A reader just wrote... Tim's column concerning "favorite car" led me to think of a similar question: What vehicle best met its design criteria? Whether it be people hauler, load/tow hauler, fun-per-mile, performance, all within a target price point, which is your vote?
I am definitely biased, but I'd provide the usual answer. The answer is always . . . .
While my answer was:
Doug,
Thanks for the note. That is a very good question. My first thought was the Chrysler Minivan. The original Mustang certainly did what it was supposed to do, as did the Mini, AH Sprite and yes, of course, the Miata!
Tim Suddard / Publisher
Grassroots Motorsports magazine
Classic Motorsports magazine
What do you guys think?
If all you wanted was a small box on wheels that would get you to work and back, for as cheaply as possible, and you weren't concerned about amenities or impressing the neighbors, they fit the bill. Sure, they were crude and uncomfortable and had cardboard interiors, but they were better than walking. My sister and her husband had a couple of them, and they were surprisingly durable - my niece managed to put one in the ditch and rolled it; my brother in law spent a few hours hammering it back into something close to the original shape, and they drove it for another couple years.
