Alright, there’s a reason for this cheap-shot of a Top 11 list…today is the day that I don’t get a dirty look for asking for a piece of cake with my dinner. It’s my birthday, and since the only thing I’ll ask for today from most people is to let me pick where I’m eating dinner at, I figured that this will be my one indulgence. Is it a wish list? Yep. Is it realistic? Not even close. If you’re making a wish list that’s bent towards being ‘realistic’, then you’re doing it wrong…and that’s why you only got socks and underwear for Christmas every year. I’ll probably have a fresh eleven choices tomorrow morning, and again the next day, but here’s a good example of what’s on the brain of yours truly now. Eleven cars, eleven reasons to keep working my hardest, eleven goals to achieve…aaand GO!

11. Fast G-body El Camino

I’ve had a G-body craving for a bit now. I’ve owned a couple of Cutlasses and a Monte SS, so I’ve wanted something different, and while the thought of a wicked-up 2+2 won’t go away, I could get more mileage out of an El Camino or Caballero. While thinking about it, I stumbled upon this car on eBay. Monte SS nose, Monte SS interior, floor shift, and a 350 under the hood, as GM should have made them. A toy that can work and play. Yes, please.

10. 1972-80 Dodge D300 Dually

This is for my honest work truck kink. I’d love one that’s been retrofitted to run a Cummins and five-speed, but I wouldn’t shut down a 440/727 truck at all. I just want it clean and honest…not stupid lift, no random tacked-on crap. Just like the pictured rig. Forget pavement princesses and coal-rollers…I’ll take Grandpa’s old work truck any day of the week.

9. The sketchy, abused Mustang IIAnother back-of-the-mind desire is the poor, abused Mustang II. Since few tend to like the quarter horses, entry can be cheap, and the build program is simple: small-block Ford, manual trans, enough cage to keep you from being crumpled into a squished ball of meat when things go south. The question then becomes, what would I do with it? It’s got to do everything well…which means burnouts, drifts, some dirt road hijinks…maybe a jump or two…

8. Chrysler Australia-sourced Charger

Keep the Hemi 6. I’ll take mine in small-block V8 form, please. A 408ci stroker LA in a car about the size of a Ford Maverick should be very entertaining, to say the least. Just make sure those slot mags are on it…anything else just doesn’t look right.

7. Jeep CJ-8 ScramblerA Jeep with a little more room, AMC power, and classic good looks. Why do I keep forgetting about these things when I answer the “Car from the year you were born” game? The only question I’d need to answer would be whether I’d want the six cylinder or the 304 V8.

6. 1977-1979 Chevy B-body coupe

One of GM’s best overall designs, one of the most expensive rear glass units you could ever hope to find. I’ve owned two of them, and had the Imperial gone away, another glasshouse Caprice or Impala was in the top three on the list to replace it.

5. Any OTR Semi“C’mon, honey, let’s go on a trip!” (If I don’t write anymore stories, send someone to recover my body.)

4. This Mercury.
All day, every day. Comfortable and performs well.

3. A rolling homeSell the house, sell the cars, work from home…wherever that winds up being that week. It’s a wish list…don’t judge me. Or, go ahead and judge. I’ll watch you giving me looks as you stand outside from the comfort of that bed in the back.

2. Third-Gen FirebirdA week ago, I drove my first third-gen F-body, a 1985 Trans Am with 44,000 miles on the clock. The lot that currently has the car wants about $8,000 for it, and to be fair, it’s worth what they are asking. The car itself was minorly impressive, mostly due to it’s never-driven condition, but what really surprised me was how comfortable I was…I loved it. The only way I want a third-gen is as a Firebird, preferably in black, without T-tops, one of the post-facelift cars (1986-up).

1. ANY OLD CAR!

Nothing against Angry Grandpa, but I’m having withdrawls…I’m taking the Great Pumpkin Mustang out for the occasional drive (which I really shouldn’t be doing right now) just to get wheel time in an older vehicle. Just look at the list! Every car on here, minus the big rig, is at least pushing thirty years old or so…and most of them, if not all, can be driven daily. No sweat.