Here what I drive, the 56 for picking up stuff like parts.. All most every weekend I use the Tee for around town.
are you sure that look is envy? It could be the condescending look of smugness and superiority. It appears to be a feature installed on most of these cars. Maybe it's the way they polarize the glass? I even got a full on lecture at a light once from one of those guys. (I guess that's what I get for driving a roadster... stoplight conversations) . He was saying something about how my car pollutes a hundred times more than his. I was totally amazed that he could tell that just from the sound. After that I got rid of the mufflers and put on side pipes. I haven't heard a disparaging word since
Up until recently, my wife's 74 Nova was one of our daily rides. Ran great when sold, helped pay off the new HHR Her 50 Suburban will be a daily when it's done (very soon)
I drive old cars because I like them. The mild weather out here helps, not sure if i could do it in the snow-belt. Here is my current daily, my 49 Ford COE: As seen on Bonneville 2007. I never have to worry about finding my truck in the parking lot..... It also helps I only drive 6 miles to work, so gas mileage is not really an issue. But what real hot rodder buys or drives something because it gets good mileage?
mine. Drive it every day. Just made a 500 mile trip this weekend and also run it on the track. 350 (changing it to a 283), 4-speed and 4.10 gear. No ac, no heat, no radio (except CB) and no power steering.
67 Grand Prix. It's as dependable now as it was then. I don't remember people pushing their cars when I was a kid in the 60's. Life expectancy was in the neighborhood of 100K miles as opposed to todays 250K miles. But, before they needed the usual repairs, they started and ran like anything else. The big difference is, "IF" you have trouble on the road with an old car, you can prolly fix it instead of just staring at it like a new car
'52 Cadillac, w/ 425 bb. Gets about 14 mpg around town (if I baby it) and almost 16mpg on hwy. People tend to steer clear when they see 200lbs of chrome aimed at them. I'm never lonely sitting at a stop light.... someone always has to ask about it. BTW, for those that comment about how you pollute the environment, just tell them "I have just recycled 2 tons of steel. What have you done?"
For ten years my 67 Nova was my daily driver. 250 six with the stock powerglide...for a few months it had a seriously worked six, but that came back out when the original motor was rebuilt. When that was sold (broke my heart to sell it too) I built a 59 Apache with a Camaro clip with a 327 / 350 turbo that worked as a daily for two years. Both served as great drivers and I didn't have have an electrical engineering degree to do routine maintenance on them. Two years ago I got milage conscious and bought a 97 Grand Am with a quad 4 / 5 speed. Problem is I MISS driving an older cars...they are much more my style and easier for me to work on, so as soon as I finish the 40 Studebaker I'm building, that will become my daily (S-10 front clip, 327 / 700R4, S-10 rear, and bonneville SSEi seats for comfort), and with the Studebaker I know it will be reliable and safe....as 52 RustRocket said above I'm recycling a ton and a half of steel....not quite the two tons he got, but still more steel to protect me then the rolled out beer cans and plastic running around on the roads now a days
The Jalopy Journal
