The 100 Best Cars of All Time

denniswade

MG-Bs certainly wouldn't be called "twitchy" -- "slow," maybe, or "crude." But they sure were pretty, weren't they?

Thing is, most of these cars are sentimental in nature, so the originals are the only ones that evoke that feeling of passion. I doubt you would be as enthralled with the new MG-B as the old, even though it's a much better car. It wouldn't have that whining gearbox, that wonderful smell of leaking oil, that clunky shifter or the leaky top...

Mr_Shiftright

That's always the trouble with these BEST lists....you have to view the cars in the context of the time they were built.

Still, some older cars are still very charming and fun to drive, and some can even match modern cars (especially if you do them the favor of modern tires).

BEST is a strong, formidable word....so you wouldn't want to assign it lightly to any car. A "best" car has to be really significant, and really excel in all areas...it can't just be outrageous or stylish....it needs to combine lots of accomplishments all rolled up into one car....and it needs to have excelled in its time and among its peers.

What a Miata really is, is a British sports car that finally works....what it is NOT, however, is a car with old world charm. I wouldn't penalize it for that, because we are talking about Time Periods here, but you are right, there is a certain modern dullness and sameness to the Miata, and for that matter, to most modern cars, as wonderful as they are. There are no more hand-built cars from major manufacturers, and the computers and machines of today tend to make cars all the same.

denniswade

tremendous differences between cars such as the 200ZX, Supra, RX7 and Corvette, or the Inegtra, Celica and Eclipse. They are all styled entirely differently, have dissimilar drivetrains, and have their own unique personalities. Once again, I think we tend to look at the past with rose-colored glasses. Sentiment is rarely accurate, but it's a powerful thing.

speedshift

And why does Shiftright always get what looks like the German flag?

Just had the pleasure of test driving several sports sedans, near luxuries or whatever, and they had definite differences.

The Saab 9-3 was the feistiest, the one I keep thinking about despite the fact that it's not the best for my needs. The 9-5 was pleasant but forgetable, although it might be easier to live with for 3 or 4 years.

The year-old 323 5 speed was a combination of adrenaline and refinement. Wow.

The Audi A-4 1.8T was rock solid, very refined and quicker than I would have thought with AT. I think the Germans are starting to get the hang of dialing in cars ;-).

The Catera was a pleasant cruiser but the lack of power was a bummer around town, and they seem to have left most of its personality back in Germany.

The Aurora, well, I like the looks and it's a competant set of wheels, but the General has let me down once too often. Besides, prestige is a big part of that market and the Aurora doesn't have it have now that Olds is GM's DeSoto.

The Lincoln LS with Sport Package, and that's about the only way they come in my area, is extremely stiff over rough pavement. I can't believe anyone is happy with that suspension. The handling is there, and the 5 speed AT has three very close ratios that are a treat around town, but then comes 4th and not much power.

So there are differences, maybe not like the old days, but enough to make it difficult to choose.

Mr_Shiftright

No, no, I meant that all the CARS OF THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL are made the same...every Miata is just like every other Miata of its year....in the "old days", even your Chevy or Ford could be ordered with 7 different engines, 3 or 4 transmissions, and myriad other options.

chaparral

How about several lists? One of the hundred most influential, one of the hundred best regardless of time (will probably mostly be 1990s cars), one of the hundred lightest street-legal, two of the hundred fastest (one top-speed, one over a road-course), and one of the hundred cars you would like a full-size Revell model of.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, that would be interesting, although I don't think you can talk about "best" without talking about the time the car was made in....maybe we should have "best in its time" for different decades...and we should really try to define "best" at least somewhat. Any theory that includes everything really says very little about anything. It's like an empty argument.