Should I daily drive a classic car?

[Laughing Coyote]

No turbo? Supercharger? big coffee can exhaust?  Dude your no fun. 

 

( looks pretty straight forward. Just the way I like it.......simple )

[keiser31]

Yep....original style juice brakes and no discs or power. 6V with a new harness (not shown in photo).

Edited September 29, 2018 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[keiser31]

I think about this...., but....no. Look closely to see those mags are sitting in front of the wire wheels....

Edited September 29, 2018 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Laughing Coyote]

May look okay if you get those rusty old Grager's powder coated yellow. 

[Bloo]

Yes, you can daily drive a 71 RIviera. No problem. There are things you will need to do differently than a modern car.

 

In 1971, when you pulled into a gas station a bunch of guys ran out and filled your gas tank, checked your oil, checked your tires, washed your windshield, and maybe handed you cheap glassware. Check your oil, often. Too often. Often enough that you usually don't have to add any. It got done automatically at the gas station in 1971. Now, it is up to you. On the day some seal falls out, and the oil goes down suddenly, you will catch it before it runs too low.

 

Learn how much oil (and ATF and gear oil) it uses (or leaks) and keep it full. Change your oil, and don't let it get nasty and stinky. If it uses a lot, don't fall into the trap of thinking it doesn't need changing because you are dumping more in. You change the oil and filter to get the nasty stuff out.

 

Get good tires. If you don't plan on entering any "points" type shows in the near future, get radials. Maybe get them just a touch wider than stock, like 70 series instead of 75, and then one size wider. Don't buy the ones with the longest treadwear warranty. Soft rubber grips better. A medium to low mileage rating is no guarantee that it is grips well, but ones with a super long mileage rating probably wont stick worth a damn. Today, almost everything on the road can out-brake you. Good tires help a lot. Learn to drive defensively. It is a skill everyone should have. Always allow extra space in front when you can.

 

Drive it!. Problems will crop up, fix them as they do, and eventually it will get where you can trust it. People drove cars like 71 Rivieras on long multi-state road trips without thinking twice, and you can too after you drive it enough to get a feel for its habits, and fix the little things that cause trouble. Most old cars need sorting out. Driving it what it takes. Daily driving just gets you there faster. The troublesome cars are the ones that just sit around.

 

When you repair something that fails, make it as good as it was when it was new. If some part or system lasted 80K miles the first time, when you rebuild it make it so it will last 80k (or more) the second time. That way, you don't wind up with a bunch of important things broken at the same time. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

 

This 1970 Marauder was my dad's daily driver until 2002. It has 202k miles on it. I was daily driving it last fall sorting out some problems it developed from sitting around too much. You could go anywhere in this. Seriously.

 

 

[Frantz]

14 hours ago, padgett said:

Personally for a Volvo would prefer a P1800ES but agree, just see my sig for the current split.

If you can find a good running P1800 for $2k you send me that link right now!!! Lots of 240s out there cheap.

[SC38dls]

Keiser You need to chop the top at least 4 inches if you go with the mags to make it look right. 

But 68 horses just may burn all that rubber right off the first time you pop the clutch !!

Edited September 29, 2018 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[keiser31]

3 hours ago, SC38DLS said:

Keiser You need to chop the top at least 4 inches if you go with the mags to make it look right. 

But 68 horses just may burn all that rubber right off the first time you pop the clutch !!

My friend's very similar body style 1931 DeSoto with a slight haircut and a little beef in the six....

 

[keiser31]

As long as you have access to parts or can fabricate stuff, pretty much any old car can be a daily driver.

[SC38dls]

Your friend is lucky he doesn’t break the wire wheels on the DeSoto

Edited September 29, 2018 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[Duff71Riv]

15 hours ago, Bloo said:

. The troublesome cars are the ones that just sit around

I can totally attest to that. Second time driving in 13 years and a coolant hose splits and the whole engine bay steams up. I thought I was on fire til I smelled the coolant. I just sat out in the parking lot til it cooled and eventually got it home (I wasn’t very far only about a quarter mile) 

[Ozstatman]

1 hour ago, keiser31 said:

My friend's very similar body style 1931 DeSoto with a slight haircut and a little beef in the six...

John,

 

What's the F Head?

[keiser31]

6 minutes ago, Ozstatman said:

John,

 

What's the F Head?

The F head is a cylinder head designed by EDGY. Here is the link to the website of the Montana Dodge Boys Fast Four Special. These are the guys with the DeSoto. They are manufacturing aluminum cylinder heads for performance.

http://www.fastfourspecial.com/

 

Edited September 29, 2018 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Kevin M]

@Duff71Riv I daily drive 98 Lesabre and have a 91 Reatta. I know these aren’t really “old” cars but If your looking into the 90s I’d recommend anything with the Buick 3800 in it. My first lesabre leaked a quart of tranny fluid in 500 miles, and a similar amount of antifreeze in the same time. But I got over 30mpg on the highway at 70. I love my Reatta so far and they’re pretty cheap to buy as of now. In your area there’s relatively a lot too. 

[padgett]

Just a note but I have always run my cars cooler than stock. 160-170 for non-computer cars and 180-190 for computer cars. My experience is that EVERYTHING under the hood (belts, hoses, electrics, etc.) lasts much longer. Also unless on a track, I try to "drive gentle". Lots of towing experience does that for you. Bottom line could take any of my cars to LA tomorrow (Judge would be noisy and use a lot of gas) but all are Interstate capable. And all of my cars from the last century are AACA eligible.

[Ozstatman]

5 hours ago, keiser31 said:

The F head is a cylinder head designed by EDGY. Here is the link to the website of the Montana Dodge Boys Fast Four Special. These are the guys with the DeSoto. They are manufacturing aluminum cylinder heads for performance.

John,

 

Thanks for the info and link.

 

4 bangers forever!

 

Pic below is my mate's Model B powered dragster back in the 60's. Powered in the pits at Castlereagh Dragway by yours truely!

 

Edited September 30, 2018 by Ozstatman (see edit history)

[ol' yeller]

The Insurance issue is real. It is not an issue IF you can afford the premiums, it is a question of what they will pay if the car is totaled.  Regular auto insurance will "cover" the car but seriously devalue it when paying out a claim.  You will likely discover that a minor fender bender could give them cause to total your car and pay you peanuts.  Yes there is agreed value (or stated value) policies available but most (if not all) require you to have another vehicle to commute in or seriously limit how many miles one can drive.   They also have an age limitation and won't insure drivers under the age of 25.  I think the OP is 16 or 17.  If that all is of no issue to you, then go ahead and enjoy your car.

[lump]

10 hours ago, ol' yeller said:

The Insurance issue is real. It is not an issue IF you can afford the premiums, it is a question of what they will pay if the car is totaled.  Regular auto insurance will "cover" the car but seriously devalue it when paying out a claim.  You will likely discover that a minor fender bender could give them cause to total your car and pay you peanuts.  Yes there is agreed value (or stated value) policies available but most (if not all) require you to have another vehicle to commute in or seriously limit how many miles one can drive.   They also have an age limitation and won't insure drivers under the age of 25.  I think the OP is 16 or 17.  If that all is of no issue to you, then go ahead and enjoy your car.

That's what I've been trying to communicate, Ol'Yeller! Well said!! 

[padgett]

Insurance costs are part of what killed Muscle Cars in the early 70's. Not all but was significant.

 

Remember being asked when first insured my '78 Sunbird. Was asked if it had a V6 and I said no.

Edited October 1, 2018 by padgett (see edit history)

[JACK M]

I didn't ever have anything better than liability on any of my first cars.

I guess if one got totaled I would have had to eat it.

These cars NEVER cost over a hundred dollars. Probably equal to a thousand or 1500 dollar car these days.

I did have a car stolen once, If the local police hadn't had an attitude I may have been able to get it back.

[gungeey]

Here's my thinking regarding the original question: whether to use your good old car as a daily driver.

I USED TO have very fine 63-65 rivieras, they always treated me well, drove them sparingly, made sure contact with water was minimal. Kept the engine bay hospital clean etc.

Sold my last one about 6 years ago.

Got the bug and over the course of 6 months found a nice driver quality car/20yo restoration. $11000. Did a rehab of the wear and tear items tires/hoses belts/battery cables, A/C charge etc and tended to its most apparent needs to serve me well. Add another 3000 for that. Include shipping and state tax etc. So I'm into the car for 14k. Lets say 15k for easy math.

I could drive this car (Nevada rust free metal) maybe 5 years here in new england before the weathering catches up with me 

It's looking like there's a readily available supply of these on hand, I'm betting in 5 years the guys older than me (I'm 57)are going to be moving on to bigger and better thing and places. It looks like the new generation of collectors is going after stuff of less interest to me 70's/80's cars/Japanese/small cars.

My point being I could likely get another nice driver when this one wears out it's tires, sell this one as parts or restore to a dreamer for 3-4000 then buy another solid car in my early 60's...if I even wanted to. If prices drop a bit (speculation) more now I'm all in for 12000 minus the 3-4k I sell the current car for.

8000 bucks is the difference, and if my logic seems fairly reasonable I'm driving around in a 1st generation Riviera any time I please.

Looking back at continuing my old method of having a 4000lb trophy in my garage so I can be dead leaving a car behind that I barely used doesn't make much sense anymore. To me.

Haven't decided yet but maybe put the car in winter storage,that will maybe get me a couple extra years on the plan...Steve

 

 

 

[lump]

Well said, Gungeey. The only fly-in-the-ointment, from my perspective, is insurance. I seem to recall that Massachusetts has "no-fault" car insurance laws, so maybe things are different there. But here in Ohio, if someone else smashes into your car, their insurance company is likely to argue that SINCE your older car was being driven regularly as transportation, then it was in fact a "used car." Then they refer to the Blue Book value guide, which no longer lists cars of a certain age. Thus, these companies claim that your car was nothing more than an old used car, and offer you several hundred dollars as a settlement. Ask me how I know. 

[39BuickEight]

Insurance laws vary by state, and are usually misunderstood until an accident happens.

[kgreen]

Possibly not a risk everyone would be comfortable with.  This is a very unfortunate Buick, which owner from this forum was very fortunate to have not been hurt.

 

[gungeey]

Here I get an appraisal and have the car insured thru Amica for the appraised value minus the amount of my deductible.

 

Full coverage 871yr.

 

About the same price as my 14 MKS and they are both of about the same worth, too. Steve

[kgreen]

It may be that common knowledge of insurance is not all that common.  To that end, I certainly recommend calling your existing insurance agent to be sure the terms of insurance are understood including all clauses and limitations.  As a reminder because of the unfortunate Buick accident (above), I called to get some clarity on my policy.

 

I've been insured with Hagerty for several years now and have three cars in their program.   I have what Hagerty calls Guaranteed Value insurance.  To establish the value, I provide comps that I can find and documented cost of restoration.  We agree on a value and that is what the settlement is if I suffer a loss.  The example I was given is that a $35,000 car as determined by comps but with a restoration cost of $50,000 can be insured for a guaranteed value of just under $50,000.  If the car is totaled, they give me $50,000 and take the car.  I get first right of refusal to buy the totaled car at a value determined by parts value.  In this case, the insurance representative said if the car was worth $5,000 in parts, then they would give me $45,000 and the car.  For a "small" additional premium, they will give me the $50,000 plus the car.

 

The representative stated that other another phrase for guaranteed value is Agreed Value.  the representative noted, however, that some agreed value policies will have clauses that deduct value from the car based on depreciation and such.  

 

I asked about driving limitations.  The representative stated that they like to see a maximum of 7,500 miles per year.  They had no time or purpose limitations.  I can drive the car as often as I like, where ever I like and when I like.  

 

The representative noted that vintage and special interest vehicle owners as a group are easy to insure because they tend to drive more carefully and with a safer mindset when using their special vehicle.  All that said, I would still be scared to drive a fully insured AACA designated classic within City of Atlanta (any city) limits.  

[Real Steel]

There are so many things to consider about older daily drivers, that it's hard to cover everything in a format such as this.

 

Let no one ever tell you that cars (or any machines) are unreliable due to age.  NO!  They become unreliable due to poor maintenance.  Anyone who says otherwise, clearly understands nothing about machines.  If 'age' was to blame, you would never see vintage airplanes in the air.

 

Lastly, here is a photo of my lowly daily driver.  Just a 1930 Model A.  I've used many other types of vintage cars as daily drivers (Hudson, Cadillac, Dodge Brothers, and more).  Now I need to simplify and economize, and the 'A' accomplishes that very well.

[Bloo]

39 minutes ago, Real Steel said:

Let no one ever tell you that cars (or any machines) are unreliable due to age.  NO!  They become unreliable due to poor maintenance.  Anyone who says otherwise, clearly understands nothing about machines.  If 'age' was to blame, you would never see vintage airplanes in the air.

 

That pretty much nails it.

 

Here's my driver:

 

 

 

[ted sweet]

that's not agreed upon value, that's stated value. agreed upon value is what was referred as guaranteed value

[kgreen]

2 hours ago, ted sweet said:

that's not agreed upon value, that's stated value. agreed upon value is what was referred as guaranteed value

Pls clarify

[SC38dls]

When I got my Hagerty insurance I put in a value of $15,000 and Hagerty agreed. If it is totaled they pay me $15000 less my deductible. It must be garage kept and not driven over 5000 miles a year. The cost with unlimited towing on a flat bed not a hook is $147 a year.  I’m an older guy just 8 years younger than the car) and I do not think they will insure a 16 year old driver. I drive it as my daily driver but we ( my wife that is ) has another car we use for most social and household errand trips. The two blondes below get to ride on most trips and my wife doesn’t mind at all. 

Dave S