Looking back, the one thing most of my cars had in common was an interesting engine. In high school I had a '92 Mazda MX3 with a 1.8 liter V6. Loved that car. Handled like a go-cart, and that engine felt the same whether it was idling at 250! Rpm, or wound out to 7000rpm. Smooth like a sewing machine.
Traded that in on my only new car ever, an 01 Mustang GT. That engine was fun if not overly powerful. It was also apparently indestructible. I bought it in April, then did around 150 runs at the local drag strip over the next 5 months. I sold that car with 187k on the clock, and it still didn't burn a drop of oil in between 7500 mile oil changes.
Next was an 03 VW Jetta Gli. That's when I fell in love with their VR6. Great engine. Good sound, smooth, and enough torque that you didn't have to shift out of sixth to pass quickly at any speed above 50. Put 50k on that one in 3 years, then started looking for my VW R32. It took me six months to find it as they were pretty rare to begin with. When it finally popped up, there were only 5 in the country for sale with under 50k miles. I ended up buying it sight unseen from a dealer outside of Chicago and having it shipped across country.
Best car I've ever had. Great motor, known as the Wookie due to its sound. Handles extremely well, and will walk through snow up to around 5" like its dry pavement. It looks small; but was able to fit a 55" TV in the back, and when we went out for dinner last year around Christmas, Joccasse was able to sit his rather tall self comfortably, while my fiancee had plenty of legroom sitting behind him. I honestly have no idea what I'll replace it with as my do everything car when the time comes.
Then there's my 09 Challenger SRT8. Got it last year with 12k miles on it, and have put another 12k on it since. Good looking, comfortable, and has a great engine. I believe it's the last of the old school V8s. No direct injection, no variable valve timing, no cylinder deactivation. It roars when you floor it, burps and snorts when you lift off the throttle. It's incredibly unrefined, and that's why I love it. It's just too bad that it handles exactly like you'd think a 4200# car would. I will however replace it with another Challenger when the time comes, likely a Hellcat though. Charisma for miles with this car; plus I thoroughly enjoy the dirty looks I get from Prius drivers when I'm in it.