I've given up on Subaru not having derivative styling. As long as it's not hideous like the current gen Impreza, I don't buy Subaru's for styling. What makes Subaru unique and quirky (for at least now) are its boxer engines and AWD. That and that they continue to be a great bang for your buck, especially if you live…

Seems like most people out there think it's a real life version of this, which I think is a HUGE step up from current gen Impreza.

@audifan7: My experience comes from being the token "poor kid" who ski raced in NH and sailed competitively as a kid and then went to college at G'town which has its own Vineyard Vines store. I guess the other fate of the Grand Wagoneer would be it being totaled after Muffy or Biff had too many beers and flipped it…

@David Hume: Good point about the 300 or 9000 and volvo, key being daddy bought new years ago. My thoughts on the prep culture come from growing up in Massachusetts and attending a "not quite" Ivy school. It may be old but TOPH still rings very true.

@ThnderbltDoherty: Very true. As to #3) I'm pretty sure that most MoHo's end up as LUGs.

One of the major facets of the preppy lifestyle is quality things that stay in the family for generations. This not only applies to the 4000sqft "cottage" on Nantucket or wooden racing sloop but also the family car.

For that money you could get a very nice 64-66 Barracuda/Valiant 273 Commando. It may not be blistering fast and have taken a few knocks from the fugly stick. For a lot less money, you can get a slant six version with a 3 on the tree.

@Maymar: No 4.0L until 1987. My parents sadly had a 1986 with the GM 2.8L. Thing went through more oil than gas.

@Franken-Subie: Some great hoonage as some superfluous evidence of a pretty much stock XJ's off-road prowess and toughness

I have to go with the XJ over the SJ Cherokee, especially when equipped with a manual and the 4.0L. Yes, it's unibody but it still has plenty of off-road ability and is tough as nails.

I strongly feel that if we required the ability to drive a manual transmission to get a license there would be far fewer of these problems.

Sorry all, picture didn't load and won't let me edit.

I'm biased but first-gen Outback Sports take the cake in my book. They're ugly as sin, incredibly useful, reliable, and almost always have between 0-3 hubcaps over black steel wheels. My father uses his to haul shovels and buckets of dirt. I can't remember the last time the back seat wasn't folded flat. It's a…

I'm biased but these little things take the cake in my book. Bonus points for not having hubcaps. My father uses his to haul shovels and buckets of dirt. It's a wagon with a soul of a pickup.

@Psiu! Puxa!: Your 244 is the coolest!: It was just a preview. Apparently this is the whole thing.

This one's easy. Looks like a JDM STI but with a whooping 165hp.

The GM 2.8L V6 LR2 spec. Had one with a 2 barrel in an 86 Cherokee. It put out a whopping 115hp and ate head gaskets. Not all of the 2.8's were bad especially the MPFIs in the Celebrity etc but the Jeep application was terrible.

@KAR120C: Good point on the Peugeot tranny. My friend had one in his Wrangler and blew it up. He ended up swapping it for a junkyard automatic which was cheaper than fitting an AX-15. He never took out the clutch pedal though - pretty funny.

@KAR120C: Sadly these were cheap but C4C really ruined it.

@ProfessorSlowmobile: Absolutely! There are few cars so overbuilt as the Impreza. The 4EAT was used on Pathfinders for a while.