My ex-list

This is an idea I have had for some time, and I think every car enthusiast should do: producing a list of the cars I've owned and write a little description about each one.

I think I saw one issue of Winding Road magazine where they encouraged people to tell their car stories or something like that, including dates of purchase/sale. So this may be inspired on that. Or not.

So here's my ex-list in chronological order of purchase (some of them overlap obviously... dad's car plus the family car and all...). Here we go. This will probably not be even remotely appealing for anyone else to read. But at least you can take it as an inspiration to do this yourself, and then re-read it after 20 years or so. I know I will give a sigh or two.

#1: 2002/?? - 2003/?? '97 Volkswagen Golf GLX (mk III), in Windsor Blue.

This 4-door Golf had the same 2.0L engine as the GTI of the time (what a lame GTI with only 115hp). Still it was fun to drive slow... the low-end torque that thing had was amazing and throttle response was superb. So it appeared quick until you tried to actually drive it fast. Still, it was the first car I bought and it will always have a special place in my heart. Cheesy. Oh I also chipped it and put a conical filter. It did nothing to the power but you did get a throaty induction noise. The following is not my car but it's as close as I could find: right body type, color and wheels. Mine just wasn't "MI" which I guess stands for multiport injection.

#2: 2003/??-2004/11 2001 Volkswagen Golf GTI (mk IV) in Tornado Red.

It was lowered and had an aftermarket front bumper that looked awesome, much cleaner and at the same time more aggressive than the stock one. I just bought it without properly checking it and it turned out to be in pretty bad shape mechanically. The engine mounts failed (because they changed one of the bolts and used a lower grade steel), the MAF failed, it had oil pressure issues, you name it. It was built in Germany and had the 150hp 1.8T with a Borg Warner K03 turbo. It had nice rosewood trim inside and Recaro bucket seats, original from factory. It felt really special but it had to go. At one point  when entering the shop for the n-th time they offered me to trade up and they would fix mine and sell it to someone else. I accepted that right away. I never got to love it. But it was a success with girls, and I met my wife when I had it, so I owe it that :)

#3: 2004/11-2007/?? 2003 Volkvswagen Golf GTI (mk IV) In Jupiter Beige or something like that.

My friends just laughed at it and called it "the khaki". This one was built in Brazil and it didn't have Recaros or wood, but the engine used the slightly uprated K03Sport turbo which I believe has a bigger compressor. Anyway, it made 180hp and you could really tell the difference. Also this car was properly maintained and gave me no trouble whatsoever. Apart from the occasional failed coil that you can replace in 5 minutes. I lowered a little bit because they came for South America with a suspension that had a lot of travel... I guess to make it more suitable for pothole-filled streets. Eibach ProKit it was. It ended up being a little too low, but it improved handling significantly. I think this is the car I've owned the longest. Finally sold it to my brother in law who chipped it and utterly destroyed it.

#4: 2007/??-2009/?? 2005 Volkswagen Polo Sedan, in Silver.

I bought this one for my wife (girlfriend at that time) because her Peugeot 206 wasn't cutting it anymore. It also made me feel less guilty buying myself the next car...

#5: 2008/09-2009-12 2009 Volkswagen Golf GTI (mk V). In Candy White.

German-built, the first batch of mkV to arrive in Chile. Also my first and only car that I've bought new. I actually paid for it one month in advance. The longest month in my life. I absolutely loved this car. The 200hp 2.0T engine is so versatile, the car handled great and the dual clutch DSG transmission with paddle shifters was so fun to use. I think it looked great as well. Definitely one of my favorites. I sold it to a good friend for 90% of what I paid (so it didn't even depreciate more than the tax I paid -- VAT in Chile is 19%). He also loved the car and kept it for several years. I sold it because we were looking for a home to buy and I wanted to get more downpayment.

#6: 2009/??-2009/??+1 2006 Peugeot 307 Break Diesel, in some burgundy red.

This one replaced the VW Polo as a family car. I wanted to be frugal and get a simple car. Should have known better. It only lasted for a month (I don't even have a picture of it; just got this from the Internet). Good thing is, I sold it the very same day I put it up for sale. And that was because we put the house-buying thing on the back burner so I wanted a nicer family car. So I bought a...

#7: 2010/04-2011/10 2008 Volvo XC-70 3.2, in Blue.

This was my wife's favorite car to date. So nice inside and Volvo invites you to some very cool events (they still invite me... apparently they think I still own it). It is ultra safe of course, had automatic everything including adaptive cruise control, and even though it lacks power (235hp from the transversely-mounted 3.2 inline 6), it made a good noise and was adequate for relaxed cruising. I had to sell it when I relocated to the US (and lost 40% of its value in the 18 months I had it --ouch). I regret nothing.

#8: 2011/02-2011/10 2004 Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0V6 24V, in silver.

Oh man this was a gorgeous car. Clarkson says that a true petrol head has to own an Alfa at least once. I can see what he meant. Although it didn't give me any trouble, and the frequent trips to the shop seem to be part of the charm, it just feels so nice inside. It's hard to describe but it just feels like a special car. Like a pure sports car. I know it's FWD but its complicated rear suspension set up (including passive rear wheel steering) makes it very tail happy (as I found out the hard way), and it's a ton of fun to drive. The Pininfarina styling is a love it or hate it. I loved it. I desired it. And the sound. Oh, the glorious sound of that V6. By far the best sounding car I've owned. It even smelled special inside. Like a mixture of leather and burnt engine oil that somehow worked wonders. Develops around 230hp and has a decent 6.4s 0-100km/h time. I still get teary-eyed when I think of it. Like the Volvo, I had to sell it when I relocated to the US.

#9: 2011/11-2012/10 2003 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, in metallic beige.

Knowing that we would only have one car for a while, I wanted a family car that could provide some thrills. And boy this thing delivers. At 450hp it pulls like its arse is on fire. There's no hiding the enormous weight and high center of gravity but hey, you're not gonna bring it to the track. We loved it, even my wife came to like it a lot. At 131k miles though, I had the constant fear of it breaking down and being a Porsche, that would mean serious money. So I decided to sell it after a little less than a year.

#10: 2012/05-2014/03 1994 Nissan 300zx Twin Turbo, in Super White.

I had always loved this thing and in California you can find quite a few. I won't go in length about it since I have a whole post series in this blog about it. But it's worth noting that while we owned the Cayenne Turbo and this one (with its current ~400hp), I had 850hp stored in my garage! I don't think that will happen ever again.

#11: 2012/10-2015/02 2009 BMW X5 xDrive3.0i, in Midnight Blue.

So I wanted a lower-mileage family car and this one fit the bill, with less than 30k miles on the clock. Sadly, and ironically really, it has already been in the shop 5 times. It is still covered under factory warranty, though so at least I've got a chance to drive 5 different loaner BMWs while this one was in the shop. But yeah, so much for selling the Porsche to avoid breakdowns.

#12: 2014/04 - 2019/07 1997 Mazda Miata M-edition, in Mica Green.

I wanted a car to drive everyday while I decided which fun car to get next. I needed it to be cheap because I wanted to save money for the fun car, and keep as much from the sale of the Z as possible. But I wouldn't get a Civic. Of course not. I set aside a budget of $2k and set my sights on a Miata. After seeing the state of the $2k ones I upped it to 3k and found a nice one. Nice enough that it was my DD and track car. Amazing little thing. 2018 update: I recently turbocharged it with a Begi CARB kit and wow, even more fun to drive now. This is by far the car I've owned the longest at 5 years, 3 months. Finally sold it to make room in the garage/driveway. It's the way it is.

#13: 2014/08 - 2016/03 1988 Ferrari 3.2 Mondial Cabriolet, in red.

I couldn't find a 911 exactly as I wanted it but someone had this Mondial up for sale for a while so I said fuck it, I will probably never own a modern Ferrari. This one has a great engine that won't break down (as much) and I can afford. Let's do it. And I did it. And it was glorious. I eventually sold it to keep pursuing the quest to own more cars. Or find my unicorn 911.

#14: 2015/02-2017/02 2015 Acura RDX, in white.

For a while now I had been thinking that the X5 is kind of too big, now that the kids are bigger and we don't need to pack so many things anymore. I'd gladly get a wagon but my wife wants the high driving position. We settled on a crossover. Most of them are ~400kg lighter than your typical SUV so I was OK. After I had to replace the X5's valve cover for $1,600 I decided to sell it. So we got the RDX which has most of the stuff we care about and it's a Honda so it will run forever. And it has a decent warranty. Now I don't have to worry about being stranded on our next family trip. Eventually I got tired of getting stuck in the snow (even with chains) so I sold it.

#15: 2016/02-2018/04 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera S, in black.

As I said, what I would really like is a 84-89 911 but they are too ridiculously expensive. This was less than $33k and is really one of the best all-around cars I've owned. Semi-practical with rear seats that can accommodate kids, and very comfortable (totally daily-driveable), lighter than a GTI and with 355hp it's pretty fast. I took it to the track a bunch of times and performed great. I do think they're not that happy on the track and it had been two years so I sold it after a while.

#16: 2016/07-2017/06 1997 Chevy 1500 Conversion Van, in brown.

Bought it to go to Burning man with the family. Built a double bed and storage system in it. Spent stupid money fixing the injection, still ran like crap. But it got us there (9 hours each way) and back even though I was scared to death that it would break down or fail catastrophically. I sold it for $500 to a war veteran who would take it out of state. Good thing 'cause it would have never passed CA emissions. See those white stripes? I did them, with white plasti-dip.

#17: 2017/01-2020/01 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport HSE, in beige.

This is what I bought so we could go to Tahoe and not get stuck. So of course as of the end of 2019 have never really needed to drive in deep snow. The car overall is pretty good. It's the prettiest SUV I've owned and in my eyes also the prettiest Land Rover has made; the proportions are just right. It also has 7 seats for when you need them. But oh, the engine and transmission are its Achiles heel. The turbo is laggy and the ridiculous 9-speed auto is slow as hell and constantly upshifting, trying to compensate for the abysmal fuel economy. Now the CPO warranty has expired and some electrical gremlins are starting to creep up. I sense a sale happening soon.

#18: 2017/06-2020/01 2016 VW e-Golf, in white.

When we bought a house I no longer had a shuttle close by so I leased this EV to have a reasonable commute. As I expected, it has nice torque from 0 to 30mph but overall it's a pretty boring car to drive. But, well, it's a point A to point B kind of car. To me, EVs are just appliances. Like a toaster. Teslas are just flying toasters pro, but still toasters.

#19: 2018/03-today 2005 Lotus Elise, in Ardent Red.

I found this for sale from a trusted source (work) and ever since I had driven one a few years back (club Sportiva) I had lusted the Elise. It's pretty unpractical and just getting in and out of it I'm guessing will become a chore when I'm older so it was now or never. The plan is to take it to the track and that's about it. Right now it doesn't need anything done to it, it's in really great shape. The 190hp 4cyl 1.8L engine from Toyota, while very reliable, is not a torque monster but revs high and since the car only weighs 900kg, plenty enough to make it competitive.

#20: 2019/03-2020/12 2011 BMW M3 (E92), in Jet Black.

After the Elise had been in the shop for ~6 months following an off-track excursion, I needed to go to the track again and I accidentally bought this. It's pretty (but alas, it's black just like the 911) and it has an aftermarket exhaust that lets that high-revving V8 really scream. Really fun to drive. But I don't think I'll keep it for long. The Elise is back so I don't need it for track duty, and with 2 doors, can't really daily drive it either.

#21: 2019/11-2021/08 2006 Audi A3 3.2, in Lava Gray.

Ok I had to buy this. Lease was almost up for the eGolf and I needed something less boring to daily drive. School run demands 4 doors and I wanted a VR6 in a compact car so R32 is out of the race. Only option was the 8P A3 3.2, sold in the US for only a few years (2006-2008). It's already misbehaving (LCD screen shenanigans and some ignition switch short, plus doors that don't unlock and a few other issues). The engine runs smooth, as does the DSG dual clutch transmission, but there is some jerkiness that it's part early DSG software, part needed trans service I believe. There is some rattling at low RPM/low load but it might just be some loose heatshield somewhere.

#22: 2020/01-2022-05 2020 Land Rover Discovery, in beige.

Found a good lease deal with discount from work so this one replaced the Discovery Sport. Most notably it has a 3.0L supercharged V6 good for 330hp and an 8-speed box that is slightly better than the horrible 9-speed in the Disco Sport. Because of COVID craziness, I was able to end the lease early while getting paid by the dealership (equivalent to buying the car early, turning around and selling it to the dealer, but because of the pandemic they can sell it for way more than the price that they are forced by contract to sell it to me for).

#23: 2021/08-today 2017 Volkswagen Golf R in Lapiz Blue.

The A3 was great but I found we had no chemistry. Also I was foolishly hoping it would sound like an R32 and it didn't. I'm glad I got to own it but it was time. So I sold it. I also wanted something that my wife would be ok to drive (my evil plan is to lure her away from the big SUV). So I regressed back to my safe place, a Golf. But the pinnacle of Golfs! The 2017 R is a modern-ish car with AWD, a better DSG, features and more power to make it interesting to drive every day. I was pretty sure of what I wanted: Blue, DSG (I tried a manual and the electronic throttle and/or clutch engagement felt too "assisted" and non mechanical for my taste), and the "Pretoria" wheels. Also DCC but all I saw had it so maybe all models in the US have DCC. Many examples were flying off the shelves quickly and prices are crazy right now because of the chip shortage for new cars so I had to pay for this thing but I found one exactly as I wanted. Saw it one night, test drove it next morning, and bought it in the evening. Loving it so far. It has just enough scratches, dents and wheel curb rash that I won't suffer when I put new ones, but it looks good from 10 feet away.

#24: 2022/06-today 2004 Porsche Boxster S Special Edition in GT Silver.

Officially called the "50 years of the 550 spyder", this special edition Boxster S is the last year of the first gen Boxster. Compared to the normal Boxster S it has a few extra HP (up to 266) due to the 987 airbox and revised exhaust, unique paint color (only available on the Carrera GT and the 40th anniversary 911), unique two tone wheels and cocoa interior. 1953 were made globally (the 550 spyder debuted in 1953) and 500 were destined to the US. This is a very special car, it has low mileage (~35k) and it's really a joy to drive.

#25: 2022/07-2023/09 2014 Porsche Cayenne S-Hybrid in White.

I accidentally bought this one from carsandbids.com, placed a bid and didn't think I would win. It's the last year of the pre-facelift 958 Cayennes, and before they came out with the plug in hybrid. This is a mild hybrid instead, with a pretty small NiMH battery in the trunk. It has the supercharged 3.0 V6 from the Audi S4 plus the electric motor, making 380hp in total. It's a big, heavy car so it does not feel fast. Originally it cost around $85k. Not worth that money when new in my view, given the modest increase in mileage and added weight and complexity. But at $25 now, it does seem convenient and there doesn't seem to be any fatal flaws with the design.

#26: 2023/09-today 2023 Volvo XC90 Recharge in dark grey.

Why Porsche never included Android Auto in their cars until recently really escapes me. I mean it's obvious that they prioritized CarPlay but the delta to also provide AA is so low. Anyway, after trying an aftermarket module to enable it, which was hit or miss Chinese lowest bidder stuff, I had enough. And the 90k+ miles it had made me nervous. We traded it in for a XC90. Has Google built-in and it was a demo model for the dealership (this is now like the fourth car I buy from the dealership having been a courtesy or demo car). It has literally every option marked (Polestar engine tuning? check. Massage seats? check. HUD? check. Weird crystal shifter? check. Bowers & Wilkins audio? check) and being a demo we got a good price. It is a plug-in hybrid and enough for a normal commute. Good car so far.

Last updated: 2024-03-29