There are a lot of things dividing us as Americans right now, but cars don’t have to be one of them. Let politics, “lifestyles” and whether to call fizzy sugar water pop verses soda divide us. Cars can (and should) always bring us back together.
I asked you after a disastrous week here in the states what cars we can all agree on. Here are some of my favorite answers to this age old question.
Hear me out:
You want a car that gets relatively good mileage, is relatively reliable, has enough cargo room for a family of 5 or 10+ bags of soil (sorry, Cybertruck), is quirky for the kids, easy for the olds to get in and out of, and is relatively inexpensive to buy and maintain.
From Gin and Panic
The 2nd gen Dodge Charger:
And yes, the ‘69 is the best looking of the three 2nd gens.
Recognized as a styling masterpiece from the very beginning. The ‘68 sold seven times the number of Chargers that the ‘67 moved.
All-time best movie car chase—the Bullitt editing Oscar is the proof. Universal’s all-time moneymaker is the Fast & Furious franchise—Vin Diesel always drives a 2nd gen in the flicks that he starred. (And F&F7 is the best of the series thanks to three 2nd gens doing their thing in the flick.)
Dodge thinks so highly of the 2nd gen Charger that you easily see the homage to the ‘69 Charger in the 2025 Charger Daytona EV. If you have half a million dollars to blow, you can order a carbon copy turnkey ‘70 Charger from a Dodge dealership today.
Even the federal government loves the 2nd gen: it got its own USPS stamp.
When I drive my Charger, it’s white, black or brown civilians who are old, young—even grade school children, or middle-aged—all of them go nuts when they see my Charger.
From (you guessed it) the1969DodgeChargerFan
Based on sales numbers, it appears to be the Rav4 (or anything similar size to it), which really makes sense. The mid-sized cross over has plenty of room for 5 passengers, good storage space from the wagon size trunk, handling is good enough for the masses. While not many people really love them, not many truly hate them. Most of their hate is for the faux ruggedness, but they are still perfectly competent as an everyday vehicle for anyone from a single person up to a small family.
From engineerthefuture
The Corvair was the victim of an unfair hit job by an aspiring young lawyer and didn’t deserve the hand it was dealt. One of the most innovative platforms launched by an American automaker was effectively dead-ended as a result.
From Hankel_Wankel
Ford Model T. Realistically, we have to go back that far. Best of all, it’s at this point so devoid of any meaningful real-world connection to anyone - even to those who actually own one today - it’s all basically theoretical, like George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.
From jb21
The Ford Mustang. We’ve either owned one or known someone who has
From gokstate
Sadly no longer sold in America, but the Fit was all things to all people, filling the gap left by the three-door Civic hatches of yore. It fulfilled the brief of cheap, reliable transportation while also being massive inside and nicer on the highway than most subcompacts. I even saw one with a Trump flag flying out the window the other day—proof that people of all walks of life can enjoy a Honda Fit.
From Amoore100
Bugatti Chiron
We all want a turn behind the wheel; none of us could even afford to change the oil on one.
We all want a turn behind the wheel; none of us could even afford an oil change
From Earthbound Misfit I
Allow me to submit ... the Yugo.
I think most everyone in the country would agree that this car truly sucked.
From jrhmobile
It’s fine, just fine.
and
Corolla/Camry. They are universally recognized as boring but good quality and reliable as hell.
From VBinNV, Thomas Hajicek and others.
