BMW E12 5 Series have become very rare to see in traffic. But seeing this one reminded my of how badly I wanted one at the time, preferably a Europe-only M535 with 210 hp. But even the US-spec 528i with a creamy-smooth 173 hp 2.8 L inline six was about as brisk as it got in 1978 for a genuine sport sedan. No, for me it wasn’t primarily a Yuppie status symbol; it was just the finest car of the type that I desired at the time. Actually, in 1978, I hadn’t yet become a Yuppie; that would be a couple more years. Actually, as a high school dropout, I could never really be a card-carrying Yuppie.
So what new car did you most lust after when you were 25?
1987 Cadillac Brougham! At the time though, I had a 1977 Buick Electra Limited, So, Close enough!
300zx Twin Turbo… For a 20 yr old male, it was the pinnacle of showroom lust!!
+1 I wanted that car wicked bad when I was 25, and I’d still happily have one today.
1994 Jaguar XJS. I was just going back to school to get my PhD and thought it would be the perfect car for a professor with a tweed jacket and elbow patches. Turned out I never used the degree to teach so it was just as well I drove a Mercury Sable in 1994.
….. And you really, really dodged a bullet by avoiding an XJS!
The problem was that the Sable was also a troublesome bullet that found it’s mark with me.
I owned one and it was POS.
1956 Packard Patrician. Still lusting for one.
There is a chance when people grows to 25, all the cars for the appetite have gone out of production. ( like when a youngman in the ’90s lusting a BMW 6-series. )
I couldn’t agree more! I would say that at 25 I probably lusted after a w124 Mercedes or an E34 BMW, the E34 I subsequently purchased and still own.
True, there’s quite a few cars I’ve never not lusted for going back to childhood, a majority in fact. There were a few cars I thought were cooler in my teen years than their successors too, most notably for me the raw 03/04 Mustang Cobra vs. the bigger, more refined, tech laden generations to follow.
“There is a chance when people grows to 25, all the cars for the appetite have gone out of production.”
I turned 25 during the 1996 model year. Then as now, I was an enthusiast of RWD Detroit iron (not necessarily muscle cars, but definitely in two-door form), and I felt little passion for new cars; they were just a means of transportation. The new car I wanted the most was probably a Mustang – not a GT, but a lower-line model – but it had little competition. I was lukewarm on the MN12 Thunderbird/Cougar and C4 Corvette, and actively disliked the then-current generation of GM F-body. Most other American RWD coupes had gone out of production in the late ’80s. Not that I could afford any of these, of course.
I was a year into the payments of my shriveled up Riviera (an ’87) and regretting having gotten rid of my ’82 Toro. Given the dearth of ‘real cars’ available in this period, I too was lusting after a Caddy Brougham. Unfortunately my SSgt pay would not support such extravagance. I ditched the Riv when I became “Mr” again on one of the Taurus based Continentals (used, an ’89) which ended up being a VERY pleasant car that gave no real troubles until it had Space Shuttle miles!
“space shuttle” miles! I’m gonna use that! In ’87 I was lucky to be in a 10 Y.O. Buick…..Some things haven’t changed! LOL!
Suzuki Samurai, which ended up being my first “brand new” car purchase. Wrecked my bike later that fall and spent ten days in hospital. Taught my wife-to-be how to drive a stick in the truck (I was in a hip-to-toe cast) be taking the passenger seat out and sitting in back.
Mine was and is a pontiac grand prix gtp comp g.
I have wanted a 1956 Thunderbird since I was nine years old. At 25, I still wanted a 1956 Thunderbird. I had to wait 57 years, but I finally got the car of my dreams.
Congratulations on the T-bird!!!
As a 50 something year old, my current “lust” machine is a Fiat 500. I imagine I would have the same machanical headaches as the ’83 Fiat Spyder that I lusted at when I was 25, but what the hell.
As per the 10CC song “The things we do for love!”
Not 25 yet, I’ll let you know next year.
It seems like I’ve been yearning for one of these for about two years now.
Well I’m only 23 right now but for the past 10 years the only thing I have liked/wanted to own have been jeep Cherokees and wranglers… As well as older zj grand Cherokees. I have owned far too many to count. I am at a happy place now though, I have a 99 wrangler, 98 grand Cherokee limited, and just acquired a 98 Cherokee to replace my recently totaled 97.
I’ve thought about doing a COAL series but it would be boring because it would just be all jeeps… Although every single one was unique and has boatloads of stories and was modified except for my first one.
In 1966 I thought I might possibly afford something in the $3K range, of which two were high on my Want List: Austin Mini-Cooper S and BMW 1600. The Mini would have to have the extra gas tank option for long-distance travel – we were thinking of leaving Alaska by road – which brought its out-the-door price to around $3200; the BMW was about $200 less. I was on my second Mini 850 by then and lusting for that mighty 75 hp, but that BMW was about the prettiest sedan I’d ever seen. As it developed we kept the old Mini, a station wagon, and shipped it to Seattle by barge, then flew to Sea-Tac and drove it down to California.
Fifty years later, I’ve had lots of cars, but never a new one.
1975. Citroen SM.
I still want to own one, as long as I have access to a mechanic who can competently work on it.
Barring that, any Citroen. Barring that, anything French.
Not sure where you live, but there’s a SM dude near LA: SM World.
I don’t remember being 25. I think I was too busy working.
Being in college at the time; and an English car nut; I didn’t have much folding money; so I wanted badly the “English Mustang” the ’71-’72 Capri in like new condition but a couple of years old; and Car & Driver had tested one with the super coupes when it was new. Got to drive one and it was a blast; but bought a ’67 Cortina instead; which was a great car; altho maybe not as fast.
When I hit 25 I don’t remember any new car in particular that grabbed my attention….we were well into “The Malaise Era”. Unfortunately, I had settled for a Pinto MPG when I hit 24 that managed no better than 22-23 mpg no matter how I drove it. (I can’t imagine what kind of gas mileage a NON MPG model got that wouldn’t have customers burning down their local Ford dealerships.) I wanted a Mustang II more than that Pinto, and a Monarch/Granada more than the II after driving a Granada.
In 1990, an mid 80s Porsche 911, or 924/944, or or the new 89-90 Taurus SHO 5-speed, or a ’90 Prelude Si…
but every time I opened up my 86 VW GTI on Southern Virginia’s back roads, I was happy! Came within 6mph of doubling the hated 55mph limit!
1994 would have been the Porsche 964 RS America, which in hindsight would also have been an excellent investment, of which Stevens Creek Porsche had a white one with black interior and red accent pieces that I was drooling over… On the other hand there was also the BMW M3 which I got to experience at a BMW Ride and Drive in Monterey and found to be sublime.
I was pretty smitten with these at the time:
When I was 25, that was one of the very few interesting vehicles out there. And I’m generally not really a big BMW fan either. Unfortunately not much interesting has come out the years since.
2015 Jeep Renegade.
A bold choice.
When I was 25, I was newly married, driving an ’88 Buick Century and in an outside sales job. I lusted after anything BMW and MB built in that era (mid-90s) but didn’t get any interesting cars until about 10 years later…worked in a large luxury bodyshop as an estimator, and bought several lightly-damaged MB and BMW cars, and rebuilt them after hours. 3x BMW 320i, 3 x BMW 528e, 1 BMW 535i(E28), 1 BMW 723iL (E32), 1 BMW 325i (E36), 2x MB W116, 1 MB 420SEL, 1 MB 560SL, 1 MB E320 (W124). Never spent over $1000 for the car, then cobbled them together, drove them for awhile and resold them. Generally made money on the resale…
Miura.
I’m with Paul Niedermeyer on this one: the E12 generation BMW 5 series. I bought a condo when I was about 25 and the seller had a light metallic blue 528i. It was a nice step up from my early Saab 99. Looking back, I now realize I wanted his car more than the condo! The E12 still a great looking and driving car over 40 years after it first came to market. If I had somewhere to keep it, I might have one now.
1994 Ford Thunderbird LX 4.6. First year for the Modular and some nice tweaks to the front and rear ends.
In the end my first and to date only new car came at age 28 – a ’97 Grand Prix.
That’s so weird, Mark… I’ve had BOTH of those cars. Well, the ’94 4.6 LX ‘Bird was my ex-wife’s, but I also had a ’97 Grand Prix GTP. Cool cars. I traded my very last T-Bird in on that Grand Prix – a ’97 3.8 LX.
Suzuki Samurai, (I am a truck guy at heart) or Eagle Talon AWD, turbo of course.
This. Still would love one.
Nice choice!
I was in graduate school at the time (1984). 1971 BMW 2002 with a Weber carb. Maybe the tii (mechanical fuel injection). Small, maneuverable, fun, and can be fast. I was driving around in a 1982 Toyota SR5 longbed pickup (that was a practical decision since I anticipated correctly a lot of moving around on my part) that would last me until 1998 when it effectively rusted out from underneath me. Today I wouldn’t mind the classic, but would rather have a 1955 Bel-Air 4 door.
Well I’m not 25 yet sooooo… We’ll wait and see what the 2022 model year cars look like first.
1984, and I was one year from graduating law school. I went through several car-crushes that year, as I was driving a 77 New Yorker Brougham (which I liked quite a lot).
There was the Mercedes 300 CD, until I found out how much it cost. Then the BMW 325. Also the Audi Coupe GT. By the next year I had moved on to a Saab Turbo, a Mustang GT and a VW GTI. I bought the VW, which turned out to be the thriftiest of my choices by far. And two years later, I returned to my roots with a 66 Fury III sedan, and have never really been smitten with Euro stuff since. I guess it was a phase.
1988 Mustang LX 5.0L.
Forgot to add: 5 speed, and either a coupe or a ragtop. No hatches for me.
Then, as now, and when I was 14, a ’65 Stingray convertible, 327 FI engine, 4-spd, light blue with leather interior. Karl Ludvigsen’s amazing book, Corvette: America’s Star-Spangled Sports Car made me realize how desirable that model year ‘Vette was then (and still is) and it will always be my top pick for most lusted after car, no matter what age I am.
I was in the Air Force in San Antonio, TX and really wanted to buy a used black 1968 Porsche 911E. Fortunately, I came to the sane conclusion that I could not afford the car, insurance, or maintenance. But I sure wanted that car, and this post makes me want it again.
When I was 23 going on 24, I traded my Ford Fairmont Futura in on a new ’83 “Aero” T-Bird. It was just a nearly white (but very light grey) 3.8 L V-6 with a cloth interior as this was all I could afford, but fell in love with these cars after I had driven a new Turbo Coupe a week or so earlier in the same exact color. I was hooked for the next two decades on T-Birds, until they were discontinued in 1997… Man do I miss personal luxury cars…
Anyway, in 1985 when I turned 25, I saw a 5.0 version of the car pictured below that came out for the T-Bird’s 40th Anniversary. Wow, was I smitten. That unique color, that special trim color! But alas, my dream of owning a 5.0 ‘Bird would have to wait until 1990 when I got my loaded black 1988 LX/Sport… I say both as that ‘Bird had ALL the options.
The 40th Anniversary 1985 Thunderbird….
Wow…. I just realized my math was WAY off… and I’m an engineer, damn it!
Yeah, that would be the 30th Anniversary… lol.
Still, it’s a pretty car IMHO.
At 25 I already owned my 63 Valiant Signet. My parents asked me what sort of new car I’d buy. I told them a Plymouth Reliant.
At 30 I lusted for an M Body Chrysler New Yorker.
First new car I owned was a 99 Cavalier because I liked my beatdown 84 Citation II so much.
It’s a sickness.
2005 Toyota Avalon, preferably a XLS or Limited, nearly a decade later a friend of mine bought a 2007 Toyota Avalon Limited and I love riding in that car
A Buick Riviera, the revised second-last version. Those were beautiful. I noticed them in the US and they caught my imagination. In contrast I also wanted an Alfa Romeo Giulia saloon. Chalk and cheese, I know.
When I was 25 I bought a second hand VW window van, which I used for the summer while working in rural Nova Scotia. Those were the days when the federal government hired students during the summer to do almost anything imaginable – in my case, it was photographing and documenting all pre-1880 houses in rural Colchester County, north of Halifax. Armed with large scale survey maps (showing every rural house as a separate dot) and 20 or 30 rolls of Kodak Tri-X b&w film (this was the 1970’s), I left the the city on Monday mornings, slept in the van for the week, and returned home on Friday. That fall I did a tour through the US northeast, sleeping most nights wherever I could pull off the road.
The van suited my lifestyle perfectly at the time. What I lusted after was a new Westfalia.
That would have been 1991 for me. I only had eyes for the 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP.
Hell, I’d still take one. In blue, please.
At age 25, I thought the way I’d want to stand out would be in a Cadillac CTS-V. That being said, I’ve only been 26 for twelve days.
When I was 25:
The bad boy side of me wanted to buy a Miura, actually shopped and came real close to biting the bullet, that was when Miura’s value was at the bottom for being an over the hill sports car with design faults ………… but the good boy side of me hit the panic button and stopped the train, ration that at 25, one should focus on working hard. An over the hill sports car must be a money pit, and it wasn’t good image for a charging young businessman.
35 years later:
My bad boy toy would have added $1mil or so to my bottom line, and god know how many more chicks ….. My good boy is hiding under the table.
I feel your pain…
Thanks Paul, I am quite sure that if you KNEW back in late ’70s early ’80s that one day, a Miura will worth over million $, you would find a way to buy one too. It wasn’t cheap but certainly doable for lots’ folks.
same one i lust for today at 58. 1969 BOSS 429 Mustang. these were actually pretty affordable when i was 25 but still a little beyond my paycheck. now, only a trust fund, inheritance, or a powerball payout will get you one.
I was 25 in 1986 and a dyed in the wool Chevy guy, so the Monte Carlo SS or an IROC Camaro would’ve been near the top of my list of new cars.
Then, as now, my used car dream pick would be a nice ’69 Camaro in dark blue metallic. blue. (Possibly restomodded to fuel injection, overdrive, disc brakes and A/C.)
The Datsun 240Z first came out in 1969 when I was 25. It was so beautiful it hurt.
9 years later, I bought a brand new 1978 280Z. The wait was worth it.
ha we had the same year and model 280z, I remember the steering to be a bit heavy ….
Same here… a BMW 5 series (e28) in ’87(age 25). I finally got one when I was in my 40’s. A $200 stock ’84 533 that I freshened up a bit with an 86 535i drive train & other essentials.
I finally sold it last year, along with 5 other old school Beemer’s I’d acquired & restored over 20 years. Too many cars to (drive &) keep up with maintenance.
I was 25 in October 1982, I wanted (& still do) a Bristol 603/Britannia. A Camaro or Firebird was also on my wish list (with a pair of leather pants & a white flying V guitar).
Flying V ,eh? I finally got my Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty about 10 years ago, at age 44(?) Not cheap! All my cars I’ve ever bought, all added up, does not equal what my Les Paul was! lol
Got a flying V for Christmas 82 but not the real McCoy. I still have it
I turned 25 in 1987 & just graduated law school. I also finally got my license that summer (I spent the past few years either commuting or living in Boston for school). I wanted to have the Mustang LX 5.0, but ended up w/a 1985 1/2 Ford Escort, which I was actually very happy with until it started rusting from the inside
Corvette ZR1 1994 C4.
I turned 25 in 1979 and I lusted after the Mazda RX-7.
I wanted a Cummins powered Dodge. No, not that one. I wanted a ’74 CNT 900 with a Super 250. Long story……….
Porsche 993 Turbo.
I wanted a 1987 Renault GTA. So I bought one!
When I was 25 in the mid ninties it would have been a toss up between a new westfalia eurovan and a 67 split window vw bus. You could still find decent ones for around $10k now good luck. Surprisingly the eurovan campers go for a couple of grand less than when they were new but the split window van would have been the better investment if you could keep the rust monster away… Instead I had a 74 vw window van I could camp in and usually keep running until eventually the rust got the better of it…
1970 and in the Navy thus few financial resources. When we returned to San Diego from a deployment in 1971 I bought a 1964 LeMans convertible for $400 from a guy getting out. Car was a six, three on the tree no power anything, really bsic but it was a convertible and I had a bunch of fun with it. It gave 2 + years of good (adequate) service. Then a bracket cast as part of the transmission that held the transmission linkage broke. Should have had it welded but I was ready for something new. Sorry now I did not keep it.
I’m 25 years old at present, and there really is no other new car that I find anywhere as attractive as the Morgan Plus 8. The classic look alone is unbeatable to my eyes (maybe some smaller-diameter wheels than in the photo), and with modern technology you get perfect drivability, decent efficiency and more power than I’d really know what to do with.
I have no need for a daily driver car – public transport is simply the most convenient option in my city, and any major city here in Germany really – so yeah, I’d definitely go for baller looks with a sexy engine, practicality be damned.
Hmmm… when I was 25…
I don’t know if I ever lusted after a certain car, because I really wanted to buy a pillarless hardtop coupe, but the Chevy mid-sizers were well into the colonnade years, and this is 1976.
I ordered my first new vehicle purchase in October, 1975, and wouldn’t turn 25 years old until March, 1976.
My choices were:
Chevy C-10 short bed, step side pickup
Chevy Camaro
Jeep CJ-5
Ford Bronco
Ford Granada coupe – yes I did consider it!
IH Traveler II
Chevy Nova coupe
What I wound up buying was: a 1976 C-20 pickup. I was thinking while sitting on my brains…
We had the same truck (a C-10? though), same color, same cap, back in the ’80’s as a work truck for Marine new boat sales warranty service runs. It had a 6 cyl. and a 3 on the tree that was refitted with a cheap floor shifter (Hurst imitation). When my boss ( a salesmen w-no mechanical ability) would use it, that shifter would get stuck in any 2 gears at the same time & wouldn’t move. I’d have to crawl under & using a hammer, knock it back into neutral.Was yours a 3 on the tree? lol
I wish I could answer this honestly, but considering I’m a couple years away from 25 (turning 20 this Saturday), I think I’m going to be disqualified. But, the car I’m lusting after is a Lincoln Continental Mark V in black.
I misread the question, as for new car. Well, usually the Challenger would be my answer, but for some reason I’m kind of drawn to the Lincoln Navigator L. I’ll get one sometime in about, oh, 2000-never, but that big stupid SUV is what I’ve been thinking about.
Joseph, I just realized after reading your comment that I also misunderstood the question, lol! I’m pretty certain my 25-year old self would have killed for a then-new ’84 Corvette. Now, about that black Mark V you want, I actually just saw one up here in Vancouver BC this past Sunday.
Couldn’t make up my mind between a 911, M3, or Lexus SC400 at the time, and I’d still love any of them today. Or all, in my money-no-object fantasy world.
At the age of 25, I had my “dream car” a 1970 Dodge Charger. Tragically, it was totalled in an accident, and I looked/lusted long and hard for a replacement; finally achieving sucess 26 years later, via the internet & eBay in 2004! 🙂
I’m the kid who, at age 5 in 1988 when his parents were cross-shopping Hyundais against Hondas at MJ Sullivan Cadillac-Hyundai in New London, CT, ran over and got into the white 1988 Cadillac Brougham. Much to the amusement of the salesman and my parents. The last new cars I really, really wanted until recently were when I was about 12, the last RWD Cadillacs of the mid 1990s. I was 25 in 2008 and the only new car I would have considered was a Town Car L. An Escalade or Denali would’ve been a far, far distant second. Lately I’ve warmed up to the Buick line-up, even if they don’t make a proper big boat.
A ’74 Saab 99.
I was 25 in 1969 and I lusted after the same car then that I do now, any early sixties Jag XKE Roadster. Always have felt it is the epitome of streamlined design although having seen some of the French designs of the thirties since then I concede they are every bit as beautiful. My first ride in a Jag was in an XK120 when I was 7 years old with a neighbor who was the local Jag dealer. I have never forgotten the thrill of that exhaust note. Nevertheless, I have never owned one.
The year was 1981, dream car was an Audi 5000 Coupe, reality car was a 1980 Dodge Omni 024 coupe.
1986 BMW 635 CSi – a beautifully styled car with grace and manners. Instead, I had a 1985 2-door Ford Tempo L, my first new car purchase. A rather wide gulf between my dreams and my reality.
Well, I’m 25 right now and I’m lusting after a Cadillac STS. Specifically, a V8 model, maybe with all-wheel-drive and Magnetic Ride Control, but definitely with ventilated seats.
In 1975 I had more cars than I could handle. My beloved R8 was still around, and I had a ’65 Karmann Ghia and a ’69 Squareback. The Renault and Ghia were loaned out to friends most of the time.
None of the new cars in ’75 were remotely appealing. If an old Fiat Topolino had popped into view, I would have bought it. Nothing newer.
I lusted after an Audi RS4 wagon as a new car back then, but at the same time I knew I didn’t want to own one even if I was in the position to buy one.
2006 Mustang GT. would have complemented the Outback 5mt I had just bought to replace my 90 Integra, but kids were already at the table.
I turned 25 in October 1987. However, the previous year, I found my car lust object: A 1986 Mercury Capri 5.0 L Sport Coupe. Very similar to the one pictured below. That is from the brochure, which I still have somewhere in my collection…
I had been lusting after these since seeing the first ones in 1979. I saw one in a parking lot and it all made sense to me; the size, the shape, the whole package. Previous to my 1986 model, I owned a 1980 turbo (POS) and a 1985 RS 5.0L (also POS). I drank heavily from the Ford Kool-Aid back then, and the 1986 version was the only one of that trio that was a good car.
These days, the car I lust after is a Fiat 500 Abarth. Who’da thunk it?
1962 Ford Fairlane with a dented hood.
In 1989. I was living in the heartland of yuppie-dom, Silicon Valley. I was also a high school drop out and about as far from a yuppie as someone could get, but I lusted after a silver Alfa Romeo Milano at one of the dealerships on Stevens Creek Boulevard. (And when I got tired of that, I would daydream about a getting a date with Cindy Crawford…)
Well, I’m only 21 now (four years until I’m actually eligible for this question), but I have to say I really don’t want any new cars. I’ll say the Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio, Cadillac ATS, Dodge Dart, and Jeep Renegade are all cars I’d be willing to put up with if I was forced to own a new car, but they’re not something I’d want to purchase of my own volition. It’s been like this since around 2008, and in the time that’s passed the more insane and disjointed styling cues, complex additions, and useless features that have been added to cars have just given more fuel for the fire of my dislike towards them.
The car I’ve really been lusting after is a perfectly restored ’71 240Z, simply because it’s such a great all around car. If I could get one I’d keep it until Earth President Nixon signs a trade pact with Lord Ur of Omicron Persei VIII to ban all forms of internal combustion engines.
1983 was my 25th year. The year after the new Camaro/Firebird was introduced. Those lines. That raked windshield. The pure sexiness. I know, the Mullet Camaro. But I loved it.
I wanted a Firebird so bad. Trans-Am, preferably. But with my dad owning a Chevrolet dealership, I ended up buying a Z-28 Camaro in 1984.
Absolute love for that car. Kept it until 1991 when I was living in a ski resort community and traded it in for a new Honda Accord to help me get through the winter.
I still regret trading that car in. In 1987 country star Dottie West rode in that Camaro with me to one of her shows. Long story. Maybe some day I’ll tell it.
Looked very much like this.
+1000. I got an ’82 Z28 in 1983. Yes, it had the lo-po LG4 305 and the Chevette grade 200C automatic, but I loved it. Yeah, that 62 degree raked windshield, and the way the top of the dash seemed to extend from the end of the hood. It had reliability issues during the 15 years I had it, but despite all its flaws, I still miss it. No car purchase will thrill me like this did (maybe because I never had anything remotely like it before or after).
1971 Dodge Challenger R/T Convertible with the 426 Hemi and 4 speed transmossion.
At 25 I tried to buy a car only to have it sold before the finance came through it wasnt new though but a used MK2 Jaguar of the Coombes variety but with a 4.2 engine. Basicly the ultimate MK2 Jag. The car was 20 years old at the time but not yet in the collectable market it was just a used car.
Holy eff Bryce! A Coombes in the southern hemisphere! Every time I see a MkII owner over here I ask them if there are any Coombes in oz, but no-one’s had an answer. Did the one you were looking at have the ‘perforated’ bonnet and bucket driver’s seat?
Louvered bonnet mild flared rear arches the whole 9 yards it had previously been owned by the biology master where I went to highschool he was an absolute Jag nut I knew the car quite well and got a big surprise seeing it for sale metallic blue it looked great and it was the genuine article except for the engine ithad been retrofitted with a 4.2 but a well tuned 4.2, not as rare here as in OZ A Coombes was raced in the early 60s in NZ in saloon car series and not the one I was looking at either, anyway chance of a lifetime down the pan sob sob.
Damn! Bit of a gap in my knowledge. One of the UK classic mags had an article on one many years ago and it became lodged in my memory. Forgot about the rear wheel arch part. IIRC very had to authenticate because Coombes didn’t keep good records; these days might be easier than a hoey to build a genuine ‘tribute’. You and Toffee’s Miura win it for me. At 25 I got the VG Val hardtop I was looking for.
My high school was next to a gas station. When I was in 10th or 11th grade, one afternoon after a well deserved detention, I noticed a beautiful car at the gas station. I ran towards it and must be drooling so the driver offered to take me for a ride. It turned out the driver was chauffeur for a wealthy man, he was preparing the car as owner want it for dinner.
The ride was just a few minutes, but it turned me into a car nut. That car was a Miura. I still think it’s the most beautiful …
At 25 I was a realist and didn’t lust for more than I could afford. Some of the cars I lusted after as a teen were getting more affordable so I took a chance on a used Datsun 280Z and absolutely hated it.
In terms of cars I lust after today most were new when I was 25. There are so damn many like the Mercedes 2.3-16 and Volvo 740 Turbo Wagon. The screwed up thing is that neither is any more obtainable now than when I was a 25 year old just starting out. The Mercedes because of the recent price run ups ($25.5k for an AUTOMATIC on BaT this week) and the Volvo because they are all crushed, trashed or locked up.
Haven’t given up on the Volvo or oddly enough a 1977 Capri II Ghia with factory air and 4-speed. There’s a rumor that the cut off year for smog testing in Calif. is going to move from 1976 to 1980 which would make it possible to have (and run) a Capri II in this state for the first time in years.
I had two lust cars from pre-teen until now and acquired those 15 years ago. More recently I’ve been indulging on my 80s fetish with a Caddy Brougham and 190E 2.6 daily driver.
Mercedes 2.3-16 : I have a buddy in Fla. who had one 10 years ago, mint. Motor was toast & he was selling it, as is, for big dollars. He did get big $’s for it, too! He said they were a rarity & worth a lot of dough. He’s an old school BMW enthusiast & fabricates BMW turbo exhausts on Ebay , as a side job in his garage. His real day job… a Furrier, sells fur coats to lil’ ol’ rich lady’s in Fla. His side job vs. day job are at 2 very far ends of the spectrum!
Has been and will always be a 1969 Dodge Charger in either Copper or Dark Green.
I turned 25 in 1979. I was less than a year away from graduating from San Jose State University. Since I had worked pretty much full time all through jr. college and SJSU I had a few bucks to spend. I had bought a new 1977 HD XLCR Cafe Racer the year before. I really, really wanted one of the new down sized Coupe de Villes. The 1977 was great looking, ’79 and ’80 came and GM still hadn’t ruined the car-yet. (That came in 1981). In 1980 after graduation I traded my 1957 Sedan de Ville in for a super clean, three year old light Naples yellow 1977 Coupe de Ville. I met my future wife that December. Sometimes life really does go your way. Thirty three years later still happily married and still messing around with cars.
I’m not sure I can remember that far back.
What a coincidence…I just turned 25 two months ago.
I’d have to say that if there was any car I favored the most it would be a first-generation Chrysler Concorde (or better yet, Eagle Vision) in mint condition. I especially like the pre-1996 versions where the sides of the body had grey trim along the lower part. For some reason it just fit well on the Concorde, especially in white and hunter green. When I was in grade school, an aunt of mine had a 1995 in a dark maroonish purple color; ordinarily, I don’t like purple, but it just looked snazzy on the Concorde with the grey body cladding.
I did have a very nice harvest-gold 1997 Chrysler Concorde LXi back in high school; unfortunately, my insurance totaled the car when it was sideswiped while parked on a busy street. That’s when I bought a pearl-white 2004 Dodge Intrepid ES, another car I loved and still lust for in good condition.
I now have a 2013 Chrysler 200 Limited, pearl-white like my Intrepid, which is an exceptionally fine car for the money, but I really love my cab-forward LH cars.
Y’know, I don’t actually remember. It’s funny because I remember some from well before that. A couple of years earlier I had aspired to an Audi A4 (in an ideal world a 2.8, although the 1.8T was closer to feasible) or an E36 BMW 323i. I think when I was 25, the most appealing possibility would probably have been an Acura Integra GS — not a GS-R, because I figured the short gearing would be obnoxious, or a Type R, because I wasn’t keen on the loss of civility involved. I had been very impressed by the Z30 Lexus SC, but a new one was well beyond anything I could conceivably have afforded and I didn’t care much for the facelift.
I remember wishing at some point around that period that the NB Mazda Miata was offered as a fixed-head coupe, but that wasn’t a real possibility.
I don’t know — that was sort of a low point for really exciting cars. Most of the coupes I had liked when I was younger had been eaten by the SUV craze and even if I’d had the money for something exotic (which I definitely did not), I wouldn’t have been keen on the idea of paying for its care and feeding.
Funny enough, for most of my 25th year in life and almost a year beyond i was neither owning nor desiring a car at all. The year before my mom crashed my ’96 Audi A4 Avant, I lost patience with, and got rid of the well used stick shifted ’87 525e (528e in NA, both names are lies!) i co-owned with my sister and my remaining ride, a ’72 Datsun 1200 was due for federal inspection with no chance whatsoever to pass it, considering its severe structural rust.
That time I got back to school again and felt perfectly happy getting around whole of Bavaria by train and bicycle. It wasn’t until Deutsche Bahn changed its fare structure. I arranged myself with the usual delays and missed trains, the 30-40% time penalty (if all things went right) compared to car for the same trip, and even the mostly ill-disposed conductors, but that was the last straw.
I considered it vaguely before but that time i took the plunge an got myself my beloved ’87 Audi 100, which is still with me, after 5 years and hopefully for many more years to come.
But for the point of the question, being (amongst other things) a vintage Datsun driver before my car sabbatical, I got tremendously excited when I encountered some photos of the C110 Skyline GT 4door. Never seen one in flesh, no hope to posess, pure dream material.
for visualization purposes
Mmmmm delicious. Planning a writeup of these before year’s end. Caught these at a recent Japan day here in oz…
Dunno if this one is legit. Had a closer look when it was parked and it had a GL badge, but couldn’t find the owner to ask. Sounded very worked when it was entering the park though.
Long nose tells 6 cylinder, I guess it’s too big of a chore to fake. Or maybe a later model? Judging by photos they fixed that below by 1975.
A 4door with stubby nose works for me as well. Coupe not so much, though.
Yep, that firewall-forward 4cyl/6cyl thing is a big part of the Skyline story. Starts two generations back. My question of legitimacy was more around whether that example had actual track history.
We never got the shortnose in oz; over here they were known as the 240K.
Paul’s done a short piece on the 210 here, with a great 110 short film.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cohort-classic-nissan-skylinedatsun-240k-the-car-that-the-ken-mary-tv-ads-made-famous-with-video/
Don, as it happens, that car belongs to the son of one of my work colleagues, and it’s the real deal. Currently available for viewing at the Bathurst exhibit at the Shepparton Motor Museum.
Car raced at Bathurst in 1974, and placed well in class. DNQ in 1975, and subsequently raced in lesser formulae.
I was 25 in 2005. Had a long distance work commute and had excellent luck with Chrysler M-bodies during my teen years and military service, so I found a nice, low mileage ’87 Dodge Diplomat SE. Drove that car for 5 years, never let me down. Only sold it because I wanted something else, a regret I still have. If I could do it again, not sure if I would change it, or get a nice Chevy Caprice, Olds Delta 88, etc.
1999. I was driving a Geo Metro and seriously searching for a used Suzuki Swift GT. Either they were rarer than I thought or the people who had them weren’t letting go.
nothing attainable
I was 25 in 1992, and my life was remarkably fulfilled in that I didn’t lust after any car. I had my RX-7 parked on the street:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1985-mazda-rx-7-reality-steps-in/
My 450 Nighthawk
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/boal-honda-450-nighthawk-the-best-first-bike/
And my 62 TR4.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1962-triumph-tr4-know-when-to-hold-em/
I longed for the TR4 to be roadworthy (which never happened) but wasn’t lusting in those days.
Illusions of Teutonic grandeur: 1972 MB 280 4.5. An older brother had a ’62 220SE which I learned how to drive on, mastering the 4-speed column shift before the proud machine was consumed by the rust weevils.
Later in life, attempted to quell my MB passion by picking up a ’72 250, with a carburetor and a automatic. Nice ride but it didn’t elicit the excitement of a fuel-injected 6 and the manual.
NEW car, I see just now. Well, after having tried some contemporary upper shelf stuff (Audi S6, some V8 Range Rover, a few Lexii, a 911 even), which in some cases might have been stupidly fast in reality, it felt like a nice simulation of something fast from the inside, still not more thrilling than a round of Gran Turismo. I have tons more fun in my good ole MX-5, just as everyone and his brother keeps stating on the internet.
As for the comfort oriented or even the more down-to-paychek cars: I don’t lust after appliances, just as I don’t feel a lot of excitement thinking of dish waschers. Truth be told, most if not all of them do offer a nicer ride, more safety, power and other ameneties than my trusty Audi, but the latter serves me exactly the needed amount of all things listed. I’m still able to maintain close to 100 mph steadily on a 6 hours drive on the autobahn (respectively less, when 4/75 AC is required), decelerate effectively when needed, all this while seated nicely and faintly enough, to arrive in a decent shape at my destination. On top comes the satisfaction of being able to serve and repair my machine thoroughly by myself and the utter lack of both depreciation and monthly payments.
BMW 633 CSI, stick shift, gold with BBS wheels and black leather interior. Settled for what I could afford at the time, a 6 year old 1975 Rabbit.
By the time I turned 25 (in 2008), my taste in cars had shifted quite a bit. I spent my early teen years lusting after Japanese sport compacts, but ultimately wanted an e30 BMW. Owning two VWs (a MK1 Jetta and MK2 GLi) was enough to turn me off of German cars, and by my early twenties I wanted nothing more than a Toyota pickup, preferably a prerunner or 4×4. I ended up with a regular cab Tacoma 2wd. That car turned me onto Toyota reliability, but was vastly uncomfortable commuting in SF Bay Area traffic.
That brings me to the age of ~25, when what I really really wanted was a Lexus LS430. Ended up selling the Tacoma for a mint first generation Avalon. So you can see I’ve had many compromises in my car ownership experiences.
When I was 25 I was more interested in lusting after women than new cars.
DeTomaso Pantera
2nd on my list. There’s one in town I see occasionally parked in front of the local tavern. It is dark blue & I think a ’72?. What really makes it stand out is a small yellow “Slow Children” traffic road sign bolted to (behind) the differential cover/ subframe underneath the car! It is very visible. Odd, yet funny at the same time!
I forgot to add an internet photo (’74?) to show how visible the rear differential/subframe is.
I got married when I was 25. Although I had a 79 Mustang Cobra, my all time dream car from the age of 14 was a 1969 Shelby Mustang GT 500. If my mother ever wins the 649 or Max, I’m going to buy one!
in some respects i had my dream car – ’68 firebird 400 convertible. was in lousy shape and in constant need of something just because it sat around so much.
what i lusted after beyond that was some sort of bmw. likely the 6 series i saw in europe or the 3 series that were becoming so common on us roads. circa 1985-87.
I turned 25 in December of 2007. I was a Volvo enthusiast back then and still am.
I lusted after a 2008 Volvo XC90 3.2 AWD – I thought they were so gorgeous back then and I still want one. I do not like the V8 models. There is something about those XC90 3.2s.
Until then, I will have to stick to my 1989 740, 1994 850, and 1998 V70.
2001 , I was 25. Strangely it was a second gen Ford Explorer, and lo, I had one – best damn truck I’ve owned yet!
Quite honestly the automotive landscape at the time was rather sparse with vehicles I’d really want to own.
1989 Mercedes 300CE. I’d still have one if I had the space.
When I was 25 electronic fuel injection was thought to be the solution to the emissions control problem, and would soon be in production. But digital microprocessors were the next thing, and this delayed the domestics introduction of electronic fuel injection.
In the sixties the Buick Riviera was one of my favorite cars, more the first generation than the second. When I graduated from college, I sort of thought a used Pontiac Bonneville from the late sixties would make a good first car, but when the time came to buy, I ended up with a Pontiac GTO, a fun car for a while.
When I was 25 the imports were not taking over as yet, but the domestics were sort of past their prime (if the sixties were prime), so nothing much was going on except perhaps the velour brougham interiors (yuk).
I could have probably qualified for a loan and bought a new E12 528i in 1981, the year I turned 25, but I had absolutely no interest in it. In fact, that was the year (albeit starting a few months before my 25th birthday) in which I bought not one but THREE new vehicles, my first time buying new. The first was definitely a dream purchase, a brand new 1981 (last-year 2nd gen) F Body, specifically a 305 4 speed TransAm with the Z28 power train which was unique to the California market. With the optional WS6 handling package it was fun to drive, but not very fast and and a gas guzzler by my standards. A few months later a friend talked me into buying my 3rd, and first new, Honda bike, a CB900F. After a few months with the 900, I realized how lame the TransAm was, and traded it in for a new 1982 Honda Civic DX. Ten years later, when I was a mature 35 year old married father of two, I did indeed buy an E12 528i, silver 5 speed with red leather interior. I kept it less than two years, in which time it nickel and dimed us with many minor repairs, and resulted in at least one tow truck ride with a toddler and infant. We replaced it with a Corolla, which from the perspective of reliability and economy, was pretty much a dream car.
That would be 1984, which would make the answer a full-zoot Buick Electra Estate Wagon.
You,Sir have good taste! In ’84, I’d go with ANY Electra!
When I was 25 I was a full time college student, had three part time jobs, and a wife. There was no time to think about cars except to keep our 1971 VW Type III running and fixing whatever junk my father let me use (1966 Mercury Comet and 1963 Olds Fiesta wagon). But when I was 20 my dream car was the Jaguar XK-E coupe.
25 for me covered 1993-94. I actually owned a car I lusted after, a 1985 Lincoln Mark VII LSC. I’d graduated college in late ’91 and was working in IT, so swinging a used Lincoln in ’92 wasn’t an issue.
New cars? I can think of a few:
– 1994 Lincoln Mark VIII. Took a test drive in one, pure performance. Alas, too rich for my blood and wallet.
– 1994 Chrysler LHS. The LH cars were a GIGANTIC change from K Cars Motors, like night and day. Almost pulled the trigger on a lease after driving one, but big shock, the dealer didn’t have any cars on the lot that met the ad #’s of x down, y a month. More like y+z a month.
– 1992/93 Cadillac Seville. Like the LH cars they blew the previous generation cars away like a hurricane. WAY too rich for me back then.
– 1994 Mustang. Retro lust, didn’t love ’em when new, bought a 2000 Mustang in ’99 as my first new car. Time will be kind to the SN95 platform I think.
I took a few days to think about it. Ironically I had purchased my first car when I was still 25, but just before turning 26. It was a blue 2006 Honda Accord Exl sedan with a 4 cylinder engine and an automatic transmission, that was purchased used in early 2008. After finishing College I didn’t have any student loans and I had started working. Around here it seemed like the older kids would buy fun cars like the Mustang, Trans Am or some other sports car as their “25 car”, while ditching their old four door buckets. Insurance in Ontario, Canada is expensive and was said to decrease at the age of 25.
Although I wouldn’t mind owning a classic such as a late 60s Mustang or Camaro, the Porsche 911 Carrera is still one of my dream cars of all time. I told myself that I wouldn’t buy a luxury brand until I did well career wise. I had researched a whole lot of cars and eliminated quite a few from a list. So I went with a more practical choice and I still have my Honda Accord after 8 years.
I was 25 in 1997. I remember these five:
1996 Caprice 9C1 LT1
1997 Chevy Suburban
1997 Lincoln Continental MK VIII
1997 Lexus LS 400
Any Ford truck or van with the Triton V10 engine.
2005-06 was age 25 for me. And while leagues out of my price range, the new car I was most lustful after at that point would be a big Audi. Couldn’t decide at the time whether the W12 A8L or the V10 S8 was the more desirable option, being different flavors of the same thing. Absolutely gorgeous either way–the D3 A8 was and is a stunning car.
At the time I owned my ’96 Mark VIII, one of my dream cars from a younger age, so I was pretty happy with my real-life ride too.
Toyota Tacoma. White 4 cyl, Extended Cab, 5 spd w/ 4X4. Black Wheels were a requirement.
Wanted one since I was 14 and the 1st gens were still out. Then the 2nd Gen happened…
Finally ‘special ordered’ a new Tacoma SR (with factory black wheels) in 2015 😀
Love it everyday!!
When I was 25 (this would be 1994) the car I lusted after most, was a Miata. Considering I had absolutely NO money, I knew I wouldn’t be getting one. What I seriously did want, was my mother’s ’88 Grand Am. Hers was a “Quad 4”, 5-speed base model, so it was way faster than anything I’d owned up to then. Plus she had it since new, so I was familiar with it’s history-important to know, compared to all the beat-up used cars I had. I had an Escort and a Honda Prelude that were both frequently-broken money pits before this, and her car had been completely reliable since she got it. Plus it was in great shape. She said she’d sell it to me for about half of what the trade in was, and all I had to do was come up with a couple thousand. Which was hard, since I was trying to start my photography business, and had no $… but needed a reliable car to get to jobs, which was difficult with the crummy cars I had up to then. I ended up getting it (with a small loan from a bank-18% interest!!) but keeping it for 8 more years, and putting over 100K on it. All it needed while I had it were brakes, a clutch and the battery, too, so it was a really good vehicle for me.