A Realizable Dream Car

Being a car enthusiast is an easy thing most of the time. Most of the time, you sit around telling everybody else what is wrong with their cars. Or, frankly, what is wrong with any car. The trouble is that this rapidly descends into pointless snobbery. If, as it would seem, no car is worth owning, then what car, as an enthusiast, would you pick? Mercifully, I don't have this dilemma at the moment. While at one point in time I was the owner of an 80% functional Grand National, I now find myself living in Europe without great need of a personal automobile. My wife and I are considering joining a car sharing scheme; expect more on that later, for sure. When we move back to the USA, though, I will face my reckoning. For the sake of science and curiosity, let's engage in a little thought experiment; who doesn't like pretending it's the future? Now that it's not my parents' money, now that it's my own dollars down on the table, how will I answer that question that I've so thoroughly convinced everyone else that they've answered wrongly?

The simple answer is that I won't. The great thing is that every one of my car guy friends will tell me exactly what is wrong with the car that I bought; that's part of the deal. And I will, in spite of all sensibility, defend my purchase to the point where there is no doubt, none whatsoever, that the car that I have bought is the absolute best possible car for the money and that there is no other car in the world that could have met my specifications.

Now, for the uninitiated, I am not talking about a car that you would use for the everyday. No, that is an entirely different subject. That in, fact, involves turning the brain on and doing what most people call 'thinking.' What I'm referring to is the impulse purchase. The purchase of the heart and not the head. The dangerous sort of purchase that leads men down paths of personal fiscal darkness. Being an engineer, though, there will be an air of sensibility to my choice.

As much fun as it is to wax on about 'dream cars,' few of us will ever find ourselves in that situation where our cars can get out of our dreams, and well, something like what Billy Ocean said. That's for the castles in the sky, not this particular column. For us, then, we need to find what I like to call 'realizable dream cars.' These are the cars that we would love owning almost as much as any of those unattainable cars, but that are within a couple of zip codes of our wallets.

Enough wittering, let's get down to my top three contenders.

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1. The 2002 BMW M Coupé

The 2002 BMW M Coupé 'Shoe GTi'
(Image Credits: www.dtmpower.net)

Oh now I know what you're all thinking. It looks like a shoe. And you're right, it does look like a shoe. But a fast shoe. An incredibly fast shoe. Alright, its looks are indefensible, but the engineering is spotless. This is a car that BMW was so enamored with--in that deliciously German way--that they proudly listed on the specifications that it had a perfect 50-50 weight distribution. In fact, each car was tuned on a balance table at the factory before being sold to ensure that it met this criteria. The result? Brilliantly balanced handling that almost no other front-engined car in the world can match. Certainly, no car within the price range. The real party piece of the M Coupé, though, is the engine. The Z3 M Coupé was sold slightly out of sync with the M3. Hence, the 1999-2001 models had the same I6 engines as the same model year M3s. In 2002, though, BMW came out with a brand new M3. As a result, the 2002 M Coupés were blessed with the new S54 I6. The difference? A power jump from just under 200 bhp to 333 bhp. Therefore, there is absolutely no question that the 2002 models will become the most desirable with time. I've gone for a ride in a 1999 M Coupé and it is admittedly no slouch. However, a 2002 M3 will sell for a premium of almost $10,000 over a contemporary M Coupé. For some reason, likely down to the looks, the M Coupé remains unpopular with the market. Frankly, that makes it a great deal more desirable to nerds like me. It makes it that little bit harder for me to justify it to everybody. But there is no question, this car is the king of the 'knowing nod' from anyone who knows anything.

2. 1993-1996 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo (Mark IV)

The 1993 Toyota Supra Mark IV Twin Turbo
(Image Credits: www.desperateseller.co.uk)

Yet another controversial choice. Not only has he yet to throw out an American possibility (here's a hint: I won't), he's gone with the Supra? A difficult choice, I know. It's a Toyota. It was made famous by The Fast and the Furious. It was featured in Tokyo Midnight Club Racing. Uh oh, it's made the ever-fatal Paul Walker-Sega Dreamcast game connection. This raises its nerd-o-meter level beyond that of the M Coupé. Yet, at the same time, on careful consideration, the Supra is a brilliant choice.

It was at that moment that Vin Diesel and Paul Walker realized their fates were forever to be connected with both the Sega Dreamcast and the Toyota Supra
(Image Credits: www.slashfilm.com)

First of all, it also has an I6 engine. If that isn't enough, it is a Toyota I6. My dad's boss once had a Lexus ES300 that had roughly the same engine. The man never changed the oil in the car. It was the only diesel powered ES300 in the country. But the damn thing kept running. That is, to me, the biggest selling point of the Toyota. Yes, yahoos owned them over the past 16 years. But even a yahoo could not defeat Japanese engineering. While a reasonably priced Supra will undoubtedly have been modded by someone with at least six piercings to the point of implosion (and, therefore, require a substantial investment in rebuilding), this is an undeniably fast and exclusive car.
The appeal of the Toyota over the BMW is, first of all, the dealer support network. While the service at BMW dealerships is flawless, you pay for flawlessness. Toyota dealerships are everywhere and they will be able to get parts. Second of all, even if the car needs some work, it will still run. The same may not be said for the BMW. Also, the Supra is a favorite of shade-tree mechanics from sea to shining sea; I don't know if I could do more than change the oil in the M Coupé without consulting ein Manualfabrik. As you can tell, my German ain't great.
The trouble with the Supra, image problems aside, is that they remain wildly overpriced. I was shocked to discover that a Supra in decent condition will run a solid $30,000. The M Coupé is just as fun a car, with a more exclusive badge, and it costs $5k-$10k less. While Supras sold for $30,000 new, the reason they stopped selling them in '96 is because the price was extortionate. While the near classic status of the Mark IV Supra almost justifies the price now, I maintain that it does so only almost. It remains on my list, nonetheless.

3. The 1987-1993 Porsche 911

The 1987 911 3.2 Carrera S. Like the Rose Bowl, the Granddaddy of Them All.
(Image Credits: www.tiscali.co.uk)

Unfortunately, my compatriots have tuned out. The fact that I could overlook the Corvette and that I could in fact choose the 911 over the Corvette is anathema. The 911 is a classic and an icon. It's quirky, cute, and a purebred racehorse. It's so well-engineered that nothing could possibly go wrong. Well, almost nothing. The engine is still in the wrong end of the car. It also uses a massive amount of oil. It has all the attendant image problems of the other cars; perhaps more so.

A Typical 911 Owner
(Image Credits: img.dailymail.co.uk)

There is something deep inside all car enthusiasts that tells them that the 911 is a poseur car. With the advent of the water-cooled 911, this became especially true. While it was the only way that Porsche could continue improving the venerable H6 engine, it made the 911 more like other cars. Now was it no longer a curious holdover from a different era; it had given up pursuing its own tack. You could no longer trace the 911's history in one unbroken line to the Roman Empire, when they too used air cooled Porsches called 'horses.'

The Porsche 911 (993). The Pinnacle of Air-Cooled Motoring.
(Image Credits: www.fahrcar.com)

Hence, I insist upon having one of the late run air cooled Porsches. The 911 feels like an easy choice, and maybe it is. It is not the cheap choice. Parts come from Germany and it can be a bear to work on in many ways. However, that does not change the fact that there is a lot to enjoy about these incredibly reliable and fast machines. While it would not be as exclusive as the M Coupé or as reliable as the Toyota, the Porsche's strengths are its heritage, its engineering acumen, and its oddity.

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Now is not the time for a verdict. I'm sure that my interests will wax and wane with time. My possibilities span cars from nearly two decades and the three hardly seem comparable. Yet, all three are reasonable, sensibly insensible choices. Any of them would be a worthy addition to a real garage; particularly for the hard-working and interested. In the meantime, I'm going to return to my palace in the air; where the Japanese cars are desirable, the German cars are passionate, and the Italian cars never break down.