I’ve been thinking a lot of the cars I’ve owned and how I have loved and hated them over the years. Unquestionably the vehicle that has fit my lifestyle better than anything else has been the Explorer.

Not just any explorer, of course, the only ones worth having are the 98-01 models with the v8. The 97 have a solid front axle, the 02 has the aluminum headed “Modular” engine. The 98-01 have the all cast iron engine with the GT-40 heads, rock solid and dependable and though both of mine are aging and beginning to be rustbuckets (Which is the thing I hate MOST) I would not be afraid to drive either vehicle anywhere.

Any GM car or truck with a 350. and the Turbohydromatic 350. This engine and transmission combination is the very definition of bulletproof. In fact, the GM 350 in all it’s variations may be the most important contribution to the automobile since the development of internal combustion.

Chrysler always did make great hi performance stuff but it was fiddly and required a good deal of work to keep running smooth, while the simple slant six engine was so rugged I am surprised the military never commandeered it for something. I know the combination of that engine with the A833 New Process transmission was probably the most reliable and inexpensive gear train in the history of what can be called “Modern” cars.

If I were to pick the “Optimal” drivetrains from those manufacturers I would pick those components. Now, fords tend to be ugly, Chryslers tend to catch fire in the electrics almost as often as Lucas shit, and every chevy I ever owned rusted and leaked rain in on me.

Nothing is perfect. Those three drivetrains- the Ford and Chevy made it right into the 2000’s and modern engine controls- are the drivetrains most resistant to neglect. It is not the quality of a vehicle that matters, at least to me, it is it’s resistance to neglect, and nothing can hold a candle to the drivetrains I’ve named.

Yes, the VW diesels are very strong, but I’ve done many an engine swap on them. The Mercedes 5 cylinder is likewise rugged, but you have to own a Mercedes (Or a Dodge Sprinter) to get one.

Any car you take care of properly will last a long time. I do normal maintenance but all my vehicles earn their keep and none of them are babied.

Yes, there are a lot of other good vehicles out there, but these, for my money, represent the high water mark. And every one is now gone.