When we name our Best Car to Buy 2017 on Monday morning, the winner will join an esteemed list of performance cars.

It's a big honor, and it's one we take seriously. Our staff has spent hours behind the wheel of each of this year's nominees. Needless to say, this year's challenge may have been our greatest yet. 

But let's now take a walk through history and consider what cars won us over in years past. 

2016 Chevrolet Camaro convertible

2016 Chevrolet Camaro convertible

2016: Chevrolet Camaro SS

Last year, the award went to the Chevrolet Camaro SS. Still one of the world's greatest performance bargains, the Camaro won us over because of its lighter curb weight and its far better behaved chassis. We said just a year ago that, "in its latest iteration, the Camaro SS is one of the most capable, pavement-melting, mind-bending performance cars on the road."

And that's definitely still true today. The Camaro has been a hit with buyers and, with the upcoming 1LE, it's poised to get even better. 

2016 Alfa Romeo 4C

2016 Alfa Romeo 4C

2015: Alfa Romeo 4C

Eschewing practicality, we were positively charmed by the snarling little Alfa 4C. Marking the brand's return to the United States after two decades (excluding the ultra-limited 8C Competizione), the 4C brought Italian style and a raw chassis to the masses. 

"The Alfa Romeo 4C is not just a car, it’s an experience," we said. "It’s something every enthusiast should drive just to know what passion and lust and sensuality are about behind the wheel of a car."

We still agree with that, even though the 4C hasn't exactly been a sales success. We're hoping that the Alfa Romeo Giulia will be a serious contender for buyers' hearts when it hits the market soon, however.

2015 Porsche Cayman GTS

2015 Porsche Cayman GTS

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG

2014: Porsche Cayman and Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG

For 2014's award, we were wowed by a pair of Germans and we split our award. We liked the Cayman for its balance and its precision. The CLA45 AMG, meanwhile, was something of a surprise. While Mercedes has done fast cars, it hadn't really done great-handling AMGs. At least up until the CLA45.

"It is, quite possibly, the best all-around, attainable, everyday enthusiast car we've driven," we said of the CLA45.

But don't discount the Cayman. "Scrabbling for grip at every apex, slinging out of corners with throttle-steerable ease, hanging on the driver's every input, the Cayman seems to know what you want the moment you want it," we wrote back then. 

Today, the CLA45 AMG remains essentially unchanged, but the Cayman now boasts a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine lineup.

 

2013 Porsche Boxster

2013 Porsche Boxster

2013: Porsche Boxster

We loved its sibling a year later, so it shouldn't come as much surprise that the open-top, entry-level Porsche sports car would win our Best Car to Buy 2013 award. Porsche has simply nailed the mid-engined sports car concept since the first Boxster arrived all the way back in 1997, and its refinements over the years have only made it better.

Back in late 2012, we said that the Boxster "sums up almost all of what a luxurious, fun, and timeless sports car should be."

A new Boxster is here, and like its Cayman sibling, it shaves two cylinders off. 

Original 1964 Porsche 911 and the Type-991 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S

Original 1964 Porsche 911 and the Type-991 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S

2012: Porsche 911

We have had a thing for Porsches, haven't we? Internally called the 991, the then-new Porsche 911 remains one of the most pure sports cars built so far in the 21st century.

We praised the 911 back then for its "unique combination of speed, beauty, comfort, and practicality, plus its continued heritage of excellence and the somewhat inexplicable factor of just how satisfying it is to drive."

Have things changed? Well, a new 911 (now called the 991.2) is here, and its engine lineup is all turbocharged (and not just the 911 Turbo). We love it just as much. 

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

2011: Cadillac CTS-V Coupe and Wagon

For years, we (and all enthusiasts, for that matter) begged automakers for sporty wagons. And, of all companies, it was Cadillac who listened to us. The company created both a wagon version and a stylish coupe companion based on of edgy CTS sedan. Predictably, we loved them both, awarding them with our inaugural Best Car to Buy award. 

"Because they're two tire-shredding, lust-inducing, finely tuned, and well-crafted variations on a theme that belongs in any luxury and performance enthusiast's garage," we said, explaining our original rationale. That's criteria we've kept today—as you'll see when we announce our winner on Monday. 

But you can't have a CTS-V Coupe or Wagon today, at least if you want a new one. Cadillac jettisoned the coupe and wagon body styles when it revamped the CTS lineup a couple of years back. While the latest CTS-V is polished and rocket fast, it lacks some of the raw edge that made its predecessor so appealing to enthusiasts.