COTY should go to either the CTS or Infinity G37 – both give the German’s a true run for less money, option for option, and look sexier doing it.

Whereas the CTS is brawny on its haunches, the G37 is slicker than the jetstream, but manages to be menacing in the rear view mirror, nonetheless.

Where’s the Chevrolet Malibu?

TTAC loses all credibility if it doesn’t recognise how stupid that list looks with out the Jaguar XF and with the Hyundai Genesis….. I mean c’mon!

Try ignition coils – not solenoid (a solenoid is a part of the starter that engages the main starter gear to the flywheel prior to turning the engine over).

Incidentally, I just swapped out the coils on my two five-year old 1.8Ts at 120,000 and 87,000 miles, respectively. At $30/coil, I figured, might as well – you know, that “pre-emptive” maintenance thing…

You obviously haven’t worked on cars much (or owned a VW for that matter)…

2. Mazda MX-5 – by far the best money you can spend on a sportscar.

3. Tie: Audi R8/Nissan GT-R – performance is just too good from the GT-R, but the styling and mid-engineness of the Audi is nice.

4. Sorry, but off the list: Lancer Evo – perhaps the best deal for speed. Too bad it is a Mitsu, and the interior is still crap.

How the hell can a brand new (bascially UNTESTED) car make this list?

How many people have driven all the listed cars? Very few. When one place ones votes one have to place them based upon other things, such as looks, price, specs, perception etc..

It’s too bad ’cause I orgasm whever I see an S5.

BTW, did I miss the 2008 TWATs? I seem to recall the TBAGs following the TWATs.

edgett – she might be more inclined to buy one if she actually drove one. try to get her behind the wheel. your friendly neighborhood porsche dealer will be happy to assist you in that. and i totally agree with your assessment of the 911 – but it’s still a money-makin’ machine for porsche, as long as old boomers have some extra cash and can still muster the desire to drive the current iteration of the car of their dreams.

re: “So a Cayman has a convertible roof (”everything a Boxster has an more”)? Also where’s the small child backseat in a Boxster or Cayman?”
jaje / August 14th, 2008 at 4:22 pm

true, it has no convertible roof. but after the trouble i experienced with my ‘97 boxster when it’s roof motors failed, the fact that it doesn’t is part of the ‘more’ as far as i am concerned. it’s aesthetics and rigidity more than make up for it’s lack of a retractable top. and yeah, it has no small child backseat – but then, i am not a small child and i don’t have any either – so it’s all good, for me.

re: “…I can see one problem that you’ve had with your Cayman already, you’ve only put 7k miles on it in a year and a half. Start driving!”
thetopdog / August 14th, 2008 at 5:44 pm

tdog – i understand what you’re sayin’ but at 59, and considering the fact that i tend to keep most of my cars at least a decade or longer, this cayman probably represents ‘last call’ for me, at least as far as small sports cars are concerned. so i’m really in no hurry to use it all up, at least before i’m all used up. the great part about my current frequency-of-usage rate is this: every time i climb in, it’s almost like another ‘first time’ for me. and i like that feeling. a lot.

Vento97,
I think we can both agree that the vws of yesteryear are not the vws today. Also, no amount of pre-emptive maintenance will prevent another bad solenoid.

…but you have the right spirit – the Straight Seven was also one of the greats and should’ve made the list. Long live Doubtfire!

vote would go to R8

You’ve only put 7k miles on it in a year and a half. Start driving!

I was also disappointed not to see the Cayman on the list; not to denigrate the 911 or Boxster, but the 911 could be my father’s Porsche, and the Cayman update to the classic Porsche coupe is perhaps the most stunning Porsche ever, and finally loses the rear-engine arrangement. Good on you mate for buying one. For my money, the Cayman is the Porsche of the future and the 911 should be put out to pasture as a boulevardier for poseurs.

I keep trying to talk my wife out of her S2000 and into a Cayman, but she’s not buying…

None of these should be on the “10 Best for 2008” list.

it’s everything the boxster is and more. it’s also what i choose to drive, when i drive [gotta validate what i chose to spend my own money on]. had it a year-and-a-half. 7k miles on the clock. and not a single solitary problem with it, whatsoever.

i’m. in. love.

I agree. While many of the cars listed (porsches, BMWs etc) are fantastic vehicles, many of the posters here will never have the opportunity to drive one, let alone own one. This is why it is kind of annoying to see people write things like “from what I hear, it is a fantastic vehicle. However, I have never driven one.” Also, at such high prices, the vehicles have no excuse to be anything less than amazing.

Perhaps TTAC should also have a 10 best practical cars list or something. You know, cars that normal people can afford. I don’t know how it is in the USA, but here in Canada, small, practical cars have always sold well. In fact, when I bought my 2006 Mazda5 GT, I was put on a 3 month waiting list and had to pay sticker. No dealers had any on the lots here in Toronto. Right now, there are no 2008 Mazda5s to be found in Toronto, and dealers have been taking orders for 2009s for 2 months. I understand that in the USA, the Mazda5 is a fleet queen with heavy discounts. What a shame.

So yeah that’s how.

Which is why I didn’t vote for them.

But seriously, isn’t that list dominated by high buck cars (over $40,000 real world prices) that you should EXPECT to be good, and not cars that most of us are really driving?

I’m all for the aspirational aspect with regards to cars, but when laying out that kind of money, “goodness” is expected.

I guess our definitions of “best car” are different. Example, my father-in-law replaced his Porsche with a Corvette. Why? The Porsche may have been fun to drive but it was unreliable and never saw long open road road trips across the west because of that. With the Corvette, if something were to happen, any Chevy dealer could get him on the road relatively easy. Today he drive the Vette every chance he gets. Similar to my neighbors that drive their Camry on road trips rather than the A6 because “nobody in the Dakotas can fix an Audi and it breaks often.”

As for people like Vento97 who have high mile VW’s and Audi’s. Yes, any car made today can and will do major miles. I put 250k miles on a 1990 Ford Taurus with no major engine or tranny work. Regular maintance counts for a lot. That said, the numbers don’t lie and VW on average don’t have the reliability that the Japan makes have. I want to like the Jetta for it’s size and economy and driving dynamics. It just doesn’t stack up to a Civic in cost of ownership, looks too much like a Corolla and is the favorite car of Lincoln Park Trixies, so no dice for me.

And yes, a modest price midsize deserves to be on the list. Why recognize the Civic but not the Accord? Malibu? Fusion? If only fuel economy matters half the list should be thrown out.

Let each person rank them 1-10

1st) 10 points
2nd) 8 points
3rd) 6 points
4th) 5 points
5th) 4 points
6th) 3 points
7th) 2 points
8/9/10th) 1 point

I really like the groundbreaking/fast stuff and the fast handling stuff….good bang/buck

ZR1/Z06
mazda
the vw’s
cts (one of the better american cars made IMHO)
G35’s, mazdas, etc.

But of those selected, and obtainable, I’ll put the Honda Fit, Toyota Prius, Caddy CTS, and VW GTI. Mainly because everyone I know who owns one of those is in love with it.

The best cars are the ones owners are passionate about.