The Five Cars I Dream of Having in My Garage

If you ask a car enthusiast, “what’s your favorite car?” be prepared for a lengthy, nuanced, and dynamic conversation. It’s a disease for us enthusiasts and is one I am happily afflicted with.

A few weeks ago, the Everyday Driver writing crew got together and decided it would be fun to feature our “money no object” five-car dream garages. After a lot of back and forth, I've finally narrowed it down. There are a lot of cars I would love to own, but if I could only pick five, these would be it. I tried to diversify my garage, but as you'll see, it’s hard not to give in to old favorites.

So, here they are. Be sure to comment below if you have owned any of these and what your experience has been!

2022 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG

I’ll never forget my first ride in a G-Wagen. It was at an old job, and I was helping move some of the Chairman’s cars to his private airplane hangar. His collection was vast. One of my favorites was a 2008 G-Wagen he kept onsite for client transportation. Climbing inside the G-Wagen was unlike any other car I had experienced, and to this day, I believe it’s one of the most unique vehicles on the market. You sit up high, the doors close with the most wonderfully mechanical sound you've ever heard, and its styling is 100% its own.

Oh, and the power isn’t half-shabby, either.

My love for the G-Wagen has rubbed off on my wife, too. She loves them. Last September a good friend of mine in Salt Lake City tossed us the keys to a 2021 G63 AMG for my wife’s birthday. It was a riot. Ridiculously fast, loud, and bank-vault solid, it won both of us over in a matter of minutes.

I know they carry their stereotypes, but the G-Wagen is a special car. It has presence like few other vehicles and if money were no object, I absolutely would have one in my garage.

2005 Acura NSX

I admit I am one of those millennials salivating over every first-gen Acura NSX, Integra Type-R, and EM1 Honda Civic Si listing on Bring a Trailer and Cars and Bids. That trinity of Japanese VTEC gods are still some of my favorite cars ever produced. You would think I'd have had my fill after owning several Hondas and Acuras, including an Integra GS-R and EM1 Civic Si, but no. The screams of VTEC and the allure of Honda’s glory days still sing the siren song of nostalgic passion to me.

The Acura NSX has long been a halo car for me, and to my deep chagrin, prices have risen to the stratosphere the last few years. I still hope to have one, it’s just going to take hard work, a whole lot of good fortune, and even more mercy from God.

Image via BaT

If money were no object, I would take an Imola Orange six-speed manual transmission Acura NSX from 2005 — the last year they were produced.

With supercar looks and performance, and Honda reliability, it’s hard to say no to an NSX in the garage.

2022 Ram 1500 TRX

Not even a year ago I would have never considered putting a truck on this list, but then I drove my friend’s 2018 Ford Raptor and everything changed. I didn't know who I was anymore. The engineering, the performance, the looks — all were astounding.

Then, just a few months ago, I drove a Ram TRX and it was somehow even better than the Raptor. Everything about it was awesome and so much fun. I never thought I would experience a truck that is as fun as a sports car, but the Ram TRX is the real deal, people.

Image via Ram

Trucks are super useful to have on hand, but the thing about the TRX is it can be just about anything you want it to be. It's fast, fun, versatile, comfortable, spacious ... I could go on. The TRX checks all the boxes except fuel economy. But who cares? The TRX’s fuel economy woes seem like a small price to pay in exchange for the big, dumb grin you’ll have on your face all day after driving one.

I want one. In orange. Please. Thank you.

2006 BMW M3

As I’m going down this list it's funny to see how many of these cars are influenced by either A) childhood dreams or B) cars I owned previously. In the case of wanting an E46 M3, it’s both! I've been in love with the M3's looks and performance since day one. So I bought one in 2014.

Back then It was (and still is) very difficult to find a stock, manual transmission E46 M3, so I settled and bought the best SMG example I could afford. While my M3 was very well taken care of (I bought it from the original owner who kept a hand-written maintenance logbook in the glovebox), that SMG transmission darn near killed me on multiple occasions. I never quite knew when it would engage (unless it was being driven hard), making it a chore to daily drive. I sold it a mere six months after purchasing it.

Image via BaT

Transmission issues aside, the rest of the car was glorious. I loved the styling, the sound, the interior -- everything. My heart is still broken from that SMG experience and I want another chance (if you’re selling, please let me know!)

Money no object, I would take a stock, six-speed, silver-gray metallic example with the cinnamon leather interior.

1981 DeLorean DMC-12

This is the one that started it all for me. I’ve loved this thing since I was three years old and it’s never let up. I actually owned a DeLorean for a few years and, for the time I had it, it was a dream come true. It was also somewhat anxiety-inducing to own and operate. Despite my “spare no expense” approach to replacing all the known prone-to-fail parts, driving the DeLorean was a delicate experience, mostly because of the sensitive, moody, and underpowered engine in the rear.

Image via BaT

Money no object, I would love to have another one — but with a twist. Many DeLorean enthusiasts have swapped everything from Corvette LS engines, S2000 motors, and even twin-turbo Kia Stinger engines in them to improve performance and reliability. A full resto-mod of the drivetrain would be a wonderfully welcome change to the DeLorean’s character and I would love to own one with some of these modifications made.

I’ve driven a lot of cars, including various exotics, and nothing, nothing elicits the number of smiles that a DeLorean does. Because of this, I would, without hesitation, put a fully restored one back in my garage, even just to share it with the local and online communities.

Honorable mention: 2003 Subaru WRX Wagon

You can’t have a dream garage without a winter beater and that’s exactly what I would have an old bugeye WRX for. Ever since my junior high days, I have had a deep fondness for these early WRXs, and I still want one. Generations of WRXs have come and gone (of which I’ve owned three), but the original, elusive bugeye is still my favorite (again, if you’re selling, let me know!).

Image via BaT

What’s in your dream garage? Let us know in the comments! Thanks for reading and as the DeLorean slogan said, go “live the dream” and enjoy the drive.

About the author: Having owned everything from a 1981 DeLorean to an E46 BMW M3, and a 100 Series Toyota Land Cruiser, Jason Bell is a lifelong car enthusiast who loves sharing his passions as a teacher, freelance automotive journalist, speaker, and social media manager. Contact him at jasonbellcars@gmail.com or jasonbellcars.com for comments/questions.

The views and opinions expressed here are my own and may not align with the founders of Everyday Driver.