How Many Different Car Brands Have You Driven?

As car enthusiasts, we always enjoy an opportunity to discover the strengths, weaknesses, quirks, and characters of car brands and models we haven’t experienced before. Who among us would turn down the chance to drive a 700-horsepower super pickup truck from Ford, partake of the EV revolution in a Tesla, or – if you don’t mind dead brands – bask in the innovation and weirdness of Saturn and Saab?

Some say variety is the spice of life, and with my have-driven list stretching across more than 30 brands, I certainly agree.

I may have missed a few, but the lineup of brands I’ve had seat-time in includes:

Acura
Audi
Bollinger

Blue Bird
BMW
Buick
Cadillac
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Dodge
Ford

Geo
GMC
Honda
International
Jeep
Kia
Lexus
Mazda

Mercedes-Benz
Mitsubishi
Nissan
Nova Bus
Oldsmobile
Pontiac
Plymouth
Saturn

Scion
Smart
Subaru
Suzuki
Toyota
Volkswagen

One of my life’s missions is to experience as many vehicles as possible and writing for this wonderful site has opened so many doors to doing that. I mean, the list doesn’t include motorcycles, boats, planes, or locomotives! Still, I have a long way to go. You’ll note that I’ve never driven a Saab before or any truly obscure car brand. I also don’t have a ton of experience driving supercars and no experience driving any Jeep Wrangler. Yep, I’ve buried Smarts and minivans in mud and have gotten massive airtime in a Jeep Renegade on a dirt track, but I’ve never driven Jeep’s famed Wrangler. Thanks to David, my first Jeep drive was in a pristine XJ.

It’s hard to pick a favorite vehicle from that list because I’m a firm believer that every car is awesome in its own way. With that said, if I were going to throw down money on a new vehicle right now, I would buy a Ford F-150 FP700 and laugh all the way into a jail cell.

Here’s where I turn the microphone to you. Tell us about all the different car brands you’ve experienced, whether briefly or long-term. Which impressed you most – and least? Which brands seemed best able to maintain the brand’s “feel” across different models? Which brands have you driven most? Which brands do you hope to add to your list? Tell us all about it!