I thought if I stuck to MT COTY I would be safe. I want to trade-in my birth year.

I may win this debate.... here are my choices, IMO from the bottom to the top (cars able to be purchased and driven in the USA only here - sorry Alfa 164)

1987 Chevy Beretta

I’m sure there are cars from every year that are great, if you look far enough afield. That said, I think I would be pretty lucky only to drive cars from my birth year, with some standouts like the BMW 2002, the Datsun 510, Ferrrari 365 GT, Mustang Boss 302, Chevelle SS... but I think if I had to pick one from 1970 it…

Even though the 80's were mostly meh, in 1987 I can find plenty to love.

I take you to the bizarre time of the VERY early 1990s, a time when there were still two Germanys and the Soviet Union was in it’s winter. A time when somehow the Citroën 2CV, the Trabant, the DeTomaso Pantera and Square Body GM Pickups were all still available for purchase NEW. But you could also pick yourself up a…

Being born in 1991, I wouldn’t be screwed, actually I think I’d do just fine since some really cool cars were around then. I would be disappointed that I couldn’t drive some of my future must-own list like an original Viper and 2013-14 C63, but I could cry about that in my 928 GT, 500E, and Alfa SZ.

I’m okay.

Close. ‘72.

I had a birth year car. I thought it would be good karma right up until it got totaled while parked.

Hmm, 1994, so vehicles launched in that year that I would quite like to own are the Ferrari F355, Jaguar XJ X300, BMW 7 series E38 and the P38A Range Rover. Damn, sorta great looking year then, I’m not complaining also quite good cars. Probs the Rangie or F355, sorta have a soft spot for manual V8s.

I could happily rock an 83 bmw 633csi.

Not a problem! In fact I owned a 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT, my birth year, for 12 years.

Ok so I’ve got a few more years on the clock than many here. I would be sacrificing safety, MPGs, lead-free exhaust, parts availability and a host of other things we now take for granted. BUT.... my DD would be one of my all-time favorites, a 53 Hudson Hornet:

‘86 944 Turbo

1970 was a great year for cars. As long as you like the faint whiff of burning motor oil and the knowledge that getting T-boned by a new Yaris could kill you. But yeah, I’ll take it.

I could live with it. Compression ratios (and horsepower) were starting to fall and cars were on the cusp of getting uglier and more bloated, but we were at the tail end of the small-bumper era and there were still some nice looking cars that had carried over from earlier times.

Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider.

Nothing from the US, but early 80s gets you some sweet sweet air-cooled 911 goodness and plenty of Japanese coupes with popup headlights.

The sporty/exotic cars of 1984 are iconic (Testarossa, Countach, 930 Turbo, C4 Corvette) but the daily driver types are pretty close to rock bottom.

I’d have to go with something German or Japanese (or maybe Swedish?) for the mid eighties. Not much from America was good back then.