Classic car as a daily runner?

As above with baz etc

In all fairness though chap – If IF you get a good well looked after classic that has a documented history you know what you’re letting yourself in for a bit better.

It doesnt guarantee it wont be a ******* but it does minimise the risk of accidentally choosing one.

Depending on my mileage – Id either have an Old Mini or an MGB GT 🙂

My perfect daily would be a Tax Exempt MGBGT that had been reshelled in the last 5-10 years (unless the shell is perfect) Modern front and rear suspension kits and a 2.0 lite turbocharded nissan engine 🙂

OR

An old mini with a honda B16 Vtec engine in the front :diablo:

Then you argue… Is it still a proper classic?? :diablo:

As RW 82 said…inhibit and remove the original engine (+ gearbox) and replace them with a modern engine/gearbox…I almost did this myself some years ago with my old volvo 240 (considered diesel conversion).
I know some years ago there was a toyota 5 spd gearbox conversion for moggie 1000/minors which would make for quiter driving.
But as JB said …you need to be able to do most of the maintenance yourself to make it viable.

You might ask the writers at Classic and Sports Car.

As the owner of a couple of classic cars I’d say that with careful selection (i.e. the amount of motorway driving, the amount of miles you’ll do each month, and similar practical but often overlooked factors) a “classic” can be a practical daily car.

But only if you can work on it yourself…and that means having MORE than a Haynes and a spanner.

For years, I drove a 20 year old Jeep as my work car.
I accepted its limitations…but I was lucky, it was freshly restored and my best friend was a Jeep specialist. And I had a second car to use when the Jeep was impractical (it was no sports car, had a radio you couldn’t hear over the tyres, engine and wind and a heater that wasn’t up to a fabric topped vehicle) or out of order.

And remember, moderns have it all over classics in areas like comfort, brakes, and safety features.

I run a 1973 classic every day. Maintenance isn’t a problem but its appetite is.

To have something of a reasonable family size, usually means a largish engine which tends to be inefficient – as the thinking at the time was to fit carbs and an automatic box to the bigger stuff.

My opinion now is that a pre ’73 classic with a modern engine conversion is the way to go. Classic looks with a modern appetite for fuel.

Examples include: Midgets running Rover K series engines. MGB’s with Ford Zetecs. Triumphs Spir/Herald/GT6 using Mazda MX5 donors. Mini’s with K series or Honda engines. Old XJ6’s with the AJ16 thrown in. Rover V8’s benefit greatly from the 5 speed box and fuel injection as found on the later SD1’s.

Ignore comments about rust, as unless you go looking on the banger forums, most of the good the bad and the ugly are long since gone. The ones that survive are the ones that were cared for in their early years.

Regards,
Ric

use my 1958 `unrestored` series 1 Landrover to get to work in summer.it just keeps going and going…………….

Old cars unless they are the priceless few are not worth the bother 😉 Bring on the fast petrol burners 😀 live today sod tomorrow. 🙂

I’m afraid the cars of which herr Strangelove talks of, knocks your ‘fast petrol burners’ into a cocked hat!
However Robs last post there almost convinces me to go your way!

I must say that the only time I’ve ever broken down was when the clutch went on a Rover 3 litre that I had, oh and the accelerator cable snapping on a Dodge Challenger T/A, but that didn’t stop!

Flygirl – We all know about that Auntie P4 Rover you keep hidden away in your lock up ;).

James – I’m with you. I find old cars far more interesting and entertaining to drive. BUT, for me there is nothing worse or more soul destroying than being let down by something purely because of its age. You know the sort of thing.. stuck in traffic, pouring with rain, and the wiper motor or alternator packs up. Of course the same could happen with a modern car but like modern aircraft reliability is / should be more or less bomb proof.

I remember once driving home in a 1965 Humber Imperial that i had just bought. Stopping at a set of traffic lights, in the dark, the sodding thing cut-out completely without warning. No ignition, no lights, nothing. I had to push it across the lights, in town (all one and a half tons of it) and get a mate to come out and tow me home. The cause? A corroded solenoid box on the bulkhead that i subsequently couldn’t find a replacement for. Not even the relevant car club could come up with one. Needless to say it was sold on soon after.

If such things as electronic ignition etc are retro fitted then that would probably go some way to making everyday life with a classic much more bearable and enjoyable, especially during the summer months. But then again, during the winter with all that salt on the roads… be prepared to watch your classic dissolve into a pile of rust.

Thats my thoughts anyway :).

My car is a teenager, becoming a classic. Expensive to run, but I have no debt on it. I will never have a debt for a car, not when there are so many good 2nd hand ones out there.
The Sultan of Penang was selling his London Diplomatic car on Ebay. 23 years old, 36,000 miles, every stamp in the book, serviced every 6k miles. I think it went for £8,000. Bargain, it had every fittable toy. The Bullet proof sides however made it a 3 ton vehicle, probably down to 18mpg on a run. But oh the joy of a 5.5 litre V12 7 series E32. Smooth as wet silk.
As with many decent old gals, there are forums full of experts that will (a) know how to fix it, (b) know who sells the parts.
So, I’m always up for owning old cars.

A 1970 Plymouth Superbird with a 426 Hemi would make a fine daily runner, not only stylish, but as you point out, tax free! I can see no potential draw backs, other than the fuel consumption & initial purchase price. 😀

I suppose if you have the skill, patience and time to look after them then the answer is probably, yes. I don’t, so I’m with Flygirl on this one.:)

😀

I suppose if you have the skill, patience and time to look after them then the answer is probably, yes. I don’t, so I’m with Flygirl on this one.:)