This post is in response to the recent CNNMoney iReporter assignment: The Best Car I Ever Owned. The Ford Mustang was by far the most popular response to this nostalgic rallying cry, and who can argue with that? There’s really very little not to like about the pony car.
My choice is somewhat different. The best car I ever owned was also my first, the humble ’79 Toyota Corolla. If you’ve just choked on your mocha or dropped your lunch, I sincerely apologize. However, this car was a perfect fit at the time, so please allow me to explain.
It Counted As Transport
At first look you might think that being seen behind the wheel of the common Corolla would fail to impress and result in social isolation. Thankfully, this was not my experience. As a high school senior in Australia I was lucky to even have wheels of my own back in the late ’80s. While definitely not as cool as the bigger surfing sedans and wagons of my peers, it was better than walking.
1979 Toyota Corolla - Courtesy Toyota Motor Corporation
I could honestly call it mine. My part-time job allowed me to pay $1,750 cash for it and amazingly I sold it for a $100 profit two years later. That’s what I love about the beater price-point; you just can’t do that on more expensive cars.
The thing I really liked about the corolla was its utility. The design of the rear doors allowed them to open so wide that I could fit a ton of cargo in Kermit. My family named it that because of the bright green paint. At that time I was playing in a working band and managed to squeeze a Marshall quad box and amplifier in the back row of seats. It was always reliable and the 1.3 liter engine gave the super-efficient fuel economy that every student needs in a car.
The Best Car I Never Owned
Despite all the upside of the corolla, I nearly passed this over for another that I had been dreaming about for years. My heart was set on the Ford Falcon XY GT. I was a major car-nut in my teens, no doubt heavily influenced by my Father who was a Ford dealership sales manager.
1972 Ford Falcon XY GT - Photo courtesy Ford Motor Company
The Falcon was probably a cooler option, but not a smart one. I was caught up in the muscle-car renaissance, envisioning myself restoring a worn-out model to showroom condition by working late nights turning wrenches in my parent’s garage. It was to be my labor of love. Thankfully my parents helped me to see sense and subtly made me aware of my dearth of mechanical know-how and absentee slush-fund required to make this reality.
The XY GT is now a collector’s item. With an MSRP of just $5,300 in 1972, the high performance model now fetches in excess of $700,000 at auction.
What is the best car you have ever owned?
You would think I would say the Mercedes C240. I loved the way I looked in it but I have to say that the Toyota Matrix was by far the best. I beat that thing to the ground and it was strong 4 years later.
C240 – sweet ride. I can relate to your choice here, it’s not always about the bling.
My best car was my first one, a 1992 VW Jetta GL. Everything on it was manual from the crank sunroof to the windows to the mirrors. It meant if something broke I didn’t have to mortgage my future for it to get fixed. It was also extremely safe with great gas mileage. I’d still have it today if I hadn’t discovered that you can’t fight a Cadillac and win. Every once in a while I check through craigslist to see if there are any in decent shape. With any luck it will be my next car too.
Ouch, I don’t many cars do well against a Cadi. The hand crank sunroof, I haven’t seen one of those for a while!
hmm, my best car that I owned was surprisingly a 1991 Pontiac Grand Am. Man I cannot believe that thing still ran after the way I treated it. I was 16 when I had it and had it for about 5 years.
My wife had the same car when I first met her way back in ’94. It was a popular little car.
I never had a Corolla. I had 2 Toyota Cressida. It’s a bit bigger and had power windows and everything. I crashed one and sold the other one to an intern.
It was reliable, but not cool at all.
For now, I’ve moved beyond the need for coolness in a car. I can think of better ways to spend money that provide greater satisfaction.
My best car is my current one, a 2008 Toyota Corolla. Has not had one problem since I bought it. It replaced two very old cars that had died after a long life (1990 Volvo Stationwagon and 1987 Plymouth Horizon).
Corollas just keep going. Let’s be careful what we say, with words like that it would be terrible if your car broke down next week, or tomorrow.
Any car that doesn’t demand more than the usual maintenance wins my approval! Hondas and Toyotas are notorious!
I once owned a ‘cool’ car that started giving weird troubles like not being able to close the hood! Thankfully, I’m much wiser now when it comes to choosing cars.
Not being able to close the hood. Unless you were driving a porsche, that would present a major problem. I’m all about about low maintenance and minimal running costs.
By far, my Honda Accord. Previously,I owned a Mercedes, BMW Audi, Toyota, Datsun and a few American cars. Nothing can touch my Honda. That is why, my wife bought one too.
We’re currently a 2 Honda family and they are both reliable…touch wood.
We started married life with a Ford Mustang — took that thing on mountain roads, almost tore out its belly on the rocks — and it still did great! Sold it for a surprisingly high price after 5 or so years, when we needed to get a vehicle that was easy to install a car seat in.
Since then, we’ve only owned Jeep Cherokees. They may not be tops on the mpg scale, but they’re built to last, and are very, very reliable. (They also handle well in tight spaces, and are very comfortable.) All of our Jeeps have gone over 100,000 miles — the first two went approx. 250,000 and 225,000 respectively before we sold and donated them. Our current Jeep is at 188,000 with no major problems. Wish we could get on a commercial praising Cherokee — I love this vehicle!
Ha, I can’t see a baby seat fitting in the rear of a Mustang either. The Jeep Cherokee is more kid-parctical, for sure.
I like Jeep too, and I hope their new Italian owners does the brand justice. Fiat has done well to put Chrysler into a strong financial position over the last 18 months and I hope they continue to innovate.
Her name was Betsy, a 1995 Geo Prizm. She was amazing! By the time I gave her up, she was practically a death trap because you could barely open the doors from the inside, the seat belt wasn’t properly functioning, and the air bag light was on. But she rarely let me down and she gave good gas mileage too. *Sigh* I miss Betsy.
I feel like I know Betsy from you vivid description. I hope she is serving someone well today
My current car, a 2005 Chevy Cobalt. Bought it new when I had a long commute. Paid it off. Still kicking with 120k miles. Never been in the shop. Hope it lasts to 200k.
I hope the Cobalt holds together for you John. The best way to make money out of a car is to hang onto it until it’s a bucket of bolts…a wise person once muttered these words.
I have 2 favorite cars. 07 Benz C230 and 06 Honda Civic Coupe.
You have broad taste in cars Marissa. I don’t have much experience with Merc’s but I drive an ’05 Odyssey…so we’re practically related
one of these days I will own a mercedes, some day! So far the best car I’ve ever owned is my first car, an 04 Aveo. I’ve had very little trouble with it and it is so incredibly cheap to drive and insure… never mind that it’s fully paid for.
Perfect. This sounds like my kind of motoring…cost effective. Our rental was an Aveo while our Insight was in the shop for repairs in December. We liked it!
Mine was my 73′ VW Thing I drove in high school and Mike’s was his 53′ Plymouth he had in high school. Definitely nostalgia is playing into our memories!
You both drove classic cars!
I haven’t owned too many cars in my time, but if I had to pick…it would be the ’92 Honda Accord LX. It was comfy, drove great and never broke down on me.
Reliability is a top priority for me too Jen. It’s easy to take for granted until it suddenly disappears.
People would expect me to say that my 95 mustang convertible was my best car (1st car in highschool), but I really enjoy the cargo space in my vw wagon. Practicality speaks more to me than some midlife crisis car.
Haha, the midlife crisis car. Only mustangs with white vinyl roofs earn that tag in my book. Too funny.
The best car I’ve ever owned is my current car, a 1990 Mazda Miata that I’ve had since 1991. It’s fun, runs great, is a convertible, and has air conditioning
My 1969 MGB was also an awesome car, but it was the kind of car that needed constant work.
The Miata has fun written all over it, great choice. I think you like convertables!
Why yes, yes I do
Especially ones that come with air conditioning for those hot 6-month Arizona summers…
My favorite car was my first one–a 1994 Honda Accord. It was brand new when I got it (I was fortunate that my parents bought it for me under the condition that I became my sisters’ personal chauffeur) and I held onto it until 2 years ago when it passed into the great car lot in the sky. That car could take a beating (and often did), but it was the car that I used to bring my daughter home from the hospital. I will always treasure that car.
Cars do hold sentimental value for us. We brought all three of our children home in our Focus wagon. We discussed this briefly as we traded her in for a newer car a few years ago.
I’ve only owned three cars, and none of them were particularly impressive. Almost by default I’d have to say my 2004 Hyundai Elantra. It was definitely an underrated model at the time, and it’s now become very popular.
I think you view cars much like me Jeffrey, to provide utility first, and cost as little as possible second.
I have owned a lot of cars and liked them all for different reasons. I guess my favourite car a was the last one I had – a Nissan Maxima. It was spacious, speedy, good to handle and had heated seats. It had all I needed to do the things I wanted.
Heated seats
I’ve been enjoying this feature in our van as I drive home from our early morning bike rides. Love it.
I still pine for my baby blue VW Jetta. The car had a problem with its alternator, so my dad installed a special switch I could turn on and off to save the battery in the colder months.
That’s impressive, I really admire mechanical skills. I have two great friends that make it easy for me to slide in this department.
Umm..how lame is this…our 2005 Honda Accord. Because it was my first big girl purchase, because I paid for it (brand-new) in less than 3 years by myself, and because it still works. Her name is Sophie, and she’s pretty.
That’s great. Our kids named our ’05 Honda Odyssey Piere! Great story Kris.
I like the 70′s Corolla. I had two of them in college, both bought for about $500. Although they each met untimely demises, they served me well enough. But my favorite car was the 1971 Mustang. To this day, I wish I’d never sold it.
We have a lot in common Andrew, go the Corolla. The ’71 Mustang is a classic. I bet you really kick yourself for getting rid of it, although you probably had great reasons to do so.
1999 Honda Civic HX. I still have it. I have gotten my money out of this car.
I’m seeing a lot of Honda’s on this list. I liked your 1.2 car article SF!
Mine was the 1979 Camaro. Though I also loved my Cadillac STS. My current 12 year old 4×4 pickup may not crank though if he hears this, so keep it between us…
Sounds like you have enjoyed some fun cars Dr Dean…between us, of course…knocking on wood now
Cool topic, interesting to see everyone’s response to this kind of question.
For me, it was a 98′ Toyota Camry. I drove the thing to over 220,000 miles without any problems. Reliable car that provided a ton of mileage, which is far more impressive to me than any coolness factor of other cars…which didn’t have that anyway for me lol. So, the Camry it is.
The ’98 Camry, impressive. Definitely not a head-turner but reliability is a beautiful thing.
The best car I ever owned is my 96 civic. No problems, completely paid for and it just keeps going. My first car wasnt bad either a nissan 240sx. It wasnt much but for a high schooler it was better than walking.
The Nissan 240sx would have been a fun car to own. I’m with you, any car beats walking in high school.
Two years ago I bought a 1997 Chrysler Sebring with 170,000. I only expected it to last for six months or so, but I really needed a cheap car at the time. To my surprise, it’s still running strong with more than 220,000 miles! I’ve saved enough money to buy a new car, but I’m having a hard time parting with it…lol.
I would hang on to that cash too, and drive the Sebring until it’s a bucket of bolts. Every month you can hold out, the further ahead you are.
I never owned it, but from age 9 to 11, my parents had an ’88 Ford Thunderbird. That coupe was soooo sweet! As a kid, the car felt so luxurious because it was the first car we had that was black and it had leather seats and felt like a cockpit interior to me! I loved that car. I just Googled images of it and got nostalgic.
I love the car I drive, and I love it more now that it’s about to be paid off!
My favorite car would probably be my 94 Toyota Corrolla. I bought it for $1500, put over 100,000 miles on it and sold it for $500. It did need a few repairs while I owned it but it always started for me.
Ford F-150. 100,000 miles, ten years, always got me where I needed to go.
Damn near cried when I sold that one.