Best car in the world

amg_rx7 wrote: Best car in my world is my '93 RX7 You can bury me in it when the time comes. No other car I've drive in the last 20 years keeps me as engaged. Whether it be from driving it, tracking it, screwing around with different mods, feeling the curves of the body when I wash it. Can't be beat in my book.

The FD RX7 would be near the top of my list too. It's just too good looking. Makes great noises and handles well.

C5 Z06 for a stock contender.

Decent mileage on the highway
very little needs to be changed to be a track/autocross monster
can be had for $20k
can be serviced at any GM dealership
aftermarket is abundant and fairly cheap
Has enough space for a weekend trip for 2
405 hp V8 stock
Insurance isn't terribly bad

I wouldn't have the story state "Best car". I would have it state "The Answer". And the question is, what car is the best car to own, when you take in all the desires of the modern petrol head. Something we can work on ourselves, take to the auto-x, run at a track day, be our daily driver, and still work for taking the missus out for a night out on the town.

The car needs to be clever. Engaging. It isn't about all out speed, though that is important, it IS about fun. We want a car that, at the end of a long day at work, will put a small on our face on the way home.

There are a lot of cars that can do most of that. But I would think you fine folks could par it down to one, that does all of that the best. And then, you would have "The Answer".

I agree with GPS on this one for 911 and e36 m3.

I think you can put a bunch of parameters into the mix like intended purpose - or combination of parameters starting with a price point. Start with a $5k or $10k or 15k number and add in other guidelines commuter/track day, or commuter/auto-x, kid toter/DD... ultimately it's all subjective at some level - a subie might be the best car in the world, but I have a bias and they'll never be on my list.

What I give consideration to are driving dynamics (power to weight, overall weight, driving feel - maybe skidpad/lateral g), aesthetics with bonus points for rarity or a level of quirkiness - but hitting commuter duty reality kicks in and I start thinking about gas mileage and reliability too. What's on my list:: e36 bmw (m3 would have a tough time making the $5k price point), porsche 944, bmw e28 - for a more rare flair maybe an e3 or e12 - m30/manual required - rust protection is an issue for Chicago though. Would hate to kill a cool old car. At 10k the list doesn't change much - e36 m3, 911, 944S2 or 951, well-bought 968, e28/m5. Then again, I'm oddly attracted to old fiats - damn you ditchdigger.

I've owned around 80 cars and for living with a car day to day, the bmws and p-cars push the right buttons for me. Stuff I have to consider in real life - 2 dogs - both over 100 lbs, wife that isn't all that interested in shifting, 40 miles/day commute and a house we seem to keep tweaking and updating.

After reading all the posts (and rereading mine) and seriously thinking up front this was unanswerable, I think Tim should ponder the existential meaning of his question, and posit his thoughts in his next column...

I love the concept, and the discussion.

To me it seems like many of you are answering the the questions "what is the best car in the world for my life stage," or "what is the best car in the world as long as I can have a second car".

Otherwise I don't know how anyone could say miata.

To me, the best car in the world is better defined as this. "If you could only have 1 car, from the day you got your license all pimply faced and over hormoned, until the day the grandkids ripped them from your shaking liver spotted hand, what would it be."

With that, you have to have some sort of practicality in there. Maybe rank them on practicality, performance, and reliability.

a miata, would score very well in 2, but dismal in the third. But I could argue an 04 honda odessey is just as good as that, and I haven't seen it anywhere on the lists so far.

If that is the criteria you use, a wagon WRX may very well be the best car in the world. High on practicality with room and awd, good reliability, good performance. You could probably add a station wagon bmw or such to the list, but I'd favor the subaru.

"best car in the world"

In reality there is no such thing

It depends on what the owner/driver is happy with.

Sorry Tim, I know this is not what you are looking for.

I'm at work and only skimmed all the posts, so I apologize if this was covered earlier.

I shouldn't be to difficult to set up a spreadsheet and give subjective values for things like price, performance, racing history, feel, utility, etc. Then you could total it up and have mathematically fashionable non-sense to tell you the best car .

My gut tells me it can't be the WRX. I don't know why, but it just can't. Maybe the earlier Legacy? The M3 and 911 are good choices, but lack a bit in the utility factor for me. I like the idea of the M5, you get a little more usability but take a cost hit (initial and fuel). If Saab was still around and had aged better (transmissions made of glass) the 99 and 900 would be hard to argue with (performance, utility, racing history, fuel economy).

It's a great exercise Tim, thanks.

The true "best car in the world" candidates really haven't been mentioned as I'm guessing their price points are far beyond what registers at the usual GRM demographic. Probably "the best car for(insert a price point)" might be better-or "best Swiss Army knife car" if you are looking for a versatile, multi-purpose car.

Rarely have I thought "Car X! It's OBVIOUS!" and then right after "oh, wait..." over and over, so many times... Z06. 911. 944. RX7. MX5, WRX, EVO and an E36. A1Golf, CRX, how ya gonna choose? Anyone thinks they can, must have loose screws....

I think one thing I would love to see covered when these cars are presented is livability of working on them.

It's always subjective, and once you learn the eccentricities of a particular car it gets easier.

That being said, one of the reasons my 2012 WRX will never be The Answer is that you either need to remove the airbox or the passenger fender liner to change a turn signal bulb.

Cars, being the bastard children of Murphy and Rube Goldberg, will always need tending to. Making this a less painful or more enjoyable part of the experience counts.

Jeff wrote: My gut tells me it can't be the WRX. I don't know why, but it just can't.

I understand. Look at the WRX. It is a mess. Nothing that idiotic looking could be "The best car in the world".

One of the criteria must be that every time you get out and walk away you glance back over your shoulder to admire your car. If you do that with a WRX you should be put out of your misery immediately. If you have already bred, then the next step is to stamp out the rest of that gene pool for the greater good. (The greater good)

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: ...for the greater good. (The greater good)

My new favorite GRM mini-meme.

I find that almost everything recently reminds me of either something from that movie or an Eddie Izzard quote.

I guess it needs more definition, a car at it's mist basic is a means if transporting stuff. To me the answer could never ever be a miatia, corvette, etc because for the majority of the times I'm in a car, those would not be able to transport what I needed it to (kids)

Toyota E9 series....

available with diesel, and 5 petrol engine options from 1.4 E series, to 1.6 S/C 4AGE. Available as fwd, and all wheel drive. The E9 Corolla could be fairly argued as having firmly planted Toyotas growth and future

I have a baby, so I'm not really allowed to have what i think is the best car.

But I'd say the C5 Corvette nailed it. Great on the track, the freeway, the commute, and it gets pretty good gas mileage as well. Plus, everybody loves a Corvette.

I'm still thinking these 2 for now.

Best car in the world by sales #s would have to be either the Corolla or the aircooled VW Beetle. Both of which have had performance variants at some point in their life cycles.

E36 M3 would be a great choice. IMO, it was the high water mark for the M cars, was pretty affordable, seats 4 comfortably, can haul ass on track or be driven all day in comfort.

WRX? I have a wagon and think it's got a great balance of power, handling and it's practical. Reliable? in 110,000 miles I've replaced a power steering pump, 3 A/C compressors, a radiator, a rear differential and had heat related failure of most of the turbo coolant / oil lines. Outside of the dealership, parts are surprisingly hard to find - NAPA, AutoZone etc did not carry the A/C compressor or the power steering pump. Lucky,20 year old buffoons keep crashing them, so ebay is packed with used stuff

You all are wrong. The best car is the US Escort from '90 up. Cheap

Reliable

did i say cheap ?

Good gas mileage

Great DD.

This is the best car, without a doubt.

Best appliance car in my opinion is a Volvo 240. I don't think there is any other car from that time period that you see in such large numbers still being driven daily. You really do see them far out of proportion to their production and sales numbers - these days on my commute I see more 80s Volvo 240s than 80s Civics, Corollas, and Escorts combined.

I normally DD my '97 Impreza Brighton and it is...harsh to put it gently. It has no A/C, no cruise and no stereo. The driver's side door card was damaged beyond repair when the car was in someone else's hands so it is gone. Right now the exhaust farts out of a straight pipe ( An OE muffler is en route.) and the Exedy clutch engages IMMEDIATELY. The rear struts and springs came from an '04 WRX and the front struts and springs were sourced from an 05 STI so while it handles very well the ride punishes the kidneys a bit. If you even think about turning the wheel the car happily dives into the turn.

Anyway last night I drove the '01 Suburban to work. It's an LT with all of the bells and whistles and it was just aligned so it drives straight and smooth. Besides having the torsion bar keys cranked to achieve a level stance it is absolutely stock. The tires are new, all-season, highway oriented 265/70 R-16's.

Last night the 'Burban was the greatest car in the world.

The Bugeye WRX is indeed the best car in the world.

I have owned one since new.

In a single day, I have ran my son up to a friends house in the winter--where the road is so terrible and muddy, that a guy in a Honda Civic was actually stuck.

I had to leave him stranded cause I had to hurry home, to swap out my snow tires for my Star Specs, and drive 60 miles to a PCA autocross (getting 25-30 MPG) and run in the top-5 raw times.

I recently sold my Mustang as I came to the realization that, objectively, it did nothing better than my Bugeye... .

Depends upon the purpose.

I drive my 40mpg Elantra sedan which is perfect for work.

Hauled the family and friends to Florida in the rusty 230k old Expedition.

Want to enjoy a spirited drive, Rx7 5.0

Autocross or just wrestle a beast, my 408 mustang is a handful of fun

Pick up greasy parts, the ZAV Ranchero is a hoot.

So many variables, so many choices

I think it's the ultimate question that can't be answered. The best car for what? Made when? For how much? I think a better question and maybe a better article might be the top 10 (25...50...whatever) enthusiast cars of all time. Now you can take input. Now there is room for the Miata and the M3, the 240z and the 911. Which were clearly standouts and groundbreakers for their type and time?

any one of the Anal cars

see thread