ago).
By years as daily driver:
(1) Toyota – 12 years
(2) Chevy – 8 years
(3) Ford/Mercury – 7 years
(3) VW – 5 years
By number of vehicles:
(1) Toyota – 3 vehicles
(2) Ford/Mercury – 2 vehicles
(3) Chevy & VW (tie) – 1 vehicle each
I’m ready to move on from my VW Passat. It has been THE single most reliable automobile I’ve ever owned, which I know is a bit of a head fake but it’s true. I’m considering replacing it with a new VW Jetta Sport with the 5-speed transmission.
Cars owned:
Chevy – 6 (84. 86, 89, 90, 91. 93)
Pontiac – 3 (89, 90, 92)
Oldsmobile – 1 (89)
Jeep – 1 (96)
Geo – 1 (91)
Ford – 1 (92 I think, doesn’t really count, was given to me without asking, and I sold it without ever plating it for the road)
Currently own and drive the 89 Chevy, the Olds, Jeep, and Geo. Had the Chevy for 20 years, the Geo for 10, the Jeep for 8, and the Olds for 5. I’m all set for a long time.
Cars driven: too many to count.
Really interesting to see the spread of cars mentioned here.
My car history isn’t wildly exciting, but in it I have got three brands that are unmentioned so far – I’ve owned two Mitsubishis, a Vauxhall and my mini is a Morris. I also had a Renault which has one previous mention.
One Vauxhall, 2 Volvo’s, 2 VW’s and one BMW totalling 25 years of car ownership, with VW far in the lead in combined years.
This fall however I’ll reach 25 years (how did that happen?) of non-car/multiple-bike ownership, with a 2001 Giant Innova hybrid & 2001 Vitale touring bike still in service after roughly 75 000km.
Three cheers for urban cycling infrastructure… 🙂
Durn…..is it old(urr) age or simply too many to remember?? 🙁 I’d guess Honda might be slightly in the lead, followed by Chevy when I count the 4 Chevy Corvettes. The used ’20 Accord (picture) is my most recent Honda as of last Saturday when I “down traded” my ’21 Civic EX for it. Of course, my old ’56 Chevy 150 2 door certainly has pride of place in my memory given I had her for 20 years!
Ford would be third, then Mazda given 4 Miatas and 1 Mazda 3. Volkswagen comes in with 2 Super Bugs, plus 2 old Porsches a ’74 2L 914 and a ’68 912. One Pontiac……my first car in 1968 after getting back to CONUS. I ran @ 47-48,000 miles on the 6 banger during the 13 months I owned the Tempest Custom. I gue$$ I got my $600.00 purchase price plus $433.00 engine rebuild out of the Pontiac!! One ’85 Dodge Lancer GT turbo was another singleton.
Total is around 40 4 wheelers since 1968; plus my 72 motorcycles since 1964. Yup, guess I’m a bit of a gearhead. 🙂 DFO
Mmm, trying to consider miles vs cars.
Car wise it is Ford since I own five of them still. Miles wise it is Ford by a hair since one Mazda went 375,000 miles while another took its place.
So in order it is Ford and then Mazda since 1969. Company cars which were all one year only cars were 72 VW Squareback, 73 Audi Fox, 74 Duster, and 75 Nova.
After straining my failing memory I have counted up a total of 65 cars I’ve owned since 1968. The largest number have been Hondas: 23.
I did forget the second Pontiac, given the repair bill$….how could I? It was a ’85 Fiero iron puke 4. The only wor$e car I’ve had was the new ’76 CHOVETTE 3 door HB in Firethorn Metallic. DFO
OOP$! I forgot a new ’92 Civic HB I had as well, so: 66 cars total. The ’20 Accord EX will probably be the last car purchased barring something unforeseen! DFO
Ford (’74 Cortina)
Suzuki (’83 Swift)
Ford on Mazda bones (’87 Laser)
Mazda (’05 3)
The family fleet also included one Toyota, a string of Mitsubishis and a couple of Hondas,
First car that was mine – Used ’74 Buick Apollo 2 dr, base model. I think the only difference vs a Nova was the trim & it definitely had a Buick horn. 6 cyl, column shift, armstrong steering. Not a good purchase, engine felt a bit ‘loose’ and I was afraid it would blow if I pushed it.
2nd car – Used ’66 Ambassador with the good 232 6 cyl 2 bbl., & the not so great Borg-Warner automatic. Not much of a drivers’ car, but a very soft ride with the coils at four corners, quiet with that engine and the torque tube quelling vibrations even more. Easy to maintain.
3rd car – ’86 Renault Alliance 2 dr base model. 1.4 pushrod 55? hp motor, 4 speed manual, manual steering. I grew up in Kenosha, lived & went to school not far from AMC factories, my high school mates and their parents worked there. Figured it was a patriotic duty. I liked the handling but only kept the car three years due to the ‘lack of image’ and to the overall reputation of the things for falling apart early, and that AMC had ceased to exist by that time.
4th car – ’89 Honda Accord 2 dr LXi 5 spd. During ownership of the Alliance, I’d been given a ride in an Accord & noted the night & day difference. Kept it until 2001 & 170k or so miles, was becoming too rusty for me. Sold it to a friend who drove it another ~100k & then sold it to his friend…. Left me stranded at home once –fuel pump. Things you don’t have to do so much anymore – needed timing belts every 60k and valve lash every 30k. Periodic a/c problems, ball joints, brake rotors. Decided it would be my last Honda due to dealer indifference about fixing brake problems when the car was new & under warranty. Loved the Honda engine roar and the solid feeling of the shifter & drivetrain.
5th car – ’01 Nissan Sentra GXE (1.8 DOHC) 5 spd. Very good car, no significant repair issues over the 15 years & ~170k mi I had it. Until I was quoted $1k to fix the emissions system & rust was starting to separate the driver’s floor from the side rails. Sold it to a handy acquaintance who was able to fix the emissions system for next to nothing & drove it everywhere for another few years until a drunk t-boned it. [I trust the shop that recommended the emissions shop but now I think the emissions shop was a scammer. They closed not too long after this.] Fun to drive, another confidence-inspiring Japanese Indestructible Sedan drivetrain.
Present car – 2017 Chevrolet Cruze 1.4 TGDI 6 speed manual. Used my mom’s GM card bucks (she was done with GMs) & it has an adult-size rear seat, two reasons I was interested in it. Teaches me patience with the rev hang & widely spaced lower gears, but at least it’s serene at 80 mph unlike the frenetic gearing of the Sentra & Accord. Also has decent torque at 1500 RPM & even lower; I didn’t drive the Sentra or Accord there. Clutch went out at 21k miles; faulty slave cylinder which required dropping the transmission to get to. Right now at 34k miles & have had no other problems with it. Routinely get 45 true mpg over tankfuls of gas (some short trips included, average trip 20-30 miles or so) in mild weather driving. On long trips, DIC indicates well over 50 mpg sometimes; subtract about 3 to get true mpg. After I bought it, news came out these engines were losing pistons due to low-speed preignition. A change in oil formulation (eliminating calcium) supposedly was the answer, but I’m also running high-octane & top-tier just in case it matters. Probably high octane does give it more punch & maybe slightly better mpg.
The daily drivers probably break down as follows:
Ford/Mercury
Honda/Acura
Chevy
Mazda
Toyota
Oldsmobile
Also, the list of brands I don’t remember ever driving is almost exclusively European (limited to brands sold in the US after 1970):
Delorean, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Daihatsu, Triumph, Rover, Mini, TVR, Bently, Rolls, Citreon, Peugeot, Volvo, Saab, Mercedes, BMW, Maserati, Bugatti, also maybe Chrysler?
If I have driven a Chrysler, it was one of Dad’s many Mopar minivans.
I started out as a GM guy but switched to Fords around 2004. ’66 F250, ’97 Explorer. ’07 Mustang. Currently have ’96 and ’06 Mustangs,’07 F150, ’05 Navigator, ’17 Flex. It kind of bothered me to buy the ’97 Riviera as I had sworn off GM cars.
In terms of number of cars:
Cadillac — 9
Buick — 4
Chevy — 4
Ford — 4
Lincoln — 3
Oldsmobile — 3
Pontiac — 1
VW — 1
BMW — 1
Mercedes — 1
In terms of miles driven, I think the winner would be Lincoln, because all three of them were daily drivers, one of which I owned for 10 years.
Let me approach this from a different angle…I have never driven a Mazda, Mitsubishi or Subaru. Lots of Cadillacs at the funeral home, lots of worn-out Euro cars I have flipped over the years. Last decade, mainly Kia, including my fishing car, a really ugly 2006 Kia Sportage in the worst greenish gold color ever, with 220000 miles and frosty cold a/c.
A Lifetime of vehicles (so far)
1953 Chevrolet 2 dr (co-owned with twin brother), used
1961 Ford Econoline Pickup , new
1961 Morris Minor, new (bought for my mother). Later drove it cross country, NY to OR
1962 VW beetle with sunroof, used
1967 Volvo SW, new (bought at the factory in Sweden)
1960 Lancia Appia 4 door, used
1959 VW pickup truck, used (drove it cross country from OR to NY)
1970 Ford Econoline E-200, new
1961 Valiant SW, used
1964 Valiant, V-100, 4 door, used
1966 Valiant V-200 Signet, 2dr hardtop, used, (drove it round trip from VT to southern Mexico in 1983)
slew of Valiants, Darts, Ramblers, etc for fixup and flip
several International pickups and dump trucks (51 through 68, 1/2 ton to 1.5 tons)
1965 Peugeot 404, used
197? Fiat 128
1966 Dodge A-100, used,
1967 Dodge Dart hardtop, used
1978 Nissan 510 SW, used
1977 Toyota Liftback, used (drove it round trip from VT to southern Mexico in 1991)
1988 Toyota 1 ton, extended WB, dual rear wheels, new (sold it two years ago, still running I believe).
Several Nissan pickups, 1983 thru 1986, for winter beaters, used
1992 Geo Metro, 4 door, used
1996 Ford Aerostar, cargo, used (still driving it)
2022 Ford Transit Connect, cargo, new
No doubt I am forgetting some, but those are most of them.
My favorite? The ’66 Dodge A-100 was memorable, or the ’88 Toyota extended WB, on which I built a camper and was a frequent home on wheels for many years.
Easy for me to answer the least owned brand: GM, only one.
And what’s it going to take to get you to write a COAL series? Not only are your cars interesting, but you’ve also led an interesting life.
Thank you for the challenge, Paul. But most of these lack photos and I lack the writer’s skill that so many of the regulars have.
I have thought about doing an article on the ’88 Toyota. I have photos of it’s construction and some of its wanderings.
So, . . . . perhaps.
Swamped in projects right now.
Forgot
The 1962 Porsche, 1600 Normal
Several Saabs, including a 1967 SW
No doubt several others
. . . . . .
Interesting to me because I’ve come full circle:
Before I had a license:
Grandpa’s Olds Delmont 88: A couple hundred miles taking him around town when I was like 12
HS/Back in town from college: (Parents’ cars)
’89 Buick LeSabre, ’85 Buick Riviera Mileage: ???? Maybe 5,000 at most?
After College:
’99 Honda Accord Coupe: 98,000 miles
’12 Mini Clubman: 8,000 miles
’15 Mini Cooper: 8,000 miles
’18 Buick Encore: 14,000 miles and counting
So I’ve driven more Buicks than anything else, but for sheer miles the Honda wins, and I’m not sure I’ll ever catch up to that no matter how many other cars I buy. I just don’t drive like I did back then. We’re at about 2500-3000mi a year these days.
For the last 25 years my daily drivers have been Subarus. I live in a very snowy area and the Subaru drivetrain is amazing with good tires. I believe other brands now match it, but I don’t think anyone has surpassed it. I really dislike buying and selling cars, so my list is short, but includes Austin, Vauxhall, BMW, Alfa Romeo, Honda, and my favourite, Citroen 2CV (32 years and counting).
Hoo boy, I’ve spent 25 years in the automotive industry, with about half of that at dealerships. I’ve driven a few cars. Let’s see, I’ll list what I can remember:
Toyota:
KE70 Corolla
ST141 Corona
EE90 Corolla
ZZE130 Corolla
ST162 Celica
MA61 Celica Supra
ST170 Corona
AE82 Corolla
E160 Corolla
E170 Corolla
H100 HiAce
H200 HiAce
N60 Hilux
AN20 Hilux
GT-86
GA70 Supra
EP82 Starlet
Mazda:
MS-8
MX-6
626
BF Familia
BG Familia
B2600
Marvie
Bongo van
Nissan:
N13 Sentra
N14 Sentra/Pulsar
N15 Sentra/Pulsar
N16 Pulsar
E24 Caravan
E25 Caravan
D21 Navara
D22 Navara
D23 Navara
T30 X-Trail
T31 X-Trail
T32 X-Trail
J10 Qashqai
J11 Qashqai
WD21 Pathfinder
R50 Pathfinder
R51 Pathfinder
R52 Pathfinder
J30 Maxima
A32 Maxima
A33 Maxima
J31 Maxima
J32 Maxima
L33 Altima
A31 Cefiro
C32 Laurel
C33 Laurel
C34 Laurel
R31 Skyline
R32 Skyline
R33 Skyline
K12 Micra
K13 Micra
C11 Tiida
C12 Pulsar
Y11 Pulsar wagon
Y10 Sentra wagon
Y12 Wingroad
C22 Vanette
C23 Serena
W30 Largo
U11 Bluebird
U12 Bluebird
U13 Bluebird
ZE0 Leaf
Z12 Cube
S-Cargo
Z32 300ZX
Z33 350Z
Z34 370Z
Y60 Safari
Y61 Patrol
Y62 Patrol
Isuzu:
Elf truck
Bighorn
Mu
Mitsubishi:
Pajero
Lancer
Legnum
Galant
FTO
Mirage
L200
L300
Emeraude
Sigma
ASX
Outlander
Triton
Audi:
90
S2
VW:
Golf
T-Roc
BMW:
325
Daihatsu:
Sirion
Mira
Terios
Hyundai:
i30
Excel
Ford:
BG Laser
Telsar
Ranger
Territory
Falcon
Holden:
VL Commodore
VR Commodore
Combo
Rodeo
Barina
Mercedes:
GLB130
GLB200
C350e
EQC
EQB
GLE
E200
A45
GLB35
GLC63
GLE63
GLS400
CLA250
That’s just off the top of my head… yeah, as I suspected, overwhelmingly Nissan
Oh, fun QOTD Jason!
Of the 31 brands I (or my parents, as I also drive their cars) have owned, the most is Ford:
Ford – 9 – ’71 Escort, ’83 Cortina, ’94 Trader, ’89 Telstar, ’84+’85+’86+’87+’89 Sierra
Subaru – 5 – ’89 Legacy, ’96 Outback, ’08 Legacy, ’10 Outback, ’13 XV
Mazda – 4 – 2000 Mazda E2000 x2, ’05 Mazda 6, ’08 Mazda 6
Nissan – 4 – ’92 Laurel, ’94 Skyline, ’94 Laurel, ’97 Laurel
Peugeot – 3 – ’06 307, ’13 308, ’16 508 RXH
Toyota – 2 – ’84 Townace, ’94 Hiace
Honda – 2 – ’86 Accord, ’94 Ascot
Hyundai – 1 – ’07 Tucson
Mitsubishi – 1 ’04 L400
I drove the 1994 Toyota Hiace work van the furthest, doing over 500,000km in it between 1995 and 2001. Next up was 195,000km in the ’97 Laurel, and a similar amount in the Ford Trader truck. Hated the Accord, loved the Nissans, Mazda6s, Sierras and Peugeots.
Ford bookends my car history, with my first car in 1992 being a 1971 Ford Escort, and my current car since 2014 being my magnificent elderly 1989 Ford Sierra. It’s currently not roadworthy, but will be with me for life – although given the rate it develops rust in unusual and interesting places, its life may be shorter than mine…
Our two current daily drivers are the 308 and 508 RXH Peugeots. We love the 508 and aren’t changing it anytime soon, but we are considering trading the 308 on a Ford Territory for towing purposes. When the 508 reaches the end of the road, we’ll probably get another high-riding 4x4wagon, something like a Volvo V90 Cross Country. Of course if I win a lottery there’ll be a Range Rover in the driveway!
By a small margin and corporate grouping, tops for me would be Chryco-Mopar.
59 Desota Firedome
65 Chrysler Newport
82 Dodge truck D150
88 Dodge truck D150
70 Dodge Coronet
71 Ply Fury
73 Ply Fury
81 Ply Champ ( Mitsubishi)
GM
08 Chevy Silv. 4wd truck
92 Buick LeSabre
01 Olds Intrigue
68 Pontiac GTO
Ford
63.5 Galaxie
67 Cortina GT
80 Fiesta
82 Escort GT
88 Ranger
Nissan
91 Sentra SE-R
93 Sentra SE-R
01 Altima GLX
Toyota
13 Scion XD
14 Scion XB
67 Kaiser Jeep Commando-1
76 Fiat 128-1
Likely forgetting one or two.
Over 100. I’m 77 and believe in the catch and release philosophy Most were bought new. Hjjust got boored
Never owned a Plymouth or an Audi
By make and mileage I’ve been a VAG type of guy so far with emphasis on Audi, MX5 closes in though.
Audi:
’87 100 (180k km, 8 years)*
’96 A4 (80k km, 4 years)*
’01 A2 (35k since last year and clicking)
and
’87 VW Passat (70k km, 3 years)*
’84 Passat (30k in 4 years)*
Mazda:
’94 MX-5 (140k, 9 years, awaiting TLC now)
BMW:
’86 525e (maybe 5k, 1 year, never ran quite right but taught me to wrench)
’73 2500 (10k km in 9 months, ran great but been a rusty death trap the whole time)
1972 Datsun 1200 (about 15k in 1.5 years, very reliable, very dissolvable/consisted of Bondo mostly)
1987 Volvo 745 GLT 16V (<10k in a year, thirsty and meh, especially coming from:
1990 SAAB 9000 CD turbo 16 (25k in a year, then *wrecked (that's what * means in this list, not always by me, not exclusively my fault, except here 😀 ), predictable first car fate, especially given the rapidness.)
A little late here, but if we count my wife’s cars:
8 Fords
5 Chevrolets
4 Buicks
1 Pontiac
1 Dodge
Odd, but thinking about it, I’ve had:
2 Toyotas (’75 Corolla & ’97 Camry)
2 Fords (’05 Escape & ’12 Escape)
2 VWs (’63 Beetle & ’69 Beetle)
1 Oldsmobile (’83 Cutlass Supreme)
The Cutlass handled the best (Super Stock wheels and handling package)
The Toyotas were the most reliable
The first Beetle was fun, the second Beetle was a POS
The Fords garnered the highest mileage with the 1st at 220k miles & the 2nd at 150k miles and still running
Replacement candidates are Kia/Hyundai or another Ford Escape
Hmmm! Porsche ( I was privileged to work there for 15 years) – numerous 911s, Boxsters, Cayman, 928, then Chevrolet- 4 Corvettes: 2 new C5s and 2 old C2s plus a Camaro SS…oh, and a Volt. Then Triumph – 2 Vitesse (Sport 6) convertibles, 2 sedans, 1 Herald, a GT6 and a TR6…2 Volvos, 2 Jeeps.,
Others marques have been bought once: BMW, Jaguar, Renault, Opel, Innocenti, Austin and Austin Healey….and currently Maserati, Skoda and VW.…
So I guess I have my preferences, but otherwise like to ring the changes…
I forgot Saab (99), Ford (Taunus) , Mercedes CL coupe, Opel GT and Toyota IQ…. Many GM company cars, too….
Peugeot, by a long shot: 205 306, 405, 406, 607. Then followed by Citroen: two cars but over 20 years (both XMs). I´ve driven the Ford Focus Mk1 in 5 door, saloon and estate guise; and the Mk2 Focus as saloon and estate and the Mk3 as saloon (it´s not that good but not awful). All the EuroFords I´ve driven have been nice to very nice to drive from a controls point of view. The Focus 1 stands out with the Peugeot 406 as being a super balance of compromises, something rare when compromise usually spells boring.
I had 18 months of Buick bliss with a 1984 Century, an endearingly crap car – it didn´t do much well but didn´t brake down, ever. I have driven VW and Toyota but they aren´t memorable at all with the exception of a B3 Passat which was utterly excellent – unromantic but super comfy and usable and big inside. Everything else has been rental cars and one-offs
In order:
1966 Plymouth Belvedere $15
1966 Ford Ranch Wagon inherited
1969 Ford Galaxie $800
1973 AMC Hornet $1700
1973 Ford Pinto $50
1969 Pontiac Lemans $600
1968 GMC van $800
1973 AMC Hornet $1800
1981 Toyota Corolla* $6700
1978 Audi 5000 $1800
1982 Fiat X1-9 $1500
1966 Rambler American $500
1988 Nissan Hardbody* $13800
1980 Plymouth Horizon $800
2001 Isuzu Trooper* $23000
2004 Saab 9-3 $25000
2013 Subaru Outback* $30000
2024 Ford Maverick (on order) $39000
* I bought new and took to 200k+ miles
The rest all had a short shelf life of 3 months to 3 years as personal toys or college cars.
Chevrolet, including Corvair powered airplane
VW, only air cooled models
Ford
Toyota
I’ve had five Renaults, four BMW’s, two Citroens, two Peugeot’s and one of many others, including a ’77 Cadillac which looked grotesquely oversized in the UK, but I’ve never owned a Japanese car although I’ve driven lots.
It’s probably Ford for me. Sometimes I question if I am a Ford fanboi. -Not really. But very often Ford managed to edge out all others in my purchasing quests. And often it was availability that tipped the scale in that direction.
Even if I add all the that I drove but not owned Ford is in the lead with 5 owned and 2 rentals
Honestly, it’s probably Lexus because a series of three ES’s has been the wife’s ride since 2005 and wherever we go – I usually drive.
I’m only on my 2nd Mazda but my 2007 was the longest-tenured ride of my career. Yes, early on there were two Chevrolets and three Pontiacs but in that era, the General was not known for rides that stood the test of time.
Hello from England.
Six Citroens, two 2CV a Dyane a BX and two AX, the last one was an emergency purchase during a relationship breakup, another piece fell off every day for the three weeks I owned it.
Traded for my second of five VWs, two Polos and Transporters 2,3 & 4 just sold the last one, each one was worse than the last. VW are the most popular in my family, I think at least 14 others from a ’62 Beetle to a ’11 Golf.
British cars – a Morris Minor, MG Midget and two FWD Ford Escorts. Driving school car was a mk1 Escort.
A mid life crisis Mazda MX5 nb.
A Fiat Panda, first new car, never wanted another Fiat after that experience.
A Renault Clio, two French built Toyota Yaris and a Slovakian Toyota Aygo, the last two leased through work and only tolerated because they were cheap.
And now a rational French car via Romania, a Dacia Logan.
Just realised that by country of manufacture the most numerous are French – 9 cars.
4 British, 2 of the VW Transporters German, 1 Austrian, 1 Polo South African and the other Spanish or German.
1 each for Italy, Japan, Slovakia and Romania
Based on individual vehicles either owned or driven regularly at work, Ford wins it since we’ve owned four (85 Ranger, 93 Ranger, 95 Escort, 02 F150) plus an employer had a Ford/Mazda fleet so I drove several trucks plus a couple of trips in the owner’s Country Squire. This also puts Mazda up there, work had two B2200 pickups, I drove Mom’s 91 Protege several times and we’ve owned two, a Mazda5 and a CX-5. Then VW since I owned three, two Sciroccos and an 84 Jetta plus I drove my mother’s 82 Rabbit Convertible a bit. Others in the fleet are an 88 Cavalier my wife drove when we were dating, a 97 Saturn and the 2003 Buick that was our Son’s first car.
#1 son is something of GM/Chevy loyalist, his first car was the Buick, now passed on to his sister, his second was a 96 Chevy Suburban, now sold and vehicle 4 is a 99 Suburban. The exception is his third car and biggest project, a 2000 Corolla which he thought needed piston rings but ended up with a replacement engine and transaxle plus he recently lowered it with cheap coilovers.
On the two wheel side, my first motorcycle was a Kawasaki, my second was the 78 BMW I still ride and number three is my wife’s Honda. In terms of brand loyalty, I’d say BMW since an R1200RT has been on the wishlist for years
In the bicycle fleet, 5 Trek bikes, all MTB, 3 Specialized, mostly kid’s bikes, 2 Redline Cyclocross bikes, and single examples of Orbea, Kona, Focus, Nashbar, On One and Pivot with the last two being frames we built up.
Let me start this out in a different way… I’ve known my wife since we were teens. We didn’t date until I was in college and co-habitated before we married. But, I’ve always taken care of her cars as “mine”. However, I’ve only ever owned one new car that was truly “mine”.
All of our other new or “good” cars were hers. This went double when the kids came along, she always had the “good” car. Having said that, I cannot exactly extricate my involvement with the list of cars we’ve had over the last 42 years; I helped choose them and certainly maintained them.
That said, here’s the breakdown: 10 GM vehicles (Chevrolet, Pontiac and Oldsmobile), 7 Ford vehicles (Ford and Mercury) and 4 Chrysler vehicles (Dodge and Chrysler). Even though I wrote a list, I feel like I’m missing a couple of cars somewhere…
As to buying a new car, we’re finally going to retire our Pontiac. This is the first time I’ve gone car shopping in 14 years and the environment is MUUUUCH different. My wife really wants something of an SUV style vehicle. We’re interested in the 2024 Chevy Trax, but have not been able to secure one. We wanted something inexpensive enough to pay off before we retire and nothing too fancy.
We’re talking with four (!) dealerships since May of this year trying to get one, but have been told that new allocations won’t be in until October. I’ve already resigned myself to the fact that I will have to endure another interest rate hike (Thanks, Mr. Powell…) before the car we want will appear on our shores.
If the car we want doesn’t show on this next allocation, I’m going to say screw it, and get what I want… A Challenger!