Favorite Car to Drive

[harrytuttle]

(Searched the whole forum, couldn't find a similar thread. Honest!)


What is your favorite drive? Not a specific road (although that may have been part of it), but the best car you've driven, and what made it special, what you really liked about it (and didn't like). For example, your friend's 911 Turbo, for it's endless ability, great feel, blah blah blah.

Passenger rides could count, I guess, considering many here aren't old enough to drive. The more detail you can to share, the better. I'm actually really interested in what some of you think makes a great car, even if it's from a minivan. I'm not looking for racecars. Road cars that work great on the track are good, though.



And, uh, I trust you to be honest.

 

[YSSMAN]

What a great idea for a thread! I have plenty of cars to talk about, so I'll just focus on a few here...

I think in most cases, your own personal car is going to be the ride of choice in most circumstances. It is the car you know best, as there is that whole owner/vehicle relationship between the two of you. In my years of driving, I have only owned two cars, both of which were Volkswagens of some kind.

Thus my favorite car to drive must indeed be my '96 Volkswagen Jetta GL Wolfsburg. Certainly she isn't particularly fast nor overly sporty, but it is a healthy change between the likes of a Corolla or Civic. The combination of a rather comfortable, yet capable, ride makes the car a winner for all driving types. Although the car is in need of some suspension work (new rear coil-overs are needed), and the new tires are rubbish (195/60R14), she still drives like a dream.

Combine that with the rather slick and fairly direct 5-speed manual transmission and the reliable 2.0L 8V engine, and you get a pretty darn good car for anyone looking for something cheap and fun at the same time. Being that the car is a Wolfsburg, she comes with the alloy wheels (now aftermarket), a nice looking spoiler, and a few other extras that include a moon roof as well. I can think of many times in which I have enjoyed a nice drive on a summers eve, windows down, moon roof open, no place in particular to go... Just following my old bike training routes, a solid country drive for no apparent reason.

There just aren't many cars that I can think of that are just that "natural" in everything that they do.

---

Does memorable drive count as well?

Granted I've only had one oppertunity to do so, but driving a 911 has to be one of the most amazing things I have ever done in my time behind the wheel. She was a bright-red '87 Carrera 3.2 convertible with the "Turbo Look" package. The classic looks of the Carrera along with the awesome BBS three-piece wheels just made the car look awesome. The all-black interior was spartan at the very most, but completely reasonable at the same time.

One thing that took a while to get used to was indeed the key position (on the left), and the odd way in which the Getrag transmission operated. Granted going from so many different cars, it wasn't particularly hard to operate, but it just felt so different... So "immediate" (the best way I can describe it)... Reverse was hard to find, but everything else worked great. Pedals were easy to operate, and the power? Ohhhh, yeah, there was enough of that...

The car was amazingly easy to drive quickly without much thought. Simply operating it like my Jetta was easy enough, but if you didn't watch the tach or the speedo, you were likely to be doing double the limit in most low-speed areas. Going from previous experiences with FWD, and RWD setups to the Porsche's RR setup was indeed a bit of a difference, albeit not immediately noticeable. Certainly the car was balanced and well-planted, but the car just felt different. It is hard to really describe it without actually having experienced it, it just feels different.

---

I'll add more stories later, I've got plenty of them...

 

[Mrs. Famine]

Considering i'm a girl, I get a bit of a buzz from having driven lots of different cars - hopping from one to another is brilliant fun

I can honestly say that the best overall driving experience comes from the Mazda MX-5. They are just perfect in every way (handling, roadholding, power/weight, weight distribution, gear change etc) and once F.I. is strapped on, they become even better!
Driving a Mitsibishi Evo V was absolutely superb but that was on a track and it was a fully kitted rally car so i'd have no idea what they're like day to day.
My favourite FWD car was the Peugeot 205 (and the 309) GTi I used to own. Lots of grins but a bit of a pig to drive in the snow...

Oddly enough, the 'better' cars i've driven were nowhere near as good as the Mazda/Peugeot!
I've driven a TVR Chimera which had an annoying gear change, I couldn't see to the rear at all and I couldn't reach the pedals properly. The Lotus Elise is uncomfortable, has crap visibility, is incredibly noisy and is unbearably hot in the summer. It sticks like glue and is a hoot to drive but again, the gearchange is a bit pants. And the Vauxhall switchgear just makes the interior look cheap. The Ford Mustang (I drove a 1999 model) was incredibly fast and ohhhhhh the noise but was a bit too wallowy and yet again, had a crap gear change! And lets not even discuss the BMW Z3. Ugh.

It's surprising how a 'cheaper' car can be better to drive than something more expensive and therefore supposedly 'better'. People tend to slate the MX-5 as being a bit gay and hairdressery but i'd have a whole fleet of them

 

[socomplayer2]

Considering I am 16 and dont get my permit for another month, i have only driven a few cars. They include a 2001 Subaru Outback wagon (my dads) and his newer car 2005 suzuki xl-7, a 1996 chevy pick up jacked up abouta foot on huge tires. The best out of them was the Outback. The all-wheel-drive and nice amout of power was more than enough for a teenager on a windey counrty road. I really thought it was a blast. Im sure it is nothing compared to some of your best drives but for me it was swell. Ill be back here once i get my lernaers permit:tup: .

 

[Perfect Balance]

I have driven a couple cars, from a 3000gt to a jeep wrangler, but my favorite was my friends 1990 Miata. It holds the road so nice, and he has the interior stripped out, so it sounds beautiful too. The shifts arn't so great, but it just feels good to drive.

 

[Ev0 4 drifter]

with me being only 15, i have to use private backtracks but my parents let me drive their cars (dad has a '99 Honda Civic, mum has an '06 Skoda Octavia) the Honda is great fun to drive, even though the interior is a little bit poo. i also driven my dads friends '95 Impreza that thing was insane! i got into 3rd before we ran out of road this was all on a private road though also me and my dad had a go on a track with an imported Mitsubishi 3000GT, that was the most scary thing i've ever been in! it was un-limited and i think it was tuned, but it did 120mph in 2nd gear!

 

[GT_Jim]

.....but it did 120mph in 2nd gear!

That's impossible!........

 

[Ev0 4 drifter]

it might have been kmh, but i was sure it did mph, i was 6 at the time so it might be the old memory failing

 

[McLaren]

Most likely kph.

Though 120Kph is about 75Mph, and I don't recall me old VR4 ever doing 70Mph in 2nd gear.

For me...BMW E36 M3. Yes, surprise. I don't know exactly why, but it was so much fun to drive when I could. It had great acceleration, handled like a dream, though that's obvious. It was just the whole car itself made driving in traffic fun.

Oh, and it great sound system too.

 

[Slicks]

Currently, I've got two favorites. That said, I've only driven a limited selection of vehicles.

1. Mazda MX-5 Miata, 1990.
What can I say? It feels like an oversized go-kart when you drive it. Nimble, light-footed, direct. It's got an excellent short-throw shifter, responsive engine, and decent brakes. You've got excellent visibility out of the car, and it's fun to drive (and here's the important part) at legal speeds.

2. Eagle Talon TSi, 1992.
This is my personal car. While there are characteristics that I like and those I don't about the car, a few things stand out. Being AWD, it's got excellent traction under acceleration, and has performed admirably in all road conditions that I've experienced (from snow and ice to heavy rain, and everything in between). It's got good roadholding, although understeer is often present. And the turbo. Oh gawd, the turbo. From the second it spools up (starts at 2000-2500, fully spooled by 2750), it pulls strongly. The downsides of the car are primarily a weak, long-throw transmission and poor rear visibility. Reliability is what one would expect from a car that is 14 years old, although these cars have a poor reputation (that, so far, is unfounded).

 

[JCE]

I'm going to split mine into 3 catagories.

Favorite car to drive that I owned --> 1993 Mitsubishi 3000GT Twin Turbo & 1999 Ford Crown Victoria P71 (powerslides powerslides powersides)
Favorite car to drive that wasn't mine --> 2006 SL55 AMG
Favorite car to drive that was a supercar --> 2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10

 

[McLaren]

I'm going to split mine into 3 catagories.

Favorite car to drive that I owned --> 1993 Mitsubishi 3000GT Twin Turbo & 1999 Ford Crown Victoria P71 (powerslides powerslides powersides)
Favorite car to drive that wasn't mine --> 2006 SL55 AMG
Favorite car to drive that was a supercar --> 2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10

Isn't that like, the same thing?



Just messin'.

 

[Kylehnat]

Favorite car to drive? Mine. Any particular reason? See answer to first question.

 

[harrytuttle]

Does memorable drive count as well?

Oh, most definitely. If a single ride made such a strong impression, then by all means....

I'll add more stories later, I've got plenty of them...

The more the merrier!

 

[Boz Mon]

No question about it, definitely the Prelude. It goes around corners nicely, gets good gas mileage, looks good, and is very comfortable.

 

[eg6_dude]

Note the username! Best FF ever made! (modded at least)

**running away before getting into argument**

Also enjoy driving S2000!

 

[niky]

It's surprising how a 'cheaper' car can be better to drive than something more expensive and therefore supposedly 'better'. People tend to slate the MX-5 as being a bit gay and hairdressery but i'd have a whole fleet of them

Bwahaha... we actually have the same dream. I think three track set-ups and one or two daily drivers would be enough...

Lightness and simpleness are vastly under-rated nowadays. I've driven a lot of good new cars, but they just don't "feel" as good as the old ones in some ways. I mean, I've had more fun driving an old beat-up tin box with natty tires, no power steering and a chassis that's as loose as old spaghetti than I've had driving much faster metal.

Note the username! Best FF ever made! (modded at least)

**running away before getting into argument**

Also enjoy driving S2000!

Best FF? You mean a Mazda?

sucker punch... runs away too...

All kidding aside, my favorite car to drive is probably the one I'm driving now (2-liter Mazda Protege / Ford Laser/Lynx). It may have its flaws, like a recalcitrant gearbox, ordinary brakes (cracked my damn pads on the race-track... getting an upgrade) and too little power (after mods, I'm still barely pushing more than 150 hp).

But the balance, oh, the balance. There's something oddly wonderful about an econobox whose steering kicks around so much on rough roads, where you can feel the grain of the road through the rim. It just makes you want to get away from it all... find a nice mountain road to tackle.

My only mods are an exhaust and Advan Neova tires, and this baby just dances around corners. Sure, there's some understeer, but you have to be going pretty fast to find it (there's moderate high-speed "push" on stock tires, almost none on these shoes below 9/10ths driving). It doesn't snap abruptly sideways like a super-mini (Honda Fit?) or an Evo, but it always feels on that delicious edge. We can kick ass on the racetrack, my baby and me...

...and then get blown away come the straights... oops. Time for more tuning...

-----

Besides that? Well... go-karts are nice. I've driven lots of faster cars in the past year, but very few stand out, as most are flawed in some way or the other. They just don't have that organic feel that this car and so many older ones have. And they're all too heavy and disconnected from the experience... sadly.

 

[Derrict]

I can honestly say that the best overall driving experience comes from the Mazda MX-5. They are just perfect in every way (handling, roadholding, power/weight, weight distribution, gear change etc) and once F.I. is strapped on, they become even better!

It's surprising how a 'cheaper' car can be better to drive than something more expensive and therefore supposedly 'better'. People tend to slate the MX-5 as being a bit gay and hairdressery but i'd have a whole fleet of them

+1 for the MX5. I'm a bit biased since I own two of them, though. I picked up a 97 MX5 7 years ago with 24,000 miles for SCCA Solo II racing, built with a full race suspension, 4 point roll bar and a few bolt on mods for a bit extra power (C street prepared class). I was expecting to only keep it for 2 years, sell it, and build up another car but I decided to swap out some of the race suspension parts and make it a daily driver.

A few months ago I picked up an 04 Mazdaspeed MX5 with 14,000 miles. The extra hp and torque from the ball bearing turbo (7.5 psi) definately makes it easier to pass vehicles on the highway. In my 97, I'd always have to downshift to make passes but in the 04, I can stay in 6th gear and pass. I'll be adding a downpipe, catback, manual boost controller, and intake to take it up to about 235 hp, which is decent considering the car only weighs 2400 lbs.

 

[YSSMAN]

...In the "somewhat disappointed" category:

The 1996 Dodge Viper GTS. Okay, disappointment may be a bit of a strong word, but it wasn't anything like you would have expected. With all of the hype surrounding the car with the outrageous looks, outrageous performance, and a reputation as a true modern "bad-boy" automobile, maybe I was expecting too much. I'll break it down a bit...

- Upon startup, the car had an awkward bark that I just couldn't get used to. Being around V8 engines most of my live, the idle was a bit odd, kinda like mixing Metalica with the Philharmonic Symphony. To be honest, when we first started it, it kinda reminded me of our John Deere, but only a little bit.

- Climbing inside was a task within itself. Being about 6 ft tall, you have to bend a bit too much to sit inside, sitting down low inside the car. Although once you got in, you felt somewhat comfortable, the interior was such an awkward mish-mosh of crappy plastic, playskool switches and gauges, and of course the wonderful heating effects of the side pipes. As someone who had grown up around Corvettes most of his life, the Viper from the inside was a HUGE disappointment.

- The drive itself, well wasn't actually much of a drive at all. I wasn't allowed to push the car too much (Dad and company didn't trust me), but you certainly felt a difference between previous Corvettes and Camaros, albeit with a few more ponies on tap. It was different getting the V10 to get going, but the torque!!! I can't think of too many production cars I have ridden in or driven that have pinned me back that well, it just felt like the car would keep going, and going, and going. The Tremec T56 was a good match to the engine, and worked as I had expected, based on Corvette and Camaro drives.

...The Viper will always be something I will remember more for the ride than the incredibly short drive. Being that fast, that loud, and that outrageous was certainly unlike anything I had ever been in, but it just didn't live up to what I had expected. I think James May is right when he says you should never drive your dream cars from when you were a kid, you'll just be disappointed.

---

Keeping things in the DaimlerChrysler realm, how about a story on the Crossfire?

Two summers ago, after the Crossfire had just hit the streets, my Grandfather and I went to go look... Well, not at the Crossfire, but at the 300C, but the Crossfire was good enough. Anyway, it turns out that the guy at the dealer used to be friends with my Dad and his siblings, so he let us go off in the car for a while. Grandpa drove first, and at least from the passenger seat, the car seemed pretty reasonable.

I have to say that the first thing that stands out about the car is the overall look. It is very attractive, and certainly is eye-catching from the outside. But sitting in the passenger seat, it all goes wrong. The interior is just a titch too cheap, especially considering that it is part Mercedes. Too much fake aluminum, too much crappy plastic, and overall poor placement for switches and knobs for both the driver and passenger. One good thing is that the car rode quite well. It was quiet, comfortable, and when you turn it up to 8 or 9, the car felt pretty good. But the lack of headroom (again, I'm just a bit over 6 ft) was a killer. Maybe the seats were too high and the roof too low, I don't know... But it just felt awkward.

From behind the drivers seat, you could feel the Mercedes stuff coming through. Although I had never driven the SLK320 it was based on, the seating position felt right... The steering wheels was weighted well and felt quite accurate, the throttle was responsive and the 5-speed auto seemed to do well. Thrust was adequate, we managed 110 MPH through the B-roads, and laid a patch or two. But it took a bit to build-up where you needed to be, and it came off a bit different.

I think the word "different" is the best way to describe the car. It looks different, it drives different, and it is priced different. But for the money (if I recall, the model we drove stickered at nearly $45K), the Corvette is a better choice...

 

[niky]

RE: Viper: I guess what Slicks mentioned a few posts ago has some merit there... it's nice when a car is enjoyable at low speeds (again, kudos to Mazda... )

My Uncle got himself a Viper nearly a year ago. My cousin complains that it tramlines too much (they have some pretty bad roads up there), lacks the traction to make the most of the motor, and is kind of too hardcore for everyday use.

Upside: If you have half-a-brain, you'll never kill yourself in one... you'll be too scared to really open her up.

One of the cars we've owned that has given me the most fun was a 1.3 liter buzzbox... a B14 Sentra with a carburated engine. The good thing was, it was an economy model... no power windows, no sound insulation, no stereo, steelies... so it was pretty light. It gets even better. That 1.3 liter piece of doodoo was a twincam with a chain driven cam assembly... so it revved to high heavens (about 7k) despite having nearly no power (85 hp, wassit?). It also altered the weight balance to a more respectable and rear-biased one than the 1.6 or 2.0 version.

As stock, it was enormous fun to drive up a mountain pass, wringing every last ounce out of the engine, on the edge of adhesion (lots of understeer there, captain...), with the roar of the wind and the road vibrating through the body... at speeds most respectable sports cars would scoff at. Good.Dirty.Fun. No amount of autobahn style 120 - 150 mph cruising can quite match that excitement.

But no, it's not my favorite car to drive, but it was fun at the time.

-----

I guess the whole point of "fun driving" to me isn't just the speed. I used to be a runner in high school, and I'd run out in traffic on weekends (racing minibuses is fun). After that, I got a yen for cycling. I love the feel of the road under my feet. Thus, I'm never really at ease driving a midsize car or an SUV (no matter how fast or grippy it is)... I much prefer compact or subcompact cars.

Any car that can make you feel as close to the road as that, so that you feel it through your feet, your seat and your finger tips... that can put you at the center of the action... not as a passenger hanging on to an enormous engine, riding behind a locomotive... or like a shopping cart, plowing its merry way down the road, with you trying to pull its reins... but with the car shrinking around you, pivoting with you as its center... that's a fun car to me.

If you really want speed... take a train, or a plane. But fun, to me = involvement. If I really wanted electric steering, isolation from road noise and bumps and short and easy to use pedals and shifters, I can play Gran Turismo, thank you. When I drive, I honest-to-God want to drive.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

best car ive driven was a 1.2 twinport corsa i was thinking it was gonna be such a bad drive but it was great fun! only problem was it went very light and floaty above 65 ,i remember going down some backroads to carluke and was being followed by a ctr and he couldnt keep up in the corners afterwards he was determinded that it was a rebadged 1.8 or something.
worst has to be a 1.6 astra because of the indicators (people that have driven the newish vectra and astra will know what im talking about)

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

2006 Subaru Impreza STi tuned by Litchfield Imports (Timeattack racecar)
(www.litchfieldimports.co.uk)

Take a look... ^^^ ... Oh, and a listen ( The dude with the trophy, Phil, is a good mate of mine, and a very good driver)

 

[Derrict]

It was different getting the V10 to get going, but the torque!!! I can't think of too many production cars I have ridden in or driven that have pinned me back that well, it just felt like the car would keep going, and going, and going. The Tremec T56 was a good match to the engine, and worked as I had expected, based on Corvette and Camaro drives.

I friend of mine has a 93 R/T 10 with a ROE supercharger, 300 shot of nitrous, and various other modifications. The stock Viper already came with a generous amount of torque but the feeling of 1000 lb-ft of torque is just insane. The first three gears are useless due to grip issues but once the car hit 80-85 mph and was able to hook up, it's balls to the walls. The only problem with that amount of power is that there is no way to legally take advantage of it on the public streets.

As mentioned, the driving position / interior is a bit awkward. The driver is canted towards the driver side front wheel at an angle, which makes for a less-than-ideal driving position. It's not much better on the passenger side.

 

[YSSMAN]

I think what bothered me the most was the "thing" (I don't know what you want to call it) that separates the driver and passenger, and carries all the crap with it. Being used to the rather "open" Corvette, it just felt awkward, and doesn't seem to hold much of a purpose other than to keep you in your seat when cornering extremely hard.

...That and it just looks stupid...

I just can't imagine taking the Viper out on something like the Gumball. I see people doing it year, after year, after year. Particularly the 1st gen roadster... They must be crazy!

 

[Dave A]

In terms of outright thrills is has to be my mates dads Caterham Seven, we trailored it to an airfield just outside Manchester many years ago and just had a blast in it. I didn't even have my license at the time but he let me have a go. The response of the car was phenominal compared to anything else I've ever driven, and as for power, well it only had about 140bhp, but weighing something close to 600kgs it certainly wasn't lacking.

Out of the cars I've owned, my fave to drive is honestly my current 306, I also have a VW Bora V5 which, to say is faster is an understatment. But the 306 is one of the finest handling proper road cars I've ever been behind the wheel of.

 

[Derrict]

I think what bothered me the most was the "thing" (I don't know what you want to call it) that separates the driver and passenger, and carries all the crap with it.

transmission tunnel/center console =)

 

[bennyrrr]

Im only 14 (3 months till im 15) but I detail cars, and my neighbors let me come and pick em up and drive em, and along my list of favorite was the 2004 BMW 745Li, it has an EXCELLENT driver position, smooth tranny and V8, and the steering is incredible, the car is fantastic. I also love the feel of the 2004 Vette 50th Anniversary, (owned by the same people with the 745Li, Escalade, and multiple custom Harleys.) The car is FAST and it just feels so natural to drive. I am also probably the only person here that likes to drive the Escalade. I love the stance, the look, the feel of power and control from the helm. Least favorites now, Dodge Grand Caravan Sport, Awkward, stupid, couldnt turn, weird hinged gas pedal. Also, Cadillac Deville DTS, runs good, has power and comfort, but turns like a boat!

 

[harrytuttle]

I think what bothered me the most was the "thing" (I don't know what you want to call it) that separates the driver and passenger, and carries all the crap with it. Being used to the rather "open" Corvette, it just felt awkward, and doesn't seem to hold much of a purpose other than to keep you in your seat when cornering extremely hard.

"Console covering the transmission tunnel"? I'm surprised you didn't know this. You must have been sleep-deprived or something when you typed that. The Viper's gigantic V10 is pushed so far back, the gearbox is literally right next to your leg. And, yes, that interior is shameful.



I've had time behind the wheel of a lot of cars here and there, including a Triumph TR6, a 1973 911 (non-RS, unfortunately), and a muscle car or three. Never owned much interesting stuff until the last decade or so.

I've been a Subaru fan for a while, with the first being a 1993 Legacy wagon. After some time in England, I switched over to Imprezas (for good reason, of course; WRC fandom in England practically demanded it). Not having any turbo's in the US, I opted for the RS. It was a revelation. I could feel the road! I've had so many unmemorable cars before that, having never been someone to care much about cars other than for transportation. It wasn't fast, but it felt fast, and I always looked back at it after I parked it, thinking that I could have taken a longer way home. The interior was typical Subaru, and the styling was as butch as could be expected for 1999. It all melded together perfectly for me. Everything about it was "progressive": soft limit on handling, easily modulated brakes, it got up to speed eventually.... My first truly fun car.

I jumped on the bug-eye WRX after that, but was disappointed. Faster, yes, but a lot less fun. The steering feel was totally gone, and while the braking ability was far superior, it was too much on/off, maybe over-servoed or something. The turbo lag was acceptable, and kind of fun, in a childish sort of way.

I've now got the WRX STi (2006), and it returned much of the RS's appeal, but not all. The brakes are easier to deal with, and a good deal of feel has returned (although it's very tire-specific; stay with the stock tires). It's too harsh down rough roads due to the overly stiff suspension, though, and "progression" can only be had in the snow (where it's actually extremely fun). A better car inside & out, Subaru finally having grown up to match their performance, but the joy of driving a car isn't all about grip and speed. From what many of you have said about the Miata, I think you agree. I miss my RS, but I'm not sure I'd get one (a used 2001) unless I really had the garage space, which is currently zero. Maybe someday.

There's another car I've driven that truly is the best thing I've ever been blessed to have time with, but I'll post that next year.

 

[Pupik]

I can't say I have an all-out favorite, although of all the car's I've owned, the Eagle Talon TSi was probably the most all-round fun to drive. Quite a feeling of connection combining the road feel and the all-wheel drive system with the turbo-powered 4-cylinder engine. A whole lot of fun, both on and (occasionally) off-road. A great pity it was quite unreliable and in bad shape when I bought it. It lasted about 10 months; although it was grounded about 2 months of that time for one reason or another.

As a successor to the car above, I'd like to get a 1st-generation IS 300 one day, it's a great all-around car from my experiences driving it.

Although I only drove it for about 30 miles, my delivery adventure with an '03 Mercedes AMG E55 was quite the ego trip. It's not that it's impractical, but I don't think I'll ever own one due to recent complaints with aged M-B machinery and repair costs.

I drove a 1992 Porsche Carerra 4 once; I think I did it just to say I've driven a Porsche. I don't think I enjoyed it that much because I didn't have much time to get used to the controls and such for only 10 minutes.

My sister let me borrow her Miata; I think it was the essence of a car without all the frills of modern machinery and the unreliability plaguing earlier cars of the small-sporty-convertible genre.

In the end, I get lots of compliments about my current car...people think it's a lot newer than it really is, and I have to fend off people at work asking me to sell it to them!

 

[SkylineObsession]

The most favourite/best handling/fastest/best sounding car i've driven is my current Nissan Skyline GTS-4 (R32).

Apart from the 3" exhaust (3 1/2" tip) and a couple of polished things in the engine bay it is completely stock so probably making about 212 hp or so. The car is reasonably heavy due to the 4WD system (rear wheel drive until the rear wheels loose traction, then the front wheels start pulling) weighing in at about 1,500 kg's or so but you most definately do not feel that weight pretty much at any time.

Possibly because it handles so incredibly well (had a MR2 *try* to keep up with me around some twisty corners once) due to the reasonably tight suspension (compared to non turbo Skylines too i think).

It shares exactly the same RB20DET motor as the R32 GTS-t but also has a few parts shared with the R32 GT-R. I know for a fact that the front tie rod ends on my car are the same as an R32 GT-R as we tried GTS-t ones once but they didn't fit.

For piccys and stuff of it click here.

Besides that the fastest car i've been in was another R32 Skyline GTS-4, but this time a manual coupe which had a little bit of work done to it. Got a ride around the racetrack in it which was a lot of fun.