Dream Cars: Our Favorites From the Practical to the Exotic
There’s a saying that the clothes make the man (or person). But here at Cars For Sale, it’s our cars that really tell the story of who we are as individuals. Some of us are loud and brash, others quiet and practical, and a few of us are just downright odd. We wanted to share with you, our readers, the cars that have, and continue to, inspire us. From our first hoopties as teenagers, to our current daily drivers, and most importantly our dream cars.
We surveyed our staff from across the company and asked three basic questions.
- What’s your favorite car you’ve ever owned and what made it special?
- What’s your current ride?
- And, what’s your dream car and why is it great?
Travis M.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
1979 Pontiac Trans Am. I paid for it myself and restored a lot of it myself.
Current Daily Driver:
2006 Toyota Sienna. You can haul a lot of stuff with it. It has so much room.
Dream Car:
I’d love a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am like in Smokey and The Bandit. Black, gold interior, T-Tops etc. It just reminds me so much of my childhood. They’re fast, powerful, and good looking. Or a 2020 Ford F-150. I’ve always wanted my own pickup.
1977 Pontiac Trans Am – carsforsale.com
Kyle R.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
Ford Escape. Having an SUV was wonderful.
Current Daily Driver:
Ford Fusion. It has super comfortable seats.
Dream Car:
Pagani Huayra. It defines greatness.
Pagani Huayra – pagani.com
Angel D.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
My favorite car was my 1987 Mitsubishi Cordi turbo. The turbo and manual 5-speed was fun to drive.
Current Daily Driver:
I currently have a 2012 Chrysler 200. It’s dependable, affordable, gets around good in the winter, and I haven’t had any issues with it.
Dream Car:
My dream car is a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback. My parents owned one when I was a kid, so the memories are what makes it great. Dad driving fast while listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd on the 8-track, windows down, the sound of the engine. The fastback is also a great looking car!
1968 Ford Mustang Fastback – carsforsale.com
Brian K.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
1998 Pontiac Firebird Formula. It was a fun car to drive, and since it was modified it was pretty fast by the standards of the day. It was the car I dreamed about owning all through high school.
Current Daily Driver:
2016 Chrysler 200 Limited. I like that it just works. It is easy to park and has lots of features that I wasn’t used to having. It also gets great gas mileage.
Dream Car:
Lamborghini Miura. It was the first supercar. It looks amazing by ‘60s standards or 2020’s standards.
1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 – netcarshow.com
Chaunci G.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
My favorite car I’ve ever owned definitely had to be my first car, a 1996 Honda Civic hatchback. What made it so special? It was a car my uncle bought and rebuilt and then painted it a custom red color. We called her Komodo dragon!
Current Daily Driver:
The car I currently drive is a 2019 Hyundai Elantra SE. It’s a very reliable car and I LOVE the gas mileage. On long road trips in the past I’ve averaged about 46mpg and in town I get around 35mpg!
Dream Car:
I have a top 3 for my dream cars. 2020 Hyundai Palisade, a newer Toyota 4Runner or a Jeep Wrangler. I love how they all have a ton of room and seem like great family cars that aren’t vans!
2020 Hyundai Palisade – carsforsale.com
Cande W.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
1986 Blue Pontiac Fiero. It was the first car I ever bought for myself while in high school. My father used to buy wrecked cars and fix them up. This is where I learned how to do body work on vehicles. It’s a special memory of my father and myself fixing this car up for me.
Current Daily Driver:
2020 white Kia Optima. Gets great gas mileage. Brand new when I bought it. Plus, tinted windows for when I take my daughter to school at 6:45am and my hair is EVERWHERE!
Dream Car:
A 1973 Yellow Chevy Corvette from the year that I was born. Honestly, a brand-new Corvette would be fantastic! The day before I found out I was pregnant with my first child, Chase, we almost bought a Corvette for me. We went home to really think about it…the next day I was pregnant. Needless to say, that is not the best family vehicle. I have two brothers, they kinda liked Corvettes, but they both went out that year that Chase was born and bought brand new Corvettes. Both manuals, so I could not drive them because I suck driving manuals. One was black with T-tops, the other a Maroon Convertible. It made me sick when the Maroon one was pulled out of the garage with dust rolling off the vehicle when it was sold. Lol!
Yellow 1973 Chevrolet Corvette – vette-net.com
Timothy R.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
My favorite car I’ve owned was a 2002 Chevy Impala. Man, that thing was sharp and drove like a champ.
Current Daily Driver:
A 2014 Chevy Cruze. It gets great gas mileage and it’s fully loaded.
Dream Car:
1969 GTO Judge. It was mine and my dad’s dream car. As a kid, my dad and I would go to car shows just hoping to see one in person.
1969 Pontiac GTO Judge – classiccardb.com
Heather O.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
A 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was the first car I purchased on my own!
Current Daily Driver:
A 2014 Ford Fusion, it gets me where I need to go.
Dream Car:
Volkswagen bug! New for sure! They are so freaking cute!
2019 Volkswagen Beetle convertible – carsforsale.com
Melissa F.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
An Acura TL, it was special because it was mine!
Current Daily Driver:
A Honda Passport Sport, what I like about it is the sport mode.
Dream Car:
A Mercedes-Benz 280 SL convertible.
1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL convertible – carsforsale.com
Richard H.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
A 1970 Chevy Chevelle with a factory 4-speed and 3.55 gears and a mild 350. It was a 2-door hardtop, Maroon with white stripes. It was a quick car not a show car, but it would light the tires up pretty easily and it was a sharp looking car. I wish I would have kept it.
Current Daily Driver:
A Chevy Silverado extended cab 4×4. It has room and it’s not a bad looking truck. I use it for my side business, and it does well for that. It gets an average of 16 mpg, not bad for a truck.
Dream Car:
A 1970 Camaro Rally Sport Z28. I would love it with Aztec gold with black stripes or a 1969 Yenko Camaro or Chevelle, it would have to be a bowtie, too many great ones to choose from. It’s bowtie for life, I even have a couple Chevy tattoos.
1970 Chevrolet Camaro Rally Sport Z28 gold with black stripes – 70 RS/Z28 on nastyz28.com
Tricia D.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
I would have to say my 2001 Yukon Denali I had. I always wanted a Patriot Blue “Yes, I’m a Patriots fan” Yukon. I found a white one and my husband tore it all apart and we had it repainted all except the firewall which was the only tell sign that it was ever white. The time and energy that he put in it to make it what I wanted just made it extra special to me.
Current Daily Driver:
I currently drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. I LOVE SAVING GAS!! LOL
Dream Car:
I’d LOVE to own a ‘70 Chevy Chevelle with a ‘69 rear. I love the looks and the speed.
1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS – carsforsale.com
Semir A.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
My Favorite car that I have owned was a 2012 Volkswagen GTI 6 speed manual. I have always loved Volkswagens, and this was the Volkswagen I wanted from a young age!
Current Daily Driver:
My current daily driver is a 2014 BMW F30 M-Sport Diesel. I enjoy this car because it has a diesel engine which gives me awesome gas mileage and has treated me well over the past few years.
Dream Car:
My dream car is a Porsche 911 Turbo S. German cars are my favorite cars and it doesn’t get much better than a 911 Turbo S.
2019 Porsche 911 Turbo S – carsforsale.com
Cyndy S.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
My first car is my favorite car. I got it when I was 16 years old. A 1968 Chevelle. It was special because it was my first car.
Current Daily Driver:
I currently drive a 2007 Ford F-150. I love trucks.
Dream Car:
My dream car is a new Mustang convertible. I want to get one when I retire. I love to drive cars with no top and then go fast and blow the grey hairs off my head. Hahahahah!
2020 Ford Mustang convertible – carsforsale.com
Sydney H.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
My favorite car was my Mazda3 because it was the first new car that I bought for myself and it was fun to drive around curves and hills.
Current Daily Driver:
My current daily driver is a Ford Escape. I like this car because it is reliable, sturdy, and it makes me feel safe when I drive it.
Dream Car:
My dream car is either a 1971 convertible Volkswagen Karmann Ghia or a Mercedes-Benz GLC. I love the classic vibe of the Karmann Ghia because it reminds me of driving up the coast of Southern California and I love the Mercedes GLC because it is sporty, classy, and luxurious.
1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia – carsforsale.com
Dawn U.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
My favorite car is my current Ford Escape – it has been a very reliable car!
Current Daily Driver:
A Ford Escape, I like the Eco Boost (the get up and go), and it’s big enough to fit my camping items and dogs AND small enough to navigate.
Dream Car:
A Mini Cooper convertible, it’s great because it’s cute!
2012 MINI Cooper Convertible – carsforsale.com
Aaron S.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
My favorite car that I have owned was my 1994 Ford Taurus SHO. This was just a really cool, somewhat rare car. The car was a blast to drive and no one really knew what it was. It was a sleeper with its Yamaha V6 engine, and you could really surprise people with how quick it was for its day.
Current Daily Driver:
My current daily driver is a 2018 Mazda CX-5. I really like this car because of the new technology features it has for a pretty reasonable price. It has blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and rear cross traffic alert. It also has a really nice Bose sound system along with heated seats and all-wheel drive for those South Dakota winters. Just a fantastic, reliable daily driver.
Dream Car:
A lot of guys had posters of Ferraris or Lamborghinis when they were kids, but my poster car was a 1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R in Bayside Blue. I fell in love with this car the first time I saw it in Gran Turismo 2 on PlayStation. It has the best styling out of the Japanese sports cars from the era (Mazda RX-7, Nissan 300ZX, Toyota Supra, Honda NSX) and it definitely has the best powertrain of those cars with its RB26DETT straight 6-cylinder, twin-turbo engine attached to a 6-speed manual and all-wheel drive. It’s just a monster which earned it the nickname “Godzilla”. The other part of the draw for me is that this car was never sold new in the United States. This car has an aura about it, feeling almost unattainable.
1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R in Bayside Blue – jm-imports.co.uk
Kristin D.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
A 2001 Suzuki Grand Vitara, newest car I got while in college. Brand new and ran smooth.
Current Daily Driver:
A 2013 Ford Edge, I like the touch screen access to everything.
Dream Car:
1969 Chevy Impala, LOVE THE LOOK!
1969 Chevrolet Impala – carsforsale.com
Amanda B.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
My favorite vehicle I have owned was my 2003 Ford F-350 Lariat Dually. It had the 7.3 diesel with a turbo and was a beast! It pulled my camper with ease and it was a lot of fun to drive.
Current Daily Driver:
I actually have a couple of daily drivers. I have my farm truck which is a 2003 Chevy Silverado half ton. It has a bunch of dummy lights on but it works well! My daily driver for work is a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am. I love having this car to drive to and from work because it cuts my gas bill in half every week instead of driving my SUV!
Dream Car:
My dream car is a 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge in burnt orange! What makes it great? Everything! The look, the sound, it is very head turning!!!
1969 Pontiac GTO Judge – americancarcollector.com
Jesse M.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
I was given a 1999 Dodge Dakota V6 SLT Club Cab 4WD in Driftwood Satin Metallic paint that belonged to my grandpa. He added Lund side steps, pin striping down the sides, Dodge RAM logo taillight covers, a tonneau bed cover, and it had under 100K miles when I got my hands on it. That truck got me through blizzards throughout college, I met my now wife with that truck, I got my first dog with that truck, and it carried plenty of childhood memories too, like fishing trips with my grandpa. After twenty years of being in my family it started to show its age a bit and trading it in was the financially responsible thing to do, but I regret not keeping it every day. Even at the cost that came with keeping it. Sometimes vehicles carry more personal value than you ever realize until it’s too late.
Current Daily Driver:
I went on to get almost the exact same model rental car that I used on my honeymoon, a 2014 Kia Soul. Not everyone is a fan of the Soul, but the car proved itself to me after having driven it through Las Vegas, into Los Angeles, and all through California’s heavy traffic highways. When I went car shopping and found a similar one with less than 20K miles and a great price I knew that I had to jump on it. The wife took a little convincing, but it’s sitting in the garage today. She ended up with a Dodge Charger that needed less convincing from me to purchase. I mean I get to take that thing on joyrides too … sometimes.
Dream Car:
I have always been a huge fan of the Datsun 240Z (and all Fairlady Z cars for that matter). It just has a fantastic design that really appeals to me. I’ve collected tons of Hot Wheels featuring different colors and body kits, I always end up modifying and racing one in video games, and I even made it the topic for my debut article here on the Daily Driver Blog. Hopefully I can get my hands on one as a project car, but that new Nissan Z Proto takes some strong design queues from the 240Z so I’ll be keeping my eye on that.
1971 Datsun 240Z – carsforsale.com
Chris K.
Favorite Car You’ve Owned:
For purely sentimental reasons, my favorite car I’ve owned was a Robin’s Egg Blue 1994 Ford Tempo sedan I bought from my grandmother. It was in great condition … it was also a terrible car. The four-cylinder engine was embarrassingly weak and, when combined with a failing transmission, made merging onto the highway a test of both patience and raw nerve. It felt like driving a golf cart on the highway, where going 65 mph felt more like 95 mph.
Current Daily Driver:
A 2016 Subaru Forester in Copper. The Forester isn’t the best at any single thing, but instead excels at being competent across a bunch of axes. The combination of unsurpassed visibility, plenty of room for kids and camping gear, and all-wheel drive for winter driving made it the perfect, pragmatic choice. Plus, the Copper paint job is super dad-car style. I feel at least a decade older behind the wheel, and I don’t mind a bit.
Dream Car:
Every car I’ve owned has been out of practical or financial necessity. That’s why my dream car is the Porsche 918 Spyder, because it doesn’t get much more grandiose or more frivolous than Porsche’s hybrid supercar. This mid-engine, all-wheel drive monster features a 4.6L naturally aspirated V8 combined with two electric motors to make 887hp. It can do 0 to 60 in 2.3 seconds and a quarter mile in 9.9 seconds. Oh, and it has a 12-mile all-electric range, too. Suffice to say, at well over a million dollars and only 918 ever made, the 918 Spyder is truly the stuff of dreams.
2015 Porsche 918 Spyder – carsforsale.com
What Keeps Our Motors Running
The notion of a dream car can mean different things to different people. For some of us, our dream cars have been plastered on our bedroom walls since childhood, beacons of engineering excellence we’ve spent a lifetime pining over. For others, their dream car is that top of the mountain you’re forever striving toward but may never quite reach. Whatever they mean, they all speak to the unique automotive soul in each of us, revealing what we value in cars and in life.
