20 Must-Drive Cars for your Bucket List

2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata

It's become common to hear people of all ages (even kids!) state that some thing or some place is on their "bucket list" (the things that you should do before you "kick the bucket"). What they often forget is that the Rob Reiner film, “The Bucket List,” is not about getting plopped down on top of a Himalayan peak: it is about the experience and journey getting up the peak. Here are some thoughts on the cars that that can make that journey an adventure.

Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

Bucket lists are usually full of all sorts of adventurous activities such as skydiving, mountain climbing, bear wrestling, and other various life-threatening events. The automotive equivalent of any one of these death-defying endeavors is the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. If you can’t strap yourself to a jet fighter under full throttle at takeoff, then this is the next best thing. Who needs the thrill of bungee jumping when you have 707 mad-as-heck horses under your right foot? The Hellcat proves that the muscle car isn’t dead; it’s better than ever and ready to shoot adrenaline straight into your brain. The sheer amount of absurd power is enough to make anyone feel alive. To make things even better, all of this face-ripping power can be had without draining your retirement account.

Photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Mazda Miata

Where the Hellcat is like cracking an egg with a wrecking ball, the Miata is a surgeon’s scalpel. The Miata is a bucket list must-have because of its purity and connectivity with the driver. It doesn’t matter if you choose a NA, NB, NC, or the latest ND, the Miata is a puppy that aims to please. The Miata is one of the few cars that truly feels connected with the driver, as if the car itself is an extension of the driver’s body. The Miata simply dances through corners, taking a less-is-more approach to motoring. Less weight simply means more fun. The bucket list equivalent to the Mazda Miata is taking up salsa dancing lessons. You simply have to have a drive in the Miata on your bucket list, it is one of the easiest mood enhancers out there today.

Jeep Wrangler

For the outdoor enthusiast, is anything better or more capable than a Jeep Wrangler? It doesn’t matter if it’s old, new, 2-door, or 4-door, a Jeep is incredibly fun. Not only is the Jeep itself a great addition to your automotive bucket list, it is also a great way of achieving your non-automotive related bucket list tasks, such as hiking or camping. With it’s rugged, go-anywhere attitude, the Wrangler is your friendly mule that will carry whatever you need to wherever you want. Not to mention that if you and a friend remove the hard or soft-top roof you have the pleasure of riding at one with the elements outside. The great thing about driving a Jeep is the experience of getting to your outdoorsy destination. There is something to be said when a vehicle has created an entire lifestyle around itself.

Alfa Romeo 4C

When is the last time you drove a brand new car that omitted electronically assisted steering? When is the last time you drove a brand new Alfa Romeo in the United States? The answer to these two questions alone are reason enough to have the Alfa Romeo 4C on your bucket list. You can also add drop dead gorgeous styling and the sweet sounds of the 4C’s turbo 4-cylinder engine placed right behind your ear, like an orchestra playing directly into your brain. The sounds, the looks, the feeling of it all are reasons the 4C should be on your automotive bucket list. If you ever played with slot cars as a child this is the car you must drive, it is ready and willing to be your very own personal slot car.

Photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Porsche 911/993

The last in a long line of air-cooled masterpieces, the 993 series Porsche 911 was the ultimate farewell to what was known as the “traditional Porsche.” Yes, the current 911 is perhaps the most technologically advanced 911 ever, but when it comes down to it, the 993 might be the best blend of tradition and technology that Porsche has ever created. There is a Turbo model with all wheel drive, an all-wheel drive 4S model, the Carrera, the Carrera S, the Targa, the Cabriolet. So many different flavors and each carrying a piece of the 911’s past and a hint of what was to come in the future generations leading up to today’s 991. So whether you are a car enthusiast or a history buff or both, the 993 series 911 is certainly worth making the jump to your bucket list.

Photo by Porsche

Pontiac Aztek

Stay with me here. The reason the Aztek makes the list of bucket list cars is because it makes you realize just how much better cars are today, except for a few exceptions. But overall, you have to experience the broomstick steering, mushy brakes, excessive body roll, and pure ugliness of the exterior to get the full effect. The crazy thing is this is probably my being an optimist, but is it really that bad? Is it possible that maybe all the bad qualities of the Aztek make it charming? Maybe like a pug, the Aztek, with its hunchback and plastic cladding, is kind of cute? Plus, it is somewhat versatile; remember the tent that could be attached to the hatch? That was a neat feature, and it was useful. So maybe things aren’t so bad with the Aztek.

Toyota Supra Mark IV

The Mark IV Toyota Supra proved Toyota was not messing around with turning its halo car into a full-fledged performance beast. Introduced in 1993 and added to thousands of bucket lists shortly after, the Toyota Supra was a technological wonder. The phenomenal 2JZ engine is still an incredible engine, able to handle upwards of four times the power the stock twin turbo Supra could produce. For it’s time the Supra was a monster and with the Mark IV it went out with a bang. If you get the chance to drive one of these, do not pass up the opportunity. With the Supra’s popularity among tuners, due to being the hero car in the original “Fast and the Furious” movie, it is hard to find a stock one, but if you do find one you will be transported back into the ’90s, a time when great Japanese sports cars roamed the planet with nothing but having tire-shredding fun on their minds.

Volkswagen Beetle

Smiling has been scientifically proven to be a rewarding experience for us humans. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a car that could produce limitless smiles from not only you but also the people around you? What if there was a car that instantly made the world a happier place? There is such a car. The original Volkswagen Beetle became synonymous with hippies, peace, and love. Driving an original Beetle is a must for anyone’s bucket list, because it can instantly lift your spirits just puttering down the road. People you have never met wave at you, people stop by while you pump gas to ask questions, people give you thumbs up. As far as mass appeal there is no other car like a Beetle.

Porsche Boxster

The Porsche Boxster is like a nice pair of worn-in sneakers. It’s practical, comfortable, and capable. It has two trunks, after all, and it’s mid-engined. The best part is that the top can be put back and the world becomes one with the car as well as the driver. The flat-6 engine sings behind you gloriously as you power down winding roads with the top down, with only headlights and the stars above lighting the way. Much like a nice run in your worn-in sneakers, taking the Boxster down a winding road is a great way to relieve stress and get some personal thinking time. Everything about the Boxster makes it approachable and easy to have fun with. For Zen-seekers as well as sun or moon seekers, there is no question the Boxster is a bucket list must-have.

Photo by Porsche

Acura NSX

When the Acura NSX debuted over twenty years ago it was unheard of that a sports car could be exciting to drive but also usable as a daily commuter. The NSX changed all that. It was happy to putter around town and equally as happy carving corners. Billed as an affordable, livable exotic, the NSX as a great all-around sports car. It could be a docile as an Accord or as wild as a Ferrari, it all depended on how the driver was feeling at the moment. For an added thrill there was a targa top available as well. With the new NSX finally just around the corner, there’s hope that the NSX name will continue to live on.

Photo by Acura