A Classic as Daily Driver

How about an 80s W126? Big stylish fast cars that ALWAYS get admiring glances- Still fairly cheap.

Here's my 88 560SEC

 

Here's the photo...
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I am officially old. I cannot imagine anything after 1970 being considered "vintage."

 

This is mine..would I drive it daily?..oh yeah.
Cheers,
RE
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

And oh,if I sold it..if..it would not be cheap....probably less than a new Accord tho.
Cheers,
RE
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I am very pleased with my C4S. Not sure if can call it a classic as not yet 20 yrs old, but love the size, reliability, whilst not being so high tech.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

That's a very handsome car. I'm more of a 964 guy, but I admire the 993.

 

I agree, the 964 is a fine car too, as you know, it was the last 911 that was hand built. I also own a 964, that has morphed over the years to a very reliable track car. I found the stock 964, is a bit more raw than the 993, arguably more fun to drive. A/C is a bit weaker than the 993, but adequate, except for AZ summers.

For the OP, may think about earlier BMW E28, maybe M5 (1985–1988)
Much depends on cars listed which one is most fun to drive, and room required. All these cars are old, and even though reliable, can be very expensive to repair, unless have solid records, and of course get it properly checked out by a shop that really knows these cars. Plus a local shop you can rely on for future repairs.

 

Yes safety is a big issue with these old cars.

 

Sweet car- Mine too is fairly low mileage- I'm at 60K and just finished rebuilding the fuel distributors, EHA valve and replacing the chain ramps and timing chain. Car runs like new. My other "Modern Classic" MB is a 95 S500 coupe with 70K on the clock- previous owner did all the expensive stuff like wiring harness, AC evaporator and tranny valve body... big, fast, luxurious car that has that old German feel- those are so cheap now it's almost laughable.

Those W140 bodies are great cars but nothing can replace that old-school "smoothness" of the 126s.

 

Had a 71' 280SL for almost a year as daily in late 80s.Car was bulletproof.
Replaced with 74' XKE Roadster,also no problems in roughly 15k miles.
To make it even sweeter,got more $$ for it then I paid (bought for $14k with just 12k miles on the odometer,sold for $17k)

 

Thank you, was waiting for someone to post this. A '90s BMW M3 or Ferrari 456, etc., are just nice used cars, not classics.

Well, an Arizona summer is going to test a lot of modern cars, but...

Depending on how important a back seat is, a Porsche 911 or 912 (pre-'74) or BMW 2002 would all be great choices. You could certainly upgrade the a/c in either. If you could go with a 2-seater, the Merc 230-250-280 SL would be a very comfortable and (if refurbished) reliable car.

The post earlier about more maintenance is true, but the stuff that these cars need isn't all that complicated or expensive. For driveability, you might want to stick with fuel injection rather than carbs, though.

 

I used an 86 TR for my daily driver back in the 90s. Drove it rain or shine for ~ 30k miles; one service, a set of tires and a new clutch slave cylinder being the only money spent of maintenance and repairs. Even bought some pvc pipe at Home Depot once and had to hang it out the passenger side door with a red rag tied to the end. Traded it even on a 330GTC back when they were both worth low sixties.

 

Truth...top of their game...last of the big wheel base coupes...the sel's are good too,when Mom needs to ride in the back.
Cheers,
RE

 

I have found a car that to me is a great compromise of classic and modern, and it's not that old. It's a 1995 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas. The interior is awash with Connoly leather, burled walnut with birch inlays, wool carpet and chrome. Sitting in any seat of the car, driver or passenger, front or back, feels like a special occasion.

The air conditioning is as good as on any modern car. It is as reliable as any modern car, has dual air bags, ABS, and traction control was optional. Yet it still feels like a traditional Jaguar in its build quality -- thick and solid, smooth and refined, fast, and handles when you push it.

The underlying body structure was introduced in 1987, just a few years before air bags became the norm, and demonstrated to be a safe car in accidents; I've always felt, like with Mercedes and Porsche of that era ('80s-'90s), to start with an already (prior to air bags) safe design and then add air bags and updates/revisions to it, you were getting the best of the era in terms of safety. Another of my daily drivers is a 944S2 -- same thing; dual air bag version of a car that was well reputed for safety prior to air bags.

These XJs are low maintenance (the 1995-97 models). The straight sixes are powerful, smooth and bullet proof, the transmissions are flawless, and they don't have the troublesome electronic and hydraulic systems of the 1988-93 models. They are also better rustproofed. The few issues they tend to have are all just due to old age, not any real weaknesses with the engineering or quality; things like coil packs, water pump, reference sensor when you hit 140k miles or so.

I drive one every day, year round, long trips, commute to work, special occasions, everything. It looks beautiful on the outside, and the passengers always feel special riding in it. I don't think there was ever a single person who got into the Vanden Plas and didn't say "ooh!"

I feel secure with my wife driving it. There was a six month span where we were living in two houses in separate cities while I made a career transition, and I did not worry one bit with my wife driving our XJ6.

And our baby's rear-facing car seat fits nicely in the back. I now have a daughter, and things like "can this car accelerate, brake, and handle effectively to help in evading accidents" and "if the unthinkable happens, will this car protect my little angel," mean more than anything else. I pray every day . . .

I bothered to write this long response because I, too, long to drive a classic car as a daily. I would love to pilot an old Mercedes or Jaguar or Porsche or Ferrari or Lancia or . . . Lotus (!) as my daily commuter. But modern traffic demands modern safety, reliability and performance, and I feel that a 1995-1997 XJ6 Vanden Plas nicely bridges modern car needs with classic car charm and allure. And I am surprised myself to have arrived at this position; I think the 1990s was the most boring decade for automobiles ever. And I'm not really a Jaguar fan; I have never lusted for one, belonged to a club, etc. I was surprised myself to find myself liking them.

With that said, I would also cast a vote for any 1980s Mercedes as a daily driver "classic":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VojePSOrnYw


And here is a very informative promo video for the 1995 XJ series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWG-2gdiC_0


Merry Christmas!

 

... a Restomod.

1966 Impala SS
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

You should read through this blog. It describes his journey of driving a 1930 Ford for 1 year.

http://www.365daysofa.com

Great read...

 

There are very good reasons to own a classic car, but the buyer may ultimately grow disappointed in the dynamics/performance of a previous generation car. New advances in braking, handling, etc. can make newer cars more satisfying/fun to drive.

The romantic notion of owning a piece of history...a throwback to an earlier age...is alluring. The good old days of cars being simpler and unencumbered by evolutionary developments has a strong nostalgic aspect, to be sure. I enjoyed certain aspects of owning my 30-year old '76 Porsche 912E, for example, but the driving experience was negatively impacted by its substandard performance (only 86hp, and uninspiring brakes), which was sadly disappointing.

Be sure you go into the purchase of such "classic/legacy cars" with your eyes wide open. As novel as the experience may be, I have a feeling that buying such a car is often like buying a boat...your two favorite days are the day you buy it, and the day you sell it.

P.S. Of course, that doesn't mean that the experience wasn't worth it!

 

There's merit in this comment. I tried to use older cars as DDs, but really couldn't make it work. The oldest I would go is a 90s 911, but still time and technology move on. I'm finding myself more safety-conscious and would rather use older cars for recreational use especially old race cars with roll cage at the track.

 

While I agree with some of this post, some of it is just plain not true. I've DD a number of true classics(not few year old 911s and Benzs). For example, my 70 Buick 455GS was easily able to handle daily duty. Its Frigidaire AC was reliable and ice cold(as good as any of my newer cars). It would always start with the first turn of the key and had excellent throttle response. Comfortable inside with zero squeaks, rattles or windleaks, it was a great car around town or on the highway. Factory equipped with front and rear sway bars, quicker steering ratio and stiffer springs ensured that it was competent around corners. My only deviations from stock were a set on Konis, a concealed electronic ignition and modern tires.
The mighty Buick was super reliable and I didn't hesitate to drive it daily. I also drove it from Colorado to Southern California(and smoked a Viper in an impromptu stoplight GP in Vegas) without issue.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

None of my newer Ferraris or Corvettes are "more satisfying to drive" than my 330GTC or 67 Vette. Nor are they "more fun to drive". I would even venture to say that the older iron are the more entertaining to drive. With older cars, I'm a participant, skill is required to drive older cars as is the lost concept of paying attention to the car and the drive. The new cars are faster, handle and stop better and undoubtably safer-all of that comes with the price of lack of soul, sterility and lack of driver involvement.

 

I used my 1988 412 as a DD for a couple of months last Summer- commuted into Boston and took people to the airport- picked up supplies at Home Depot and went food shopping.

Usable A/C and heat and super comfortable...
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Buy a 93 Porsche rs America -I did, and I love it

 

That's a beautiful GS and it looks like it's been extensively gone thru and lovingly restored, and with a modern ignition system it's probably a great car that could be a used daily. And older American cars are a whole world better than their European counterparts that are commonly discussed here. I was really referring to those kinds of cars (like the BMW 2002 I had in college) more than classic American cars.

While older American cars are far better in terms of climate control, reliability and usability, they still required a good bit more upkeep than a modern car. You're going to need to rebuild the carb a lot more frequently than you would a modern fuel injection system, the chassis needs frequent greasing and it's going to be more upkeep than a more modern car. While the handling has been upgraded with modern shocks, it's not going to handle like a modern car. It won't be as bad as it was, but it's just not in the same league as modern cars in terms of road holding. And if you were to happen to be in an accident, the chance of getting hurt is a heck of a lot greater than in a modern car.

I'm not saying you can't, and obviously a lot of folks do, but these cars don't last as long and require a lot more maintenance than newer cars. When I was in high school looking to buy my first car (1967) my dad wouldn't let me even look at a car that had more than 40,000 miles on it. In those days cars with 40k on the clock were considered 'worn out", they just didn't last that long. A car with 40k miles needed ball joints, universal joints, and the engine was likely burning oil. Not that these can't be addressed with a total restoration, but that's what you need to do to make the car something that you can put 12 or 15K miles per year and not constantly be fixing the thing.

If you go thru the car and put in an electronic ignition, rebuild the engine, tranny and rear end, and put in modern seals, and use modern lubricants and coolants, brake pads you'll have a lot better car than what it was 40 years ago, but that's what it takes to make an old car "livable" as a daily driver today.