World's Best Car

[SVT666]

Four decent sized people won't be than comfortable in a 3 series.  It's a compact car.

I rode in the backseat of a 2007 335i Coupe and I fit comfortably and I'm 6'1".

[68_427]

Apparently I'm back seat spoiled. 

[SVT666]

The best doesn't have to be the first.  Blues existed for some time, but Led Zeppelin blew the lid off of them and made them memorable to this day.  The best has to do it right.  The best has to have parallels with society (As Raza pointed out, the 911 does, the Model T does not) it has to have passion (the 911 does, the Model T does not) it has to be versatile (both are, in different ways.  No, you couldn't haul bricks in a 911, but you couldn't take a sharp corner at more than 15MPH in a Model T) It has to span generations, to prove it's durability as a vehicle and it's place in our hearts (no one under the age of 40, save for a select few enthusiasts, cares or even knows about the 911) but every kid knows about the 911, and could probably identify a 1974 911 without ever seeing one before. 

I agree which is why the 3 Series is the best.

[Byteme]

 

The model T did only what others did before it - yes, it was sold to the masses like never before, but as a car, it was a car.  An exceptionally ugly car at that.  As a symbol, it demonstrated Americas industrial might, but did little more.  Yeah, a Model T could carry four people, but after a 10 minute ride in a 1926 Chevy, I can safely say I'd rather cram my 6'3" 205lb frame in the back of a 911 than spend a minute more in any really old car unless it's on the silkiest of pavement.

At it's peak about 50% of the cars on the PLANET were Model Ts.  Ugly?  About the same as it's contemporaries.  Model T was made from 1907 until about 1926 or 27.  At the end of it's run other cars did surpass it.  So what?  The Model T platform was used for everything from two seater roadsters to pickups to station buses.  It also formed the basis of numerous successful racing cars in it's day. It was extremely versatile.  And you wouldn't want to spend ten minutes in the back of a 911 on roads the Model T could handle with ease.

The best doesn't have to be the first.  Blues existed for some time, but Led Zeppelin blew the lid off of them and made them memorable to this day.  The best has to do it right.  The best has to have parallels with society (As Raza pointed out, the 911 does, the Model T does not) it has to have passion (the 911 does, the Model T does not) it has to be versatile (both are, in different ways.  

The Model T did far more than parallel society, the Model T defined and shaped US society in the first three decades of the 20th century.  The 911, despite it's many virtues did not define or shape society from the late 50's to the present.  

It has to span generations, to prove it's durability as a vehicle and it's place in our hearts (no one under the age of 40, save for a select few enthusiasts, cares or even knows about the 911) but every kid knows about the 911, and could probably identify a 1974 911 without ever seeing one before.  

The Model T was the start of the modern automobile era, but that in no way makes it a good car.  

Durability? Take a Model T and a 911 back in history to the typical road of the 1910 to 1925 era.  The 911 would last but a few miles.  Take both to 2011.  Both can function on today's roads.  People on a forum like this or those who subscribe to C&D and R&T are very aware of the 911.  Go interview the average Toyota, Honda or Ford buyer or the average soccer mom in her SUV or daddy-van and they could probably not care less.  I fairness they probably feel about the same for the Model T.  And of course they could, the 911 has kept the same shape and general layout for decades. That in itself isn't a virtue.


 

[Raza]

I don't know man.  911s have a storied history in road and rally racing.  I think they'd last a bit more than a few miles. 

[MexicoCityM3]

I don?t think durability is a good argument against the 911. It is probably as reliable as anything else.

But the world?s best car should be a sedan. It is still the most popular body style worldwide. Thus, 3 series.

[SVT666]

I don?t think durability is a good argument against the 911. It is probably as reliable as anything else.

But the world?s best car should be a sedan. It is still the most popular body style worldwide. Thus, 3 series.

I feel the 3 Series is it because it is available in sedan, coupe, wagon, and convertible body styles and has everything from a little 4 pot, to a turbo 6, and a fire breathing V8 in a car that is pretty much a street legal race car.  Almost every iteration of the 3 Series is widely regarded as a driver's car and are highly sought after even on the used market.

[Vinsanity]

But the world?s best car should be a sedan. It is still the most popular body style worldwide. Thus, 3 series.

It's hard to argue against the 3-series, but one of my first thoughts was the Mercedes W126. It's spacious, powerful with the Euro-spec 500 V8, and most importantly, built for strength and durability. When these were new when I was a kid, I always thought that these cars had everything that anyone could ever want.

[Byteme]

I don't know man.  911s have a storied history in road and rally racing.  I think they'd last a bit more than a few miles. 

I can't imagine a 911 being any more successful than these unlucky guys.

[MexicoCityM3]

It's hard to argue against the 3-series, but one of my first thoughts was the Mercedes W126. It's spacious, powerful with the Euro-spec 500 V8, and most importantly, built for strength and durability. When these were new when I was a kid, I always thought that these cars had everything that anyone could ever want.

That Merc was fantastic, probably the best sedan available in it?s day. However the 3 series has been consistently the benchmark across generations.