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vintage roadster as daily driver...

M

MisterPresident

Golden Member
How bad of an idea is it for me to be considering something like an Alfa Spider or a Triumph Spitifre as a daily driver?

Practicality is not an issue; reliability is. I would want to spend no more than $15k.

Should I just settle for a Miata or something? I love the body styles of 1970's and 1980's sports cars, including the Supra, 955, 300z etc What other vehicles should I be looking into?
 
Neither of those two will be reliable. On the other hand, a non-turbo Porsche 944 from the 80s would be a decent daily driver. As long as you find one that's been properly maintained and you have the money to do the scheduled maintaince I've heard that they're very reliable.
 
somehow using a tiny little car with no SRS and crumple zones for a daily commuter doesn't come off as a good idea.
 
Originally posted by: halik
somehow using a tiny little car with no SRS and crumple zones for a daily commuter doesn't come off as a good idea.
Click to expand...

Tens of thousands of people across America don't seem to mind.

Do you usually crash on your daily commute?
 
Originally posted by: DeviousTrap
Neither of those two will be reliable. On the other hand, a non-turbo Porsche 944 from the 80s would be a decent daily driver. As long as you find one that's been properly maintained and you have the money to do the scheduled maintaince I've heard that they're very reliable.
Click to expand...
I drive my 87 944 to work 2-3 days a week. I'd trust it anywhere - but it is terrifyingly expensive when something does go wrong, and it's a major bitch to work on. The Turbos are pretty reliable also and are fantastic cars to drive. You could get a very nice one for $15k too.

Regarding the Alfa or Spitfire as a daily driver, as the others have said, that's a terrible idea. Those cars were famously unreliable when they were new. Expecting to get more than a couple thousand trouble-free miles out of a 35+year-old one is fantasy. Plus the Spitfire is a deathtrap. It's extremely slow, it handles poorly and it is very, very hard to see on modern, SUV-and-minivan infested roads.

Personally I'd go with a Miata, an early 90s Nissan Z with T-tops, or an old 80's 'Vette.
 
Originally posted by: halik
somehow using a tiny little car with no SRS and crumple zones for a daily commuter doesn't come off as a good idea.
Click to expand...

I commuted in a 1974 VW Super Beetle 120 miles per day from 1990 to 1995. The most important safety device is the operator behind the wheel.
 
Originally posted by: jagec
Originally posted by: halik
somehow using a tiny little car with no SRS and crumple zones for a daily commuter doesn't come off as a good idea.
Click to expand...

Tens of thousands of people across America don't seem to mind.

Do you usually crash on your daily commute?
Click to expand...

Odds are pretty good that when you crash it'll be on your daily commute.
 
Originally posted by: jagec
Originally posted by: halik
somehow using a tiny little car with no SRS and crumple zones for a daily commuter doesn't come off as a good idea.
Click to expand...

Tens of thousands of people across America don't seem to mind.

Do you usually crash on your daily commute?
Click to expand...
Thousands of people across America get in accidents on their commute every year. None of them intended to.
 
One thing to note:
Most sports cars from the UK have horrid reliability. As much as people knock on Ford for reliability, even Jaguar fans admit that Ford made Jaguar reliable.
 
Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
One thing to note:
Most sports cars from the UK have horrid reliability. As much as people knock on Ford for reliability, even Jaguar fans admit that Ford made Jaguar reliable.
Click to expand...

Lucas Electric :thumbsup:
 
I have a 78' MGB that I used as a daily driver in college. Did around 50 miles a day. Brother had a 70' MGB that he used when he went to Georgia Tech. So every quarter he made the trip from Memphis to Atlanta.

If you know how to work on cars or want to learn, these are the cars to do it with. They can be made fairly reliable. Heck the wiring harness in my dad's Lexus is bigger than the main wiring harness in my MG.
 
Originally posted by: phantom309
Originally posted by: jagec
Originally posted by: halik
somehow using a tiny little car with no SRS and crumple zones for a daily commuter doesn't come off as a good idea.
Click to expand...

Tens of thousands of people across America don't seem to mind.

Do you usually crash on your daily commute?
Click to expand...
Thousands of people across America get in accidents on their commute every year. None of them intended to.
Click to expand...

That's as may be, but it doesn't mean we should all drive giant semi trucks made entirely out of pillows. If you're careful and alert, your chances of getting into an accident are greatly reduced..and on the low-speed collisions typical of an accident while commuting (assuming traffic in your area is a problem during rush hour), you'll probably be less injured than if you get hit by an airbag.
 
Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Unless you are a gearhead it's not going to work out for you.
Click to expand...

QFT



I drove a '60 Austin Healey 3000 BT7 for over 4 years as a daily driver after a 18 month restoration. It demanded at least a Saturday a month to remain in good fettel. It was sold in '76 and I still miss her.

The intellegent comment from halik is not to be discounted.

I'd love to have a Triumph TR3 or TR4 for a daily driver. Why? Because it is basic, viseral 😉


...Galvanized

 
Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
One thing to note:
Most sports cars from the UK have horrid reliability. As much as people knock on Ford for reliability, even Jaguar fans admit that Ford made Jaguar reliable.
Click to expand...

Reminds me of a bumper sticker once seen on an MG:

"The parts that fall off this car are of the highest British quality!"
 
Having owned a Triumph I would say, bad idea.

The cost to keep one up and running would bankrupt you is a very short time.

Unless you pull out the engine, tranny, and ALL the electrics and replace them with something build here. (US)
 
Originally posted by: DeviousTrap
Neither of those two will be reliable. On the other hand, a non-turbo Porsche 944 from the 80s would be a decent daily driver. As long as you find one that's been properly maintained and you have the money to do the scheduled maintaince I've heard that they're very reliable.
Click to expand...

They might not be as bad as you think. If the vehicle has been restored or kept in good repair then most of the weak spots have probably already been addressed.

I knew a guy who drove an early 70s Triumph TR-6 as a daily driver for a number of years. I wouldn't be surprised if he still has that car and drove it everyday.
 
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