Do you drive your old car daily?

this was our only driver from late 79 til mid 88--driven as you see it--other than wheels it's the same-freshed up drive train in 2002 when I retired--142K since being redone in 79-painted last in 85 and upholstered in 79--now retired and drive on errands, grocery store, etc. wife's car --plate is Mama's 55
the green cloud mist 40 is driven all around town also alot now

 

I drive mine year round as it is the only car i have, When i used to have my motorcycle i drove it year round rain ,snow.Back in the day
you only had one car . You fixed it up and drove it rain ,snow,sunshine or clouds.

 

I had a 1957 Chevy 4 door that I drove an hour (one way) every day to work for 5 yrs straight. Then I got stupid and sold it. She had about 310,000 miles on the body and suspension. Now I drive a beater 71 AMC Hornet...but we wont talk about that one.

 

I did years ago. I drove several older Pontiacs, ruined one in the salt, wrecked one when this broad pulled out in front of me in a parking lot. Now I drive an older Suburban so it's a little less painful the next time some asshole pulls something stupid and hits me or causes me to hit them.

If I put another older car on the road as a daily, it will get parked in the winter.

 

I have a 37 Chevy pu modified frame, suicide front axle, drum brakes all around, 283 V8, manual trans, 4.10 gears, no ac, no stereo, hole in the floor, and drive it every day (course when it is not broken) And in Texas I also have it inspected and titled as a daily car and not a classic. Slowly getting rid of the rattling, but the exhaust is little loud. Fun to drive and easy to park compaired to my only new vehicle a 97 Dodge xcab longbed 4x4 diesel. I just use the 97 to haul heavy loads (new projects) or when the 37 is broke.
There is no Soul or life in new.

 

not to be a pain but it seems there are people posting in this thread claiming their car is their daily driver but they say they dont drive it unless its sunny out or they dont drive it in the winter. umm if that is the case how is the car your daily driver/beater ?

a car you drive daily is somthing you drive 365 days of the year no matter what the weather is like outside

 

I have too many running, driving cars to consider anything a "daily", but I do drive them all regularly.

 

I drive my OT El Camino (81) everywhere I have to go. It's the only car I have, that runs. I'm detuning it now because of the price of gas. Instead of a 3200 stall it's getting a 2400. Instead of a 750 carb it's getting a 600, and a 2.77 rear is going in soon.
When it snows I fill up the tank for weight.
If my 66 was running I'd drive it, and I will when it is.
Drive your shit, you're gonna be dead one day and wish you did. Who the hell are you saving it for?

 

Please share what you drive, how often you drive it, how stock it is, and what your experiences with it are. I'm looking to run a weekly feature on a certain year and model of car. As much info as you can give (what rattles, what shakes, what stops working every 50 miles, or what's just plain cool about your car) would be very much appreciated.

-Stizzealth

'49 Chevy 1/2 ton, '56 235, "848" head, Fentons, 1-2 bbl H-W, '62 3sp+od, '57 3.90 rear end, the Math,.70 overdrive X 3.90 = 2.73 3rd overdrive. Tubeless 215 85R16 Michelins on stock wheels. Three hundred mile round trip last weekend, several 2k round trips. I carry occasional full loads of cord wood, engines, transmissions, recycling materials.

Stock suspension with high quality shocks give a great ride. Have added a front sway bar but don't think it was worth the money. I'm up on the interstate daily and am comfortable at 75 mph. No shakes, but the rattles are what I love about driving the old girl. You look in the mirror for your definition of cool son. I work with 20 and 30 yo people who pay more for their new car's monthly payments than I spend on my truck in a year. Oh, nothing stops working after 50 miles.

Regards, Cosmo.

 

My car's O/T too, a 30 year old English Triumph 2500S sedan, although it actually is only a cosmetically upgraded version of exactly the same car that was first introduced in 1964. (Different grille and headlights, taillights and dash, slightly bigger engine) The engine itself is pure 1950's technology, inline cast iron pushrod 6, originally 1998cc, now 2500cc. Auto box, 3 speed, no overdrive.

I drive it 7 days a week, did 15,000 klms in it last year, and it's even registered as a business vehicle.

It's been upgraded to run on unleaded fuel, has cam, head and carb mods, electronic ignition, sports exhaust system. The suspension is heavily modded, as close to rally spec as I can get and still comfortably drive on the street. The body and mag wheels are factory 'stock' although resprayed. I have had air conditioning installed as it gets so bloody hot over here in summer, but I found a dealer optional under dash unit from 1976 and combined it with all the latest technology under the hood where it can't be seen. It just about blows icicles!

I've driven it daily for over 3 years without a hitch, although recently it started dying on me on an irregular fashion, not often enough to be able to sort out. I know believe it was an intermittent fuel blockage or a bad batch of fuel. Seems to be back to normal now, reliable as clockwork.

The biggest advantage I find with it is I can find it really easily in the carpark!

Cheers, Glen.

 

Huh? Anything but....
You may be asking the wrong crowd here...

There are NO downsides whatsoever, driving my old Chevys daily.
I would take them to the moon, if there were roads.
Driven regularly in some of the heaviest traffic in this country and offroads alike. My weather goes from desert heat during summer to snow storms in the winter.

I would be a boring subject on your blog, as I enjoy every moment spent with my old Chevys.
If somebody doesn't like or drive old cars already, you probably can't convince them by reading testimonials or looking at pretty pics.
It's not some sales pitch for a neat classic toy - it's a lifestyle for a lot of us.

Just go out, seek and safe the old iron, restore and enjoy !

 

This is my daily, out in all kinds of weather. It's a straight six 3 speed stick car. I get roughly 2 weeks to a full tank of gas which I'd say is pretty damn good considering the gas prices these days. It has it's rattles and moans. No need for a horn due to the recently added split header and dual exhaust.

 

I drive a twenty year old car 120+ miles per day. But I don't consider that to be an "old" car.

 

Yes, and it takes a heavy toll..we daily drive a 53 Studebaker with later Hawk 289/Edelbrock, it has cheap NAPA(Chinese) ignition part issues...a 59 Edsel 2DHT that after the umpteenth slow cruise up the Congress Hill at Roundup, fried the tranny..a 75 Cougar XR7 400M that is our road trip car and is strangely getting decent mileage..my 71 Avanti II has an interior light that comes on whenever it wants to and draws the battery down, I will replace the switch or yank its little bulb, if I can get the lens off without cracking it. Oh, and my wife has been rear-ended twice (no crude jokes please) in these cars because she drives too damn slow for todays maniac traffic...bitch, bitch, bitch....all I need is a hot battery...

 

i've had two cars catch on fire in the last year.
one my fault one not.
other than that, no complaints, not even when they break down. i've been on the side of the road recently and both times it was in new cars.
by the way, my soon to be drivers again are a 1958 ford custom 300 and a 1953 chevy 210.

 

I own a 1981 Citroën 2CV6 and a 1984 Merc 300CD. Neither HAMB-friendly, but they are old in most folks eyes. Both are end of era cars in that within a couple years the technology that embodied both was surpassed tenfold by both factories. The Merc harkens back to the /8 introduced in 1968; the Cit looks back at the 1948 introduction with few changes.
As these are the only cars I own, they are what I drive. I maintain a shed-ful of spares for the Merc, a weekly trip to the local junkyard supplies parts and material for Ebay. It's really very reliable, but it does have over 313,000 miles on it.
The Cit I keep running based mainly on my ingenuity and dealers in both L.A. and Germany. Plus its dead-nuts reliable. So simple there just is not much to go wrong. The starter has been a little flaky lately, but I just pull out the starting crank, and crank it the old-fashioned way.
I've rarely had new cars, and any that were here were a wife's insistence (easier to rid one of a wife, really, I've done it many times).
Cosmo

 

according to this thread i dont drive an old car daily. I drive a 65 chevelle daily though..... but thats a new car i guess.

 

I'd call a '65 Chevelle old, just not HAMB classifieds old.

 

haha, yeah i know, but 64 and 65 chevelles were the same body style, so it might just squeeze in there

 

I drive a 59 chaevy apache every day in houston but it sits on a model frame. Have no radio, winshied wipers, a/c , horon but i love it

 

We're almost up to daily driver status with the '50 Burb. It's getting upholstered right now.
My wife's 74 Nova was a daily, we sold it last year with over 300,000 on it.

If built right, any old car/truck can be a daily driver. The tough part's insuring them. Plenty of good threads on that subject.

 

Just putting the finishing touches on my 52' Packard w/ 327 straight 8. I will be my daily -- until winter sets in again.

 

I fixed up my old '74 F-100 several years ago to use as my daily. I finally got it running pretty good and gas was $1 a gallon. After a couple of happy years the gas got too expensive so it sits and gets an occassional drive but at 8 mpg it got just too damned expensive.

 

I have no idea what my car is "classified" as..53 Jag Xk120SE with 350/375hp sbc..but no daily driver. No top..mostly aluminum body. Just not real comfortable parking it in lots..doing the daily grind in traffic..looking out for it with all the semi-concious meat tubes driving around half awake..

I do drive it a four/five times a week after work/weekends. I take the cycles to work mostly..or on the 115* Tucson days..the AC in the old Tahoe is very nice..also cigar friendly..!

 

only on the weekends,a lot of crazy's on the road monday -friday
but friday when i get home the daily doesnt move untill monday morning

 

I drive it daily during the summer months

 

oh man that truck is right-on!

oh yeah, btw, i drive my 60 olds daily.

 

yes.

 

Every day. Through Oregon winters as well. Might be a little more difficult next winter when I get it low enough. 62 F-100 Unibody.

 

I drive them everyday when I don't have them torn apart or need something newer for a particular reason. Sometimes the dignitaries prefer the new dark sedan. Of course it all depends on what kind of funeral, procession or coronation we are having.