I promised yesterday to assemble a big list of overgeneralized, stereotypical, and even somewhat vague categories you could put cars in. All of them can (or do) overlap with others.
The purpose is for me to wrap my head around the things I really do want to own and experience—having an example of each is probably enough for me to get a feel for the rest.
Categories I've hit already are at the top, but the rest are in no particular order. Examples for each follow the category.
< $500(Dodge Dart)Gadget car(Subaru XT GL-10)Minitruck(Toyota 4Runner)Import tuner(Eagle Talon TSi AWD)Mainstream family sedan(Toyota Camry)First of the hot hatches(Volkswagen Scirocco)German entry-luxe commodity car(BMW 325is)Old European relaxation mobile(Mercedes-Benz 250)Big American truck(Ford F-250)- Lightweight and mid-engined (e.g., Toyota MR2, Lotus Europa)
- British roadster (e.g., Triumph TR6, MG MGB)
- Ex-military (e.g., Pinzgauer)
- French and small (e.g., Citroën 2CV, Renault 4)
- V12 grand tourer (e.g., BMW 850i, Jaguar XJS)
- No car at all (e.g., 10-speed Schwinn)
- Oil burner (e.g., Mercedes-Benz 240D)
- Huge American station wagon (e.g., Plymouth Belvedere, Ford Country Squire)
- German iron (e.g., Audi RS4, BMW M5)
- Shooting brake (e.g., Volvo P1800ES)
- American independent (e.g., Studebaker Wagonaire, Hudson Hornet)
- Beauty on wheels (e.g., Jaguar E-Type, Alfa Romeo Sprint GT Veloce)
- 1970s American sport (e.g., Ford Mustang fastback, Plymouth Barracuda)
- Japan's biggest turbos (e.g., Toyota Supra, Mitsubishi 3000GT)
- Ex-cop car (e.g., Ford Crown Victoria)
- The supercar formula (e.g., Acura NSX, Ferrari 348)
- Supermini (e.g., Fiat 500, BMW Isetta)
- Rotary power (e.g., Mazda RX-7, Mazda RX-8)
- Sleeper engine swap (e.g., blown 350 in a Volvo 240)
- Race car with license plates (e.g., race-prepped Mazda Miata)
- Unavailable in the US (e.g., Nissan Skyline)
- Something with an engine I rebuilt
Intentionally absent from this list are:
- Full-size SUVs (e.g., Chevrolet Suburban)
- Lowrider fodder (e.g., Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais)
- Mullet mobiles (e.g., Chevrolet Camaro IROC)
I just noticed everything in that last list is a GM. D'oh.
I think you missed a few:
32. rear-engined (old VW bug)
33. Mini SUV (Toyota Rav4)
34. convertable (lots of things fit in here)
True. For me, #32 is really an "ass-engined air-cooled Nazimobile" category, and covers the 911, too. But it's a little weird since 911s build after 1974 or so don't really intrigue me all that much.
I think #34 is covered already under #11. If I can get my hands on a British roadster, that'll be enough convertible for me.
--D
Dude.
35. Something Right Hand Drive.
Ahh shit yes. That one is right on--I totally spaced it.
Postal Jeep FTW.
I want a ghetto cruiser some day.
Also, I dont think you should rule out a Corvette/Viper - big factory rwd power is surprisingly fun.
Solstice coupe?
I think the order in which you buy these is going to be extremely important. Mostly, because I want to be there the day you trade your RS4 in for a Renault 4.