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Projects Makes more sense to buy OLDER cars

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by 62rebel, Jan 23, 2019.

  1. flatheadpete
    Joined: Oct 29, 2003
    Posts: 10,478

    flatheadpete
    Member
    from Burton, MI

    A few years ago I was headed north on I75 (I spend a lot of miles headed that way) in my '50 Ford. Buzzin' along about 85-90 mph...when I see an orange blur of a car coming up fast from behind. Next thing I know, theres's a newer Lamborghini right next to me with two guys taking pics of ME in my crappy old car. Yep...Their big $$ Italian bull was cool but they were going crazy seeing an old Ford bustin' ass on the freeway. I think I'll keep it.
     
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  2. williebill
    Joined: Mar 1, 2004
    Posts: 3,273

    williebill
    Member

    Clicked on this thread, went to first unread, and saw how cool minivans are.
    Is this a sign of the apocalypse?
    Did I somehow enter the Twilight Zone?
    Now my nose is bleeding.
    Where am I ?
     
    RDR and Clay Belt like this.
  3. need a real shop truck
    flatbed to haul parts, needs to be reliable and able to travel
    looked at newer stuff, those are expensive and boring
    found an older 60s chevy c40
    flatbed, decent cab, 14kgvw
    could buy a newer truck or build one
    472 caddy, hydro boost brakes and an upgrade for front end and rear axle is super simple and cheap
    power windows, locks, and AC are not needed
    might just be a plan
     
  4. 57JoeFoMoPar
    Joined: Sep 14, 2004
    Posts: 6,138

    57JoeFoMoPar
    Member

    Just had that conversation with a good buddy of mine who's into Mustangs. He asked why I don't build a "fast" old car, I said because it'd still probably be slower than my daily driver.

    One of the many reasons I love customs, the performance has little to do with the purpose.
     
    Clay Belt likes this.
  5. Zookeeper
    Joined: Aug 30, 2006
    Posts: 1,042

    Zookeeper
    Member

    I think modern cars are miracles of engineering, I'm just not willing to go broke to own one. Recently I watched a guy with a new Challenger run it up through the gears fairly hard on a freeway on-ramp just ahead of me. As big and heavy as those things are, that car flat hauled ass with no drama at all. Probably did it with the music blaring and a Slurpee in the cup holder as well. I love my '68 because it represents something I built by myself and is what I would have loved to have owned in high school. But I don't drive it when the weather dips into the 30's nor do I casually leave it in parking lots. I also don't pick street races with modern cars because A) I value my license and B) I'm not stupid enough to think it's functionally as fast or safe as any new performance car. I don't pick bar fights with with 20-somethings (I'm 56) for the same reason. Everything has it's place...
     
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  6. Jalopy Joker
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 31,174

    Jalopy Joker
    Member

    here in Calif cars older than '76 do not need smog checks - now SEMA supporting pending legislation to move year up '83 & older - what is old is sometimes hard to define
     
  7. GuyW
    Joined: Feb 23, 2007
    Posts: 649

    GuyW
    Member

    I laff everytime I see/hear a Charger or Mustang "accelerate" thru the gears - lots of noise but no apparent speed...
     
    1oldtimer and Clay Belt like this.
  8. I ran up against a Challenger a couple of months back on the street. I got the jump off the light, by the time I hit 3rd, he was gone. But cool that new cars make that sort of reliable power. I may grab a newer Mustang with a 5 or 6-speed just for the shock and awe value. I can probably find one in good shape for around $4000.
     
  9. Zookeeper
    Joined: Aug 30, 2006
    Posts: 1,042

    Zookeeper
    Member

    Compared to WHAT? Any one of the current pony cars will eat pretty much any of the '60's legends alive both on the street and on the strip. My wife's 427 Corvette doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of beating a new 5.0 Mustang. We all like to believe the old cars were better, but as someone who owns newer cars and older cars, I can tell you that from a driver's standpoint, Detroit did it's homework. New stuff hauls ass, and not liking that doesn't change the facts.
     
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  10. On a side note before this thread gets axed
    I told students this is not an anti technology message board (though sometimes there are comments contrary)
    This site is about preserving and exploring past technology
     
    62rebel and F&J like this.
  11. Dwardo
    Joined: Aug 1, 2017
    Posts: 71

    Dwardo

    I sold a 2012 Focus while I was still upside-down on it because I literally could not stand to drive it another mile. Bought a 2007 Grandma Marquis with 40,000 miles, added a Ford factory 60,000 mile warranty, and I had a nearly new car for less than $10,000. I don't "love" it, but it's a big comfy car that never gets any attention other than normal maintenance and is dead nuts reliable. Lately I found out I could buy a subscription service at the Ford dealer, who will change my oil cheaper than I can. It's cheap and reliable transportation for my very long commute.

    My other OT car is a 94 Buick Roadmaster wagon. I love that car more than any other car I have ever owned. I would drive a 94-96 B-body for my daily except that some parts are pretty hard to get. Otherwise it's a really good, fast, stylish modern car without a lot of unnecessary crap. My .02.
     
    olscrounger likes this.
  12. It's true that all this new junk will do a zillion miles an hour in 14th gear, but if you live in the city, or anywhere there is a speed limit, and you want to keep your licence, you will probably never let all those horses out. You will suck eggs in bumper-bumper traffic with all the other schmucks, or get to 40 mph if the gods smile on you. At least if your old daily breaks down , you won't have to sit on the side of the road with the hood up, scratching your head with the "I'll pretend to know what I am looking at, that will impress people" look., you can usually diagnose the problem, most times fix it right there (or patch up to get home), and have it back working soon. Try that when your "ECM has failed, taking the body control module and the dual bullshit detector framitz with it- That'll be towed and cost you-lots!"
     
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  13. One of the major complaints levied against late-models is they lack 'personality'. If you analyze this, it breaks down into basically two components, the first is styling. With only a handful of exceptions, most have a 'sameness' about them, to the point where it can be difficult to tell one make from another. Increased attention to aerodynamics, bumper rules, crush zones/safety, copycat styling of popular models (particularly by the imports), environmental concerns over chrome plating, and corporate interchangeability have all contributed to this, with attempts to have 'something different' generally looking like something Mattel designed for Hot Wheels. The styling-for-stylings sake era of the '50s/'60s is gone and it's not coming back.

    The other half is the 'driving experience'. Note I'm not calling this 'performance' as while this is an element of it, it's not actually the part we generally refer to. Our old cars have a 'driving personality' which many consider as their 'charm' but if you look at it in a cold, hard light, what we're really talking about is their flaws. In spite of claims like 'my drum brakes are plenty good' or 'handling is good enough for me', they're not the equal of late models and are increasingly at a disadvantage in traffic. We as a group have decided to ignore this issue (in varying degrees) in driving our 'old cars'. Much like motorcycle riders, race drivers, skydivers, etc, it injects an element of danger into our everyday lives and gives us a 'thrill'. To a large degree, it's a 'macho' thing. Let's face it, running 80 MPH in a roadster is a totally different experience compared to the same speed in your Grand Marquis; one's a hell of a lot of fun, the other is effortless.

    I'm curious; how many members here put their wife/GF/kids into an old car as a daily? Probably not very many these days...
     
  14. blowby
    Joined: Dec 27, 2012
    Posts: 8,661

    blowby
    Member
    from Nicasio Ca

    Cool! There was bill to do this a couple years ago that didn't pass.
     
  15. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,290

    jnaki

    Hello,
    It does make sense to buy an older car, if you want to spend countless hours in the garage every night fixing something or other. If everyone had 8-5 jobs, reliability getting to and from those important jobs is mandatory. When you go out into the cold garage to start up an old car, can’t we all remember…the hope we had for that key to turn over and the motor to start? New cars usually don’t come with that feeling, but it is always in the back of people’s minds in the older cars.


    Somehow, when driving the 2nd Ford Sedan Delivery with the 327 V8 and us being twenty somethings, there wasn’t the cringe factor when starting. It was just a reliable old hot rod that started up every time and did not cause any problems for the 5 years we drove it all over So Cal. Or, it was just being carefree, twenty somethings with plenty of time to fix problems and not worry about the small things…

    Old cars are fun, if it is a third car or weekend project for those that have room and time. For the rest of us that didn’t have room or time, keeping an old car running in top shape was a third job for the mechanic in the family. My wife thanks me every time the car starts up and she can get somewhere that she wants, whether it is to go shopping (women’s third job) or go visit some friends.


    Back in the time period, we had her sports car as a daily driver. Upon turning the key, usually a loud “pop” would happen and the starter kept grinding away. The discovery was a small crack or hole in the enclosed air box of a fuel injection system. Upon replacing the sealed air box, that lasted until another pop was heard out in the garage. Obviously, my wife was ready to sell the car as the anticipation of turning the key was getting to be a bit much and hearing the POP sound. We even remembered the pop off valve on our old 671 supercharger manifold, so we had one installed as a means to let off the build up inside.

    Well, that lasted a couple of months before the pop off valve completely blew off inside of the air cleaner. So, my name and a bunch of foul language words came flying out of the garage in the morning, following each and every POP. Finally, the word came down that the car had to go to the sports car heaven regardless of price. She got her new car that she kept for the next 15 years without any problems or yelling coming from the early morning garage start ups. YIPPEE!

    Jnaki

    Our old hot rod, daily drivers were fun during the times on the road, but the worry about starting every time we got into the cars was something to remember. Hot rodders, being skilled at something we all like, are just as good as the assembly line workers putting together a factory car coming down the line. But, why is it that something is always going a little crazy with the home builds?


    My wife’s current daily driver is faster than that powerful 348 Impala from 1958. Gee, how time and culture flies by with new technology. (It would have been embarrassing to come in second at the Cherry Avenue drags on a late Friday night...to some cute teenage girl ! ) Those were the days when cruising in that 58 rumbling, 348 Impala was the coolest thing to do in high school. Today, the same feeling of driving a car with the capabilities of handling, stopping and going faster than 80 % of the cars on the road is a little daunting.

    But, thinking back to those early hot rod days, there was not a time when we did not cringe a little when turning that key to the right. Then the idea stuck for older cars vs. new cars. So, for the time being, we are only new car buyers for my wife’s next car, if necessary. This car should last for another 15+ years without a cringe factor, when starting an older car purchased from someone else. Besides, both cars are paid off, which is a plus.

    I am currently driving a 14 year old car purchased used with 40k on it back then.(65k now) The cringe is there, but, no problems so far, as it starts, has tons of power and is extremely fast. (makes my old 58 348 Impala take a back seat, today.) My wife calls it the modern hot rod. Yes, it has more horsepower than her car and is definitely faster than 90% of the cars on today's roads. But, it may be fast, old, and reliable and it does not have the "cringe" factor, so it is a keeper...kind of like me...HA!

     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2019
    wicarnut likes this.
  16. F&J
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 13,222

    F&J
    Member

    my 32 ...so far.. is the most dependable car I've had for years. No tools, no spare tire, no AAA, no cell....and no fear.


    Modern cars just don't stand a chance against an old hotrod as far as girls... When some new Mustang or Challenger tries to egg you on at a light, make sure you are on the right side of his car...then never make eye contact with him, just give a wink to his girl and twist your neck like "come take a ride, hun"...:eek:...she will be smiling like you cannot believe...and it does not matter how old you look and how young she is...it works :cool:
    .
     
  17. mramc1
    Joined: May 26, 2006
    Posts: 423

    mramc1
    Member

    It's all about choices and what you are willing to live with. I want to spend my money on old car parts and trinkets, not car payments. I try to drive my old cars every day spring, summer, and fall. I get to do that pretty much April thru November. After that deer season and road salt require a winter car. I bought a '98 S10, put rockers, cab corners, floors, all the lines, fuel tank, brakes, tires, exhaust on it. I have about $1300 in it and it has lasted 8 years and another 60K with very minimal repairs. I outfitted it with some retread snows and old rallye wheels. It probably cost me $400 a year to run the truck (not counting fuel costs). I love the thing, it is fun in the snow, can haul stuff, the stereo kicks it, and the heat works good. The one thing I wish it had was cruise. Unfortunately salt is eating the rest of the truck up now. The bed is flapping in the breeze and I had to swap on a junkyard fender to keep the battery from falling out. I think it's about done after this winter. I feel bad because this truck was the best of all worlds: okay mileage, easy to work on, cheap to fix, comfortable, and reliable. I made a vow not to do anything newer than 1995 next time as I won't have to plug into NYS for OBDII testing. I then broke that rule when I scored a 2010 F350 Super Duty super cheap, but it is OBDII exempt. All it needs is a motor, bed, seat, brakes...but it's a 1 ton 4x4 and will get slightly less mileage than the S10, but will do a lot more. Hopefully it will last me at least as long as the S10 did, but we'll see.
     
  18. Commodoreswab
    Joined: Feb 12, 2011
    Posts: 337

    Commodoreswab
    Member
    from West TN

    I suppose it really depends on what you consider an old car, to me it is as follows.
    A new car is under warranty but things still go wrong. A used car is one no longer under warranty. A old car is something that you could run on a tour or to an event. Many used cars have a lot of good life left in them but are not "desirable" as something to keep running and pass down to the next generation. Instead we simply swap them out for a different slightly newer used car. The old car is one that is something that has passed the used car life and has become desirable and life will continue to be breathed into it. Whether or not this is used for a daily driver or not the reliability is directly proportional to the amount it is used. Something to remember as an used car becomes an old car.
     
  19. manyolcars
    Joined: Mar 30, 2001
    Posts: 9,174

    manyolcars

    The cost of maintaining my old car for a year equals the cost of one month of a new car. No thats not right my yearly cost is LESS than what one month of your new car costs
     
    62rebel likes this.
  20. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Last October, my cousin gave me his daughters 2008 Jeep Cherokee. That's the newest car I've ever owned. It had 104,000 miles and was babied. Thing is, it took me a week to read and understand the owners manual! Hell, I drove it for a few days and found the button for sunroof! Now, there's a message on the dash saying, "oil change due". WTF!

    So, tomorrow, I'm taking it to get the oil changed. Not because I can't do it, but I really don't want to risk breaking a sensor or some other shit. My dad said years ago, that one day, cars wouldn't have opening hoods because the average person wouldn't be able to work on them. Sadly, that day is right around the corner.
     
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  21. oldwood
    Joined: Mar 13, 2010
    Posts: 1,056

    oldwood
    Member
    from arkansas

    I bought an '05 Chevy 2500 van with @ 135k miles 5 years ago. The 6.0 liter is a beast and with 4 wheel disc it stops in a hurr5y. It pulls my 22ft dovetail loaded with no problems. Gas mileage @ 12mpg. I forgot I paid $200 and sold the A/C rack out of 1 side for $175. Net cost:$25 4 used tires and new battery I had @ $250 in it. Its wrecked on the passenger side but I don't get in that side. Its a beast.
     
  22. goldmountain
    Joined: Jun 12, 2016
    Posts: 4,442

    goldmountain

    I'm getting closer to the day when I put my T coupe on the road so I checked with the classic car insurance guy as to how much it would cost and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't that much. With that, I asked if I could use their insurance on my 1996 Ranger since I really don't drive it that much - only for parts chasing for playing around in the garage. He said no since Ranger trucks are not collectible vehicles. Got me thinking that what I should do is get me another 1961 Falcon Ranchero like I used to have back when and stuff my Ranger's drivetrain into it. That would give me a neat old truck that would be cheap to insure and look cool to boot. Can always dream.
     
  23. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,290

    jnaki

    Hello,

    In this day and age (year and also us older folks) it makes sense to buy older cars just because they allow memories and past builds to come into play mistakes or not. It goes back to what we liked back in those teenage and twenty something days.

    The old saying always sticks with us everywhere we go, “we wish we had the bodies and strength of those teens and twenty something days and the brains of today.” What a great combo…those fun days with plenty of stamina, body strength, quick healing, a what me worry attitude in life, cars and an easy going, hang around environment.

    upload_2021-3-26_4-37-19.png
    Not to sound greedy, but in high school I had a 58 Impala, But I had to get a 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery so I could go safely to the beach, be accepted socially and for the coolness. When it came time to go out on a date, it was usually the 58 Impala. Back in my mind, I really wanted a station wagon with two doors. A 55-57 Nomad would have fit the bill, but it was money that a teenager did not have.

    These days, money should be tight, but it isn’t, with circumstances beyond our control. It is still a simple life and very relaxing. One thing that does not come into play is that we always know a monthly car payment is necessary in this car oriented So Cal lifestyle, as a matter of fact, just about anywhere is car dependent.

    So, if the cars are paid off, the monthly that was going to be used is saved for future repairs. Go 4 months at $400 per month on a car payment free, and you have $1600 to spend on car repairs when they arrive. Our cars are fairly trouble free and also worry free.


    Jnaki

    But, the philosophy is that there is always enough saved over time to pay for any car repair. (if you have already paid off your cars, hot rods or not.)

    Now, in looking at the cool older cars we would like to own was a 1965 Chevelle two door station wagon. It would have all of the new running and stopping gear like a modern drivetrain. The whole car was detailed to no end and looked like a showroom quality build. Now, for us, that is older folks buying an older car suited for their needs. (or a two door 40 Ford sedan, has now crept into the picture)

    With our granddaughter now being a newly minted learner's permit driver, we need to think ahead. The old grandparents driving a cool 65 Chevelle wagon or a 2 door Candy Apple Red 1940 Ford Sedan.
    upload_2021-3-26_4-41-34.png
    And, our granddaughter driving a pristine newish station wagon that has reliability/coolness to fit into her teenage driving needs, now. Also, when she goes away to a 4 year college, soon.
     
  24. 19Fordy
    Joined: May 17, 2003
    Posts: 8,025

    19Fordy
    Member

    Congrats for passing the torch. Job well done.
     
  25. wicarnut
    Joined: Oct 29, 2009
    Posts: 9,052

    wicarnut
    Member

    I enjoy my old hobby cars and a few OT hobby cars, kinda miss my highboy roadster, definitely miss driving my 32 3 window, but time/life moves on, I went to a mild Kustom 51 Mercury, just a cruiser and is still fun to cruise to a show. I have lost more $$$ on deprecation with new/newer vehicles I've owned in my lifetime than the car hobby $$$ ever cost me, the exception is my years in racing, very pricey fun, no regrets on any of it. In my later years now I buy used top shelf SUVs, repair them myself, YouTube is the greatest thing ever IMO. WE all do what we think is right, when I started with cars, 1964, 57 Chevy, my drivers were my hot rod, baby hauler, etc and as time past always kept hobby cars as a hobby car. I like the new vehicles, comfort, economy can't be beat IMO. Now we can go to the showroom, buy a modern muscle car that will blow the doors off any muscle car of our past, in the 60's it took a Gasser drag car to get into the 10 second 1/4 mile, today many car available that fast, only change needed is drag radials and Yes they are pricey. The technology is fantastic IMO, but I do like/enjoy our old cars, gives me something to do, the Greatest hobby IMO
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2021
    TrailerTrashToo likes this.
  26. This might get unpleasant for some and it's NOT a barb pointed at anyone in particular, just my opinion about the overall thread.

    I find it funny that "new" cars a being thoroughly defended and saying that old cars are pretty much slow and outdated. That's an obvious point as technology moves on, but one must realize where you are posting such info.....this is the HAMB, of course most are going to side with old junk. I can only speak for myself when I repeat, I work on new cars for OTHER people but, I don't like them for myself. I'm not anti technology, just anti new cars for me (and the websites I'm on). My g/f drives an old car fairly daily as I did in the past and do NOT feel endanged in any way. I understand this might be different in other states with extreme weather conditions, but only to save ones old car from an early death (via salt, snow, flood.....).

    I know my cars don't stop on a dime, maybe sometimes pull to one side or another, leak fluids, take time to shift between gears....some will call these flaws but I call them quirks of personality. Flaws to me means I want my cars perfect (no flaws) and that's not it for me. I like feeling the road, feeling the car (sometimes fighting the car), hearing the car (not just exhaust tone), smelling the gas/oil all the things LACKING in a new car making them boring to me (along with the styling/finish). The one factor that make my cars almost as safe to drive as new cars is ME, I know my cars quirks and drive accordingly. Again, for me this is NOT a hobby, my regular work is the hobby.


    ---Slight rant over---
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2021

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