A mechanic working at the local GM talked be into buying his big block Olds Cutlass. It was a year old and looked like fun. On a drag strip it would go from 0 to 60 mph in about 5 seconds. But on the road any irregularities made the suspension give up and chatter the car off the road. It had a big 4-bbl, tromp on the pedal and one could literally watch the gas gage go down. At normal speeds it wasn't bad because only two throats opened on the carburator. Also a poor car for Alberta with its salted roads in winter- the floor of the trunk rusted through and I lost some tools. Those who got that big block but upgraded the suspension had a pretty good car, but mine was a dog.

A lucky hit on the stock market (at the time was there anyone in Alberta who didn't gamble on questionable stocks?) and I ordered a 1972 BMW CS 3.0 from the local dealer. Now that was a great car- not for drag, but excellent for the highway and it tracked well on mountain roads.
A trip to Georgia took me through Montana which had no speed limits on highways at the time, and I was able to wheel along at a smooth 125 mph. An ideal car for the prairies where everything is far apart. Not bad in crowded highway situations either, we left central Georgia in the morning and we ate dinner in Montreal that evening.
A couple of years later I was in Kiel, Germany, and rented a BMW with the same mechanics, but a sedan. It hadn't been strangled like those for the North American market, and when I touched the pedal to leave the lot, I spun the wheels. Of course I had to drive a stretch of autobahn, but that not pleasant- going along at 100, a car would come up rapidly from behind and blink its lights, meaning move over or get rammed.

The car kept its value; in 1995 I sold it to my son for 150% of original cost and he was able to include it on his investment portfolio. Still near perfect- never run on salted roads in winter.

Now I drive an old suv, hauling stuff and dogs back and forth when I visit the kids.