The Best Car I've Ever Had?

I've been fortunate—or foolish, depending on your financial point of view—in terms of cars. If you've spent any time reading this blog over the years (and for that, you have both my thanks and my concern), it is clear that I have bought way too many cars since this car journey began around 1980. From that first Chevelle to recent cars like a Mk VII GTI and a BMW 430 convertible, I have struggled with car control. It's an issue. Bottom line: I've bought, sold, or traded upwards of 40 cars in 45 years. And I've really enjoyed most of them.

So, when I realize that one of the current fleet is perhaps the best car I've ever owned, it's not a casual thought. So how did I come to this conclusion? Let's see...

We bought the 2015 Porsche Macan S as a Certified Pre-Owned car from Leith Porsche in May of 2017. It had only 12,000 miles on the odometer and was in nearly new condition. In the 100,000 miles since, it has been a simply fabulous mode of transportation. And other than one tire blowout suffered by Mrs. Moore a few years back, it never left us stranded or even suffered a significant maintenance or repair issue. Now, we've been lucky in that regard. The Macan's 3-liter twin-turbo motor had issues with timing cover bolts that could cost thousands to repair if not caught under warranty. And we never lost the all-wheel-drive transfer case either—another common ailment in the Macan (and the Cayenne, along with Audi and BMW SUVs too, an apparent problem that traces back to supplier ZF of Austria).

Simply put, to be the best car you've ever owned, first and foremost, the car must be reliable. And the Macan has been exactly that.

Next in the requirements for BCIEH (Best Car I've Ever Had) is how well a car matches your needs. This is purely subjective, depending on your individual expectations and requirements. In the case of the Macan S, the basic requirement was a four-door, all-wheel-drive vehicle with ample cargo space for occasional trips. The Macan did not need to be a sports car or even a sports sedan. It needed to have enough practicality so that other cars in the ever-rotating fleet could be less practical. It may even occasionally have to go to the dump or carry a couple of dogs. 

Now, I will admit that we stretched the Macan's cargo capacity to its absolute limit a few times; a long weekend in the mountains with two Labrador Retrievers was perhaps a bridge too far. But day in and day out, it was exactly the car we needed it to be. Reliable and practical are all well and good, of course. They are the baseline, but only the starting point. In addition, the Macan was comfortable. The interior had great seats, and the leather and switches wore well. At over 100,000 miles, the car felt nearly new.

Bailey appreciated fine German engineering

But these qualities are measurable and objective. That said, Toyota Camrys and RAV4s are reliable, comfortable, and practical. You won't find them here. I have other... well, needs.

To get even close to BCYEO/BCIEH, the Macan S was going to require fairly serious performance, looks, and that certain je ne sais quoi that separates mere transportation appliances from automobiles worth owning and driving. It had all those qualities.

For a small but practical 4,200-pound vehicle, the Macan S punches way above its SUV weight. The darned thing is fun to drive. And it has serious go if you need it to, with 340 horsepower and 339 foot-pounds of torque. Hooked to a true Porsche PDK transmission, in sport mode, the Macan S could fly. And it handled well for its size and weight. I legitimately enjoyed driving it. And so did Mrs. Moore. In fact, she probably put the majority of those 100,000 miles on the car.

In addition to the driving experience, the Macan S had other good traits. It looked good compared with most similar options in the small SUV category, and it even sounded good. In fact, on startup, the quad exhausts woke the neighbors most mornings. The darned thing was downright snarly when cold. If I had to identify one drawback to the Macan S, it would be the gas mileage. On the highway, it struggled to get above 23 mpg, even if I drove judiciously. A small price to pay in the larger context, but a drawback to be sure.

A snowbelt dealership, Porsche Clifton Park had a lot of Macans

The final element of this rumination on whether or not our 2015 Macan S is the best car I've ever owned is the kicker. What drove me to sit down and ponder the question? For you see, I've never owned the same car twice. I move on. "Been there, done that." But not this time. As the 2015 Macan S pushed over the 100k mark, and with the potential for increasing maintenance and repair, we began to ponder a replacement. And honestly, the cost of new and used Macans—along with most used cars—has gone crazy. So we set our sights a bit lower than Porsche: Audi Q5? No. Acura? No. Toyota RA... don't even finish the question. For a year we were stumped. Until a few weeks back, while visiting family in New York. And there it was. I stumbled on a 2018 CPO Macan S in Volcano Gray Metallic with Luxor Beige leather over black interior. With just under 60,000 miles and in fabulous condition, it was perfect. It even has Apple CarPlay, a must-have nowadays. The dealer, Porsche Clifton Park, had a few Macans on the lot and needed this one to go. So a good deal was struck, and voila, we have another Macan S. Why not? It's the best car I've ever owned.

So here's to another Porsche Macan S. Maybe. I did mention that I tend to go through a lot of cars...

What your BCIEH?