So here’s the situation. You can pick one car, any car, but it’s the only car you can drive for the rest of your life. Money is no object, but you can’t choose a 2000GT so you can sell it and use the money for 50 other cars. You can never sell this car. And you can never buy another one. If you’re going to live the rest of your life in bachelorhood, then go ahead and get that 2000GT! Otherwise, if you have a family you might have to compromise and go with a MasterAce.
If you could only drive one car for the rest of your life, what would it be?
What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s your most heartwarming JNC story?”
Well, what we learned this week is that the world is a cold and unforgiving place, because never has a QotW received fewer answers. There are no heartwarming tales in JNC world! In fact, we had more readers congratulating the previous week’s winner than answering the actual question. As such, the winner is Joey Katigbak, who not only had a nice story, but no competition either:
Not sure if this is the right place for it, but here’s my story, I came to the United States from the Philippines in the early 90’s and was always a Toyota fan from the get go. I think that to that point, all we ever owned were Toyotas and I wasn’t about to change that.
The first car I’d purchased was a ’91 Toyota 4WD pickup. A nice little red 4-banger with a 22RE that was my pride and joy. I bought her from an office mate who was being issued a company car and wanted to part ways with it. I loved this car for many reasons, so I’d taken her everywhere. I even took her 4-wheeling in the mountains near Tahoe a couple of times. Heck I even dated my wife in it until we were married. That truck took us everywhere. We went camping and saw races in Napa and Monterey so much, I’d forgotten we had other cars I had to care for as well. She also was my project car when I decided to take a shop class in automotive body repair.
Because of that she became a garage queen for a while but every time I had the money, I would remind her how much she meant to me by getting her nice parts and keeping her as updated as I can. I got her a nice cold air intake in preparation for the time I could afford a snorkel and a set of LCE headers when someone stole the catalytic converter at the train station. She was a workhorse whenever we moved. She helped me move three times to our current home.
I owned her for over 20 years and even when it seemed like I should sell her like my wife said, I would always find a reason not to. I told her I would never do that. 🙂 I’d sell other things (hint) before I do that. I never once had to take her into a shop for any mechanical repairs. I would do all the work myself, heck I even changed the clutch and transmission myself!! A project I thought I would never get done.
Well, a couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer which put me off for a while. My truck remained parked in front of my house while I recovered from all the chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery I had to undergo. I forced myself to recover saying I would get back behind the wheel of my truck soon each time I looked at it from the living room window where I rested.
A few months ago, I finally was able to get up enough energy to bring my baby back from her long sleep. The day we finally took our first drive was like coming back to an old girlfriend. I cleaned her up and changed her fluids and when I started her up for the first time, it was like she just came back from a long trip and was ready for more. I even wondered what on earth can happen to us from here…
Well, the answer to that question came fairly soon. One rainy day this last December, I was on my way home from the hospital. I’d stopped by the parts store to check on what parts were available for a project I was planning. A heavy downpour had just stopped and the roads were slick so I made it a point to keep alert. So, as I was coming into this intersection, I noticed an orange car coming my direction and had stopped. I saw she had a yield and I knew I had the right of way. There was a car stopped to my right waiting for me to go by. As I came into the intersection, the driver of the orange Corolla ran into the intersection which made me slam on my brakes. As I did so, I told myself there’s no way I wouldn’t hit this car and was using every 4-letter word in the dictionary that came to my mind. I inadvertently hydroplaned into the front right quarter of the offending vehicle and hoped for the best.
I immediately ran out of my truck as soon as the whole incident happened and went to check on the other driver. She had tapped the driver waiting on my right after the impact who was yelling why she didn’t wait for me to go by… and “he had the right of way!!”
Well, thankfully she was okay and unfortunately for her, she had admitted fault to the incident. My baby suffered major damage to the front RH side and the bumper came in enough so that it had wedged itself on my BFG’s. I tried muscling it back enough to be able to drive it, but my muscles are no longer as strong as they used to be. When the tow truck guy came, I told him to help me pull the bumper back a bit but no amount of muscle ever did get that bumper to move.
I had her towed home and reported it to my insurance. Because the other party had admitted fault, all I had to do was wait for an adjuster and see what they would offer me to repair the truck. In the meantime, I asked around for quotes to see what it would take to resurrect my baby. Unfortunately, because of age, insurance only offered me $5K and the best thing I could do under the circumstances was to finally give up the ghost on my beloved truck.
I’ve kept all the memories and will never forget my most heart warming Toy…
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
22B
I will stay true to my belivings and will keep with Nissan/Datsun Laurel C31. A super-versatile machine. After proper tuning to the engine and drivetrain it can be pretty bad-ass expessway roller, after adding some tastefull visual mods it can keep up in the VIP Class, and still it remians practical. Four doors, comfortable interior, ease of maintance, older then me. I couldn’t want more
For my whole life?
It has to be safe enough to protect a baby in the event of a crash.
It has to be powerful enough to put a grin on my face every time I hit the skinny pedal.
It has to be comfortable enough for a multi-day road trip.
It has to be big enough to fit four adults comfortably and a weekend’s luggage.
It has to be reliable enough to be my only car.
It has to be quiet enough that exhaust drone/road noise/etc won’t drive my tinnitus nuts.
It’s not a very exciting vehicle, but I think the Lexus LS 400 would make an excellent “only car”.
LS400s are fantastic cars. Powerful, quiet, comfortable, and probably the most well-built vehicle of its time. Also I’ve noticed a certain camaraderie among owners on the streets that one might not expect for a 20 year old luxury barge. I like UCF20s and 21s though, over the 10s.
Hmmm.
An R32 GTS 4-door with a big, naturally aspirated RB. I need the back seat because I have a daughter who needs to come along for the ride. I need something fun, I need something relatively safe, I need grace, space and pace, and that delivers like few others. There are a couple of alternatives, but they’re not nostalgics yet.
R32 4door, with a *large* NA RB? Sounds like the Autech Skyline26 would be RIGHT up your alley!
Best start looking know though, as they’re few and far between. Fantastic car…
Rest of my life?
Has to be the eunos Cosmo. With a manual tho…..
It’s a super comfy rwd luxury car with the amazing 20b a decent bit of room for normal daily duties…
No one in the US will know what it is with Sleek understated body lines.
Plus the crazy technology for the time. And in 20 years it may be one of the most sought after Japanese cars ever.
Did I mention 20b three rotor?
I have been driving my 1967 RL411 for 48 years and 11 days. The right size, Adequate power. Good steering. And reliable. So I guess I would keep it for the future as an only car if I had to make the choice!
BTW, I have stashed away a complete engine gasket set [plus portions of the more expendable little pieces] and an complete British Borg Warner automatic transmission M35 rebuild kit! And my son is a certified automatic transmission repair technition so I can in theory be saved from amateur excesses like let’s hurry up it’s almost dinner time. In the extreme, there are roadster 40 thousands over bore piston rebuild kits, but I don’t see that as a “need” unledd I skip several preventative maintenance intervals.
If I had a choice I would probably continue to drive my 77 Celica Liftback. I rescued it from a barn a year and a half ago and that makes me feel pretty attached. Its got its problems sure but the project is on going and I am in it for the long haul… And damn is it reliable
That’s a difficult one… I would immediately like to name my beloved Carina but I don’t think it is up to the task of serving me the remainder of my life: simply not enough parts and too big oddball to survive. Must add that a similar Carina joined the Paris-Dakar rally twice in 1981 and 1982!
Then the second car that comes to mind (and I always regretted selling): the AE86. Lovely car, does all the right things I like a car to do. Has a hatchback, four seats and a revvy engine. But it is simply not practical enough for a family… Especially fitting a simple thing as a baby seat convinced me selling was the right thing to do.
So then I get to the category of four door luxury cars like the Crown, Cressida, Gloria and Cedric, but I consider them too large for me to park in my cosy little neighborhood (a 2014 Civic is considered a difficult to park car here!). I really felt sorry for my neighbor and his early 70s Jaguar XJ.
Minivans? Noooo! 😮
So what then? Normally I would not even consider to own one of these, but a 1990 Toyota Land Cruiser FJZ80 would actually do: it is comfortable, big enough for my family and easy to park (partly on the sidewalk). No need to create a stockpile of parts as they are virtually indestructible! So if there is an apocalypse it will probably be the only car to survive and serve me well! Now if only something could be done to make that 1FZ-FE a bit less thirsty!
Tempting though it is to go for something sensible knowing I’d probably need a rear seat or a big trunk at some point, I’m sure I’d spend more time regretting not going for something I truly loved. And anyway, the rules don’t stipulate that your other half can’t also have a car…
The head says a rarer, more unusual variant of the car I already have, a Eunos Roadster. That variant would be the ultra-limited NB Roadster Coupe, the factory closed-roof model. With plenty of modifications to endow it with rest-of-life-suitable levels of performance.
But since that isn’t a JNC, the heart would win out: An S30 240Z. I’d never tire of its beauty, or its compact size. And I’d have the rest of my life to perfect it, in the manner of a Singer-tweaked Porsche or Alfaholics-fettled GTA. Low weight, high quality, a perfectly-honed engine and chassis.
Easily by a country mile…. JZA80 Toyota Supra RZ manual. Not 100% practical in some areas ie. rear seat, shallow trunk, 2 door. But actually they’re capable of everything. You can have kids in the back fill the trunk with shopping ( albeit, one meal) but the drive is worth it. Surely you would take handling and being able to slide round over being able to fill your pantry?
And, Scotty G’s head explodes…
I guess, because the Toyota 2000GT is my favorite car of all time, I would choose that one. But, I would have to move somewhere where there are regularly-vacuumed velvet roads and, of course, no other drivers. Not to mention, no precipitation, no rodents to chew on anything, no bugs to splatter on the front of it or deer to run into so it stays in pristine condition. Sort of a velvet-lined-hamster-track-inside-of-a-dome. Yeah, that sounds like fun! (crickets) (wait, I said no bugs!)..
Even though I’m an old schooler through and through, I couldn’t survive in one for the rest of my life. I need A/C and heat, I also need some mod-cons, power, comfort and safety to an extent. I’d pick a GTR, probably an R32 as it’s kind of a classic, but my preference would probably lean more towards an R34 if it really does have to be forever.
I would be very happy driving a NA2 NSX. Roomy, comfortable and equally happy to cruise around town or stretch it’s legs in the curves. Amazing reliability, fantastic driver visibility in any direction and timeless styling make the NSX my choice. Plus it comes with the blessing of Aryton Senna and Shigeru Uehara, what more could one ask for?
Well, I might very well own that vehicle right now. I could see myself enjoying my first gen Honda CR-V for the rest of my driving life. Mind you, I am in my mid 40’s so I figure I have at least 40 more years of driving in me, as long as the general public think so too and they don’t have my license pulled. Where I would love the EF Civic you posted this week, the CR-V has much of what that Civic did for me when I owned one about 10 years ago. The CR-V has some pep, but not too much, is easy enough to work on without tons of computer overlordish acts of randomness and it has some safety factors not found in all the old cars I used to own. I like the fact that it is only 2wd and takes me down the highway wonderfully, not sipping gas like I would hope, but not sucking it down with two straws either. I can change the wheels out with some all terrain tread and go over some mountain roads as long as they are deemed semi-improved, already done it with street tires in Colorado before I knew better. It holds myself and my wife comfortably, holds two more folks if they want to come along and it holds its own in the luggage department. If that rear area is occupied by my dog, well, we just strap the luggage to the roof and any amount of “toy” to the back trailer hitch as long as it is small enough. I converted the rear seats to the laydown type, so we can camp out overnight if we get stuck somewhere and if we get to a restaurant with a lack of tables outside, well, we can just set up our own, done that already too and we were served with no issue or second glances. Yep, I think after 250,000 miles on the odo now, I would like to see it roll back over to pure 0 and start again in this 1999 Honda CR-V
Genuinely thought about this before, and conveniently i’d gone with a somewhat-classic Japanese car..!
JZA80 Supra RZ, manual; as late, tidy, and stock as possible.
Hatch for carrying awkward shapes, 4-seats at a pinch, could sleep in it, great to drive, would happily drive across the country, great engineering, quality build, interesting, a dream car of sorts, fast, forever a classic, and significant standing as one of the greatest Toyota’s made.
I know there’s plenty of other positives in there, but running off even memory of my previous thoughts alone.. it’s the car I’d choose.
How does one go about choosing a vehicle to which they would drive toll death? I’ve driven a lot of vehicles but not a lot of JNCs. Would I love a Toyota 2000GT but I have no idea what it feels like to drive. The cool/wow factor would definitely make it fun to drive.
I definitely would love to drive a Skyline, any year, any model. Even if it’s a custom front face swap for a Cool Skyline wagon.
But I love my classic celicas. Driving my ’76 LB daily is a blast but it’s loud, and nothing pretty.
I also would love a bagged put newer Toyota Tundra. Enough room for the family but still low to the ground.
I could go crazy and choose a Lamborghini Miura, that thing looks amazing!
See if can’t make up my mind I’m all over the place, well……
My ’81 celica, I miss driving it. Nothing fancy, I gave it an all black interior, louvers, and a sunroof. Got the car from my uncle because my cousins didn’t want it. Driving at night with the sunroof open, heat on down at the feet to keep my body warm with a full bright moon is the best. Would I love to drive other vehicles? Oh ya! But nothing can take away my first love (with a JNC) of my yellow81celica.
Only one car for the rest of my life? Hmmm, it would have to be the Swiss army knife of cars. Icey roads?check. Snowmagedden?check. Wet leaves, muddy camp ground or dusty fire roads? Check,check, & check. Able to swallow an antique elephant foot umbrella stand? No prob. Haul me and the fellas gear while mountain biking in Utah? No sweat. Zombie-pocalypse with human carcasses as far as the eye can see? With 8.7″ of ground clearance & AWD…a walk in the park. My steed you ask? 2015 Subaru Outback 3.6r…nuff said!
My blaze red 1989 RX-7, i could never give it away, i´ve only driven it about 1500kilometers and the rest of the time (3 years) its been in garage, but i cant imagine myself being without it.
If it would be my only car for the rest of the life i should probably go to live in Berlin or something, wheres really good public transportation and lots of bicycle roads.
Now let me preface the following by saying that I do love fast cars. I’ve owned and enjoyed a 300ZX, AE86, AW11 MR2, and a few other nimble JNCs. But if I had to own just one car for the rest of my life, it would be a 1995 Subaru Sambar Dias II.
If you’re not familiar, it looks like this: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Subaru_Sambar_Dias_001.JPG
The Sambar is a kei van weighing in at around 800 kg / 1800 lbs. It’s too tall, the wheels are tiny, the engine’s in the back, and it’s impossibly dorky looking. And yet the moment I sat behind the wheel of a Sambar Dias II for the first time, my perspective on cars changed forever.
The van was for sale on the side of the highway, having been imported from Japan to Tennessee by a mail carrier and then dumped because of a trans issue. It was RHD and a 5-speed, with the extra roof glass shown in the picture above, although not the supercharged version. I met the owner after excitedly mashing his number into my phone when I saw it on the FOR SALE card in the window.
A small sixty-ish fellow arrived shortly in an Echo coupe, sporting short gray hair and a trim mustache. He unlocked the Sambar for me and stood by while I crawled around the thing like a kid in a playground castle.
I sat behind the tilted truck-style steering wheel on a blue-and-yellow plaid seat. I took in the scenery through the huge windows and skylights in the back. I slid the slidey doors and discovered tons of secret cup holders and folded down the rear seat row, which folds flat like a bed.
In five minutes I had fallen in love with the tiny van. Things are just *different* behind the wheel of a car like that. Sure it’s terrifying at 65 mph, and it takes 90 seconds to get there, but you never want to do that anyway. This is a van for the easy life, and even if you don’t have an easy life, you feel like you do when you’re driving it. Any trip in a Sambar Dias is a vacation. It feels like a camping trip on wheels. All the urgency you had when you stepped inside, all stress or worry or frustration just falls off your shoulders. Driving the Sambar is like puttering around a quiet lake on a little fishing boat. It’s like the early retirement you didn’t know you wanted.
I’ve had some great times driving hard in other cars, pushing my AE86 and my own skills to the limit on some east Tennessee mountain roads, but I’ve never felt the same kind of unassailable peace as when I drove the Sambar. It’s simply a magical place to be. Which is why, if I had to have just one car for the rest of my life, that would be it. It’s roomy enough for most jobs, and you just can’t be unhappy in there.
It’s a tough choice, but an early Celica Supra P-Type would be my answer.
Long nose, seating for four, an ample trunk/hatchback, groovy fender flares and most importantly pop-up headlights.
The factory 5m engine is no slouch for an around teh town and commute use, and 7M-GTE and 1JZ/2JZ engines can provide decades of high power fun over the years. Any one who’s driven one will tell you they can be deceptively fast on a road course.
Easy enough for me: 1985 Mazda 636 LX sedan or hatchback. Easy, ’cause I had the sedan version, and it’s STILL the car I’d go back to with zero hesitation. I really can’t comment of vehicles I’ve never owned or at least been in.
Enough space for humans, both front and rear.
Fold-down rear seat for odd cargo.
Power windows and locks, just for the convenience.
Sunroof, ’cause I like ’em.
STICK SHIFT!
LOW cost to own, maintain and use, including ~24mpg; quite reasonable even today.
Fun to drive: handled well, rode well, and although not a screamer, acceleration was acceptable.
Conservative styling looked good to me, and didn’t look out of place anywhere I went.
The only way it could have been better would be if it were a wagon.
I too have asked myself this question before. I am into a very wide range of cars, and have always seen myself ending up with a beautiful and diverse fleet. But when my AE86 obsession was still somewhat young, I realized that if I was hypothetically forced to only own/drive one model for all time, I really wouldn’t be too broken up so long as it was the hachiroku. The sound, the looks, and of course the feel. As I tell anybody who asks why I like them so much: “Its simply the greatest car ever.” They always want to know “why”, of course. But its not something that can simply be explained, especially to a skeptic. It just IS.
I agree that an AE86 hatchback would be ideal. In fact, for a time it was my only car, and I could go anywhere, it was easy to fix, and I even helped a friend move an entire chest of drawers and could close the trunk completely. I really don’t need any more than that in a car.
This is a tough question. I’ve always wanted to drive a 432r but a 1976 rx-5 is another. Until i seen a a40 carina posted on here in a boso meet.
The one car for the rest of my life? So many requirements!
1) It’d have to be a wagon, maybe 2 door like an old Volvo P1800ES or early ’70s Corolla.
2) Simple, durable and loyal like a Datsun 510, Toyota Camry or Volvo 240.
3) Steer like a Porsche 911.
4) Big torque and high mpg like a Japanese market Toyota turbo diesel or VW TDI.
5) Light and toss-able like an AE86.
6) Firm yet compliant ride like an ’80s BMW.
7) Retro styling like an old Alfa GTV or maybe modern like a Tesla.
8) Elegant, classic interior with leather, metal, wood and round analog guages like an early ’60s Mercedes.
9) And, of course, RWD or maybe 4WD like a WRX.
That’s not too much to ask is it? Can someone please tell me the car I’m describing so I can get one and drive it the rest of my life.
One car?
The rest of my life?
OK, well I am fervently opposed to ever losing my 84 RX-7, so I guess it’ll have to be that. I’d better finish rebuilding the engine fast!
My V21 Camry. The most exceedingly reliable vehicle I have ever seen. Drove it home at 16 and 21 years later she’s still with me. Turned over 120,000 miles on the way home from the dealer in 1995, and we’re just over 270,000 now. Only one time have we not made it where we were going, back in 2009 at around 150,000 miles the factory ignition coil finally gave out. Once I get a few things out of the way, the plan is to replace the struts all around and give her a fresh coat of paint. I drive an old F150 in winter because winters here can be brutal, so this week is the first opportunity I have had to get behind the wheel of the Camry since December. 21 years and after a little time away, and I’m reminded why I love that little car so much.
I live in a country where most of the cars are small ( The Corolla is a “big” car here ), fuel is expensive, with narrow roads and very nice weather. I already made my choose, my 1982 KP-61 Starlet with 4K-B Engine and 5 speed transmission. It has been with me for 26 years. I’m almost 60, so I don’t think to need anything else to move for the remaining years of my stay in this Planet.
S2000
The first generation scion xB released in the United States was a peculiar car at conception. It’s oddly boxed shaped design was not typical of the norm. People either hated it or loved it or learned to love it. The car was marketed to a younger generation who would eventually be destined to become Toyota loyalists. At least this was Toyota’s plan. The shape and body lines of this car is unmistakeable. The car was created by toyota to be blank slate where owners could express passion and originality through customization options when purchasing the vehicle. With the endless supply of customizable parts made for this car, it was rare to see two xB’s alike.
The fist time I saw the xB was at the Scion dealership in the showroom. I was convinced one day I would own one of these cars when they became more affordable. I had never driven one before, but something about sitting in a box car just did it for me. The xB is a small car from the outside, but with its large windshield and box like design, the roominess of this car exceeded the cars of much larger dimensions.
Fast forward 10 years to 2014, I was the current owner of a 2002 Subaru 2.5RS. This car was equipped with AWD and was a great daily. With the gas prices rising above $3.00 a gallon and the more frequent maintence intervals for AWD cars, I decided it was time to buy something a little more gas efficient and convenient for daily driving to work and family outings.
For several weeks I researched several candidates that met my criteria for a better daily driver. Some cars I had considered were the Mini Cooper, Honda fit and the first generation Scion xB. The Honda fit was a bit smaller and wasn’t as exciting or different from what I was looking for. The Mini Cooper was a good candidate but because it’s a BMW, it would result in higher maintenance costs in the long run and possibly offset the cost savings in gas. All three cars offered exceptional gas mileage.
The first step in my car search was to test drive the xB. I had accepted the fact that driving a box wouldn’t be as exciting and if anything, drive like my mom’s 1983 corolla at best. The first xB I test drove was from an ad I found on craigslist. The car was salvage but I thought I would get a taste of what I was getting myself into. I met up with the seller and after the test drive, I couldn’t believe it. The car handled well and was very nimble. The 1.5 liter was peppy especially with the variable valve timing. The car reminded me of my first generation AW11 Mr2. It handled just as well if not better. However, the xB is 20 years newer and has a larger profile. I was instantly sold.
I started looking more seriously into finding a clean title, lower mileage xB. I was able to find one a few months later. I found a clean title, polar white xB with all the bells and whistles. I’ve since owned the car for 2 years. The car has been more than reliable and stands true to toyota’s reputation for reliability and value. My wife was very hesitant with me buying this car. Her exact words were, “Why would you want to drive a box?”. Today, my wife loves the car. She loves the fact that there are no blind spots, handles nimble, roominess like a van, easy to park and basically doubles up as a truck with the rear seats folded down. We’ve been able to haul tables, chairs and even 3 full size toilets when we bought new fixtures for our new home. The largest item has to be the 65″ TV we recently purchased.
If I had to drive one car for the rest if my life, it would have to be the first generation Scion xB. There is a reason the car was one of Scions most successful models. The car was marketed towards a younger generation; with it’s large doors and roomy interior, higher seating, it’s a party on wheels. My wife and I will be starting a family in the next few months and I can’t picture driving anything else. The car fits the bill with plenty of room, low maintenance cost, great gas mileage, zippy handling and great resale value even though I would never sell this car. I plan to drive this car for a long time. I believe the originality and design of this car will eventually make it a cult classic such as the VW bug or bus. Let’s face it, being boxy is starting to be hip.