A lot of car buyers are loyal to their favorite automakers, almost to a fault. In my travels, I’ve met Ford guys who say they’d never buy a Chevrolet, Ram guys who’d never buy a Ford, BMW guys who’d never put their hands on anything American, and pretty much all points in between. Automotive tribalism can get weird sometimes, but it makes us think. If you had to live with a single car brand for the rest of your life, which one would it be, and why?
This is a question that’s hard for me to answer. I love all cars, even the deeply unloved ones. If anything, the more a stereotypical enthusiast hates a car, the more I’m likely to love it. I do own six Smart Fortwos, after all. Still, I also own lots of other cars and motorcycles, from American classics to a Japanese rotary. Telling me to pick only one brand feels like torture.
For the purposes of this question, the brand you choose is the one that you also have to drive for the rest of your life. This means that you can’t just rent a car from another brand as a sort of loophole. No, if you rent a car, you have to rent a car from your chosen brand. Also, brands that are technically related to other brands, like Ram, DS, Polestar, or SRT, are considered their own brands for this exercise. I suppose the one loophole would be that you can be a passenger in another brand’s car.
The implications of this can be grand. If you choose a brand that builds nothing but sports cars, you’re sort of screwed if you ever need to drive a truck to move out of your house or apartment. Likewise, if you choose a truck brand, you may never experience the thrill of driving a roadster or a sports car. Logically, the best choice here would be a full-line automaker that has everything from sports cars to trucks.
Despite the rules I set above, I would still pick Smart as my one and only brand to live with.
I’ve gotten through much of my life already, depending on a Smart Fortwo to be my everything. My 2012 Smart has worn many different hats throughout its life. There was a time I treated it like a tuner car, a time when I had it towing trailers and working like a pickup truck, a period when it was my off-roader, and more. My Smart fleet now has a frugal 70 mpg diesel, a convertible, a beater, and a speedy turbo model. Smart has also built a weird street legal go-kart, a sports car, a couple of small four-door hatches, and now it makes a bunch of crazy fast electric SUVs.
If I need to go faster, I suppose I could just soup up a stock Smart engine or have someone implant a Suzuki Hayabusa engine or a Toyota Paseo engine into my car. Some wild builders also used to make six-wheel Smart pickup trucks, too. I could pretty much have most parts of the car world covered with an armada of Smarts.
I think if I had nothing but Smarts for the rest of my life, I would depart from this mortal plane as a happy woman. So, here’s where I turn things to you. A terrible sorcerer is using magic or whatever to force you into sticking with a single car brand for the rest of your life. What brand is it, and why?
GM. One reason is that as a lifelong resident of SE Michigan I try to support our local economy and will only buy from the Big 3 (no shade to anyone who doesn’t, I’m all for choice and competition). If I was limited to only one of the three, I’d pick GM every time. IMO best overall reliability and variety in the lineup of the three. Plus, I’ve had good experiences. Other than my Wrangler I’ve exclusively owned GMs. All of them have made it to 200K+ miles, including my current daily, with routine maintenance and had no major problems. I know this is not a universal experience, but I’ve been happy with what I’ve bought.
I came to this realization two months ago when the engine in my diesel X5 took a shit and I was passively shopping for a new car (i ultimately replaced the engine in the X5)
For the last decade and a half of buying my own cars with my own money, I’ve only bought BMW.
Fun weekend runabout? e30 convertible
Daily duty? X5 diesel
long haul bomber? b58 740i xDrive
school dropoff head turner? i8
if i had the budget and space, thats exactly what my garage would look like. i’ve only got the e30 and the X5 right now, but i plan to have the other two by next summer for the perfect 4 car garage. regular maintenance should keep everything in good shape until i turn 40 and then my midlife crisis will probably be an airplane or a bmw bike
I’m going Honda. They have practical, reliable hybrids for daily use, fun cars, and the Pilot/Ridgeline probably covers all the towing I would need. Additionally, Honda gives me a plethora of quirky JDM vehicles to import, motorcycles, and off-road toys. If the need should arise, Honda has me covered with private jets as well.
Went Toyota for much the same reasoning, there is hell of a back catalogue for toys when ready. Toyota seem to last longer IMO, I think they have(had) better rust protection from the factory overall.
Toyota for sure. Just the most reliable brand out there.
You have to even ask?
(it’s parsh)
Subaru. I have two manual Legacy wagons. If I come into money and want a sports car, there’s the 22B or Prodrive P1. Race cars would be stage rally or rallyX cars from Vermont Sports Car or Prodive. I’d love to modify a second gen Legacy wagon and an Impreza R.5 RS with engine swaps. A manual swapped SVX with an exhaust sounds great and would be a cool GT car. And I like the BRAT/Brumby as a small pickup (not a fan of the Baja’s appearance). Also an old GL wagon for off road would be fun.
Oldsmobile. ….oh wait
Volkswagen. They made and still make such a wide panoply of vehicles ranging from the original air-cooled Beetle and bus to the assorted diesel-engined models to the ID.Buzz to the Amorak truck.
If vehicles equipped with engines from the brand are permitted then that’d give me, for example, some of Steyr-Daimler-Puch’s Pinzgauers and also give me some Zambonis. (For some fifty years a local ice rink has been using a Zamboni with an air-cooled Beetle engine plus a couple of back-up engines for whenever they need to pull the engine for servicing.) Who hasn’t wanted to try driving a Zamboni??
We all knew the big fat T was gonna run away with this the moment we read the headline.
Probably Toyota/Lexus
Negative, I see lots of “Toyota”. I had a miserable experience when my Matrix XR was condemned for rusty frame at 87,000 miles and 10 years. Complaints to Toyota were very poorly handled. Ill never buy another Toyota.
Positive, I have loved both my Volvo S60’s and would happily stay team Volvo. But the new Subaru Forester hybrid my wife just bought is pretty f’ing compelling too.
How is that? I read The Autopian’s review weeks ago, but how are you enjoying it? It seems like a nice choice, and perhaps a bit more stylish than the usual RAV4 Hybrid, plus it has a proper mechanical AWD system.
It’s really phenomenal. She got the touring, green over brown; real colors and it looks great. It drives a lot lower than it looks, which i like. Tech is very good with really nice visibility and cameras. Intelligent rear view mirror is cool, ventilated seats are nice, cargo is very good. Takes regular gas and is just a really nice, solid car. My wife says 2025 is the last year they are being made in Japan, which is interesting. Maybe not better, the facility in Indiana is supposed to be really good too. It’s a solid car we cross shopped with Mazda, Honda and Volvo. It’s better than Mazda and Honda and almost as good as Volvo, and better is several ways including price.
I imagine Subaru is Volvo for people who actually have common sense. And I say that as a multiple-time Volvo owner. But I also had an Outback at one point, also a Touring and also with brown leather.
What sort of fuel economy are you getting?
You know, it’s pretty new and i haven’t asked. It’s 100% her car. It’s supposed to be 35. My volvo gets low 30’s, but that’s on premium. My 86 Porsche 944 gets around 33 or so, but again that’s midgrade. That matters alot on miles per dollar.
Thanks for these updates. I may be looking at a Forester Hybrid in a couple years. My heart says I want a 4Runner or Passport, but the mind says Forester or CX50 hybrid.
Subaru is for Saab refugees, but lots of Volvo overlap too.
When Volvos became Mazdas I kind of lost interest. I have no idea what current Volvos are. Chinese Polecats or something ?
I also had an awful Matrix which put me off Toyota for life.
I’ll happily only streeter Mercedes, even limited to only 1995-2000, and 2010-2015.
Toyota or Mazda. Toyota for the overall quality and reliability, Mazda for similar reasons, but with better driving feel. Honda loses out because they got their badge engineering with GM backwards. You don’t put your badge on a GM vehicle, you let them out their badges on yours.
I come from a Toyota family (we’ve had other stuff too, but lots of Toyotas), but I seem to be a Honda/Acura guy. I’ve always been the black sheep of the family, but I agree with them that reliability is the most important thing.
I could not go with one brand, much less one car like Mercedes mentioned. I suppose she is aided by the press fleet loaner options, but I tend to do too many things that require multiple types and sizes of cars and trucks.
I suppose if I were required to claim just one vehicle though, the Ram TRX would be the most likely thing as it covers a lot of bases. Sad thing about that though is that in the end it does not do any of the thigs it does without compromise. Reduced tow capacity, truckish offroad approach and departure, fuel economy, big brick with offroad tires track performance and so on.
Just one vehicle? My 3rd generation Fit. Over 11 years of terrific.
It depends on whether whoever’s forcing me to make this choice is paying the bills. If they are, Porsche. I get the fast sedan/wagon I need, the SUV my wife wants, and a range of other fun choices. If not, then maybe Ford or Chevy. Ford doesn’t have the fast sedan I want and the edge isn’t going to thrill my wife. But they have Raptors and Broncos and Mustangs!
Mazda, even though I’ve only owned a couple so far (both Miatas).
However, I’ve driven and ridden in enough of their other offerings to feel confident it’s the best single-brand choice for my needs and wants. Aside from the evergreen Miata, they make engaging yet practical small crossovers like the CX-5, CX-30, and even the flawed but strangely enticing used MX-30 EV, as well as very competent smallish sedans like the 3 and (sometimes) the 6.
They don’t make an actual pickup or van, but not having access to those would probably be bearable for me, given some of their crossovers are fairly decently sized, and my back ain’t what it used to be, thus neither is my interest in moving large/heavy objects anymore.
The steering, shifting, and handling in most of the Mazdas I’ve driven has always been well above the average for their class, so even a quick nip down to the store provides some actual pleasure. They’re pretty reliable: maybe about average for a Japanese brand, which is still way better than is the case for most American and Euorpean brands. Their vehicles tend to have somewhat nicer than average interiors (compared to their contemporaneous peers) and nice, driver focused dashboards, and they’ve always got at least a few desirable paint colors including the iconic Soul Red Crystal and its descendants.
Finally, they still offer a decently motivational 2.5 liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine in most of their vehicles, and provide it with a reliable and well-matched traditional automatic. AWD is an option in many of their offerings too. And you can even get a manual transmission in a couple of their cars (the Miata, and at least one of the Mazda 3 trims, though in other markets you can specify a stick in most of their crossovers too… sadly us Americans don’t get that option). Though cylinder deactivation and direct injection are present in most/all recent/current models, at least there’s no sign of wet belts or over-the-top use of plastic for major underhood components.
Here’s a rough list of what I’ve owned so far:
2 Mazdas (both Miatas)
2 Toyotas (both first-gen Supras)
1 Chevrolet (a ’69 Stingray convertible)
3 Volvos
1 Suzuki (a motorcycle)
4 Volkswagens (1 air cooled camper, 1 TDI, and 2 water-cooled gassers)
…I’m sure I forgot something atm… there are at least a couple more but I haven’t had coffee yet this morning. 😉
My best friend has the Scion iA I helped him choose, and it’s a Mazda2 with a nasty front clip. It’s a little luxury car: great quality and refinement well above its weight.
I test drove that iA when my sister was car shopping and was VERY impressed. Yes, the nose is silly, but dayum, it was a great small car. I kind of want one for myself.
I forgot the only car I ever got new: 1 Mercedes CLK
I mean, even as a Mopar guy, Toyota would pretty much be my only choice. Sure, about the only two new Toyota’s I’d actively would like to own are Corolla’s, but at least they have a history and older trucks to choose from. If someone could give me one hellva pitch though, I’d go Honda too.
It sucks we can’t get a freakin’ full Dodge line-up anymore, it’s “too hard” for Matt & Timmy there to understand Dodge used to do it all. That would’ve been my number one pick, but among other things, the most fuel-efficient car they ever had was a turbo Dart, and that’s a big NO from me dawg. I’d rather have a Corolla hybrid.
Considering I now have three Jeeps in my driveway (not necessarily planned that way) I guess that’s my answer! (I also guess I’m now “that guy.”) Don’t have a Wrangler yet…
As long as I’m not required to drive only their latest models, and I’m allowed access to anything in the back catalog, I’ll say Dodge. I even like modern Dodge but the back catalog gets me some muscle and pony cars, and wide variety of trucks I would be happy with.
Silly response? Daihatsu. Owned 3 so far, would love to try a few more out.
Realistic one? Toyota, my both brothers are in Toyota country for years and I just joined the team after buying a Corolla TS so… here to stay, I guess.
Toyota or Honda for glaringly obvious reasons
Yep. I doubt I will ever own a “primary family car” that doesn’t have one of those two badges on them.
I’ve come around to the idea that if I do that, I can free up a lot of time and money for fun cars at some point. I spent way too many years DD’ing VWs and doing at least one thing on them every single weekend (or late weeknights in the driveway). That’s fun for an enthusiast, sure, but it’s not encouraging to your significant other.
The alternative is the David/Mercedes approach of “Maybe if I have 15 cars one of them will work today!” 🙂
I just counted, and I’ve had eight Volkswagens. So, probably VW. That said, the only thing they make and sell in the US currently that I like is the Golf (and that’s what I have). So I’d have to troll their back catalog, or import some classic stuff. I’ve always liked the VW do Brasil air-cooled cars, specifically the SP2.
Volkswagon lost me when they stopped making and selling cars with the NA 2.5 five cylinder motor. The Turbo 4’s and sadly the VR6 were just not reliable enough for me to look at them again. Looking at some of the weird design choices on a high end Golf R or GTI. plastic oil pans and one time use plastic drain plugs makes me even less interested.
I agree that the 2.5-liter I5 was one of Volkswagen’s best and most reliable engines, and the world is a sorrier place now that it’s gone.
That said, they’ve gotten the EA888 family to be pretty robust.
I actually have a 2025 (Mk. 8.5) Golf R, and it does have a metal oil pan. I think all of the Mk. 8 GTIs and Rs do, which is all they sell in the US; I’m not sure about the more-pedestrian versions that are sold in Europe. I don’t love the interior electronics, but they are much improved over the 2022-2024 (I had one of those, too). In general, I’d say the Mk. 7.5 Golf (2018-2021) and its derivatives represent the high mark of interiors for not only Volkswagen, but for any mainstream brand.
I love that engine. On the highway it’s such a gem, the way it torques up a mountain pass without downshifting.
Fuel economy was funny, though. Drive it like granny, 27 MPG. Drive it like a normal person, 27 MPG. Drive it like a madman, 27 MPG.
A hyper-miler, it was not. But it was fun.
I was happy with 27 everywhere. It was silver though and apparently that is invisible on todays roads. I had no less than 3 people hit me in the rear or rear sides before the insurance guy would no longer repair it. I would probably still be driving it otherwise I imagine.
Mine was also silver. In fact, my last three cars were silver, but I didn’t do that on purpose, they’re just the cars I bought.
Yikes. My Golf R is Lapiz Blue, but the one before that was Mythos Black. The blue one does seem to get noticed a whole lot.
Suzuki!!
You don’t say I can only buy new vehicles, so I’d have a Vitara, an Equator, a Cappucino, and a nice cruiser motorcycle! All bases covered!
Don’t forget the Swift GTi/GT, for a fun little hatchback.
If I could switch if they went out of business, I’d say Nissan. But seeing that lately they suck and thjey killed the Titan and the Maxima, I guess I’ll just go boring and go with Toyota or Honda, while holding my nose.
Oh, and that also gets me forklifts and old boat engines.