In terms of reliability and drivability, how much of a hassle would it be to own..say a first generation Camaro convertible? Would it be worth it? Are there any similar convertibles from that era worth a purchase for someone with a budget of around $15k?
YACT: Practicality of classic car?
- Thread starter Syringer
- Start date
It depends on what you call practicle 
. Gas milage isn't going to be all that great. I've never owned one but I imagine the verts back then don't seal the greatest and are noisy. Reliability will be okay aslong as everything is in good shape when you buy it. Replace the points with an electronic ignition.
There are all kinds of cool verts from the 60s that fit in that budget.
If you can't work on a car you don't want a old 60s ride.
. Gas milage isn't going to be all that great. I've never owned one but I imagine the verts back then don't seal the greatest and are noisy. Reliability will be okay aslong as everything is in good shape when you buy it. Replace the points with an electronic ignition. There are all kinds of cool verts from the 60s that fit in that budget.
If you can't work on a car you don't want a old 60s ride.
Definately.
People don't generally buy them to be daily drivers, although some do.. with the thought that there isn't much point in having the car if you aren't going to drive it.
Some only drive them during the summer and/or nice weather..
Edit: One of these days, I'm going to find a '69 VW Beetle Convertible, and put a built 2.2L turbocharged Volkswagen Type4 engine in it.
Talk about a sleeper...
Either that, or a Corvair H6.
Seriously though. I am going to do that, even if it takes till I'm 40.
Linflas
Lifer
- Jan 30, 2001
- 15,395
- 78
- 91
Actually I think they make a fine daily driver if you go into knowing up front what the maintenance requirements are. You will need to be prepared to repair things that break due to sheer age. The gas mileage will obviously not be that great. Every 3k miles you will need to do the points and condensor, rotor, gap the plugs, check the plug wires, check the ignition timing etc. Keep on top of all that stuff and I think you would really enjoy it. On the other hand if you just like to jump in and drive and fix stuff only when it goes wrong then you would be better off with a late model car.
Gee skoorb,
I own a 1967 Camaro,coupe,
I did replace the points with an electronic ignition,ANd this is my Most reliable vehicle i own.
i have worked on this car a little bit each year,since i bought it 7 years ago,some stuff i changed because i wanted to,not because i had to,i have changed the clutch,because i had to.
Parts for Camaros are the cheapest of any Classic car out.
If you want a slightly more cushy ride,the 68-72 Chevelles ride a little nicer,but the Camaro,and the
67-69 Firebirds are more fun.
Firebird parts are a little tougher to find tho.
http://www.firstgen.com/
http://www.camaros.net/ads/index.shtml cars and parts for sale, .
The ONLY way it would be 'practical', is if it were used as a daily driver. $15,000 would have to be a flawless machine. That's too much to spend for the initial price. If you bought one for half that, kept it running with regular maintenance, and don't put too much into it, you could probably sell it for what you paid for it years down the road. You'd only be out the money spent keeping it up. That shouldn't be too much, because parts are cheap and plentiful.
$15,000 for a ANY convertible classic (64-72) car in good to decent shape will be a STEAL. This is especially true for the first gen camaro. Right now, convertible muscle cars are among the most highly sought after genres. For the quality you are looking for (not much work needed), you are looking at $22k-$30k (at least in the Northeast).
I have a '70 chevelle with a 350/4spd, Edlebrock intake and Edlebrock 600cfm carb and get....hold on to your hats....19 mpg highway and 14mpg city! Certainly not great numbers for today but damn respectable for a 33 year old car!
Good luck in your search!
PS: If you are looking for a 'babe mobile'. Get a mid-70's caddy convert. Probably get one of those well under your price range and a very LARGE rear 'babe-area' (if you know what I mean)
I have a '70 chevelle with a 350/4spd, Edlebrock intake and Edlebrock 600cfm carb and get....hold on to your hats....19 mpg highway and 14mpg city! Certainly not great numbers for today but damn respectable for a 33 year old car!
Good luck in your search!
PS: If you are looking for a 'babe mobile'. Get a mid-70's caddy convert. Probably get one of those well under your price range and a very LARGE rear 'babe-area' (if you know what I mean
)Let me know when yopu are ready Eli, I have in the past owned 17 Corvairs, two Corvair engines have been installed in two different VW's I have owned
I had a '63 vette convertible as a daily driver up until about 2 or 3 years ago.
It never stranded me, but keep in mind they are uncomfortable, and I never spoke to anyone who didn't have convertible without top leaks. Also remember that power windows, door locks, cruise control, and even FM radios were an expensive luxury item back then so not many cars from the 60's have them. If you've had a newer car and are switching to an older car as a daily driver, those little things that you didn't think you'd miss will become a major irritant. Yes, I know that many of these things can be added on, but if you spend that kind of cash on an older car, you probably don't want to spend the cash to possibly lower the value of the car, at least I didn't on my vette. The thing I missed the most was cruise control. The seats back then were like sitting on a wooden bench too.
I loved my vette, but it was not meant to be a daily driver even when it was new IMHO. Besides, the coolness wears off when you get in the car and it's pouring down rain and you're getting soaked on your way to work. Even with all new seals and a new top the thing had a very annoying habit of dripping water on your crotch. Not to mention that the cars of the 60's had safety features of a motorcycle. My car didn't even come with seatbelts, and I did add them since it was an option in1963. I had to keep in mind that if I got hit or crashed the car, I would be seriously injured since there was no such thing as door intrusion beams, padded dashes, collapsible steering columns and shoulder restraints.
The maintenance was not bad at all, I did every bit of work on that car that was ever needed including replacing the carpet with a factory set, new top, weatherstrips, rebuilt gauges, clutch, carburetor, water pump, radiator, distributor, tach cable, clutch pedal, headlight motors, taillight bezels, rechromed bumpers, complete rebuild of brake system (mine had all drums, disks were an option in '63) to include flex lines, all hardware, master cylinder and wheel cylinders, seat frames, etc. You get the idea. It was kind of fun rebuilding the old car, but you want to do everything at once, and your budget and time only allow you to do one thing at a time. My priorities were getting the car safe and driveable, and then I worked on cosmetics. A new convertible top and getting the car leakproof was one of the last things I did because those items cost me over $500 alone.
Just be aware that it gets old unless you have a real passion for it that's going to last. I had my car for about seven years.
That being said, I'll probably get another old vette again some day, but this one will be a pre '62 straight axle car.
It never stranded me, but keep in mind they are uncomfortable, and I never spoke to anyone who didn't have convertible without top leaks. Also remember that power windows, door locks, cruise control, and even FM radios were an expensive luxury item back then so not many cars from the 60's have them. If you've had a newer car and are switching to an older car as a daily driver, those little things that you didn't think you'd miss will become a major irritant. Yes, I know that many of these things can be added on, but if you spend that kind of cash on an older car, you probably don't want to spend the cash to possibly lower the value of the car, at least I didn't on my vette. The thing I missed the most was cruise control. The seats back then were like sitting on a wooden bench too.
I loved my vette, but it was not meant to be a daily driver even when it was new IMHO. Besides, the coolness wears off when you get in the car and it's pouring down rain and you're getting soaked on your way to work. Even with all new seals and a new top the thing had a very annoying habit of dripping water on your crotch. Not to mention that the cars of the 60's had safety features of a motorcycle. My car didn't even come with seatbelts, and I did add them since it was an option in1963. I had to keep in mind that if I got hit or crashed the car, I would be seriously injured since there was no such thing as door intrusion beams, padded dashes, collapsible steering columns and shoulder restraints.
The maintenance was not bad at all, I did every bit of work on that car that was ever needed including replacing the carpet with a factory set, new top, weatherstrips, rebuilt gauges, clutch, carburetor, water pump, radiator, distributor, tach cable, clutch pedal, headlight motors, taillight bezels, rechromed bumpers, complete rebuild of brake system (mine had all drums, disks were an option in '63) to include flex lines, all hardware, master cylinder and wheel cylinders, seat frames, etc. You get the idea. It was kind of fun rebuilding the old car, but you want to do everything at once, and your budget and time only allow you to do one thing at a time. My priorities were getting the car safe and driveable, and then I worked on cosmetics. A new convertible top and getting the car leakproof was one of the last things I did because those items cost me over $500 alone.
Just be aware that it gets old unless you have a real passion for it that's going to last. I had my car for about seven years.
That being said, I'll probably get another old vette again some day, but this one will be a pre '62 straight axle car.
Remember less parts there is, the less there is to go worng... I would not have a 67 Camaro as a Daily Driver though, thats too cool a car
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I would do it. Depending on where you live you could drive it year round. Most of your repairs, except bodywork, would be fairly inexpensive.
I'm planning on buying a 70-71 Torino GT Convertible for a summer car when I find the right one.
I'm planning on buying a 70-71 Torino GT Convertible for a summer car when I find the right one.
radioouman
Diamond Member
- Nov 4, 2002
- 8,632
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I had a 75 Plymouth Duster that was the most reliable car that I've ever owned. It's no coincidence that it has a Slant 6 in it though. If you're familiar with a carb, these things are very reliable. There are few electronics, and no computer to deal with. I thought that my Duster was very comfortable (cloth seats) and had plenty of room. The gas mileage was not great (18 average). Sometimes it was a little tricky to get started if it was hot, and humidity and temperature made the car run well some days and not others.
I think that these old cars can be daily drivers, but only if you're willing to work on them a little.
I think that these old cars can be daily drivers, but only if you're willing to work on them a little.
My "Dream/Project" car is a 1975 or 1976 Datsun 280z. I had one, drove it to North Carolina. Loved it. Those long 6cyl heads are a bear, but the car is otherwise fast, handles great, minimal smog crap, fuel injected, and easy to work on.
I miss my Z. But it's too impractical for me.
I miss my Z. But it's too impractical for me.
btw, I got about 20 to 25 mpg in my vette on the highway. Around town was around 15 or so. It actually got better mileage than my 91 F150 6 cylinder 5 speed.
One more thing. Look into insurance rates before buying. They can be very high for older cars, especially if it's a very nice car. You can get a "show car" rate, but if you get into an accident, you can expect to answer a lot of questions about why you were driving it. Show car rates are for cars that are rarely if ever driven. If they find that you were using it as a daily driver but were paying a limited use rate, you can expect to have your claim denied, or at the very least cancelled if a payment is made since you misrepresented how you were going to use the car.
NOT practical. They're cool, expensive toys for hobbyists, best bought after you've got some good personal wealth built up.
They're not up to par with modern cars for comfort, safety, handling, performance, or reliability.
They're not up to par with modern cars for comfort, safety, handling, performance, or reliability.
Not tiny, tinny and buzzy (relative to current cars), but that has nothing to do with practicality. A muscle car has coil over shocks, which are much more durable, and cheaper to replace than mcpherson struts. They have $10.00 U-Joints instead of immensely expensive, fragile, CV Joints. They don't have any of the smog monitoring sending units, air pumps, catalytic convertors or computers to fvck up. They don't have wimpy FWD trannies crammed under the hood. All these things add to their practicality (relative to current go-karts)!
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