DDing a classic car...

[c0mmon]

I DD'd a 79 El Camino

+ Somewhat Reliable
+ ez to work on

- Floats
- Sh*t MPG
- Not fast enough for MPG
- Terrible Handling
- Terrible brakes
- Bad steering feel
- Bad seats
- Weather=GG
- 20 year old bolts are annoying


i also DD'd a ?82? scirocco. The list is extremely different if we were talking about that

[Rabbitguy21]

I DD'd my Nova for 3 years. But It had a six banger in it for 2 of those three years. Gas was only 1.50 a gallon too. It was fun and reliable. I wouldn't want to daily mine again until I upgrade the brakes, 4 wheel drum's doesn't stop to well. If you have a short commute and don't care about gas prices go for it. But like other people said 3 speed auto's with 373's or 411's suck.

[Broduski]

buy engine parts and origanal engines for late 60's mustangs and Cameron's, not to mention the cost and time of getting 40+ year old engine to run if it's been sitting up for a while.

Those engines are extremely common and easy to get parts for.

[veedubbed314]

There are a lot of people in the Aircooled forum that DD their Type I, II, Ghias, Things, IV's with mpg's in the 30's and dirt cheap prices for parts. As soon as I can get enough money I am going to pick up a 60's-early 70's bug or notchback.

[Pablo1.8t]

I've driven my '67 Mustang with a 302 4 barrel twice now as a daily. I drove just recently every day 40 miles to work and back. My restore is not perfect but the car is in decent shape. I only had a few problems driving it. One, was gas mileage was horrible, i was putting $80 a week in gas. The other was no radio, which is a simple fix of course. I also had a problem with a few random things going out or need to be replaced, but it is a 40 year old car and those things were not replaced during the restore. It was not fun in the rain, mine does not have a/c so it fogged up and I had to drive with the windows cracked, even in the winter time. Also traction was a problem with a V8 and narrow tires.

I just wanted to give you some advice from someone who has done it a few times. I love driving my car but it's not my first choice for a daily driver. Also, to find a decent car that is not super rare you should probably only spend around $10k or less.

Any other info you need feel free to PM me.

[GahannaKid]

Anecdotes are not data. While I don't discount the story, the data that's out there says that statistically you will be much safer in a modern car.

There is no denying that newer vehicles are safer. That said if you wear your seatbelts in all but the most serious of accidents you should be fine. There is no reason to fear an older vehicle

- Terrible breaks

Whenever something breaks, isn't that terrible

[Wanganrunner]

Anecdotes are not data. While I don't discount the story, the data that's out there says that statistically you will be much safer in a modern car.

And you'll be safer in an Excursion than in an NSX, should we all buy Excursions?

I'm guessing you don't ride motorcycles.



I DD a '78 Mercedes 240D 4spd, and so far it's about as painless as classic cars gets. Parts are a little more expensive than your typical American iron, but it's also built like a brick.

Methinks people shxtting on this idea haven't ever done it before. Most old cars are pretty simple, have WIDE parts availability (especially Mustangs and Camaros), are easy for any mechanic to work on, are equally easy to DIY, and are perfectly comfortable to DD.

If you're hell-bent on your DD having Bluetooth or whatever, why even wander into this thread?

Granted, something old and uncommon may not be such a good idea, because when something breaks, no matter how reliable, it will be tough to get parts, but you can literally build a 60's Mustang from spare parts these days. It may as well be a 90's Civic, but it's easier to work on, looks better, and gets crappier gas mileage. It's not exactly a Hispano-Suiza.

I can't imagine wanting to own one if I didn't DIY, but honestly I can't imagine wanting to own any car if I couldn't DIY.

[NashGTI]

It depends on what you mean by a classic car, you could daily drive a classic pony car without any trouble what so ever. It would be no less reliable than a modern car and much easier/cheaper to fix.

The question becomes can you daily drive a Valuable classic car, do you trust people to leave your car alone when you're not around? Another question is the ability to actually use the damn thing, I've almost got to plan ahead with my old Pontiac because there are some places you just can't physically fit the car. The up side, I've put a water pump on it, $30, and an alternator, $36. If it needed shocks it would require about $20 a piece.

The flip side of cars is classic motorcycles, those become much more of an issue but are still doable. I ride my 79 Honda regularly to work and back from about April until the end of October. There is definately much more of a tradeoff in bikes than cars though, if a car from the 60s is well maintained it will drive like a car from the 90s no problem, a well maintained bike from the 70s will ride like a well maintained bike from the 40s. It's not a problem for me, I've had the thing for years and know what to expect. Everyone I've ever let take it around the block though says they won't get on it again, and I've actually been told a couple times I'm crazy to ride it like I do.

[Albeezy36]

The only credible knock anyone in this thread has made against DD'ing a classic is crash safety.

People daily less or equally efficient vehicles.

They are simple and generally very easy to work on.

Lack of creature comforts is what gets tiring to me. Make sure the seats are comfortable and that you've got a working stereo and heat and/or AC if you need it.

Have a back-up vehichle, a AAA card, and go out have fun!

[Bias_Ply]

ventilation systems are not modern, otherwise go for it!

[Chris Stack]

heat and/or AC if you need it.

This and snow/salt would be my only real concerns, but as the OP is in San Fran, I don't think either is a huge concern, so why not?

[Albeezy36]

so why not?

Agreed. Get a timing light, a set of feeler gauges, and a vacuum gauge and go to town.

You'll be a dizzy and carb tuner in no time whether you like it or not.

Old cars have more charm than anything else out there, plus the attention is neat too.

[MCTB]

DD'd every single day, no matter the weather, for two years.

[Chris_V]

DD'd every single day, no matter the weather, for two years.

Nice. Same color as the GT I'm painting in my garage right now.

[saron81]

DD'd every single day, no matter the weather, for two years.

I DD mine for 4+ years... all weather, beltway traffic... never let me down.

[OldsPowered]

ventilation systems are not modern, otherwise go for it!

Not always, my '75 Duster has working A/C and heat, complete with recirculate and defog. Once I got the recirc working right the A/C became awesome.





I DD'd my Duster for a while, and still do often. I even wrote about it:

http://www.autotraderclassics.com/ca...ic-73471.xhtml


I specifically chose the '75 model because it has shoulder belts. Sure I'm probably safer in my 2002 Camry, but this is the life I have chosen, I can't be a professional "classic car guy" if I don't own any old cars.

[MCTB]

Nice. Same color as the GT I'm painting in my garage right now.

Its tough to find the right shade of BRG. Some are too blue and others are too green. Jags is about as close to perfect as I could find.



It never let me down either. Always got me to work and home. I even took numerous 300+ mile trips in it.

[Air and water do mix]

I've driven my '67 Mustang with a 302 4 barrel twice now as a daily. I drove just recently every day 40 miles to work and back. My restore is not perfect but the car is in decent shape. I only had a few problems driving it. One, was gas mileage was horrible, i was putting $80 a week in gas. The other was no radio, which is a simple fix of course. I also had a problem with a few random things going out or need to be replaced, but it is a 40 year old car and those things were not replaced during the restore. It was not fun in the rain, mine does not have a/c so it fogged up and I had to drive with the windows cracked, even in the winter time. Also traction was a problem with a V8 and narrow tires.

That is one thing that many forget. Modern HVAC systems make a car not only more pleasurable to be in, but far safer because of vastly improved defrosting. Couple that with "hit and miss" wipers and the difference is even more dramatic.

[Air and water do mix]

There are a lot of people in the Aircooled forum that DD their Type I, II, Ghias, Things, IV's with mpg's in the 30's and dirt cheap prices for parts. As soon as I can get enough money I am going to pick up a 60's-early 70's bug or notchback.

Most Bugs really don't pull more that upper 20s in mixed driving, especially 1600s. A 36 horse? Hell yeah, some have done far better than my Fit, but you have 36 hp, too. (!)

[MCTB]

That is one thing that many forget. Modern HVAC systems make a car not only more pleasurable to be in, but far safer because of vastly improved defrosting. Couple that with "hit and miss" wipers and the difference is even more dramatic.

My solution and it worked extremely well. Dont forget that many old cars have vent wing windows which are great for directing air to help clear up windshields.

[saron81]

Nice. Same color as the GT I'm painting in my garage right now.

We seem to have very similar vehicle taste.

[Cousin Eddie]

If our climate was a little more favorable I would daily my Datsun Z. It has been an awesome car and is very reliable/cheap to fix. I take it on long drives throughout the summer and it doesn't skip a beat.

However the reality here is if I were to daily it through the winter the car would melt from our road salt.

[Air and water do mix]

My solution and it worked extremely well. Dont forget that many old cars have vent wing windows which are great for directing air to help clear up windshields.

Don't worry, I'm quite familiar with both products.

It doesn't work that well on Beetles, because of their short flat windscreens, too. It's OK, but not nearly as good as cars with a laid-back windshield. I would imagine Things, Jeeps and other such cars would have similar issues.

If you drive an early split-screen Microbus, don't EVER use Rain-X, though. If the upper ventilation is open, it brings water into the car, if it's closed, the water moves in little circles right in your line of sight!!!

[NBDuke]

Wow, this is not the direction I was expecting this thread to go but I'm glad there are a lot of people with more or less positive experiences. I'll have to start looking more seriously into what can and can't be had in the price range and how they are to drive. Oldest car I've driven is a '96 Saab 900.

[Rocambolesque]

If I were to live on the west coast where older cars are still somewhat affordable, I'd totally do it.

[barry2952]

I daily drive my classics all summer long. There usually isn't a day that I'm not behind the wheel of something really old. I drove my '33 Continental across Michigan last summer. A friend drove his Model A Ford for 365 days straight. People drive 'mid-'60s cars around here all the time. They must not be from here as they have no rust. The cars don't have to be anything but old to be cool and get attention.

The key behind vintage driving is remembering to drive within the capabilities of the vehicle. Brakes are the biggest concern. Mid-60's cars like to go fast in a straight line, but turning or stopping can be a problem for stock cars. However, there are disc brake kits and suspension bits that can make one quite livable.


For $25 K you can find a very nice slab-side Lincoln, stock or lowered to suite your tastes.