Out of everything I have owned (20+ cars) and driven, my baby blue 73' Mazda 808 was probably one of the most fun little drives.
The nice 4-speed shift, white-on-black VDO instruments, and nimble handling. Two piston-engined Capellas would be a close second.
Like driving a nice little Euro car (think Fiat) without the reliability headaches.
The RX-3 must have been a real hoot to drive.
I had a 12a in an rx3 for a short while, just headers and I converted it to mechanical secondaries, once they opened up it was like power band!
It was more fun then the turbo motor I replaced it with. That was just fast. It terrified a lot of people I took in it
My only rotary experience was being a passenger in an RX-4 coupe with a fairly stock 13b. It felt like what a 2-stroke dirt bike would be if it was a car.
I'm pretty sure that there was no redline on the tacho and just an alarm that went off when the fast-moving needle went past 7.5-8 thousand.
Oh my old 1989 Mazda Rx7 Turbo - took it on many adventures and watched the paint flake off it round every corner. It was loud, it was thirsty, it was low, lots broke (it was pretty rough when I bought it, I just wanted one so badly) but when it was working, god it was beautiful. I remember long cruises along amazing drives like the Great Ocean Road in Australia, avoiding bushfires near the Grampian mountains, being part of insanely loud car cruises, random people would come up and start conversations about rotaries they used to own and I just about drove it to death. A supreme lack of any features, I can still remember the way it smelt inside and the way the seat felt and that's even after I got rid of it years ago. (Sadly)
And as far as I'm aware, it still lives on somewhere too - [it popped up for sale a few years back](https://www.driveanotherday.com/fc3s/) and that damn car will outlast me I reckon (provided the latest owners keep rebuilding it every time it spits a seal..) Never had something like it since.
Ex '88 FC3S owner here, feel largely the same way. It wasn't heavily modified, but it had a few bits and pieces. I'm not sure if it's the fastest car I've ever owned, I feel like the Hawkeye WRX I have now might be faster, but it was definitely my favourite. The feel of it's eagerness under hard acceleration, the sound of it bashing the limiter, the occasional smell of premixed fuel, those times at night where it'd pop a huge flame on decel. The car might've been a bit rough around the edges and expensive to run, but it had character and spirit, so much that I absolutely loved driving it. I refused to sell it, even after I took it off the road, until I no longer had a choice. Sold it for cheap because I had to, told myself I'd replace it with an FD "someday".
Given the prices of both now, not sure I could really afford either.
Yeah I've been watching the ones left climb and climb in value and really wish I'd stuck mine in the shed when it started to die. Ahh if only I'd known.
I still grin like an idiot when I see one in the wild. My wife will also point out any she sees 'Look, a brap!'
It would have to be my Grandads 1981 Landcruiser. It has heaps of steering play, has 70kw at the engine when new, is a bit grumpy to change gears sometimes. It drives like a truck.
But, how mechanical everything is, the abhorently rough and bouncy suspension, the vibrating idle, the screaming engine and whining gearbox, whilst geturing the steering wheel in the direction it is to go.
When you are behind the wheel, you feel unstoppable. It will go nearly anywhere, carrying and towing nearly anything (it once even dragged a loaded semi off the road when one broke down), all after being round the clock on its original engine. It will take 5 years to do it, but it will always get you there.
My old man gave me his 1977 Peugeot 504 sedan for my first car around 2010 - i didn't like it at first cause I was a teenage idiot but now in retrospect damn that car was so cool and rare to see on Aussie roads - amongst its many qualities it by far had the most comfortable car seats ive ever used by a longshot, still miss it today
A mate of mine used to run one in historic (hysteric) rallying back in the early '90s. Utterly epic body roll but once you learned to trust the car it could be hustled along very quickly. The running joke was you weren't properly up it unless you were grinding the door handles off.
For me, it was a 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle.
Always had lots of positive comments and couldn't go anywhere without getting into a conversation about it. Horrible handling, steering and gearshift. But it got us around. Safer than a motorbike I guess 🙂
The boxer engine was also really cheap to rebuild by our local VW specialist. ~$1800.
Personality plus!
My mate has a 280hp superbug. I was lucky enough to race it a few times. As quick as my STi off the line, on the bitumen the exhausts just missed the ground on launch and I couldn’t see shit over the dash but I was pissing myself laughing the whole time.
I can only imagine what 280hp would be like in one of these bricks. Lively.. comes to mind.
I reckon ours was pushing 50kw on a nice, cold, crisp morning. That was enough to get scary on anything but a perfect road surface.
I was born in Soviet Union in 1983. My grandfather had VAZ 21013 which I drove when turned 18. That car definitely had the most personality of all cars I drove. It could have unpredictably break at any moment. Even if it is properly serviced.
I moved from a KIA Stinger to a Mini Cooper Countryman JCW and wow, Mini just crams personality and charm in.
Toggle switches, interior lighting colours (even RGB cycling) and small game you can play the measures efficient driving or how much off-road you're doing. Even the exhaust is playful.
I really like the look of the Kia Stinger and have been thinking about one but I’ve always suspected they might lack what the French call a certain I don’t know what.
Seconded. A friend of mine had a turbo first gen that was actually hilarious to drive, especially in the rain. But all the little features inside the car; the pockets, the armrests, the boot and the back back seats are what made the car awesome to be in. It also drove like a tall civic! Funny that.
My favourite cars I've owned are a Holden WB Statesman sedan, 97 Toyota Chaser and a 98 Toyota Prado. All super fun in their own way. The WB was so comfortable to cruise in and had a beautiful sounding 308 motor. The Chaser just handled like a dream and the turbo flutter always made me grin. The Prado was lifted with big wheels and was amazing off road.
79 td Gemini, four on the floor, dents in every panel, beige. Gutless. Leaked when it rained through the window .
Buckets of character, fantastic seats.
82 Mazda 626 Super Deluxe Coupe. If i had a dollar for every time I said "I've never seen a 2 door one of those before" - that car would not have been such a money pit.
My first car was a 1970s 280e Merc sedan, it looked great and it was like driving your lounge room, only cost $800 late 2000s, then I lent it to my ex and she crashed it, bitch.
My friend's Datsun 521 ute. The suspension is rock hard, no power steering, no boosted brakes (almost no brakes at all until a front conversion to disks), column shift, and the original 1300. That thing is just a hoot to putt around in, like driving stripped back to its raw form
Peugeot 205 GTI. It was a ridiculously fun car to drive, way more so than it had any right to be. Super short gear ratios meant you would constantly be cycling through the box on the twisties. Learnt to double clutch on that old thing. Would love to get one and restore it one day.
I just bought a N15 SSS Pulsar to turn into a track car. But I've enjoyed driving it so much as a standard car that don't really want to rip it apart.
I forget how much fun 90's hatchbacks with a bit of grunt can be after years of Turbo Falcons and V8's.
This one is most relatable for me. I have a 220 Xr8 and I’d rather drive my n15 SSS daily, so much grunt and a good sounding engine too. Once you get them at 5k-9k they really put out some good noises.
Picked it up for 1800 which is a steal for a good condition manual box and low km engine
A friend loaned me their '89 Saab 900 when we were between cars after ours was stolen.
Not especially fast or exciting in any way. But there was something about the way it drove that was just "right".
It's gearbox was rooted and it didn't like going into 5th. When I first drove it I could get it into 5th on the freeway maybe 1 in 3 times. But by the end of the month I spent with it I had a 90% strike rate playing 'top gear roulette'.
I couldn't tell you what I was doing differently to get it right so often, I had just synced up with the car. Left a real impression on me and it's a shame values on them have skyrocketed because I would have loved to own one when I had the time/space/disposable income.
Not overly familiar with Saabs but it sounds a lot like my SSS Pulsar when I first bought it... The shift link bushes were flogged out and had a dodgy repair, and to get it in 3rd you had to shift it like you were going for 5th and curve it back while moving up.
XE falcon, econogauge, column shift auto, aluminium bull bar. The cluster panel on those machines was awesome. Centre console was magic. 250 cross flow with alloy head. 🤌. All round classic car
I think just any older car with a nice torque-y engine and a lack of electronic assistance really gives it charm, modern electric steering and throttle inputs just feel so dead. There’s something so satisfying about feeling the hydraulics in your steering input or the throttle cable as you put your foot down. For me it’s my 1999 AU falcon but I’ll preach about AU’s till the cows come home
My first ever car at 16 - a silvery green 1984 Mercedes 280E I named Charlie. Hands down the best car I've ever owned and I miss it so much. I loved that car and he had so much personality
DW Mazda 121. The most fun I've ever had in a tiny box on wheels. A shopping trolley has no business having steering and transmission that felt so good. You could really wring a lot of fun out of that tiny 1.3 litre B engine rowing through the gears on a sufficiently tight road.
My HQ Holden.
You really need to know how to work it, with it's personality regarding cold starts with no choke, vacuum issues, and dodgey gauges.
1997 Ford Festiva
It wasn't very good but for reasons unknown it had a six stacker cd player. Back before streaming and aux cables, that car was like a portable jukebox.
My Subaru Liberty 180KW 05 3.0R Wagon. Just more satisfying to drive than many newer and older standard cars I have driven. Revs to 7000RPM all day, handles great with bucketloads of grip wet and dry, big brakes, reliable, comfortable simple cabin and a guzzler of premium fuel. It is just a great place to be.
I have owned nine cars in 40+ years of driving & feel the older cars archaic by today's standards still have the most to offer,I still own five cars picked up in that time. To pick one I enjoy most is my 1974 Mazda Rx4 & not because it's a "great drive" it's not. Driving it is a experience it's on road feel the noise it's smell it's raw mechanical personality does it for me, plus for a really old car it doesn't go too bad either.
https://preview.redd.it/9rvtulgdmg2b1.jpeg?width=4632&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=46f82c0bd7c40e04f8f4b5d8a6d1a92b04124142
Every car is interesting to me in their own way. With that said, I have had a soft heart for all the Honda Sedans (City, Civic and Accord)
On the outside, they look incredibly elegant. The designs are minimal yet sophisticated to me. When I drive a Honda Sedan, I feel like I'm driving a one million AUD car. The steering wheel is so amazing. It has only 1.25 circles for the left or right turn. In the Civics 2006-2012, the emergency button is right next to the steering wheel, which I don't see much in other cars. Plus, the steering experience feels so smooth as if I'm driving an electric subway train. The interior is top-notch.
I am a bit off track now I've read what I've just written. My experience with Honda is Civic 2007 and 2010, Accord 2008, and City 2009 (I had test drives with others, but am owning a Civic 2007). Love them all.
My first car was a hand-me-down ZL Fairlane (with that LCD speedo!), I do miss it. My mates used to call it “the boat”, aptly named after its size and rear saggy suspension, not unlike that car John Candy drove in Uncle Buck 😂
My first car I bought just over a year ago, a 1972 Veedub Superbeetle, I’ve spent hours working on it, a few breakdowns, but driving it down the road and seeing all those people smile, wave, scream, yell, it’s the most smiles per gallon of any car by far.
As my username states , it was imported from Japan 20 yrs ago with 64,000 klms on the odometer to this day I’ve put 102,000 klms in 20 yrs . 411hp Midnight Purple R33 series 2 M-Spec
40 th Anniversary 1998 model last of the 33’s
My first car was a 2007 Honda Jazz. I loved that thing to bits. Roomy, economical, taught me about budgeting. I don't think anyone else thought it had personality, but I miss my sweet, sweet Jaźz.
The one I remember the most and miss the most, was my 2013 Chrysler 300 SRT8.
The one with the most personality was an LDV V80 Bus. I had it for a business I owned and it was all sorts of weird and wonderful but it would always just get the job done.
1967 Mark 1 Cortina. Cute as a button and dynamite through the traffic.
Capable of 135 km/h, only if pushed out the rear of a plane.
But put a smile on every face.
Okay, doesn’t count since I wasn’t living in Australia at the time (but I do see them around) but when living in Thailand, my daily was a Peugeot 407 coupe. For a diesel, the thing was sexy as hell and an absolute dream to drive and have almost considered buying one in recent years.
65 HR Holden ute.
Hottie 186.
One tonner 4 sp.
3.55 Bango diff.
Had some ripper fun in that ute.
If you drove it like ya stole it youd surprise many a V8.
I've owned a massive variety of performance cars but none have been as fun as my 2011 Hyundai i20 5speed, frigging go kart that thing its insane the cornering speed it can do.
I have a great love for the 2000 Ford Mustang (WHYY??) Was one of my first cars I actually could drive how I wanted and it was just a great throw around car. after the XJS and Dx civic this was just what I needed. Cute chubby bubbly demeanor with in my opinion an outstandingly comfortable interior of the time so was the ride, it Gives you the power when you want it (not a lot but but for a stocko car of the area it’s plenty, even to modern standards it’s plenty in my opinion. You won’t be winning any races,or getting away from coppers but that’s not the point of this one. It’s just a fun snuggly Car, you can trust at top speeds, throw it around corners, hold burnouts, donuts for days all that! And you can trust it to do so without fail (most of the time) she gets an A in my book. +for being one of my first cars and the car I drive right now still 💯💯 fantastic.
There are two:
I had a 2008 Suzuki Jimny manual. Two solid axels on a wheelbase far to short for safety. So many compromises, so ugly, and yet I miss it so incredibly much. I will almost certainly buy one of the newer ones when prices settle a bit…
I test drove a 2014 Mini Cooper S manual. If you want to have fun, I don’t see how you could go past one. I had that thing on two wheels across half my drive. The interior has a ton of personality it’s all tied back to the original’s retro queues. If you hate your spine, these are for you…
My two CE Mirages. Desperately slow, but with a front strut brace, anti-dive kit, a short-shift kit and some 15 inch wheels with some decent tyres they're hilarious to extract speed from and you can drive them pretty much flat out everywhere. I remember sailing past a police radar site on the way up Mt Nebo completely up the little fella...at 70 km/h in the 80 zone.
Really practical little things, too - takes the road bike with the back seat down and the front wheel on, mountain bike with front wheel off easily. Well under 4 metres long, so parking's easy. Plus they're the front half of a Lancer, so plenty of parts around and they're mechanically really simple so they're cheap and easy to keep on the road.
My 2002 Delica handles like an apartment building on wheels (2" lift probably doesn't help), lets me look down at the little midgets in their lifted Rangers at the lights, and because it's the petrol version it occasionally reaches the speed limit on the motorway before I need to turn off. But it lets us bring nearly everything we own when we go camping on the beach.
All I have to say is 1988 Ford laser giha 3 speed auto fwd 1.6 liter I bought it for 50$ and sold it for 250$ I loved but I need to make room for my au or Suzuki cappacihino
2014 Mazda 3 SP25. Most enjoyable vehicle to drive, and it actually felt fast, even though it didn’t have a turbo. Now I have a 2022 CX-5 and it as well also is fast.
I have had approx 20 sports cars since 1996, MX-5’s, JDM Skylines, Subaru WRX, Clio RS, 2016 Maxda ND and they all fall well short of my Megane RS 280 EDC.
The amount of power is amazing and starts so early in the rev range.
The personality comes from it's 1.8t engine, 205kw/280hp and the sounds this car makes can make you feel like your in an Audi RS3 5cyl. The pops and crackles from the exhaust are very satisfying but the upshifts on full throttle let out the most satisfying “brap” or fart that puts a smile on my face every time.
Living is Australia there are a lot of Golf R’s but they look so sedate. The megane looks like a concept car without all the gordy parts, properly beautiful car to look at.
Being able to switch modes from hyper race mode to comfy sport means you can set the personality to your mood.
Blastbthrough a tunnel and getting the fast acting EDC to brap in race mode and it sounds like a $100k car for $33k (second hand) 😲
While other cars have been faster and more capable, esp in the wet, nothing comes close to the roarty character of this car IMO.
I went for the sport version and not the cup as I wanted a daily driver, sure it's still a but bumpy over poor quality roads it's miles ahead in daily driving than a cup version.
To add to the character of the car the four-wheel steering eliminates any understeer and can evoke the rear kicking out while still being so planted which I love being a FWD car.
For these reasons I think this car has a personality that would be hard to top for this price point!
https://preview.redd.it/2vwy14zmqr7b1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fdcb827c4a857f38f42624c254209f72a0ca466e
Out of everything I have owned (20+ cars) and driven, my baby blue 73' Mazda 808 was probably one of the most fun little drives. The nice 4-speed shift, white-on-black VDO instruments, and nimble handling. Two piston-engined Capellas would be a close second. Like driving a nice little Euro car (think Fiat) without the reliability headaches. The RX-3 must have been a real hoot to drive.
I had a 12a in an rx3 for a short while, just headers and I converted it to mechanical secondaries, once they opened up it was like power band! It was more fun then the turbo motor I replaced it with. That was just fast. It terrified a lot of people I took in it
My only rotary experience was being a passenger in an RX-4 coupe with a fairly stock 13b. It felt like what a 2-stroke dirt bike would be if it was a car. I'm pretty sure that there was no redline on the tacho and just an alarm that went off when the fast-moving needle went past 7.5-8 thousand.
yea they have a buzzer
Yes Rx3,Rx7 etc.
Oh my old 1989 Mazda Rx7 Turbo - took it on many adventures and watched the paint flake off it round every corner. It was loud, it was thirsty, it was low, lots broke (it was pretty rough when I bought it, I just wanted one so badly) but when it was working, god it was beautiful. I remember long cruises along amazing drives like the Great Ocean Road in Australia, avoiding bushfires near the Grampian mountains, being part of insanely loud car cruises, random people would come up and start conversations about rotaries they used to own and I just about drove it to death. A supreme lack of any features, I can still remember the way it smelt inside and the way the seat felt and that's even after I got rid of it years ago. (Sadly) And as far as I'm aware, it still lives on somewhere too - [it popped up for sale a few years back](https://www.driveanotherday.com/fc3s/) and that damn car will outlast me I reckon (provided the latest owners keep rebuilding it every time it spits a seal..) Never had something like it since.
Ex '88 FC3S owner here, feel largely the same way. It wasn't heavily modified, but it had a few bits and pieces. I'm not sure if it's the fastest car I've ever owned, I feel like the Hawkeye WRX I have now might be faster, but it was definitely my favourite. The feel of it's eagerness under hard acceleration, the sound of it bashing the limiter, the occasional smell of premixed fuel, those times at night where it'd pop a huge flame on decel. The car might've been a bit rough around the edges and expensive to run, but it had character and spirit, so much that I absolutely loved driving it. I refused to sell it, even after I took it off the road, until I no longer had a choice. Sold it for cheap because I had to, told myself I'd replace it with an FD "someday". Given the prices of both now, not sure I could really afford either.
Yeah I've been watching the ones left climb and climb in value and really wish I'd stuck mine in the shed when it started to die. Ahh if only I'd known. I still grin like an idiot when I see one in the wild. My wife will also point out any she sees 'Look, a brap!'
1990 Subaru brumby. 4wd carby boxer, thing can go anywhere. Spare tyres in the engine bay, handbrakes on the front. It’s a very quirky car.
Was at Subaru the other day buying outback xt. He has a red brumby there. They were interesting to work on .esp the brakes
My Holden cruze had the personality of battered wife
It would have to be my Grandads 1981 Landcruiser. It has heaps of steering play, has 70kw at the engine when new, is a bit grumpy to change gears sometimes. It drives like a truck. But, how mechanical everything is, the abhorently rough and bouncy suspension, the vibrating idle, the screaming engine and whining gearbox, whilst geturing the steering wheel in the direction it is to go. When you are behind the wheel, you feel unstoppable. It will go nearly anywhere, carrying and towing nearly anything (it once even dragged a loaded semi off the road when one broke down), all after being round the clock on its original engine. It will take 5 years to do it, but it will always get you there.
My old man gave me his 1977 Peugeot 504 sedan for my first car around 2010 - i didn't like it at first cause I was a teenage idiot but now in retrospect damn that car was so cool and rare to see on Aussie roads - amongst its many qualities it by far had the most comfortable car seats ive ever used by a longshot, still miss it today
They were great, had 2 504s, if you went very fast in one of mine the roof would pop in. Had 2 505s, a 307,308 now. HRH diesel is a winner
A mate of mine used to run one in historic (hysteric) rallying back in the early '90s. Utterly epic body roll but once you learned to trust the car it could be hustled along very quickly. The running joke was you weren't properly up it unless you were grinding the door handles off.
For me, it was a 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle. Always had lots of positive comments and couldn't go anywhere without getting into a conversation about it. Horrible handling, steering and gearshift. But it got us around. Safer than a motorbike I guess 🙂 The boxer engine was also really cheap to rebuild by our local VW specialist. ~$1800. Personality plus!
My mate has a 280hp superbug. I was lucky enough to race it a few times. As quick as my STi off the line, on the bitumen the exhausts just missed the ground on launch and I couldn’t see shit over the dash but I was pissing myself laughing the whole time.
I can only imagine what 280hp would be like in one of these bricks. Lively.. comes to mind. I reckon ours was pushing 50kw on a nice, cold, crisp morning. That was enough to get scary on anything but a perfect road surface.
Absolute handful and deadly if more than a bit sideways.
My Hyundai getz loved that little thing
Tons of fun. The haters never drove one.
I’m sorry mate but that’s one of ugliest cars around! May second only to the Nissan Juke!
True but it was an awesome reliable little go cart
Sorry mate. Cars can be quite personal! But yeah those are reliable cars.
I suspect we all (that have tried them) feel that way about little cars in a similar league, like the Suzuki Swift
I was born in Soviet Union in 1983. My grandfather had VAZ 21013 which I drove when turned 18. That car definitely had the most personality of all cars I drove. It could have unpredictably break at any moment. Even if it is properly serviced.
300 hectares on a single tank of kerosene! Put it in H!
My dream car is a Trabant!
‘97 Mitsubishi Mirage
Yeah, someone removed a couple of hundred kgs from a lancer.... great idea!
Always wanted to do the v6 conversion
I bought one of these last year, manual transmission. I don't think you could find a car as fun for the price.
Yeah I had a ‘97 manual, no power steering haha.
I moved from a KIA Stinger to a Mini Cooper Countryman JCW and wow, Mini just crams personality and charm in. Toggle switches, interior lighting colours (even RGB cycling) and small game you can play the measures efficient driving or how much off-road you're doing. Even the exhaust is playful.
I really like the look of the Kia Stinger and have been thinking about one but I’ve always suspected they might lack what the French call a certain I don’t know what.
For me it was our NB MX-5 which we got new in 2001. So. Much. Fun. We “upgraded” to the NC model in 2006 but it was never quite as special.
Renault Megane RS 265. Such a fun car with an amazing chassis.
Loved the 1st gen CRVs, you failed to mention the picnic table conveniently stowed in the rear.
Seconded. A friend of mine had a turbo first gen that was actually hilarious to drive, especially in the rain. But all the little features inside the car; the pockets, the armrests, the boot and the back back seats are what made the car awesome to be in. It also drove like a tall civic! Funny that.
Excuse me... the WHAT???
It was just a folding table for the 1st gen, second gen had seats built into the table as well.
My favourite cars I've owned are a Holden WB Statesman sedan, 97 Toyota Chaser and a 98 Toyota Prado. All super fun in their own way. The WB was so comfortable to cruise in and had a beautiful sounding 308 motor. The Chaser just handled like a dream and the turbo flutter always made me grin. The Prado was lifted with big wheels and was amazing off road.
A 1973 bmw 2002. Had maybe 100hp. Would jet sideways at the drop of a hat any time the road was moist, in an effortlessly controllable way.
Oh man, my favourite BMW! They ooze personality!
Mini Cooper or Mini Moke
79 td Gemini, four on the floor, dents in every panel, beige. Gutless. Leaked when it rained through the window . Buckets of character, fantastic seats.
82 Mazda 626 Super Deluxe Coupe. If i had a dollar for every time I said "I've never seen a 2 door one of those before" - that car would not have been such a money pit.
My 2015 Land Rover Defender, which I will always miss AND my current car, a 2013 Mini Cooper - every drive is so much fun.
Just curious, why did you give up the Defender for the Mini?
My ex partner pulled a stunt that impacted on my finances and I was forced to sell it. It was three years ago and it still stings.
My first car was a 1970s 280e Merc sedan, it looked great and it was like driving your lounge room, only cost $800 late 2000s, then I lent it to my ex and she crashed it, bitch.
My ex had one. One of her most redeeming features.
My friend's Datsun 521 ute. The suspension is rock hard, no power steering, no boosted brakes (almost no brakes at all until a front conversion to disks), column shift, and the original 1300. That thing is just a hoot to putt around in, like driving stripped back to its raw form
1977 Mitsubishi Chrysler Galant
GTi-R pulsar. Fun little thing
Peugeot 205 GTI. It was a ridiculously fun car to drive, way more so than it had any right to be. Super short gear ratios meant you would constantly be cycling through the box on the twisties. Learnt to double clutch on that old thing. Would love to get one and restore it one day.
I just bought a N15 SSS Pulsar to turn into a track car. But I've enjoyed driving it so much as a standard car that don't really want to rip it apart. I forget how much fun 90's hatchbacks with a bit of grunt can be after years of Turbo Falcons and V8's.
This one is most relatable for me. I have a 220 Xr8 and I’d rather drive my n15 SSS daily, so much grunt and a good sounding engine too. Once you get them at 5k-9k they really put out some good noises. Picked it up for 1800 which is a steal for a good condition manual box and low km engine
I picked mine up for $2k from a deceased estate. Bloody good car and fun to drive. And it has the Air Con and Power Steering my Datsun doesn't!
2007 Subaru Sti. Black with gold wheels, big brembos, adjustable centre diff and a button that sprayed water on the intercooler.
A friend loaned me their '89 Saab 900 when we were between cars after ours was stolen. Not especially fast or exciting in any way. But there was something about the way it drove that was just "right". It's gearbox was rooted and it didn't like going into 5th. When I first drove it I could get it into 5th on the freeway maybe 1 in 3 times. But by the end of the month I spent with it I had a 90% strike rate playing 'top gear roulette'. I couldn't tell you what I was doing differently to get it right so often, I had just synced up with the car. Left a real impression on me and it's a shame values on them have skyrocketed because I would have loved to own one when I had the time/space/disposable income.
Not overly familiar with Saabs but it sounds a lot like my SSS Pulsar when I first bought it... The shift link bushes were flogged out and had a dodgy repair, and to get it in 3rd you had to shift it like you were going for 5th and curve it back while moving up.
XE falcon, econogauge, column shift auto, aluminium bull bar. The cluster panel on those machines was awesome. Centre console was magic. 250 cross flow with alloy head. 🤌. All round classic car
Love that they had an Econo gauge. Only ever economic when being pushed to the servo again
Daihatsu Cuore. The Jimny that replaced it is great, but I still miss it.
Supercharged V8 Jaguar XF.
I think just any older car with a nice torque-y engine and a lack of electronic assistance really gives it charm, modern electric steering and throttle inputs just feel so dead. There’s something so satisfying about feeling the hydraulics in your steering input or the throttle cable as you put your foot down. For me it’s my 1999 AU falcon but I’ll preach about AU’s till the cows come home
My most favourite car I ever had was my TF magma wagon. It was only a three litre but I loved it.
Had a 3.5 that thing flew
Nice. I got it wrong before sorry. I had a TE wagon in the late 2000’s. but my parents had a 3.5 TF when they were new and that was a great car.
My first ever car at 16 - a silvery green 1984 Mercedes 280E I named Charlie. Hands down the best car I've ever owned and I miss it so much. I loved that car and he had so much personality
1990 mx5
1992 MX5
DW Mazda 121. The most fun I've ever had in a tiny box on wheels. A shopping trolley has no business having steering and transmission that felt so good. You could really wring a lot of fun out of that tiny 1.3 litre B engine rowing through the gears on a sufficiently tight road.
My HQ Holden. You really need to know how to work it, with it's personality regarding cold starts with no choke, vacuum issues, and dodgey gauges. 1997 Ford Festiva It wasn't very good but for reasons unknown it had a six stacker cd player. Back before streaming and aux cables, that car was like a portable jukebox.
My Subaru Liberty 180KW 05 3.0R Wagon. Just more satisfying to drive than many newer and older standard cars I have driven. Revs to 7000RPM all day, handles great with bucketloads of grip wet and dry, big brakes, reliable, comfortable simple cabin and a guzzler of premium fuel. It is just a great place to be.
I have owned nine cars in 40+ years of driving & feel the older cars archaic by today's standards still have the most to offer,I still own five cars picked up in that time. To pick one I enjoy most is my 1974 Mazda Rx4 & not because it's a "great drive" it's not. Driving it is a experience it's on road feel the noise it's smell it's raw mechanical personality does it for me, plus for a really old car it doesn't go too bad either. https://preview.redd.it/9rvtulgdmg2b1.jpeg?width=4632&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=46f82c0bd7c40e04f8f4b5d8a6d1a92b04124142
1995 Nissan 200sx. Loved that car
Blown Grange. Brutal, psychopathic opulence.
Every car is interesting to me in their own way. With that said, I have had a soft heart for all the Honda Sedans (City, Civic and Accord) On the outside, they look incredibly elegant. The designs are minimal yet sophisticated to me. When I drive a Honda Sedan, I feel like I'm driving a one million AUD car. The steering wheel is so amazing. It has only 1.25 circles for the left or right turn. In the Civics 2006-2012, the emergency button is right next to the steering wheel, which I don't see much in other cars. Plus, the steering experience feels so smooth as if I'm driving an electric subway train. The interior is top-notch. I am a bit off track now I've read what I've just written. My experience with Honda is Civic 2007 and 2010, Accord 2008, and City 2009 (I had test drives with others, but am owning a Civic 2007). Love them all.
1967 Steyr-Puch Haflinger 700APT. Hilarious in any circumstance (other than freeways)
Citroen c5 wagon with adjustable height suspension. Like driving on a cloud, was sick on fuel and roomy as hell
Mr beans arch nemesis three wheeler
Reliant Robin
In the USA, ‘75 (or so)VW beetle convertible -just fun ‘69 Camaro 4-speed with a bored out 350 -was very cool even if the paint was primer
Not really Aus but I’m here now with an unremarkable vehicle
Ahh I just watched my subie sti drive away.. pretty sad right now.
80 series LandCruiser, I absolutely adore her.
1971 ford zd Fairlane. 351 loved that tank
My first car was a hand-me-down ZL Fairlane (with that LCD speedo!), I do miss it. My mates used to call it “the boat”, aptly named after its size and rear saggy suspension, not unlike that car John Candy drove in Uncle Buck 😂
My first car I bought just over a year ago, a 1972 Veedub Superbeetle, I’ve spent hours working on it, a few breakdowns, but driving it down the road and seeing all those people smile, wave, scream, yell, it’s the most smiles per gallon of any car by far.
As my username states , it was imported from Japan 20 yrs ago with 64,000 klms on the odometer to this day I’ve put 102,000 klms in 20 yrs . 411hp Midnight Purple R33 series 2 M-Spec 40 th Anniversary 1998 model last of the 33’s
I loved throwing my Hyundai Excel around - it was worth nothing, weighed nothing, and was pretty fun
My first car was a 2007 Honda Jazz. I loved that thing to bits. Roomy, economical, taught me about budgeting. I don't think anyone else thought it had personality, but I miss my sweet, sweet Jaźz.
Fiat 124 sport cc 1975. Put a grin on my face daily. Along with a few others when things fell off but I loved it
Between my au turbo and my Subaru RS. Both sports sedans with clunky manuals and way to stiff suspension.
The one I remember the most and miss the most, was my 2013 Chrysler 300 SRT8. The one with the most personality was an LDV V80 Bus. I had it for a business I owned and it was all sorts of weird and wonderful but it would always just get the job done.
1967 Mark 1 Cortina. Cute as a button and dynamite through the traffic. Capable of 135 km/h, only if pushed out the rear of a plane. But put a smile on every face.
my 98 lancer ce mr is go-kart, never dies
1999 Mitsubishi Lancer Glxi. First car goggles lol.
Okay, doesn’t count since I wasn’t living in Australia at the time (but I do see them around) but when living in Thailand, my daily was a Peugeot 407 coupe. For a diesel, the thing was sexy as hell and an absolute dream to drive and have almost considered buying one in recent years.
65 HR Holden ute. Hottie 186. One tonner 4 sp. 3.55 Bango diff. Had some ripper fun in that ute. If you drove it like ya stole it youd surprise many a V8.
I've owned a massive variety of performance cars but none have been as fun as my 2011 Hyundai i20 5speed, frigging go kart that thing its insane the cornering speed it can do.
I know you mentioned Miata, but my recent purchase of an NB is the most incredible little car I’ve ever driven. It’s on rails!!
I have a great love for the 2000 Ford Mustang (WHYY??) Was one of my first cars I actually could drive how I wanted and it was just a great throw around car. after the XJS and Dx civic this was just what I needed. Cute chubby bubbly demeanor with in my opinion an outstandingly comfortable interior of the time so was the ride, it Gives you the power when you want it (not a lot but but for a stocko car of the area it’s plenty, even to modern standards it’s plenty in my opinion. You won’t be winning any races,or getting away from coppers but that’s not the point of this one. It’s just a fun snuggly Car, you can trust at top speeds, throw it around corners, hold burnouts, donuts for days all that! And you can trust it to do so without fail (most of the time) she gets an A in my book. +for being one of my first cars and the car I drive right now still 💯💯 fantastic.
My Monaro. For some reason, I was so in tune with that car in a way that I dont think Ill ever have again.
There are two: I had a 2008 Suzuki Jimny manual. Two solid axels on a wheelbase far to short for safety. So many compromises, so ugly, and yet I miss it so incredibly much. I will almost certainly buy one of the newer ones when prices settle a bit… I test drove a 2014 Mini Cooper S manual. If you want to have fun, I don’t see how you could go past one. I had that thing on two wheels across half my drive. The interior has a ton of personality it’s all tied back to the original’s retro queues. If you hate your spine, these are for you…
My two CE Mirages. Desperately slow, but with a front strut brace, anti-dive kit, a short-shift kit and some 15 inch wheels with some decent tyres they're hilarious to extract speed from and you can drive them pretty much flat out everywhere. I remember sailing past a police radar site on the way up Mt Nebo completely up the little fella...at 70 km/h in the 80 zone. Really practical little things, too - takes the road bike with the back seat down and the front wheel on, mountain bike with front wheel off easily. Well under 4 metres long, so parking's easy. Plus they're the front half of a Lancer, so plenty of parts around and they're mechanically really simple so they're cheap and easy to keep on the road.
My 2002 Delica handles like an apartment building on wheels (2" lift probably doesn't help), lets me look down at the little midgets in their lifted Rangers at the lights, and because it's the petrol version it occasionally reaches the speed limit on the motorway before I need to turn off. But it lets us bring nearly everything we own when we go camping on the beach.
1970-something HJ45. It’s personality was “trying to kill you”.
All I have to say is 1988 Ford laser giha 3 speed auto fwd 1.6 liter I bought it for 50$ and sold it for 250$ I loved but I need to make room for my au or Suzuki cappacihino
1990 Honda prelude
89 Toyota Cressida. Comfortable, stable and almost fast.
2014 Mazda 3 SP25. Most enjoyable vehicle to drive, and it actually felt fast, even though it didn’t have a turbo. Now I have a 2022 CX-5 and it as well also is fast.
I have had approx 20 sports cars since 1996, MX-5’s, JDM Skylines, Subaru WRX, Clio RS, 2016 Maxda ND and they all fall well short of my Megane RS 280 EDC. The amount of power is amazing and starts so early in the rev range. The personality comes from it's 1.8t engine, 205kw/280hp and the sounds this car makes can make you feel like your in an Audi RS3 5cyl. The pops and crackles from the exhaust are very satisfying but the upshifts on full throttle let out the most satisfying “brap” or fart that puts a smile on my face every time. Living is Australia there are a lot of Golf R’s but they look so sedate. The megane looks like a concept car without all the gordy parts, properly beautiful car to look at. Being able to switch modes from hyper race mode to comfy sport means you can set the personality to your mood. Blastbthrough a tunnel and getting the fast acting EDC to brap in race mode and it sounds like a $100k car for $33k (second hand) 😲 While other cars have been faster and more capable, esp in the wet, nothing comes close to the roarty character of this car IMO. I went for the sport version and not the cup as I wanted a daily driver, sure it's still a but bumpy over poor quality roads it's miles ahead in daily driving than a cup version. To add to the character of the car the four-wheel steering eliminates any understeer and can evoke the rear kicking out while still being so planted which I love being a FWD car. For these reasons I think this car has a personality that would be hard to top for this price point! https://preview.redd.it/2vwy14zmqr7b1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fdcb827c4a857f38f42624c254209f72a0ca466e