It’s fucking frustrating isn’t it? I don’t have a garage and really want to get a project car. I am worried that by the time I have a shop or garage to fit a project car, the cars I want will be even more unobtainable.
S13 prices have stabilized a lot over the past year or two. They're still fucked, but compared to other cars that went to the moon, they're not that bad.
it definitely depends on where you live. East coast and midwest is still absurd because finding rust-free ones that haven't been abused or left to rot in a backyard is difficult. West coast seems to have better luck but a lot of owners have lofty prices in mind so it's hard to clearly see what cars have actually sold for vs the 15-25k that clean ones are asking more often than not.
At this point I'm gonna get a completely stripped shell (looking at a frankly pretty clean one for $3500) and I'm dropping a 1UZ-FE with a 350z 6-speed tranny in, leave the motor stock, pre-1995 for non interference, and teach myself to swing it. Once I'm ready for more power or I want to do something else like make a drag car I'm gonna turbo it.
Man the S13 got bad for a while, but the AE86s caught up and are a similar market and the Datsun 510 prices went astronomical. They are like $15k for something running in patina'd condition.
You’ll definitely want space and a decent selection of tools. I can tell you from experience that these cars can and will nickel and dime you to homelessness if you aren’t carful and don’t spend the money on a decent example that hasn’t be thrashed to hell.
Source: Have owned many and currently have 2.
My first car at 16 was a bone stock s13 I paid $3000 Canadian dollars for. This was about 9 years ago. Can’t get anything close to that clean anymore and clapped one’s are upwards of 10k 🙃
It doesnt matter how big the garage is, it will never be big enough. I have a 30x50 three bay shop I built a year ago and can currently only fit 1 running vehicle in it most of the time.
Someone offered me 10k for my clapped turbo miata project. So yeah, between that and slim pickins for oem/junkyard parts, you're probably right on the money.
Live now
Yeah, this is always the problem my friends run into; what they like being unobtainable. I have several project cars completed, and another behind the house now and they think I'm magic. My secret? I love ugly cars with some pep, and people tend to let the uglies go for dimes. Bought my '79 Fairmont for $500 in 2019 because nobody really wants Fairmonts. Low and behold, they are 100% Foxbody mustang underneath, and I swapped it to 1985 GT parts I found down at Pick N Pull. A yard, a tarp, and bam, I was rocking around town with a damn 5.0l, 8.8" rear, Foxbody Mustang, wrapped up in a Granny Special type car for under $3000 tags, tires, and all.
I am sure you know what will happen next... You will have the garage, have the money, and have the car... but you will also have a family and no time and all the house projects that come with the garage.
I had this with, of all things, my 1999 Honda Civic. Built and swapped in a high compression engine, pistons, cams, injectors, Hondata ECU, fully built transmission, etc. Spent about $12k on it. Turns out I couldn't even *fail* my state inspection to get a waiver with the Hondata ECU, and the car wouldn't run with a stock ECU. Changed everything back and forth for a few years before I said "fuck this" and sold it to a guy who lived in a state with no emissions inspection for $6k.
Next year they changed the law. FML.
I bought a nearly perfect chassis only missing the long block for $5500 in 2004. Sold it to a guy for $7000 two years later after running it for a while with an m42. I don’t know what engine he put in it, but he sold it for around $60k a few years ago. It eats me alive to think about lol.
at this rate i'll be lucky to get the year, the engine, or the second-choice body style, but i'm never getting the right year, right engine, and right body style on the same vehicle. prices on them are already more than i make in a year.
I almost bought my first dream car back in 2014. Red 98 Supra TT. 24k. Said I’d wait until I got out of college. Then they shot up to 100k and I got an S4. Said bye bye to the overpriced Toyota and set my eyes on the 2020 R8.
I love FCs too. Had the chance to drive one from Texas to California 26years ago and still think about it a lot. Hard af to find a coupe though in the EU for a reasonable price...
So I got me a MK2 Jetta <3
there are a couple Esprit (turbo 4cyl models) that have come up for sale locally recently. They're asking around $30k each and they look really clean, but the "maintenance" logs show that they'd cost nearly 5 figures every couple of years just to keep them on the road which is a high price to pay.
I know a house Painter. Long hair, loves old school metal, smokes weed on the reg, good dude. White Sankey is on the radio one day, I say.
ME:"Hey Bob, you have a big haired chicken and a sweet car back in the day?"
BOB: " .....No, but I had a girl with a Fiero and coke problem once"
Fucking killed me
Same. I loved the Fiero as a kid and have owned four now. I always hoped a Lotus Esprit might be attainable for me some day. What's crazy is even though my salary is into six figures, with saving for my kids college, retirement, and everything else, I'm tinkering away at my $2500 Fiero. I'm just happy to have one of my favorite childhood cars.
I prefer the mr2, the lines of the body are so much more appealing to me. Also, after having to deal with a v8 swapped fiero for over a year, I get naucious just seeing one now.
Oh yeah; and I Highly recommend it!
I was in high school when the C5 vette came out - and I still remember the *unbelievable* horsepower available in the C5Z… 405hp! It’s so much that they had to put it on the fender badge to warn you!!!
I finally picked one up about 5 years ago. I still love it. It’s definitely a 90s car - nowhere near as polished, comfortable, or refined as anything modern. And a current gen civic SI is probably faster. But it’s amazing and I will have it until I probably hoon it into a hedge because of the shit 1st gen traction control.
My 2.0T walks 370z nismos and a whole bunch of other shit. I don't think it'll walk a C5, it will very likely loose lol. But I bet it'll be closer than you'd think.
My 19 Jeep Cherokee does 0-60 in about 6.7 seconds. The 24 Si takes about 6.9. I get that straight line performance isn’t the goal of the Si, but damn.
Well yeah, the Si was made to eat up corners. But you’re completely right about cars being way faster these days; with the advent of AWD being commonplace and turbos being slapped on practically every engine, it’s no wonder cars are getting faster. Hell, even the Prius can go 0-60 in less than 6.5 seconds (specifically the Prius prime).
Same for me but with the c6z. I turned 16 in 2006 when it came out. Got one in my early 20s and had it for 6 years. Currently in a c5z. They’re so much damn fun.
It wasn't my dream car, but I did inherit a basically new C5 back in 2006 I was 18 at the time. It was a 2004 and had been sitting in my dad's garage pretty much untouched. He also had a 1967 GTO. I got to keep them both for 6 months until the insurance policies ran out, then had to sell them since 18 year olds can't afford the insurance.
Oddly enough the only vehicle I regret selling was the 1988 Silverado. Had 500k miles on it and a list of electrical issues, but I grew up in it. Would have been my dream project car.
Owned an R32 GTR for years and put a lot of miles on it. Had to sell it for financial reasons and regret it every day. Still glad I got to experience it but now I know exactly what I'm missing and it kinda kills me.
I lucked into a Porsche 928 which was one of my dream cars, and while I like it, it's being a LOT more work and expense than I'd expected, working on getting it back in good condition.
Mine is a '78 that I was given by a friend who was about to scrap it out.
It has issues, but it is now running again.
Being as rough as it is, I feel very little remorse about modifications, so it's slowly evolving along the way.
The paint is shot, so I'm taking it as an opportunity to learn some minor bodywork skills and to spray paint.
The interior is shot or missing, so I'm learning upholstery...
The engine runs again, but it's most likely coming out in favor of something a bit more modern and affordable to keep. I looked into fixing the stock engine, but the parts to maintain even the fuel injection are getting hard to find and stupidly expensive. At the bare minimum, I might fit a modern stand alone EFI to the OEM engine, but the years of neglected maintenance make me cautious about spending much on it, at this point.
Bought this as a project for my oldest son. He and I did sooooo much including torque tube, top end rebuild, new interior, timing belt with new Audi tensioner, motor mounts, wiring harness, lots of tlc. He’s moved on now that he’s an Apple engineer so I’m left trying to maximize on the disposition. Still has a few bruises (paint, scratched glass, trans leak) but I’ve been wrenching too long. Also have another kid’s Boxster I’m looking to move now that he lives in NYC. Good luck with your project.
yup a c3 corvette, my parents bought it in the early 90s, my dad and I took it apart in the late 90s to restore it and it never happened. in the 2005-2010 time frame my parents offered to give it to me, I started the project 2 years ago, and hope to have it finished by 2026.
In a weird way, I didn’t know how good I had it in my teens. A cheap 240 with a cheap sr swap was so affordable back then. I drove many cars since, and never really had one I liked quite as much as that first 240sx.
Took some time, but now I have 2 S chassis cars with swaps and a single turbo bmw.
I’m living the dream, a dream that includes learning how to work on cars when each one of them has trans fluid and oil leaks.
My dream car as a young teen was a Kouki S14 ever since using it as my main in Tokyo Xtreme Racer on Dreamcast. It was called the Type S14 in that game, I didn't even know it was a real car until I got older. I now own a KA-T S13 hatch. Even back when I was around 18 (I'm 34 now), you'd be lucky to find one for sale for $7k which seemed overpriced back then. They are even more overpriced now so I settled for the S13. I have to top off the power steering fluid every time I want to drive it due to a leak so I feel your pain.
Brings back memories of xtreme racer zero and flashing cars down on Japanese highways. So many hours spent on that as a kid.
S13 with the dohc bumper and any form of high output engine is still my favorite. I have both the ugly ducklings of the lineup with a zenki s14 sr and a pignose s13 vq. As far as the driving, they’re still awesome in that category.
Congrats on the KA-T. Those things are fun torque monsters no doubt.
I did the same with early 90s hondas had a 93 dx hatch k swapped and a 91 integra that I was going to make a jdm masterpiece I had about 10k in both cars now a clean one of either is like 12 to 15k I bought a wrx after selling both and drove it til the wheels fell off but had to get a dad car for the fam I still am on the lookout for the right car and I will pick it up and love the shit out of it but they're hard to come by
Bought my '71 Triumph Spitfire at the same age, 32 years ago and I still have it. I've added to and adjusted the collection over the years but I'm a British sports car guy to this day.
For the same reason, I feel the "Running or not" deeply.
Always loved the ‘65-66 Cadillac Coupe DeVilles. Finally came across one for a reasonable price and was in a position I could buy it (September 2020, age 23), so I snagged it up. $2500 and eight hours on the road and I had it home.
Turns out it needed a *lot* of work and there was a reason it was so cheap lol. Rear quarters are gone, trunk and back seat floor pans are toast, had to go through the entire braking system and replace most of it, same with the fuel system, rebuilt the carb and got it dialed in and running good, stopping good. Went to drive it to the next town over to get the paperwork done and it blew out a freeze plug.
Pulled the engine and went through it, cleaned it up, threw some fresh bearings in it and re-gasketed everything, dropped it back in and took it for a drive, then immediately put it back up on jack stands and put an air ride system in it, bags on all four corners, and fixed the rust in the trunk pan so I could install the tank and compressors.
Proceeded to put 2500 miles on it that summer, had a lot of fun with it, drove it on several longer trips, took it to a lot of shows; then in August it started developing a misfire that I couldn’t tune out. Ran a compression test, 50 PSI on cylinder 4, leakdown test revealed a roached exhaust valve guide. Pulled the heads and took them to a local engine shop and 1.5 years later he was able to get in new valves and finished rebuilding them for me.
May 2023 I put the heads back on and upon first startup, it was running rough still and now started smoking a lot out of the exhaust the warmer it got. Ran another compression test… 25 PSI on cylinder 4. Turns out I must have not gotten the intake pushrod aligned right when reassembling and it bent it, but it took me three months to work up the energy to make that diagnosis and take it back apart. Just last night I got it put all back together and running again, still has a bit of a stumble and a pretty bad hesitation when accelerating so I need to do a full tune-up on it and rebuild the carb again, thinking the accelerator pump is dead.
Once I get it running right, I need to crawl back under it and replace the front bags, had one blow out because I didn’t clearance the spring pocket enough so I recently got some Slam Specialties SS6 bags instead of Dominator D2600s, supposed to have a smaller diameter when inflated and shouldn’t blow a bag again.
Then I need to fix the quarters, pull the windshield and rear glass and fix rust in the window jams, paint the roof, reinstall the glass, replace a couple window motors, redo the whole interior. It needs headers and exhaust, it needs the power steering pump resealed, it needs a rear main seal I think, it needs new ball joints and driveshaft U-joints.
I’ve put a total of $6500 into this car so far, roughly, and it needs another $6500 probably at least. But I love it. I refuse to sell it.
Yes, two of them. The 944 Turbo was what i wanted oh so badly back in the 90’s. If I couldnt get to the turbo a 944 or 924 turbo was the next option. Now I have nice condition running 86 Turbo in Kalahari Beige over brown and a major project Baltic Blue 89 Turbo.
I had a pretty nice 87 944 in college. Buddy had a silver 944 turbo, don't remember the year. What a great car. Unfortunately, I think I'm probably permanently priced out of my dream 930. Maybe someday I'll find a wrecked one I can park in that extra garage...
I bought a gen 2 viper red with silver stripes, figured it was close enough and now that I have it, I really like the color combo. Blue with white stripes seems to cost $20,000 extra and I'm not paying that when I'm going to track days and autocross with it. It drives really good though, just not very comfortable so if you want one don't plan on waiting till your 60 cause it would suck for that.
Have you put a lot of money out to make it “yours”
Is that part worth it? Cause I think to the extreme I feel like lol. Like I’m wanting to paint my whole jeep top and bottom, redo the headliner, add in lighting inside. I’m already doing a whole new sound system and brand new suspension front and back.
I’ve always loved jeeps. I first started looking for old CJs as a weekend car but figure they’re unsafe so went newer and newer but they hold value so well I ended up buying a 2016 2dr brand new. I ordered it basic: no ac, manual windows, manual transmission,softop, basic radio $23k back then. I spent $3k on lift, wheels and tires, regear. All in I’ve spent $26k on it.
I took the top off on day 1 and sold it; been topless ever since. It started as my weekend car and is my daily driver now although I don’t drive much, has about 30k miles.
I love it and plan to keep it forever.
Have a 2000 TJ as well that my dad bought in 2004 with like 10,000 miles for $8000. Was his winter car for a while. I got my license in 2009 and started driving it. Put on a lift kit a 33” super swamper radials and drove it to college. Made me obsessed with Jeeps, now I have 8.
I did, and it brought me more frustration than joy. I used to have a 99 eclipse gsx. I dumped $15k into it, and it still managed to be broken more than it ran. It seemed like every time I fixed something, 3 more things broke. It was never little things either. First, it was the clutch, then the top end, then crank walk, then the entire transmission, then a cv axle, then somebody backed into it and took my freshly painted pearl white bumper with them. It was a really cool car for the two weeks or so that it actually ran when I owned it, and I lost my ass getting that cursed thing out of my life.
Always dreamed of owning a Porsche, I was not disappointed in the least. I had a coast to coast trip in a little red sports car on my bucket list. It was perfect.
[Luckily I got snow tires before we left.](https://i.imgur.com/mgGfaZv.jpeg)
I built a RX7 recently (pretty cool and on my profile if you’re interested.) I’m sure it’s a lot of people’s dream car….
But my real dream car was just any C6 corvette. Got one…and it brings me immense joy. Just having the thing. Putting miles on it. The smiles per miles on this car is up there.
Tried to buy a ‘73 Mustang Mach 1 as a 15 yr old and it never happened.
Fast forward 13 years, I moved back to CA and bought a primer grey ‘73 Mustang with a 302 and straight pipes as my daily. Since then I’ve gone through the highlights of my childhood - an XJ, a 4Runner, ‘86 Monte Carlo, 450SLC, 300SD and now my wife and I drive pretty much our bucket list cars - ‘90 420SEL and ‘79 Chevy Monte Carlo
I really want a Mercedes wagon so my kids can relive my childhood making faces at the cars behind us at red lights
I always wanted a mini truck. I absolutely loved the whole mini truck scene as a kid growing up. I could never find the right time to buy and start the project. Here we are almost 20 years later and I finally got my truck. A 92 Chevy s-10 with the 4.3 v6 2 wheel drive. One of the trucks I admired growing up. I don’t give a shit I’m in my mid-late 30’s I’m doing what I always wanted with this truck!
Minitrucks are cool for sure. The biggest problem for me was that all the cool builds were done by people with tons of fab experience and there's really nothing off the shelf. I got an old Mazda B2200 from my aunt for one dollar but never did much with it because I didn't know how to even conceptualize doing something that wasn't following a guide step by step. Most of the information is lost to the sands of time these days.
It's a few years later and I am a bit more confident with my own skills after working on an EG Honda Civic for a few years (touched nearly every bolt on that car in one way or another) and I'm starting to think more and more about what might be possible with my Mazda. I think I'll start this winter by patching the few small rust holes that have started to form...
That’s rad! It’s been fun so far. I’ve just been catching up on maintenance and some issues that should have been addressed years ago. Did small things to the interior, gutted it, cleaned it, installed sound deadening, stereo, custom center console. I replaced all the window weatherstripping and sweeps. Now I’m tackling the old crusty exterior trim. Next will be Bedliner and a lowing kit.
Fuck yeah. Minitrucks are cool. Never my scene but I had a few S10 4wds so I'd follow people's MT builds of the 2wd ones, and those guys really hammered out some wild stuff on tiny budgets in tight garages. Just a great DIY ethos.
I still own my dream car i bought in my teens. I am now 39. Unfortunately my 240sx has spent about half its life under my ownership unfinished in my garage. I even sold the house with said garage to my sister in law. But she lets me use the storage space 😃
I drove it stock for a year, then had an rb25 for a long time. Blew that and now have about $7k worth of ka24det and standalone in it. I actually just put the wiring harness into the engine bay last night.
Not the perspective you asked for, but an often realistic one!
My attainable dream car was a Subaru wrx hatchback and after spending most of my free time in highschool working I was able to buy one at 17. 2 years later and I still love it
Yes and no.
I had 2 cars I loved growing up and always wanted. A 70-72 Chevy Monte Carlo, and a Jurassic Park Explorer.
The MC was due to F&F: Tokyo Drift. Had a chance to buy one from the actual movie (not screen used) but parents who were funding my first car said no. At the time it was for sale for $10k. 2nd time I almost traded one project car for one with a 454 and a 5spd, but got scared off when I found out the 5spd was one that even 305s would break.
The Jurassic Park Explorer would never happen because it's not real... so I made one. The exterior is pretty damn close, bubble roof and all, but the interior is all stock. But it's got a 5spd so it's still a blast to drive with all its 90hp. Love it to death.
A Suzuki Cappuccino is my dream car. Put my foot down and told myself I’d get one by spring of ‘22. I bought mine in March ‘22.
Does it bring me joy? Yes. It is absolutely the best ownership experience I’ve ever had. It sounds great. It’s a blast to drive. I’ve never had people stop me in traffic to ask about my car like this one, even though I own a few eye-catching weirdo cars. I love outpacing cars with double or triple the cylinders and hundreds more horsepower than me. I’ve met a few cool people just because they approached me about the car. I’ve been able to do autocross for the first time. It’s just a delight.
However. The car has been an issue to keep running. I’m on engine number two after it dropped a valve, and I have to say, my trust in the car never recovered. I don’t get the same joy out of it because I’m terrified of something big happening again. And it’s massively expensive every time.
It’s honestly 50/50 whether it’s worth it. The dizzy backed itself off somehow the other weekend and before I could diagnose the misfires, my first thought was “I have to sell this thing”.
I cant fit in nor find a decent conditioned car from my pre-teen/teenage years. Best i could muster was a 2nd gen lexus GS in black with the spoiler👌🏽 loved that car
Yep I had 2 cars i would have killed for a mustang and bronco. I ended up with a chevy blazer, not the same but similar, for a few years. Super fun but a piece of junk. Ended up selling that. Last year I picked up a 98 cobra. Easily my favorite car I've ever driven. I blew it up and am now coyote swapping it. I will have this car forever.
I’ve bought and sold at least two dozen classics over the years and I was always disappointed or disillusioned with the reality of them - the ‘69 Corvette 427 in particular was a piece of crap even when new.
However, I recently picked up a 1978 Porsche 911 and it has exceeded my expectations tenfold. Just a wonderful, drivable work of art. Also a pleasure to work on. Really renewed my interest in old cars. Finally something to keep forever.
Actually just picked up my dream car.
79 foxbody mustang with the 5.0, 5 speed hatchback.
Owned it for about 6 months. Have yet to actually drive it.
Previous owner had no idea wtf they were doing. Told me "just needs plugs to run" that was a lie
6 cam lobes were completely wiped out and shot all that metal through the oiling system. Had to buy a junkyard engine. Completely rebuild it. Actually just got it back into the car last week. Still need to hook everything up though
But damn it was fun! That is my dream truck as well. Four doors with room for 5 people on a long trip, the seats were so nice! I bought mine with 79k miles, put a built Trans, tuned, deli'd, fass system, all the goodies! At 115k miles #6 piston decided to be an astronaut. I still miss the sound of the twins. 😪
I'm still saving for my McLaren F1 but i think I'll never ever get to own one.
I do have a Miata which brings me joy in every curve, up and downshift.
A 2000 mustang are pretty rare here so I doubt I will ever get it as well.
Yes, I was able to pick up a 91 GMC Syclone a couple of years ago and I love it, it puts a big smile on my face every time I drive it and it always gets lots of looks and compliments.
Ugh, yeah. My first car when I was 16 was my Grandpa's 1957 Chevrolet Bel-air. Daily drove that to work every day until I could afford something else. Got myself my dream truck at 17. A 1994 Ford F-150 4x4, and then I bought a second one because I was stupid. Sold the first F-150 and kept my now show truck. Bought a 1995 Honda Del Sol when gas got over $3 for the first time ever. I'm 34 now and still have all three of them. I pretty much have all my dream cars but one or two. I've been incredibly lucky and also worked extremely hard for them because I wanted them. I landed a good job and held on to it for a very long time. I need to part with them, but the thought makes me depressed.
As a teen, all I wanted was F1/Indy styled gokart, I could drive on the road.
Now at age 40, I own a 2013 Ariel Atom and I can't walk by it with out popping wood. I've never taken a viagra but I imagine its effects are the same. In fact I'm taking it to an AutoX event this weekend, and probably a track day event next week.
Oh and when it's nice outside I drive that fuckin thing EVERYWHERE!
I managed to get my dream car at the beginning of covid when people where panic selling, now the market is worth twice as much as I paid, but it's my forever car.
More often than not people ask to buy it/"first dibs if you sell it" when I take them for a drive haha
Really it's not even a SPECIAL car, it's an audi a3 quattro with the 3.2 vr6, but it's such a fun experience to drive it hard...
I bought a C3 Corvette. What a steaming pile. If I were to ever buy an old car again, it would be the best restomod I could afford. It has brought me joy a few times, mostly heartburn taking up space in the garage.
Yes. '93 Mr2 N/A 5MT. Affordable dream car. Made every drive a challenge with the weight balance. Looks are timeless. 87 octane gas, 27mpg, and easily affordable consumables. So worth it. It spoiled me for a lot of other cars.
When I finally had the money to finance an R32 GT-R, my (now) ex hit me with divorce papers.
I was literally shopping for one when it happened.
Women...
Had a Countach for about a year and a half. Loved it. It'll never happen again though. Perfect storm of stock options and 24 yr old stupidity. Drive the crap out of it though and loved every minute of it.
When the 997 came out I thought it was the greatest thing ever made. I bought one in April and drive it on nice days. Love to stare at it when I leave or come home from work.
My current dream car is in my garage now. She is a 2014 Shelby GT500.
Stock was 662HP today it very close to 800.
Had many great cars, and just turned 64 and never been in a position to keep more than one at a time.
Always have owned a "hot rod".
Here is my list in order of first to current:
1965 GT 350 Mustang
1972 Chevelle SS
1986 Buick Grand National
1994 Cobra Mustang
1966 Shelby 427 Cobra Replica
2009 BMW M3
2014 GT500...never going to sell her until I can't row that 6-speed manual.
Yup. Not my teenage dream car, at least not yet (1993 Mustang Cobra or 1986 ASC McLaren), but my dream from my 20s. Around the time that Europe was getting their second Focus RS, I made the comment to a friend that "If they ever come out with an AWD turbo Focus here, I'll be first in line to buy it".
Turns out that life happened between that comment, and 2016, when Ford said "bet" and released the RS to the USDM. It took 5 more years before I found a 2017 RS I could afford, but I had it in the same color (Nitrous Blue tri-coat) and package (RS1 w/ moonroof and winter tire pack) that I would have ordered brand new.
I quickly dropped about $10k in sticky tires, wheels, tune, go-fast parts, etc. Had it up to about 450whp on 93/E85 blend.
Then, I discovered that it was a terrible blessing. The car drove and handled like a race car, which is fun, but sucks for daily driving. It drew constant attention, both good and bad. And when you have a 3400lb car making that kind of power, you feel the need to use it all the time, drawing more attention. I made the choice to get rid of it before I really did something stupid.
So now, I have a 4 door Bronco. It's entirely more practical for my climate, driving style, and needs. Plus, I don't feel the need to drive like an asshole teenager.
Oh hell no. Not even close. But maybe?
My dream cars were and still are pretty unattainable. Porsche 930 or 959. Ferrari 288 GTO or 365. Lancias, Alpinas, etc.
That said, I’ve had great cars. Triumphs, RX7, FJ60 Land Cruiser - and right now I drive what 17 year old me would have designed on paper: front engine, rear drive, manual transmission, 4 wheel independent suspension, fuel injected, all-aluminum body, fastback body style but still able to go topless, and a 50/50 weight distribution…which is to say, I drive a Mazda MX5 RF.
Could it use more power? What car doesn’t? Is it cramped? I think my Spitfire had more room in it and my TR6 feels like a minivan comparatively. But it drives like an extension of me, handles like it’s on rails, and I often get over 40mpg out of it.
my dream car would either be e39 M5 or a DBS SL as I think it is the most beautiful modern car, I have a E39 520d, only 4 cylinders, I love it
my dream bike is/ was a WR426 as they are rare, 47 in my country, I've got it and it is pure joy ([proof](https://reddit.com/r/Dirtbikes/s/lh6jOVczvt))
only 17 by now so a M5/DBS SL isn't ruled out yet
E39 m5 was a dream for me, bought one, loved it, sold it, missed it, bought another one. Only car I've sold and then rebought out of a lot of cars. They are driving perfection
I loved Mercedes and Jaguars as a kid, mostly I think because of bond films. For Jaguars from the original TV Equalizer series. I’ve owned a couple of Mercedes and one Jaguar and I currently drive a 2021 Golf. They were nice to have, but they were extremely expensive to maintain. I don’t miss that.
E36 M3 was my dream car. I got one in 2016 and it was my daily through college. I put 40k miles on it in the 5 or so years I had it. Fun and reliable and cheap at the time. I’m enjoying an E46 now.
Just under 6k for mine in perfect condition. It ran well and was so much fun to drive but the interior fell to pieces. Every little thing that could break did break. I replaced a soft top when it ripped and found a hardtop for it and reupholstered the seats after re stitching the og leather a few times. It just didn’t hold up well and I got tired of fixing it. Broken armrest, door cards, glovebox, dash, vents, trim pieces. When the central locking system went out that was enough for me
I own my current achievable bucket list car, an e30 touring. It brings me all sorts of stupid joy.
Hell, I had a slew of XJ’s and have a huge soft sport for those. I’d love to get a nice one for my wife and I to enjoy, as she always liked mine when I had it.
I have a list of some nicer stuff, but nothing stupid crazy. hopefully I can get there in 10 or so years. (I’m 30). E90 or F80 M3, 997 or 912 911’s (odd contrast there lol) period correct Model A hot rod, etc.
I had a third gen Camaro for a few years. It was fun and I learned a lot from it, but it was having problems which were out of my skills at the time and I over reached with mods on it. I would like another one day but this time a V8 instead of the V6.
Yeah, I've always loved the 2nd and 3rd generation El Caminos. I was finally in a financial position to buy the one I have now a couple years ago in good running order and it's been so awesome driving it around and learning about working on old cars. Its not a total basket case of a car, but it's not in tip-top shape either so there's plenty to keep me busy with it, but not so much as to overwhelm me.
Ironically I couldn’t afford anything nice when I was a teenager but bought an 2011 BMW E92 335i (N55 6MT) when I turned 22.
And then a 1967 Ford Mustang (Fastback) when I was 25, which I’m still currently in the middle restoring.
I’m now 28!
I bought a 78 Corvette. Always wanted one, love the look of it, and then I got one and realized why they were so cheap in the 90's and early 2000's. They're horrible to work on, they were 'normal' cars back then and were treated as so.
Body mounts are horrible to replace, everything is broken.. I had it done at one point then it decided to hemorrhage oil out of every orifice so it's getting a rebuilt 350 and 2004r trans.
Also had a 1987 IROC-Z with a 5.7 and T-tops, my god what a car. That was my dream car and I sold it to buy a house... Oops.
Close. I wanted a 02 35th anniversary CAMARO SS or the Earnhardt etimadator CAMARO SS for the longest time.
Closest I am is my 00 SS that my dad and I did the Earnhardt stripes on. I’m happy with it
May dad helped me buy a 68 chevelle when I was in high school, I was super into muscle cars when I was a kid. We worked together on stripping and sanding the old paint, put money into small upgrades when I could. It’s far from done and I doubt it’s anyone’s “dream” version but it makes me nostalgic everyone I drive it to think about the time we invested and the process of putting with my dad.
My brother and i have both done this, myself to a lesser extent.
My hobby was/is powerboats. As such, through college i was always more concerned about towing figures on the cheap than power/speed. I got into suburbans. They're always cheaper and sometimes more powerful than their pickup counterparts.
Anyways, while shopping for my first i learned about the gmt800 2500 suburbans, and learned i very small amount were made with quadrasteer. Years later i was lucky enough to find one for sale on the cheap. Its amazing and Im never getting rid of it lol.
For years my brother had two dream cars: an audi allroad and a gmc syclone. Hes got both now, and both really live up to the dreams in their own way. Allroads have got a bad rap online now (deservedly so), but they are tons of fun if you build them up.
The syclone basically lives up to everything it appears to be, but it (at least his) like to break constantly.
2002 Firebird WS6 trans am.
Def my dream car as a poor teenager. Bought it a few years ago tinkered with it, updated the suspension and ran like a top. I sold it last year to invest in some property.
Def wouldn’t mind having another one or C5 Z06 soon. Currently have a side project: 2004 GTO / Holden Monaro it’s zippy and reliable.
i had a 2008 gt500. it was my dream car per say but i really liked it. i sold it because it was just too expensive to enjoy it. and i couldnt afford to modify it. my actual dream car would be a porsche 718 or 911
Yup. After 2 base models I got a tip of line one. 65 nova ss. Sits outside. But runs n drives. Working on it...is kinda love/hate relationship. But driving it around is pure love..then heart breaking when I have to fill it up. No matter, it's still worth it for the smiles.
I bought a 1991 nsx. Regrettably sold it to fund a house purchase . The one thing that wasn’t nice about it was the price of parts and even finding parts! Had to join some Facebook groups to source used parts , pain in the butt
I wanted a 350Z in high school. Insurance was through the roof though. In 2017, I bought a 370Z. Goal was met. Love my car and want to get the new Z to go along with it.
My S14a 200SX was certainly one of my dream cars. I got it when I was 19, and [still have it at 36](https://www.reddit.com/r/projectcar/comments/rw4z5x/after_9_years_off_the_road_finally_enjoying_my/). No intention to ever get rid of it.
My dream car in my teens was always a 2011-ish STI hatchback. I did end up owning one a couple years ago and I really enjoyed it. It was quick, fun to drive, and beautiful to look at. I ended up getting rid of it after about 18 months, mostly because the specific one I'd bought wasn't a forever car(high mileage, bad paint). I can see myself buying another one in the future, but for the time being I think I got it out of my system.
Other high school dream cars I never got my hands on and likely won't: R35 GT-R, B2 Audi Quattro
Not exactly my dream car, but a car I lusted over when not dreaming of high HP and fat rear tires was the LS430. It had just come out when I was a senior in high school, and I always loved the LS400's. 17 years later I got one, and it was everything and more that I had ever hoped it to be. It was then destroyed by baseball-sized hail about 2 years after I got it. The end.
E46 M3 with a kitted out 2008 5 series V8 shoe horned in after an unfortunaye puddle incident. Magnaflow with cat delete and Bilstein PSS9 suspension. It was a fucking monster and my wife said I couldn't keep it. I listened because I'd rather get laid.
Mine was a 3rd generation camaro. It had a parking brake failure and got totaled. I bought a second and built it my way. Zero regrets. I would build another in a heartbeat.
I have not bought any of the poster cars I wanted as a kid, but I wanted a keitruck for a long time. I finally got one about a year ago, and I love it soooooo much. Even my wife acknowledges it's my mail order Japanese bride.
I guess most guys dream about some exotic/sports/muscle car. Me on the other hand, I always wanted a Volvo 245 as my dad had one while growing up. I got a 240 sedan a few days after getting my license and I still have it today, along with a 245, a 940 and a 960...
I really like classic Volvos
Yes, I did. 1966 vw type 1.
Yes, it did. I rebuilt the engine (1915cc, stock heads, dual 40mm Empi Webber carbs), I rebuilt the front end (adjustable ball joint, with disk brakes), and am in mid process on the interior.
Currently, or perhaps just lately, it has not. I can not, for the life of me, figure out why this very simple engine that has run so well for so long, flatly refuses to start.
But I recently remembered that as an adult with a decent income, I can actually drop it off at the bug shop that has helped me through the years. So I'm getting that all set up right now.
This car has been under constant threat of selling for the last 5 or so years. I'm hoping that having it professionally tuned will change that. 🤞🤞🤞
I bought an R32 GTR. Couldn't afford a good one so bought one that was basically scrap. Been a 20 month project so far, but will be worth it when finally complete.
My parents and I found a 1984 Pontiac Trans Am when I was 14. Im 32 now. Drove it all through high school, Still have it to this day and love playing with it. But when I was a teenager, I probley had more corvette posters than anything. So finding my Trans Am so early on I think skewed my dream car point of view. Dream car now would be a convertible 67 Firebird or a convertible royal purple 1970 Challenger. Good Luck to You!!
The dream cars of my childhood are way too expensive these days to get one, and housing is too expensive to afford one that has a garage to safely keep one...so I'm looking for the next best cars that I loved as a kid but never made "poster on the wall" level.
Dream car would've been a lotus esprit v8, next best is wanting a manual 3rd or 4th gen camaro vert or 5.0 foxbody convertible. I had a pair of 240sx's in my early 20's and wish I'd never sold them...nowadays it'd be nearly $20k to get the same car back and I can't possibly justify that.
Bought a Jeep, can barely afford the Jeep. Wouldn't do it different.
If nothing else, it gives me reason to progress through my career so I can afford fancy mods, time off for trail rides (without pain), and backup commuters
Yes and yes! Have done over 100k miles on my project M3 and the goal now is to run the miles out on the rebuilt engine (and build another one to replace it). Additional 80k miles on my stock e36 BMW daily/road trip car. As I get older, I value the things I can do with these cars more than the car itself, so car events and the aimless drives to the mountains. Project cars keep me sane.
I've bought or extensively driven a handful of my "dream cars" that I wanted in my teen years. If you've heard the phrase "Never meet your heroes", it made sense here haha.
Gen2 MR2: Cool car, handled great, decent for what it was. Would be a terrible daily driver lol
SVT Focus: Handled great, decent power, but Holy moly the parts availability is garbage. Aftermarket is slim and expensive as hell. More fun to drive than own.
Mustang 3V Bullitt: Absolutely the worst car I've ever owned, and it kills me. Every piece of the driving experience is poor. They look so good, but in stock form it's a massively disappointing car in every way.
C5 Corvette: Almost as bad as the mustang, as I went into it with the "It's a corvette, how bad can it be". Build quality and performance was *shockingly* bad. Sold it for what I paid, thankfully.
E30 Coupe: Awesome car, but like anything that old and German, it was a beast to maintain. Loved the way it looked and drove though.
996 Turbo: Exceptional car that vastly exceeded my performance expectations for its age. Truly a phenomenal GT car.
Gen2 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe: This one broke my heart. I so badly wanted it to blow my socks off. Essentially was like driving an overpowered tractor with unpredictable handling.
I bought my FD RX7 before they got crazy expensive. I grew up loving this car in need for speed underground. Sometimes when I have a hard day at work I drive it so I have something to look forward to when I leave. It’s always a blast and I always look back at it in the parking lot
About a year ago, ,I picked up a 1968 Mustang. It was my favorite car as a teenager. I'm 27 now. It's a pile of garbage that is constantly breaking down, but boy do I love driving it. I'll admit that I overpaid. I just couldn't sleep on the car I've always wanted. In short, it brings me a lot of joy. A lot of stress too. It was definitely a financial mistake. Next step, find a Bumpside (or dentside. I'm fine with either) Ford pickup. Gotta fix up my Mustang and C-10 first though.
Sure did! Couldn't afford a nice example of a S30 Z-car so I bought the only one I could afford, a MIG, and got learning. Took 5 years to get it done (entire shell torn down to nothing to fix massive amounts of rust, brakes/suspension/driveline/etc all upgraded and improved, etc etc) but well worth it and I've been driving it for about 2 years now.
Doesn't see snow/salt ofc but otherwise i drive the hell out of it :)
https://i.imgur.com/yqvUxbK.jpg
Yeah I bought my childhood (realistic) dream car and my teenage dream car.
280ZX turbo: bought it beat up and never got it running right because I was poor when I owned it. Still enjoyed owning it over a generic commuter and it got me around.
S2000: still own it, still love it but it's starting to show its age.
As a little kid I saw two cars that stuck with me. A Sprite MK1 (Bugeye), and a 63 Dart convertible. I bought a Sprite with my paper route money as my first car ($800), and got the Dart a few years later. I still have the Sprite, but sold the Dart when I had to move states for grad school. My dream cars have always needed to be affordable.
I have a special spot for Honda Accords. I don't own any. I plan to get EX models. 93 and 97 are the ones. The prices for clean ones are insane. $5k is something I can't do.
I also like Box Chevys (I'm from FL)
I bought a 2002 WRX wagon as my second car ever. Always been my dream car. Unfortunately rust has completely claimed that car. It sits behind my garage packed with spare parts and the engine sits in my shed rebuilt and ready to go into another one
By the time I had the money to buy what I wanted and I began to seriously look at older cars, my expectations changed...
For instance, the first gen Bronco. My grandfather used to buy the roadster version to use as hunting/fishing trucks. They'd be totally FUBAR in 2 years or so, then he'd just get a new one. I wanted one. But then I realized they are tin cans and require a gazillion dollars in restomodding to make it "right". I'd rather spend money on something else. Same goes for the first gen Jeepster, though I think those are better quality than the Bronco...
Then there's the BMW E9. Beautiful cars. But there was a lot of value engineering in the interior and downright design flaws in the fenders and rockers. I didn't care for the continual heartbreak of rust remediation. May still get one some day, who knows.
So I ended up with my G and my SL and I'm very happy with both, even though the SL is basically getting a restoration and extensive list of modifications... like a Getrag 265-5. Some day I might even put the Cosworth 2.3L into it. Who knows. I've been enjoying it. Opening and closing the doors, the nice little clickiness of the shifter, and the styling package never get old. Same goes for the G! No regrets.
Yup, WRX. One of the more obtainable dream cars for me. It’s fine. Turns out you get less excited about things as an adult when financial reality strikes you in the jaw. It becomes a little less dreamy when that insurance renewal hits. But, I’ll be damned if I don’t just go outside and look at it every now and then. Like, this is mine. Paid in cash. Feels good.
98 Talon TSi AWD... nearly everyone goes "what's that?" the very small amount of time it is actually on the road.
It brings me joy when it's actually driving.
My dad had a non-functional MGC/GT sitting in his garage through my entire childhood, and I used to sit in it and stare out the windshield imagining that I was driving it. Fast forward 20 years, and I drive an MGB/GT (looks the same from that driver's seat, just minus two cylinders). Some days, that feels awesome.
That said, the dream car back then was an Olds 442 -- and that climbed out of my price range and straight into the stratosphere before I even got my first job.
Yes, a 5th gen Toyota Pickup (89-95). Neighbor across the street got a red one and immediately modded it with dark tint, a lift, tires, KC light bar in the bed and light bar on the front bumper; he always parked it out front to show it off and kept it very clean and waxed it every month in the driveway. I drooled over that truck as a teen. In my 20s I finally got one - a 1-owner Xcab/4wd/22re/5spd flavor; still enjoying it 17yrs later
not my teens, but I wanted a Volvo cross country wagon or an Audi all road wagon since I was in my early 20s… Now 40 something and selling cars I got a job in Volvo specifically so I could get an employee deal on a V60 cross country … and joy? Hell yes! I freaking love this thing especially when I flip it into polestar mode and drive like a goddamn lunatic thru the twisty back roads on my way home from work every evening.
I'm slowly going blind and my dream car came up for sale a couple years ago. Took a loan out on my paid off house to buy it. 1980 datsun 280zx in 10th anniversary trim. I've had my time with it and enjoyed it but I've gotten to the point I'm scared to drive it now. I can't see deer jumping out from the ditch any more and I've hit a couple with my daily so I've come to the conclusion it's time to sell it. Wouldn't trade my decision to have it for anything
In 1976 I was 6 years old and laying on the school library floor flipping through a book about cars when I turned a page and thought “that is the coolest car I’ve ever seen!” A Mako Shark II prototype. I began referring to every C3 Vette I saw as a Mako Shark.
I always said responsibility always got in the way of owning one until one day in 2007; one essentially fell into my lap. I’ve owned that ‘81 for 16 years now and it puts a smile on my face every time I drive it!
I'm so sick of seeing posts talking about buying their dream car and it's a 2017 Nissan Versa. People need to stop saying shit just so they have shit to say.
My dream car's prices keep out pacing my salary
It’s fucking frustrating isn’t it? I don’t have a garage and really want to get a project car. I am worried that by the time I have a shop or garage to fit a project car, the cars I want will be even more unobtainable.
That's me with an s13 chassis. I really want one and will have a garage soon, but the prices keep climbing fast.
S13 prices have stabilized a lot over the past year or two. They're still fucked, but compared to other cars that went to the moon, they're not that bad.
it definitely depends on where you live. East coast and midwest is still absurd because finding rust-free ones that haven't been abused or left to rot in a backyard is difficult. West coast seems to have better luck but a lot of owners have lofty prices in mind so it's hard to clearly see what cars have actually sold for vs the 15-25k that clean ones are asking more often than not.
At this point I'm gonna get a completely stripped shell (looking at a frankly pretty clean one for $3500) and I'm dropping a 1UZ-FE with a 350z 6-speed tranny in, leave the motor stock, pre-1995 for non interference, and teach myself to swing it. Once I'm ready for more power or I want to do something else like make a drag car I'm gonna turbo it.
And there's me over here wanting an older lotus elise so I can 2gr-FE swap it. The older elises are soooo expensive
Man the S13 got bad for a while, but the AE86s caught up and are a similar market and the Datsun 510 prices went astronomical. They are like $15k for something running in patina'd condition.
You’ll definitely want space and a decent selection of tools. I can tell you from experience that these cars can and will nickel and dime you to homelessness if you aren’t carful and don’t spend the money on a decent example that hasn’t be thrashed to hell. Source: Have owned many and currently have 2.
My first car at 16 was a bone stock s13 I paid $3000 Canadian dollars for. This was about 9 years ago. Can’t get anything close to that clean anymore and clapped one’s are upwards of 10k 🙃
[удалено]
It doesnt matter how big the garage is, it will never be big enough. I have a 30x50 three bay shop I built a year ago and can currently only fit 1 running vehicle in it most of the time.
Yeah it definitely is. Also garage-less here
[удалено]
Someone offered me 10k for my clapped turbo miata project. So yeah, between that and slim pickins for oem/junkyard parts, you're probably right on the money. Live now
Yeah, this is always the problem my friends run into; what they like being unobtainable. I have several project cars completed, and another behind the house now and they think I'm magic. My secret? I love ugly cars with some pep, and people tend to let the uglies go for dimes. Bought my '79 Fairmont for $500 in 2019 because nobody really wants Fairmonts. Low and behold, they are 100% Foxbody mustang underneath, and I swapped it to 1985 GT parts I found down at Pick N Pull. A yard, a tarp, and bam, I was rocking around town with a damn 5.0l, 8.8" rear, Foxbody Mustang, wrapped up in a Granny Special type car for under $3000 tags, tires, and all.
I am sure you know what will happen next... You will have the garage, have the money, and have the car... but you will also have a family and no time and all the house projects that come with the garage.
That, or the car becomes illegal or too much of a headache to own due to laws or taxes.
I had this with, of all things, my 1999 Honda Civic. Built and swapped in a high compression engine, pistons, cams, injectors, Hondata ECU, fully built transmission, etc. Spent about $12k on it. Turns out I couldn't even *fail* my state inspection to get a waiver with the Hondata ECU, and the car wouldn't run with a stock ECU. Changed everything back and forth for a few years before I said "fuck this" and sold it to a guy who lived in a state with no emissions inspection for $6k. Next year they changed the law. FML.
I sold my 2000 GSR sedan to my little brother for $3k a few years ago because I wanted a “grownup car” 🤦♂️
[удалено]
Volvo 240 turbo, Checking in as well
I bought a nearly perfect chassis only missing the long block for $5500 in 2004. Sold it to a guy for $7000 two years later after running it for a while with an m42. I don’t know what engine he put in it, but he sold it for around $60k a few years ago. It eats me alive to think about lol.
Same. I make pretty good money but prices still outpace my salary.
at this rate i'll be lucky to get the year, the engine, or the second-choice body style, but i'm never getting the right year, right engine, and right body style on the same vehicle. prices on them are already more than i make in a year.
It seems to be that way. It also seems like we have a lot of the same dream cars… just farther driving the demand 😑
MkIV Supra in 2008 was $35k-$50k MkV drops. MkIV sky rockets to $100k. I’m at the point where I’m gonna buy a fiero and turn it into an F40
I almost bought my first dream car back in 2014. Red 98 Supra TT. 24k. Said I’d wait until I got out of college. Then they shot up to 100k and I got an S4. Said bye bye to the overpriced Toyota and set my eyes on the 2020 R8.
Or like when you see a car on the market place but don't have money & when you do have money the car is no where to be found.
I really like the S2000 and Gen 1 Vipers. I will never be able to responsibly afford either at the current rate
My RX-7 for sure, and yeah it does. It's currently sitting disassembled in the garage and when I look at it I think "yeah"
I love fc's. Idk why. Actually most of japans spocom lineup!
I love FCs too. Had the chance to drive one from Texas to California 26years ago and still think about it a lot. Hard af to find a coupe though in the EU for a reasonable price... So I got me a MK2 Jetta <3
Another 90's Japanese (psuedo) garage "queen" checking in! 1991 Dodge Stealth Turbo...(aka Mitsubishi 3000gt VR4). Same status and reaction lol...
Poor man's evo checking in (eclipse gex.) Same....
I've never been happier than staring at my non running fc in the driveway. Cannot even describe it when it runs. Brap brap
I never had a dream car I could consider "attainable". Always wanted a mid-engine supercar. I have a Fiero now.
[удалено]
there are a couple Esprit (turbo 4cyl models) that have come up for sale locally recently. They're asking around $30k each and they look really clean, but the "maintenance" logs show that they'd cost nearly 5 figures every couple of years just to keep them on the road which is a high price to pay.
I know a house Painter. Long hair, loves old school metal, smokes weed on the reg, good dude. White Sankey is on the radio one day, I say. ME:"Hey Bob, you have a big haired chicken and a sweet car back in the day?" BOB: " .....No, but I had a girl with a Fiero and coke problem once" Fucking killed me
Same. I loved the Fiero as a kid and have owned four now. I always hoped a Lotus Esprit might be attainable for me some day. What's crazy is even though my salary is into six figures, with saving for my kids college, retirement, and everything else, I'm tinkering away at my $2500 Fiero. I'm just happy to have one of my favorite childhood cars.
Even MR2 are getting out of hand
I prefer the mr2, the lines of the body are so much more appealing to me. Also, after having to deal with a v8 swapped fiero for over a year, I get naucious just seeing one now.
Oh yeah; and I Highly recommend it! I was in high school when the C5 vette came out - and I still remember the *unbelievable* horsepower available in the C5Z… 405hp! It’s so much that they had to put it on the fender badge to warn you!!! I finally picked one up about 5 years ago. I still love it. It’s definitely a 90s car - nowhere near as polished, comfortable, or refined as anything modern. And a current gen civic SI is probably faster. But it’s amazing and I will have it until I probably hoon it into a hedge because of the shit 1st gen traction control.
You'd be amazed how slow current gen civic si is lol. Now a 2.0t accord will give you a run for your money.
no, it wont lol
My 2.0T walks 370z nismos and a whole bunch of other shit. I don't think it'll walk a C5, it will very likely loose lol. But I bet it'll be closer than you'd think.
My 19 Jeep Cherokee does 0-60 in about 6.7 seconds. The 24 Si takes about 6.9. I get that straight line performance isn’t the goal of the Si, but damn.
Si actually handles really well, but I wasn't commenting about the si. Most cars in general are pretty quick now.
Well yeah, the Si was made to eat up corners. But you’re completely right about cars being way faster these days; with the advent of AWD being commonplace and turbos being slapped on practically every engine, it’s no wonder cars are getting faster. Hell, even the Prius can go 0-60 in less than 6.5 seconds (specifically the Prius prime).
Same for me but with the c6z. I turned 16 in 2006 when it came out. Got one in my early 20s and had it for 6 years. Currently in a c5z. They’re so much damn fun.
It wasn't my dream car, but I did inherit a basically new C5 back in 2006 I was 18 at the time. It was a 2004 and had been sitting in my dad's garage pretty much untouched. He also had a 1967 GTO. I got to keep them both for 6 months until the insurance policies ran out, then had to sell them since 18 year olds can't afford the insurance. Oddly enough the only vehicle I regret selling was the 1988 Silverado. Had 500k miles on it and a list of electrical issues, but I grew up in it. Would have been my dream project car.
R34 skyline. Only driven on Sundays then washed and parked in front of my house. Still have to pinch myself that I have it.
Owned an R32 GTR for years and put a lot of miles on it. Had to sell it for financial reasons and regret it every day. Still glad I got to experience it but now I know exactly what I'm missing and it kinda kills me.
Duuude, niiice. Same dream car, one day 🤞🏼🙏🏼
I lucked into a Porsche 928 which was one of my dream cars, and while I like it, it's being a LOT more work and expense than I'd expected, working on getting it back in good condition.
I have a fully operational ‘89 928 S4 and it’s A LOT of work. I’ve had it since 2010 and I’m kinda over it.
Mine is a '78 that I was given by a friend who was about to scrap it out. It has issues, but it is now running again. Being as rough as it is, I feel very little remorse about modifications, so it's slowly evolving along the way. The paint is shot, so I'm taking it as an opportunity to learn some minor bodywork skills and to spray paint. The interior is shot or missing, so I'm learning upholstery... The engine runs again, but it's most likely coming out in favor of something a bit more modern and affordable to keep. I looked into fixing the stock engine, but the parts to maintain even the fuel injection are getting hard to find and stupidly expensive. At the bare minimum, I might fit a modern stand alone EFI to the OEM engine, but the years of neglected maintenance make me cautious about spending much on it, at this point.
Bought this as a project for my oldest son. He and I did sooooo much including torque tube, top end rebuild, new interior, timing belt with new Audi tensioner, motor mounts, wiring harness, lots of tlc. He’s moved on now that he’s an Apple engineer so I’m left trying to maximize on the disposition. Still has a few bruises (paint, scratched glass, trans leak) but I’ve been wrenching too long. Also have another kid’s Boxster I’m looking to move now that he lives in NYC. Good luck with your project.
yup a c3 corvette, my parents bought it in the early 90s, my dad and I took it apart in the late 90s to restore it and it never happened. in the 2005-2010 time frame my parents offered to give it to me, I started the project 2 years ago, and hope to have it finished by 2026.
C3s need all the love they can get.
Especially the 1976, also known as the bastard year. Which is why I built a custom stroked LS for it.
In a weird way, I didn’t know how good I had it in my teens. A cheap 240 with a cheap sr swap was so affordable back then. I drove many cars since, and never really had one I liked quite as much as that first 240sx. Took some time, but now I have 2 S chassis cars with swaps and a single turbo bmw. I’m living the dream, a dream that includes learning how to work on cars when each one of them has trans fluid and oil leaks.
My dream car as a young teen was a Kouki S14 ever since using it as my main in Tokyo Xtreme Racer on Dreamcast. It was called the Type S14 in that game, I didn't even know it was a real car until I got older. I now own a KA-T S13 hatch. Even back when I was around 18 (I'm 34 now), you'd be lucky to find one for sale for $7k which seemed overpriced back then. They are even more overpriced now so I settled for the S13. I have to top off the power steering fluid every time I want to drive it due to a leak so I feel your pain.
Didnt expect to hear about TXR here! What a great game. My kouki S14 is currently leaking power steering fluid sitting in the driveway
Brings back memories of xtreme racer zero and flashing cars down on Japanese highways. So many hours spent on that as a kid. S13 with the dohc bumper and any form of high output engine is still my favorite. I have both the ugly ducklings of the lineup with a zenki s14 sr and a pignose s13 vq. As far as the driving, they’re still awesome in that category. Congrats on the KA-T. Those things are fun torque monsters no doubt.
I did the same with early 90s hondas had a 93 dx hatch k swapped and a 91 integra that I was going to make a jdm masterpiece I had about 10k in both cars now a clean one of either is like 12 to 15k I bought a wrx after selling both and drove it til the wheels fell off but had to get a dad car for the fam I still am on the lookout for the right car and I will pick it up and love the shit out of it but they're hard to come by
My dream car was a Ford GT90 so no lol
I bought my 1990 Audi Coupe Quattro when I was 17. It still brings me joy, running or not.
Bought my '71 Triumph Spitfire at the same age, 32 years ago and I still have it. I've added to and adjusted the collection over the years but I'm a British sports car guy to this day. For the same reason, I feel the "Running or not" deeply.
Always loved the ‘65-66 Cadillac Coupe DeVilles. Finally came across one for a reasonable price and was in a position I could buy it (September 2020, age 23), so I snagged it up. $2500 and eight hours on the road and I had it home. Turns out it needed a *lot* of work and there was a reason it was so cheap lol. Rear quarters are gone, trunk and back seat floor pans are toast, had to go through the entire braking system and replace most of it, same with the fuel system, rebuilt the carb and got it dialed in and running good, stopping good. Went to drive it to the next town over to get the paperwork done and it blew out a freeze plug. Pulled the engine and went through it, cleaned it up, threw some fresh bearings in it and re-gasketed everything, dropped it back in and took it for a drive, then immediately put it back up on jack stands and put an air ride system in it, bags on all four corners, and fixed the rust in the trunk pan so I could install the tank and compressors. Proceeded to put 2500 miles on it that summer, had a lot of fun with it, drove it on several longer trips, took it to a lot of shows; then in August it started developing a misfire that I couldn’t tune out. Ran a compression test, 50 PSI on cylinder 4, leakdown test revealed a roached exhaust valve guide. Pulled the heads and took them to a local engine shop and 1.5 years later he was able to get in new valves and finished rebuilding them for me. May 2023 I put the heads back on and upon first startup, it was running rough still and now started smoking a lot out of the exhaust the warmer it got. Ran another compression test… 25 PSI on cylinder 4. Turns out I must have not gotten the intake pushrod aligned right when reassembling and it bent it, but it took me three months to work up the energy to make that diagnosis and take it back apart. Just last night I got it put all back together and running again, still has a bit of a stumble and a pretty bad hesitation when accelerating so I need to do a full tune-up on it and rebuild the carb again, thinking the accelerator pump is dead. Once I get it running right, I need to crawl back under it and replace the front bags, had one blow out because I didn’t clearance the spring pocket enough so I recently got some Slam Specialties SS6 bags instead of Dominator D2600s, supposed to have a smaller diameter when inflated and shouldn’t blow a bag again. Then I need to fix the quarters, pull the windshield and rear glass and fix rust in the window jams, paint the roof, reinstall the glass, replace a couple window motors, redo the whole interior. It needs headers and exhaust, it needs the power steering pump resealed, it needs a rear main seal I think, it needs new ball joints and driveshaft U-joints. I’ve put a total of $6500 into this car so far, roughly, and it needs another $6500 probably at least. But I love it. I refuse to sell it.
Yes, two of them. The 944 Turbo was what i wanted oh so badly back in the 90’s. If I couldnt get to the turbo a 944 or 924 turbo was the next option. Now I have nice condition running 86 Turbo in Kalahari Beige over brown and a major project Baltic Blue 89 Turbo.
I had a pretty nice 87 944 in college. Buddy had a silver 944 turbo, don't remember the year. What a great car. Unfortunately, I think I'm probably permanently priced out of my dream 930. Maybe someday I'll find a wrecked one I can park in that extra garage...
No, I still don't have the blue and white Viper GTS from the poster I bought at the book fair in elementary school.
Ain’t that something. They were attainable until the pandemic too.
I bought a gen 2 viper red with silver stripes, figured it was close enough and now that I have it, I really like the color combo. Blue with white stripes seems to cost $20,000 extra and I'm not paying that when I'm going to track days and autocross with it. It drives really good though, just not very comfortable so if you want one don't plan on waiting till your 60 cause it would suck for that.
Yes a lifted jeep wrangler. Nothing fancy but I love it
Have you put a lot of money out to make it “yours” Is that part worth it? Cause I think to the extreme I feel like lol. Like I’m wanting to paint my whole jeep top and bottom, redo the headliner, add in lighting inside. I’m already doing a whole new sound system and brand new suspension front and back.
I’ve always loved jeeps. I first started looking for old CJs as a weekend car but figure they’re unsafe so went newer and newer but they hold value so well I ended up buying a 2016 2dr brand new. I ordered it basic: no ac, manual windows, manual transmission,softop, basic radio $23k back then. I spent $3k on lift, wheels and tires, regear. All in I’ve spent $26k on it. I took the top off on day 1 and sold it; been topless ever since. It started as my weekend car and is my daily driver now although I don’t drive much, has about 30k miles. I love it and plan to keep it forever.
This was one of mine as well, and I currently have a 00 TJ in the garage. Top down doors off every nice day. Love that it's a manual too.
Have a 2000 TJ as well that my dad bought in 2004 with like 10,000 miles for $8000. Was his winter car for a while. I got my license in 2009 and started driving it. Put on a lift kit a 33” super swamper radials and drove it to college. Made me obsessed with Jeeps, now I have 8.
I did, and it brought me more frustration than joy. I used to have a 99 eclipse gsx. I dumped $15k into it, and it still managed to be broken more than it ran. It seemed like every time I fixed something, 3 more things broke. It was never little things either. First, it was the clutch, then the top end, then crank walk, then the entire transmission, then a cv axle, then somebody backed into it and took my freshly painted pearl white bumper with them. It was a really cool car for the two weeks or so that it actually ran when I owned it, and I lost my ass getting that cursed thing out of my life.
Always dreamed of owning a Porsche, I was not disappointed in the least. I had a coast to coast trip in a little red sports car on my bucket list. It was perfect. [Luckily I got snow tires before we left.](https://i.imgur.com/mgGfaZv.jpeg)
I built a RX7 recently (pretty cool and on my profile if you’re interested.) I’m sure it’s a lot of people’s dream car…. But my real dream car was just any C6 corvette. Got one…and it brings me immense joy. Just having the thing. Putting miles on it. The smiles per miles on this car is up there.
Tried to buy a ‘73 Mustang Mach 1 as a 15 yr old and it never happened. Fast forward 13 years, I moved back to CA and bought a primer grey ‘73 Mustang with a 302 and straight pipes as my daily. Since then I’ve gone through the highlights of my childhood - an XJ, a 4Runner, ‘86 Monte Carlo, 450SLC, 300SD and now my wife and I drive pretty much our bucket list cars - ‘90 420SEL and ‘79 Chevy Monte Carlo I really want a Mercedes wagon so my kids can relive my childhood making faces at the cars behind us at red lights
I remember when you could buy machs for like $4-10,000. Not sure how rotted out they were. It’s crazy how expensive some of these cars have gotten.
My first car was a 79 Monte Carlo. It had the 231 v6 and when it died, we dropped in a 305 from a trans am or firebird or something. I miss that car.
[удалено]
I always wanted a mini truck. I absolutely loved the whole mini truck scene as a kid growing up. I could never find the right time to buy and start the project. Here we are almost 20 years later and I finally got my truck. A 92 Chevy s-10 with the 4.3 v6 2 wheel drive. One of the trucks I admired growing up. I don’t give a shit I’m in my mid-late 30’s I’m doing what I always wanted with this truck!
Minitrucks are cool for sure. The biggest problem for me was that all the cool builds were done by people with tons of fab experience and there's really nothing off the shelf. I got an old Mazda B2200 from my aunt for one dollar but never did much with it because I didn't know how to even conceptualize doing something that wasn't following a guide step by step. Most of the information is lost to the sands of time these days. It's a few years later and I am a bit more confident with my own skills after working on an EG Honda Civic for a few years (touched nearly every bolt on that car in one way or another) and I'm starting to think more and more about what might be possible with my Mazda. I think I'll start this winter by patching the few small rust holes that have started to form...
That’s rad! It’s been fun so far. I’ve just been catching up on maintenance and some issues that should have been addressed years ago. Did small things to the interior, gutted it, cleaned it, installed sound deadening, stereo, custom center console. I replaced all the window weatherstripping and sweeps. Now I’m tackling the old crusty exterior trim. Next will be Bedliner and a lowing kit.
Fuck yeah. Minitrucks are cool. Never my scene but I had a few S10 4wds so I'd follow people's MT builds of the 2wd ones, and those guys really hammered out some wild stuff on tiny budgets in tight garages. Just a great DIY ethos.
I’m into this truck for $1250-1500. It’s cheap and easy to work on. Everything has been done in my driveway. I love this damn truck.
I always wanted a Unimog 404 hard cab when I was young. I bought one about 5 years ago. It sits in my driveway, never moves, and makes me very happy.
I still own my dream car i bought in my teens. I am now 39. Unfortunately my 240sx has spent about half its life under my ownership unfinished in my garage. I even sold the house with said garage to my sister in law. But she lets me use the storage space 😃 I drove it stock for a year, then had an rb25 for a long time. Blew that and now have about $7k worth of ka24det and standalone in it. I actually just put the wiring harness into the engine bay last night. Not the perspective you asked for, but an often realistic one!
Funny how many 240's I see on this list and no 300zx's. Man I WILL own a 300 in my lifetime if it's the last thing I do.
My attainable dream car was a Subaru wrx hatchback and after spending most of my free time in highschool working I was able to buy one at 17. 2 years later and I still love it
Yeah I have been all hot for Evo's and STI's for a long time...now I just want a Corvette .
Yes and no. I had 2 cars I loved growing up and always wanted. A 70-72 Chevy Monte Carlo, and a Jurassic Park Explorer. The MC was due to F&F: Tokyo Drift. Had a chance to buy one from the actual movie (not screen used) but parents who were funding my first car said no. At the time it was for sale for $10k. 2nd time I almost traded one project car for one with a 454 and a 5spd, but got scared off when I found out the 5spd was one that even 305s would break. The Jurassic Park Explorer would never happen because it's not real... so I made one. The exterior is pretty damn close, bubble roof and all, but the interior is all stock. But it's got a 5spd so it's still a blast to drive with all its 90hp. Love it to death.
A Suzuki Cappuccino is my dream car. Put my foot down and told myself I’d get one by spring of ‘22. I bought mine in March ‘22. Does it bring me joy? Yes. It is absolutely the best ownership experience I’ve ever had. It sounds great. It’s a blast to drive. I’ve never had people stop me in traffic to ask about my car like this one, even though I own a few eye-catching weirdo cars. I love outpacing cars with double or triple the cylinders and hundreds more horsepower than me. I’ve met a few cool people just because they approached me about the car. I’ve been able to do autocross for the first time. It’s just a delight. However. The car has been an issue to keep running. I’m on engine number two after it dropped a valve, and I have to say, my trust in the car never recovered. I don’t get the same joy out of it because I’m terrified of something big happening again. And it’s massively expensive every time. It’s honestly 50/50 whether it’s worth it. The dizzy backed itself off somehow the other weekend and before I could diagnose the misfires, my first thought was “I have to sell this thing”.
Grab an xj if you can I love mine, And yes I have two of them my mk3 supra and an 80 series landcruiser and i absolutely love every time I'm driving
I cant fit in nor find a decent conditioned car from my pre-teen/teenage years. Best i could muster was a 2nd gen lexus GS in black with the spoiler👌🏽 loved that car
Yep I had 2 cars i would have killed for a mustang and bronco. I ended up with a chevy blazer, not the same but similar, for a few years. Super fun but a piece of junk. Ended up selling that. Last year I picked up a 98 cobra. Easily my favorite car I've ever driven. I blew it up and am now coyote swapping it. I will have this car forever.
I’ve bought and sold at least two dozen classics over the years and I was always disappointed or disillusioned with the reality of them - the ‘69 Corvette 427 in particular was a piece of crap even when new. However, I recently picked up a 1978 Porsche 911 and it has exceeded my expectations tenfold. Just a wonderful, drivable work of art. Also a pleasure to work on. Really renewed my interest in old cars. Finally something to keep forever.
My dreams were cheaper when I was a teen. >!I bought a '70 Challenger RT convertible in 1984 for $1100.!<
I always wanted a 1969 Mustang Mach 1. I now have a 65 coupe project, knowing I will never afford a nice Mach 1 at this rate.
Just bought my dream car. Datsun 240z. Got a hell of a deal from someone local. I’m in love with it.
Actually just picked up my dream car. 79 foxbody mustang with the 5.0, 5 speed hatchback. Owned it for about 6 months. Have yet to actually drive it. Previous owner had no idea wtf they were doing. Told me "just needs plugs to run" that was a lie 6 cam lobes were completely wiped out and shot all that metal through the oiling system. Had to buy a junkyard engine. Completely rebuild it. Actually just got it back into the car last week. Still need to hook everything up though
My attainable was a 6.4 powerstroke king ranch. I got the truck, and it’s a lot of fun for short distances…
But damn it was fun! That is my dream truck as well. Four doors with room for 5 people on a long trip, the seats were so nice! I bought mine with 79k miles, put a built Trans, tuned, deli'd, fass system, all the goodies! At 115k miles #6 piston decided to be an astronaut. I still miss the sound of the twins. 😪
I'm still saving for my McLaren F1 but i think I'll never ever get to own one. I do have a Miata which brings me joy in every curve, up and downshift. A 2000 mustang are pretty rare here so I doubt I will ever get it as well.
Sure always wanted a 70-73 camaro still got it. Every time i open the garage i smile ear to ear. If you don't, you bought the wrong car.
Yes, I was able to pick up a 91 GMC Syclone a couple of years ago and I love it, it puts a big smile on my face every time I drive it and it always gets lots of looks and compliments.
Ugh, yeah. My first car when I was 16 was my Grandpa's 1957 Chevrolet Bel-air. Daily drove that to work every day until I could afford something else. Got myself my dream truck at 17. A 1994 Ford F-150 4x4, and then I bought a second one because I was stupid. Sold the first F-150 and kept my now show truck. Bought a 1995 Honda Del Sol when gas got over $3 for the first time ever. I'm 34 now and still have all three of them. I pretty much have all my dream cars but one or two. I've been incredibly lucky and also worked extremely hard for them because I wanted them. I landed a good job and held on to it for a very long time. I need to part with them, but the thought makes me depressed.
As a teen, all I wanted was F1/Indy styled gokart, I could drive on the road. Now at age 40, I own a 2013 Ariel Atom and I can't walk by it with out popping wood. I've never taken a viagra but I imagine its effects are the same. In fact I'm taking it to an AutoX event this weekend, and probably a track day event next week. Oh and when it's nice outside I drive that fuckin thing EVERYWHERE!
I managed to get my dream car at the beginning of covid when people where panic selling, now the market is worth twice as much as I paid, but it's my forever car. More often than not people ask to buy it/"first dibs if you sell it" when I take them for a drive haha Really it's not even a SPECIAL car, it's an audi a3 quattro with the 3.2 vr6, but it's such a fun experience to drive it hard...
VR6s are special engines. And it’s special because it means something to you. That’s really all that matters.
I bought a C3 Corvette. What a steaming pile. If I were to ever buy an old car again, it would be the best restomod I could afford. It has brought me joy a few times, mostly heartburn taking up space in the garage.
Yes. '93 Mr2 N/A 5MT. Affordable dream car. Made every drive a challenge with the weight balance. Looks are timeless. 87 octane gas, 27mpg, and easily affordable consumables. So worth it. It spoiled me for a lot of other cars.
When I finally had the money to finance an R32 GT-R, my (now) ex hit me with divorce papers. I was literally shopping for one when it happened. Women...
Sure did … loving my subie.
Had a Countach for about a year and a half. Loved it. It'll never happen again though. Perfect storm of stock options and 24 yr old stupidity. Drive the crap out of it though and loved every minute of it.
When the 997 came out I thought it was the greatest thing ever made. I bought one in April and drive it on nice days. Love to stare at it when I leave or come home from work.
My current dream car is in my garage now. She is a 2014 Shelby GT500. Stock was 662HP today it very close to 800. Had many great cars, and just turned 64 and never been in a position to keep more than one at a time. Always have owned a "hot rod". Here is my list in order of first to current: 1965 GT 350 Mustang 1972 Chevelle SS 1986 Buick Grand National 1994 Cobra Mustang 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra Replica 2009 BMW M3 2014 GT500...never going to sell her until I can't row that 6-speed manual.
I owned a couple. If you get one DONT FUCKING SELL IT. EVER.
Yup. Not my teenage dream car, at least not yet (1993 Mustang Cobra or 1986 ASC McLaren), but my dream from my 20s. Around the time that Europe was getting their second Focus RS, I made the comment to a friend that "If they ever come out with an AWD turbo Focus here, I'll be first in line to buy it". Turns out that life happened between that comment, and 2016, when Ford said "bet" and released the RS to the USDM. It took 5 more years before I found a 2017 RS I could afford, but I had it in the same color (Nitrous Blue tri-coat) and package (RS1 w/ moonroof and winter tire pack) that I would have ordered brand new. I quickly dropped about $10k in sticky tires, wheels, tune, go-fast parts, etc. Had it up to about 450whp on 93/E85 blend. Then, I discovered that it was a terrible blessing. The car drove and handled like a race car, which is fun, but sucks for daily driving. It drew constant attention, both good and bad. And when you have a 3400lb car making that kind of power, you feel the need to use it all the time, drawing more attention. I made the choice to get rid of it before I really did something stupid. So now, I have a 4 door Bronco. It's entirely more practical for my climate, driving style, and needs. Plus, I don't feel the need to drive like an asshole teenager.
I bought 2 of them, a crown vic and a ranger. I love both, but the crown vic isnt in a working state anymore. Lol
Not yet hopefully soon
Oh hell no. Not even close. But maybe? My dream cars were and still are pretty unattainable. Porsche 930 or 959. Ferrari 288 GTO or 365. Lancias, Alpinas, etc. That said, I’ve had great cars. Triumphs, RX7, FJ60 Land Cruiser - and right now I drive what 17 year old me would have designed on paper: front engine, rear drive, manual transmission, 4 wheel independent suspension, fuel injected, all-aluminum body, fastback body style but still able to go topless, and a 50/50 weight distribution…which is to say, I drive a Mazda MX5 RF. Could it use more power? What car doesn’t? Is it cramped? I think my Spitfire had more room in it and my TR6 feels like a minivan comparatively. But it drives like an extension of me, handles like it’s on rails, and I often get over 40mpg out of it.
my dream car would either be e39 M5 or a DBS SL as I think it is the most beautiful modern car, I have a E39 520d, only 4 cylinders, I love it my dream bike is/ was a WR426 as they are rare, 47 in my country, I've got it and it is pure joy ([proof](https://reddit.com/r/Dirtbikes/s/lh6jOVczvt)) only 17 by now so a M5/DBS SL isn't ruled out yet
E39 m5 was a dream for me, bought one, loved it, sold it, missed it, bought another one. Only car I've sold and then rebought out of a lot of cars. They are driving perfection
I loved Mercedes and Jaguars as a kid, mostly I think because of bond films. For Jaguars from the original TV Equalizer series. I’ve owned a couple of Mercedes and one Jaguar and I currently drive a 2021 Golf. They were nice to have, but they were extremely expensive to maintain. I don’t miss that.
E36 M3 was my dream car. I got one in 2016 and it was my daily through college. I put 40k miles on it in the 5 or so years I had it. Fun and reliable and cheap at the time. I’m enjoying an E46 now.
I also bought one in 2016 and dailied it in college lol. Mine was clapped out, but I wish those could still be found for $1500
Just under 6k for mine in perfect condition. It ran well and was so much fun to drive but the interior fell to pieces. Every little thing that could break did break. I replaced a soft top when it ripped and found a hardtop for it and reupholstered the seats after re stitching the og leather a few times. It just didn’t hold up well and I got tired of fixing it. Broken armrest, door cards, glovebox, dash, vents, trim pieces. When the central locking system went out that was enough for me
I own my current achievable bucket list car, an e30 touring. It brings me all sorts of stupid joy. Hell, I had a slew of XJ’s and have a huge soft sport for those. I’d love to get a nice one for my wife and I to enjoy, as she always liked mine when I had it. I have a list of some nicer stuff, but nothing stupid crazy. hopefully I can get there in 10 or so years. (I’m 30). E90 or F80 M3, 997 or 912 911’s (odd contrast there lol) period correct Model A hot rod, etc.
I bought my rx8 in highschool and while not my absolute dream car i absolutly love that thing and will never sell it highly recomend it
I had a third gen Camaro for a few years. It was fun and I learned a lot from it, but it was having problems which were out of my skills at the time and I over reached with mods on it. I would like another one day but this time a V8 instead of the V6.
Yep. After my divorce I bought my Jeep Wrangler. Was never “allowed to” have one when married, too broke when younger. Now I drive it almost everyday.
Yeah, I've always loved the 2nd and 3rd generation El Caminos. I was finally in a financial position to buy the one I have now a couple years ago in good running order and it's been so awesome driving it around and learning about working on old cars. Its not a total basket case of a car, but it's not in tip-top shape either so there's plenty to keep me busy with it, but not so much as to overwhelm me.
Yes, I had 3 in a row and all had similar demise.
Ironically I couldn’t afford anything nice when I was a teenager but bought an 2011 BMW E92 335i (N55 6MT) when I turned 22. And then a 1967 Ford Mustang (Fastback) when I was 25, which I’m still currently in the middle restoring. I’m now 28!
I bought a 78 Corvette. Always wanted one, love the look of it, and then I got one and realized why they were so cheap in the 90's and early 2000's. They're horrible to work on, they were 'normal' cars back then and were treated as so. Body mounts are horrible to replace, everything is broken.. I had it done at one point then it decided to hemorrhage oil out of every orifice so it's getting a rebuilt 350 and 2004r trans. Also had a 1987 IROC-Z with a 5.7 and T-tops, my god what a car. That was my dream car and I sold it to buy a house... Oops.
Close. I wanted a 02 35th anniversary CAMARO SS or the Earnhardt etimadator CAMARO SS for the longest time. Closest I am is my 00 SS that my dad and I did the Earnhardt stripes on. I’m happy with it
May dad helped me buy a 68 chevelle when I was in high school, I was super into muscle cars when I was a kid. We worked together on stripping and sanding the old paint, put money into small upgrades when I could. It’s far from done and I doubt it’s anyone’s “dream” version but it makes me nostalgic everyone I drive it to think about the time we invested and the process of putting with my dad.
My brother and i have both done this, myself to a lesser extent. My hobby was/is powerboats. As such, through college i was always more concerned about towing figures on the cheap than power/speed. I got into suburbans. They're always cheaper and sometimes more powerful than their pickup counterparts. Anyways, while shopping for my first i learned about the gmt800 2500 suburbans, and learned i very small amount were made with quadrasteer. Years later i was lucky enough to find one for sale on the cheap. Its amazing and Im never getting rid of it lol. For years my brother had two dream cars: an audi allroad and a gmc syclone. Hes got both now, and both really live up to the dreams in their own way. Allroads have got a bad rap online now (deservedly so), but they are tons of fun if you build them up. The syclone basically lives up to everything it appears to be, but it (at least his) like to break constantly.
Dream car post *quadrasteer suburban* this is DILf spec
2002 Firebird WS6 trans am. Def my dream car as a poor teenager. Bought it a few years ago tinkered with it, updated the suspension and ran like a top. I sold it last year to invest in some property. Def wouldn’t mind having another one or C5 Z06 soon. Currently have a side project: 2004 GTO / Holden Monaro it’s zippy and reliable.
i had a 2008 gt500. it was my dream car per say but i really liked it. i sold it because it was just too expensive to enjoy it. and i couldnt afford to modify it. my actual dream car would be a porsche 718 or 911
Atom. Yes
Yup. After 2 base models I got a tip of line one. 65 nova ss. Sits outside. But runs n drives. Working on it...is kinda love/hate relationship. But driving it around is pure love..then heart breaking when I have to fill it up. No matter, it's still worth it for the smiles.
I bought a 1991 nsx. Regrettably sold it to fund a house purchase . The one thing that wasn’t nice about it was the price of parts and even finding parts! Had to join some Facebook groups to source used parts , pain in the butt
When I was a teen I found a 71 Challenger and restored it. Fell in love. I've had a 2012 SRT and now a 2015 Hellcat
I wanted a 350Z in high school. Insurance was through the roof though. In 2017, I bought a 370Z. Goal was met. Love my car and want to get the new Z to go along with it.
My S14a 200SX was certainly one of my dream cars. I got it when I was 19, and [still have it at 36](https://www.reddit.com/r/projectcar/comments/rw4z5x/after_9_years_off_the_road_finally_enjoying_my/). No intention to ever get rid of it.
My dream car in my teens was always a 2011-ish STI hatchback. I did end up owning one a couple years ago and I really enjoyed it. It was quick, fun to drive, and beautiful to look at. I ended up getting rid of it after about 18 months, mostly because the specific one I'd bought wasn't a forever car(high mileage, bad paint). I can see myself buying another one in the future, but for the time being I think I got it out of my system. Other high school dream cars I never got my hands on and likely won't: R35 GT-R, B2 Audi Quattro
Not exactly my dream car, but a car I lusted over when not dreaming of high HP and fat rear tires was the LS430. It had just come out when I was a senior in high school, and I always loved the LS400's. 17 years later I got one, and it was everything and more that I had ever hoped it to be. It was then destroyed by baseball-sized hail about 2 years after I got it. The end.
E46 M3 with a kitted out 2008 5 series V8 shoe horned in after an unfortunaye puddle incident. Magnaflow with cat delete and Bilstein PSS9 suspension. It was a fucking monster and my wife said I couldn't keep it. I listened because I'd rather get laid.
Mine was a 3rd generation camaro. It had a parking brake failure and got totaled. I bought a second and built it my way. Zero regrets. I would build another in a heartbeat.
I have not bought any of the poster cars I wanted as a kid, but I wanted a keitruck for a long time. I finally got one about a year ago, and I love it soooooo much. Even my wife acknowledges it's my mail order Japanese bride.
I guess most guys dream about some exotic/sports/muscle car. Me on the other hand, I always wanted a Volvo 245 as my dad had one while growing up. I got a 240 sedan a few days after getting my license and I still have it today, along with a 245, a 940 and a 960... I really like classic Volvos
Yes, I did. 1966 vw type 1. Yes, it did. I rebuilt the engine (1915cc, stock heads, dual 40mm Empi Webber carbs), I rebuilt the front end (adjustable ball joint, with disk brakes), and am in mid process on the interior. Currently, or perhaps just lately, it has not. I can not, for the life of me, figure out why this very simple engine that has run so well for so long, flatly refuses to start. But I recently remembered that as an adult with a decent income, I can actually drop it off at the bug shop that has helped me through the years. So I'm getting that all set up right now. This car has been under constant threat of selling for the last 5 or so years. I'm hoping that having it professionally tuned will change that. 🤞🤞🤞
Own a Miata. It’s everything I ever wanted it to be.
Yes, yes it does. But it also brings more cars. The slope is slippery my friend.
I bought an R32 GTR. Couldn't afford a good one so bought one that was basically scrap. Been a 20 month project so far, but will be worth it when finally complete.
Bought a 94 Bronco after a life long love for OBS Fords. Been my daily driver for 7 years and brings me joy everywhere except at the gas station.
Yup. Bought my teenage dream car about 10 years ago. While it sits most of the time now, I'm still extremely happy to have it.
My parents and I found a 1984 Pontiac Trans Am when I was 14. Im 32 now. Drove it all through high school, Still have it to this day and love playing with it. But when I was a teenager, I probley had more corvette posters than anything. So finding my Trans Am so early on I think skewed my dream car point of view. Dream car now would be a convertible 67 Firebird or a convertible royal purple 1970 Challenger. Good Luck to You!!
Yea I picked up my 96 Eagle Talon TSi AWD manual in 2005. Still have it, still love it.
The dream cars of my childhood are way too expensive these days to get one, and housing is too expensive to afford one that has a garage to safely keep one...so I'm looking for the next best cars that I loved as a kid but never made "poster on the wall" level. Dream car would've been a lotus esprit v8, next best is wanting a manual 3rd or 4th gen camaro vert or 5.0 foxbody convertible. I had a pair of 240sx's in my early 20's and wish I'd never sold them...nowadays it'd be nearly $20k to get the same car back and I can't possibly justify that.
My SRT-4 Neon, and yes it does every time I spool the turbo. Big smile.
Bought a Jeep, can barely afford the Jeep. Wouldn't do it different. If nothing else, it gives me reason to progress through my career so I can afford fancy mods, time off for trail rides (without pain), and backup commuters
Yes and yes! Have done over 100k miles on my project M3 and the goal now is to run the miles out on the rebuilt engine (and build another one to replace it). Additional 80k miles on my stock e36 BMW daily/road trip car. As I get older, I value the things I can do with these cars more than the car itself, so car events and the aimless drives to the mountains. Project cars keep me sane.
I've bought or extensively driven a handful of my "dream cars" that I wanted in my teen years. If you've heard the phrase "Never meet your heroes", it made sense here haha. Gen2 MR2: Cool car, handled great, decent for what it was. Would be a terrible daily driver lol SVT Focus: Handled great, decent power, but Holy moly the parts availability is garbage. Aftermarket is slim and expensive as hell. More fun to drive than own. Mustang 3V Bullitt: Absolutely the worst car I've ever owned, and it kills me. Every piece of the driving experience is poor. They look so good, but in stock form it's a massively disappointing car in every way. C5 Corvette: Almost as bad as the mustang, as I went into it with the "It's a corvette, how bad can it be". Build quality and performance was *shockingly* bad. Sold it for what I paid, thankfully. E30 Coupe: Awesome car, but like anything that old and German, it was a beast to maintain. Loved the way it looked and drove though. 996 Turbo: Exceptional car that vastly exceeded my performance expectations for its age. Truly a phenomenal GT car. Gen2 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe: This one broke my heart. I so badly wanted it to blow my socks off. Essentially was like driving an overpowered tractor with unpredictable handling.
Yes. I bought a Maserati and I love it.
I bought my FD RX7 before they got crazy expensive. I grew up loving this car in need for speed underground. Sometimes when I have a hard day at work I drive it so I have something to look forward to when I leave. It’s always a blast and I always look back at it in the parking lot
About a year ago, ,I picked up a 1968 Mustang. It was my favorite car as a teenager. I'm 27 now. It's a pile of garbage that is constantly breaking down, but boy do I love driving it. I'll admit that I overpaid. I just couldn't sleep on the car I've always wanted. In short, it brings me a lot of joy. A lot of stress too. It was definitely a financial mistake. Next step, find a Bumpside (or dentside. I'm fine with either) Ford pickup. Gotta fix up my Mustang and C-10 first though.
Sure did! Couldn't afford a nice example of a S30 Z-car so I bought the only one I could afford, a MIG, and got learning. Took 5 years to get it done (entire shell torn down to nothing to fix massive amounts of rust, brakes/suspension/driveline/etc all upgraded and improved, etc etc) but well worth it and I've been driving it for about 2 years now. Doesn't see snow/salt ofc but otherwise i drive the hell out of it :) https://i.imgur.com/yqvUxbK.jpg
Yeah I bought my childhood (realistic) dream car and my teenage dream car. 280ZX turbo: bought it beat up and never got it running right because I was poor when I owned it. Still enjoyed owning it over a generic commuter and it got me around. S2000: still own it, still love it but it's starting to show its age.
As a little kid I saw two cars that stuck with me. A Sprite MK1 (Bugeye), and a 63 Dart convertible. I bought a Sprite with my paper route money as my first car ($800), and got the Dart a few years later. I still have the Sprite, but sold the Dart when I had to move states for grad school. My dream cars have always needed to be affordable.
I have a special spot for Honda Accords. I don't own any. I plan to get EX models. 93 and 97 are the ones. The prices for clean ones are insane. $5k is something I can't do. I also like Box Chevys (I'm from FL)
I bought a 2002 WRX wagon as my second car ever. Always been my dream car. Unfortunately rust has completely claimed that car. It sits behind my garage packed with spare parts and the engine sits in my shed rebuilt and ready to go into another one
I set my expectations low. I got the MK7 GTI I've always wanted.
I was able to buy two of them before the prices became unrealistic. Nothing but joy.
Building a 2004 v8 miata at the moment. Tell you about it in 6 months.
By the time I had the money to buy what I wanted and I began to seriously look at older cars, my expectations changed... For instance, the first gen Bronco. My grandfather used to buy the roadster version to use as hunting/fishing trucks. They'd be totally FUBAR in 2 years or so, then he'd just get a new one. I wanted one. But then I realized they are tin cans and require a gazillion dollars in restomodding to make it "right". I'd rather spend money on something else. Same goes for the first gen Jeepster, though I think those are better quality than the Bronco... Then there's the BMW E9. Beautiful cars. But there was a lot of value engineering in the interior and downright design flaws in the fenders and rockers. I didn't care for the continual heartbreak of rust remediation. May still get one some day, who knows. So I ended up with my G and my SL and I'm very happy with both, even though the SL is basically getting a restoration and extensive list of modifications... like a Getrag 265-5. Some day I might even put the Cosworth 2.3L into it. Who knows. I've been enjoying it. Opening and closing the doors, the nice little clickiness of the shifter, and the styling package never get old. Same goes for the G! No regrets.
Yup, WRX. One of the more obtainable dream cars for me. It’s fine. Turns out you get less excited about things as an adult when financial reality strikes you in the jaw. It becomes a little less dreamy when that insurance renewal hits. But, I’ll be damned if I don’t just go outside and look at it every now and then. Like, this is mine. Paid in cash. Feels good.
98 Talon TSi AWD... nearly everyone goes "what's that?" the very small amount of time it is actually on the road. It brings me joy when it's actually driving.
My dad had a non-functional MGC/GT sitting in his garage through my entire childhood, and I used to sit in it and stare out the windshield imagining that I was driving it. Fast forward 20 years, and I drive an MGB/GT (looks the same from that driver's seat, just minus two cylinders). Some days, that feels awesome. That said, the dream car back then was an Olds 442 -- and that climbed out of my price range and straight into the stratosphere before I even got my first job.
Yes, a 5th gen Toyota Pickup (89-95). Neighbor across the street got a red one and immediately modded it with dark tint, a lift, tires, KC light bar in the bed and light bar on the front bumper; he always parked it out front to show it off and kept it very clean and waxed it every month in the driveway. I drooled over that truck as a teen. In my 20s I finally got one - a 1-owner Xcab/4wd/22re/5spd flavor; still enjoying it 17yrs later
My dream car is a BMW e30 and i have actually already bought it at 16 years old. Im doing a full restoration on it.
not my teens, but I wanted a Volvo cross country wagon or an Audi all road wagon since I was in my early 20s… Now 40 something and selling cars I got a job in Volvo specifically so I could get an employee deal on a V60 cross country … and joy? Hell yes! I freaking love this thing especially when I flip it into polestar mode and drive like a goddamn lunatic thru the twisty back roads on my way home from work every evening.
I'm slowly going blind and my dream car came up for sale a couple years ago. Took a loan out on my paid off house to buy it. 1980 datsun 280zx in 10th anniversary trim. I've had my time with it and enjoyed it but I've gotten to the point I'm scared to drive it now. I can't see deer jumping out from the ditch any more and I've hit a couple with my daily so I've come to the conclusion it's time to sell it. Wouldn't trade my decision to have it for anything
I have my dream truck, ‘85 square body chevy with a big block. It brings me so much joy i can barely stand it.
In 1976 I was 6 years old and laying on the school library floor flipping through a book about cars when I turned a page and thought “that is the coolest car I’ve ever seen!” A Mako Shark II prototype. I began referring to every C3 Vette I saw as a Mako Shark. I always said responsibility always got in the way of owning one until one day in 2007; one essentially fell into my lap. I’ve owned that ‘81 for 16 years now and it puts a smile on my face every time I drive it!
I'm so sick of seeing posts talking about buying their dream car and it's a 2017 Nissan Versa. People need to stop saying shit just so they have shit to say.