1987 Mazda 323 4-Door

Pros: Practical, economical
Cons: SUV folks laugh at it; So do I, all the way to the bank.

I have owned this car since it was new (over 18 years). Of the 15 cars I have owned in my lifetime, this one has been the most reliable, most trouble free, most dependable, and least costly to maintain. What else can I say? Everything works fine...just enough technology (like fuel injection) to improve it without being dependent on expensive repairs...it is the ultimate in practical transportation. I get about 27 mpg in city driving...great acceleration off the red light...big interior dimensions for transporting...I must admit I treat it to a wax job every 6 months...mid grade gas...and an oil change every 3 months or 3,000 miles. My mechanic friend laughs everytime I bring it in for him to look at it "out of guilt"...he says there is a huge supply of replacement engines in Japan since they are also fork lift engines that must be, by law, changed every 35,000 miles or so.

Mazda took the GLC ("Great Little Car") and transformed it into the 323 and later the Protege and later still the Mazda 3. They simply improved it each time until they got it right.