1988 Nissan Skyline GT with an RB20DET.

It was abandoned by my uncle at our place when he moved overseas and subsequently my sister drove it around a bit. Eventually it leaked coolant from the water pump, overheated and blew a head gasket because she wasn't paying attention.

I was unemployed and bored and I decided to pull it apart and bought all the bits to fix it. I didn't really know anything about mechanical stuff at the time, but I am good at logic and try not to be useless at practical stuff even though I'm really a computer geek. I drove it around for a bunch of years after that until I was earning enough money that I could buy something I wanted which was a Mitsubshi EVO 1.

So to answer the question, favorite thing was that I rescued it from oblivion even though I didn't know much about cars or engines at the time.

I misread OP's title but she was a momma cat and I was a little kid, so she used to lick my hair when I was on the floor reading the funny pages in the newspaper. And she was very comforting when anyone was sad.

mine was a five speed and it made me feel so superior to my 16 y/o peers

Fucking everything. But if I had to pick it’s the cassette-melting, vinyl-evaporating hot box it was capable of. Smelled like freedom.

Not my car/pic.

The large comfy bench seat. The trunk space. It being made entirely of steel.

I mean I really hated that car, but she was alright. The sagging headliner, the dead seat cushioning, the fading paint, the regular overheating, the leaking rack and pinion, the grinding noise the timing chain made when going uphill, the unreliable electronic engine components, the fact that it never passed emissions on the first try, the crappy underpowered iron duke, the AM/FM radio with no cassette. I could go on...

Two couches on wheels, 1989 Oldsmobile Delta 88

It was a small subcompact hatchback but ran on diesel. Back in my home country, diesel is cheaper and considered more economical, and it was rare for a small car to run on diesel instead of gas.

I've never owned a car. That's my favourite thing about cars

It came with a snake.

Not sure if this counts (as a car), but it was a three wheeler (Reliant Robin), gutless and rattly, all the fun of going 50 mph without breaking the speed limit. All the engine weight was directly on the front wheel, so the back end (no weight at all) would slide out wonderfully around corners.

That i bought it for $400 and traded it in for $600, also it had a nice big back seat.

My camaro broke down quite often. I had to replace a starter, water pump, alternator, something about the universal joint in the drive shaft, brakes, battery, etc. The clutch was the hardest and I got it wrong 2 times before I got it right on the third. It made me start thinking outside of what was easy and spoon fed. I started to realize that a Haynes manual was extremely limited. Eventually this line of thinking took me deep into fundamental understanding. Most people never think past throwing parts at a problem, but I learned how all of it works at a fundamental level. That journey started with my first car. It shaped my mind and who I am to a large extent.

The fact that it lasted 20 years.

It had a distinct smell that, when I smell it now, brings me vividly back to driving home from high school listening to Metallica.

It was reliable like having a loyal dog in car form.

Tiny

It was the only of my three cars that hasn't been totalled by a driver not paying attention when driving past it.

Yup. Two cars have been written off whilst parked down my street inside two years. Love it!

My first car was a 1995 Hyundai Accent my dad bought from a friend for $800. The best thing about it was it was purple. People at work and school knew it was me because I was the only person with a little purple car.

The most annoying thing about owning that car was that the door handles would freeze during the Chicagoland winter. I’d go out to warm it up before school and ever so gently try to open the door. If I tugged too hard on it, the thin piece of plastic connecting the handle to the metal bar and latch mechanism would break. I changed driver and passenger side handles maybe 7 times while having that car. For a short time I was waiting on replacement door handles for both sides to arrive and I had to crawl in through the hatchback to get into the car. Good times

The fact that it would run with no oil and all four engine mounts broken

Air springs with pushbutton height adjustment on a Subaru XT.

2001 Audi A6

It looked half decent especially after all the customization I did to it but what I liked about it the most was definitely how comfortable and silent it was to drive.

currently on my first. its manual. so much fun to drive

Mine had a 3-speed crash box with an unusual shift-pattern that basically made the theft-proof. It also ran on both LPG and Petrol so I could drive it everywhere without having to refill.

Petrol was reasonably priced back then and LPG was even cheaper.

That it doesn't exist. Real money saver that one.

2007 Hyundai Accent. My favorite thing was that it was mine. It wasn’t a bad car, but it wasn’t a good car either. It was fine. But, it was mine. And then it was totaled by an old guy who ran a red light. RIP Susie Q, my Hyundai Accent.

I had an old Rover 25 which I was surprised to hear had a more sports type engine, even for its size. Which was why it was quite responsive at 4k rpm and pretty good for handling. Got really good at driving it after some time.

I came round a corner too fast and luckily there was no car on the opposite side where I was veering into. I never messed around after that.

1989 Acura Integra hatchback. Cost me $3k in 1999. It was the most expensive thing I'd ever bought at the time. It had a sunroof and flip-up lights that I thought were so cool. I loved that car. Taught my younger brother how to drive in that car. I sold it for like $300 in 2002 when I had to get rid of it because I was moving away and taking it with wasn't feasible. Buy then I'd driven it into the ground and it was leaking oil constantly. Still was an awesome car, though.

I could start it with a coin, then lock the doors, do something else while it warmed up, and unlock the doors with the actual key. It was like my own ghetto remote starting system.

First car's like the first girl. You always get new sweethearts but shit just ain't feel like the first time you fall in love.

Still driving it, 2008 1.6 gol power, got it 3 years ago.

Very much a south American version of a golf but since it wasn't designed that much for security it weighs 1000 kilos and has 97 hp.

But it's one of the most reliable cars in the country and while the car has multi fuel injection the accelerator is mechanical, the steering is hidraulic, no ABS or Traction control, it has a markedly notchy 5 speed manual and the suspension is both stiff but with some significant body roll, mostly thanks to it's light weight.

Thing drives like a FWD kart and I love it, you feel like you're going super fast or doing dangerous stuff even in completely safe situations under the speed limit. Can't wait to get it to a track day (they're very uncommon in my country).

On top of all they're worth 4k usd at most and the parts for it are dirt cheap. And the engine design is actually a Mercedes design from the 80s so it's pretty solid people get 150 HP out of it very easily (which leaves you with the power to weight ratio of a golf GTI) with a few mods and if you get forged Pistons and a proper turbo you can go past 300 hp

(Without putting too much detail out) It was a coupe with a relatively chonky engine and all around relatively comfortable ride. Bought it because I had no need for "sensible" features or fuel economy as I was single and driving relatively little.

It was a cheap old heap of course and upkeep of any car costs a small fortune. And even with no known weak points, it's still old and could break down at any time. But there was no getting away from that at my budget, so why not be comfortable and happy while it runs.

Single favourite thing? That's hard. I'll just have to go with "it's all mine". I almost miss it. At least the non rusty bits that still worked.

Didn't drive at all until I was 25; got a Toyota Prius C, brand new in 2016 as my first car after working a few years and saving money. Best thing about it is that I'm still driving it; I haven't done anything but routine maintenance on it and get ~53MPG.

It was my grandmother's, and I was the 5th owner after she passed away. Manual windows, manual locks, and a fully-metal body. By the time I got it, it was so quirky, I loved everything about it.

• The horn was dying, so if you held it for longer than 2-3 seconds, it sounded like the doppler effect,
• Since the hood was metal, the horn would make it vibrate a little and the car sounded like it was begging to be put out of its misery,
• The brakes screamed when you came to a stop, but only at speeds under 10 mph, so I basically scared the shit out of every drive-thru worker I encountered,
• Our family dog knocked the rear view mirror off with her head, and after 5 months, we finally glued it back on, only for her to do it again a week later, so I learned to drive with only my sideview mirrors,
• The parking brake basically couldn't be relied on because the previous owner, my sister, drove it for about 6 months with the parking brake fully engaged, complaining to my dad constantly that it had no acceleration.

Was a beautiful, green, Kia Sephia, and I miss that car more than some family members. My second car had another favorite quirk: the driver's window motor died, so the window wouldn't roll up or down. So, being the high school chucklefuck that I was, I'd go through drive-thrus in reverse if I had a friend in the passenger seat (also without a rearview mirror, thanks to the aforementioned dog).

All the staff used to come to the window laughing, and one manager gave us real shit for it despite their being no signs or anything indicating we couldn't.

Sigh my younger days, cars today are just too boring 😂

79 Ford Bronco. Massive vehicle. Didn't go fast, sucked gas so it didn't go far either. But it had a 3in thick steel grate on the front so when a deer ran out one day all that happened was it's head got ripped off. Truck was fine after, had to spray out the remains. But for a new driver I felt safe since deer were all over my area.

It had wheels and an engine, I was finally able to get out of my hometown on my own power.

A sense of independence.

1980 Firebird bought in 1991ish, for 1,200, sold in 1996 for 1,500

Tail lights lit up to say FIRE. BIRD.

Custom hand carved Judas * Priest in the center console.

Hole in the drivers side acceleration/brake that would freeze your toes in the winter

Water would accumulate in the non existant footspace of the driver side back seat passenger that would create a block of ice in the winter (generally filled with trash: cigarette boxes, phone books, water bottles)

Ran for 2 years without changing the oil drivers side door would randomly open on right hand turns

Exhaust rusted through the catalytic converter somewhere in Iowa driving to NY for school, got it wired up at a garage & then a straight pipe put in in Missouri.

Heater stopped working for the wonderful NY winters

Took me across the US twice, up and down the East Coast of the US a couple times.

Basically, everything. Best. Car. Ever.

It was an old '87 Pontiac Bonneville. It had a 350 and had some oomph. The thing was built like a tank. I loved it!

My favorite thing of all was the fact that it would automatically turn on the headlights when it was dark and this feature was called the ''Twilight Sentinel''.

I always thought it sounded like some epic fantasy novel or game.

I've never owned it.

1993 Buick Regal, it had the 3800 engine which is arguably the best engine that GM has ever made. They (the engines) are still sought after today. I drove it to 297,000 miles and got rid of it as the transmission was going out.

Honda accord sedan with flip up headlights.

2003 (?) Volvo V40 Diesel: TBH, the car radio. Having a place of my own to play as loud I want was really nice. Second to that, the seats.

Funny, that with Volvo being known for safety and all, I had to sell this car, because from one day to another the brakes stopped working without me almost not noticing until I was on a major road (rural area and engine breaking to the rescue). Someone said, the brakes breaking was a economic crash for the car.