Of course, cars are "just" a means of transportation, but they also become a special part of your life,
whether you own them or just see them. Here is a list of cars that captured my fascination and became my
favorites. I will note some things about the cars that I like though they also just have the
intangibles that you can't fully describe. So, starting with number 13, this page
counts down my favorites until it gets to my Number 1 favorite car! Shift in gear and here we go!
13. 1960 Plymouth Fury
I never rode this car. I can describe the main reason I like it in one word, "fins". I loved the Fin Age! They need to bring back cars with fins and pants with bell bottoms!
12. 1966 Plymouth Barracuda
I never rode this car. I saw it at the Chrysler dealership next to the bank in Woodsfield Ohio when I was a kid. The back of the car is the highlight. It would be interesting to ride in the back seat for a view from that large wraparound bubble window! It was the largest car window at the time. Pittsburgh Plate Glass helped Chrysler develop the window. Chrysler thought about naming it a Panda before they settled on the Barracuda name.
11. 1960 Plymouth Valiant
I owned this car with my brother in High School. It was our first car! I painted it green and white while my mechanical brother kept it running! Some think the spare tire stamp on the trunk is ugly, like a toilet seat, but I think it is beautiful! The Valiant was designed to compete with other compact cars at the time, like the VW Beetle, Nash Rambler, and Studebaker Lark.
Click here to see info on the Grim Valiant!
10. 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser
I owned this car. It was kind of like the best of both worlds. It had the look of an old car and the technology of a newer car. It was basically a shell put on top of a Dodge Neon. I like how it rode and how you you could set high on the road, but I was not crazy about the gas mileage and the multiple repairs to the bushings, a defect with the car. Still, it was a fun car! PT stands for "Personal Transport".
9. 1968 Mercury Cougar
I never rode this car. I like the vertical lines design on the front and back of the car, with no obvious signs of lights. It seemed like there were a lot of these cars on the road during the late 60's but maybe they were just noticed more often because of the distinctive look. When I was at my Aunt's wedding in the late 60's, I counted a lot of new Mercury Cougars in the parking lot.
8. 1962 Dodge Dart
My Dad owned a red 62 Dodge Dart convertible, just like the one in the "Mad Mad Mad Mad World" movie. Besides having an interesting look, this car had a lot of power and climbed hills with ease. My brother has the car now and it is still in good running condition.
Click here to see info on the Grim Dodge!
7. 1995 Chevrolet Geo Metro
I owned three Metros (1995, 1997, 2000). They ran wonderfully and lasted well. They were kind of like the "Model T of the 90's", with a good price and durable. We wore out one of them and, when the other two got old, we gave them to two friends that ran them longer until they wore out. Suzuki Motor Corporation, from Japan, worked with General Motors in the US to develop the Metro car.
6. 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage
I own two Mirages. Though I've driven it for just two years, so far, it has been a great car. It has the great price and durability of a Metro, yet with a much better warranty. The "Mirage" name fits since, though it does not look like it, a push lawn mower fits inside it, without tilting it. It is the first foreign car we have bought. I guess at our age, we contibuted enough to the American car makers to help the country. Mitsubishi, celebrating their 100th anniversary this year, did work with Chrysler for the Eclipse car, so they are not totally foreign. The Mirage has the best fuel economy of any car offered in America. It saves fuel as the lightest 4-door car available and with the lowest drag coefficient in its class.
5. Volkswagon Beetle (any year)
I never rode this car. I've always liked the beetle shape and the rear engine. I also have liked how, at least originally, it provided an affordable means of transportation. I thought maybe a car like the Mitsubishi Mirage could be the "next VW" as a great affordable car. However, there seems to be a lot of people still hooked on SUV's despite the price of gas.
4. 1960 Fiat 600 Multipla
My parents owned a 1960 Fiat 600 Multipla just like the blue and white model pictured here. It was used a lot in Italy as a taxi cab. A doctor bought one in Italy and shipped it home, eventually selling it to my Dad. You couldn't buy them directly in the US. It had amazing room inside and very little power, but it was a fun car. It creatively saved room by including the front wheels under the front seat. It took some time to get comfortable riding in the front seat with no hood to protect you in case of a potential crash.
Click here to see info on the Grim Fiat!
3. 1982 Renault Le Car
I owned a gold model like the one pictured here, including the black hood scoop. It was the first car I bought after having a "real job" (at an insurance company). It looked so distinctive and ran very well. I loved shifting gears on the manual transmission. Betty was not a shifter so we had automatic transmissions after that. Somehow, there was room under the hood to hold the spare tire next to the engine. I learned French in High School so it was nice to have a French car. It was sold through an American car company called AMC (American Motors Corporation). AMC had a wide variety of uniquely shaped cars including the Gremlin and Pacer. The Le Car was called Renault 5 (or Renault Cinq) in France. The Renault 5 finished in second place behind the Audi 80 in first place as the European Car of the Year in 1973.
2. 1957 Nash Metropolitan
I never rode this car. I always liked the look of the car. It just oozes cute! A bonus is that many models had a nice two tone paint job. I liked this car even before Weird Al drove one in the UHF movie! Nash was an American car compuany that eventually joined forces with AMC. They need to bring back a replica of this car! The Metorplitan was the first postwar American car that was marketed to women, followed by the Dodge La Femme marketed to women a year later. AMC thought about designing a station wagon version of the Metroplitan but abandoned the project. It is just as well since smaller is cuter!
1. Chevrolet Corvair (any year)
I never rode this car. I love how this car looks from all angles. I like that it has plenty of lights in the front and back. I also like the "surprise inside" where the engine is in the back and the trunk is in the front. I have seen this car in car shows. I know that Ralph Nader doesn't like the car, and his reviews watered down sales, but I still like the car. Corvair took its name as a combo of two other car names, the Corvette and the Bel Air. Despite Ralph Nader's controversial reports, the car was found to be no more dangerous than other cars at the time and was named Motor Trend's Car of the Year in 1960.
That's all for now!
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