Money not a problem - what car?

[johnboy]

Posties car porn post about the Shelby made me think of all the cars I would love to have if I could afford it.

I've pretty much always wanted a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet. Not the most expensive Porsche but the one that has always tweeked my gotta have button for some reason. I think that if I sell a kidney, I might just afford a used one. :D

If you could pick your dream car, what would it be?

[Buckrub]

I already own it.

Wife would get a new Tahoe. Her grandsons ask her this repeatedly. Always same answer.

[BarryBobPosthole]

55 Chevy Nomad.

BKB

[Thumper]

Not sure if you're talking about modern "dream cars" or ANY car. The '32 or '40 Fords were before my day, so I'll stick with cars from MY lifetime. I was lucky to have grown up during the "muscle car" era of the 60's and 70's ... AND was double lucky in the fact I was able to drive ALL of the GM muscle cars of the era ... which was saying something since I was only 15 when I started working for GM dealerships and driving "my" dream cars.

I was a car nut almost from infancy and my first love was the '55 Chevy Bel Air. I later fell in love with the Nomad (like Postie evidently) and would rather have a Nomad from the rarity standpoint today, but back in the day, it would have been a toss-up. I'd have KILLED to have a Nomad in my early beach bum/surfer dude days.

Once I hit "driving" age ... I was a GM nut all the way. I won't lie and say the Shelby Mustangs, 426 Hemi Chrysler products, etc. didn't float my boat, but I was a dyed in the wool GM guy back then. Soooo, all my picks are GM creations.

My first "60's" love was the '64 GTO ... I drove a sweet tri-power, 4-speed unit quite regularly as a kid and I think I came in my pants every time I so much as sat in the thing! Once '69 came around, I was in muscle car heaven and would sport a woody just getting near those cars, much less actually driving them. If I had to pick a number one, all-time, first choice, it would be a draw between the '69 ZL1 Camaro and the '69 COPO Chevelle. Follow those up with the '70 Chevelle SS 454. After that, cars became low compression, smog equipment laden, low-lead gas drinkin' slugs and the muscle car era was dead. At that time I went to sunny S.E. Asia, courtesy of Uncle Sam and when I returned home, there had been a fuel crisis, gas was $1.00/gal, and I was married. I bought a '75 Datsun B210 Hatchback that got 50 mpg and my excitement over muscle cars had died. In the meantime I've even owned a couple of Corvettes, but the "flame" was snuffed and never really returned. In my youth, you got caught street racing and the cops would slap you on the wrist, make you pour out the beer you had sitting between your legs and tell you to go home ... and if he caught you back out that night, he was gonna tell your parents. Now, you go to jail, pay an attorney $10,000 so you can keep your license and your insurance goes up higher than your mortgage. For some reason, it's just not fun anymore. :(

I just drive little pud-trucks now and I'm happy. Speaking of trucks, if you want to include them, my first "truck love" (and still is) would have to go to a '48-'53 Chevy or GMC 5-window. My second choice would be a '55 Chevy Cameo.

I guess I can appreciate performance cars these days ... they just don't float my boat the way they used to. :(

[jb]

62 Vet. convert.. or 57 Chevy convert, or 57 T-Bird.

[Thumper]

VERY popular and expensive cars ... but I was never a rag-top fan. Drove a few for some years, but got sick and tired of replacing tops after some scumbag would slit my top with a pocket knife and take whatever wasn't tied down while I was in the movie theater with a date. If I kept one long enough, that plastic window would deteriorate and turn brittle and yellow ... hello to another expensive repair.

BUT ... as for collector value, the ol' rag-top is what brings the big bucks.

Down here ... ANYTIME you see a convertible on the road, you know it's a Yankee driving a rental .... almost always with the top down and all the windows UP! . No Florida native in his right mind would want to waste all that a/c! ;)

[johnboy]

For some people cars are just transportation but I've always thought that they were more than that. Transportation sure but also art and engineering and style and beauty and performance and all that good stuff so what I was really thinking about are cars/trucks that you could go buy today if you had the cash.

There are still lots of old muscle cars around for those that like a little nostalgia but nice ones are more expensive than a modern equivalent by far and frankly just aren't daily drivers. Mostly show not go.

Would I like an old Hemi Cuda or somesuch? Sure but I really wouldn't want to drive it anywhere other than a Sunday cruise. A modern muscle car like the aforementioned Shelby 350 (wonder if they will ever remake the Shelby 500 with a serious big block?) would whip it's ass any time, anywhere and use a fraction of the fuel to do it. My bud back in the day bought a brand new 1970 Hemi Cuda and that car got 3mpg (Canadian gallons - the big ones!) around town and was a pig until you got your foot well into the throttle. A real bitch to keep in tune, as well. Fun? You bet but hard to live with.

Today you can have up to 707hp (Dodge Hellcat) in a daily driver that the Missus can take to the grocery store or you can drive across the country and still get 25mpg. It's amazing how many great new performance cars are out there now.

I still love cars, old and new but If I could pick a car to drive every day and enjoy every minute it would be that Porsche (or maybe a Jaguar F Type V8S).

[Gunther]

That Hemi 'Cuda was by far the coolest. I sold a 69 Road Runner a while back and even though it was an auto car i wish I still had it.

[johnboy]

I was a Mopar guy through and through back then. Loved all them 383's and 440's and hemi's (the real ones). Another bud picked up a 340 Swinger (69 or 70?) that was a real surprise to a buncha guys in their big block machines. That little car was quick.

[LJ3]

that 4S would be the near the top of my list along with my favorite old school muscle cars. 67 camaro RS, GT350 and Gunther's cuda

[DeputyDog]

I guess my dream car if money was no issue would be a Maserati Gran Turismo MC convertible, 0-60 in under 5 seconds, 454 hp, and a top end of 180. I've even virtually built it on their website.

Of course, I'd love to have any number of the old muscle cars.