Ahh now up to car #44

JMinNJ said:
I’ll play. Chronologically to my best recollection beginning in 1976: (commercial and spousal vehicles not included)

1972 Olds Delta 88
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This was the first new car my father owned. Wait, second. The first was a Corvair Monza that he had to get rid of when I was born. (Apparently I was a punk kid from the very beginning.) He (and I) always preferred the 88s to the 98s with their giant seats with the extra pillow sewn on top.

That was the first of three Delta 88s, with each one being a little (or a lot) worse than the previous. Eventually he grew tired of the diminishing returns on the Oldses so he bought a Buick. "But Dad, that's the same car with a different name on it." He hoped I was wrong, but probably knew all along that it would also be a disappointment. After that he became a BMW 7 series man.
 
coupedegrace said:
This was the first new car my father owned. Wait, second. The first was a Corvair Monza that he had to get rid of when I was born. (Apparently I was a punk kid from the very beginning.) He (and I) always preferred the 88s to the 98s with their giant seats with the extra pillow sewn on top.

That was the first of three Delta 88s, with each one being a little (or a lot) worse than the previous. Eventually he grew tired of the diminishing returns on the Oldses so he bought a Buick. "But Dad, that's the same car with a different name on it." He hoped I was wrong, but probably knew all along that it would also be a disappointment. After that he became a BMW 7 series man.
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Ha! The 72 Delta 88 was a hand me down from my Dad so I could commute to college. He promptly bought a 78 Delta 88.
He was an Olds 88 guy, having had a 55, 60, 66, 72, & 78 (last 3 were coupes) Until he bought 150 acres of hunting properties in NY & PA in the 1980s, he went to a Wagoneer followed by Land Cruiser.
 
HB Chris said:
My dad had a 60 Olds Dynamic 88 four door hardtop sedan and my grandfather had a 60 88 2 door hard top, both white. My dad then had a 69 88 Holiday (?) two door.
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I sense a trend. If pressed I’d have to say that it was my Dad’s 1960 Super 88 White over Red 4 door “Holiday” hardtop that triggered my automotive obsession.

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Nicad said:
Car that has given me the best service of any in my life....Current 2007 Forester XT Beater. 323,000 KM, heading to 400K. current daily
Only new car I have bought and shortest time I have ever owned a car. 2021 Subaru Legacy XT. So glad it is gone after 250 KM!
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I'm curious why you disliked the '21 Legacy so much, especially with the contrast to your fondness for the Forester?

To be honest, I didn't even realize Subaru still made the Legacy. That's probably because Outbacks and Foresters are among the most common cars here in Portland. I once started counting Subarus in our neighborhood while out walking the dog. I lost interest in the project on Subaru #21. So at least 21 Subarus, mostly Outbacks and Foresters, in a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood.
 
coupedegrace said:
I'm curious why you disliked the '21 Legacy so much, especially with the contrast to your fondness for the Forester?

To be honest, I didn't even realize Subaru still made the Legacy. That's probably because Outbacks and Foresters are among the most common cars here in Portland. I once started counting Subarus in our neighborhood while out walking the dog. I lost interest in the project on Subaru #21. So at least 21 Subarus, mostly Outbacks and Foresters, in a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood.
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I had brain fade. It was an Outback XT. I have my Forester setup the same as the Japanese Forester STI other than the motor. It has the complete FSTI suspension. Control arms are aluminum as are the rear lateral links. Running forged BBS STI rims, Imprezza STI steering rack, Brembo brakes, Imprezza STI seats. It weighs around 3,275 pounds. It was in a rear end accident and written off two summers ago.
That is when I bought my first new car. I figured the Outback XT would be the ultimate winter ski car. I do a very treacherous drive up one of the most often shut down roads in Ontario twice a week. (Highway 124) I need AWD with ground clearance as a minimum.
The Outback XT on this road would be fantastic.....BUT it is quite Buick like for a Subaru. My Forester is loud and loose and rattles. The Outback had a CVT, electric steering, very cushy seats, amazing ride quality but I did not enjoy driving it. It was way too big for easy parking. I drive alone 95% of the time. Almost never have people in my back seat, so for me it is about a vehicle that is the right size. I don't want a car any bigger. The new Outbacks have also been plagued with quite a few annoying problems.
Finally , I thought I would buy a car and not take looks into account....but I don't like the looks of the Outback.
It is however a darn good car if that is what you are after.

So I bought my Forester off the insurance company for $400. Found the parts needed to fix it already painted for $510 and paid a body shop $800 to pull it straight and put the parts on. The motor has some valve clatter but I think it is going to keep running a while longer.
I'd like to refresh the suspension end to end, but dread crawling underneath a car these days. I'd buy a 5 speed version of the 06-08 Forester XT if I could find a good one. I have seen them go for $20-28K on BAT.. Who'd have thought? About the same as my new BRZ.
 
Ah, that makes sense about the Forester. There's some running around town that I think are similar to your setup. I remember talking to a guy about his quite a few years ago now.

I get you on the "not very fun" front with the Outback. The CVT drives me crazy when I want to do some engine braking in the mountains. Of course it has paddle shifters and fake gears, but still. Ours is a 2017 and the right size for us. While not fun, we've felt few worries letting our recently licensed daughter use it from a safety standpoint. We've only had one issue: the original battery didn't last that long. It was several years, but should have lasted longer. I think they replaced one electrical component and updated the software. Now I'm going to stop talking about it so as not to jinx things.

Thanks for the detailed reply!

P.S. I've always wanted an RD400.
 
It's about quality, not quantity. Why you drive them. We've owned over 50 cars but the dozen we've held onto for the past 30 years illustrate our collection goal: German '60s-80s.

Gave up on a Lancia Berlina fetish recently and secured another W111, this time an exceptional two owner 1970 3.5. Our last example was a '68 280. We're keeping this one.

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BTW, I'll probably add -AHEM- stainless steel arch trims and get some 15" alloys with Michelin XWX's, just because. The V8 is sweeeeeet.
 
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Gotta love white on blue... our old one had a red interior. Vault like indeed, last of the hand-built Mercs. Completely original interior... no AC, but we're gonna address that soon.

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coupedegrace said:
Did you see this one on BAT?

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2...e=dm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2022-03-31
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That platform with that motor and transmission would be very engaging to drive. You can toss it around because it is light with a low CG for an SUV. I was lined up to buy a car with a motor like that when mine got wrecked but it was too rusty. When I gunned it on the test drive, my glasses flew off my head into the back seat. The weak point in these is structural rigidity if you are after real handling
 
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