Can a vintage car still be driven as a daily driver?

[MikeKardec]

When you go see the car, take a pocket magnet with you and run it over and under the fenders and rocker panels. That'll tell you how much putty and filler there is on the body, which will tell you how much rust it's had in its lifetime, and how much care went into its restoration.

Lizzie's right. The body is everything if you are going to want to make it a nice car. What is or isn't under the paint can cost you a FORTUNE and it's often a one way trip, start work and there can be no where to stop until you are done. Mechanical issues are pretty easy, and cheap in comparison, unless you are dealing with a brand or system that is utterly obscure.

With one exception I have always bought cares that were at least 75%, even if I planned a total resto. That makes thing more expensive but you can stop if you want and still have a functional, salable, car ... basically there is a way out if you need it.

There is TONS of info out there in go-ogle land. Before I bought the Alfa, a car I knew noting about nor had I ever wanted one until I realized I could easily fit (6' 4") inside it. I researched every change over the years, bought the one that had most of what I wanted then started collecting the bits that I wanted to add to it like original the fuel injection, the best wheels, Marschal lights, limited slip rear end.

Often the best thing to do is to get a universally popular car like a 55-57 Chevy or a 1960s Mustang or something that didn't change much over the years like the Alfa GTV, Jeep Wagoneer, or even a Porsche 911. This gives you a wealth of original, newly manufactured, factory or aftermarket upgraded parts. You are not as "special" as the guy with the Nash or Hudson but you'll never get tired of what you can do to it. It can remain bone stock or can be upgraded to an almost modern spec.

It's worth every penny to buy the best thing you can afford ... ESPECIALLY if you buy an obscure make or model. Never ever kid yourself on that.

 

[Worf]

As a vintage car owner ('56 Ford Thunderbird Convertible) I'd say anything from the 50's (12 volt) onward could be a daily driver. Problem is, if you're not handy yourself eventually you're going to have to find someone who can work on her for you. I took mine to a Ford dealership for a tune up ONCE... and never again. They totally botched it. Luckily a found a local garage Vernnards Sunoco, who's owner, then in his 60's, knew what a tap and dwell meter was. They've kept my car running every since.

Worf

Ah what the hell...

 

[MikeKardec]

If you are looking at a car that was painted in the last several years LOOK OUT. Ask to see pictures of the car during the time the body work was being done, many people and shops take them to document the work. I've seen veteran body men start to grind the paint off cars they thought were pretty solid (sometimes their OWN cars) only to find a morass of rust and bad old repair work. I like cars that look like they haven't been painted in a decade or so, in that time most problems will start to appear on the surface.

If you want to see this in action search out my buddy's at Vintage Customs in Tacoma on You Tube. They have plenty of videos where they show what is hiding under acceptable looking paint. Also lots of tricks for restoring cars ... mostly Alfas but since Alfa, BMW and Karmann made the rustiest cars anywhere it's a good education.

 

[GHT]

As a vintage car owner ('56 Ford Thunderbird Convertible) I'd say anything from the 50's (12 volt) onward could be a daily driver. Problem is, if you're not handy yourself eventually you're going to have to find someone who can work on her for you. I took mine to a Ford dealership for a tune up ONCE... and never again. They totally botched it. Luckily a found a local garage Vernnards Sunoco, who's owner, then in his 60's, knew what a tap and dwell meter was. They've kept my car running every since.

Worf

Ah what the hell...

What a magnificent beauty. Why Ford never sold them to the European market is beyond me.
At a classic meet recently was this magnificent motor, and just like the previous Packard, it's right hand drive. If only I had a garage big enough......................
Just the car to be seen in when wearing your zoot suit Mondo.

 

[3fingers]

As a vintage car owner ('56 Ford Thunderbird Convertible) I'd say anything from the 50's (12 volt) onward could be a daily driver. Problem is, if you're not handy yourself eventually you're going to have to find someone who can work on her for you. I took mine to a Ford dealership for a tune up ONCE... and never again. They totally botched it. Luckily a found a local garage Vernnards Sunoco, who's owner, then in his 60's, knew what a tap and dwell meter was. They've kept my car running every since.

Worf

Ah what the hell...

Unfortunately, the number of mechanics in dealer service who have ever seen a breaker point ignition and an intake manifold with a carburetor on it is approaching zero very quickly. It is becoming a lost art.

 

[MondoFW]

As a vintage car owner ('56 Ford Thunderbird Convertible) I'd say anything from the 50's (12 volt) onward could be a daily driver. Problem is, if you're not handy yourself eventually you're going to have to find someone who can work on her for you. I took mine to a Ford dealership for a tune up ONCE... and never again. They totally botched it. Luckily a found a local garage Vernnards Sunoco, who's owner, then in his 60's, knew what a tap and dwell meter was. They've kept my car running every since.

Worf

Ah what the hell...

DAMN, would love to take that Ford for a spin! Seems like the scarcity of people specialized in older cars will force me to do some of the handiwork. That's fine. What I don't understand is the myriad of people that tell me I should opt for some $5,000 project car from the 60's, and just do my work. I get this from avid car collectors, and I figured it seemed odd they weren't advising to extend the budget and reach for the best example possible, rather than being cheap on the MSRP and hoping the project will ever amount to anything. Projects seem like they'd almost never work out smoothly.

Now I just need $25,000 and some time on my hands

Also appreciate all the advice for approaching a car. Thanks everyone.

Just the car to be seen in when wearing your zoot suit Mondo.
View attachment 124730

No kidding!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Despite all the things you have to watch out for in buying and owning one, there *are* certain advantages to an old car. You can, for example, change a burned out tail-light bulb in less than thirty seconds. Just reach in under the fender, squeeze the clamp and pop out the socket assembly, twist out the old bulb, twist in the new one, clip the socket back in place, and you're done. Thirty second job, tops.

To do the same job on any current car, you need tools -- at least a screwdriver, maybe a rubber mallet -- and detailed instructions on how to release the various clips and press-in pins that hold the entire taillight enclosure in place. Once you've removed that entire enclosure -- and if you're very careful and very lucky you won't have broken off any of the flimsy plastic pins that held it in place -- you have to figure out how to get the specific bulb socket out, and once you've swapped the bulb you have to find the specific angle required to get the socket back in. Then you've got to carefully align the entire enclosure and clip it back into place, probably breaking off a couple more of the pins in the process, and then, finally, screw the screws back into place without stripping out or breaking off the flimsy plastic screw mounts.

There is no good reason why this has to be so complicated, other than to frustrate DIY types and force them to take the car to a dealer. I know people who, when a bulb blows, will do just that because the job is too much for them to handle alone. (Insert emoji of dollar bill with wings on it flying away alongside emoji of wrapped lollipop with SUCKER written in big letters on the wrapper.)

And don't even mention dashboard lighting in a modern car. I drove a Subaru for two years with no dash lights at all because I refused to go to a dealership to have the whole dash assembly taken out to replace the lamps. On the Plodge, I reach up under the dash, clip out the socket, pull the lone #51 bulb and insert a new one and clip it back in, and I don't even have to get out of the car to do it.

 

[Worf]

Despite all the things you have to watch out for in buying and owning one, there *are* certain advantages to an old car. You can, for example, change a burned out tail-light bulb in less than thirty seconds. Just reach in under the fender, squeeze the clamp and pop out the socket assembly, twist out the old bulb, twist in the new one, clip the socket back in place, and you're done. Thirty second job, tops.

To do the same job on any current car, you need tools -- at least a screwdriver, maybe a rubber mallet -- and detailed instructions on how to release the various clips and press-in pins that hold the entire taillight enclosure in place. Once you've removed that entire enclosure -- and if you're very careful and very lucky you won't have broken off any of the flimsy plastic pins that held it in place -- you have to figure out how to get the specific bulb socket out, and once you've swapped the bulb you have to find the specific angle required to get the socket back in. Then you've got to carefully align the entire enclosure and clip it back into place, probably breaking off a couple more of the pins in the process, and then, finally, screw the screws back into place without stripping out or breaking off the flimsy plastic screw mounts.

There is no good reason why this has to be so complicated, other than to frustrate DIY types and force them to take the car to a dealer. I know people who, when a bulb blows, will do just that because the job is too much for them to handle alone. (Insert emoji of dollar bill with wings on it flying away alongside emoji of wrapped lollipop with SUCKER written in big letters on the wrapper.)

And don't even mention dashboard lighting in a modern car. I drove a Subaru for two years with no dash lights at all because I refused to go to a dealership to have the whole dash assembly taken out to replace the lamps. On the Plodge, I reach up under the dash, clip out the socket, pull the lone #51 bulb and insert a new one and clip it back in, and I don't even have to get out of the car to do it.

You're right. It was well nigh impossible to replace a blown headlight on my long gone... Subaru B9 Tribeca (as a friend said once... "a car so ugly they named it twice"). You just "couldn't get there from here". And if you did you had to remove the bulb and replace it blind. You couldn't see where your hands were going. Worse modern car I ever owned.

Worf

 

[GHT]

To do the same job on any current car, you need tools -- at least a screwdriver, maybe a rubber mallet -- and detailed instructions on how to release the various clips and press-in pins that hold the entire taillight enclosure in place. Once you've removed that entire enclosure -- and if you're very careful and very lucky you won't have broken off any of the flimsy plastic pins that held it in place -- you have to figure out how to get the specific bulb socket out, and once you've swapped the bulb you have to find the specific angle required to get the socket back in. Then you've got to carefully align the entire enclosure and clip it back into place, probably breaking off a couple more of the pins in the process, and then, finally, screw the screws back into place without stripping out or breaking off the flimsy plastic screw mounts.

What you have described there is exactly what Mercedes did with their current range of Sprinter vans. Up to 2006 if you wanted to change a rear light bulb, you opened the rear doors, go to whichever side the bulb needed replacing, squeeze the locking clips top and bottom to release the circuit board, remove the defunct bulb, replace with new, insert the circuit board back into place. Job done. Now you need a PhD in quantum physics just to replace a light bulb, and those clips that Lizzie speaks of fit into small nylon sockets that line the drilled holes in the van. The sockets inevitably come out with the clips, they are so small that it's almost impossible to see one, let alone find it.

 

[tonyb]

I backed into a utility pole in a late-model car a few years back. Cracked the taillight lens.

Had to buy the whole damned taillight assembly. Can’t recall precisely what the dealership wanted for said assembly, but I do remember that the figure was so high that I sought out a wrecking yard and took a longish drive to procure a perfectly good used assembly for a small fraction of the dealership’s price.

 

[MikeKardec]

Projects seem like they'd almost never work out smoothly.

I've had a few come together beautifully BUT it takes a LONG time. The better a car it is the more you can enjoy it as you get the last few details together. And, as I said, you can change your mind part way through. A big advantage!

 

[ChazfromCali]

As a vintage car owner ('56 Ford Thunderbird Convertible) I'd say anything from the 50's (12 volt) onward could be a daily driver. Problem is, if you're not handy yourself eventually you're going to have to find someone who can work on her for you. I took mine to a Ford dealership for a tune up ONCE... and never again. They totally botched it. Luckily a found a local garage Vernnards Sunoco, who's owner, then in his 60's, knew what a tap and dwell meter was. They've kept my car running every since.

Worf

Ah what the hell...

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

 

[1930artdeco]

I just got back from a week fun in Sparks NV, with my car club. Drove all around Reno in my Model A not even one issue! On the way up from Oakland, CA (221 mile trip) I had a carb issue (changed in 15 min) and blew a tube at the Donner Pass rest stop (changed in 20 min.).

This is what I tell people when they are looking for an antique car. If you are able to work on the car (space, tools, skill set-all which can be acquired) and have the time buy something that you can work on long term. You may not be driving it for awhile and it may be a good family bonding item. It is cheaper in the front end but will cost more in the long run in time and money. If you spend the most you can up front, then you can get out and drive it with few worries-generally speaking. You will still have to learn to do some basic maintenance by yourself as most people who work on these cars are dead.

Mike

 

[LizzieMaine]

A good investment if you own an old car is a lubrication guide, as put out by the various oil companies of the Era. These big spiral-bound "by chart not by chance" books usually have diagrams of grease points that are much easier to read than the one in the shop manual for your car, and they gather all the maintenance information you need into one place. They usually came out every year and covered all models of all makes for the year, so no matter what car yours is, it's in there -- and they're cheaper than model-specific shop manuals.

 

[MikeKardec]

I just got back from a week fun in Sparks NV, with my car club. Drove all around Reno in my Model A not even one issue! On the way up from Oakland, CA (221 mile trip) I had a carb issue (changed in 15 min) and blew a tube at the Donner Pass rest stop (changed in 20 min.).

Given that you were going from sea level to high altitude with a primitive carb and making a multi-hundred mile round trip on tubed tires, that sounds like the same sort of mechanical issues an owner of a Model A would have had back in the day.

 

[1930artdeco]

Actually the carb crapped out on me about 5 minutes from my house for some reason. It has since been replaced by a good working carb. So I guess in reality the tube was the only real issue. But for being 88 yrs old she did very well. But I agree back then the tubes were apparently not much better-at leas that is what I have heard.

Mike

 

[belfastboy]

I apologize if this has already been covered here. For years, I have shown interest in vintage cars and have been open to owning one, even if it can only be used as a weekend driver these days. Whether or not vintage cars (I consider this to be pre-1970's) can be reliable and safe is a rather polarized discussion, so I want to know what you guys think. I have not been behind the wheel, but when I have driven for long enough and have attained enough mechanical know-how, I would love to purchase a golden era vehicle eventually. Can these babies be driven as dailies on the modern roads?

My limited experience of vintage as a daily driver (1951 Chevy, 1959, 1965, 1967, 69 VW Ghia and Beetles is to be able to do the tinkering yourself. Any car with a carb, points and distributor needs regular adjustments and at today's prices for mechanics it would get expensive. But then to me the tinkering was part of the fun of it all.
Funny thought I just had...my first car was a 1956 Meteor 2door hardtop. I was thinking it was vintage but then realized when I owned it it was only 10 years old.