I LOVED my 1987 Nissan Sentra coupe, single-stage paint, 13″ chrome wheels, tinted windows, vinyl seats, manual windows, and all. That 5-speed 68hp monster was a lot of fun, and I’m LONGING for that 8-gallon gas tank right now.

I LOVE my 1973 Buick Riviera, 8mpg and all. It’s my Dad’s old car, and while it’s longer than a Ford Expedition and seats only 2 comfortably, the nostalgia, sound, and respect it garners on the street makes it a blast to drive. Plus, it’s my Dad’s old car!

I’m just so-so with the 335i coupe. While I can hit the go-pedal and wax poetically about its awesomeness, I’m still not all-the-way in love. It probably has something to do with that $700 car payment.

But strangely, my 2002 WRX was much more adorable. The 17 inch wheels are not as lovable, as they attract curbs – and curb rash. And the funky “bugeye” styling of the first WRX just seemed cuter.

sometimes you have to actually live with the car for a while before you can make a final decision – this is what happened with the BMW.

Last August I was shopping for a used car for my oldest son and found a silver 2000 Sable LS Premium with the same engine and trans as my ‘99 and about 15,000 fewer miles on the clock. It was a more deluxe car than the ‘99, with a black leather interior, ABS, traction control and lots of other features. Since my son puts on fewer miles per year than I do, he urged me to do the rational thing and buy the ‘00 for myself. I followed his advice and handed the ‘99 over to him.

The ‘00 handles better than the ‘99 (due to Ford’s decision to put the rear stabilizer bar back on for 2000). It also rides more smoothly and gets one or two more MPGs in mixed driving. Funny thing is, I don’t love this car the way I loved the ‘99. It’s a nice car that’s pleasant to drive and does what I need it to do, but that’s the extent of it.

Now, my partners Volvo, well, I try not to let it show…

Yeah, I do. Wonderful (black leather) interior that’s nicer then almost anything else I’ve seen in the price range, no squeaks or rattles, more then powerful enough, and being in Canada, heated seats and steering wheel both is greatly appreciated. Why don’t more cars have heated steering wheels?

It’s been entirely reliable outside of one day it simply would not start. 30 minutes later, it just did…never found out why this happened, and this was two years ago, never happened again.

I think it looks great in a stolen-from-BMW kind of way, has great HID headlights, handles decently for a FWD, torque steer is hardly there considering it has 255 HP, a nice balance of firmness and comfort in the suspension (a friend’s Acura TL of the same year is quite comparable but extremely firm, like a shopping cart).

The outside of it shows wear and dings after six years, but the interior looks 99% showroom which is my favorite part of the car anyway. And it still feels brand new and tank-solid while I’m driving it. My previous car was a ‘97 Grand Prix GTP that aged in dog years and rattled and squeaked like a child’s toy. Did I mention the transmission blew and cost me $4k…? Ugh. It was an engine looking for a car.

Replacing a lost car with the same model does NOT cut it either. I still have my very first car (a 1972 Plymouth Fury) sitting in my garage. With 262,000 mile on it, it has not been registered in 12 years. I wish to restore it, but the rust repair – while not looking too bad, is always worse than it looks – will be costly. My wife found some near-exact cars in the southwest with great bodies. She suggested that I buy one, have some basic bodywork and paint, and then transfer the interior from my car into the replacement car. Saves a lot of money and you get your car back quickly. I said no, it is just not the same. She said that makes no sense. My reply was, “You just don’t understand.”

Smart woman. Keep her.

The wife was the one always pushing me to get rid of it, it kept breaking down and eating away any available cash, but the car was a great daily driver. She still will not allow me to even look at a Mitsubishi!

After the Escort phase, a new period of searching entered where I came to the choice of the Civic and Focus. Our 2001 Civic has been a disaster to say the least, so I bought our 2005 Focus. I do not “love” it in the same way, despite the fact that it is better than my two previous cars and our Civic in almost every way. I like it, it does its job effectively, but alas, love has not been rekindled… I will wait. 2010 Fiesta? Maybe….

I used to love my current Honda Civic. But then it was vandalized. Even after several thousand dollars worth of repairs its never been the same and I cringe when I drive it.

It’s the wind noise that comes from the driver’s side door because it must not close properly any more. It’s all little pieces of glass keep falling out from under the dashboard or from the trunk lid, like dandruff. Even though the dashboard was taken apart and they vaccuumed inside of it, I can hear little glass pieces sliding around inside it. After they put the dashboard back together the vents in the dashboard flop around and won’t stay put in one place anymore.

And there are all the little scratches on the interior surfaces from flying glass, on the dashboard and door panels. It’s just not like new anymore.

It’s only got 40,000 miles on it and is close to being paid for. I get over 40 mpg on the highway (only 28 or so in heavy city traffic). I really can’t afford to get rid of it just yet, but the love is gone. If I had a the cash I would trade it in for something new.

I love my 1995 Chevy C1500 Silverado pickup too, but not quite as much as the Buick. It’s dependable for the most part, but not quite as trouble free as the Buick. Not surprisingly, it drinks gas like there’s no tomorrow. But there were many times before I bought it that I found myself saying, “A truck sure would be handy right now,” and it has indeed come in handy for so many things (moving, hauling building supplies, etc.).

I drove an E34 525i and I feel in love. Which is not fair to the E30 because its a very similar car, maybe more practical overall. The E34 is more habitable though. The E30 is like a swiss army knife, it has a bit of everything. The E34 is harder to park, but I get more comfort in return. The Handling may not be as tight but its easier to progress from corner carving to touring. The E30 is the truer sports car, the E34 is the better all around car for me. Yes I do love my E30, but I love and I’m in love with the E34.

Every time I think I’ll just bite the bullet and trade for a practical minivan or wagon, I can’t bring myself to do it. This car is so sweet- perfect, feelsome steering; slick 6 speed Getrag manual transmission; attractive 17″ alloys with some performance boots; smooth, rev-happy 4 cylinder engine; flawless Infra-Red paint with matching upholstery inserts; firm, confidence-inspiring suspension that truly loves to be driven hard. The ridiculous cost for required 91+ octane fuel doesn’t help my pocketbook, and many parts are much more expensive than normal Focus parts, but… love is blind.

I know I won’t be able to keep it for much longer. This is the sort of car that I will only sell to someone who is going to take care of it, and when that day comes it will be a very poor day indeed.

I wish the plastics on the door panels didn’t squeak when I touched them, and that the front suspension didn’t have something that squeaks kind of bad, but oh well. Since my leg injury back at Christmas, I’ve had a harder time getting in and out of the car. One day I was getting out and when I leaned back on the seat to get out, something in the seat popped and broke! The best part about that is that now the seat sits better than it ever did!!!

But what do I love about it? Let’s see, there’s the stylish good looks, the (newly improved) comfy interior, the amazing stereo, the fact that it has yet to leave me stranded, and the fact that I can say that I don’t merely own an automobile, I own an Oldsmobile.

Another part of the love comes from the memories of some of the places I’ve been to in it, like Florida, traveling through Tennessee and the Virginias with my dad, the trip to Gettysburg, PA with some of my friends, the trip to the Jersey shore with my cousin, and of course the trip to to the Detroit Auto show with my friends who had formed an amazing band, and composed and sang and played a live set in the car as we traveled along.

I really don’t want to ever give it up, but if gas keeps climbing, 29 mpg might no longer be acceptable…

Now I’m driving around in a new 350Z, which I chose over an E36 M3 sedan in immaculate condition and the venerable S2000. It can idle with the AC on in 103 degree heat without overheating (MPV). It doesn’t feel like a boy racer on cut springs (240SX). you can open the drivers door and get in, instead of General Lee-ing into it (miata) and it goes forward when you hit the gas (Corolla).

I did not love the Saturn. I liked it, especially as it was my first car, but it had crappy brakes and wasn’t particularly fun to drive.

The Prelude and Miata – I LOVED those cars, in different ways. Both were old and had various issues, but in terms of driving both were incredible. The Prelude handled very, very well and was practical enough for everyday things – the trunk was actually quite large, and it was comfortable on a day to day basis. The engine, though not powerful, was very smooth, willing to rev, and got great mileage.

The Miata was a car that I didn’t need to do much (I lived in an area where I could walk for most things), but it was nearly orgasmic to drive and slow enough that I didn’t kill myself. It was a bit punishing over rough roads and the engine was not smooth the way the Prelude’s was, but it was a willing car.

Both of these cars had certain qualities I have not found in driving many much newer cars – the gas and brakes (as well as steering and trasmission) did exactly what you wanted. Many cars now have brakes and throttle that either give you too much or too little. When I want 3/5ths throttle or brake, I want 3/5ths, not 4/5ths and not 1/5th.