what is the best car ever made?

[Rue]

Best car ever made, eh! Hmm, that's certainly a tough question for many different reasons. I'm trying to think of a car that can do a bit of everything. Economical, fast, handler, can swallow luggage, turns heads, cheap to insure, comfortable, can go anywhere and is safe and reliable.

I'm beginning to think that some sort of Volvo may fit the description. Any ideas?

PS - Do you want to attach a post to that signature, rjensen11?

 

[rjensen11]

Chrysler's German, I thought we all agreed upon that years ago?

 

[1X83Z]

Reliable and fast do not equal best, people. In my opinion the best Japanese car of all time is the current Honda Accord EX V6, though I've never given any thought to the all-time best ever. Consider these, too:

- Chrysler minivans (if the profits from the vehicles didn't save Chrysler, the originality of design did)
- Ford F-series (most popular vehicle ever - what Americans don't know someone who owns one?)
- 1986-1995 Ford Taurus (showed that, in fact, the Americans could compete)
- Lexus LS400 (look what it did for Japan's image - from zero sales in 1989 to Lexus as the world's top-selling luxury brand)
- Jeep Wrangler (minimum investment, maximum return. Even if it's not the best car ever, it's the best auto industry investment ever)
- 1991-1994 Ford Explorer (my favourite midsize SUV of all-time - the Chrysler minivans were a big splash; the original Explorer had ten times the impact, even if it's mainly been felt over the last few years)
- 1999-present Honda Odyssey (Honda used everything they learned from stealing the family sedan segment to steal the minivan segment)
- 2002-present Nissan Altima V6 (no-one ever thought of putting more than 200bhp into a family sedan until the Altima - in fact, Toyota, extremely proud of their all-new 2002 Camry, had to rush back to the drawing board to field a competitor)
- Subaru Outback (kept Subaru in the US; funded the WRX and WRX STi; unbelievably popular in key markets; three generations without a competitor)

Edits:

You can't forget the E36 BMW 3-series. The competition in the segment is unbelievable now, but the E36 models basically had everything to themselves - they were desirable, quick, sharp, not unreliable, good-looking and versatile. The range was less complete then, but BMW still did everything right. The Ford Focus is a true world car, two years after Ford gave up trying to develop one.

 

[Pistachio]

"The best car ever made... Gotta be the Toyota 4X4 pickup thing... That thing is nigh on indestructible... Anyone watch Top Gear here?"

Yeah the Hilux, Tiff Needell had a good go at it and it just wouldn't die.

Also, i hardly think being an economic success equates to a good car. Great cars have been made that were complete economic failures, arguably some of the greatest that have been ever created.

A car being successful can be for reasons other than its quality. One that it quite prominant in the US is patriotism, which is obvious when you look at the success of their cars domesticaly compared to the success abroad. Much is the same here in Aus with our Fords and Holdens, which have recieved SOME due attention of late, especialy the Monaros but are unlikely to garner the same popularity overseas as they do in Aus.

This isn't to say i think the Beetle is crap, it is a great car, revelutionary, as was the Corolla, of which i have two, a 1978 rear-wheel drive 1.1L and a 85 CS-X 1.6 (front wheel driver). Both of which run fine and neither of which have given me any problems. The CS-X is actualy quite quick considering how utterly cheap it is, and provides a bit of fun. As for the 78 i think it could be alot of fun if i replaced that damn gutless engine with something a bit nicer.

As for greatest car, Car Magazine UK named the Porsche Turbo as the one. Evo magazine named the GT3 RS as the perfect car. Since there are too many 911s to choose from i will just say the Porsche 911.

 

[1X83Z]

Also, i hardly think being an economic success equates to a good car. Great cars have been made that were complete economic failures, arguably some of the greatest that have been ever created.

While I don't think being an economic success means a great car (it certainly equates to a good one) I can't think of any economic flops that were among the greatest ever created.

Furthermore, the cars I put up for economic reasons are only up for the most significant economic reasons possible - saving a company, stealing a market, overall popularity, or, in the case of the Wrangler, making minimal changes to a body for fifteen years, selling models at MSRP or near MSRP, and having that vehicle's success get not only the youth market but industry-high resale values, things that other companies spend millions of dollars trying to retain every year.

 

[BeN_SpeC2]

Best car ever made?
That's a hard question.

Best Car when it comes to reliability, I would say is the Toyota Corolla. My Uncle has a 1992 Toyota Corolla with over 250k miles on the original engine, absolutely no engine problems, still running strong as ever....

 

[Famine]

- 2002-present Nissan Altima V6 (no-one ever thought of putting more than 200bhp into a family sedan until the Altima - in fact, Toyota, extremely proud of their all-new 2002 Camry, had to rush back to the drawing board to field a competitor)

Not in the US they didn't, but they appeared elsewhere...

Ford, of all people, had an ST200 variant of the Mondeo in 1998 (2.5 V6, 202hp). And let's not forget the Subaru Impreza Turbo which, as far back as 1995, was rolling out with 240hp in the UK in 4-door guise.

Everything's still in boxes, so I can't whip out my Parker's for further examples. Although I believe the 1997 Honda Accord Type-R had 205hp.

 

[Jetboy.]

A 427/435 Vette from 1969 is nice, or the Charger Daytona of the same year. It feels illegal just to sit in either.

 

[1X83Z]

Ford, of all people, had an ST200 variant of the Mondeo in 1998 (2.5 V6, 202hp). And let's not forget the Subaru Impreza Turbo which, as far back as 1995, was rolling out with 240hp in the UK in 4-door guise.

Look Famine. The US is the world's largest automarket. And the midsize sedan market is the largest market within the US. So not surprisingly, I'm not considering cars that wouldn't even be midsize sedans if they were sold in the US.

I stick by what I said. It doesn't surprise me that there were a couple of fringe models and performance versions of family sedans in Europe before the Nissan Altima V6. The Altima did something none of those vehicles could do, or even attempted to do: it changed the entire market. Following the 2002 Altima, every close competitor upped their V6 power 20-35% within the next two years, and it's not often - hell, I don't think it's ever happened - that Toyota engineers were completely changing the engine of a best-selling new product to make it competitive just a year after it was fully redesigned. Simply put, the Altima's V6 changed the midsize sedan market in 2002 like no other innovation in that market ever has.

 

[Famine]

How big does a car have to be to qualify as a "midsize sedan"? My brother's Scooby is 14 feet long - eclipsed by my insane father's Jaguar XJ Executive at 17 feet...

 

[animateria]

The question probably has no single answer but.....
Looking only at performance..... Mclaren F1
Luxury........ Rolls~ Phantom? (One of my teachers said that)
Economy....... Toyota Prius?

 

[Joey D]

The VW Beetle is the best car ever made just because that thing has stood the test of time like nothing else. Not to mention its one of the best selling and longest produced cars of all time. And look its still around today in a bastardized form.

The F-150 is the best truck ever made, for the record.

 

[McLaren'sAngel]

Which model?? I presume you mean R34. I cant comment on the best car because there are too many great ones.

Hiya!

I agree with Viper, because there really are too many great ones. The way the thread's title is used doesnt give a a specific car think of. I'll guess that you are talking about performance since you picked the Skyline But the Skyline isnt the best car for everyone. Some people need a certain type of car for their own reason. Some people will always favor heavy duty cars/trucks because the lifestyle they live such as mountain climbing, hauling and heavy loads. Some would like a car that takes little or cheap gas because they dont got alot of money or becuz they want to save money. It all depends on who you are and wut car will suit you the best That is why I gotta agree with Viper that I can't choose either because there are too many cars out there that can't suit everyone.

mmm.. I think I kinda answered to this post in a wrong way

 

[Pistachio]

While I don't think being an economic success means a great car (it certainly equates to a good one) I can't think of any economic flops that were among the greatest ever created.

Furthermore, the cars I put up for economic reasons are only up for the most significant economic reasons possible - saving a company, stealing a market, overall popularity, or, in the case of the Wrangler, making minimal changes to a body for fifteen years, selling models at MSRP or near MSRP, and having that vehicle's success get not only the youth market but industry-high resale values, things that other companies spend millions of dollars trying to retain every year.

Economic success doesn't at all equate to a good car. Look at the Dodge Neon, i hear it is quite popular but from magazines i have read that it is mediocre at best (Wheels Magazine and Car Magazine). Almost all SUV's are completely illogical and unfit for the road, yet they sell incredibly well, they aren't good cars, they are expensive, drink fuel and kill pedestrians (in comparison to a decent family saloon).

Since my area of expertise is Porsche i think it is fit to mention the IMO terrible Cayenne is a huge economic success for Porsche. The Porsche 959 was a complete economic failure, but it is/was an incredible car. The Leyland P76 is a famous Australian example. Buggatti EB110 is another.

The question probably has no single answer but.....
Looking only at performance..... Mclaren F1
Luxury........ Rolls~ Phantom? (One of my teachers said that)
Economy....... Toyota Prius?"

Performance wise Radical SR3 Turbo, would eat up the McLaren and then some.
Or even a Daur 962LM would have an easy time beating the McLaren.
Also the Prius isn't as fuel efficient as most people think, aparently a Honda Jazz is more fuel efficient, the Prius though has much less emitions aparently.

 

[1X83Z]

How big does a car have to be to qualify as a "midsize sedan"? My brother's Scooby is 14 feet long - eclipsed by my insane father's Jaguar XJ Executive at 17 feet...

Generally speaking, midsize sedans are between 186.2 and 200.0 inches (15.52 to 16.67 feet) in length, to allow all vehicles from the Kia Optima to the Chevrolet Impala into the category. That said, it's frequently about marketing, trim and equipment levels, and engine size rather than exterior dimensions - the Chrysler 300 (196.8") and Buick LeSabre (200.0"), for instance, both fit into the midsize size requirements but are surely midsize players, and 4-cylinder versions of the Kia Optima (186.2"), Hyundai Sonata (186.9"), and Pontiac Grand Am (186.3") are better left to the small sedan category.

THAT SAID!

That only deals with non-luxury vehicles. Once you've got it broken up into categories based on size (small, midsize, large) I then break it up into four more sedan categories: premium, luxury, sport, and performance. Premium is the A6/5-series/E-class segment; luxury is the A8/7-series/S-class segment; sport is the A4/3-series/C-class segment; performance is the S4/CTS-V/E55 segment (it has just nine players at the moment). Only the non-car-people magazines (like the American Automobile Assocation) don't break it up beyond exterior size.

Economic success doesn't at all equate to a good car. Look at the Dodge Neon, i hear it is quite popular but from magazines i have read that it is mediocre at best (Wheels Magazine and Car Magazine).

It's not quite popular. It's a mediocre vehicle that's a mediocre seller making a mediocre profit.

Almost all SUV's are completely illogical and unfit for the road, yet they sell incredibly well, they aren't good cars, they are expensive, drink fuel and kill pedestrians (in comparison to a decent family saloon).

Your argument originally made a small amount of sense, but now you're just tossing in opinion. I'm not even going to respond - I've answered the idiotic SUV argument a million times.

Since my area of expertise is Porsche i think it is fit to mention the IMO terrible Cayenne is a huge economic success for Porsche. The Porsche 959 was a complete economic failure, but it is/was an incredible car.

Do you have any idea what kind of profit Porsche made on each unit of the 959? And why do I care what your opinion of the Cayenne is? I stick by what I said once again - all cars with economic success are at the very least good and no cars without economic success are great.

 

[Pistachio]

Your argument originally made a small amount of sense, but now you're just tossing in opinion. I'm not even going to respond - I've answered the idiotic SUV argument a million times.[QUOTE/]
Dude, they are horrible things.

Do you have any idea what kind of profit Porsche made on each unit of the 959? And why do I care what your opinion of the Cayenne is? I stick by what I said once again - all cars with economic success are at the very least good and no cars without economic success are great.

Each 959 was slashed to half the price of what it should have been so as to sell the required number of units to homologate it for Group B rally. Was that a real question or was that like "you have no idea of how much they made/lost" but expressed as a question?

Oh yeah, Toyota Camry, awful car according to both Car Magazine and Wheels Magazine, but it was a success. Just to add to the list of cars that defy what your saying.

-EDIT- I just remembered, Hyundais and Kias, all of them
Hyundai was one of the best selling manufacturers in Australia last year, im pretty sure they enjoyed success in lots of places, mainly because of the Excel, which is a piss poor car to say the least.
The Kia Rio is also a great seller, and one of the worst cars imaginable, Car magazine said (albeit in a joking fashion) that they would rather walk than drive one. They said that if you like the Kia Rio then you should also like "handing out 50pound notes to greatful strangers" LOL

 

[Ghost C]

The best car ever is the 1991 Cadillac Sedan DeVille 👍. Actually, I might be a little biased since that's what I'll be driving once I get my license, but the car has it all. A comfortable ride, a powerful engine, and good gas mileage (About 20mpg in the city, eat that Honda), and tons of space - both in the cabin, and a GIANT trunk. You could probably fit 5 bodies in that trunk.

 

[1X83Z]

Dude, they are horrible things.

As someone who owned and really enjoyed one for several months I can see you have no idea what you're talking about.

Oh yeah, Toyota Camry, awful car according to both Car Magazine and Wheels Magazine, but it was a success. Just to add to the list of cars that defy what your saying.

It's unbelievable to me that you think European judgements of cars can also apply to the American market. This shows me exactly who I'm having a discussion with. In Europe, the Toyota Camry is crap. It's rough, it's not great on fuel, handling is piss, and it depreciates more than any other Japanese car on the continent. As "Car" puts it, it's optimised for straight, smooth high-speed American roads and not for British roads, which is okay because the European Toyota Avensis takes Camry's spot in Europe.

FURTHERMORE

The Toyota Camry is no success in Europe. In 2001 dealers on the entire continent of Europe managed to move 6,800 Camrys - the same number of Camrys sold by US dealers in one week. The Toyota Camry is ONLY an economic success in North America.

Hyundai was one of the best selling manufacturers in Australia last year, im pretty sure they enjoyed success in lots of places, mainly because of the Excel, which is a piss poor car to say the least.

The Hyundai Excel, sold here as the Hyundai Accent, is a bad car, but here it's not successful in the slightest. Meanwhile, Hyundai products that ARE successful ARE good - the Hyundai Elantra and Hyundai Santa Fe are not only huge Hyundai successes but are among the very best vehicles in their segments.

The Kia Rio is also a great seller, and one of the worst cars imaginable, Car magazine said (albeit in a joking fashion) that they would rather walk than drive one. They said that if you like the Kia Rio then you should also like "handing out 50pound notes to greatful strangers" LOL

Once again, in the US at least, the Kia Rio doesn't sell at all.

I don't think you understand that the point Kia Rio and Hyundai Excel/Accent is so Hyundai and Kia can have an inroad on value - companies attempting to sell low-priced cars based on 'value' must have something at the very base of the market to attract new customers, even if they're not making a profit (or a small one) off those vehicles. It's the same reason the Corvette will never be cancelled - it may or may not be making a profit, but it's irrelevant because the image that the Corvette brings to Chevrolet undoubtedly brings buyers of other models which do make a profit.

 

[Joey D]

Almost all SUV's are completely illogical and unfit for the road, yet they sell incredibly well, they aren't good cars, they are expensive, drink fuel and kill pedestrians (in comparison to a decent family saloon).

Allow me to OWN...

Let see my SUV is smalled then a Camery and sits about as high as a normal car. It also weighs around the same as most midsized cars 3500lbs. So there fore it should be fit for the road. If you claim its not then you must take every midsized car off the road with it.

Expensive? If you call 18k expensive then check around and tell me what you can find for that price.

Drink fuel? I get about 18-20 in the city and well over 26 on the highway. This is when I drive normally and I don't floor it off lights.

Kills people? I've never killed anyone. And it doesn't what kinda automobile it is, if it hits someone chances are they will die. Hell I could hit someone with an Aveo and they'd be dead, just as much as if I hit them with a Ford F-350.

And what do I drive. A 2003 Blazer.

 

[1X83Z]

:tup: I could always roll out the famed Honda CR-V 2WD vs. Jaguar XJR comparison, but I don't think it's worth it.

 

[ZEE]

Im my opinion, the award for best car ever made has to go to the bavarian ultimate driving machine. THE E39 BMW M5

I find this car to be the best is because BMW stepped up a gear with this M5 when it was released and created a perfect niche for drivers wanted no compromise between luxury and performance.
The car is still unsurpassed in its sector of Luxury Execs Saloons, until the E60 version comes out, yet, even then, still this will be regarded as a classic.

Even Jeremy Clarkson highly praised this Amazing Car.

If u want more convincing then check this site out:
BMW M5 CLIP SITE

 

[Dave A]

The best car ever title has often been given to different models of the Porsche 911 because it's a supercar you can rive to kids to school i, do the shopping and then let rip on a track. My personal would be the Aston Martin DB9 by far, it seems that's Jeremy's fave as well.

 

[1X83Z]

I find this car to be the best is because BMW stepped up a gear with this M5 when it was released and created a perfect niche for drivers wanted no compromise between luxury and performance.

The M5 is over-rated. I idolized it for years until I bought one - I had it for a few months before I decided better stuff was out there. I would've nominated it in this category until I had the chance to own one - I like its replacement, the Mercedes CLK55, much, much more.

 

[Ghost C]

Damnit M5, I was trying to get you to rate my car. I failed.

 

[1X83Z]

Damnit M5, I was trying to get you to rate my car. I failed.

It really depends what you paid and how much miles are on it. Speaking generally, mid-90s Cadillacs are good deals today - the Seville particularly (though the Eldorado is never a good deal and the Allante, though a good car, is still expensive with the Northstar engine).

Speaking generally again, the DeVille is a good car. One fortunate thing is that DeVilles of that era tended to be mechanically sound, meaning if you don't mind mediocre performance you were going to get a reliable, comfortable car - hence the aim at old people. Another good thing about many expensive GM cars in the late-80s and early-90s (Oldsmobile Trofeo, DeVille, Pontiac Bonneville, Cadillac Seville, Chevrolet Corvette) is that they were loaded with ahead-of-the-time electronic features - the Trofeo, for example, had an electronic display on the dashboard long before the invention of the in-car navigation system. 1991 was DeVille's first year with ABS, and it had a computer-controlled suspension system (CCR - Computer Command Ride) optional as well.

Anyway, it's refined (for an early-90s car), cheap (or it should be), mechanically competent, and comfortable - those things probably offset the weak engine (180bhp and only 245 lb-ft from a 4.5L multiport V8? No wonder they needed Northstar) and unbelievably dated styling. Not a great car but not a bad one.

By the way, the trunk is actually not considerably-sized - it's 0.4 cubic feet smaller than the current Toyota Camry's.

 

[Victor Vance]

The question probably has no single answer but.....
Looking only at performance..... Mclaren F1
Luxury........ Rolls~ Phantom? (One of my teachers said that)
Economy....... Toyota Prius?

Not to crash your post or anything, but there are hybrid K-cars (less than 64hp) that can get well over 90 I think...

 

[Ghost C]

This one has the 4.9 and has a ton of ass. You should see the tires spin. I floored it pulling out of the driveway just for fun one day, wouldn't hardly move until I let off a little, and I'm going to get it for $500 since it's in family.

On the other hand, I'm going to be upgrading the motor highly, since the transmission is going to have to be rebuilt fairly soon anyway (Almost 200k miles). 4" ram air intake will be on it fairly soon. But the aim at old people is what I like best, it makes it a great sleeper since nobody expects them to be fast . Almost 200k on the odometer and the engine has absolutely nothing wrong with it and it runs like a dream even though it hasn't been cleaned in nearly 14 years. I like that car, alot.

Hence why I nominated the 4.9 V8 DeVille to be the best car ever, it has anything and everything you could ever want, except the stock wheels don't sit out far enough, which I will change with some wheel spacers and wider wheels and tires soon enough.

A Toyota with more trunk space? Are you kidding man? Jesus I'd hate to see the trunk in one of those, because I was quite comfortable laying in it while putting some speakers in there, and I'm 6'4.

 

[animateria]

Not to crash your post or anything, but there are hybrid K-cars (less than 64hp) that can get well over 90 I think...

Oh... Yeah~ I forgot about those~ and they don't have that whining electric motor do they!! (not sarcasm... but it sounded like that for some reason)

 

[1X83Z]

This one has the 4.9 and has a ton of ass. You should see the tires spin. I floored it pulling out of the driveway just for fun one day, wouldn't hardly move until I let off a little, and I'm going to get it for $500 since it's in family.

Yeah, the 4.9 was an improvement - 180bhp became 200 and 245lb-ft became 275, but it wasn't a huge improvement: 0-60 went from 9.5 to 8.9-9.1, and the engine was a fair bit rougher at low speeds than the 4.5. Plus, and worst of all (especially at 200,000 miles) the EPA rating was pretty bad - 16mpg city, 25mpg highway. With those stats it's easy to see why Cadillac needed Northstar. When new I don't think the 4.9 was worth whatever Cadillac charged for it. It's only worth it used if the price difference is slight (and for $500 it is) and if you can afford the gas, considering it "requires" premium.

Hence why I nominated the 4.9 V8 DeVille to be the best car ever, it has anything and everything you could ever want

A lot of cars offered that, though - that's why "best car ever" has to be revolutionary.

A Toyota with more trunk space? Are you kidding man? Jesus I'd hate to see the trunk in one of those, because I was quite comfortable laying in it while putting some speakers in there, and I'm 6'4.

Yeah, I'm actually wrong on that; Toyota has 1.4 less cubic feet. I was actually looking at fuel capacity. It's worth noting that the Camry's fuel tank is freaking huge. Anyway, the DeVille's 18.1 cubic feet puts it a little below average considering its overall length of 203.3" - the 200.0" Chevrolet Impala's trunk is 18.6 cubic feet.

 

[Ghost C]

Plus, and worst of all (especially at 200,000 miles) the EPA rating was pretty bad - 16mpg city, 25mpg highway.

I'm fairly sure there must have been something wrong with the Cadillac they tested, this one gets 18-20 in the city, and well over 30 on the highway.

I agree that the N* is sufficiently badass, but I can't afford an engine swap