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