The Best 8 Cars According To Me part 2 of 2

Written by: Jimmy Sesto

"The Best 8 Cars Acording To Me"

Part 2

5.     Ford Taurus SHO: I started working for Ford Jan. 4th 1997 and I was introduced to the Ford Taurus which was just another car to me. About a month later I came across my first SHO and I loved the car enough to buy a used 1996 model. Ford started making the SHO which stands for "Super High Output" in the 1980's. They took a regular Taurus and put a high powered V-6 Yamaha engine under the hood along with some interior and exterior styling upgrades. From 1996 to 1999 Ford dropped in a Yamaha V-8 engine producing 235hp hoping to compete against the "Pontiac Grand Prix GTP". The engine was a 3.4 V-8 and although producing a lot of horsepower was still very small and needed a lot of rpm's to get max power. So after 1999 production was canceled for a couple reasons other than just needing a better engine. First reason being nobody wanted a $30,000.00 Taurus in the late 90's. Another contributor to the SHO's demise was the car was never advertised. Ford seldom if ever advertised their SVT vehicles because there were only a handful of SVT dealers. So Ford did the right thing and now you can buy SHO's and Cobra's from any Ford dealer. So here we are 11 years later and Ford is on the ball. Not only are they advertising the heck out of this car but they also dropped in a 365hp EcoBoost Twin Turbo engine made by Ford that gets 25 mpg. This car is a rocket! The interior is second to none for quality and class and the exterior has head turning style as well.  The SHO shares a platform with the Lincoln MKS and in my opinion the SHO is everything the MKS is but $10,000.00 less and it looks better. Both cars share just about everything including the same engine but the SHO has 10hp more. The reason the SHO has 10hp more is because it is the "SHO" and it should have the most and as a result of a little change in the exhaust system they were able to gain the 10hp. I call this car "F to the 5th power". FORD, FAST, FINE, FUN and this is the FUTURE of Ford and I like it.

6.     Lexus LS:  The pricing for this vehicle starts around $65,000.00 but you will be hard pressed to find one in that range because people that buy this car go with the mack daddy $100,000.00 upgraded unit. Extra options such as the extended length vehicle, a hybrid, or even an option that allows the car to park itself can really get the price going upward. The people that you do see buying the $65,000.00 LS are the same people that are struggling to pay there bills and they over extend themselves because if you could afford this vehicle then why not get the one that has it all. So why you ask I put this car on my list of favorite's under $75,000.00. One reason, because if I did get this car, it would be the $65,000.00 unit and it would totally over extend me. All that money mumbo jumbo aside this is the best vehicle on the planet other than your half a million dollar Roll's, Bently's and Maybach's. I was able to experience a LS about a year ago and it was the second best vehicle I ever drove in my life next to the Rolls Royce Phantom I drove in 2006. It is the smoothest, quietest, most luxurious vehicle you can imagine. It will not handle like a sports car but then again people driving this car are going slow and easy to make sure everyone can see them, I know I would. Go look at one and admire the vehicle for what it is, pure luxury. Don't be shocked to not be offered a test drive because most vehicles of this caliber will require an agreed upon and signed contract before a test drive will even be considered.

7.      Hyundai Genesis: I almost didn't choose this car even though it really is one of my favorite's. I was worried about people's opinion of Hyundai and that's when I realized I love it and that is all that matters. Hyundai just gets it. Anyone that knows me knows my heart is with Ford but I have to say that Hyundai gets it and they are doing things right. If your not up on Hyundai then go to a dealership and see where they are in quality. I would compare this company to Toyota when they first introduced Lexus. Toyota was on the rise towards the top and started a luxury brand, Lexus towards the top as well. Toyota better look out because here comes Hyundai and they look extremely confident. They have a plant here in Alabama as well as a Kia plant in Georgia. In my opinion Hyundai is trying to convert themselves into a Lexus type brand while having their Kia brand on a Toyota level. Their quality is damn close to Toyota and they are on track to at least get close to Lexus. They are coming out with their third luxury car soon and its expected to be around the $50,000.00 price range. That price range is no joke when it comes to the world class competitors that are selling cars in that range. Anyway the Genesis is priced around $40,000.00 and where Hyundai got it right, is they built a car that looks just like the BMW's, Lexus' and Mercedes' in the $80,000.00 price range. I would be a fool to tell you that this car is better than those vehicles, so I won't but I will tell you that it is better than almost every other car in its price range. Don't believe me? Go drive one, you will be impressed.

8.     GMC Acadia: I wanted to put my favorite SUV on the list and a year ago it would have been Cadillac Escalade, Ford Expedition or even a Nissan Armada. All three of these SUV's are huge and that's what I liked about them but my hunger for the overly large SUV  has ended. I owned a Ford Excursion in the past and on my personal plates I was going to get "EPA ENEMY" just for laughs. I am not really a enemy of the E.P.A. but I assumed they would hate me because of my gas guzzling V-10. Although hilarious to me, my wife refused to allow me this indulgence and she was probably right. So here I am picking an SUV that still has the third row if needed and can still tow over 5000 pounds. Not too shabby for a vehicle with a V-6 engine turning out 288hp while still getting 23 mpg. GM actually makes three SUV's on this platform including the Buick Enclave and Chevy Traverse. Anyone of these would fill my needs but I like the Acadia because of its styling. This vehicle is very sharp on the exterior while the interior would be more to my liking with a little luxury added. The Buick Enclave on the other hand is very well dressed on the interior but I am not crazy about the exterior. Well fear not boys and girls because this summer GMC is introducing the Acadia Denali which will pretty much be the Acadia dressed like a Cadillac. So I do believe this will solve my interior woe's. I have included to the right a picture of the exterior and interior of the Acadia and a third picture of the Buick Enclave interior so you can see what I mean by Buick having the nicer interior. I assume the Acadia Denali interior won't be far from that. Can't wait!

     With my top 8 favorite car's list completed now I am wanting to go out and buy another car but that is a feeling I get often and if I acted on that feeling I would have 500 cars and be in bankruptcy. However if I were to go out tomorrow to buy one of these vehicles it would be either the Buick Lacrosse or the Ford Taurus SHO. Not because they are my number one and two favorite's but because they are my favorite's in what would be my price range. Man, I love cars! What's your favorite?