One of my favorite questions to ask because with the years some people I find have had some very cool cars or a interesting story.
First car: 2002 Lincoln ls bought it in 2012 I was 19 at the time. Got it at an auction, it was from a limo company that went under so it had all the bells and whistles. Had 120k km on it and I paid 2800$ after taxes and fees.
Never been to an auction, it started at 500, I bid 700 then someone said 1000… so I flexed and said 2500 ha. should’ve been more conservative and probably would’ve paid less… nothing but issues but damn did I look cool when I put a sound system and 19 inch wheels on it.
Best Vehicle: 1997 Geo tracker 4 door. Paid 2300 for it, stripped out the entire thing other than the front two seats and used it as a off road adventure buggy, on Vancouver island while holding all my camping gear in the back… had a small lift and 31’s. flipped it, crashed it and got it stuck but the thing wouldn’t die… I miss it everyday!
First car: 1989 Pontiac Firebird. I bought it as 16 with the money I saved up working from the age of 14. It was a v6 automatic and was slow as hell. I didn’t know anything about cars at the time so I figured if it looked fast it must be fast. Boy was I wrong
Best Vehicle: 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo. I won it on ebay several years back as a toy car. Even though it was 10 years old at the time, when it arrived on the trailer it didn’t have a scratch or dent. The prior owner must have babied it and I just got lucky. The car hauled tail and looked good even though it was an aging design. Probably one of my best buys. Sold it a few years later for more than I paid so win-win.
First “car” was a partially finished '51 Chevy pickup that someone had begun to hotrod. This was in 1982, and I was 14. I never got it finished enough to drive (legally), but I traded it for a clapped out '68 Corvette. It was pretty ragged out, but I drove a Corvette to high school! Like most things in life, the definition of “best” is relative to lifestyle and taste. A top contender for “best” for me is my '04 Chevy Avalanche. I bought it in '05 and I still have it; with 254,000 miles it still runs great! I’ve obviously had to repair or replace things along the way but nothing major. It is roomy, comfortable and dependable. It is “truck” enough to suit my purposes and roomy and comfortable enough for my family. Now that all my kids are out of the house, I finally bought a 2018 Camaro; perhaps that will become my new “best”, but it will take some time to earn that title.
First Car (Parents gave me) - 1996 Buick LeSabre (V6). Honestly still to this day it is the most comfortable car I’ve ever been in. Felt like you were riding in clouds. I use to drive with 4 people in the back and other 2 in the front (it had 3 seat front seats). So many memories.
Best Vehicle - 2012 Honda Accord Coupe w/ V6 Manual Transmission. Just a great overall car. Really really underrated. Powerful engine and just looked good.
That’s cool man one of my all time favourite cars is a ponatic formula 455 fire bird! I was born in the wrong car era!
Also took until my early 20’s to appreciate the elegance and engineering of Porsche. I always thought it was weird they never strayed from the original car design… but they perfected it years ahead of everyone else.
You’re right about best I have a new diesel truck I lovde but if I do anything to it that I dI’d go my tracker I would probably cry and the bank wouldn’t be happy with me.
Was the avalanche a 8.1L? And I’m a huge fan of gmc/Chevy since buying my duramax in 2017. I just can’t stop modifying it,
It’s a sickness. But also been a huge fan of corvettes and especially in highschool!
I love Buick’s, lincolns and caddy’s. I honestly love all cars, unless it’s a ponatic aZtec those things were just ugly.
But I also have big respect for Honda’s, in college I had a type r civic hatch back and I banged gears so fast in that thing it would’ve gave vin diesel a hard on.
First Car: 2004 Citroen Saxo Furio 1.4 - Loved that motor, had it for 2 years with no problems whatsoever, my brother passes his test and gets insured on it…crashes it within 2 weeks.
Best Car: 2018 Kia Ceed GT Line 1.6 - Really nice and comfortable ride, looks smart too in my opinion.
In between those two: Peugeot 206 (non-stop issues) and a Fiat Punto (great little runner). Very European.
I really love Porsche/Audi. My last driver was a 2017 Audi RS7. It was a blast to drive but was in the shop all the time. I’ve typically had a second toy car for the past 10 years. I’ve run the gamut from imports, euros, classic muscle etc. Currently I have a 76 Datsun 280Z that’s in paint and going to the fab shop for a Nissan GTR Rb25DET engine and trans swap. The engine has been built to handle 500hp but I’m sticking with a smaller turbo and dyno tuning it to 300 whp. The car only weighs 2600lbs so I don’t want to ‘keeeel’ myself.
My first car was a 1963 Volkswagen that I purchased for $400 cash in 1976 when I was 17. It was a junker. The previous owner tried to change it from a 6 volt system to a 12 volt but failed to change the flywheel, therefore it burned up starters almost weekly. No starter meant I had to get running start and pop the clutch to get it started. So if I took a girl on a date she had to push the car and I always tried to park on a hill.
Another issue with it was it had no AC and to make matters worse in the hot Texas summers the damned heated would not go off. It was always on. I had to be very careful about my foot placement to prevent my chuck Taylor’s from melting. I do not miss that car.
My favorite is probably my current truck. A 2014 Toyota Tacoma sport 4x4. Purchased brand new and I just love it. Regular maintenance and it just rolls on.
First car: 1990 Lincoln Continental. I got about 3 good months out of that thing before the problems started snowballing. The radio never really worked, only the power button that would eventually eject or play a tape in the tape deck. I swapped between the best of Lynard Skynard and best of 80s Chili Peppers. The heat went, so I’d drive to school with snowboard goggles on and my head out the window. Had to piss in the radiator once when I ran out of water (kept a few gallons in the car) to limp it home. Good times in that thing but I was happy to see it go.
Best car: 2005 Hyunai Elantra. Not my nicest car, but man this thing was a tank. Multiple cross country road trips, driving it in the worst conditions my region could throw at me. Never complained once aside from a stuck thermostat. I eventually gifted it to my younger brother when I got my new car, and he drove it for a few more years, mostly as a work vehicle. He eventually brought it to be scrapped, as the body and frame were rotting away at an alarming rate and the transmission was struggling. It sat for a few months before he towed it away, but just for kicks hopped in and turned the key. Engine fired right up and ran beautifully. Between the two of us we put about 300,000 hard miles on that thing. RIP ol Blue.
1st was a '98 F-150 that my grandparents bought new and gave me in '09 when I started driving. Honestly, I’d probably have to call it the best too. 2wd, extended cab, 4.2 V6 (bulletproof). I beat that thing up for 100k miles before selling it to a buddy of mine. Still on the road now with ~275k miles and running. One small rust spot on the rocker panel was the only issue.
Current is a '16 F-150 I bought new with the 2.7 twin turbo and I love it as well. Both trucks fire engine red. I do wish they still made trucks with manual trannies, though, you never feel as “one” with an auto as you do a manual.
First car was a 1983 Ford Fiesta. The only thing I remember about that car was driving to Clacton on Sea and diving in to about 3ft of water thinking it was deeper and then crashing into my friend who was in front of me on the way home. Fuck that car.
My best is between a Range Rover Sport and a BMW X5. In fact I’m due a new car and I’ve been thinking about what to get. Its between another X5 or the Volvo XC90, the hybrid one for tax purposes.
First car was a 1983 Cadillac Seville. Powder blue paint with a white vinyl top, white leather interior and a white continental kit (wheel on the back of the trunk). Beautifully maintained but a mechanical piece of shit, so I only had it for a couple years.
Apparently I was assumed to be trafficking in hard drugs by a sheriff in the county south of me, strictly because I drove a ghetto pimp wagon and would visit friends there regularly.
I also drove it through Harlem once, which got me a lot of “Hey white boy!” comments.
You could also fuck in front or in back. Great fucking car, the Cadillac.
My best car is my 2014 Tundra. Rock solid and great for life in Maine. Very utilitarian though, and quite ugly.
Still good for fucking, especially with 6.5 foot bed.
I really like your project. An RB motor will be crazy in an old 280Z. I have thought of this exact same project but with a 2jz (because they are easy to get), but and RB is cooler since it is Nissan. 300 whp is going to be enough to tighten the sphincter like a snare drum. 500 hp would be cool on paper, until you have to deal with the turbo lag / reliability. I just don’t think the dyno queen cars are as fun to drive in practice.
I really like the old Z cars. I think they look cooler than a vette, and with an RB motor will be much faster. I like your color choice. Make sure to upgrade the brakes too. All go and no stop is not a good recipe, but it looks like you are doing it right.
Thank for the kind words my friend. I like the 2jz but went with the RB for the heritage as you mentioned. Out with the old Nissan I6 and in with the newer. I bought this car at an auction site unseen and it wasn’t as in good of shape as I hoped. I spent a few months doing body work on it then sent it to paint. The original L28 blew on me within the first 10 miles of driving it so I sent it to a fab shop for the swap. I’ve done LS swaps myself but I’m not comfortable working on the RB as its not as plug and play of a swap as the kits for the LS motors.
I agree with you on the power. I think it will be way more fun to drive at a ‘reasonable’ power level with a smaller turbo and less lag. The good news is the guy I bought it from auto crossed it so the rear end, brakes, suspension, etc has all been upgraded. It just needed more power… and a reliable engine LOL. Below is a pic of it getting assembled now and my color matched RB waiting at the fab shop.
First car was a 1969 VW beetle with a rusted out floorpan. I eventually put in a 2260cc dual carb and equipped it in the Baja style. Loved that car. Used to run it up and down a beach that now is littered with land mines and concertina wire. Gave it to my nephew who promptly wrecked it. The engine is sitting in my mother’s house somewhere.
My current car is probably the best I’ve ever driven – Range Rover (big one) with the 580hp engine. It goes far faster and turns far quicker than the heavy block that it is. It’s also just extremely nice.
Also have a Porsche 993S (I think it’s a 911 in the USA) that’s tied for best. It’s a hoot to drive and the last of the aircooled engines I love. I’ll post pictures in a bit.
