and state of mind.

You fondly remember driving your 85 Mustang. If you drove it again today, it might be a different story.

Randy

 

Boy, hard to quantify, but you know it when you feel it. Lots of specifics combined with lots of Gestalt effect.

For me, large size is the enemy of fun. Weight is the enemy of fun. Parts not working properly are the enemy of fun.

To be honest, some of the most fun cars I've ever driven haven't necessarily been the most powerful. But they've been the most responsive. The steering/brakes/chassis talk to you. The motor sings to you. They ALL obey your commands instantaneously. You become a seamless extension of the cars mechanicals.


OTOH, I remember driving my friend's old mid-'70's, I6, three on the floor, short bed, Chevy pickup. It was fun too....for some strange reason. Maybe it was that old truck's torquey stovebolt being smoothly shifted with that 2 foot long shifter.....
Or maybe....... it was because it was a beautiful summer day and I was picking up a couple of beer kegs and some ice for a block party with it.

 

I don't know what it is but I call it the x factor and the first gen mustang had it in spades.

 

That's just it. It wasn't.

I took a friends Mustang 5.0 ('93) out recently, and it was just as fun as I remember those cars being. Then I got back in my B4C Camaro. That's the thing that got me thinking.

The Camaro is hella quicker, and holds the road like that Mustang never could. Solid as a cave by comparison....But I had a blast in that Mustang.

 

For me, it's the details.

First of all, it needs to shift smoothly and precisely. This is something that American car companies almost completely suck at doing, unfortunately. The steering and clutch need to also operate with precision. When you have good handling without these traits, it's okay, but with them...much closer to nirvana. It also matters for the car to make the right sounds. I want to hear pure engine..no clatter, clicking or whatever. These are some of the factors that were considered in my wife's last car (Jetta) and her current (the Sube). Both are quite fun to drive, despite being slow.

That said, I can't really explain why I enjoy my Mustang so much, other than the sound part, it has what I call the "clunk-o-matic" transmission, complete with balky shifter, poor fit and finish, fair handling (smooth roads only) and I still enjoy it more than I did my '94 Z28 and most other cars I've driven. I guess it's just got lots of personality. Honestly, there aren't any sub $30,000 cars I'd rather have than my 5 year old mustang. Not even a new one.

 

I will say one thing...I was just irresponsible and backed the Z28 out of the garage for the first time since last November. No plates on it or anything...I backed it out after warming it up, and ripped off down my street and back. Yeah, its fun to drive

Thankfully my street gets 1 car an hour on it, and there was nothing to hit. I would've been screwed if I did, obviously...but man, I'll be thinking about that until it hits the road again in June

 

funnest car 1996 geo metro.. do what ever u want with it. an get damn good millage while doin it..

 

I still feel my 83 Z28 was more fun than my current 98 Z28, even though it was way slower! To me the 83 was more tossable, felt more nimble, and it involved the driver more, whereas the 98 is so refined that you basically point and shoot and it's over. It was just a feeling while driving the cars, but sometimes refinement takes away some of the "fun" factor by making the cars too easy to drive fast. I know the 83 made me feel more connected to the road, while the 98 seems to lack all the feedback necessary to quantify it as a "drivers" car.

 

What about the visibility and ease of driving? That, with power and handling makes for a fun-to-drive car for me.

 

My '81 is fun as hell to drive.

It's slow, it's crude, it's loud... but it's different. You don't see them that nice, well, ever, so people stare. And that to me is fun.

 

That reminds me of something I found strange about my old ’93 F-150 I-6 5-spd. I could heel-toe it, but not my ’01 M6 Z28.

 

Threxx nailed it