Top 10 Best Cars of the Decade

[Obsidian]

I see a lot of threads about cars other than the Viper and how great they are. So, I wanted to set the record straight and list the top ten cars of this decade:

1. 2002 Viper GTS
2. 2006 Ford GT
3. 2006 Porsche Gemballa GTR 650
4. 2007 Aston Martin Vanquish S
5. 200x Saleen S7
6. 2006 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
7. 2006 BMW M5
8. 2005 Bentley Continental GTC
9. 2006 Ferrari F430 Spider
10. 2007 Toyota Camry (I kid... I kid...)


Comments? Corrections?

 

[big-n-italian]

why all the super cars and then a toyota camry? explain.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Is that like a "what car doesn't fit in this group?" question?

why all the super cars and then a toyota camry? explain.

His Camry had yellow wheels, thereby putting it in the super car status. DUH!

 

[Obsidian]

It was totally supposed to be a joke.... I guess the "Camry" joke failed.

 

[Venomiss]

What? There is no yellow/black 2005 VCA edition with Doug Levin goodies on the list.....

That should be in the top 10 for sure

 

[RoadiJeff]

What, the Pontiac Aztec didn't make the list?

I sent feedback on the Pontiac website one time, saying I thought the Aztec was the ugliest production car I'd seen in modern times. I suggested that the next time they unveil something like that around the executive conference room table someone should have the ****** to speak up then and there before letting it get this far.

 

[Warfang]

What, the Pontiac Aztec didn't make the list?

I sent feedback on the Pontiac website one time, saying I thought the Aztec was the ugliest production car I'd seen in modern times. I suggested that the next time they unveil something like that around the executive conference room table someone should have the ****** to speak up then and there before letting it get this far.

But you can get a tent option for the tailgate! Let see you do that in a Viper! (I kid... I kid...)

 

[AFL in NJ]

Dear Obsidian,

If I were to come up with the top ten "production" cars of this decade (1998-2008), it'd be the following:

1) Ferarri Enzo
2) Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster
3) Ferrari 575 SuperAmerica
4) Bugatti Veyron
5) 2008 Dodge Viper Coupe or Roadster
6) Saleen S7 Twin Turbo
7) McLaren SLR
8) Porsche Carerra GT
9) Porsche 911 Turbo Convertible
10) Corvette Z06

In my honest opinon, the worst ten cars for the same decade would be:

1) Toyota Echo (those itsy bitsy wheels with the tall roof....ugly!!)
2) Pontiac Aztec (they should have shot everyone who signed to produce that thing)
3) Chevrolet Aveo
4) Honda Element
5) Subaru Baha
6) Buick Rendevous
7) Suzuki Aerio
8) Toyota FJ Cruiser
9) Kia Rio
10) Volkswagon Eurovan

Regards,
Aaron

 

[Venomiss]

They should have named it Pontiac Azcrud......

 

[AFL in NJ]

LMAO Venomiss, you're so right!

Regards,
Aaron

 

[Warfang]

Dear Obsidian,

If I were to come up with the top ten "production" cars of this decade (1998-2008), it'd be the following:

1) Ferarri Enzo
2) Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster
3) Ferrari 575 SuperAmerica
4) Bugatti Veyron
5) 2008 Dodge Viper Coupe or Roadster
6) Saleen S7 Twin Turbo
7) McLaren SLR
8) Porsche Carerra GT
9) Porsche 911 Turbo Convertible
10) Corvette Z06
Regards,
Aaron

Seems more like the most expensive cars of the decade. I think price/performance ratios should be a key part of the equation. Styling, heritage and impact on industry should be considered too. Just throwing money at a lot of engineers will only get you a heavy boat with an over-engineered engine (veryon). I dont think anything put in the Veyron will inspire the industry to follow suit.

 

[yogibayer]

Dear Obsidian,

...

In my honest opinon, the worst ten cars for the same decade would be:

1) Toyota Echo (those itsy bitsy wheels with the tall roof....ugly!!)
2) Pontiac Aztec (they should have shot everyone who signed to produce that thing)
...
6) Buick Rendevous
...

Regards,
Aaron

Aztek and Rendezvous are the same car. I agree that it's bad enough that it should make the list twice though

 

[AFL in NJ]

Warfang, you're exactly right, it bugs me when Car and Driver or Road & Track do comparisons and don't compare bang for the buck, or lap times for the buck. Maybe we should have another list within this thread for discussion about the 10 best performance values of the decade? Certainly for exclusivity, performance and handling, the Viper would likely be #1, although I'd probably get in trouble arguing about "price actually paid" when buying the cars, versus "MSRP". I'll start thinking of the cars on the other list.

Yogibayer, I agree, I wasn't sure, because the Buick was hideous in it's own way....the Aztec got the 80's Pontiac add on package to an ugly shape, whereas the Buick tried to gussy up ugly and it came out horrible! I still can't believe they even produced those things, let alone sold any of them!

Regards,
Aaron

 

[viperbilliam]

I kinda like the Echo - I find beauty in its particular ugliness. I find the first two lists to be pretty good except I vote for the 2008 Viper over the 2002! Ya gotta have at least one list showing the best without price restraints to see what is truly the best. all things considered . Obsidian only showed 9 best, using up one of his choices for a joke but not a bad one - the Camry is one of the best in vehicle sales numbers!

 

[AFL in NJ]

ViperBilliam,

That's the interesting thing about styling, it's a very personal thing...someone's ugly is another man's dreamboat!

I'd love to see more lists from you guys/gals....10 best 98-08 and 10 ugliest same period.

Regards,
Aaron

 

[Mopar Steve]

While the late model Vipers are more advanced, the Gen 1 Vipers are what really brought back the muscle car wars, and motivated the automakers to get to where we are now.

 

[AFL in NJ]

Agreed Mopar Steve, we should do a 25 year most influential cars list and get everyone's opinion on that too, because there have been a bunch of cars that showed auto manufacturers can make money producing limited runs of cars (ex. Prowler, etc.)

Regards,
Aaron

 

[mike & juli]

Everyone's opinions will be very different, that's for sure...except for Vipers of course!!!
(and the Bugatti Veyron, GT40/GT) ~juli~
**I know I could name some that would not be someone else's favorites...

 

[Warfang]

While the late model Vipers are more advanced, the Gen 1 Vipers are what really brought back the muscle car wars, and motivated the automakers to get to where we are now.

Exactly... it influenced the ENTIRE industry. If you did a chart of HP averages from 1977 to 2007, you will see a sharper rise after 1992. Sure there were also high HP cars, but those were for the super rich. The Viper made it tangible and back in style. The awesome styling didn't hurt either.

 

[Obsidian]

Dear Obsidian,

If I were to come up with the top ten "production" cars of this decade (1998-2008), it'd be the following:

1) Ferarri Enzo
2) Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster
3) Ferrari 575 SuperAmerica
4) Bugatti Veyron
5) 2008 Dodge Viper Coupe or Roadster
6) Saleen S7 Twin Turbo
7) McLaren SLR
8) Porsche Carerra GT
9) Porsche 911 Turbo Convertible
10) Corvette Z06

Regards,
Aaron

Aaron - I am suprised that the Ford GT is not on your list, but the Z06 is.

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

Depends on what your definition of "best" is.

While supercars demonstrate the epitome of brilliant engineering, styling and performance, in regards to the automotive industry as a whole, they are of little significance to your average person.... someone who treats a car solely as an appliance and comprises 99% of new vehicle buyers.

To them "best" would be derived from a mixture of quality, value and reliability, to further prove this, have a look at how JD Power breaks out its classifications.

As such the top ten best cars is a list which cannot be argued based on emotional merit. In my opinion it would be compiled from data on each model using owner satisfaction surveys, recall history, units remaining in operation after 10 years on the road, value retention and owner retention to name a few.

Now the list of top ten SIGNIFICANT vehicles in the last decade is highly subjective and wide open to interpretation and discussion.

 

[AFL in NJ]

Obsidian,

You're exactly right, I wanted to include the Ford GT and possibly a few others, here was my thinking on the picks:

1) If I won a lottery or my side businesses were so richly blessed that I forgot about budgeting altogether, an Enzo is the first purchase, followed quickly by an F50 and an F40. Because of budget being a word I wouldn't have to think about, I'd have already filled out my Viper collection of a 98GT2 and 99-01 ACR's.

2) Lamborghini has attempted to give Ferrari a run at every supercar they've produced by upping their production cars and I've been told that an all wheel drive LP640 gives the driver so much control to put it's power down, so it made the list.

3) Budget no object, I'd begin to acquire a complete collection of V12, front engine Ferrari's, which the best of this past decade has to be the 575M in convertible form.

4) 1000hp, 4 turbos, all wheel drive, and supposedly it even wipes your nose when you sneeze....could just be a rumor, but 253 mph is defintely list-worthy.

5) The Viper has showed the world that a great car can always be improved upon and evolve and race and win while being not that distant from it's production cousin. The 98 GT2 started this, ACR's followed, then the competition coupe....and now they release a 600hp street car for about $80k......phenomenal!!!!

6) Saleen S7 Twin Turbo, stupid price, but it's my desktop wallpaper and I still gotta have one someday!

7) Another gotta have...just for nights where I'm supposed to arrive in a suit somewhere, my hair in a tasteful pony-tail and pretend that I've been civilized enough to warrant an invite and not look I just walked out of the jungle....this is that car.

8) The Carrera GT, it's the best Porsche yet, somewhere between their prototypes and their best street offerings. I chose it because it beats the Ford GT, but I'd still take the McLaren SLR to those "classy" events.

9) Finally Porsche listened to what I've always wanted from them, and made the turbo a convertible too! Since I finally wouldn't have to do an aftermarket conversion on a 911 Turbo, I chose this car. The Ford GT could've had this spot too, but I felt that the Porsche was just a little more groundbreaking.

10) Okay, so I've not included the Ford GT, nor the Aston Martin Vanquish S, nor a Panoz, nor a Koenisegg, nor a Noble, nor a few others.....so on this pick, I went with performance for the lowest price (although not much when it comes to rarity). At $72, the Z06 is kinda a bargain....whereas the Ford GT at $180k isn't such a deal; I guess if the Ford GT was $110 sorta like the Audi R8, I would have picked it, but Ford obviously needed the money more...so off the list the Ford GT remained.

Please argue with me on these picks, car guys/girls have sentimental favorites when choosing lists like this.

Regards,
Aaron