My dream car......what's yours?

Truth be told I’ve had my dream car. I haven’t posted pics of the 65 El Camino that was the cause of elcoholic’s addiction in a long time. Note the clarity of the reflections in the depth of the paint.
Weren't you going to sell that?
 
Although not a dream car my 2000 VW Passat V6 B5 with a 5 speed manual, leather interior and sunroof, turned out to be the best car I ever owned. I purchased it used in 2002 with 18k miles on it for $16k. This was to be a short term use between some of my dream cars, a Corvette, a Porsche and BMWs. I ended up keeping it for 14 years and put 130K miles on it. The only mod I made to it was to replace the original springs and shocks with H&R springs (which lowered the car about 1/2") and Koni shocks. I also replaced the stock wheels with wider alloys (Audi takeoffs) and lower profile tires. This stiffened the suspension and improved handling tremendously. Never had any major repair needed. Other than normal maintenance items, the only repair I had to do was replace the CV axle assemblies.

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Bummer. Bet you miss it. Did you replace it with anything interesting?
I do miss it, but it was time to move on. Yes interesting and something completely different- a 2014 VW R Line Beetle convertible. Basically GTI running gear in a Beetle - 210hp 2L, DSG, 17’s, big brakes, etc and a 400w Fender stereo otherwise few frills. 0-60 in 6.7secs and governer limited top speed of 135. Compared to my 58 bug 1st car it’s a dream.
 
Having owned a few exotic autos in the past, I do have a little personal experience on this subject . For me I've learned, I want the highest performance but still when I jump in the cabin I want RELIABILITY ....... I do not want to deal with the stealearships every week. So for me it would have to be an Audi R8 (V10) Quattro, with upgraded intercoolers and exhaust.

You get to do just that with one. And better love the parts and labor costs associated with German machinery. They use 30 parts, with intricate interacting adjustments for what say, Toyota does with one or two parts. I like boringly reliable vehicles (paid for) better than any other kind of vehicle.
 
My dream wheels to get old in, 2000-2004 Toyota Sienna Braun Entervan wheelchair conversion van. Don't need it's features all the time, but some days they will make my life easier, and allow me to expend less energy which allows me to do more. As a rule, dependable and reliable.
 
You get to do just that with one. And better love the parts and labor costs associated with German machinery. They use 30 parts, with intricate interacting adjustments for what say, Toyota does with one or two parts. I like boringly reliable vehicles (paid for) better than any other kind of vehicle.
Ha!
Why use just just a couple bits when half a dozen or more can work almost as well, with the proper maintainance.
 
I worked in an engine shop for a lot of years. The 5 valve Audi paid a lot of bills. Valve guides were completely worn out by about 70K. Techs that worked in Audi shops told me they were very expensive to keep on the road. This was hard to swallow, because Audi and VW were pretty good cars previously. Those two marques were known for longevity, but as technology increased their reliability took a nosedive.
Consumer Reports warned buyers to stay away.
I've never owned an Audi but know their history from being in the auto business for so long. I will look for an A8 for sale with a couple hundred thousand miles on it and get back to you.

I owned both a '98 A4 1.8T and a '99 Passat V6. Both had 5V engines and I had both until 120K miles or so. On the one hand, valve guides were not a problem on either and I know plenty of other people who had these cars. On the other hand, the A4 was certainly an expensive car to own. The Passat was less problematic but did have issues. One thing that was well known about these cars, especially with the 1.8T was that the timing belt had to be replaced at 70K or so. Audi specced 95K which was complete BS. There was even a class action against them on it.

Anyway, at this point, my dream car would either be a Singer 911 or, out of left field, a pro-touring/restomod Corvair with a mid engine LS V8 driving a Porsche 996 transaxle. The reason for the Porsche transaxle is it prevents the LS from going too far forward. The Corvair would have to be a tube frame with Corvette suspension, brakes, etc.
 
My dream car is the Lamborghini Aventador - always liked the lines. I could not even afford the insurance on it. Not everyone's cup of tea.
 
It may not have been my ultimate dream vehicle, but one that I drove and would love to have had was an '06 Jeep Wrangler TJ that had a 5.7 Hemi swapped into it. It also had a high dollar long-arm suspension lift kit and 35" tires on it. That thing sounded bad ass when you got on it and could easily light up those 35s while pulling out.
 
As gearheads, we are blessed with many good choices among today`s manufacturers. If my budget allowed, and I were to go car shopping right now (for a NEW car, not a vintage or classic), I would be hard-pressed to decide....One car that has been giving me "The Lust" is this new Alfa, IMHO, a pretty bad-ass machine.

 
Listed my drop top dream car previously. An Opel GT would be one of my hard top dream cars.

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Someday, I'd like to have another one.

I had three GTs when younger- I brought two of the three back from the dead. LIke most Opels in the USA, they were vastly misunderstood by most owners- but I could make them run like they should, consistently. I think I still could rebuild one of those 35mm single-barrel Solex carbs (1100) or one of those 32/36mm two-barrel Solex carbs (1900), even now, with a little time...

The one in the picture above is a bit of a head-scratcher, though. It's got the US badging on the side but the European-style clear-lens parking lights above the bumper (those were amber on US models). I know it's pre-1972 (the non-opening rear quarter windows give that away), but without the original wheels, or being able to see the interior (the idiot lights in the dash were rectangular in early models, but round in later ones, and the drivers door window crank went from low on the door to high on the door in later models too), it's hard to pin it down more than that...



Regards,
Gordon.
 
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