My dream car(s) is/are:

[Griffin NoName]

You can't beat a half-timbered car !

One of my first cars was a Mini with go faster stripes.

My best loved was a Polo Coupe Sport which I eventually sold to my ex who promptly wrote it off going round a roundabout. That was a sad time !!

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

Does it look something like this?



I would love to have a car like that.

[anthrobabe]

1987( or 86,88) Chevy Monte Carlo
Black
OH Baby!!!!!

go really, really fast and look HOT doing it!

[Sibling Chatty]

One of the very classic Monte Carlo designs, a very sexy look. (And sexy isn't a word I use often for an inanimate object. Sensual lines and an almost predatory grace to the style makes it work, though.)

[anthrobabe]

like the attached...

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

I've just found out that this beauty is scheduled to go under the hammer at the Christie's Auction in August.



It's Steve McQueen's Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso (McQueen bought in 1963 and was driving it for ten years). Only 351 of these beauties have been produced and this one is "probably the best example of a Ferrari Lusso that's out there on the marketplace".

The asking price is around one million, so I guess I'll have to start saving money.

More about it here:
http://www.jdmfilmreviews.com/steve-mcqueens-ferrari/

[Pachyderm]

A Land Rover.

One of the old, boxy, aerodynamic as a brick but will go over or through anywhere you care to take it ones.

I know they are slow, uncomfortable, leaky etc. I don't care.

While the rest of you need a huge garage, highly trained mechanics and a vast spare parts bin for your sporty, fickle, temperamental supercars, all I'll need is some baling twine and sheep poo, jobs a good 'un.

[anthrobabe]

A Land Rover.

One of the old, boxy, aerodynamic as a brick but will go over or through anywhere you care to take it ones.

I know they are slow, uncomfortable, leaky etc. I don't care.

While the rest of you need a huge garage, highly trained mechanics and a vast spare parts bin for your sporty, fickle, temperamental supercars, all I'll need is some baling twine and sheep poo, jobs a good 'un.

you have to be related to my uncle Bill--- he can look at a vehicle and it goes- I had a 72 Caddy (Coupe de Ville) and he kept that boat on the road forever. In hindsight it was so nice to be able to call him upon breakdown nad have him show and fix the thing with mateirals readily available!

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Lately -and after my trip to the old continent- I've been contemplating the idea of getting one of these;

I read somewhere that they plan to sell it in the US in 2008.

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

Trust me, you don't want a SMART...

It may have it's positive sides, like easy to find a parking space etc, but honestly, that car is a piece of c***.

First, you can't fit anything in its trunk; small shopping bag maybe, but not if you shop for a week for a whole family.

Secondly, it's very unstable. I had the opportunity to almost flip over (we were on two wheels at moments), while driving through a curve (not too fast, at around 60 kmh maybe).

[Pachyderm]

Plus it was designed by a company who made watches. With interchangeable bits.

I have no desire to be in a car I know was designed to pop apart to change to the new, cool colour...

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Didn't they fix most stability problems in the 2nd version? I'm not so interested in cargo area, we bought a Subaru Impreza station wagon (my wife is driving it) so if we need to carry stuff that would be the car to do it. When the opera is on I have to drive a fair amount of miles and while my current car is quite economic (Toyota Echo/Yaris) getting something more efficient is relatively expensive (a Prius) and driving a motorcycle on a daily basis doesn't sound too appealing to me.

[Aggie]

Heh, I was gonna tell you to get a Yaris instead... 

I have always questioned the logic of buying a Smart Car for fuel efficiency as they are relatively expensive compared to the new batch of subcompacts like the Echo/Yaris. If you do go ahead and get a Smart, you'll have to run tests and figure out how long it takes for the additional fuel efficiency to pay off the difference in purchase price.  Ditto for hybrids, although with GC's new rebate system, they may be worth looking at up here (still don't trust the overall cradle-to-grave environmental benefits WRT the battery system, though).

Having given up my poor old Firefly for a cargo-lugger (Hyundai Santa Fe - don't hiss - it ain't an SUV if it's only got a 2.4L engine in it Uses about twice the fuel of my 1000 cc 'fly) I'd probably get a small runaround for the second car, but the Smarts look too small.  Even if they are crush-resistant in a crash, I seem to remember from physics class what happens to a small mass in an elastic collision with a larger mass. 

I'm also wondering how the highway driving experience would be in a Smart (if you're doing big drives for opera); the Firefly was very tiring to drive on roadtrips due to lack of power (i.e. expended energy cursing at it on hills), excessive road noise, and instability in windy conditions (or from passing trucks ).  Wouldn't be my first choice for a long-distance commuter, personally.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

In my experience the problem with small cars in the highway (in north america) is that most of them are automatic with only 3 gears. After that the gearbox should be calculated for the power to mass ratio. If those 2 conditions are met the behavior of the car will be equivalent or in some cases better than a bigger automatic car. I might end up replacing my Echo with a new Yaris or a Nissan Versa. I'd like a Mini but those are more expensive.

[anthrobabe]

I like the way these itty bitty cars look
but here in the USA I would be afraid to venture out in traffic in one

imagine a Hummer bearing down on you! And people are woefully impolite around my town. Physics ya know.

It is a good idea- and one we need. But I agree I don't want interchangable parts.
Like I'm totally going to go like pink today and then like for the homecoming game it'll be so Hornet blue....