I had a 1978 Thunderbird that I freaking loved. Unfortunately, it caught fire three weeks after I got it. (This would have been 1990. And to be fair it was a hand me down car from my brother and it got him through college.)

I'm not a car person at all but I loved that car. It was huge and a metallic dark green color and it could move.

Save for my mother's Oldsmobile Ninety Eight which she drove before trading it in for a '95 Nissan Maxima, every car I've driven has been Japanese - the '94 Toyota Corolla I drove in high school and the '97 Honda Accord I drove while in university - sedans all.

My favourite car is the one I'm driving now, an '04 Accord coupe which my mother thought was completely impractical for me to buy because "what about when you get married and have kids?!" to which I replied, "I'm not married and I don't have kids so why shouldn't I drive a 2-door car?" I'm a simple girl - I love it because it's low-maintenance, it's responsive and it's red.

My favorite was probably the 1967 aqua blue Mustang convertible with white leather interior. Not my car, but could be its twin:
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I also loved my green 1972 Fiat Spyder convertible. The biggest drawback was being told by some clever person on an almost daily basis that Fiat stood for Fix It Again, Tony. It got about 40 miles to the gallon. Again, not my car but looked exactly like it:
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I also had a Kharmann Ghia I loved to death.

An '89 Nissan Maxima with standard transmission. Very fast, very responsive, really fun to drive. Between my father and me we put 200k miles on it (including when I burnt a valve and turned it into a V5, it's an overhead cam and required serious open heart surgery to repair that particular damage, I drove it for anther 10k with it being a little listless in the low revs and the same powerhouse as always when you got it back up out of third gear) we sold it to a Central American fellow who had a long shadetree mechanic history with Nissans and saw it being driven around for another 5 years at least. What a warhorse.

I've driven other Maxima's with similar longevity and a mess of other cars besides, but it was the best, most fun and reliable car I ever owned.

I learned to drive in a late '70's suburban with twin air conditioners, a motorcycle rack on the front, double gun racks (the double air conditioners made their own weather). Me and my dad once pulled down an old barn with that car.

I also briefly pushed a mid-eighties F-150 Lariat that I really enjoyed. I dearly love old modest pickups and crazy ass AMC Eagle station wagons. Those are the kind of cars I'd buy and restore if I had the funds, space and time.

I'm lusting after a VW Vanagon Synchro right now. Can't have it but it don't mean I can't look.

I've only owned 4 cars so far and I've had great luck with all of them. But I had the most fun with my 1991 Jeep Cherokee. It had the super-torquey 4.0L straight-6 engine and 4WD. I'm not at all a fan of SUVs, but the Cherokee was actually shorter in length than my mom's Toyota Corolla and weighed just over 3,000lbs (pretty good for an SUV, I think). For a few years in high school I explored a lot of the jeep trails north of Phoenix--mostly old mining trails. It amazed me where I could take that Cherokee when I had it in grandma-gear.

Eventually I got sick of driving an SUV in the city and it was clear to me that I 'm never going to be the camping/outdoorsy type. But it was fun while it lasted.

I had a 1970 Audi 100 that I loved but it really didn't love me back. It was already 12 years old by the time I got it so I can't really blame Audi to much for the reliability problems but it broke down pretty regularly. It was fun to drive when it did work.

First car was a 1955 Chevy Bel Air 2 door coupe, white on white with blue interior. I looked like a tiny ant when I sat in it all people could see was my little head peeking above the dashboard. It was like two huge couches on wheels. I remember that at one point it didn't go into reverse for 2 weeks so I always had to have at least 4 people riding in the car with me in order to push it backwards when necessary.

After that, I had a crap 1984 Ford Escort that I ran into the ground, a 1988 Nissan Pulsar that I ran into the ground, and now I have my '99 Miata that I am, summarily, running into the ground.

My wife's family was in the Fiat business, so we had a few hand-me-downs.

My fave was a 128 wagon. It was ugly but ran like a sewing machine.

I've had two cars, and they were both pretty shitty. My car from high school (some green thing, can't remember what kind it was now for the life of me) had a broken AC, which is no joke in FL. The drive home from school was ~30 minutes, and I would come home absolutely dripping. The car I had in college (red Dodge Neon) had an overheating problem that took visits to many mechanics to fix, plus a dome light that never went out (seriously. Never. And the battery never died, either. I ended up having to tape something over it, just so Public Safety would stop calling me).

I drove a cream colored 1979 Plymouth Valari in my late teens and early twenties. It was a tank. The burgundy vinyl interior was pristine and incredibly roomy. I loved the bench seats. If forced to, I could sleep in this car in comfort. It wasn't the most attractive of cars, but strangers would approach me and ask if they could buy it. Before that I drove a Dodge 600 -- a K car. It was a great car because it was my first car.

After the Valari I had a very pretty Ford Thunderbird. My father bought my sister and I a Thunderbird each. It was the last year Ford stopped making them (until they made them again) and probably the most attractive car I've owned.

I got married, bought a new Jeep Grand Cherokee and totalled it a few years later. Not my fault; a poor lady T-boned me on a dreary day. We lived. It was nice while it lasted.

Now I drive a Honda CR-V. It's a very enjoyable car, but I'm longing for something with more flash. Not a pearly white Escalade, but something European and fast.

I only ever owned one car. A Ford Fiesta. An idiot who was trying to drive away from a RTA he caused lost control and slammed into me and totalled it.

There's nothing more to add to that, apart from the fact that I used to joke that I was going to set up a successful boy band called "kisbutu" so I could make money selling the plates as vanity plates.

My only car was my black '89 Honda Accord, which I bought new ands took me almost all over the continental US but Maine and the south (with the exception of Arkansas). If I had been accepted into a PhD program which allowed me to make a creative thesis, I would have sold it--as it was, I sold it when I moved to NY.

My current Audi S4 (B5 series) is pretty much perfect in all categories except fuel & repair costs. It goes about the business of being a great car with quiet efficiency. That said, I miss my imperfect little '74 Alfa GTV. When the engine came on cam, it was a joy to be one with the machine. The Alfa had a great motor, but was hampered by a so-so chassis and difficult driving position.

The best car I've ever experienced was an BMW E30 M3 from 1991. The E30s were the real M3s, before they got fat and middle-aged, or worse - blinged out. The one with the S14 motor, derived from an F1 block. Perfectly balanced engine, chassis, and brakes. Driving that car was like dancing with Fred Astaire.

My favourite car was my '84 Pontiac Fiero. The perfect sports car in the MG sense, there was always some little thing needing to be fixed. Far and away the best winter car I owned, I've routinely passed even subies in the ditch in inclement weather. It's only real drawback was the bloody cop magnet in the trunk.

1st runner up is my '66 Chrysler Windsor 2DRHT. The perfect highway car it's unfortunately a bit of a bitch in the city because of its 18'6" length. Plus despite the big block under the hood perfectly invisible to cops.

2nd runner up was my 82 Corolla, a very tough little car. Too bad it was so horribly expensive to repair.

My first car was a 1966 Chevelle that I bought before I had my license and caught fire before I ever had a chance to drive it. A 1972 Toyota Corona, which got hit by a severely drunk woman running a stop sign. And then a 1968 Corona because I was glutton for punishment. Then a 1968 Ford Futura that had the license plate "COMICS" which I'd love to have again (the plate not the car). It died of an undiagnosed electrical problem. I then did not have a car from the time I was 22 till I was 29. I then bought a 1963 GMC Pickup, which I owned for a few months and was again carless for a year or so. This was my starving artist phase. The next car I had was a 1983 Honda Civic hatchback that I traded a stick of RAM for, which I actually drove for a few years. I took horrible care of it but it refused to die. I then traded up for 1992 Honda Civic sedan, which also refused to die. In 2000 I bought a brand new Toyota truck, which I stupidly tried to hot rod. Solid rear axel = never going to handle worth a crap. Traded it in for 2002 Subaru WRX Wagon, which I loved at first, almost killed myself in a few times, did some fun/stupid driving in: a time/distance rally in Oregon on logging roads, got it up to a 135 mph in Death Valley and a few track days. At some point I got tired of it, I didn't feel the need for speed anymore. So now I have 2006 Honda Element (bright green). It's slow, handles like a smallish boat, but for some reason I really like it (I think that it looks like something Tonka might make has something to do with it). It's fun to drive, and it's really comfortable. I took a 6 day road trip, along the coast up to Oregon, and my butt never got tired.

Oh crap, Paulsc - You missed it! This year at the Monterey Historics there was a Ford Escort (the Mercury Capri) that had been built for IMSA-GT by Cosworth with an *amazing* 4-cam V6 engine. It was such a torque monster that as the car came off of the straight and into turn 4, it was lifting the inner front wheel roughly 4" off the tarmac. Hell of a driver, too, just to keep the thing shiny side up. I think I have pix on my camera.

I drove a cream colored 1979 Plymouth Valari in my late teens and early twenties.

Known to Chrysler as a Volare? :) Great cars, I had an '80 Aspen 4DR Sedan. I converted it to run on propane shortly after getting it. When I was making semi-weekly 400km one way trips to visit my girlfriend 0.035 dollar gas was a god send. I had a lot of fun with the car with my car buddies because it didn't have power steering but did have power brakes; both were optional on F bodies but no one had ever seen that combination before.

My first car was a Skoda Rapid, a black one. Skodas used to be the butt of many jokes, but this was a great car. Made in Czechoslovakia, it was built for cold weather so always started first time in winter, I got 40+ miles to the gallon and no self-respecting car thief would be seen dead in it. I loved my little Skoda.

It was rear-engined, which gave it a bit of added oomph, but having the trunk at the front meant it was very light to steer. It was a bugger to drive in high winds, though, unless there was something in the trunk to weight it down. Otherwise I'd end up with very sore shoulders from trying to hold it on the road.

Since then, Essex being Ford country, I've had Fords - a Sierra Sapphire (which I loved - my first automatic car), a Mondeo (which is the Taurus in the US) and a couple of Escorts (all stick shifts), including my current car which is a 10-year-old Escort, under 60,000 miles on the clock and if I look after it, it'll do me another ten years. To me a car is a box on wheels to get me from A to B. I'm not that fussed how it looks as long as it has a decent sized engine and feels solid.

Skoda was taken over by VW-Audi a few years ago and the brand is now almost respectable, it's certainly not the butt of jokes as it used to be in my Skoda-driving days. One of my elderly neighbours buys a new top-of-the-range Skoda Fabia (a VW Polo by any other name) every couple of years. But she's 84 now. So [cackles evilly] I'm hoping that I can keep my car fit and running until she stops driving and I'll see if I can buy it off her. She has no children so there won't be family interested in it, probably.

I really like my current car, a 2005 Golf Tdi 5-door. Solid German-engineered vehicle. Years ago, I was really fond of my 1986 Honda CRX.

I know you guys are all going to bark at me for saying so, but I'd like a hybrid... Lexus makes a nice one.

Mitheral, thanks, OMG! DUH!! :) No wonder my Google search was coming up empty! I swear, I spelled it correctly when I owned it.

My fave was a '91 Honda hatchback 5 speed. I could fit a ton of shit in that car with the rear seats down - it was very handy moving many times. Man I loved that car! I drive a '96 Integra now - I think Hondas may be part of my blood stream. I've had Toyotas and a Nissan, but they're just not the same as a Honda. I'd love to get a new car (used, but new to me) soon. The clear coat on my Integra is peeling madly and it has 133k miles on it. I'm trying to avoid spending for another timing belt or a paint job before I can trade it out for something else. I'm test driving a SmartCar next week to see if they're decent at all. I don't drive a lot since I work from home.

LoriFLA lemme know when you want to ditch that CRV. If it's white & automatic, I might be a taker!

My favorite is one I still own- it's not my everyday car, because I don't own an oil well, and it guzzles gas like you wouldn't believe: a 1966 Cadillac Deville convertible.

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I loved my beige 1981 four-door diesel VW Rabbit -- named Fufu, the killer bunny! -- even though it had a cracked engine block that meant it blew through oil and only three doors worked at any given time. Unfortunately, it also didn't have anti-lock brakes, which meant it skidded a lot in winter, and finally met its match after a late-season snow in April, when I got T-boned by a tree. Sigh.

I keep promising myself I'll buy an old Rabbit someday and totally pimp it out. In the meantime, I'm in love with Sparky, my '04 Prius. :)

My current vehicle, a 1994 Toyota pickup, might be my favorite. '94 was the last year that the Hilux pickup was sold in the US. After that, they started catering to American buyers. '95 saw the introduction of the bigger, heavier, more complex, less user-serviceable Tacoma, and, as far as I'm concerned, it's been downhill for Toyota trucks ever since.

For years I loved the first (and so far only "new" car) I ever owned - an '86 Nissan pickup. Black, stick shift (I learned to drive stick on it). It could fly - I once blew away a Nissan 280 ZX at a light. But I had my first son, and I needed a family car, plus the Nissan was pretty abused by then (10 years later). I had an Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera after that. Not a bad car, either.
I loved my 1991 Chevy Astro van, even though one of the rear doors didn't work and the driver's side power window could be tempermental. And I loved my 1998 Jeep Cherokee until some woman making a sudden left totalled it three years ago. Right now, I'm really loving my "mom mobile", 2001 Ford Windstar. First van I've ever had with dual sliding doors, first car I've had with leather interior (I bought it used, I'd never choose leather normally. I prefer cloth), the kids were excited that it had a VCR. (during a thunderstorm once while camping with my sons, we watched a movie in the van one night). I really like it, it's been a lot of fun. Those are the favorites of the eight cars I've owned so far.

Wow, iconomy has the best taste in cars!

I've had quite a lot of cars, some good, some pretty bad, some plain fucking awful. The one that I liked the best was one of the pretty bad ones - it was a Mini of around 1965 or so vintage - like this. It was painted British Racing Green, had widened steel wheels that stuck out from the bodywork by about an inch, had been lowered to the point that, while the rear suspension still had some travel, the front was sitting on the bump stops and it went around corners like it was on rails (the ride was predictably awful, though). It didn't have much power, but the light weight meant it was no slouch and, once I got it up to speed, I never needed to slow down, so it was a rare beast that could beat me in a suburban grand prix and lots of friends in their Torana XU1s and similar were embarrassed by that car.

I bought it for AUD50 because the gearbox casing was broken, making it undriveable - probably a result of the awful ground clearance, because the gearbox and sump were only about 3" off the road due to the extreme lowering. A friend of mine welded the case back up for free and I was away. I loved that car, but it was hardly practical for a growing family so I gave it up. One day, I will have another like it. We own a couple of pretty good cars now - reliable, comfortable, reasonably cheap to run etc. Boring, boring, boring.

Well you did better than my dad then LoriFLA. The reason I knew what you were talking about is he used too repeatedly call my Aspen a Valari, even while I owned it.

Had a straight flush once, got the whole pot, which was up to almost $3.00. (Penny poker.)

Oh, I thought you said cards.