So as a kid I played ton of Mario Kart on SNES and N64, but didn't play much after that. I tried every new MK at some point, but didn't play them much. In my nostalgia goggles, the SNES and N64 games were great and everything after that was meh.

But I dusted off my Wii U and played some Mario Kart 8. I've played quite a bit actually, even bought the DLC. Quite frankly, its pretty awesome.

So I've been on a tear over the past month or two. I've been playing through EVERY Mario Kart in no exact order just the ones I felt like play at the moment.

So I've come to this conclusion and probably my best to worst...

Mario Kart 8 - Best (gorgeous on my projector)
Mario Kart Wii - Very good
Mario Kart 7 - Very good but I hate playing on a portable device
Mario Kart DS - I really enjoyed this one, I bought it on the Wii U Virtual Console, but its hideous due to the low resolution.
Mario Kart Double Dash - This is when the series actually became great by modern standards and still how the series essentially plays.
Mario Kart SNES - The N64 game is arguably better, but I just find this one more enjoyable and the simplicity works.
Mario Kart N64 - Still fun but hasn't aged great. Playing on Wii U Virtual Console which atleast makes it look and run better.
Mario Kart GBA - The worst. Not easy on the eyes either. I actually own a physical copy but primarily played on emulation.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is even better.

I assume so, but I'm not sure there is enough there to motivate me to buy it again.

I get that. I got it cheaper, so I bought it.

I myself never got to play EVERY Mario Kart game, but 8/8 Deluxe is easily the best one I have played. I almost feel like I cant go back and play previous iterations, mainly because 8/8 Deluxe has spoiled me so much in terms of content and visuals. If I were to rank the ones I've played, it would be as follows.

1. Mario Kart 8/8 Deluxe
2. Mario Kart Double Dash
3. Mario Kart 7
4. Mario Kart 64 (I've only played this one a tiny bit with friends, so I have no real connection to it)
5. Mario Kart Wii (the only MK game I can say that I hate)

I have only played about 4 or 5 of them. I'm not sure if I played the one for snes. But I do remember playing the one on 64 a lot with fam and friends. The one for the GameCube Double Dash was my favorite. So many sleepless nights playing with my cousins and brother. It was an awesome time. When the Wii rolled around we still kept playing double dash. Afterwards, everyone went their own way and I've never been able to really get back into the franchise. Played the one for Wii and Wii U a few times at a friend's house, but it just wasn't the same anymore for me. Maybe one day I'll have another reason to pick one up again. 

I guess my views on it have also changed. 

My top 3 are identical, but I still put Mario Kart 64 as 4th because I find it still aged better than the others on the list. MK Cubed and GBA were kind of shite even in their time, but have also aged terribly. DS and SNES I have found have also not aged well at all

I’d probably not question anyone asking to play MK8, Wii, or 7, but any of the other games I would likely question the reasoning.

I was a little unpleasantly shocked at how outdated the SNES version was when I played it on SNES Mini. It was easily the poorest aged game in the collection; most games actually aged very well. But MK SNES wasn’t as shockingly outdated feeling as the DS version which I played with some friends after only maybe 7-8 months after playing MK7 regularly - constant drops of connection, and the controls felt super floaty and simplistic.

But yeah, MK8 Deluxe really takes the series to new heights. It’s basically Mario Kart 8 on steroids plus a vastly superior local multiplayer, and a battle mode.

Double Dash
Wii
7

Honestly think they are not very good. GBA one is awesome. MK8 is easily the best in the series. Love SNES and N64 ones.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is definitely the pinnacle of the series. It is extremely polished and refined.

My nostalgia favorite is MK DD.

I enjoyed MK7 a lot, though it just feels like a vastly inferior version of MK8 now, so it is hard for me to go back.

MKDS was fun but I'm also on the same boat when it comes to playing on the DS/3DS.

64 and GBA feel like trash. Wii is pretty awful too IMO.

Mario Kart 8 is definitely the best this franchise has to offer, especially with DX and fixing issues with the original