This Is The Jalopnik Staff Fleet As We Head Into 2025

Well, the on-its-last-legs Subaru Forester I complained about last year stuck around for most of another year, but I recently replaced it with this 2015 Fiat 500e. Can it tow a train across five states without needing to stop to charge? Nope, but it gets me around town just fine, and that’s the reason I bought it. You’ve just got to accept that a decade-old compliance car isn’t going to get the same kind of range you’ll find in a new Lucid. Also, I’m still madly in love with the color.

Oh, and the E39 still lives with my parents. It’s still as fantastic to drive as ever, only falling apart a bit more than it has been in the past. Maybe this year, I’ll be able to throw some money at getting the 54oi back into better condition.

This right here is my college car. I got it the summer before my senior year at Penn State, and since then I’ve put about 40,000 miles on it. Here’s the thing, though: I haven’t driven it in like two years. I like in New York City and I get press cars whenever I need to drive.

Still, this has been a trusty companion on so many road trips. From South Carolina, Vermont, Washington D.C. and multiple trips back up to Penn State, this thing is a rock. Is it slow as shit? Yes. Do I have to use one of those annoying-ass Bluetooth-to-FM receivers to play my own music because the nice people at Ford didn’t think it was worth it to include an AUX jack? You bet. Is the gas mileage pitiful even though it has a V6 engine? Good lord yes, but this thing just keeps on kicking.

Maybe one day I’ll drive it again, but more likely than not it’ll just sit in my parents’ driveway in New Jersey until I get around to selling it. I love this stupid car so much.

I love this stupid car so much too. Despite the amount of money I’ve spent keeping it going over my four-and-a-bit years of ownership, every single time I drive it I get reminded how wonderful it is.

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been infatuated with the E85 Z4... for better or worse. I always considered it my attainable dream car, and while it hasn’t always been a dream to own, I always find it to be a dream to drive. I know that 7-year-old me looking at pictures of a 2003 Z4 in an auto magazine would be incredibly proud of the fact I was able to get one.

Sadly, much like my Explorer, I’ve barely driven this thing over the past couple of years. It lives in New Jersey with my parents, and my dad drives it every once in a while, so at least that’s something. You see, I bought this car in September of 2020. I was fresh-ish out of college and living at home. Within two months I was living in Manhattan and obviously no longer needed a car. I’ve constantly considered selling it. Even with the work I’ve put into it, it’s appreciated a decent amount since I first bought it. But, every single time I drive it I say “forget it,” and fall back in love.

Just a couple months into the new year my 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SL got totaled while parked. Luckily I got a pretty great insurance payout, which I promptly spent on a one-owner 2006 Mercedes CLS500. I wanted something flashy and design-forward, especially following up a two-tone teal car with chrome wheels and gold badges, and the world’s first true four-door coupe in metallic gold is a worthy successor. You’d never guess that this design is more than two decades old; it looks just as fresh and striking as it did back then.

This is the newest car I’ve owned by at least twelve years and it has all sorts of features I’ve never had in my own car before, like heated and ventilated seats, a bangin’ surround sound system, parking sensors, a power sunshade, xenon headlights that swivel, keyless entry, and a lot more. I’m never going back to a shitbox again.

It’s also my first V8 and first car with over 300 horsepower, but thanks to a 7-speed automatic transmission I’ve been getting the same gas mileage as my inline-six SL around town and a lot better mileage on the freeway. This car is quiet, smooth and so comfortable — it’s got four-corner air suspension with adjustable dampers, which I love — and in terms of handling and overall driving feel it rivals today’s luxury cars.

It helps that this one was very well taken care of, with just over 80,000 miles when I bought it. I wish I could go back in time and talk to ten-year-old me, who was obsessed with the CLS from the moment he saw it on the December 2003 Automobile magazine cover. He’d be so happy to know that driving and owning the CLS has exceeded his hype.

Just like last year, I’ve got a single-vehicle fleet over here: My BMW F800GS, which could become your F800GS if you’re interested. It’s been great to me, but I’ve got new goals in motorcycling and I think 2025 will bring me a bike more suited for my use cases. Less suited for my soft cases, though. Gonna have to figure that one out.

I’ve still just got Miss Mini, my 2017 F55 Mini Cooper S 5-door Hardtop. The rest of my money goes to existing in the City of Angels. I had to get a transmission position sensor replaced, but that was a not-recall recall that Mini sent me a letter about, and my car had the fault, so it was all covered. Other than that I just installed a Powerstop big brake kit.

Being in this business, one might assume that we all drive something cool. Not this guy. I’m still driving my 2018 Hyundai Sonata SE. Mostly because I finally got an engine replacement, so despite the car having over 170,000 miles on the car now, the engine only has about 13,000 miles. The Sonata will be getting replaced soon by... something. Just know it’ll be way more exciting to drive than this.

Hey gang. I am still the proud owner of a 2015 Volkswagen TDI Sportwagen. Does it still do what I need it to do? Hell yeah. It’s still a road-tripping badass that hasn’t given me much in the way of troubles save for a dead infotainment system I still refuse to pay the $1500 to repair. I use a rearview mirror and a JBL speaker and they work just fine. This is the kind of half-assed car ownership you only get from a semi-shut-in in the Midwest. We are closing in on 100k miles of ownership after 10 years, so I’ll write a full update on life with a cheater-diesel for y’all in the new year.

My husband added a bouncing certified pre-owned 2021 Ford Escape Titanium into the mix this year. He bought it because he owned a 2010 Ford Escape, and had no interest in trying out literally any other car. Ah well, he gets what he wants cause I’m just such a husband-gal.

2020 Harley-Davidson Livewire
2016 Audi A3 E-Tron
2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel
2001 Porsche 911 Turbo
1999 Ducati Monster Cromo
1997 Porsche Boxster project car
1996 Dodge Neon ACR
1996 BMW R1100 GS
1983 Honda MB5
1976 Porsche 912E

I am down to six cars and four motorcycles. This is progress for me.